Virginia Hunting Dog Owner's Association

----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Kane
Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2006 5:34 PM
Subject: Your Club Shouldn't be Supporting the Virginia Federation of Dog Clubs and Breeders
-typo edited-

Dear Fellow Virginia Dog Owners,

I'd earlier indicated that I planned to write a General Assembly post-mortem after the session, but the Veto HB339 Campaign has interfered with that plan. When I do distribute such a review, it will focus on the Richmond legislature's mechanics, its changing political nature and the need for dog owners to work together to protect our sport. In the interim, something needs to be said about the Virginia Federation of Dog Clubs and Breeders (VFDCB). VFDCB is supported by your club's dues and it is using that money to retain a hired-gun lobbyist. That individual and other VFDCB members have consistently worked against your interests and intentionally undermined VHDOA's lobbying efforts in 2005-2006. I don't believe that electing a new VFDCB president will change the situation and appeal to you to withdraw your support of this confused and destructive group. Radical measures are called for.

Since 2001, when I first began state dog owner advocacy after retiring from a lobbying career in Washington, except for a short period when Kathy Ashley lobbied for VFDCB, your group has been a part of the problem in Richmond, not its solution. I thought that its support of two destructive animal rightist (AR) bills in 2002, including the infamous anti-rescuer SB260, was the low point. I was wrong. The 2006 session was far worse, as VFDCB supported draconian AR bills that devastated first some, then every Virginia dog owner. I'm referring to SB200/HB340 and HB339. See http://vhdoa.uplandbirddog.com/staterk.html

I've called the 2006 session the "perfect storm." I've never seen so many bad animal bills spread between nine committees in both chambers in any state. Fortunately, the VVAW bills, including SB55, were largely non-serious threats and easy to defeat. For the first time since 2002, HSUS-corporate sent a professional lobbyist to Richmond to assist its local HSUS-PETA clones. Through it all Tom Evans, VFDCB's paid lobbyist, worked to support the anti's main bills, SB200/HB340 and HB339. VHDOA was the only party to object to these bills and we did it at every legislative stage, publicly, privately and through press releases. I was fortunate in amending the truly ill-conceived dangerous dog bills SB200/HB340, with absolutely no help from VFDCB. http://www.vacaonline.com/pages/posts/vaca-withdraws-support-for-dangerous-dog-bills16.php That didn't happen with Bobby Orrock's HB339 Dog Owner Database bill. It was repeatedly amended due VHDOA's opposition efforts and finally passed its key Senate vote by 6-5. A major, statewide HB339 veto campaign is being waged to try to kill this awful, rabies threatening measure. VETO HB339

Tom Evans, speaking for VFDCB, repeatedly testified in support of HB339 in its various permutations. Contrary to Marge McClung's statement regarding your group reversing its position and opposing HB339 in mid-February, two of the senators that voted 6-5 on 2/20/2006 indicated that Evans never changed his position and one of them said he was heavily influenced to vote for HB339 because of that position. If Governor Kaine fails to veto this bill, which so clearly presents an increased rabies threat, VHDOA will create and publicize a new webpage to track Virginia rabies reports. It will be titled the Orrock-Kaine-VFDCB Rabies Index, to give credit where it's due. HB339 couldn't pass the General Assembly without VFDCB's support, much like the federal PAWS bill can't become law without AKC's assistance.

This isn't a "he says, she says" dispute or about inconsequential matters. The facts are clear and only lack video evidence. VFDCB's management and certain members have consistently lied to or misled member club delegates about what's happened in Richmond, how their money was spent and sullied their good names and mine. Evans doesn't know the animal code well enough to lobby it and takes the path of least resistance every time, putting legislator personal relationships before his client's interests. A succession of VFDCB presidents from Bob Hall, through Marge McClung to now Bob Murray haven't taken enough interest in Virginia animal legislation or been capable of understanding what the task requires. In 2003, VHDOA did what it could to support the SB260 repeal effort, but that was our last collaboration year. VFDCB missed the boat on a pro-spay-neuter resolution last year and McClung rebuffed an opportunity to be pro-active and introduce a needed animal bill after the session. She received virtually every VHDOA alert for the last four years and many of its filed statements to legislators, which most of you didn't see. Not once has VFDCB reciprocated. It's impossible to be pinned down on faulty logic, or found to be wrong, if you never put anything in writing.

This is a bit of a vent on my part, but it outlines a very serious problem for all Virginia pet owners. Many of you know that a VFDCB member, who constantly and vigorously defended HB339, had my ISP of eight years pull the plug on me during the last stages of that February fight. VFDCB is hurting you and all Virginia dog owners. Please don't continue to support this misguided and dangerously inept group.

Sincerely,
Bob Kane
Virginia Hunting Dog Owners' Association
http://vhdoa.uplandbirddog.com/VETO_HB339
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