Serious dog breeders worldwide learned this week that Norway just banned the breeding of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Bulldogs, declaring their breeding to be a violation of the country's Animal Welfare Act. The Norwegian Parliament had just amended the Act in July, making the Norwegian Kennel Club, breed groups, and private breeders responsible for breeding healthy dogs.
The Act's language provided an opening for the animal rights group, Animal Protection Norway, to have their lawyers bring a suit against breeders who breed dogs with known health issues. They argued that due to selective breeding, none of the dogs from these breeds were healthy and therefore none could be used for breeding. The court accepted their argument.
The court then threw a bone to Bulldog and Cavalier breeders, encouraging them to crossbreed their way to good health; to cross their Bulldogs and Cavaliers with other breeds, just not to mate with members of their own breed. This simplistic suggestion, which blindly accepts anti-selective breeding claims, will not improve dog health; it will, however, encourage breeding by individuals who lack the knowledge and dedication of breed enthusiasts.
The good news is that this decision can be appealed, giving dedicated breeders and breed organizations time to counter the claims of the animal rights lawyers and provide evidence demonstrating the health initiatives underway and the advances already achieved in the health of these two wonderful breeds. Two good places to begin gathering this evidence are in the resources below: the Bulldog Club of America's Ambassador's for Health Program, and the work of the AKC Cavalier King Charles Charitable Trust.
Orange dwarf Mexican crayfish: not welcome in Pennsylvania.
A last-minute amendment to the COMPETES Act was slipped in, presumably to avoid attention and pushback from the millions of Americans who will be affected, and to bypass congressional hearings. The language creates a major change to the provisions of the Lacey Act that regulate species deemed by US Fish & Wildlife Service to be injurious. While promoted under the guise of protecting the country from invasive species, the true goal of the legislative change is to ban as much of the wildlife trade as possible.
According to an international survey conducted by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and Zoetis, a stronger bond of trust between owner and pet increases the frequency of medical care the animal receives. These findings aren't much of a surprise, but they are certainly a nice affirmation and show how deeply pet owners care for their animals. An annual vet checkup is a very material way of saying "I love you, Fido."
This strong bond between owner and pet not only improves the health of the pet, but the person's as well. Pet owners enjoy improved mental health and reduced levels of stress. Win-win!
Last week we covered the truck crash in Pennsylvania involving research macaques. In response to the crash, Kenya Airways has decided not to renew their contract with the shipper of the macaques.
Kenya Airways sent the macaques from the island of Mauritius to JFK International Airport in New York. They were en route from New York to an undisclosed research facility when the truck crashed, spilling out 100 macaques. Calls for an investigation by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and animal rights groups to the USDA have resulted in an investigation. Monkeys for research have been in very high demand since the COVID-19 pandemic due to their immense value in vaccine development.
A biology professor from West Texas A&M University has been charged with illegally smuggling exotic animal parts into the United States. In a breach of ethics, Richard Kazmaier was found in possession of the body parts and skeletons of several protected species. These artifacts must be declared to customs and US Fish & Wildlife. Kazmaier faces jail time and a $250,000 fine if convicted, as well as Endangered Species Act violations that could total 1 year of jail time and a $100,000 fine. The investigation was an ongoing operation following smuggling between Seattle and Indonesia.
