From: black@che.serum.kodak.com (Robert Black (x37236))
Subject: Re: Animal Cult Backtracks on Dog Show Attacks
Organization: Clinical Products Division, Eastman Kodak Company
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 14:17:26 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.054217.13548@vela.acs.oakland.edu> swood@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Scott Wood - EVENSONG) writes:
>                 Animal Cult Backtracks on Dog Show Attacks
>
>     People for the ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA) national
>director Ingrid Newkirk says she wants to abolish pets.  She should
>have kept her mouth shut.  Animalists - many of them sporting PeTA
>t-shirts, banners, pickets and literature - have begun protesting dog
>shows around the country.
>     Simultaneously, reports are flooding in to PPF from dog fancies
>that these extremists are releasing show dogs from cages and crates.
>There have also been anonymous telephone calls threatening to poison
>show dogs with antifreeze in their drinking water.

From what I can tell, this is a complete and total crock.  This
article originated in the March/April issue of the People's Agenda,
a sleazy (IMO) newspaper circulated by Putting People First (PPF).

I have repeatedly, by phone and in writing, asked PPF to substantiate
their charges.  If reports are really "flooding in" as PPF claims, then
it should be a simple matter for them to name some shows, dates, and
places where confirmed incidents have taken place.  After each request,
all I received from PPF were another copy of this freakin' article, a
membership form, and a request for money. 

I posted a request in rec.pets.dogs for information, since a number
of regular posters there are frequent dog show attendees.  All
I received among the total of 5 responses were vague references.
There was no hard evidence to confirm the charges.

I myself have attended possibly 100 shows from Cleveland to Syracuse
over the past 14 years.  I've never ever seen or heard of any such
problems.

I wrote to the AKC asking them about this problem, figuring that if this
were a real problem they would certainly know about it.  Unlike PPF,
they replied with a letter that specifically addressed the issue.  Their
letter to me dated 7/10/92 said in part:

	"Although we have had several reports of incidents 
	regarding animals released from cages and protestors
	physically removed from the show grounds, we have
	no _confirmed_ (emphasis theirs) cases linking these
	actions to any particular group."

I believe the original claim made six months ago by PPF was a gross
exaggeration or an outright lie, and that these other publications,
eager to assume and believe the worst about animal rights activists,
are uncritically propagating the falsehood.  DON'T BE TAKEN IN BY IT.

[... lots of garbage deleted ...]

>     PeTA just spent more than $100,000 on its failed attempt to ban
>carriage horses in D.C., and more than ten thousand on one ad (equating
>everyone who eats meat with mass murderer Jeffrey Dahmer).  PeTA's
>priorities could not be clearer.

I have a copy of this ad.  It does NOT equate "everyone who eats meat
with mass murderer Jeffrey Dahmer".  The PPF statement is a lie.

>
>(courtesy of Fred Trost`s Outdoor Digest "SOS Alert!" June/July 1992)

Fred should be a little more careful about what he prints in his digest.

---
Robert Black 
black@serum.kodak.com  - The ONLY email address that MIGHT work.
These views are not necessarily the views of my employers.