Please Stop Illinois Pet Task Force

To:  Illinois Governor Pat Quinn

We the citizens of the State of Illinois do hereby respectfully petition Governor Pat Quinn to disqualify the task force created by Senate Joint Resolution 56 to study dog breeding in the state and recommend new regulations and laws.

We oppose the formation of The Joint Task Force On Breeders and Pet Stores because:

1. The Humane Society of the United States, which is the political arm of the radical animal rights movement, has been the driving force behind new laws and regulations. The goal of the animal rights movement is the eventual elimination of animal ownership in America, and this philosophical viewpoint contradicts the beliefs and wishes of the mast majority of the citizens of Illinois. Virtually all Americans support the right of people to have pets and raise animals for companionship, hunting, competition and food..
2. HSUS has failed to demonstrate that there is any need for new laws and regulations, as not one shred of evidence has been presented to indicate that existing Illinois kennel and animal cruelty laws have failed to completely address actual problems that have been found. Illinois already has some of the toughest animal welfare laws in America. In every reported case that has been investigated, people who have violated existing laws have been prosecuted and penalized for violations, and all affected animals have been removed to safety. There is no evidence whatsoever that this task force, or new laws and regulations, are needed in Illinois.
3. This task force creates a dangerous precedent that is likely to result in further legislative action that has the strong potential to harm Illinois farmers and sportsmen. It sends a chilling message to pet owners, farmers and sportsmen that their most basic rights as citizens – and, for many people, their traditional way of life and economic lifeblood - are subject to unprovoked assault by the government that represents them.
4. While we acknowledge that the Illinois Department of Agriculture does not have adequate funding and staffing to implement its mission, this is not a reason for passing new laws and regulations that are not needed and will further burden the Department’s staff and budget. We support the complete restoration of Department of Agriculture funding and staff.
5. Illinois taxpayers cannot afford an increase in unnecessary government spending, especially during the present recession. Likewise, we cannot support legislation that will harm many businesses in Illinois that rely upon spending by pet owners. These include pet stores, retail chains that handle pet products, veterinarians, manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers, building material vendors, businesses that rely on travelers with dogs, publishing firms and many service industries. People who responsibly own and raise dogs add many million dollars a year to the economy of Illinois, hundreds of jobs are at stake, and many responsible kennel owners will be driven out of business by laws and regulations that are impossible to follow.
6. As structured in S.J.R. 56, the task force totally fails to provide adequate and fair representation to dog owners. We believe that the composition of the task force has been deliberately structured to place animal ownership advocates in a minority position. Thus, the outcome of the task force has been predetermined to call for new laws and regulations that will seriously and irrevocably harm the lives and livelihoods of thousands of Illinois pet owners and businesses, and also have a strongly adverse impact on the welfare of dogs.

For these reasons, we the undersigned residents of the State of Illinois respectfully urge Gov. Pat Quinn to refuse to implement the terms of S.R. 56 and act decisively to protect the rights, lives and livelihoods of thousands of Illinois dog owners, businesses, workers, farmers and sportsmen.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Please Stop Illinois Pet Task Force Petition to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn was created by American Sporting Dog Alliance and written by John Yates (asda@csonline.net).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.