Many of you may be aware that puppy season has hit the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter full force already and all our staff is working very hard to save as many as possible.

We’ve planned a puppy adoption special for the last week in March, the 23rd – 28th at the Adoption Center and we will also run the special out our outreaches that weekend.

All adoption fees on puppies under 6 months of age will be half price!

Can’t adopt? How about fostering for a while?

We’re looking to foster as many puppies as possible leading up to this special! Please consider fostering a litter or even one or two little ones. If you haven’t fostered puppies before and are willing to give it a try – we’re all here to support you!

Please contact Caitlin at caitlin@okhumane.org if you’d be interested in fostering.

Please call the adoption center at (405) 286-1229 if you have any questions about the adoption special.

On Monday, March 1, Senate Bill 1712 passed the Oklahoma senate with an overwhelming margin of 38 to eight. Introduced by Patrick Anderson (R-Enid), this bill will put an end to the tax evasion, consumer fraud and animal cruelty that have become big business in Oklahoma.

It is estimated that most of the unlicensed puppy producers do not declare themselves as a business and bypass taxes that are important to our state. Additionally, these facilities are often overcrowded and raise the animals in deplorable conditions.

Both SB 1712 and Lee Denney’s HB 2745 passed with very large margins. Although we are concentrating our efforts on supporting SB 1712, it was good to see that Oklahoma legislators recognized the seriousness of this issue in both houses.

The authors of these two bills are carrying each others’ bills in the other house (Denney is carrying Anderson’s bill in the house and Anderson is carrying Denney’s bill in the senate).

The next step for 1712 will be a vote in the OK House in the coming weeks. We need you to call, write and visit your representatives NOW, and then call again immediately before the vote.  We need people in every district around the state to participate.

Stay tuned on our blog at www.okhumane.org/blog for updates as they become available. We will share information with you as soon as we know it. We do not know right now when the bill will be heard in the House.

Most of all, THANK YOU for your support. THANK YOU for taking the time to write and call your Senators. It truly does make a difference.

We are their voice.

Today SB 1712, introduced by Senator Patrick Anderson was passed by the Oklahoma Senate by a vote of 38 to eight! This sends a strong message to clandestine puppy producers throughout Oklahoma.

SB 1712, the Commercial Pet Breeders Act, or AKA “The Black Market Breeders Bill,” will enable the state to finally collect the taxes it is owed by unlicensed dog breeders who will be compelled to pay the taxes they have evaded for so long. This will also create standards of care to stop the rampant cruelty and neglect that is so often a characteristic of puppy mills.

Please be sure to thank your own senator if they are on this list.

(If you don’t know who your legislator is, find out here.)

A sample e-mail or note is:

Dear Senator……………

As a constituent in your district, I applaud your vote in favor of Senate Bill 1712. This bill helps Oklahoma collect the taxes it is owed by unlicensed puppy producers that plagues our state. It also stops animal cruelty by creating standards of care that are consistent with those in other states.

Thank you for supporting SB 1712.

Sincerely,

The following senators supported this bill. Please thank your own and feel free to thank all of them.

Tom Adelson (405) 521-5551 adelson@oksenate.gov
Cliff Aldridge (405) 521-5584 aldridge@oksenate.gov
Patrick Anderson (405) 521-5630 anderson@oksenate.gov
Don Barrington (405) 521.5563 barrington@oksenate.gov
Randy Bass (405) 521-5567 bass@oksenate.gov
Brian Bingman (405) 521-5528 bingman@oksenate.gov
Cliff Branan (405) 521-5543 branan@oksenate.gov
Bill Brown (405) 521-5602 brownb@oksenate.gov
Sean Burrage (405) 521-5555 garlick@oksenate.gov
Harry Coates (405) 521-5547 coates@oksenate.gov
Glenn Coffee 405.521.5636 (fax) 405.530.2304 coffee@oksenate.gov
Kenneth Corn (405) 521-5576 cochran@oksenate.gov
Brian Crain (405) 521-5620 crain@oksenate.gov
Johnnie Crutchfield (405) 521-5607 (fax) (405) 530-2361 bigger@oksenate.gov
Mary Easley (405) 521-5590 easley@oksenate.gov
Judy Eason McIntyre (405) 521-5598 easonmcintyre@oksenate.gov
John Ford (405) 521-5634 fordj@oksenate.gov
Earl Garrison (405) 521-5533 whitep@oksenate.gov
Jim Halligan 405.521.5572 halligan@oksenate.gov
Constance Johnson (405) 521-5531 – johnsonc@oksenate.gov
Mike Johnson 405.521.5592 johnsonm@oksenate.gov
Clark Jolley (405) 521-5622 jolley@oksenate.gov
Ron Justice (405) 521-5537 justice@oksenate.gov
Todd Lamb (405) 521-5632 lamb@oksenate.gov
Charlie Laster (405) 521-5539 laster@oksenate.gov
Debbe Leftwich (405) 521-5557 holland@oksenate.gov
Bryce Marlatt 405.521.5626 marlatt@oksenate.gov
David Myers 405.521.5628 ingraham@oksenate.gov
Dan Newberry 405.521.5600 newberry@oksenate.gov
Jonathan Nichols (405) 521-5535 nichols@oksenate.gov
Susan Paddack (405) 521-5541 paddack@oksenate.gov
Jim Reynolds (405) 521-5522 reynolds@oksenate.gov
Andrew Rice (405) 521-5610 rice@oksenate.gov
Mike Schulz (405) 521-5612 schulz@oksenate.gov
Gary Stanislawski 405.521.5624 stanislawski@oksenate.gov
Joe Sweeden (405) 521-5581 sweeden@oksenate.gov
Jim Wilson (405) 521-5574 wilson@oksenate.gov
Charles Wyrick (405) 521-5561wyrick@oksenate.gov

As you may have heard, SB 1712 passed the full Senate today with a vote of 38 to 8! Here is a list of Senators and their votes. Please THANK your Senator if he or she voted in support of this bill.

Yeas

Adelson
Aldridge
Anderson
Barrington
Bass
Bingman
Branan
Brown
Burrage
Coates
Coffee
Corn
Crain
Crutchfield
Easley
Eason Mc
Ford
Garrison
Halligan
Johnson (C)
Johnson (M)
Jolley
Justice
Lamb
Laster
Leftwich
Marlatt
Myers
Newberry
Nichols
Paddack
Reynolds
Rice
Schulz
Stanislawski
Sweeden
Wilson
Wyrick

Nays

Ballenger
Brogdon
Ellis
Gumm
Ivester
Lerblance
Russell
Sykes

Excused (not voting)

Mazzei
Sparks

We just received word from the Capitol that SB 1712 has passed the full Senate, 38-8!

We will have more details soon, such as a vote record and what is the next step for the bill.

For now, please take a moment to be happy and celebrate! The work is not over…once we have a list of who voted yes and who voted no, you can THANK your Senators for supporting this bill.

This is a tremendous victory for Oklahoma animals and all citizens of our state should be proud. We are NOT going to stand for being the “safe zone” for puppy millers forced out of other states with tougher laws, and we are not going to allow some people to get away with not paying their fair share of taxes. This bill goes a long way towards correcting both of these grievances.

Stay tuned for more information. For now, give yourselves a HIGH FIVE! This is our first of many victories on the road to making this bill into law.

THANK YOU for calling, writing, emailing and spreading the word.  You have done a good thing today.

News flash!!! Urgent action needed!!!

SB 1712, the Commercial Pet Breeder Act (AKA Black Market Dog Breeders Bill) is scheduled to be heard on the Senate floor on Monday, March 1!

Oklahoma is the second highest producer of puppies from puppy mills in the nation. This is NOT a distinction we want to have!

Immediate action is needed to let your Senator know that this is important to you. We need your help!

Please contact YOUR State Senator directly via e-mail or telephone. Click here to get your State Senator’s contact information. (Federal legislators appear first; scroll down to see your local and state legislators)

When you contact your State Senator say something like this:

Senator xxxxxx,

I am xxxxx and I am contacting you to ask for your support of SB 1712. As your constituent I want you to know that something must be done to regulate the black market breeding industry in our state.

SB 1712 is a strong bill that would address the widespread tax evasion that is occurring in this industry. The vast majority of these sub-standard dog breeders are not collecting sales tax or paying income tax, although they are required to under state law.

The black market breeders are an embarrassment to Oklahoma and result in not only tax evasion but consumer fraud, environmental concerns and animal welfare.

Please support SB 1712 and help stop this black market industry.

Sincerely,

XXXXXX

This is going to be a tough battle so every call and email and letter is important. If you can post this on your Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc., that’s great–but don’t forget to also call and email! Each and every person in these districts needs to call their senators and urge them to support SB 1712.

Please help us help Oklahoma pets – and help stop tax evasion in Oklahoma! You and I have to pay taxes…shouldn’t commercial breeders?

If you have any questions, please contact Christy Counts at 405-286-1503 or christy@okhumane.org.

On February 17, SB 1712 was passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee, with only one dissenting vote (Senator John Gumm)!

Effective Organizing to Move SB 1712 Forward

SB 1712, “The Black Market Breeders Bill,” will address the tax evasion by unlicensed dog sellers that robs Oklahoma of millions of dollars in tax revenue through clandestine sales. Tax evasion, cruelty and consumer fraud hurt Oklahoma…together we can help.

Under current State law, a seller of dogs and cats must collect and remit sales tax to the State of Oklahoma. Yet, many skirt taxes and cruelty laws as well. Under our current lack of state laws, Oklahoma breeders operate with virtually no oversight.

How to support the passage of SB 1712

After its February 17 passage out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, SB 1712 will be voted on by the full Oklahoma Senate. It is vital that each and every senator hear a message of support from people within their own districts. Constituent’s opinions are the most important message the senators can hear.

To find your senator click here. (Your Federal legislators are listed first; please scroll down to see your state representatives and senators)

• Contact your senator through a letter, phone call and/ or a visit. Please ask any other registered voter(s) who care about animals to do the same.
• Create a phone tree of people that you know will follow through with their own calls, letters and visits. Remember one phone call or letter can make a difference.
• Ask friends in other legislative districts to write or call their own representatives.
• Write a letter to the editor of your local paper supporting the passage of SB 1712.
• When writing letters, write your own letter and avoid form letters if possible.
• When calling a senators office, have a phone script handy and plan a call lasting only a minute or two. For example: “Hello, this is Jane Smith at 123 Main Street in Oklahoma City. I’m calling to ask for your support for SB 1712, which would regulate dog and cat producing facilities in our state that currently avoid taxes and bypass other laws as well. I urge you to vote yes. Thank you.”
• If using voicemail: State your name and address, identify SB 1712 and briefly state your support for the bill. Keep the message simple and clear.
• E-mail is received differently by individual legislators. Some prefer e-mail over all other communication; some don’t read e-mail for days or not at all. Call your legislator’s office first and simply ask, “Does Senator Smith read e-mail” If you send an e-mail, always include your FULL name and HOME address at the end.

SAMPLE LETTER TO YOUR SENATOR

(please write this in your own words)

The Honorable John Smith
Oklahoma Senate
Oklahoma City, OK 73105

Date………

Dear Senator Smith:

I am a constituent in your district and I am writing to urge your support for SB 1712.

I am deeply concerned about halting unscrupulous breeders who are on the rise in our state and often operate a cash business that enables them to evade taxes they are compelled to contribute.

Additionally, Oklahoma is the second to the highest dog producing state in the nation, and is the only high volume breeder sate to have no state regulations to address the facilities which do not fall under the federal regulatory agencies.

In addition to the well-known tax evasion issues, substandard facilities create serious animal welfare and consumer fraud issues, and they are causing legitimate breeders in our state to close their doors.

I look forward to learning your position on SB 1712. Please let me know if any additional information about this issue would be helpful.

Sincerely,

Jane Public
100 Main Street
Anywhere, OK & Zip

Sample Talking Points on the “Black Market Breeder Bill”

Oklahoma is the second largest commercial dog producing state in the nation, but unlike all other high volume breeder states, these facilities are unregulated in Oklahoma. By continuing to allow black market puppy sales, our state loses millions of dollars in tax revenue and welcomes people who cannot comply with basic laws in their own states. Without the protections of SB 1712, Oklahoma will continue to lose out.

Who is affected by this bill? Only people who are engaged in the business of selling dogs and cats and have eleven (11) or more female dogs or cats which they breed.

Why is an important bill? It insures that the taxes owed to the State are collected. Estimates are that annual dog sales in Oklahoma total between 75 and 200 million dollars; these sales should be bringing 3 to 9 million dollars in sales tax revenue to Oklahoma. Yet many sellers do not report cash sales.

• This bill treats commercial, large-scale dog pet breeding as the profession that it truly is.
• It protects consumers by helping to assure they get a quality product.
• And it will ultimately help the industry by eliminating substandard breeders that are not providing proper care and treatment for their animals.

If you have ANY questions, please contact Christy Counts, Executive Director of the Central Oklahoma Humane Society, at christy@okhumane.org or 405-286-1503.

THANK YOU for your support, time and dedication!

On the Border Mexican Restaurant on Reno and Meridian will be hosting another give back day for us this Monday, 2/22. They invited us to partner with them in January, and we raised $50 from that day. We are giving it another go, as they only had eight people show flyers.

Please make sure to print the flyer and bring it with you! You do have to show it to your server in order for the 10% to go to OK Humane.

The address is 120 S. Meridian. Stop by this Monday for lunch or dinner and enjoy some yummy, affordable Mexican food while supporting OK Humane at the same time!

Update February 17, 2010: The Senate Appropriations Committee just passed the Black Market Breeder Bill with all yeas except 1!!!!! (The one ‘Nay” was Senator Jay Paul Gumm (405) 521-5586 gumm@oksenate.gov) Now it will go to the full Senate floor!

We are very excited about this victory for animals in Oklahoma. We will keep you updated on what you can do now. We do not know yet when the bill will be heard on the full Senate floor, but will let you know as soon as we do.

Please THANK your Senators who voted in favor of this bill. Please do NOT send hateful emails to Senator Gumm.

When this bill is heard on the full Senate floor, all of us can contact our Senators, as every Oklahoma Senator will vote on this bill.

Stay tuned for more info.

THANK YOU to those of you who called and emailed and wrote members of this committee. Together, we ARE making a difference!

We have great news! Last week, Oklahoma SB 1712 passed the sub-committee and is on its way to the full appropriations committee for a vote this Wednesday (February 17).

We need your help to get this bill through the full appropriations committee!

Our state is in the middle of a financial crisis, yet these breeders as a group are making literally millions of dollars in untaxed, undocumented income. You and I have to pay taxes on our income, why shouldn’t they? These breeders are unscrupulous, unlawful and are operating illegally, since the vast majority of them do not collect sales tax or pay income tax on the income they make from breeding and selling dogs and cats on the black market (i.e., the street corners).

What we need you to do now

What needs to happen NOW, before Wednesday, is for you to contact these senators below if you live in their district. If you don’t know who your senator is, find out here by typing in your address.

These are the Senators in the full Appropriations Committee. This is going to be a tough battle so every call and email and letter is important. If you can post this on your Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc., that’s great–but don’t forget to also call and email! Each and every person in these districts needs to call their senators and urge them to support SB 1712.

So what is the message? What is SB 1712?

SB 1712, “The Black Market Breeders Bill,” is legislation designed to address tax evasion by black market breeders. These people breed and sell dogs (and cats) on the black market (unregulated) in Oklahoma and other states. Because this “industry” is operating on the Internet and on the street corners of towns and suburbs, these individuals are not paying sales tax or income tax on these transactions. This robs Oklahomans of millions of dollars in tax revenue every year. Tax evasion, animal cruelty and consumer fraud hurt Oklahoma.

Under current State law, a seller of dogs and cats must collect and remit sales tax to the State of Oklahoma. Currently these breeders are flaunting this law and operating outside the law. This is fraud. This is tax evasion. This is illegal.

(The current law does require these breeders to pay sales tax, but does not provide for enforcement of that law. SB 1712 provides for the enforcement. So arguments that “why don’t we just enforce the law we already have?” don’t really make sense, particularly in this budget crisis. SB 1712 will make it possible for these laws to be enforced and taxes to be collected.)

On February 10, SB 1712 moved through the Natural Resources and Regulatory Services subcommittee in the Senate and was recommended to the full Appropriations committee.

IMMEDIATE ACTION

First…please thank the Natural Resources and Regulatory Services subcommittee members listed below for their support for Oklahoma taxpayers and for common sense in our state!

Senator David Myers – Chair 405.521.5628 ingraham@oksenate.gov
Senator Ron Justice – Vice Chair (405) 521-5537 justice@oksenate.gov
Senator Roger Ballenger (405) 521-5588 ballenger@oksenate.gov
Senator Johnnie Crutchfield (405) 521-5607 bigger@oksenate.gov
Senator Steve Russell 405.521.5618 purinton@oksenate.gov

Then please ask the following committee members to support Senate Bill 1712!

If the bill passes the Appropriations Committee, it will go to the full Senate floor. These Senators will make the decision!

Senator Mike Johnson – Chair 405.521.5592 johnsonm@oksenate.gov
Senator David Myers – Vice Chair 405.521.5628 ingraham@oksenate.gov
Senator Patrick Anderson (405) 521-5630 anderson@oksenate.gov
Senator Randy Bass (405) 521-5567 bass@oksenate.gov
Senator Brian Bingman (405) 521-5528 bingman@oksenate.gov
Senator Randy Brogdon (405) 521-5566 brogdon@oksenate.gov
Senator Kenneth Corn (405) 521-5576 cochran@oksenate.gov
Senator Brian Crain (405) 521-5620 crain@oksenate.gov
Senator Johnnie Crutchfield (405) 521-5607 bigger@oksenate.gov
Senator Mary Easley (405) 521-5590 easley@oksenate.gov
Senator John Ford (405) 521-5634 fordj@oksenate.gov
Senator Jay Paul Gumm (405) 521-5586 gumm@oksenate.gov
Senator Jim Halligan 405.521.5572 halligan@oksenate.gov
Senator Ron Justice (405) 521-5537 justice@oksenate.gov
Senator Charlie Laster(405) 521-5539 laster@oksenate.gov
Senator Debbe Leftwich (405) 521-5557 holland@oksenate.gov
Senator Richard Lerblance (405) 521-5604 lerblance@oksenate.gov
Senator Mike Mazzei (405) 521-5675 mazzei@oksenate.gov
Senator Susan Paddack (405) 521-5541 paddack@oksenate.gov
Senator Jim Reynolds (405) 521-5522 reynolds@oksenate.gov
Senator Gary Stanislawski 405.521.5624 stanislawski@oksenate.gov
Senator Anthony Sykes (405) 521-5569 lewis@oksenate.gov
Senator Jim Wilson (405) 521-5574 wilson@oksenate.gov

Talking Points on the “Black Market Breeder Bill”

Oklahoma is the second largest commercial dog producing state in the nation, but unlike all other high volume breeder states, these facilities are unregulated in Oklahoma. By continuing to allow black market puppy sales, our state loses millions of dollars in tax revenue and welcomes people who cannot comply with basic laws in their own states. Without the protections of SB 1712, Oklahoma will continue to lose out.

Who is affected? Only those people who are engaged in the business of selling dogs and cats and have eleven (11) or more female dogs or cats which they breed.

Why is an important bill? It insures that the taxes owed to the State are collected. Estimates are that annual dog sales in Oklahoma total between 75 and 200 million dollars; these sales should be bringing 3 to 9 million dollars in sales tax revenue to Oklahoma. Yet many sellers do not report their cash.

• This bill treats this measure as the profession that it truly is (again, this bill does not affect “hobby breeders.”)
• It protects consumers by helping to assure they get a quality product.
• And it will ultimately help the industry by eliminating substandard breeders that are not providing proper care and treatment for their animals.