The North Carolina General Assembly appears to be winding down for this year, and there are talks of adjourning at the end of next week.  At this time, Senate Bill 460 remains in the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate, but it could be brought back to the Senate Floor at a moment’s notice.  This legislation, which is being heavily promoted by the anti-hunting radicals at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), would create a new provision in state law that will undoubtedly be used to try to wipe out commercial dog breeders. 

HSUS has clearly shown its opposition to virtually anyone who is in the business of selling dogs, regardless of how well the animals are treated.  When the organization puts out statements like, “There’s no need for anyone to patronize a pet store or a breeder,” and, “[G]ood breeders don’t breed to make money,” it should be clear HSUS is more interested in going after all commercial breeders, and not the small minority of operators who actually do mistreat dogs.  HSUS even worked to ensure the bill’s title was changed from “Commercial Dog Breeders” to “Puppy Mill Bill.”  This makes it clear that the organization opposes all commercial breeders, and considers them all to be “puppy mills.”  HSUS is calling out its supporters to turn up the heat on the North Carolina Senate in anticipation of a possible vote next week.  In a further effort to hide its true intentions, HSUS is now attempting to promote Senate Bill 460 as a means to add tax revenue to the state.  In a recent alert, HSUS stated the bill would “require the licensing of puppy mills,” which would “bring substantial missing tax revenues to the state.”  Meanwhile, the organization’s website asks people to “pledge to stop puppy mills,” and give money “to help stop puppy mills.”  Which is it?  Does HSUS wish to license “puppy mills,” or does it wish to “stop puppy mills?”  It seems clear the answer is “both.”  First, it wants to label all commercial dog breeders as “puppy mills” and license them.  Meanwhile, its working to hard to vilify them so they can ultimately get them shut down.

The fact is that there are ample laws already on the books in North Carolina to prosecute those who truly mistreat animals, as is proven every time a facility where cruel treatment takes place is raided.  Investigations lead to arrests, prosecutions, and convictions.  While some supporters of this legislation have tried to ease the concerns of hunters by claiming hunting dogs have been excluded, that is simply not true.  The “exclusion” in the legislation refers only to kennels that board or train hunting dogs.  Those who breed hunting dogs will still be affected, which means those who wish to purchase hunting dogs will still be affected.  Again, the true goal of HSUS is to wipe out commercial breeders, all of which the group considers to be “puppy mills.”  If they are successful, then hunting with dogs will quickly become the activity of only the wealthy who can afford dogs that will become rarer and more expensive.  Anyone who cares about our hunting heritage, even those who do not use dogs in their activities, should be very concerned about Senate Bill 460.  You can be sure that HSUS does not intend to stop at just hurting hunters who use dogs.  The organization’s president has stated, “We are going to use the ballot box and the democratic process to stop all hunting in the United States….  We will take it species by species until all hunting is stopped….” 

Please help stop the radical HSUS agenda by taking the time to contact your State Senator and urge her or him to oppose Senate Bill 460! Contact information for your State Senator can be found by clicking here.