TX-RPOA E-News
>From RPOA Texas Outreach and
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
Crossposting is encouraged.
January 24, 2012
RPOA has always had an interest in the property rights of animal owners in
Texas.
Animal seizures in our state have escalated into an everyday occurence since
Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN) got a bill passed at the state
legislature in 2003, taking away the right of appeal for animal owners whose
animals were seized. Seized animals no longer had to be held for two years
for appeals to be made and the seizures began! Ten days for a hearing and
it was over, animals gone, never to be seen again.
RPOA has worked each legislative session and got the appeal process restored
but THLN has succeeded in making the excessive bond requirement impossible
for low income animal owners to meet. So more work to be done.
Many times constitutional rights have been violated as animals are our
"property." We want to keep it that way in order to love, care for and
protect them from all harm. You can't just walk in and take them away!
Humane societies use seizures as fundraisers which is why the media is
always invited. There's never an opportunity to correct any problems. They
confiscate ALL the animals that usually happen coincidentally to be purebred
dogs. Few are mixed breed dog seizures.
Congratulations to Mark and Sandra Smith for winning their court case, but
at great expense to their health, livelihood and reputation. Their lives
will never be the same.
______________________________
http://www.myfoxlubbock.com/news/local/story/Lubbock-sandra-smith-alpha-tex-dogs-returned/6r4_s0MmcU67F5yjPihqIg.cspx
Alpha Tex dogs to be returned as soon as they can be found
Attorneys for both sides are working out the process for returning about 200
dogs to Alpha Tex Kennels near Lockney. A jury in
Canyon Friday determined owners Mark and Sandra Smith did not treat the
canines cruelly.Floyd County's sheriff seized the dogs after
receiving an animal welfare complaint in September. West Texas Humane
Society volunteers coordinated placing them in foster
locations across the state.
Attorney David Guinn, who's not connected to the case, said reuniting the
Smiths with their dogs could be a long difficult process
and is new legal territory.
"Everything in this statute, for good or not, is geared toward the State of
Texas. So now it came out differently," Guinn said. "The
state didn't get lucky. People on a jury heard the whole case for a week and
made a decision that the law doesn't really speak to.
Now what do they do?"
A written statement from the Humane Society of West Texas said while the
organization disagrees with the verdict in the case, it is
working with lawyers to ensure compliance with the court's orders. The HSWT
is also asking foster caregivers to call or email the
organization if they have not already been contacted.
The Humane Society of West Texas released this statement:
While we disagree with verdict in the case, we are working with the lawyers
involved to ensure the return of the dogs in compliance
with the Court's orders. Due to time constraints, we ask any fosters of the
German Shepherds who have
not already been contacted by the HSWT to please
contact us in any of the following ways:
806-466-6644
806-466-1310
[More at URL above.]
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Responsible Pet Owners Alliance (501 C3 Nonprofit)
www.responsiblepetowners.org
900 NE Loop 410 #311-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
$15 Annual Dues (Jan-Dec)
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