doglaw
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Registered: Mar 2004
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Election Day is coming - please read
Vote—Like Your Life Depends On It
By Cindy Cooke
United Kennel Club Legislative Specialist
In a recent discussion with a friend regarding disciplinary actions against professional dog handlers, my friend said that professionals should sometimes be given a break because, she pointed out “Handling dogs is their livelihood.” “It may be their livelihood, but it’s my LIFE,” I responded.
Today, as I sat down to write about our responsibilities in the upcoming election, I thought about that statement. I’ve done many things in my 56 years. I went to college and to law school. I served in the active military and the reserves. I lived four years in Germany and one year in Korea. I’ve held a lot of interesting jobs: music teacher, bomb dump officer, equal opportunity officer in Selma, Alabama, Air Force JAG, Juvenile Court hearing officer and Vice President of Dog Events at UKC. But in the end, it is my dogs that have shaped and defined my life.
I expect that for many readers of this article, dogs are the focal point of their lives as well. Spouses are our partners, often sharing our passion for the dogs. Spouses who don’t share our passion usually come to accept it or they become ex-spouses. Children always take center stage, of course, but they usually only consume two decades or so of our lives. Jobs, well jobs are how we pay for dog food, vet bills, and entry fees.
Because of our dogs, we drive trucks and vans. Because of our dogs, we live outside of the city limits. Our dogs determine the contents of our closets. The owners of hunting dogs have Carhart overalls, camouflage hunting jackets, orange vests, and really good boots. In my case, I show dark-colored dogs, so my closet is full of tan skirts with pockets and sensible shoes with rubber soles. Our years revolve around an annual calendar of dog-related events. For a coonhunter, Labor Day weekend is always Autumn Oaks. For a terrier person, October means the Montgomery County all-terrier dog show. Father’s Day weekend means giving Daddy his gifts a week early so you can go to the big UKC Premier weekend. In February, we turn to the USA network to watch the great Westminster dog show, unless we’re lucky enough (and crazy enough) to actually be there.
In a couple of weeks, it will be November 2, a date that should be as important to each dog owner as any big hunt, show, trial or weight pull. November 2 is election day. If you are a gun owner, you already know which presidential candidate and which lawmakers are most likely to protect your rights as a gun owner. Gun owners know that their rights are always threatened, so they have a strong national organization to protect them. That organization, the National Rifle Association, keeps track of the voting records of every lawmaker. Before every election, the NRA reminds its 4 million members which candidates support the rights of gun owners and which candidates have opposed them. The NRA endorsement also means money for the candidates they support—money to buy ads, phone banks and other means to get out the vote.
There are almost twice as many dog owners in America as gun owners, yet gun owners are political Goliaths. We dog owners aren’t even political Davids—we’re the equivalent of David’s sheep. It’s not just that we’re poorly organized—we are not unified. The anti’s have managed to divide us, mostly on the basis of what we do with our dogs (hunt, breed, or work) or by breed (big “scary” dogs vs. cute little dogs). As a result, politicians ignore us, taking advice on our issues from the very people who seek to destroy us: HSUS, PETA, Doris Day Animal League, In Defense of Animals, etc.
This year, you need to vote like your life depends on it, because the threat to dog ownership has never been greater. HSUS just announced a merger with the Fund for Animals, making HSUS President Wayne Pacelle the “Darth Vader” of the animal rights movement. The 8 million members of the HSUS have already received their marching orders—they know the candidates who favor animal rights. Do YOU know which lawmakers are our friends and which oppose us? If you don’t, then you need to spend the next couple of weeks doing your homework.
Once you have selected your candidates, it’s important to vote but it’s EQUALLY important to let the candidates know WHY you vote as well. Send a letter, fax or e-mail to each candidate that says:
Dear Candidate,
I am supporting you in this election because of your support for the rights of hunters and animal owners. Please notify me of any future bills that affect hunters and animal owners.
You should also write the opposing candidate a similar letter:
Dear Candidate,
I am a dog owner/hunter and I supported your opponent in this election because of your support for radical animal rights positions that affect my rights.
The dog community is made up of diverse people with many different viewpoints on the major issues of the day: the war, the economy, the price of gasoline. But when you cast you r ballot next month, ask yourself this question: If we lose our right to breed and own dogs, if our crates and dog boxes are empty, if we have no place to show and hunt our dogs, then who cares if gasoline prices go down?
__________________
Cindy Cooke
Legislative Specialist
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Last edited by Todd K / UKC on 10-15-2004 at 02:19 PM
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10-14-2004 11:21 PM
