Humphreys, TN seizure – ADBA Correspondence with ARC

Humphreys, TN seizure – ADBA Correspondence with ARC
February 20, 2018Legislation

The American Dog Breeders Association, Inc. (ADBA) recently received information from concerned dog owners that during a suspected dog fighting criminal investigation, sixteen dogs (American Pit Bull Terrier and German Shepherd) were removed from the property by the Humphrey’s County Sheriff’s Department and Animal Control. The Animal Rescue Corps (ARC), at the request of the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Department, assisted in removing the animals.

The ADBA was contacted due to the inclusion of ADBA Sanctioned Conformation dog show & weight pull event ribbons and trophies that were included in the photos of the seizure on the Facebook page of the Animal Rescue Corps. A comment on one of the photos on the Facebook page from one of the ARC members, identified as the shelter manager, made the false and slanderous assumption that the ribbons and trophies were associated with the suspected crime and called them “dog fighting trophies”. The ADBA delivered a cease and desist letter to the Animal Rescue Corps organization concerning these photos and comment; those photos and comment have now been removed.

The President and founder of the Animal Rescue Corps, Scotlund Haisley, states he had “no awareness of the American Dog Breeders Association” and they (ARC) “take pride in the transparency in documenting and publicly sharing the scene and conditions from which they remove animals.” He also acknowledges that “many times the subject of a photo will have no specific relationship to the alleged crime but is part of the totality of the scene” and that they were very surprised at the comments and letters they received on Facebook and other venues from upset and concerned dog owners. Their intention was not to hurt any responsible dog owners or to do damage to the ADBA.

We are sure the rescue community is very aware of the emotions that are stirred when the public is shown photos of dogs being seized because of suspected abuse accompanied with the heading of the article “SUSPECTED ILLEGAL ACTIVITY OF DOG FIGHTING”. This emotion assists in getting the needed funding so they can continue their work, as they are all volunteers.

They are now aware, from the many statements made by the dog owners who contacted them, that featuring these photos as part of this article stir the same emotions that cause great harm to a company and to those customers who do business with this company that have earned ribbons and trophies through participation in these events.

The ARC is now aware that the American Dog Breeders Association believes that all dogs live best in working relationships with people performing the tasks for which they have been bred. The ADBA supports these working relationships with our canine companions, whether in hunting, herding, protection, or service work, such as guide dogs for the blind, therapy dogs, search and rescue, drug detection, and police work. Dogs bred from stock working in such relationships are healthier, sounder individuals who live more fulfilled lives. The ADBA supports traditional humane training methods and supervised competitions.

Although the American Dog Breeders Association, Inc. will not deny the history of the American Pit Bull Terrier, we do not condone or support the illegal activity of dog fighting.

https://adbadog.com/humphreys-tn-seizure-adba-correspondence-arc/