New Jersey drivers can be fined for unseatbelted pets

New Jersey is cracking down on pets in transit — and says “click it or ticket” now applies to cats and dogs, too.

New Jersey is the only state where driving with pets loose in the car is a violation of animal cruelty law. Drivers cited for failing to properly secure their pet can face a ticket of between $250 and $1,000 and as much as six months in jail.

Pets hanging out the window, riding in the back of a truck or curling up on the driver’s lap are among ticketable offenses under the law.

 Only a few other states are cracking down on pets in vehicles. Arizona, Connecticut and Maine can charge a driver for an unrestrained pet under distracted driving laws. Hawaii specifically prohibits driving with a pet in your lap.

Source

Photo: Anthony DelMundo for New York Da

Help end HF 589 (the Ag-Gag bill in Iowa)

Olivia Brown has created a petition hoping to end HF 589 (the Ag-Gag bill in Iowa). This bill makes it practically impossible to catch animal abusers.

Iowa House File 589 amends Iowa Code 717A, which relates to agricultural production including criminal penalties for animal facilities. The most troubling part of the bill pertains to the prohibition of producing, possessing, and/or distributing undercover video and/or audio recordings of activities within an animal facility.

Please take a moment and sign the petition.

http://www.change.org/petitions/iowa-governor-end-iowa-hf-589

Dyeing Easter Chicks Raises Concerns

Chicks can be colored with nontoxic dye as embryos near the end of incubation or sprayed quickly with a mist as hatchlings. While poultry farmers say it is harmless, many people object, saying it turns live birds into holiday playthings that are quickly discarded.

About half the states and a scattering of municipalities have laws against the practice, but in Florida last month, the Legislature passed a bill to overturn a 45-year-old ban on dyeing animals.

The outcry from animal rights groups has been swift.

“Humane societies are overflowing with these animals after Easter every year,” said Don Anthony of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida.

Source

How Iowa Made Laws to Cover Up Animal Abuse

Earlier this month, politicians in Iowa bowed to corporate pressure when they passed a law designed to stifle public debate and keep consumers in the dark. Instead of confronting animal cruelty on factory farms, the top egg- and pork-producing state is now in the business of covering it up.

HF 589 criminalizes investigative journalists and animal protection advocates who take entry-level jobs at factory farms in order to document the rampant food safety and animal welfare abuses within. In recent years, these undercover videos have spurred changes in our food system by showing consumers the disturbing truth about where most of today's meat, eggs, and dairy is produced. Undercover investigations have directly led to America's largest meat recalls, as well as to the closure of several slaughterhouses that had egregiously cruel animal handling practices. Iowa's Ag Gag law -- along with similar bills pending in other states -- illustrates just how desperate these industries are to keep this information from getting out.

Read the full story

Animal cruelty laws among fastest-growing

Incidents of abuse and a shifting national consciousness have made animal anti-cruelty laws one of the fastest-growing fields in the legal profession. In 1993, just seven states had felony animal cruelty laws; today, all but four do. "Animal law is where environmental law was 20 years ago. It's in its infancy but growing," said Pamela Frasch, who heads the National Center for Animal Law at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, where she has been an adjunct professor for 10 years. Lewis & Clark opened the first Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter in 1992. Today it has branches at more than 115 law schools in the United States and Canada. In 2000, nine law schools had animal law studies. Today about 100 do. READ More

A horse is a horse, of course, of course

In an effort to stop vets' drugs from entering human diets, the nations of continental Europe, where two million horses are reportedly eaten every year, will be enforcing a new law requiring horse owners to sign a pledge that their horses will not be eaten. The new regulations come into force on July 1. Horses born after this date, and those born before June 30 who have not been issued a horse passport, will also have a microchip implanted. A spokesman for the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs said: "Horse passports will clearly identify those horses which are not eligible for the food chain if they have been treated with substances which are potentially harmful to humans. Source Photo: PA

What? We need laws for this?

A Florida legislator wants to introduce a law prohibiting bestiality. Sen. Nan Rich is putting forward a bill (SB 448) that would make it a third degree felony to have sex with an animal. It's an issue that has gained attention after a series of goat rapes in the Panhandle town of Mossy Head. Right now, people who have sex with animals can be charged with animal cruelty, but prosecutors have to prove animals were injured because of the act. Rich wants to make sure defendants can't win their cases for lack of that proof. Source I know, I know ... Some smart-aleck will ask, "But what if it's consensual?" "But what if the animal initiated it?" "But what if they were married?"

Pet owners, beware!

Do you agree that this photo I found at No Ordinary Rollercoaster is cute? I think it's cute, too, but fair warning: the RSPCA (a UK animal rights group) is threatening to have people prosecuted for dressing up their dog. Jo Barr, RSPCA spokeswoman, said that viewing animals as a fashion accessory is "quite humiliating and sends out the wrong message about pet care." On the other hand, the owner of the following pet probably SHOULD be prosecuted: and this poor little thing isn't even wearing clothes. But probably should be. Photo from Reuters Pictures

Should farm animals have rights?

On Nov. 4, California voters will be asked to decide on Proposition 2, an animal rights ballot measure that would grant the farm animals in California the opportunity to spread their hooves and claws, rather than being confined to restrictive cages, as many chickens, sows and veal cattle now are. But because veal and pork are not major industries in California, the battle over Proposition 2 is focused almost exclusively on the state’s henhouses, which opponents say will be hard hit by higher production costs if the measure passes. “This is a well-intended initiative for animals with some very negative unintended consequences for people,” said Julie Buckner, a spokeswoman for Californians for Safe Food, the leading anti-Proposition 2 group. “It’s going to wipe out the California egg farmers, and it’s going to raise the food costs for consumers. And this is at a time when our economy is hurting.” Supporters of the proposition, the first of its kind in the nation, reject those arguments, casting the ballot measure as an act of kindness for animals whose bodies and byproducts usually end up on dining room tables. “If animals are going to be killed for food,” said Wayne Pacelle, the president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, “the least we can do is treat them with decency and give them a semblance of life.” What do you think? Source: NY Times

Saudi religious police ban pet cats and dogs

Saudi Arabia's religious police have announced a ban on selling cats and dogs as pets, or walking them in public in the Saudi capital, because of men using them as a means of making passes at women, an official said on Wednesday. Othman al-Othman, head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Riyadh, known as the Muttawa, told the Saudi edition of al-Hayat daily that the commission has started enforcing an old religious edict. The reason behind reinforcing the edict now was a rising fashion among some men using pets in public "to make passes on women and disturb families," he said, without giving more details. The 5,000-strong religious police oversees the adherence to Wahabism -- a strict version of Sunni Islam, which also forces women to cover from head to toe when in public, and bans them from driving. Graphic: Cartoon Stock Source: AFP

Making way for the Planet of the Apes

In the 1968 science fiction film, Planet of the Apes, an astronaut believes he has landed on another planet, one on which the humans have no language, but the great apes do. As the movie ends, the astronaut realizes that he has been on Earth all along, and that humanity must have destroyed its own civilization with war, thereby paving the way for the Planet of the Apes. I can't help but flash onto scenes from this movie - animals are in power, animals have rights, but people don't - when I read about recent laws enacted by Spain's parliament. Spain's parliamentary environmental committee approved resolutions urging Spain to comply with the Great Apes Project, devised by scientists and philosophers who say our closest genetic relatives deserve rights hitherto limited to humans. The Spanish government is now committed to update the statute book within a year to outlaw harmful experiments on apes in Spain. Keeping apes for circuses, television commercials or filming will also be forbidden. Philosophers Peter Singer and Paola Cavalieri founded the Great Ape Project in 1993, arguing that "non-human hominids" like chimpanzees, gorillas, orang-utans and bonobos should enjoy the right to life, freedom and not to be tortured. Next, we'll be teaching them to talk.

What's the big deal?

As an avid traveler, I've seen dogs in cafes and restaurants in many locations around the world. Just about anywhere but Chicago, it's totally acceptable to bring your dog out with you for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. In Paris, I've seen dogs indoors, sitting right at the table, eating off a plate! In Chicago, as of January 1, 2008, state law allows for dogs in restaurants, provided that the restaurant obtains license approval, registration, and posts a notice that dogs are allowed. But according to a recent article in Crain's Chicago Business, "Taking Names: Gibsons, RL don't jump to allow dogs," some local eateries seem to be dragging their feet. The city says there's no wait time — presuming a restaurant has no debt and there are no administrative issues — to receive the $450 dog-friendly license, so why isn't every Chicago restaurant with an outdoor eating area licensed already? Our nice weather season is so short! Starbucks in San Diego, CA. Restaurant sidewalk cafe in Nürnberg, Germany. Outdoor restaurant, Szentendre, Hungary. Starbucks outside of the Long Wharf Marriot, in Boston, MA. The Prado restaurant in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA.

It's the Law

(via Miss Cellania)

corsi_photo

Pit bulls legal again in the Netherlands

The Associated Pressreports that the Dutch government will lift a long-standing, 15-year long ban on pit bulls because it did not lead to any decrease in bite incidents. Instead, the country will focus on enforcing local leashing laws and owner education programs. Could someone please call Tyrone Yates? (via Pet Connection)

A new type of genocide

Ohio House Bill 568, introduced by Representative Tyrone Yates of Cincinnati, seeks to prohibit the ownership, keeping, or harboring of a dog that "belongs to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog." If this bill is passed and adopted into law, all pit bulls in Ohio will be seized and euthanized. HB 568 provides that: * No person shall own, keep, or harbor a dog that belongs to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog. * No later than 90 days after the effective date of this bill, a person who owns, keeps, or harbors a pit bull dog will be forced to surrender the dog to a dog warden. * Within ten days of surrender, the dog warden shall euthanize the dog. * If an officer has probable cause to believe that a dog is a pit bull, the officer may apply for a search warrant. After obtaining a search warrant, an officer shall seize the dog and transfer the dog to the dog warden, who shall euthanize the dog within 10 days. It is imperative that all concerned dog owners in Ohio contact the elected representatives and express their vehement opposition to this draconian legislation. All concerned Ohio dog owners should contact their elected representatives and express their strong opposition to HB 568. To find your elected representatives, click here. Source: AKC Photo: nyklbrk

Photo: EB (Elisabeth)

"I'll stand by you," a touching video about people who love pit bulls. Watch video You could also email Tyrone Yates : district33@ohr.state.oh.us : & tell him what you think of his bill #568.

Isn't this all getting out of control?

The small town of Osceola, NE is considering a breed ban that would ban American Pit Bull Terriers. The town has exactly one APBT, who has never caused any problems whatsoever and has no complaints registered against her. Maggie, the only pit bull in town, lives across the street from Renee and Kent Johansen and their three children. The Johansens are leading the move for the ban. The Johansens, say they are concerned about the safety of their young children living in such close proximity to the pit bull. “I know that specific dog has not done anything yet,” Renee Johansen said in a phone interview. Maggie's owners, however, have purchased a $100,000 liability insurance policy, a stake that could not be pulled out of the ground, shortened her chain, got her a muzzle and the signs that were needed. They're trying to find a picture sign that warns about dogs for kids who can’t read. The Osceola council says it wants to do the right thing and not make a law that squarely impacts one person, so they are banning 7 breeds of dogs: Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, Am. Staffordshire Terrier, Chows, Dobermans, Rottweiler, American Bandage Mastiff, Neopolitan Mastiff, and any dog with the appearance of any of the above. American Bandage Mastiff? Just in case there is one, somewhere in the world. (via For Your Entertainment) Photo: nestmaker

Cocks not welcome in Swaziland

Authorities in Swaziland have declared war on roosters in the capital city because the birds are disrupting people's sleep. Authorities are set to enforce a 40-year-old law that permits residents to raise up to 12 chickens with permission but no roosters. (Here's the quote of the week - ready?) "After many instances we have found cocks to be troublesome and they end up making lives miserable for residents," said a Mbabane Municipal spokesman. Source: AFP Photo: Bill Shatto