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Updates Home Jan-May 2010 5/14: Horse Kill BIll Dies 4/28: Phoenix Burned Alive 4/22: MA Devoc Ban Pass! 4/22: Queenie Goes To Zoo 4/20: Brindi’s Life Is Spared 4/2: Karley’s Killer Sentence April: BLM, 90 Horses Dead 3/8: NASA Monkey Tests 2/6: Toxic Pet Food Company 2/6: DDB Founder Charged 1/26: China Anti-Cruelty Law? 12/29: Texas Cat Tests End 2009 Updates 2008 Updates 2007 Updates 2006 Updates |
KINSHIP CIRCLE UPDATES / JANUARY - MAY 2010 
1) UPDATE / SOURCE: 2010 Missouri legislature bills list 5/14/10, SUMMARY: Missouri Rep. Jim Viebrock wanted to kill horses. So he proposed House Bill 1747 to sidestep a federal ban on U.S. horse slaughter. Kinship Circle issued a 3/21/10 letter campaign urging House Reps to reject legalization of horse kill plants in Missouri. From there, it got weird... Some Reps harassed Kinship Circle with menacing late night calls — neighing like a horse, chanting KC president Brenda Shoss’ name over and over, screaming incoherently, and singing “A Horse Is A Horse” (theme song from the movie Mr. Ed). Ms. Shoss filed a police report. The House seemingly passed its bill as revenge against animal advocates. Then, Rep Viebrock covertly attached horse slaughter provisions to unrelated Senate Bill 795. But in the end YOUR VOICE — along with support from rational Missouri legislators — proved stronger than the pro-slaughter extremists. Against a backdrop of strong public protest from around the world, the Missouri Congressional session closed with language to legalize horse slaughter rejected. Thanks to all who wrote, faxed, emailed, called and mailed on behalf of horses! Weird Odyssey: How Missouri Tried & Failed to Revive U.S. Horse Slaughter
——————————————————————— Back To Top ———————————————————————— 2) UPDATE / SOURCE: Gun, drug charges dropped but teens still face charges in burning of dog 4/28/10, SUMMARY: From Joseph Sviatko, Office of the State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy, Baltimore City — A court-ordered gag order in the case of Tremayne and Travers Johnson — charged with animal cruelty and mutilation for setting pit bull puppy Phoenix on fire — prohibits release of information at the present time. You may periodically check for updates at the Maryland Courts website. LINK TO: http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/ Upcoming Court Dates: Wednesday, Jun 30, 2010 - Trial 3/25/10, SUMMARY: Baltimore prosecutors dropped gun and drug charges against teenage twins Tremayne and Travers Johnson, hours after a judge acquitted their father of similar charges stemming from the same search and seizure. The brothers, 18, still face animal cruelty and mutilation charges in a separate case accusing them of setting fire to a pit bull puppy, who rescue workers later named Phoenix. The dog's injuries drew nationwide outrage, with people calling for tougher penalties in animal cruelty cases and donating more than $25,000 to a reward fund to help catch the perpetrators. Phoenix, who was doused in gasoline and set aflame, had to be euthanized. The Johnson brothers have pleaded not guilty in that case. Their trial was postponed to June 30, 2010 shortly before the gun, marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia charges against them were dropped. KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:
——————————————————————— Back To Top ———————————————————————— 3) UPDATE / SOURCE: Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets • Three Barks for Logan's Law! 4/22/10, SUMMARY: “Dear Kinship Circle — On April 22, 2010 Gov. Deval Patrick signed Logan's Law, making Massachusetts the first state in the nation with an effective law banning the cruel practice of canine and feline devocalization — cutting vocal cords to suppress the voice. Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets couldn't have done it without Kinship Circle. The Coalition is an all-volunteer, unfunded advocacy network with statewide reach; but passing legislation against opposition from the AKC and state veterinary association required far greater numbers. The powerhouse animal welfare organizations in Massachusetts refused to help. Luckily for animals, Kinship Circle stepped up. You rallied your Massachusetts members at every stage of the 15-month legislative process. Whenever you were asked to put the word out, you unhesitatingly did. Animal lovers in Massachusetts are very grateful to Kinship Circle for embracing this principle, and for working with the Coalition to put landmark humane legislation on the books. Thank you, Brenda and Kinship Circle.” Sincerely, Sandra Finder, Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:——————————————————————— Back To Top ————————————————————————
4/22/10, SUMMARY: Queenie is finally rescued from abusive owner Wilbur Davenport — but winds up dumped in the San Antonio Zoo? In summer 2009, USDA confiscated two of Davenpor’ts three elephants. Tina and Jewel went to the San Diego Zoo, while Queenie stayed behind, tied to tree. After pressure for Queenie’s release, USDA filed charges against Davenport in February. By April 2010, USDA and Davenport agreed to transfer Queenie to the Texas zoo — notorious for it outdated habitat, cramped and unnatural setting. Ideally, animal advocates want Queenie retired to Performing Animal Welfare Society’s (PAWS) 2,300-acre sanctuary called ARK. At the San Antonio Zoo, Queenie occupies just one half-acre of space... IDA’s elephant campaign director, Catherine Doyle, feels “Queenie should be allowed to retire to PAWS Sanctuary where she’d have the best quality of life, including a 50-acre habitat to roam, high quality care, and the peace and quiet she deserves after a lifetime of suffering in the circus. The San Antonio Zoo is the wrong place for Queenie or any other elephant.” ACTION SITES FOR QUEENIE’S RELEASE TO SANCTUARY
KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:
——————————————————————— Back To Top ———————————————————————— 5) UPDATE / SOURCE: BRINDI IS SAFE: N.S. court spares life of Brindi the dog, but sets conditions 4/20/10, SUMMARY: Francesca Rogier spent her savings and the last two years of her life saving her mutt Brindi from euthanasia at the hands of the Halifax pound that still has the dog. Justice Alanna Murphy spared Brindi’s life, but it’s not clear when Brindi and Rogier will be reunited. Justice Murphy imposed conditions before Brindi can be released from a city pound, where she’s been since 2008 when she rushed off Rogier’s property and attacked a leashed dog. Both dog and Rogier must take training courses and Rogier must provide secure enclosure for the animal at home. Brindi must be muzzled outside the home and appear on a dangerous dog registry... A spokeswoman said the city won’t appeal the verdict. Rogier had argued that her dog was not usually aggressive but attacked a neighborhood dog who had fought with Brindi previously. An animal trainer testified that the mutt showed no signs of aggression and should not be put down... KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES: 6) UPDATE / SOURCE: Ex Firefighter Sentenced in Dog Beating Case 4/2/10, SUMMARY: Glynn Demon Johnson, 55, a retired Los Angeles County assistant fire chief, beat Karley — a neighbor's 6- month-old puppy — so badly that she had to be euthanized. He was sentenced tto 90 days weekend jail time and 3 years probation. Johnson could have received a maximum 4 years in state prison for his conviction of felony animal cruelty. Karley, a German shepherd mix adopted by Johnson's former neighbors, Jeff and Shelley Toole, had escaped from her yard and darted across the defendant's property on 11/3/08. Johnson testified that he took Karley from neighbor Travis Skaggs, to spare the man a walk to the Tooles' residence. As he led Karley by the collar, she whipped around and bit him on the wrist, Johnson said. Karley clamped down on his right thumb, "filleting" it. So he picked up a rock and struck the dog until she went limp. Skaggs testified that Karley showed no signs of aggression, and that Johnson pummeled her for no reason. He said Johnson grabbed the top and bottom portions of the dog's mouth and pulled, as if trying to snap Karley's jaws. Skaggs said he tried to intervene, but Johnson ignored him, slamming a rock into Karley's head 10 to 15 times... KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:
——————————————————————— Back To Top ———————————————————————— 7) UPDATE / SOURCE: The numbers just don't add up for the captive Calico mustangs APRIL 2010, SUMMARY: It appears that BLM may have rounded up more than 1922 mustangs from late December until early February this year. The Gather Daily Updates list total deaths as 76. That's wrong. At least 91 horses have died, including a newborn foal who perished shortly after birth on 1/18/10. He wasn't "gathered" as an individual, but was carried into the Fallon feedlot in utero... Using the BLM's own daily reports, I can count 90 live wild horses who have died since the roundup began... When adoption began on February 18, at least 62 horses had already died. When it ended, on April 3, a total of 1851 horses had been freeze-branded... It’s possible that more than 1922 mustangs may have been helicopter-driven from the Calico mountains. The numbers matter, not just because we should honor and commemorate each horse who died, but because future HMA estimates — and the BLM's rationale for future gathers — will depend on them. KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:
——————————————————————— Back To Top ———————————————————————— 8) UPDATE / SOURCE: NASA monkey radiation experiment facing animal-cruelty accusations 3/8/10, SUMMARY: NASA's Brookhaven National Laboratory comes under intense scrutiny following complaints that its forthcoming $1.75 million radiation experiment on monkeys violates a score of animal-rights laws. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) filed an official complaint against the space agency, which approved a grant for the experiment last year to understand the effects of long-term radiation exposure on the human body in space. While NASA maintains the experiment is necessary if humans expect to traveL to Mars, the committee stressed that researchers were still wrong to subject monkeys to such inhumane conditions. “If you can imagine the profound loneliness of deep space travel, you can envision the effect solitary caging has on a highly social primate such as a squirrel monkey,” John J. Pippin, senior medical and research adviser for PCRM, said.In February 2010, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) and seven other House members called on NASA to cancel the grant for that experiment because deep-space travel is still years away... "There is simply no ethical justification for putting these monkeys through these inhumane and possibly fatal experiments at this time," the lawmakers concluded. It is unclear whether federal regulators might agree and ultimately require NASA to rescind the grant... ——————————————————————— Back To Top ———————————————————————— 9) UPDATE / SOURCE: Chemnutra Owners Sentenced for Melamine-Tainted Pet Food 2/6/10, SUMMARY: U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Maughmer sentenced Sally Qing Miller, 43, a Chinese national, and her husband, Stephen S. Miller, 57, to three years probation for distributing a melamine-tainted ingredient that triggered a massive pet food recall in 2007 and caused the deaths and illnesses of thousands of dog and cats nationwide. They were were also ordered to each pay a $5,000 fine. The Miller's company, Chemnutra, Inc., must pay a $25,000 fine. KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:
——————————————————————— Back To Top ———————————————————————— 10) UPDATE / SOURCE: Dog advocate charged with trespassing after providing straw to
2/6/10, SUMMARY: Altoona, PA — Dog advocate Tamira Ci Thayne, founder and CEO of Dogs Deserve Better, a nonprofit working solely on behalf of chained and penned dogs, was charged with Summary Defiant Trespass. Under Pennsylvania law 18 Pa.C.S.A.§3503(b), a person commits the crime of defiant trespass if he or she comes onto or stays on your property AFTER being told to stay away. Yet no one had answered Thanye’s knocks at the home where two skinny dogs were freezing outdoors, with no food or water... Thayne’s first-day volunteer will testify in court that: 1. Although Thayne made a good-faith attempt to speak to the caretaker before taking action on behalf of the dogs, no one indeed answered the door, and 2. No one EVER asked them to leave the property on Sunday, January 3, 2010... Thayne asks Pennsylvania residents to join the coalition to Unchain Pennsylvania Dogs. The coalition seeks to pass HB1254, a bill setting timelimits on chaining, and creating better conditions for Pennsylvania's dogs. KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:
——————————————————————— Back To Top ———————————————————————— 11) UPDATE / SOURCE: Anti-animal cruelty law being drafted 1/26/09, SUMMARY: Legal experts drafted China’s first "anti-animal cruelty" law. The draft is divided into 9 chapters. It includes main systems relating to animal abuse prevention, measures relating to animal (such as wild animals, livestock and pets) abuse prevention, other measures relating to animal healthcare, transportation and slaughter, legal liability and supplementary articles. The "anti-animal cruelty" law (draft) stipulates that individuals who illegally eat or sell cat and dog meat will face a penalty of 5,000 yuan and 15 days detention. ——————————————————————— Back To Top ———————————————————————— 12) UPDATE / SOURCE: Victory! Texas Tech Drops Cruel Cat Lab 12/29/09, SUMMARY: Kinship Circle supporters joined PETA and activists everywhere to urge Texas Tech University Health Service Center (TTUHSC) to use simulated models for medical training courses. For more than two decades, TTUHSC students drove plastic tubes down cats’ windpipes, causing them to bleed or swell. Constant intubation can scar throat tissue and lead to collapsed lungs or death. Trainees also pumped air into the cats’ chest cavities and extracted surplus air via an inserted needle. Though TTUHSC earlier agreed to stop purchasing cats from Odessa, Texas Animal Control, it was unclear whether they'd permanently replace the cruel labs with synthetic models like simulators and manikins. Now it's official. PETA says university reports confirm: "TTUHSC will no longer use cats for this training!" We're certain that the thousands of Kinship Circle followers who sent comments in one of our highest participation campaigns ever contributed to this big win for animals. ——————————————————————— Back To Top ————————————————————————    GET COOL STUFF & SUPPORT KINSHIP CIRCLE! 
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