U.S. House Votes to Prohibit Sale and Distribution of Crush Videos

On Wednesday, July 21, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 416-3 to pass H.R. 5566, the Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act of 2010. The nearly unanimous affirmative vote, as well as the fact that 262 representatives attached their names to the bill as cosponsors, makes this a decisive victory for animals—especially considering that the bill was introduced only one month ago.

Representative Elton Gallegly (R-CA) introduced H.R. 5566 in response to the Supreme Court’s April ruling that the original Crush Act, a 1999 federal law banning the creation, sale and possession of materials depicting genuine acts of animal cruelty, is unconstitutional and overbroad in its scope. The Crush Act had succeeded in curbing commercial trade of “crush” fetish videos, which generally depict a woman’s feet as they crush to death small animals such as rodents and kittens. Now, in the absence of any enforceable federal law, this horrific underground industry is on the ascent.

H.R. 5566 amends the Crush Act to prohibit distributing, selling or offering to distribute or sell any depictions of animals being crushed, drowned, suffocated, impaled, or burned where such actions are illegal. Rep. Gallegly reportedly worked with law and constitutional scholars when drafting the bill to ensure that its language is narrowly tailored to be able to withstand strict First Amendment challenges.

Legislation of this kind must pass both chambers of Congress to become U.S. law—and so far, a companion bill to H.R. 5566 has not been introduced in the Senate. Congress will soon enjoy a month-long recess; upon its return in September, the ASPCA will encourage the Senate to take up the Crush Videos Act of 2010. The current federal legislative session (the 111th United States Congress) ends on January 3, 2011, so it is vital that the Senate act with the same speed and resolve demonstrated by the members of the House of Representatives.

Hot Weather Tips for House Pets

We all love spending the long, sunny days of summer outdoors with our furry friends, but being overeager in hot weather can result in deadly disaster.

“Even the healthiest pets can suffer from dehydration, heat stroke and sunburn if overexposed to the heat,” says Dr. Lila Miller,  ”and heat stroke can be fatal if not treated promptly.”

Take these simple precautions to help prevent your pet from overheating. If you suspect your pet is suffering from heat stroke, get help from your vet immediately.

Visit the Vet
A visit to the veterinarian for a spring or early summer check-up is a must. Make sure your pets get tested for heartworm if they aren’t on year round preventive medication. Do parasites bug your cats/dogs? Ask your doctor to recommend a safe flea and tick control program. Frontline is a popular brand.

Keep ‘em in the Shade
Pets can get dehydrated quickly, so give them plenty of fresh, clean water when it’s hot outdoors. Make sure your pets have a shady place to get out of the sun, be careful to not over-exercise them, and keep them indoors when it’s extremely hot.

Know the Warning Signs
According to Dr. Lila Miller, ASPCA Vice President of Veterinary Outreach, “symptoms of  overheating in pets include excessive panting or difficulty breathing, increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, mild weakness, stupor or even collapse. They can also include seizures, bloody diarrhea and vomit along with an elevated body temperature of over 104 degrees.” Animals with flat faces, like Pugs and Persian cats, are more susceptible to heat stroke since they cannot pant as effectively. These pets, along with the elderly, the overweight, and those with heart or lung diseases, should be kept cool in air-conditioned rooms as much as possible.

No Parking!
Never leave your animals alone in a parked vehicle. “On a hot day, a parked car can become a furnace in no time—even with the windows open—which could lead to fatal heat stroke,” says Dr. Louise Murray, Director of Medicine at Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital. Also, leaving pets unattended in cars in extreme weather is illegal in several states.

Make a Safe Splash
Do not leave pets unsupervised around a pool—not all dogs are good swimmers. Introduce your pets to water gradually and make sure they wear flotation devices when on boats. Rinse your dog off after swimming to remove chlorine or salt from his fur, and try to keep your dog from drinking pool water, which contains chlorine and other chemicals that could cause stomach upset.

Screen Test
Secure your windows with screens, especially during the summer months. There is an increase in reported deaths from cat jumping out of windows during summer months. Our pets don’t have the insight or perception that we do to make good judgements in this area.

Summer Style
Giving your dog a lightweight summer cut helps prevent overheating. Shave down to a one-inch length, never to the skin, so your dog still has some protection from the sun. Brushing cats more often than usual can prevent problems caused by excessive heat. As far as skin care, be sure that any sunscreen or insect repellent product you use on your pets is labeled specifically for use on animals.

Street Smarts
When the temperature is very high, don’t let your dog hang out on hot asphalt. Being so close to the ground, your pooch’s body can heat up quickly, and sensitive paw pads can burn. Keep walks during these times to a minimum.

Avoid Chemicals
Commonly used flea and tick products, rodenticides (mouse and rat baits), and lawn and garden insecticides can be harmful to cats and dogs if ingested, so keep them out of reach. When walking your dog, steer clear of areas that you suspect have been sprayed with insecticides or other chemicals. Keep citronella candles, oil products and insect coils out of pets’ reach as well. Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 if you suspect your animal has ingested a poisonous substance.

Party Animals
Taking Fido to a backyard barbeque or party? Remember that the food and drink offered to guests may be poisonous to pets. “Keep alcoholic beverages away from pets, as they can cause intoxication, depression and comas,” says Dr. Steven Hansen, Senior Vice President of Animal Health Services. “Similarly, remember that the snacks enjoyed by your human friends should not be a treat for your pet; any change of diet, even for one meal, may give your dog or cat severe digestive ailments. Avoid raisins, grapes, onions, chocolate and products with the sweetener xylitol.”

Fireworks Aren’t Very Pet-riotic
Please leave pets at home when you head out to summer celebrations, and never use fireworks around pets. “Exposure to lit fireworks can potentially result in severe burns or trauma to curious pets, and even unused fireworks can be hazardous,” says Dr. Hansen. “Many types of fireworks contain potentially toxic substances such as potassium nitrate, copper, chlorates, arsenic and other heavy metals.”

Play it safe and enjoy the rest of your summer!

As many parts of the country struggle with recent heat waves, we’ve all seen the disturbing news reports of pets, mostly dogs, dying from heatstroke as a result of being left in parked cars. Just last week, a Bronx, NY, man left his Maltese in his van—with the windows cracked—while he went for a swim at a state park. The temperature inside the van climbed to 140 degrees and despite intervention by park police, the dog didn’t survive.

Even on a relatively mild 85-degree day, it takes only 10 minutes for the interior of a car to reach 102 degrees—and within 30 minutes, the inside of the car can be a staggering 120 degrees. Leaving windows open a few inches does not help. Furthermore, when it comes to the body’s ability to cool itself, canine physiology is vastly different from ours. While humans have sweat glands all over our bodies that help regulate our body heat, dogs cool down mostly by panting, which is much less efficient than sweating. In only a short amount of time, a dog with a high body temperature can suffer critical damage to his nervous system, heart, liver and brain.

At least 14 states and many municipalities have enacted laws to address the problem of animals left in cars in extreme temperatures. Under these laws, police, animal control agents, peace officers and others may be authorized to enter a vehicle by whatever means necessary to remove an animal. “I would recommend that if your state doesn’t have a specific law addressing animals left in hot cars that you still call law enforcement, because it may be considered animal cruelty under your state or local laws,” says Jill Buckley, Senior Director of ASPCA Government Relations & Mediation.

If you’re out and about on a hot day and see an animal alone in a car, you should immediately try to find the car’s owner. If you have no luck, or if the owner refuses to act, contact local law enforcement and/or animal control.

“The important thing is to get the dog out of the car, keeping in mind that you shouldn’t put your life in danger, either!” says Buckley, who keeps a few copies of the ASPCA’s Pets in Hot Cars flyer (pdf) in her glovebox to give out when appropriate. Please print and distribute these flyers (pdf) in your neighborhood to help educate people about the danger of leaving pets in hot cars.

**** On an 85 degree day, it only takes ten minutes for the

inside of your car to reach 102 even when the windows

have been left open an inch or two.

****Within 30 minutes, a car’s interior can reach 120 degrees.

****When the temperature outside is a pleasant 70 degrees the inside of

your car may be as much as 20 degrees hotter.

****Shade offers little protection on a hot day and moves with

the sun.

****Pets most at risk for hyperthermia (overheating):

young animals, elderly animals, overweight animals,

those with short muzzles and those with thick or

dark-colored coats.

A Form of Cruelty—Literally

Many states and local governments have laws that

prohibit leaving an animal unattended in a motor vehicle

under dangerous conditions, which include hot days.

Under these laws, police, animal control agents, peace

officers and others may be authorized to enter by

whatever means necessary to remove the animal. You

could have your car damaged, be charged with a crime,

and fined or imprisoned. It’s not worth it—don’t leave

Please leave your

pet at home in hot

weather!

If your dog is overcome by the heat

Bring down body temperature by soaking the animal in

cool (not ice) water, but make sure water does not get

into the mouth or nose of an unconscious animal. Seek

immediate veterinary care.

HOT WEATHER TRAVELING TIPS

• Get a veterinary checkup before traveling and make

sure you have the necessary vaccination certificates

for the area you will be visiting, as well as flea and

tick treatments.

• Carry a gallon thermos of cold water or bring along

a two-liter plastic bottle of water you froze the

night before.

• Exercise your pet during the coolest parts of the day

(dawn and dusk), and never immediately following

a meal.

• Hot asphalt and tar can burn sensitive paw pads.

Walk your pet on grass or dirt when possible.

• Provide shade when your pet is outside on a hot day.

Overheating Kills!

TEMPORARY WORKERS FOR GULF COAST OIL SPILL NEEDED

I know all the images of the suffering birds and sea turtles drenched in heavy crude oil are disturbing to us all- but what can we do about it? Go down and help clean up the mess! Shamrock Environmental Corp was contracted to hire and place workers in the most desperate areas affected by the Gulf oil spill. If you’re out of work, or want to spend your summer helping out, fill out the application and get the ball rolling. If you have animals who need care, like me, see if you can ask a trusted neighbor or family friend to help out while you go out and do the dirty work. A number of different positions are available so make sure to check it out. There’s something for everyone.

Take a minute to voice your opinion on keeping up rescue efforts for the endangered sea turtles in the golf. BP is blocking rescue efforts claiming it’s too expensive to save the turtles during a controlled burn. Here are a few other links that may interest you:

Take Action to Ensure All Sea Turtles are Rescued from Gulf Oil Before it is Burned

Act Now - Protect Gulf Turtles from the Deadly Duo of Offshore Oil and Shrimp Trawls

End Offshore Oil Drilling - Sea Turtles and Oil Don’t Mix

Take Action to Ensure Endangered Status for U.S. Loggerhead Sea Turtles

Please take a moment and add your vote to the count. Together we make change!

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It’s hard to believe I have to continue to talk about this, but I do. Please support the bill H.R. 5092 which amends the Crush Act to at least prohibit sales and possession of these disturbing films. Take a minute to get up to speed.  Thanks, Amy

Signed into federal law in 1999, the Crush Act banned the creation, sale and possession of materials depicting genuine acts of animal cruelty where such acts are illegal. The law had effectively dried up U.S. commerce in “crush” fetish videos (also called “squish” videos), which generally depict a woman’s feet crushing to death small animals such as rodents and kittens. Unfortunately, three weeks ago the U.S. Supreme Court declared the Crush Act unconstitutional and therefore unenforceable. The Court’s main concern was the broadness of the law’s language, which could make the law applicable in many circumstances not intended by its authors.

The day after the Supreme Court’s ruling, Representative Gallegly (R-CA) introduced H.R. 5092, a new bill designed to overcome the Court’s decision to strike down the Crush Act. The bill amends the Crush Act to give it a much narrower focus, but would still prohibit selling or offering to sell any depictions of animals being crushed, drowned, impaled, or burned where such acts are illegal. Passage of H.R. 5092 will help ensure that the crush video industry is not revitalized in the absence of an enforceable federal law.

Since its introduction, H.R. 5092 has gained tremendous support in the House of Representatives. Out of the House’s 435 voting members, 128 have signed on as cosponsors. H.R. 5092 is currently awaiting action in the House Committee on the Judiciary.

If you would like to help fight animal suffering and exploitation, please visitaspca.org/HR5092 to quickly send an email to your U.S. representative asking him or her to support the revised Crush Act. We also encourage animal lovers to become members of theASPCA Advocacy Brigade to receive important, timely news about pending animal-related legislation in your state and in Congress.

Check out The Wilderness Society- what a great way to get involved and save animals-

Since 1935, The Wilderness Society has led the conservation movement in wilderness protection, writing and passing the landmark Wilderness Act and winning lasting protection for 107 million acres of Wilderness, including 56 million acres of spectacular lands in Alaska, eight million acres of fragile desert lands in California and millions more throughout the nation.

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To meet their goals, The Wilderness Society uses science and collaboration with communities and conservation groups to bring about sensible policies and positive change in land conservation.

Above all, The Wilderness Society works to protect wilderness and to inspire Americans to care for our wild places.

Issues:

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