Georgia Call to Action 2 24 13: Stop HB 409 – this bill would prohibit counties, municipalities or local authorities in Georgia from requiring spaying or neutering, etc.

HB 409 would prohibit local governments from requiring spaying or neutering; prohibit higher licensing fees for intact animals, prohibit banning of certain breeds of animals and more. See below for the text of the bill.

Please contact your legislator and/or these sponsors in the Georgia House of Representatives and ask them to stop this bill!

This bill is sponsored by: (1) Knight, David 130th(2) Roberts, Jay 155th(3) Burns, Jon 159th (4) Ehrhart, Earl 36th(5) Shaw, Jason 176th

Find your legislator: http://votesmart.org

Committees: This will probably be assigned to the House State Planning & Community Affairs- a meeting has not been scheduled at this time.

First Reader Summary:

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 60 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to provisions applicable to counties and municipal corporations, so as to prohibit local governments from adopting certain regulations pertaining to animals; to amend Code Section 4-8-1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to intent of chapter regulating dogs, so as to limit authority of local governments to establish dog control regulations; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Status History:

Feb/22/2013 – House Second Readers

Feb/21/2013 – House First Readers

Feb/20/2013 – House Hopper

13 LC 40 0295

H. B. 409

- 1 -

House Bill 409

By: Representatives Knight of the 130th, Roberts of the 155th, Burns of the 159th, Ehrhart of

the 36th, and Shaw of the 176th

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

1 To amend Chapter 60 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to

2 provisions applicable to counties and municipal corporations, so as to prohibit local

3 governments from adopting certain regulations pertaining to animals; to amend Code Section

4 4-8-1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to intent of chapter regulating dogs,

5 so as to limit authority of local governments to establish dog control regulations; to provide

6 for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

7 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

8 SECTION 1.

9 Chapter 60 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to provisions

10 applicable to counties and municipal corporations, is amended by adding a new Code section

11 to read as follows:

12 “36-60-27.

13 No county, municipality, or local authority shall, except to the extent authorized by state

14 or federal law, adopt any ordinance, resolution, or local law:

15 (1) Requiring the spaying or neutering of any animal;

16 (2) Requiring a higher license, registration, or ownership fee or tax for animals which

17 are not spayed or neutered;

18 (3) Preventing the ownership, breeding, transfer, sale, purchase, tethering, training, or

19 transportation of dogs used for the lawful pursuit of game, field trials, shows, or disability

20 services; or

21 (4) Banning the sale or ownership of any specific breed of domestic dog or cat.”

22 SECTION 2.

23 Code Section 4-8-1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to intent of chapter

24 regulating dogs, is amended as follows:

13 LC 40 0295

H. B. 409

- 2 -

25 “4-8-1.

26 It is the intention of this chapter to establish as state law minimum standards for the control

27 and regulation of dogs and to establish state crimes for violations of such minimum

28 standards. However, this chapter shall not prohibit Except as provided in Code Section

29 36-60-27, local governments shall not be prohibited from adopting and enforcing

30 ordinances or resolutions which provide for more restrictive control and regulation of dogs

31 than the minimum standards provided for in this chapter.”

32 SECTION 3.

33 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

Sent by:

Humane Association of Georgia, Inc.

A statewide coalition of humane societies, animal control and rescue groups and individuals.

About the organization:

HAGA is known for the Animal Protection Act of 2000 that makes some acts of animal cruelty a felony and the Dog and Cat Sterilization License Plates that and the Dog and Cat Tax Check Off to fund statewide spay/neuter projects. We were instrumental in the passage of the Veterinary Practice Act and Child Endangerment Act and for stopping many pieces of bad animal legislation. We were formed at the request of the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. Our formation allowed Georgia to be the first state by law to allow animals in disaster shelters. We were formed to support good animal legislation, provide education about good animal stewardship and help animals in times of disaster. HAGA is a member of the Georgia Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster

SpayGeorgia now sells hand-knitted cat toys in our Marketplace. These adorable whales are filled with stuffing and catnip, and are a big hit with the kitties.  They come in pairs, and the $6.50 cost includes shipping. The toys were made by the ladies of the knitting guild at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church. We are grateful for their support of SpayGeorgia!

We have other new items too. Check out our decals!

Here are some product endorsements!

Spaygeorgia is planning to publish an animal friendly cookbook. What makes it animal friendly? The book will contain vegetarian recipes for humans (no animals will be harmed in the production of our book!), and will also contain recipes for dogs, cats, birds, etc. And best of all, all proceeds will benefit our spay/neuter program

If you would like to submit a recipe to our cookbook, please email them to spay@spaygeorgia.org, or mail them to:

SpayGeorgia

P.O. Box 3780
Lilburn, GA 30048

If you would like to include a photo of your beloved companion animal, please email high-resolution photos. Or you can mail a photograph to our PO Box, and we will scan it.

There is no cost to submit a recipe, but due to publishing costs, photo submission are $5 each, or 3 for $12.

We will publish the cookbook sometime in 2013. Details about cost and ordering will follow.

I am involved with SpayGeorgia because it helped me in my time of need nearly fifteen years ago. In 1998, I rescued my sweet cat, Ralphie. He was homeless, and the vet said he was around 7 months old. I wanted to have him neutered, but money was tight, and safe, low-cost spay/neuter options in those days were limited. A friend of mine told me about SpayGeorgia (it was called Humane Services of Metro Atlanta in those days). I was thrilled with the selection of available veterinarians, and I purchased a certificate for Ralphie.

I was so grateful for the help that I joined SpayGeorgia, and volunteered to edit the newsletter. Now, Ralphie is still around, and so am I. As President of SpayGeorgia, I continue to work for a cause that has always been important to me.

SG has been so good at meeting its mission that it has helped over 91,000 dogs and cats since 1991. We want to continue this work as I am sure you want us to.

But now SpayGeorgia needs your help NOW. Like many other non-profits, our work is at risk. For the first time in many years, we will be unable to offer our annual free cat neuters.

Why is SG in this situation? The answers are many:
• In this economy, it is more difficult for people to contribute to non-profit organizations.
• There are more low-cost spay/neuter groups now, which is a good thing! There seems to be an infinite number of cats and dogs to be sterilized, so there is no such thing as too many low-cost options!
• As a result, fewer people are purchasing SG’s certificates.

What does SG do and hope to do when it is back on stronger financial footing?

* Resume donation of certificates to pet owners who cannot afford even low cost options
* Continue providing certificates to pet food pantries for pet owners who they are helping with free food for their animals. If they can’t afford food, they can’t afford to s/n
* Continue providing rescue groups with certificates to ready dogs and cats for adoption
* Resume our annual free cat spay/rabies shot promotion in April
*Resume our annual free cat neuter/rabies shot promotion in July
*We hope to run a half-price certificate “sale” for male and female dogs, thereby lowering the certificate price even more, when donations allow.

I support SpayGeorgia because 90% of our funds go directly to spay/neutering. We have always managed to keep our operating costs very low. When I contribute to a charity, I want my money to be used wisely and effectively.

We are in need for direct donations, but we especially need volunteers who can help us with fund raisers – volunteers who can come up creative ideas and give us the help we need to implement those ideas!

Help us to keep SpayGeorgia alive, because there many animals out there that need our help. I want them to have the same good life that SpayGeorgia helped me give to Ralphie.
–By Ingrid Siegert

Ralphie -- SpayGeorgia certificate recipient

After three long years, we can finally celebrate the victory of the passage of House Bill 788, the gas chamber bill! The bill passed both the House and the Senate on April 29th, the very last day of the legislative session. With such a controversial bill, it’s not surprising it came down to the final hours of the final day. ….the suspense was almost unbearable.

As you may have heard, our bill was amended in the Senate, Wednesday before last, by Senator John Bulloch. Senator Bulloch changed the bill from going into effect when the Governor signed it into law, to going into effect January 1, 2013. The amendment would have allowed the shelters using gas chambers to continue gassing for 32 more months! This amendment, of course, was unacceptable to our primary sponsor, Representative Tom Knox, and to all the Georgia voters who were asking our state lawmakers to shut down gas chambers immediately.

Representative Knox began a full-court-press on Monday morning of the final week of the legislative session, following the previous Wednesday’s amendment and passage in the Senate. His mission: to get the amendment removed and the revised version of the bill back through both the House and the Senate again. I am not well-enough educated on the legislative process to approximate the amount of effort and time it took Representative Knox to accomplish this unlikely feat, but I imagine it was A LOT of both.

In the end, Representative Knox agreed to an effective date of December 31, 2010, and the bill passed the House by a vote of 125 to 25 and the Senate by a vote of 37 to 8.

Without Representative Knox’s commitment to passage of this bill, it would not have happened. Please consider writing to him to thank him for his hard work and dedication to this cause, and please consider voting for him for State Insurance Commissioner in November. http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/knoxTom/knoxTom.html

That said, I do not believe Representative Knox would have been successful if not for the hundreds (or thousands) of calls from Georgia voters to their Representatives and Senators asking for their votes in favor of HB 788. I believe that most of our state lawmakers at the Capitol who voted in favor of the bill did so because they heard from YOU, their constituents, asking for their support of the bill. Georgia Voters for Animal Welfare spoke, and they listened. If you called your legislators, you are responsible for the end of gassing in Georgia. And thanks to you, the initiatives of this grassroots organization will be taken seriously at the Capitol in years to come.

Finally, it’s important that the legislators who voted against the ban on gas chambers are contacted by their constituents who care about the welfare of Georgia’s abused and abandoned pets. Please look at the list of NO votes below. If your Senator or House Representative voted against the bill, please contact him/her and ask why. Let him/her know that animal issues are among the most important to you and that your votes on election day will reflect as much. [NOTE: interesting that several Represenatives of Gwinnett County voters voted NO... ?????? If you live in Gwinnett County, please contact these legislators].

Thanks for reading and for your continued support of initiatives for the humane treatment of animals!

Chamblee Abernethy, co-founder, Georgia Voters for Animal Welfare

LEGISLATORS WHO VOTED AGAINST HB 788:

Senators voting NO [8 of 56] (counties represented in parentheses) http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/votes/sv0941.htm

John Crosby in Tifton (Ben Hill, Crisp, Irwin, Lee, Wilcox, Worth)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/senate/crosbybio.php

Johnny Grant in Milledgeville (Baldwin, Butts, Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Jones, Morgan, Putnam, Taliaferro, Warren)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/senate/grantbio.php

Ed Harbison in Columbus (Chattahoochee, Muscogee)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/senate/harbisonbio.php

Bill Heath in Bremen (Bartow, Haralson, Paulding, Polk)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/senate/heathbio.php

Jack Hill in Reidsville (Bulloch, Candler, Effingham, Emanuel, Tattnal, Treutlen)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/senate/jackhillbio.php

George Hooks in Americus (Dooly, Macon, Marion, Peach, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Upson, Webster)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/senate/hooksbio.php

Freddie Sims in Dawson (Baker, Calhoun, Clay, Dougherty, Mitchell, Quitman, Randolph, Terrell)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/senate/simsbio.php

John Wiles in Kennesaw (Cobb)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/senate/wilesbio.php

House Representatives voting NO [26 of 180] (counties represented in parentheses)
http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/votes/hv0972.htm

Glenn Baker in Jonesboro (Clayton, Henry)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/bakerGlenn/bakerGlenn.html

Tommy Benton in Jefferson (Barrow, Hall, Jackson)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/bentonTommy/bentonTommy.htm

John Burns in Newington (Bulloch, Burke, Effingham, Jenkins, Screven)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/burnsJon/burnsJon.htm

Mark Butler in Carrollton (Carroll, Haralson)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/butlerMark/butlerMark.htm

Mike Cheokas in Americus (Marion, Schley, Sumter, Talbot)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/cheokasMike/cheokasMike.htm

Mike Coan in Lawrenceville (Gwinnett)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/coanMike/coanMike.htm

Clay Cox in Lilburn (Gwinnett)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/coxClay/coxClay.htm

Terry England in Auburn (Barrow)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/englandTerry/englandTerry.htm

Melvin Everson in Snellville (Gwinnett)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/eversonMelvin/eversonMelvin.htm

Bobby Franklin in Marietta (Cobb)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/franklinBobby/franklinBobby.htm

Michael Harden in Toccoa (Banks, Franklin, Stephens)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/hardenMichael/hardenMichael.htm

Billy Maddox in Zebulon (Lamar, Pike, Upson)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/maddoxBilly/maddoxBilly.htm

Gene Maddox (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) in Cairo (Decatur, Grady)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/maddoxGene/maddoxGene.htm

Howard Maxwell in Dallas (Haralson, Paulding)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/maxwellHoward/maxwellHoward.htm

Tom McCall in Elberton (Elbert, Jackson, Madison)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/mccallTom/mccallTom.htm

James Mills in Gainesville (Hall)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/millsJames/millsJames.htm

Jay Powell in Camilla (Colquitt, Mitchell)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/powellJay/powellJay.htm

Jimmy Pruett in Eastman (Ben Hill, Bleckley, Dodge, Pulaski, Wilcox)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/pruettJimmy/pruettJimmy.htm

Ann Purcell in Rincon (Chatham, Effingham)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/purcellAnn/purcellAnn.htm

Bobby Reese in Sugar Hill (Gwinnett)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/reeseBobby/reeseBobby.htm

Jay Roberts in Ocilla (Ben Hill, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Telfair, Tift, Wheeler)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/robertsJay/robertsJay.htm

Ed Rynders in Albany (Colquitt, Dougherty, Lee, Worth)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/ryndersEd/ryndersEd.htm

Bob Smith in Watkinsville (Clarke, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/smithBob/smithBob.htm

Tommy Smith in Nicholls (Appling, Bacon, Jeff Davis, Wayne)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/smithTommy/smithTommy.htm

Daniel Stout (Paulding)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/stoutDaniel/stoutDaniel.htm

Mark Williams in Jesup (Brantley, Pierce, Wayne)
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/williamsMark/williamsMark.htm

The SpayGeorgia Veterinarian of the Year for 2009 was awarded to Bartow Animal Hospital in Cartersville.  The dedicated doctors at Bartow AH performed over 500 SG spay and neuter surgeries last year alone.  In business since 1980, the Bartow AH group includes Acworth Animal Hospital and Lake City Animal Hospital.  These clinics also actively participate in the SG spay/neuter program.  Bartow AH has been working in conjunction with SG since 1999.  Congratulations and many thanks to Bartow Animal Hospital!

Los Angeles

Spaying and neutering is mandatory for all dogs and cats in city limits unless the guardian has obtained a $100.00 annual unaltered animal permit.

If the guardian wishes to breed the animal, they must also obtain a breeders license.

All dogs bred for sale or trade must be registered and seller must disclose permit number and name of breeder in any advertisement.

Violators will be fined $500.00 and would be considered a misdemeanor.

Exempts animal shelters that have implemented an ongoing spay/neuter program.

(1) No person shall cause or allow any dog or cat owned, harbored or kept within the City of Los Angeles to breed without first obtaining a breeding permit, as described below. The term breeding permit means a written authorization, issued annually by the General Manager, giving its lawful holder permission to breed a dog or a cat.

(2) Each breeding permit shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance, and may be renewed annually, before its expiration date. Each applicant for such a permit shall pay an annual fee of $100.00. A separate permit must be obtained for each owned dog or cat which is allowed to breed.

(3) The Department shall administer an animal breeding permit program to allow the breeding of unaltered dogs and cats consistent with criteria and according to procedures established by the General Manager pursuant to Section 53.58 of this Code. Under no circumstances shall such a permit be issued to a person who has been convicted of animal cruelty or neglect.

(4) In addition to the criteria and procedures established by the General Manager pursuant to Paragraph 3 of this subsection, all breeding permits shall contain the following terms and conditions:

a. The owner of an unaltered female dog or cat shall not allow the whelping of more than one litter in any household within the permit year. Notwithstanding this provision, the General Manager is hereby authorized, upon application of a permittee, to allow on a one time basis the whelping of up to two dog or cat litters per breeding animal within any domestic household within a permit year, if the permittee establishes, according to regulations promulgated by the General Manager, that such breeding is required to protect the health of the animal or avert a substantial economic loss to the permittee. In the event that a permittee is forced to euthanized a litter of dogs or cats, the General Manager may authorize the whelping of one additional litter of dogs or cats within the same permit year by the permittee;

b. No offspring may be sold, adopted, bartered, or otherwise transferred, whether for compensation or otherwise, until it has reached the age of at least eight weeks;

c. No offspring may be sold or adopted until immunized against common diseases. The sale or adoption of a dog or cat shall include a statement signed by the seller or adopter attesting to the signatory�s knowledge of the animal�s health, and the animal�s immunization history;

d. Any holder of a breeding permit who advertises to the public the availability of any dog or cat for sale, adoption, or transfer, whether for compensation or otherwise, must prominently display the permit number in any such advertisement. Further, the breeding permit holder must provide the permit number to any person who purchases, adopts or received any animal from the permit holder and include the permit number on any receipt of sale or transfer document;

e. Commercial establishments selling locally bred dogs or cats shall prominently display the breeding permit number(s) of the breeder(s) whose dogs and cats are sold in said establishments and any other pertinent information required by the General Manager; Commercial establishments selling dogs and cats which were not bred within the City of Los Angeles shall prominently display the name and address of the breeder(s) of such dogs and cats and any other pertinent information required by the General Manager;

f. Any breeding permit holder selling or otherwise transferring a dog or a cat, whether for compensation or otherwise, shall submit to the Los Angeles Department of Animal Regulation the name, address, and telephone number of the animal�s new owner within five days from the sale or other transfer, on a Department approved form; and

g. Any breeding permit holder or commercial establishment which sells or otherwise transfers a dog or cat, whether for compensation or otherwise, shall provide to the new animal owner City application(s) for a license and permit as well as written information regarding the license and permit requirements of the City of Los Angeles applicable to such animal.

(5) The following animals are exempt from the breeding permit requirements:

(1) Dogs documented as having been appropriately trained and actively used by law enforcement agencies for law enforcement and rescue activities;

(2) Dogs documented as guide, signal, or service dogs pursuant to California Penal Code Section 365.5(d), (e) & (f) and successor sections;

(3) Dogs and cats certified by a licensed veterinarian as not being suitable subjects for spaying and neutering due to health reasons;

(4) Dogs and cats under the care of governmental animal control agencies; animal rescue organizations which have demonstrated to the Department that they have implemented an ongoing spay/neuter plan, as well as an adoption plan; or humane societies or societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals, of such societies are incorporated under the provision of California Corporations Code Section 10400 and the Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law in Part 2 of the California Corporations Code, beginning at Section 5110, and successor sections; and

(5) Dogs documented as enrolled in a guide, signal or service dog breeding program administered by a person licensed under Chapter 9.5.

Penalties:

(1) Any cat or dog owner found by the Department to be in violation of the breeding permit provision of this section may correct the violation(s) by providing conclusive proof to the Department that the dog(s) or cat(s) have been spayed or neutered, or by obtaining the necessary permits(s) mentioned in this section, no later than forty five days from the date when the Department had first notified the owner of the violation. Should the owner fail to correct the violation(s) in the manner described above, the Department shall impose a $500.00 civil penalty on the dog or cat owner. Notice of this penalty shall be served by the Department on the dog or cat owner in the manner allowed by Section 11(i) of this Code. This penalty shall not be waived by the Department upon the transfer or abandonment of the dog or cat by the non compliant owner. This penalty shall be imposed in addition to any other applicable civil or criminal penalties.

If the civil penalty mentioned above is not paid and the owner does not spay/neuter his/her dog(s) or cat(s) or obtains the breeding permit(s) required under Subsection (c), above, within fifteen days from the date when the Department first notified the owner of the imposition of the civil penalty mentioned in Section (d)(1), the continuing violation of the breeding permit requirement of this section becomes a misdemeanor and may be prosecuted as such.

(2) The Department may revoke any permit issued.

Washington

King County

� All dogs and cats over 6 months old must be spayed or neutered unless the guardian buys an unaltered license for $55.

�The county was also very aggressive at marketing its licenses by making various grocery stores, pet supply shops, and veterinary clinics temporary sales outlets as well as operating door-to-door sales.

�It is illegal to advertise to King County residents the availability of any unaltered dog or cat.

Chap IV, Sec. 11.04.400. Mandatory Spaying and Neutering A. No person shall own or harbor any cat or dog over the age of six months that has not been spayed or neutered unless the person holds an unaltered animal license for the animal pursuant to K.C.C. 11.04.030.

Chap. IV, Sec. 11.04.510. Unaltered Dogs and Cats. Advertising requirements. No person in unincorporated King County shall publish or advertise to King County residents the availability of any unaltered cat or dog unless the publication or advertisement includes: the unaltered animal�s license number or the animal�s juvenile license number, provided, however that nothing in this chapter shall prohibit licensed breeders from advertising in national publications for sale of a planned litter or litters

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an Anti-Chaining Bill into law. Dog chaining is now limited to three hours in the state of California. This precedent-setting dog protection measure was sponsored by the California Animal Association, a coalition of 15 animal protection groups. Several veterinarians testified at hearings on the negative physical and psychological effects associated with long-term chaining of dogs. In addition, animal control representatives who have witnessed the horrible neglect and suffering of animals living on the end of a chain, spoke out in favor of the bill. With the enactment of SB 1578, California becomes the second state in the nation to address dog chaining at the state level. Connecticut passed a law in 2003 which bans dog chaining for an “unreasonable period” of time. SB 1578 limits dog chaining in California to three hours. The bill permits the use of a pulley or trolley system, instead, and allows dogs to be chained at parks and recreation areas, during activities licensed by the state that involve the use of a dog, and during agricultural operations for safety reasons. Way to go California!!

–Information from Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights

http://avar.org/

The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights actively works toward the acquisition of rights for all nonhuman animals by educating the public and the veterinary profession about a variety of issues concerning nonhuman animal use. The AVAR is actively seeking reformation of the way society treats all nonhumans and an increase in environmental awareness, as well.