I just learned the 'fwd' I sent earlier didn't come through except for
My comment line at the top ...
here is the full report I thought you'd like to know -
Joan Robinson
===============================
Thought you might be interested in this, fellow berner-l listers ...
There are a number of folks out there with both Cavaliers & Berners &
yes, lots of Berner stuff is shared on the Cavalier lists ...
Joan Robinson
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [CKCS-L] AKC Meeting
Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 21:37:41 -0500
From: Carol Richards <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel List
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
With permission from Betty Stovall, who originally posted this on a Japanese
Chin list that I'm on, I am forwarding this to the list. I thought the list
might find this interesting due to our recent discussion about puppy mills
and auctions, as well as the lobbyist the Bernese Mountain Dog group
recently hired.
Carol Richards
________________________________________________________
Earlier this month I attended the Lawrence Kansas Kennel Club meeting that
was written about on this list. I drove up with, Laverne, a Mastiff rescue
lady I met attending one of those awful auctions in preparation for my
Gazette Column. After opening with a distasteful joke, AKC VP Robert Slay
spoke to us about his department. The first name on his projection screen
was Steve Robinson, Director of Compliance Operations and Inspections.
After singing this man's praises, he finally moved on to to speak briefly
about the High Volume Breeders Committee, which was why most folks were
there. As he
spoke he took time for questions and answers and I asked two. First, I
asked what it accomplished for the HVB Committee to come to my area in
Missouri and visit only kennels that were hand picked by Tom Holly who had
given them 1 1/2 months to prepare their kennels for the committee's visit.
Holly was the MO Dept. of Agriculture's kennel inspector who received
national media coverage when it was discovered his wife owned and operated a
huge commercial kennel, needless to say he now inspects chickens. (-: I
told Slay that my home would look like a million dollars if I knew in
advance that President
Bush was coming. I explained that I can see no improvement of the AKC
kennels in our area from what they were 14 years ago, Laverne agreed with
me. Slay then declared they have improved 300% since the care and
conditions policy was accepted in1996. Hog wash!!!! How on earth would he
or his department know? They are not the ones driving by these kennels as
they go to work each day as I do. My second question was, "isn't it a
conflict of interest for your director, Mr. Steve Robinson, to breed and
show Chows?" Steve Robinson is a very crude, rude individual that attended
the action in
Wheaton, MO in May. I heard him bragging to me and others about "his" Chows
being the best in the "world" as he sat cheek to cheek with Herman Shindler,
a commercial breeder from Mexico, MO who has from 3,000 to 5,000 breeding
dogs at all times. By their own choosing, the Shindlers no longer register
their dogs with AKC due to the DNA frequent sire program and Care and
Conditions Policy. Robert Slay defended Steve Robinson by saying as long as
his Chows are "not in his name while being shown" he doesn't have a problem
with it. How much more hypocritical can he get? AKC also has a policy,
that if anyone is convicted of an animal cruelty charge they are
automatically suspended from all AKC pivileges for a minimum of 10 years.
Yet, Jr. McDaniel and Kenn Little were both convicted of cruelty charges and
because of a friendship with Steve Robinson they are both still showing dogs
at AKC shows. Sure makes a person wonder doesn't it? If you want to know
more about these two men go to Google and check out a petition written by
the editors of TNT.
I learned yesterday that Steve Robinson is trying to find out who this
Stovall woman is. I did not give Slay my name I only told him that I
attended the auction in preparation for my September column on the dog
auctions. Evidently Slay was paying more attention than he appeared to be.
AKC have taken some positive steps with the Care and Conditions Policy and
frequent sire DNA testing. These two policies could be a giant step forward
in bringing an end to commercial kennels. According to Steve Gladstone the
HVB Committee is designed to "raise the bar" for the commercial kennels that
want to stay with AKC. But at the Breeder's Seminar put on by the Hunte
Corporation this summer in Goodman, MO I heard with my own ears Steve
Gladstone, the keynote speaker, tell the commercial breeders that AKC wants
to "embrace them". Also saying, "you taught AKC a lesson when you boycotted
us, AKC needs you and you need the AKC". The 1,000 plus commercial breeders
were on their feet with applause. Steve Gladstone is an AKC Board member,
an AKC judge and on the HVB Committee. He also made the statement that when
he
visited one of these hand picked kennels he saw Dachshunds that were far
better dogs than the ones he judged that following day. Again everyone was
on their feet cheering.
Robert Slay's department has no intentions of putting an end to commercial
breeders. There are only13 AKC inspectors spread across the 48 states. We
need at least that many right here in Missouri where there are about 1300
licensed kennels. How many times in a 5 year period are these kennels going
to get inspected? We also have hobby show breeders not included in that
number, do the math for yourselves. But Robert Slay insists they are
"raising the bar" with the advise of the HVB Committee. Again I say, Hog
Wash!!!! Gladstone also spoke of his determination to get DNA samples of
all
registered AKC breeding dogs on file. This is talked about in the January
2003 issue of the Gazette. It is less costly and will definitely reduce the
financial burden of the high volume breeders because he proposes to spread
the cost among the entire fancy by again raising the cost of registration.
In other words, those of us with just a few males will be paying the price
to
keep these puppymills with 50 plus males flourishing. Sure makes me feel
all warm and fuzzy.
Sometimes I just sit down and cry knowing the vastness of the problem and
realizing I have barely made a ripple in the waters. All the while our dear
little Chins are being put on the auction block every week. There are now
more than 50 puppymills breeding Chins in Missouri. Visiting the Hunte
Corporation and seeing those little Chin faces peering out the bars of their
cell's waiting to be shipped out on the huge stinky Hunte trucks sure takes
away this fat ladies' appetite.
After the "Dog Auction Horror" column was published last September I have
received over 80 e-mail's, letters and phone calls. Unfortunately, less
than a dozen were from Chin fanciers. I really appreciate the ones of you
that contacted me but I could certainly use some more needed support and
prayers in order to make a better world for our breed, they deserve and need
our help. Rescue is wonderful, but we should NOT have to rescue Chin from
puppymills and dog auctions, they should not be there in the first place.
Steve Gladstone told the commercial breeders that they take better care of
their dogs than show people. With this kind of attitude, I'm afraid we will
always have Chin as well as other breeds in these horrible conditions.
Well, it's time for bed and my kids are hungry, so I better get busy.
Thanks for listening.
Bright blessings, Betty
