Tag: corruption

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Tell Your Congressperson and Senators to Pass “Goldie’s Act” and Stop Cruel Puppy Mills

A Puppy Mill

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a number of responsibilities and authorities, among them the oversight of dog breeders, often referred to as “puppy mills.” Certainly, there are humane and reputable breeders, who care for the animals they breed as well as their offspring, and do their best to ensure the puppies they sell are healthy for when they go off to their new owners.

But in far too many cases, these puppy mills are true mills–factories–where animals are cruelly abused and neglected, getting little or no health care, underfed, sick, in pain, confined in cages too small to even stand or turn, with pups being sent off to their new families with terrible, even fatal illnesses.

Named after a Golden Retriever (“Goldie”) who suffered extreme neglect and died at a “USDA-licensed” puppy mill in Iowa where she was known only as No. 142, the Goldie’s Act law will require the USDA to conduct more frequent and meaningful inspections, provide lifesaving intervention for suffering animals, issue penalties for violations, and communicate with local law enforcement to address cruelty and neglect.  

I’ve generally opposed breeders, even good ones, because I know that there are millions of homeless dogs in shelters, thousands of whom are killed each day because the shelters ostensibly “run out of space.”  And that’s because humans, far too often, selfishly insist on owning purebred dogs (who may not in fact be) or specific breeds, and simply ignore of the plight of so many beautiful angels suffering in shelters.
But until now, even I didn’t know how corrupt the USDA is, not just in ignoring its job to regulate and oversee breeders, but even corruptly covering up horrific crimes of animal cruelty: “Yet, days after the DOJ negotiated surrender of the [4000] beagles [from a USDA-licensed business, Envigo, where the USDA documented horrific cruelty during “routine inspections” over several months, including dead dogs, starving dogs, dogs in dangerous conditions, and dogs in need of veterinary care], the USDA renewed the company’s license for another year, and a shocking new report from Reuters revealed that senior USDA leaders went to great lengths to cover up both Envigo’s [cruel and horrific] treatment of the dogs, and the agency’s own refusal to protect the animals.”
TELL YOUR LAWMAKERS: Pass “Goldie’s Act,” protect the puppies, mommies, and daddies, and HOLD THE USDA ACCOUNTABLE!
To contact your US Representative and Senators:
See the full article from the Animal Legal Defense Fund here.
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The History and Downfall of the Disgraced NJSPCA

This interesting and detailed piece provides much of the history of the disgraceful New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NJSPCA), a “gun club” of “wanna-be cops” who did little to help suffering, homeless and abused animals but clearly enjoyed pretending they were police.

This band of clowns was finally dissolved as a “law enforcement” organization by a NJ law, sponsored by former NJ State Senator Ray Lesniak, passed without opposition and signed by Governor Christie on his last full day in office.

HERE’s the piece itself.

And HERE’s the report from the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation titled “Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing. “

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What Happens Next with the NJSPCA? Let’s Ask Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal!

We all know that the homeless and abused animals of New Jersey will be better off once the “wanna-be” cops of the NJSPCA go away on June 30, 2018.  Yet another voice has weighed in here to describe why NJ citizens and animals are far better off without this band of, as described by the NJ State Commission of Investigation, “Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing.”

Now the important question for our new, NJ Attorney General, Gurbir S. Grewal, is, what happens next?

  • What happens to all the donor money in their coffers?
  • What happens to the trucks, cars, radios, guns, badges, HQ Building, office equipment, and other tangible property?
  • How will the organization be unwound by the 30th of June?
  • What is Attorney General Grewal doing to put a new animal law enforcement regime into place?
  • What is Attorney General Grewal doing to ensure that the current and recent past “Board” members of the NJSPCA are not allowed to game the system and worm their way back into animal welfare enforcement, something that they demionstrated conclusively they’re not capable–nor worthy–of?

We call upon the Attorney General to step upand take an active leadership role in winding down this now-defunct organization–which continues, by the way, to pursue frivolous lawsuits with donor money while the animals suffer.

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Corrupt and Incompetent NJSPCA Swept into Dustbin of History!

Today the only thing more exciting than the Crimson Tide’s amazing overtime win was the vote of the NJ Assembly, 63-0, to dissolve the NJSPCA as a law enforcement organization!  Thanks to the efforts of the “Reformers” Group, Senator Ray Lesniak and Walt Kane of News 12 New Jersey, this group of wanna-be cops will finally be put out to pasture, and the enforcement of animal cruelty laws in NJ will go where it belongs, to real law enforcement officers and NJ County Prosecutors.  It speaks volumes that at the last moment, the NJSPCA undertook an email campaign asking its members to deceive the NJ Assembly.  It failed.  They failed.  Good riddance.

They are, as @RealDonaldTrump would say, SAD!

See News 12’s coverage here! 

See NJ.Com’s coverage here.