Jerry Lee Southern, the man who has been charged with 70 counts of animal cruelty in connection with a group of dogs that he hoarded in Northern Oklahoma a year ago, went to court last week. Under the law, if convicted, Southern could get up to 5 years in prison for each incident of animal cruelty.

You can read more about the case here and here.

Boomer is one of the dogs from the bust. My wife and I fostered Boomer for about 6 months - -and a combination of factors  -- many including his growth -  has led Boomer to go to a new foster home for the time being. We hope to get the little guy back sometime after the first of the year. However, as you can see  from the pics of his new foster home, he is doing great, making new friends, living a life of luxury and making a good recovery as he learns how to be a dog.

You can see older pics of Boomer from when he was with us, you can check them out here, here and here.

I've seen first hand the emotional damage Southern's abuse put on at least one dog. I hope the judge judges harshly in favor of the dogs in this case.

Last week, HSUS used dogs being cared for by other organizations in an email request seeking donations for their organization for their "Survivors Fund".

In response to the criticism that came from other bloggers, twitter, and other organizations (and possible legal ramifications), HSUS agreed to give $5,000 to help Fay (one of 500 dogs that were rescued from the dog fighting operations in the midwest that need help) - leading others to question whether HSUS was using bloggers as their moral compass.

So just when you think that maybe HSUS would be gun shy, they come up with this post on Wayne Pacelle's blog.  Go read it now. I'll wait.

In the post, Pacelle talks about the founding of the No Kill movement - -and tips his hat to people like Ed Duvin and Richard Avanzino (formerly of the San Francisco ASPCA now with Maddies Fund).

Then, there is the dig:

In the last few years—despite the shrill efforts of a few no-kill advocates whose work has retarded the progress of that cause by alienating so many people, especially within the sheltering community—there is broader acceptance of no-kill principles, and an acknowledgment that it must be our goal as a movement to find homes for healthy animals and to halt the killing of animals except when it’s medically necessary. There is a pathway, although a challenging and difficult one, to see an end in the years ahead to the routine euthanasia of animals in shelters. I know that among the celebrants will be the leaders of shelters, along with all other serious-minded animal advocates.

Well, clearly the dig is at Winograd. But is it justified?

It's no secret that Winograd has been very critical of HSUS -- and specifically of Wayne Pacelle. In fact, Winograd called for HSUS to fire Pacelle as its executive director.

However, Pacelle's lash back, while trying to lead others into thinking HSUS is a leader in the No Kill movement, is just a ridiculous notion.

For starters, this is ther first time I've ever seen anything from HSUS that has even mentioned the no kill movement. In fact, everything that they seem to do runs counter to what it takes to become No Kill.

Just two years ago, after dogs were rescued from Mike Vick's Bad Newz Kennels, HSUS called for all of the dogs seized from the "rescue" to be killed.  It was breed advocates, Bad Rap, Ledy Van Kavage of the ASPCA (now with Best Friends), and people like Winograd, who called for the dogs to be given a fair evaluation. The dogs were, all except one were found able to be rehabbd, and the success stories are well documented.

In spite of this, and in spite of protests from No Kill Advocates, earlier this year, HSUS stood in front of a court in Wilkes County, NC and encouraged the court to kill 147 dogs - -including 19 puppies that were still nursing.

It was only after the internet outrage from this incident, including criticism from Winograd, that HSUS changed its policy regarding bust dogs -- that would allow them to not be instantly killed, but to be evaluated for temperament.

It's not just their policies on bust dogs that are changing.

Earlier this summer, one HSUS represntative, Desiree Bender, supplied information to a city councilman in Indianapolis on how they could enact a bill that required all "pit bulls" be spayed or neutered. The bill resembled an ordinance passed by Little Rock, AR that led to a 44% increase in the number of 'pit bulls' killed in the shelter in just the first six months of existance.

Just a few years ago, at HSUS's animal sheltering conference, they had an "expert" speaker who tried to declare that euthanasia was not killing (Update: Here's the Link -- it's hard to determine what is worse in the clip, the "expert" saying killing is not killing or the crowd clapping when she did.)

So no HSUS, don't go acting like YOU are the leader of the No Kill movement and treat Winograd as the divisive one. If you really believe in the No Kill movement (which please -- I'd love it if you were), it is only because Winograd, and hundreds of other animal welfare advocates, have drug you into it by being your moral (and financial?) compass. But it has been BECAUSE the animal welfare industry has demanded it that you are changing decades-long policies that have caused unnecessary killing of rehabilitatable dogs and cats in this country.

Meanwhile -- I can honestly say, I really hope to hear more talk of No Kill from HSUS. It would be great to have the world's wealthiest "humane" organization on board with a movement to save all of the savable dogs and cats in our shelters. And as good as it is to see they may be getting on board, it is painful to see them acting like it was their idea and criticizing the advocates that pushed them there.

Yesterday, HSUS announced via Twitter that they were going to contribute $5,000 toward the surgeries to help Fay -- a dog whose image and story they used for fundraising yet were not planning to actually help with the money. 

Mutts-n-stuff, the organization that is actually caring for Fay, has confirmed this on their webpage.

First of all, congrats to all the voices out there that applied pressure on HSUS to do the right thing and fork over some money to help Fay (although, I'm not sure they didn't have to do it legally).  And the $5,000 is only small part of the cost that it is going to take to fix Fay's lips -- so Mutts-n-Stuff is still seeking donations to help Fay -- and some of the other dogs they have taken in from the bust.  So if you feel you really want to help Fay, or other dogs like her, you can contribute money to Mutts-n-Stuff, Humane Society of Missouri,  MABBR, Our Pack, Bad Rap, Bless the Bullies, Butte Humane Society or any other group that has taken in these dogs. 

Meanwhile, there's HSUS. While it is nice of them to give $5,000 to help Fay, that is just a drop in the bucket to the money needed to help these dogs. As the world's largest and wealthiest "humane" organization, they have a responsibility to help ALL of the dogs from this bust. There are 499 more dogs (at least 250 of which are going to be rehomed) that also need help. The $5,000 will just skim the surface on the overall need for help for these animals - and would be a drop in the bucket for an organization that brought in over $82 million in donations last year and over $150 million in cash and investment assets.  Meanwhile, HSUS continues to raise money on the backs of the smaller local rescues and yet is not helping the dogs that are coming from these fighting operations.

HSUS, it is not enough to break up dog fighting rings and then leave the rehabilitation of the dogs to other organizations. The dogs need your help long after the fighting ring is broken up. And it is CERTAINLY not acceptable for you to raise money from people by making them THINK the money is going to the help "Animal Survivors" (it is even called the "Animal Survivor's Fund") when you're not caring for the animals -- and when other organizations really need that money to help them.  It is not enough to give money to one dog from the fight bust when hundreds of others need help.

We need to expect and demand more.

Added: YesBiscuit!: HSUS Relies on Bloggers for Moral Compass

Over the weekend, I received in the mail my copy of Time Magazine. In the magazine was an article  -- entitled "Can attack dogs be rehabilitated" -- about the 500 dogs, mostly 'pit bulls', that were seized earlier this year in what has been called the largest dog fighting bust in history.

As a part of the bust that covered 8 states, 26 people were arrested, over 500 dogs were rescued from a life of dog fighting and abuse.

The article from Time magazine treated the dogs as (gasp!) the victims.  Even though I think it's fair to question whether the title, and the premise of the article, is even a question that needs to be asked because they are, after all, just dogs, the combination of this article, and the story it tells, is a great testimony for just how far we've come in our knowledge of, and sympathy for, 'pit bulls'.

How Far Time Inc has come

On July 27th, 1987, Sports Illustrated - - a magazine owned by Time Inc., ran an article on dog fighting entitled "Beware of this Dog" -- complete with a cover story with a 'pit bull' with teeth snarling at the camera. In the same month, Time Magazine ran an article entitled "Time Bomb on Legs".  This article -- from a true news magazine no less - featured dramatic and ridiculously untrue language that included the dogs breathing fire, them being the Hound of the Baskervilles, and speculative reports of 1800 lbs per square inch bite pressure (the real scientifically verified # is around 320 -- the same as all other similarly sized dogs).  Incidently, the "ticking time bomb" jibberish is still quoted by a few politicians who push for breed specific legislation in spite of all the mounting evidence that it is unnecessary and ineffective.

People Magazine, also owned by Time Inc, also got into fray, with an article entitled "An Instinct for the kill".

Twenty years later, these same three magazines are starting to rebuild the image of a type of dog that they helped demolish.

Last December, Sports Illustrated ran an article entitled "Vick's Dogs, The Good News Out of Bad Newz Kennels."  The cover is to the left. Not only did the article talk about the dogs that were being rehabilitated from Mike Vick's former operation, the article even included a photo gallery of many of the completely rehabilitated dogs that are now living in homes across the country. The dogs were portrayed as victims -- and rehabilitated ones at that.

People Magazine has even gotten into the act, with photos of Jared Padalecki (Gilmore Girls) and Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy) doing pet rescue and working with 'pit bulls'. (Heigl's image is to the left).

And now, finishing the trio of publications, is Time. The recent article, itself, is not great. It does focus on the hard work that is required with rehabilitation of dogs from these situations - with way too much emphasis on "fighting dogs" -- when in reality, they're just dogs, that happened to be used by people for the act of fighting.  But at least this time, Time has the blame placed correctly. When the article questions whether the time and resources used to rehabilitate the dogs is a good use of funds, it has this to say:

Hard questions. But the answers, as we grope for them, should not be clouded by misplaced blame. A number of towns across the country have passed ordinances banning pit bulls, but what are we really seeing in the bared teeth of a snarling dog? These often terrifying animals demand pity because they have had the misfortune of meeting up with the most dangerous breed of all: the human. "Pit bulls have gotten this bad reputation because of the type of people who own them," says Humane Society investigator Tim Rickey, who led the July rescue. If these muscular terriers have a flaw, their defenders maintain, it is an excess of devotion. "Their love for humans is why this breed is in trouble," says McBee.

The photo gallery is full of pictures of cute, friendly dogs that are, indeed, the victims of the abuse of man.

My, what a difference 20 years makes.

The Dogs

Thirty months ago, 49 dogs were confiscated from Mike Vick's Bad Newz Kennels.  At the time the dogs were "rescued", supposed humane organization HSUS declared that as "fighting dogs", all of the dogs should be killed because they would be "too dangerous" to go out into society. 

In spite of HSUS's pleas to kill, the ASPCA and Bad Rap were able to convince judges to allow experts from the organizations to evaluate the dogs to see if any would be suitable for rehabilitation. Of the 49, all of the dogs except one were allowed a second chance -- either with rescue groups across the country, or with Best Friend's Animal Sanctuary in Utah.  Over the time that followed, the dogs proved to be even more adaptable than most would have expected -- as the dogs responded well to the training efforts of the kind individuals and organizations that took in the dogs. During and after rehabilitation, the dogs from Bad Newz Kennels ended up on TV -- including with Racheal Ray, moving into adoptive homes, and as therapy dogs that are helping cancer patients. 

In spite of the successes, when a dog fighting ring was broken up in Wilksboro, NC a few months later, HSUS again stepped up and encouraged authorities to kill the dogs.  Which authorities did.

However, with the overwhelming success of the rehabilitation of the Mike Vick dogs, and the increasing public pressure on HSUS,  HSUS changed their policy on dogs that are seized from fight busts to allow dogs to be temperament tested for possible rehabilitation.

So when these 500 dogs were rescued from the fighting ring, it became almost a forgone conclusion that they would be tested for possible rehabilitation.

And they have been. And more than 250 of them have been found suitable to go to rescue groups.

News reports from around the country are talking about the dogs from the bust that are going to be rehabbed:  Chico, CA -- with pictures at the Butte Humane Society there.

Our Pack has some great photos (one to the left) and videos of a couple of the dogs that have worked their way out to California.  Our Pack rehabilitated Leo from Bad Newz Kennels who is now a therapy dog.

I know of others that have ended up in Kansas City and Tennessee as well.  In total, more than 250 dogs from this bust are in foster homes or are awaiting placement. And many of them are now photographed in Time magazine. Let the rehabilitation begin.

If you or your organization would like to foster one of the dogs from Missouri Humane Society, I think they are still looking for homes. And to think that just three years ago, all of the dogs would have been killed with no thought of evaluating them.

My how far we've come

We've come a long way. Dogs that were once seen as the Hounds of Baskervilles by the media -- are now (rightfully) being seen as the victims of human abuse.  Dogs that were, just 2 years ago, seen by major "humane" organizations as "too dangerous to save", are now seen (rightfully) as dogs that can be reshaped by human love and training, and can be rehabilitated into loving pets.

We still have a ways to go -- but we are definitely headed in the right direction.