Panic over Dog Breeding proposed legislation-Why?

national | animal rights | press release Saturday August 29, 2009 18:02 by Bernie Wright - Association of Hunt Saboteurs berniew at esatclear dot ie PO Box 4734, d 1. 0872651720

Whats behind kennel doors??

PANIC over Dog Breeding Regulations by those involved in Hunting and other blood sports.

Apparently the blood sports fraternity encompassing shooters, fox hunters, hare coursers and Greyhound breeders are terrified of having their establishments checked by officials of the Dept of the Environment when the dog Breeding regulations are incorporated into legislation shortly.~The Hunting Association of Ireland can be heard saying the Minister is going to ‘hang hunting’.
The AOHS would like to know what have these people got to hide. What have blood sports enthusiasts got hidden in their kennels? Why has panic been whipped up as a response to a simple bill that will make regulations to control Commercial Dog Breeding Establishments which are simply defined as any where that keeps five or more breeding female dogs. This will obviously include Hunt Kennels and others who breed dogs. Its simple!

A dog is a dog is a dog

Transportation, kenneling, exporting and identification are all part and parcel of any industry involving large numbers of dogs. These are part of the proposed regulations. No breeder is alienated from these aspects of dog management.

• The Greyhound Industry breeds an estimated 30,000 dogs annually in Ireland, thousands of these are drugged, drowned, mutilated or just plain killed in knackeries when their running days are over. Dog pounds are dumping grounds for many of these straying animals. Many kennels have been uncovered with neglected dogs, drugs also are a well documented aspect of the racing Industry. A greyhound that breaks a leg is usually killed behind the screen at the track. With this mentality towards dogs, Government inspection and regulation is vital.
• Hunters discard or kill fox, harriers and beagles that become no good for hunting and a well known vet in County Meath was recorded as saying he killed 30 hounds for each of two local hunts annually as routine. This makes a death toll of thousands due to hunting alone, considering there are hundreds of packs of hounds in every county in Ireland. Currently, no records are kept. No one check any aspect of hunting or kennelling. Hunting is totally self-regulatory.
• Shooters also engage in seasonal training of gun dogs and not all of these make the grade. Again many rescues can confirm the flow of strayed and malnourished ex-gun dogs especially In March each year, the end of the shooting season. Many of the Shooters pedigree dogs suffer from mutilations like tail docking and being confined to trailers and from shooting accidents, these areas all need inspection and regulation as none exists at present.
• Muzzled Coursing dogs fare no better with injuries sustained in the pursuit of hares.
The Bill was originally called for as a response to dog breeding for the pet trade, the horrendous conditions that have been exposed again and again by authorities. Many of these kennels being more exposed to outsiders, were discovered mainly by the public visiting to buy dogs.

‘the general public do not usually visit hunters, shooters, or Greyhound breeders kennels so who knows what is behind kennel doors. By the reaction so far I fear a lot of abuses could be exposed by Inspectors, if not what is the panic all about?’
‘ In a country with tens of thousands of dogs surplus to demand these regulations are more vital now than ever before. To the Hunt, racing and shooters fraternity, dogs are but a tool in their so called sport. These dogs in many cases are needed by hunters to kill other animals for sport and entertainment.

Logically,why would this fact alone not make regulations of their breeding establishments mandatory'

The AOHS and anyone either working with rescued animals or simply people with the welfare of animals at heart will welcome these much-needed regulations, they have been long overdue. No exemptions to any breeders need apply.

Bernie Wright.
Press Officer AOHS.

phone 087 2651720

~Mr. Gormley ,Minister for Environment has power under Section 31 of the Control of Dogs Act 1986 to make Regulations by way of Statutory Instrument. These of course would have to include a comprehensive set of statutorily enforceable standards for the operation of dog breeding establishments and provision for inspections by local authority officers Transportation ,export and identification