Marshal County Government, APHIS/USDA: Stop The Torture and Killing of Live Domestic Rabbits Used as Hunting Bait: Petition to Sign

“All animals are born innocent, but in the wild they learn from the parents, teaching them how to hunt & catch food to survive; thus is the cycle of life. But for dogs born in captivity, they are born with a strong need to love & be loved; all puppies are adorable little fluff balls who adore human interaction! However, the video below just breaks my heart, the little pups are purely fascinated with this new toy, licking & wagging their wee tails. However, their training will commence & the dogs will turn into killers; taught by the owner they will eventually track, lock on, then kill innocent wildlife; which I find despicable!” 

This Petition is by Linda Sue Washington, PA:-http://www.change.org/petitions/marshal-county-government-aphis-usda-stop-the-torture-and-killing-of-live-domestic-rabbits-used-as-hunting-bait

Live Helpless Animals do not deserve to be tortured Or killed unnecessarily for entertainment or sport when Ethical alternatives exist.

Petition letter:-

To:
The President of the United States
Governor Phil Bryant
Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves
Mayor Kelvin O. Buck
Senator Angela Burks Hill
County Commissioners
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks
USDA
ASPCA
WLBT News Marsha Thompson
Beagles Unlimited
American Kennel Club
The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association
USDA
MS Hunting Dog Association
American Humane Association
IDA
peta
Mercy For Animals
HSUS
Jan Schaefer

We would like thank the Mississippi Legislature and Governor Phil Bryant for passage of S.B. 2504 in 2012 which extends the state’s prohibition on a cruel and inhumane form of staged animal combat called hog-dog fighting. We ask this same respect and compassion be given to the Tame Domestic Rabbits being used as Live Bait for Dog Hunting Training. We the petitioners would like to file Animal Cruelty Complaints on David Wring of Beagles On Fire for the unnecessary, intentional and barbaric torturing of tame domestic rabbits being used as Live Bait to train his breeding hunting dogs and for selling and recommending tame domestic rabbits to be used as Live hunting training Bait by others when there are ethical alternatives.

Video Evidence:-

Sight Chasing Rabbits With Dee & Maggie Pups 2013

Published on 17 Sep 2013 – davidwring1

Beaglesonfire.com showing Dee’s pups & Maggie’s pups some rabbits @ 10 weeks old

Rest Of Petition Text:-

Tame domestic rabbits are seen running for their lives banging off of fences to escape packs of hunting dogs until they are succumbed from sheer exhaustion only to be repeatedly attacked until they can no longer fight back.

Rabbits have small, fragile bones that can be easily injured,/backs broken and being Prey animals stress causes them to go into shock resulting in death. It is our opinion that the rabbits in these videos are clearly being tortured beyond survival. 

IS MR. WRING CLEARLY PULLING A DEAD BLACK RABBIT OUT OF THIS VIDEO (TUGGING IT FROM THE DOGS LOCKED JAWS ) AFTER IT POSSIBLY DIED FROM SHOCK WHEN HELPLESSLY & REPEATEDLY ATTACKED, BITTEN, THEN “DRAGGED BY ITS FACE”?
How is this barbaric display of horrific senseless cruelty considered acceptable behaviour? Contact with a domestic rabbit in No Way prepares a hunting dog to catch a speedy wild rabbit. This practice is wanton cruelty, pure and simple and there is no logical or practical reason to subject live domestic rabbits to this unnecessary torture and suffering except for entertainment, ignorance, laziness or profit.David Wring of Beagles On Fire proudly invites you to click on his video’s and watch the “Fun” when packs of 6-10 beagle pups are taught to torture tame domestic rabbits (prey animals) by chasing, forcefully cornering, attacking, biting and piling on top of them causing them extreme distress, harm and fear for their lives. There is no possibility for the rabbits to escape from these wired enclosures, as would be the case “if” they were out in the wild.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rx82ayPEd0Mr. Wring claims to have been raising domestic rabbits for the last 2 years as Live Bait to “Train” his dogs within his inescapable training pen. He has increased his operation to the point that he can now sell rabbits to the public encouraging others to also torture, abuse, injure or cause the death of tame docile domestic rabbits in hunting training.
http://www.beaglesonfire.com/hunter-the-retrieving-beagl/rabbits-for-sale.htmlA domestic animal does NOT exhibit the same hard wired survival instincts that a wild creature does and therefore will not know how to escape from its predator – in this case, packs of hunting dogs. A domestic rabbit’s instincts are watered down due to the genetic manipulation of its gene pool, when you put a live domestic rabbit in the same pen with predators, you have just committed murder. That rabbit has no clue how to defend itself (and it can’t) causing an elevated heart rate, rapid respiration, its adrenaline will go full tilt, and its lactic acid will build rapidly.

A domestic rabbit does not have the natural coat (camouflage) that a wild animal has, and therefore teaching a beagle to hunt a domestic animal most certainly does not encourage its hard wired instincts.

The Beagle is a scent hound with a natural hunting instinct and it is his genetic make-up to hunt. These hard wired instincts carry from generation to generation and therefore teaching a Beagle to hunt and chase domestic rabbits by scent is not necessary or useful because the domesticated rabbit is a descendant of the European Rabbit and does not share the same scent as our wild rabbits.

Ethical Alternatives in Lure coursing are honored and used by Beagles Unlimited and the American Kennel Club that do not involve the torture of sentient, intelligent creatures. The artificial lure is made to look like a live animal where the lure is dragged across the ground at a high rate of speed, with a set number or turns and changes in direction to simulate the movements of a live animal or “game.”

CRUELTY TO ANIMALS—DOG TRAINING— 

The use of a Live Rabbits in the training of greyhound racing dogs has been outlawed in most States because such action causes the animal to be tortured and tormented, causing unnecessary pain, suffering and death. It has even been outlawed to kill and use dead rabbits.
Torturing of an animal for the purpose of training hunting dogs would also appear to be needless knowing there are ethical alternatives and therefore making it a crime for any person to come within the scope of the statutes prohibiting cruelty to “animals.”

§ 2156 – Animal fighting venture:- Prohibition 

In this section – (1) the term “animal fighting venture” means any event, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, that involves a fight conducted or to be conducted between at least 2 animals for purposes of sport, wagering, or entertainment, except that the term “animal fighting venture” shall not be deemed to include any activity the primary purpose of which involves the use of one or more animals in hunting another.

The following section constitutes Mississippi’s anti-cruelty and animal fighting provisions, which were recently amended in 2011. The pertinent anti-cruelty law, § 97-41-1, states that any person who intentionally or with criminal negligence overrides, overdrives, overloads, tortures, torments, unjustifiably injures, deprives of necessary sustenance, food, or drink, cruelly beats, or needlessly mutilates any living creature, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

§ 97-41-1. Cruelty to living creatures 

Except as otherwise provided in Section 97-41-16 for a dog or cat, if any person shall intentionally or with criminal negligence override, overdrive, overload, torture, torment, unjustifiably injure, deprive of necessary sustenance, food, or drink; or cruelly beat or needlessly mutilate; or cause or procure to be overridden, overdriven, overloaded, tortured, unjustifiably injured, tormented, or deprived of necessary sustenance, food or drink; or to be cruelly beaten or needlessly mutilated or killed, any living creature, every such offender shall, for every offense, be guilty of a misdemeanor.

§ 97-41-2. Seizure of mistreated animal 

(1) All courts in the State of Mississippi may order the seizure of an animal by a law enforcement agency, for its care and protection upon a finding of probable cause to believe said animal is being cruelly treated, neglected or abandoned.

The Animal Welfare Act was signed into law in 1966. It is the only Federal law in the United States that regulates the treatment of animals in research, exhibition, transport, and by dealers. The event of hunting training is conducted by a Dealer of hunting dogs, considered a sport which involves the use of one or more animals hunting another and the rabbits are being used as Live Bait which directly relates to Animal fighting venture prohibition.

We the petitioners request the USDA and Marshall County, Mississippi to investigate proper licensing regarding Beagles on Fire i.e. Dealers license, License to sell animals online and Business License.

According to David Wring’s Website; his dogs are sold for $600 each and can be bought on the Internet, he also sells domestic rabbits. 
Credit Card Purchases: http://www.beaglesonfire.com/credit-card-purchases.html

Code of Federal Regulations Nov 6, 2013, Part 2, Subpart A – Licensing / 2.1 state that dealers selling over $500.00 with more than 4 breeding does requires licensing. 

Subpart A (c) (e) states failure of any person to comply with any provision of the Act, or any of the provisions of the regulations or standards in this sub-chapter, shall constitute grounds for denial of a license; or for its suspension or revocation by the Secretary, as provided in the Act

If the breeder has more than three breeding bitches and is selling the litters wholesale, he must be licensed under the Animal Welfare Act and must be in compliance with standards specified under the Animal Welfare Act. 

What happens when a rabbit is picked up by the scruff?
Their skin is made up of three layers, the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutaneous. Just as in our human skin, rabbits’ skin is plentifully supplied with nerves, which allow them to feel your touch; temperature; and pain. The subcutaneous layer consists of fat, connective tissue, blood vessels and nerves. This layer helps hold the skin to the muscle tissue. When you lift a rabbit by the scruff the skin is torn loose from the muscle tissue. 

Go to the Website to CLICK ON THE PIC TO SEE THE FUN!
http://www.beaglesonfire.com/sight-chasing-with-dee-fire.html

Please bring positive change to Mississippi and stop this unnecessary barbaric cruelty.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

End of Petition Text

Petition Link:–http://www.change.org/petitions/marshal-county-government-aphis-usda-stop-the-torture-and-killing-of-live-domestic-rabbits-used-as-hunting-bait

Parking dispute prompts Newark woman to throw dog into oncoming traffic, cops say

Honey Bey, a 2-year-old Shih Tzu, was allegedly thrown into oncoming traffic by Haniyyah Barnes, who is indicted on animal cruelty, theft and criminal mischief charges, as well as burglary. The dog died.

NEWARK — It all started over a parking space. Someone’s car had blocked Haniyyah Barnes’ vehicle, preventing her from leaving the Newark driveway, authorities said. Barnes’ reaction was fury, they said.

First, the 25-year-old kicked down her  neighbor’s front door, police said. Next, she allegedly threatened and assaulted the woman who had allowed her to park in the driveway.

Then, police said, she turned her attention to Honey Bey.

The 4-pound Shih Tzu had just begun barking when Barnes grabbed her, ran outside and threw the pet into oncoming traffic, police said.

The 2-year-old dog with brown floppy ears and a black nose was killed instantly that night on Aug. 27, 2011.

Nearly a year later, a grand jury has indicted Barnes on charges of animal cruelty, burglary, criminal mischief and theft, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday. A relative said alcohol was to blame for the violence, that Barnes had grown up around dogs and would never have hurt one.

Authorities said the act was cruel and vicious.

“It was a tiny dog that was barking instinctively to protect its owner,” said Assistant Essex County Prosecutor Michele Miller, who is handling the criminal case. “It wasn’t attacking the defendant. It went to see what the commotion was and paid for it with its life.”

The Shih Tzu is one of the most popular breeds in the country, according to the American Kennel Club. Though “sweet and playful, he is not afraid to stand up for himself,” said the group’s website.

A Newark police officer who happened to be patrolling Fabyan Place that day witnessed Barnes storm out of the house with one hand around Honey Bey’s throat, “and launch the dog,” Miller said.

 If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison on the second-degree burglary charge and five years for the third-degree animal cruelty count. The Newark woman, whose two prior arrests were for assault — one was dismissed and the other she pleaded guiltyto a lesser charge — remains free on $35,000 bail.Arraignment is scheduled for June 18 in Superior Court in Newark.

Read the complete news:–http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/in_blind_rage_newark_woman_all.html

Another potential victim in animal cruelty case steps forward

An Akron veteran of the Persian Gulf war keeps his memories of a service dog in a cardboard box.

Allie, a pure white Samoyed, was trained to assist Bob McGee after he suffered medical problems attributed to the time he spent on a Navy vessel transporting Marines from post to post in the gulf in the early 1990s. The words on the lid of the box only hint at its contents: Allie’s name, her date of birth and the day last October when she died.

McGee’s dog was trained to retrieve items dropped by the disabled former medic, open doors for him and pull groceries from low shelves at stores. The box contains Allie’s collar, service vest, a favorite toy and papers proving her pedigree and American Kennel Club registration.

Most importantly, the box contains a death certificate for an 8-year-old animal McGee believes died before her time. It’s signed by a licensed veterinarian. “If [Allie also] had been treated by a real veterinarian, I believe she would still be alive,” McGee said.

When Allie became ill in January last year, McGee thought the person who treated her at the C&D Animal Hospital was a real animal doctor. He learned last week he might have been duped by an impostor.

McGee said he discovered he could be another victim of Brandi Tomko, a Medina County woman who he says misrepresented herself as an animal doctor and treated his dog at the former clinic on Brittain Road in Akron.

On Tuesday, Summit County prosecutors charged Tomko, 35, with 33 crimes ranging from drug charges to cruelty to animals to practicing veterinary medicine without a license. She pleaded not guilty to 17 felony and 16 misdemeanor charges stemming from incidents that prosecutors say occurred at the clinic between February 2010 and April 2011.

Gulf War veteran Bob McGee holds his Samoyed service dog, Skipper, at his home in Akron on Friday. McGee's first service dog Allie was allegedly misdiagnosed by Brandi Tomko of C&D Animal Clinic, who passed herself off as a veterinarian. Subsequently Allie died. (Paul Tople/Akron Beacon Journal)

Authorities contend that Tomko used cash she collected from treating animals to support a drug habit.

McGee said he took Allie to the clinic on Jan. 5, 2011, after she began having a seizure and lost control of her bladder. The closest clinic to his northeast Akron home was C&D Animal Hospital.

On Friday, McGee said he would be willing to testify in court that Tomko was the person at the clinic who examined his dog, drew blood, pronounced that Allie had diabetes and provided him with a prescription for insulin.

“[Allie] continued to have seizures, but only once or twice a month, and never as severe as the original one,” he said. At least once a month until June, McGee said, he left messages for Tomko at the clinic and waited for her response.

“[Tomko] always said Allie would be fine — that she was just adjusting to the medication,” he said. Through the summer, McGee continued to give Allie the insulin Tomko prescribed, he said.

But in October, Allie began having a succession of seizures that didn’t stop. By that time, he said, the clinic had closed and Tomko could not be found. “We got ready to take her to a Copley hospital, but before we could leave, she went into a basement room and laid down and died,” he said.

During the original visit last year, McGee said, he was charged $267.90. Two days later, Tomko called and said there was a problem with the blood work and he would need to bring Allie back to draw more blood. He was charged $62.92 for the follow-up visit.

He said he paid both bills with a credit card. Doubts about treatment Last week, after reading about another dog that died after treatment at the clinic, McGee said he wondered whether he had been swindled.

“It got me thinking. If the woman is this way, maybe she didn’t have the blood tests [analyzed] and if [Allie] had been diagnosed right,” he said. McGee, who keeps Allie’s cremated remains alongside his box of mementos, recently acquired a new service dog, Skipper, that is in training at a Canton facility. Skipper’s presence helps, he said, but he remains bitter because he believes Allie’s life was cut short with a misdiagnosis by a woman who masqueraded as a doctor. “How could she treat an animal without any kind of license, especially a service dog? I don’t understand how anyone could do that to any animal,” he said.

On Friday, Tomko remained in the Summit County Jail in lieu of 10 percent of a $100,000 cash bond