ABC 20/20 SPCA

[hallswel]

I was sent the following and wanted to pass it on in case any of you might want to watch

>>> MUST SEE ABC'S 20/20 JUNE 3RD - THIS FRIDAY'S EXPOSE'

>>>

>>> See how animal rescuers steal prize animals from breeders - then

>>> accuse them

>>> falsely of animal cruelty. They sell the stolen animals

>>> immediately and keep

>>> the money saying they are abused and neglected.

>>>

>>> Three year investigation into the sloppy incompetence of

SPCA/Humane

>>> Societies. Judges - DAs - City Attorneys - Police - Sheriffs -

>>> Constables - and out

>>> Legislators go along with it. Are they in it too? Lives are

>>> devastated.

>>> Suicide - Jail - Savings Depleted. We've all been fooled into

>>> donating to these

>>> groups. They kill and put the pets to sleep.

>>>

>>> PLEASE DON'T FAIL TO WATCH

>>> ABC 20/20 FRIDAY JUNE 3RD

>>> EST 10 PM ~ CENTRAL 9 PM ~ PST 10 PM

>>>

[Guest Darcy's Mom]

LIz,

I just read your post with baited breath. I am hoping the few humane societies I contribute to are not included in this crime. How horrible for the animals and owners/breeders who are affected. I will be watching (if my pea size brain can remember) to see if any of the guilty humane societies are the ones I donate to.

Thanks for the info.

[Guest Christina]

As a volunteer for the SPCA of Texas who has fostered a number of animals from these exact same rescues, I can tell you that the only crime was the way those animals were treated!

Please take a look at the following links and tell me it's OK to keep animals in such a manner! NO WAY!

See images from Renee Moore case featured on "20/20"

http://www.spca.org/site/R?i=IiimYsnprv7v7ATYODdPIA..

See images from Lynda Williams case featured on "20/20"

http://www.spca.org/site/R?i=nnBqNFQWismm7eCqrxTAWA..

[Guest mrskti]

ABC sure knew how to put a different spin on things, dont they. I admit I watched some of that and thought...."what the heck are they taking those animals for?!?!!!" You cant believe what you read...or what you see!

[hallswel]

I'm afraid I missed the story but I did read it. I think animal cruelty is a crime and should be prosecuted. Jail time, fines need to happen. To do that you need trained people to make the cases just like police/sheriff detective investigate crimes like thefts, rape, murder, etc. Maybe then puppy mills and cruelty to animals could be better regulated and people would think twice if they knew they would go to jail and have a criminal record maybe that would help stop this crime. We have local animal control here and they do raid puppy mills and take the animals to the shelter to be looked at by a vet and keep them until the court case is settled.

The pictures made me sick! I think the real problem is we do not have enough laws protecting animals. Officers would be able to arrest the people on the spot, take them to jail, let them go to court and have a prosecutor who is defending the animal

[jansop]

The pictures I viewed here.....sicken me beyond words.................jan

[magadog]

Oh boy, have I wanted to opine on this bit of John Stossel-ry. Give us a break! It was more about dollar signs than it was about animal lovers. 20/20 has really gone downhill since Hugh Downs left.

So the Texas SPCA sometimes goes and confiscates some poor ladies' 144 or 88 pet dogs-- some are even "show dogs"-- "purebreds worth at least $600"! One caring pet owner and her husband had to give up their house and go live in a TRAILER! (Okay, so where do I send the pink flamingo housewarming gift?)

In other words, the story was not in black and white-- these people were animal collectors and puppy farmers. And many so-called "collectors" really do believe they love their many many dogs-- in a way that's a little hard for me to comprehend. . .

Technically, it is possible that their legal rights may have been violated, and perhaps they do deserve their day in court. But let's face it. The bar for neglect has been set appallingly low. But what about our MORAL obligations? The law doesn't cover those. Never did.

It's rescue organizations that take up the slack for those-- dogs sold to brokers, pet shops, whatever-- some too far gone to be rehabilitated and ultimately euthanized. They become other people's problem.

Can't some people think in nuance? This story was not black or white-- but the question of how much feces is too much feces is hardly even moot to my mind. When you have a gazillion dogs, it's not realistic to be able to pick up all that poop, so maybe, if they are LOVING PET OWNERS, they might consider having fewer CHERISHED PETS and keep their environments cleaner.

Oh, by the way-- this -- in no way-- should threaten any responsible breeders. If it does, then there is something wrong with this picture.

Never missing a chance to sound off,

Jill

[Brigette]

Please tell me you dont believe everything you see or hear on the news. I work at a police/sherrif dept. and I can tell you when I read stories in the paper or see them on our local news channel about crimes we responded to they are usually far from the real story.

[Eliz222]

This is why we don't get the daily paper anymore...so much of the truth is distorted..so much that nobody knows what the real truth is, or not.

I had a hard time looking at those pictures.....it made my stomach turn.

[wheezie23]

I watched the show and was very disappointed with ABC and 20/20. In some cases, yes, I do believe that the owners should've had a warning and a chance to appeal, but for the most part I saw collectors and puppy mills. I'd love to know where they got their "veterinarian" who didn't see anything wrong with the conditions some of these dogs were kept in. I think it's sad that ABC chose to go after the SPCA rather than the real problem of the back yard breeders and puppy millers. Animal Planet has done so much to raise awareness to the public of the problems with animal cruelty and abuse. I fear that this segment just put organizations like the SPCA and shelters back quite a bit.

Thela

[hallswel]

I also work for a sheriff's office and I know that if you don't do everything by the book then the media will eat you alive. That is why I think we need tough laws preventing this kind of treatment of animals then you won't have stories like these. And we can get on to the business of closing puppy mills.

If those people had gone to court they would have gone to jail and been locked up like the the animals they stuffed in small dirty crates. Only they would be treated better because we have laws on how we must treat people who commit crimes. We can say we don't like 20/20 but the real problem is not enough laws to protect the animals. Maybe we should all let ABC know what we think of the story and they could do a story on puppy mills. Sometimes the people who are the loudest get heard, I bet some where in Texas someone has been very loud,and it was people who unfortunately mistreated animals.

I think it would help keep the shelters empty if we had only good responsible breeders but we have no guidelines really where animals are concerned.

We need to educate people not to buy dogs from these people. But you have pet stores selling puppies. I saw a Cairn in a mall pet store this weekend along with a pug both the breeds I own and I know they are dogs that take a special kind of owner and if not bred by someone who cares about the breed can have lots of health problems.

I will e-mail 20/20 tonight and maybe if enough people send them e-mail they will target the puppy mills and do a story on the concerns of dogs sold in pet stores and raised in such poor conditions

[hallswel]

I e-mailed them at 2020@abc.com , take the time to let them know what you think!