An Open Letter To The American Kennel Club (AKC)

Dear AKC:

Regarding the latest news story of the elderly Arizona couple who had over 800 dogs in their triple-wide trailer http://www.kpho.com/news/15579448/detail.html, I am contacting you to express my concern at the AKC’s failure in this matter and matters like it.

I don’t understand how your organization can continue to issue litter registrations to someone like this without red flags going up and bells and whistles screaming. If the purpose of the AKC is further breed standards, how can you not recognize puppy millers such as these? Oh that’s right, it’s because you work so closely with the likes of the Hunte Corporation, the largest puppy broker in the nation.

Rather than being the organization that fights for the dogs and champions reputable breeders, yours has become an organization where the almighty dollar takes preference over the lives of innocent puppies. As long as those puppy millers keep sending you their fees, you’re going to keep registering their litters, no matter how many they have in a month’s or year’s time.

I cannot properly express to you my disgust and disappointment in the AKC. My breed of choice happens to be the Bichon Frise. I am not a breeder but am very involved in rescue. Every time we get some poor little pup out of a puppy mill with a grade 6 PDA heart murmur or a group of 30 breeding females dumped on us with diseases and mange and broken spirits, I get angry that these places are allowed to continue mistreating dogs and passing along genetic diseases and traits detrimental to the breed. I understand that the USDA is in charge of inspections but your organization is part of the chain as well. And both you and the USDA have dropped the ball.

Your organization can make a difference in the lives of these innocent little dogs but you must regroup and remember what your original purpose was. Until you change the way you do business and get involved in shutting these places down, I will continue to spread the word of your willful impotence and liability in these matters. I will scream it as loud as I can and encourage others to do so as well.

This is a time when the AKC has a choice. You can continue to go down the current path and focus on the money or you can do something heroic and help save lives. The decision is yours to make. I hope that you make the right one.

Michael Vick - another open letter

Dear Michael Vick -

You make me so very sad. There is so much debate going on about what should or should not happen to you now that you have pled guilty to the dog fighting charges.

I watched your speech yesterday after the court proceedings. I believe that you spoke from your heart in part because you did not use a prepared speech. I commend you for that. But in your speech you failed to say something so very important in this issue - you fail to apologize for what you did to those innocent dogs. You took their lives in ways that are just to horrid to comprehend. Yesterday you alluded to being sorry for the gambling, for setting such a bad example to kids that look up to you, and for being involved in dog fighting in general but you never addressed the lives you took.

For days I've been walking around saying that part of your sentence should be mandatory neutering but I no longer feel that way. What you need instead is some serious help; help that I doubt will be available to you in prison.

Ghandi once said that "you can tell a lot about people by how they treat their animals" and he was spot on. Psychology has shown us that people who abuse animals are deeply disturbed. To have treated those dogs in that way, Michael, you are a very distrubed individual. By refusing to mention it in your speech tells me that you have no idea that this is a much deeper issue than your being caught running a dog fighting ring.

It is my hope that you find the help you need, Michael. It is also my hope that the NFL cancels your contract so that you can get the long term treatment you so desperately need.