On February 25th, animal lovers from across the state convened in Indianapolis to lobby for animal welfare legislation. This document is a condensed version of

some of the legislation discussed that day, presented to you by ABRA, Inc.

INDIANA’S STATUS REGARDING ANIMAL WELFARE • We rank #39 out of 50 states as far as the strength of our animal protection laws. (Pathetic!) • We rank #3 in the nation for number of puppy mills, only Missouri and Pennsylvania exceed

our numbers. (This is thanks, in large part, to the Amish population* in our state. See The Puppy Mill Project for more information.)

• There are over 30 steps involved in a bill becoming a law in the State of Indiana. (Do you remember Conjunction Junction? Unfortunately, the process is far more complicated than that “How a Bill Becomes a Law” explanation from the School House Rock days.)

• While federal law makes it a felony to be a spectator at an animal fight, in Indiana it is still a misdemeanor. (There will be more information on that later.)

SB404 (Senate Bill 404) For the past 7 years, a bill to legalize captive/ “canned” hunting has been introduced.

Captive hunting is the act of hunting animals contained within a high-fenced area. The hunter pays for the experience and is guaranteed a trophy. The animals they hunt often come from dealers and private breeders and have been domesticated to a degree, thus losing their natural fear of humans. They are accustomed to eating at feeding stations at certain times, therefore

virtually guaranteeing a “hunter” will be able to get a kill. Not only do people who have respect for animals find fault with canned hunting facilities, but so do the vast majority of people in the hunting community.

Animals at these facilities are confined in highly concentrated areas, making disease common and often rampant. Disease can be spread through direct contact with an escaped animal and via nose-to-nose transmission through fences. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and tuberculosis have been diagnosed in captive animals throughout the nation and right here in Indiana as well! When these diseases are spread, it poses a costly risk. For example, Wisconsin currently has a 15 year plan in place with the objective of controlling the negative impact of CWD. Since 2002, Wisconsin has spent $47 million dollars on attempting to control CWD, an expense that was covered by tax payers. (That’s right, people like you and me, NOT the owners of captive-hunting facilities, nor the the so-called “hunters” themselves, but all taxpayers get to pick up the tab.)

Scary facts:

• Over half of the states have enacted legislation to fully or partially BAN captive hunts yet Indiana legislators continue to introduce bills to LEGALIZE it in our state for 7 years running.

photo  credit:    fishandgamemag.com  

• While it has never successfully passed, in 2013 the proposed legislation failed by only ONE VOTE. (ONE. SINGLE. VOTE.) That very narrow margin is alarming!

• Senator Earline Rogers, the Democratic Senator from District 3, which includes our home base of Crown Point and many surrounding cities, voted in FAVOR of SB404.

ICASF (Indiana Companion Animal Sterilization Fund) District 1 Representative Linda Lawson has tried introducing legislation, every year since being elected, that would establish a statewide spay/neuter fund to cover the spay/neuter expenses for all pet owners who receive public assistance. Veterinarians who choose to participate would be reimbursed for the procedures they perform. Funds would be generated from a fee collected from pet stores on the sale of unaltered pets and by a check-off box on the state income tax return allowing individuals to make voluntarily donations. This idea is shot down every year before even getting to the hearing stages, which is why is hasn’t even been assigned a House Bill number.

Indiana’s (Disappointing) Animal Fighting Laws While it is now a felony to be a spectator at an animal fight at the federal level, in the state of Indiana it remains a misdemeanor. How can this be? Well, federal laws take precedence if the fighting involves crossing state lines, making it an interstate operation. If the event is intrastate, however, with all participants being state residents and there’s no evidence of interstate involvement, then Indiana law prevails.

The horrific and gruesome consequences of dogfighting are apparent to anyone with a conscience, but some other things to consider:

• Animal fighting poses a public safety risk and almost always involves other illegal activity such as: weapons possession, narcotics, violent crimes, gambling and gang activity.

• Lesser misdemeanor penalties for being a spectator create a loophole making it difficult to prosecute animal fighters. At the first sign of a raid, the fighters abandon their animals and pretend to be a spectator in order to avoid felony charges. WHAT CONCERNED CITIZENS CAN DO FOR ANIMALS

A recent Mason Dixon poll reported that more than 80% of Indiana’s residents support strengthening Indiana’s animal cruelty codes yet our legislators’ votes are not reflecting that!

• You can contact your representatives and ask them to support humane legislation. (If you are unsure of how to contact your representatives or who they are, you may find that information on the Indiana General Assembly Lookup Service site.)

• Be specific, tell them your thoughts on SB404 and laws pertaining to spectators of animal fights.

• Remember to mention that you are a voting constituent! Your vote makes you powerful!

OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION*

People from the Amish community, a religious minority in the United States, run a significant proportion of the puppy mills in the Midwest and Northeastern portions of the country. While there are existing laws, in our state, providing some loose control over puppy mills, the limitations set in place by those laws allow individuals to have 25 unaltered females on their property at any given time. When you consider that many Amish businesses are family businesses, involving more than one adult,

each with his own 25 unaltered female dog allotment, it is easy to see that the legal limitation does not actually provide an obstacle to running large puppy mill operations.

Despite the fact that Amish are citizens who choose to abstain from voting, some Indiana legislators have opted to bring some members of the Amish community into a closed session in an effort to make an emotional appeal regarding the lifestyle of the Amish to the whole body of legislators. As part of their visit to the capitol, the Amish were allowed to hold a bake sale for the legislators, selling off their famed baked goods and further endearing themselves to the people who are going to be presented with an opportunity to create and vote on laws intended to protect animals, to the possible detriment of the Amish businesses. The invitation extended to the Amish to a closed session was a cheap trick intended to sway the votes of the legislators present to meet them and ultimately eat their delicious pies and other baked goods.

It should make you wonder why the Amish, WHO DO NOT VOTE, are granted such leniency in this matter! If you do the math, a family of 6 could legally have 150 breeding females in their puppy mill at any given time! That quickly adds up to a whole lot of trouble for those of us on the rescue side of things who know that there are over 500,000 puppy mill dogs sold in the U.S. every year while 5 to 7 million are entering shelters, many of whom never leave. Furthermore, the conditions and treatment of puppy mill dogs is deplorable. By the time a female is five years old, she may have birthed ten litters, all without veterinary care nor protection from inclement weather. Bloody paws, hot spots and rotting teeth issues are common in puppy mill dogs. It’s time to make our law makers accountable for our laws! And, as always, remember: don’t shop, adopt! J

photo  credit:  Mike  Bizelli  @  blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft