Dog Owners’ Oprah Alert

by JOHN YATES
The American Sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org

Dog owners might be in for another bashing on Friday, when ultra-liberal talk show host Oprah Winfrey does a special program on “puppy mills.” Winfrey’s star reporter, Lisa Ling, went undercover in commercial breeding kennels to do an expose on the pet store trade.

Although the commercial trade in pet store puppies has nothing to do with the vast majority of dog owners and breeders, sensationalistic news coverage tars us with the same brush. To the liberal animal rights mindset, all breeders are either “puppy mills” or “backyard breeders,” and this always translates into more laws that harm only the innocent. Moreover, the hidden agenda of the animal rights movement is the ultimate elimination of animal ownership, and their strategy is to pick us off one group at a time.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance (ASDA) does not know how Winfrey and Ling will approach the topic, but we are not optimistic that it will be a fair, balanced and reasonably objective report. Based on the normal biased reporting we see about dog breeding, and Winfrey’s close personal ties with animal rights groups, we would expect them to take their cameras into a couple of “worst case” kennels, and then by inference say or imply that all kennels and breeders are bad.

Expect to take a thumping from one of the wealthiest and most powerful animal rights activists on Earth. According to a report in Women’s Day magazine, billionaire Winfrey feels that leaving a cool $30 million to her own five dogs in her will is not even slightly extravagant. Inflation, you know.

Winfrey was partners with the radical Humane Society of the United States in a movement aimed at destroying cattle ranching because of alleged food safety issues from eating beef, and they were codefendants in a lawsuit brought by the industry.

This month, Winfrey has been giving serious consideration to an invitation to appear in nude photographs sponsored by one of the most extreme animal rights groups in America, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, pop tabloids report. The nude photos would be for PETA’s “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign. Winfrey’s concern reportedly is not about endorsing PETA. The tabloids report that she is worried that nude photos might offend voters and harm the presidential campaign of Barrack Obama, whom she has strongly endorsed.

On Friday, we can expect a thumping with no opportunity to defend ourselves. The Winfrey/Ling style of journalism is to exploit highly emotional topics and sensationalize them to twang the heartstrings of a predominantly middle class audience of liberals who are looking for the next “do-gooder” cause to embrace. It looks like saving the whales or feeding starving people in Somalia aren’t fashionable this year. Pity the poor whales. Pity the poor Somali refugees.

And pity the poor dog owners! A campaign against dog owners and breeders has become the latest fashionable cause for the glitz and glitter crowd of celebrities.

The question is, what are we going to do about it?

For myself, I’m just plain sick and tired of being unfairly bashed. I guess I just wasn’t raised to be a punching bag.

But, you might be asking, how can we fight back against the wealthiest and most powerful media mogul in America? How can we fight that kind of power? How can we fight someone who wills $30 million to her dogs when we’re trying to figure out how to pay last month’s electric bill?

I think we can do it, if we get off of our butts and actually do it. There are hundreds of thousands of people who breed dogs because they love them – show dogs, performing dogs, hunting dogs, obedience dogs, field trial dogs, companion dogs and just plain dogs. In addition, there are millions of dog owners who love their animals and thank breeders for doing the fine job that they know we do in improving temperament, genetic soundness, utility, beauty and health.

If we join together in this, we can be a formidable force.

My thoughts are that a boycott of Winfrey’s advertisers would be the most effective strategy. If several hundred thousand dog owners and breeders were to contact advertisers on the Oprah show and refuse to buy any of their products, they would be forced to take notice.

Please understand that I am not talking about censoring Winfrey’s opinions. I would fight for her right to express any opinion she chooses, and also for her right to present and endorse the views of animal rights groups on her program.

However, journalistic ethics demands fairness, balance and objectivity if programming purports to be reporting the news. If Oprah wants to do a report on dog breeding, that’s fine. But the report should be fair to us and give us the opportunity to balance the views of the animal rights groups with our side of the story.

I don’t expect that Oprah will hold to the same standard of ethics that I did as a newspaper reporter. I expect that her report will be a hatchet job on dog owners and breeders. The promotional blog for Friday’s Oprah Show gives us an idea of what we can expect: http://www.oprah.com/community/thread/44908. Read it for yourself.

A boycott of advertisers just might convince Oprah to undergo an ethical reformation. Most of her advertisers won’t like the idea of losing several hundred thousand customers so that Oprah can preach sermons against dog owners and breeders.

When I worked on newspapers, there was a cynical wisecrack that my bosses sometimes told me when they didn’t like something I wrote. “There is freedom of the press in America – for anyone who owns a press.” That meant I didn’t own the press.

It takes a lot of money to own a TV show. Oprah has that kind of money, and she earned it, but it has gone to her head. Now she sneers at the rights and lives of ordinary people who made her a pop star, and that includes dog owners and breeders.

The Internet is the great equalizer. One of the beauties of the Internet is that it allows everyone to truly have the rights of free speech and free press. The Internet has become the printing press of ordinary people, and now it reaches a reported 80-percent of American households.

Television represents the past, when Oprah’s kind of money and power controlled the right of a free press. The Internet has given us our voice.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance is asking all dog owners and breeders to watch the Oprah Show on Friday and form your own opinions. Then, if she does the kind of hatchet job we expect, please bombard her with emails expressing your displeasure.

Then, we need to get organized for a campaign to reach her advertisers. In order to get ready, ASDA is asking readers of this report to email us a list of every advertiser that supports the Oprah Show. ASDA is willing to organize this campaign. Also, please let us know if you are able to help with it. Our email address is asda@csonline.net.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance works at the grassroots to defend the rights of dog owners and professionals against the very real threats of animal rights activism. Please visit us on the web at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org. We maintain strict independence and are supported only by the voluntary donations of our members.

While the Oprah segment may be about “puppy mills,” the laws that her friends in PETA and HSUS are proposing really are targeting dog owners and hobby breeders, with the goal of reducing and ultimately eliminating animal ownership. These same radical groups also want to eliminate hunting, ban the ownership of firearms, forcibly convert us to vegan vegetarianism and destroy American farming traditions.

“Puppy mills” are not the issue. Existing federal, state and animal cruelty laws already intensively regulate commercial kennels. You are the issue. These groups want to destroy the things that you love and believe in.

Does Oprah have a conscience? She is leaving $30 million to support five dogs that she loves and apparently believes she is doing something right by supporting animal rights groups.

But she is being suckered. She is supporting groups that believe that the only unexploited dog is a dead dog. The truth is that PETA slaughters 97-percent of the dogs that enter the organization’s “shelter” in Virginia. They would rather kill those dogs than help them find a loving home.

Please forward this posting to as many people as you can, and also cross-post it on message boards. We need to reach as many people as possible quickly.

Here we go again!  Please don't just cross post this sort of slanted material?  John Yates and his organization have recently been ramping up the political spin.  If the Oprah show does indeed show all breeders in poor light or has bad information on us, then by all means we should address that.  His post starts off by saying how liberal she is.  It then goes on to talk about how the cattle industry went after her over the safety of american Beef.  I quickly googled Oprah and animal rights and found out a little more about the show in question.  John Yates doesn't like liberals, and accuses anyone that opposses his views as a liberal and wrong.  His so called fair approach is far from fair.  Just check out some of his accusations and see what you find out for yourselves. 

Justin, can we keep this a little more about gsp's and a little less about politics?

Matt Bruns

Regardless, I believe that there is a lot of truth in this. Maybe I could have edited out some of the ridiculous parts which I don't entirely agree with, but it has truth coming from all sides. Sorry if a couple people didn't enjoy it but I'm sure that someone, like myself, will find it informational or at least interesting. I don't think I need to play the freedom of speech card hear. But if you can't see the POV then I apologize for you being offended by the one side.

Maybe in a few years down the road when they're trying to take dogs away as a whole, you think its time to be political?

I guess if there was a Polotics thread I could move it there.

Just my own thoughts and opinions, disown as you see fit.

You know maybe im just overreacting, but o well.

This is the reason I stopped posting on this forum. Must of the hate posts seemed to have died down so I came back, but its still the same with any of the discussion.

If it isn't a dog picture in some weird position or a puppy pic its just WAY UNRELATED AND UNACCEPTABLE for this forum. And if you say somthing that isn't how cute or how handsome, your screwed. So Rick go ahead and delete the thread. Im gone. Bye Alice!

Very Informative Justin, Thanks alot.  I couldn't agree with you more. 

Patrick Nelligan

I don't think anyone takes issue with discussing issues relevant to dog-ownership, but you can't just slap on a by-line and call it "news".  In the case of Mr. Yates--I have yet to read an article of his that represents responsible  reporting.

I'll definitely be watching and am glad that I've been made aware of the episode, so thank you.  If the show is irresponsible and casts too broad a brushstroke, I'll definitely make my voice heard.  I don't think there's a person on this board that would lump responsible breeders and puppy mills together--or that anyone honestly supports PETA's flawed agenda, but I won't pass judgement until I've seen it for myself.

are you all aware that Oprah has several Golden Retrievers?  I am sure as a dog owner and lover herself she can not make anyone else feel bad for having pets from breeders....she had to get hers somewhere. 

As a dog owner I have been following all the legislation and the various viewpoints around the area of spay/neuter, breeding, and the dog fancy in general, both positive and negative. I have also been impacted with some of the legislation in Texas where various laws have been proposed and had various degrees of success and failure.  I was aware of the Oprah show and planning on watching.  I also know that Oprah is a very responsible dog owner, but I am always skeptical when public figures like Oprah report on dogs, so I tend to reserve judgement until I see the show.  I used to work in the defense industry and have witnessed first hand the hatchet jobs that can occur and how facts can be distorted to suit any agenda.  So, for my part I welcome Justin's post into this area (whether I agree or not with the article or parts of it is not the issue).  My view is read the various opinions and weigh them and follow as I deem appropriate. I did not take the post as an effort to sway one way or the other, but to provide another piece of information.

I really hate that Justin feels compelled to leave the forum as I really enjoy reading everyone's input whether they agree or disagree.

This is just my two cents.

Bev

Justin has decided to take his ball and go home again! If he could realize that folks like information, but don't like the nasty posts from guys like John Yates. Here is an example from this thread Dog owners might be in for another bashing on Friday, when ultra-liberal talk show host Oprah Winfrey does a special program on “puppy mills . I don't know if she is an ultra liberal, I really don't care and think labeling is a lazy persons response. John Yates and Justin by posting it, also are saying that something that hasn't even occured is already framed as a hatchet job. They should get out of the bird dog business and get into what they really like, mudslinging political spinning.

Ok I find some post so biased, ridiculous and moronically nonfactual that I just can't seem to keep myself away.

Can you read the whole post and my posts before Criticizing me?!?! And by throwing me together with John Yates by assumptions is not only hypocritical but ridiculous.

I think you should keep your fingers in side the ride and don't point me in a direction you think you could label me with and what I should do.

Read some of the posts bruns:

So im sorry that you disagree with what he thinks, and im also sorry you don't take the time to read everything before you post biased, hypocritical, finger pointing, rediculous statements. However, there is some fact in there. And I like I said I don't agree with it in its entirety, and I as well will be watching the show on friday to see what's going to happen. If its nothing itts nothing well put it to bed, but if its something, which it could be, then its something we need to think about.

And just to prove that I dont agree with it all.

I can't say for sure that she is friends with these orginizations, and I will give here the benefit of the doubt.

I can quote other sources if need be, but you should be able to catch the hint now hmmm...?

Ok now I am done, because nothing after this will help. It will only add fuel to the fire So if you still feel your right and im wrong instead of seeing that i'm just trying to provide information then fine, be my guest, bash me all you want. Bye Forum...

P.S. And yeah, this 'no breeding dogs until the shelters are emtpy!' kick is somewhat disturbing. I've seen some rescue people already speculating that so many pups from 'responsible breeders' are being spayed/neutered that it's mainly the canine dregs that are currently filling up shelters, and these dogs are often very poor candidates for rehoming due to severe health and temperament issues.

As usual, the issue is much more complex than just announcing 'everyone should be able to breed dogs!' or 'nobody should be able to breed dogs!'. I really wish that whole hairball was the subject of such a show, but it's a much harder advertising sell than spending a half hour just deamonizing the worst of the worst.