ABC's of Texas Politics
I'm back. Guess I will jump in with all 8 legs and give you the very basic ABCs of Texas Animal Politics (TAP).
That way the stage will be set with the cast of characters and usual suspects. The following list is by no means complete, but it is a start. This web is a tangle, to be sure!
The Humane Legislative Network (THLN).
Their website reads,"We are a mainstream voice for the animals of Texas: companion animals, homeless animals, horses, farm animals, native Texas wildlife and exotic animals alike. THLN is the voice at the Texas Legislature for untold numbers of animals throughout Texas who suffer horrific abuse and tragic neglect at the hands of callous humans. If you agree that animals deserve compassion and their abusers deserve punishment, we invite you to answer the call to justice by joining the Texas Humane Legislation Network today. Protecting those who cannot protect themselves is a noble cause for which your life will be much better for having served."
Texas Federation of Animal Care Societies (TFACS)
"The Texas Federation of Animal Care Societies (TFACS) was established in 2008 by a group of dedicated animal care and control professionals who wants to provide information and vital links for shelters all over the State."
Texas State Bar Animal Law Section (ALS)
"The Animal Law Section of the State Bar of Texas was established in 1996. Its purpose is to promote the study and understanding of laws, regulations, and court decisions dealing with legal issues involving animals. The section hosts a list serve; sponsors educational seminars; publishes a newsletter, the Animal Law Reporter; and holds an annual meeting."
Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF)
"Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) chapters are student groups that are affiliated with the Animal Legal Defense Fund and share its mission to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system."
Metroplex Animal Coalition Dallas (MAC)
"M.A.C. is an alliance of 501(C)3 animal welfare organizations in Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant counties whose members have joined together in order to reduce the killing of dogs and cats in municipal animal shelters and humane societies. We are "Making Animals Count!"
Dallas Animal Advocates is a joint initiative between Companions For Life and Metroplex Animal Coalition in support of Dallas Animal Services (DAS).
Dallas Animal Shelter Commission (DASC) and Animal Control Board of Dallas
Animal Connection of Texas (ACT) in Dallas
"Animal Connection of Texas is a grassroots group dedicated to ending animal suffering."
Association of Certified Cruelty Investigators (ACCI)
Texas Animal Control Association (TACA)
Meet some of the web spinners:
Rick Bousquet is the Executive Director of THLN, the President of the South Central Chapter (San Antonio area) and also the President of the Wichita Falls Chapter. Bousquet had a 10 year career as a deputy sheriff and sergeant with the Texas Dept of Criminal Justice. He is on the BOD of the North Texas Air Conditioning Contractors of America *(ACCA) in Arlington.
Next is the North Texas Chapter which includes the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) area. The chapter President is Stacy Smith. She is also a member of the Humane Society of Flower Mound. Meetings are sometimes held at the *ACCA office at 2008 E. Randol Mill Road, No. 106, in Arlington, where Bousquet is employed. Stacy also volunteers at the Black Beauty Ranch in Murchinson, which partners with the Fund for Animals and HSUS.
The Southeast Houston Chapter is headed by Brian Craft. See "The Texas Humane Legislation Network Makes Houston its New Home." Craft is also a member of the Society of PEACE -People for the Earth, Animals, Compassion & Enlightenment, a grassroots outreach organization dedicated to promoting compassion for all beings. (except for animal breeders, perhaps?)
They recently hosted a "World Go Vegan Days" dinner, featuring Professor Gary L. Francione, in October. (Professor Francione is a prominent philosopher of animal rights law and ethical theory, known for his abolitionist theory of animal rights, and his promotion of veganism and nonviolence as the baseline principles of the abolitionist movement. He is also the author of numerous books, including his most recent, Animals as Persons.
The President of the Central Texas Chapter which covers the Waco, Temple and Austin region is Karomy Harmel. She is a big supporter of the HSUS and is active in the Humane Society of U.S. Youth which brainwashes, er I mean, "educates" impressionable children about HSUS. They certainly get them started on the AR KoolAid young. See her comments on Wayne Pacelle's blog where she gushes her misguided sentiments and asks God to bless the HSUS for "exposing all the horror that goes on behind closed doors and the undercover investigator who found it!!!"
Paul O'Neill oversees Midland, Odessa and Big Springs for the THLN West Texas chapter. He is the director of Midland Animal Control and an officer of TACA - Texas Animal Control Association.
Lynda Barron represents the East Texas Chapter, covering the Tyler, Longview and Marshal areas. Lynda is a certified Legal Assistant in Tyler, Texas and also the secretary for the Tyler Association of Legal Professionals. She works for Attorney Ronald D. Stutes.
Mike Larson heads the El Paso chapter of THLN. As such, he networks with El Paso Animal Control, the Humane Society of El Paso (both located on Fred Wilson Rd) and the Animal Rescue League of El Paso.
The South Texas Chapter (Corpus area) President is Cheryl Martinez. She is active in the Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society, Peewee's Pet Adoption in Corpus and Prevent Unwanted Pets (PUPS). Written on the front of the Corpus Christi Animal Rights Effort van: "If your pet won't wear a condom, get him fixed." The back of the van reads: "It takes balls to neuter your pets." Under that is the phone number where anyone can call to report "animal cruelty and abuse."
Officers and Directors of THLN are Cile Holoway, President; Susan Hendrix VP; Dena Fisher, Secretary; Skip Trimble, Treasurer; Yolanda Eisenstein; Sherry Ferguson and Paula Miller.
Cile Holloway is the founder and President of THLN. She lives in the wealthy Dallas suburb of Frisco. After graduating from the University of North Texas, she worked as a vet tech for 12 years and volunteered with the Garland Humane Society. She has served on the Dallas Animal Shelter Advisory Commission. Holloway is a sales rep for the National Safety Association which manufactures products such as Bluespan ion Technology which assists in monitoring and finding people, pets or property.
Susan Hendrix is a principal of Hendrix Coughlan Media (HcM) and was formerly past principal of the Texas Media group. She has 20 years' experience in media production, creative advertising, marketing strategy, message development, public relations, and copy writing, in areas including politics, public affairs, green technology, nonprofit organizations, start-up businesses and entertainment. Not surprisingly, her interests include animal protection issues, journalism and travel. She is a member of THLN and Chain Free Austin, a non-profit that helps "get dogs off chains."
Susan Hightower is Secretary of the THLN. Though she does not handle animal law cases, she does teach animal law as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law. Before attending law school, Susan worked as a journalist, including two tours of duty covering the Texas Legislature for the AP. Hightower is a founding attorney of the Pirkey Barber law firm. She volunteers at Austin’s Town Lake Animal Center and Pets America Partnership that instructs people how to supervise shelters for pets who are evacuated with their families in the event of a disaster.
Lisa M. McClain is an Assistant Attorney General in the Transportation division of the Office of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abott. She works in environmental and eminent domain proceedings in federal and state court and in administrative proceedings. McClain took the animal law course taught by Pamela D. Frasch, who is a co-author of the text Animal Law: Cases and Materials, and who serves as VP of Legal Affairs for the ALDF. McClain served two and a half years as the chair of the ALS of the State Bar of Texas, and she currently serves on the Board of the THLN and is on the City of Austin Animal Advisory Commission. She volunteers regularly at Town Lake Animal Center and AustinPetsAlive!.
Dena Fisher practices criminal defense law in Houston. She is a former Harris County Assistant District Attorney. Fisher does a small amount of pro bono animal related cases, mostly in the area of equine law. She is a member of ALDF, THLN, Texas Federation of Animal Care Societies (TFACS), the Texas Wildlife Coalition and Fund for Horses. She does extensive volunteer work with Houston area animal organizations.
Sherry Ferguson began as a volunteer at the Houston Humane Society in 1982. She served as Board President for two years before taking the position as Executive Director. Currently, Sherry serves on the THLN and TFACS boards.
Yolanda Eisenstein is a solo practitioner with an animal law practice in Dallas. She represents clients in animal-related matters including dangerous dogs, deceptive trade practices, contract disputes, estate and emergency planning for pets, transactional work, and wrongful death. She is co-chair of the international law subcommittee of the ABA TIPS Animal Law Committee and a board member of the THLN. She is licensed to practice law in Texas and New Mexico.
Paula Miller is the founder and president of PM Communications, a management consulting practice. Specializing in creating and managing operations for non-profit organizations. Paula has served as consulting executive director with numerous non-profits since 1991. She is active with local rescue organizations, their neighborhood association, and with Save A Stray, a program she founded that saves, rehabilitates, and finds homes for stray animals.
Anne Coller, Joel Hailey, Jack Knox, Gigi Ray and Dorothy Wilson are Advisory Board Members.
Anne Coller is on the BOD of the Animal Protection Voters in New Mexico which is the equivalent of a NM version of THLN. She was a past President of THLN when their office address was The Nokonah Bldg on 901 West 9th St in Austin. (a former Catyln/Trimble property handled by the now inactive Catlyn Nokonah, Ltd) She was very active in supporting the horse slaughter bill and campaigns to shut down "puppy mills."
Joel Hailey has a private practice of probate law in San Antonio. He has been actively involved in numerous local animal causes. He is a former Chair of the ALS and in 2007 was a coordinator of the Animal Law Institute. He remains very active with ALS.
Gigi Ray has been active with THLN for 13 years as a board member, and most recently as an advisory board member. She graduated from UT Arlington with a Masters in Criminal Justice and has worked in the law enforcement/criminal justice field the majority of her career. The last 10 years, Gigi has worked for the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office as the Senior Death Investigator.
Dorothy Wilson was very active in Ark4Pets, established in 1975. Other members included Lou Guyton, Mary Nash. Kaufman, Jack Knox and Patt Nordyke (formerly Davis). Patt is the Executive Director of TFACS. She has produced numerous Animal Care Conferences that provide training for all animal welfare agencies in Texas. She has been a presenter at conferences on a national and local basis and previously headed the Texas Federation of Humane Societies Evaluation Program.
Jack Knox is a Dallas business man (Sixx Holdings, Six Flags Over Texas Fund) and many others. He donates millions of dollars to various political candidates as well as to the Humane USA PAC. More about him next time.
Be sure to check out ""The Friends" of THLN - people who help finance this network.
You can be sure that THLN is heavily involved in the Puppy Mills campaign rhetoric. They even produced a video about it which you can watch, if you have the stomach for it. Click this link THLN's Puppy Mill Video on YouTube
Holey Moley!
A major part of the Animal Legislative/Enforcement Network includes the law and those who practice at it. Let me introduce some more members of the State Bar Animal Laws Section (ALS) team leaders.
Randy Turner has been practicing law for almost 30 years and is a partner in Turner and McKenzie in Fort Worth, Texas. Turner regularly represents rescue groups, humane societies, and animal rights activists in civil and criminal cases and is a frequent lecturer on animal law. He has worked as a volunteer in orangutan conservation in Borneo, elephant conservation in Kenya, and black rhino conservation in Zimbabwe.
Sandra K. Patton is an attorney with the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission. Based in Houston, her responsibilities include all aspects of legal work. Sandra volunteers her time with the Humane Society and the SPCA of Houston and is a foster mom for Homeless and Orphaned Pet Endeavors (HOPE), an all-foster, no kill animal adoption group.
Bill Davis practices appellate law at the office of the Solicitor General in Austin. He has published commentaries on animal law in The Federal Lawyer and the Lewis and Clark School of Animal Law Journal. Davis was one of the presenters at the Fourth Annual Animal Law Institute hosted by the State Bar of Texas ALS. He is a member of the ALDF and the Farm Sanctuary.
Amy Bures Danna practices law with The Clary Firm in the areas of Civil Litigation, Toxic Tort, Wills & Trusts, and Animal Law. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston Law Center, where she lectures on a full range of Animal Law topics. She has presented Animal Law educational seminars which are attended by veterinarians, lawyers, rescuers, vegans, animal control officers, shelter administrators, and pet enthusiasts. Danna was appointed to the City of Houston/Harris County Task Force on Animal.
Don Feare practices civil litigation and criminal defense in Arlington. He regularly handles a large volume of animal law cases and a variety of seizure and dog bite related cases. Don is a member of the board and the legislative committee of the THLN and on the TFACS BOD. He is also a photographer and contributor to Nature Photographer magazine. In addition, he speaks to civic and animal groups throughout the country. Don lives on the sanctuary he established in the late 80’s known as the Wildflight Rescue Foundation. Don is also an Adjunct Professor at Texas Wesleyan School of Law where he teaches Animal Law.
Dawn Reveley has practiced law for 20 years and is licensed in Texas and in Michigan. She practices business law and litigation representing small businesses, most of which are animal care providers. Dawn is one of the founding members of the ALS, and she has spoken nationally on animal law and equine law issues and on the establishment of State Bar Animal Law Sections for other states. She serves on the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and is active in animal-related businesses and hobbies. She has bred, trained and shown horses and golden retrievers for over 30 years.
This brings us back to the center of the web. Yep, “Skip” Trimble again. He's a member of this group, too.
And the ALDF....and the THLN....and API ... and DASC....and MAC.
So while we are here, we'll take a closer look at some more members of the Big MAC and the Friends of the MAC.
Some former MAC members include Bob Walton of the Urban Animal Magazine, Lou Guyton of HSUS, Tammy Hawley with the Humane Society of North Texas and Kent Robertson of Dallas Animal Services.
We know that Skippy is a member. He is the Secretary/Treasurer. This man has way too much time on his hands imo. Oh, and by the way, the MAC address is the same as Skip's business address (Catlyn Capital Corp). 8333 Douglas Avenue, Suite 1350.
Elaine Munch is President and also the President of the DASC (Dallas Animal Shelter Commission). She is affiliated with the Humane Society of Greater Dallas, the Humane society of Dallas County and a member of the HSUS, Operation Kindness and the SPCA of Texas. She is a former board member of the Garland H.S., the Irving H.S. and the Weimaraner Rescue of North Texas. She works on the MAC Marketing and PR Committee.
Hilary Hurst is the MAC VP and a self employed management consultant. She is an active fundraiser for animal causes and was a former Paw Cause co-chair.
Jonnie England is a Director of MAC and past Executive Director of Operation Kindness and ongoing member.
Beverly Fyfe is a member of Angie's Friends in Richardson, TX, the Humane Society of Dallas County and the Humane Society of Greater Dallas
Becky Haisma is active with Paws in The City, a founding director of A Different Breed (Dallas), the online contact for Dog and Kitty City - a no kill shelter operated by the Humane Society of Dallas County.
Holly Germin is on the MAC Operational and Focus Committee. Susan Kilgore is with Feral Friends and works on the MAC Fundraising Committee. James Bias is the President of the SPCA, Texas. Paul Carroll, DVM sees his animal patients at the Midway Hollow Pet Clinic. Jan McMann is the Director of outreach at the SW Regional HSUS office. Angie Thomas is also the Executive Director of KittiCo. Rebecca Poling is head of the MAC Member Groups Committee and active with Companions for Life.
Before I forget, let's look at a few more directors of TFACS and their membership list of organizations.
Jacqueline Lee Byrd's involvement in animal welfare began in 1994 as a volunteer for The Humane Society of Harlingen. She was elected to their BOD in 1995 and served as VP, Secretary and Chair of the Animal Care committee. She has served on the Harlingen Animal Shelter Advisory Committee as Chair and is currently serving as President of the People and Pets Coalition. Jackie is the Supervisor of the Brownsville Animal Regulation and Care Center (BARCC) located in Olmito Texas. BARCC is a shelter, animal control office and a low cost spay neuter clinic operated by the City of Brownsville. She also owns Byrd Dog Productions digital video in Harlingen. Prior to opening BDP, she worked in the electronic media: radio, television and advertising agency.
Jamey Cantrell began working with animals in 1993 where he learned the "business" and eventually worked his way up to the position of Staff Coordinator. He briefly worked as an Animal Services Officer for the City of Benbrook, but eventually returned to HSNT where he took over the position of Director of Shelter Operations. He held that position for five years, managing the day to day operations of the largest full-service animal shelter in North Texas, until leaving in July of 2003 to become the Animal Services Manager for the City of Lubbock. Cantrell now works as the Animal Services Manager for the City of Plano.
Leila Moore has been rescuing dogs and cats all her life. In 1978 she left her 15 year position as Supervisor of Data Entry for the State and moved to the country with her family of rescued pets. In 1991, she attended a Bastrop County Humane Society meeting and was immediately made treasurer of the organization. At that time, there was no animal control in her area so she and a neighbor began their own "humane society" and animal control. They used her pickup and for six years, she "doctored and socialized" many strays and put them up for adoption. She also became a certified cruelty investigator and worked with the Sheriff's Department. Leila also became active with the SN program and was eventually asked to join the Texas Federation of Humane Societies where she has been on board almost l4 years.
Kappy Munzer has worked in the field of animal protection for 34 years. She began as a volunteer in 1974 for Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP) and was one of the founders of the CAP Shelter which opened in 1981. She served as their Board President for almost ten years. and as Executive Director of CAP. Kappy served for over 20 years on the board of the THLN and was President for two years and VP for four years. She's also been on the Advisory Committee for Houston’s Bureau of Animal Regulation & Care (BARC), and she currently serves on the Advisory Committee for the Houston Community College Paramedic Veterinary Program.
Stan Parker has been a member of the Big Spring Police Department for nearly 20 years. He supervised the Big Spring Animal Control for five years. In 2008, Parker was elected Sheriff of Howard County.
Sallie Scott has more than 35 years experience in the animal welfare field. She began in the 1970’s on the Board of Man & Beast, Inc., going to schools to present programs. She was Executive Director of the Animal Defense League for over 12 years that appeared on all major TV networks, newspaper, and radio with pets for adoption. The Pets & Baby Class was introduced to San Antonio by Scott. She has received grants to fund workshops that point out the links between animal abuse, child abuse and family violence. She was on the Animal Resource Center (ARC) board which is a spay/neuter clinic. Scott founded Animal Friends Humane Society in 2001 and is currently President of Friends of Animal Care Services and a board member of the Humane Society of Williamson County. She has served as a board member as well as secretary of the Texas Federation of Humane Societies for over 20 years. She is Secretary/Treasurer of Alamo Area Partners for Animal Welfare, and is on the San Antonio Animal Care Services Advisory Board.
Bert Stratemann works for the City of San Marcos as the Animal Services Manager which also serves the city of Kyle and Hays County. He is the Vice President of the Southwest Texas Animal Care and Control Association (TACA).
And finally, here is a brief overview of people who manage the Association of Certified Cruelty Investigators.
Mitzi O'Dell, of Fayetteville, Arkansas is the President. Jamey Cantrell (remember him?) is the VP and the Animal Services Manager of the Plano Animal Shelter. June Boyd is the Secretary for the Rockwall County Sheriff’s Posse in Rockwall, Texas. Chris Williams, Treasurer works for the Washington County Sheriff's Department in Arkansas. Marcos Ybarra works for Midland Animal Control in Texas. Board member, Jill Hatfield lives in Fayetteville, too.
Cynthia Armstrong is with the SW region of the Oklahoma HSUS office. Jerry Roy is employed by the Calcasieu Parish Animal Control in Lake Charles, LA, Lawerance Hopkins is with Grapevine Animal Services in Grapevine, TX. Theresa Maxwell and Diana Morales are is Advisory Board Members.
Whew! That is enough for today. Keep in mind that this list is just a basic intro and does not cover every group and organization that each of these people belongs to or has belonged to or will belong to. We are sure to run across some of their paths in the future because they all wear many, many hats. Just like Skippy.
My legs are tired from trekking thru THIS Texas web. I thought I'd rest a bit and report back. Where to begin...Where to begin? There is so much ground to cover in this big ole state.
Let's go back to the center of this tangle - to Skip Trimble, the outspoken attorney/activist. He is closely affiliated with a host of organizations, councils and coalitions but is best known as spokesman for the Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN). Their home office is in Austin and they have nine chapter offices around the state.
Trimble is a very active member of the Animal Legal Defense Fund out of California and has yet another set of hats he has worn with that group. Those people give me the creeps. Skippy has held, and still holds, positions with many other animal-based organizations and commissions and so he has an extensive network of people to work with in Texas as well as in other states. In 2005, he was even a member of the Dallas Real Estate Task Force for the city government.
Is there anything animal related in Texas that Trimble hasn't had an impact on? For one example, the Dallas Fort Worth PetNet is used to help find lost and found pets through internet postings, emails, Neighborhood Associations, etc. The program partners with other organizations and municipalities to share data of “stray” animals coming into the shelters. All this is done through the Community Relations Department.
PetNet has evolved over the years since 1988 when it began. It has now entered the computer age and in 2007, the SPCA of Texas decided to take it even further and began a program called E-Pole. E-Pole allows people without access to the internet to provide information via the phone, which will then be put on the web. This program is currently being funded by none other than Robert L. “Skip” Trimble. By the way, he and his wife, Mary, just happen to own 6 dogs and three cats which are all rescues.
Mary Mitchell Trimble is also quite the animal activist and holds a position on the Board of Directors of Born Free and the API (Animal Protection Institute) which have merged. This group is focused on taking away the Constitutional rights of those who own domesticated exotic animals. BF & API have an extensive grassroots system which they use to lobby the local, state and federal levels. They support various litigation campaigns and draft model "canned" legislation, which is available to legislators via databases such as the Council of State Governments or the General Code Advantage.
Mrs. Trimble also sits on the Advisory Board of Operation Kindness, based in Carrolton, Texas, where she networks with fellow members and officers which include Lou Guyton of HSUS and Elaine Munch. Lou is the Director of the HSUS SW Regional Office's Spay Neuter Clinic and Animal Wellness Center. She is also member of the Metroplex Coalition Advisory Board; the Humane Society of Greater Dallas; the Humane Society of Dallas County and the S.P.C.A of Texas - [the former employer of ACO Dave Garcia, who was the subject of several in depth exposes regarding the unethical methods he used to obtain animals for the shelter.] Munch is a former board member of the Garland Humane Society (now HSGD), the Irving Humane Society (now DFW Humane Society) and the Weimaraner Rescue of North Texas.
And as if that isn't interesting enough, I ran across information that "Skippy" has received awards from both PeTA and HSUS for his work, even though he enjoys hunting and fishing and owns a $5 million dollar ranch where he keeps cattle, horses and other animals. I guess they follow the old "Do as I Say and Not as I Do" do mindset to the extreme!
True to form, he appeared in a November 2008 Pre-Election interview on Vegan World Radio (episode # 16 : 3) November 2008 along with Nancy Perry (HSUS VP and Government Affairs advisor), Gene Bauer of the Farm Sanctuary and Brian Cates - the President of the Houston chapter of THLN.
These people and others of their ilk push for more and more restrictive laws. The problem is not a lack of laws, but lack of qualified personnel to enforce them. The job generally doesn't pay well, can be dangerous, depressing and unrewarding. Few people want to be the dog catcher - no matter how dressed up they make the title. It's unfortunate that more experienced people in animal husbandry don't take up some of these jobs. The animals would certainly appreciate it if somebody truly cared about their welfare, rather than their worth. Animal Control departments need more knowledgeable and experienced hands-on workers and less AR Kool Aid drinkers and AR brown shirts.
HSUS and PeTA have millions of dollars in their war chests that could help both people and animals, but still they push, and often pass, more laws. What most people fail to realize is that the ultimate goal behind the AR's efforts is the eventual end of all animal ownership. Period. Many of the people doing the dirty work for the biggies like HSUS/PeTA/API/ALDF don't even understand this. PeTA and HSUS don't mind funding mandatory spay/neuter programs, and even the old shelter gas chambers, because taking care of the animals we already have is not what they are about.
Spidey is seeing more and more illegal raids and seizures on well maintained sanctuaries and non-profit rescues. These are animals that HAVE been well taken care of. The owners are devastated and often cannot raise the funds to hire an attorney and fight "city hall." Before they can even begin to gather the resources to fight back, it is too late.
Their animals are sold (i.e. adopted out for a fee), transported, or many times simply auctioned off to the highest bidder. Sometimes the new owner will sell the cage and animal to make their own profit. The animals are taken from a stable, loving home and pawned off to strangers, who may or may not take proper care of them. This is cruel and inhumane.
Which brings us back to Skip Trimble, who was in the middle of the Primarily Primates fiasco that revolved around seven chimpanzees and two capuchin monkeys that retired to this San Antonio sanctuary when a research program at Ohio State University was shut down. PeTA butted in and decided the chimps should be transferred to Chimp Haven in Shreveport, LA. In the process, horses, ponies, birds and other animals were taken away from the Texas refuge. Trimble, as an ALDF board member was the attorney for the government- appointed receiver of the seized animals.
This happened fast and the people at Primarily Primates didn't have time to contest the action when the Chimp Haven vans showed up to cart their animals off. (Believe me, it has happened many times before and continues to happen.)
Trimble and the AR gang fought long and hard to shut down the Texas primate center. Why? PeTA claims they oppose animal research, but the seven chimps would have been sent to Chimp Haven in Louisiana only later to be returned to the former Ohio research program! They harass people just because they have the power and money to do so and it was never about the animals, really. They just let the chimps fall where they may as long as their followers send in money to "help them save the animals." In reality, the animals need to be saved from them!!
Primarily Primates fought the good fight and eventually won. (that's "Won" for Our Side) The executive director told the media that it took them over a half a year to clean up the mess left by the court appointed receiver who took over operations, temporarily.
One of the most well-funded organizations in Texas is the Humane Society of North Texas (HSNT) in Ft. Worth. In 2007, they listed assets of $9,256,721. So how much revenue does animal adoption bring in? According to their 2007 990, they made only $346,113 in adoption revenues! They made nearly twice that much on dividends and interest from securities, savings and cash investments and from sales of other assets. They claimed $818,856 in pledges receivable and $22,511 in monies from fundraisers. The bulk of their money ($5,819,643) is in securities, bonds, treasury notes and mutual funds.
Page three of their 990 reads, "Grants and allocations of $221,364 for "Cruelty Investigations to respond to all reports of animal cruelty in 19 counties in North Texas area. The investigations can lead to "Animal Rescues." AHA - it plainly states the true mission behind the investigations. Herein lies incentive to rustle up animals and with a $9 million dollar budget, they can certainly achieve that goal. See "Attachment 2" The Texas Humane Legislation "Worksheet to Calculate the Amount of An Appeal Bond and "Attachment 3" - Typical Housing and Care Costs."
The HSNT and many other such organizations routinely receive grant money from large Foundations such as the Animal Charities of America Federation and its Member Organizations or state and local Community Funds. The HSNT's most recently recorded donation from Animal Charities was for $102,611.
They received $27,929 from the Dallas United Way. The United Way makes it possible for military and federal employees to give to various charities of their choice through Combined Federal Campaigns, or CFCs. HSUS receives money this way, too. So do other animal rights groups.
In fact, Animal Charities of America, based in California, gives thousands of dollars each year to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Animal Protection Institute, the ASPCA, PeTA, PCRM, SNAP (Spay/Neuter Assistance Program), the United Animal Nations and the HSUS International's World Society for Protection of Animals to name just a few.
HSUS, in turn, donates thousands of dollars each year to groups such as the Animal Welfare Society, Best Friends Animal Society, Born Free, the Farm Sanctuary, Kittyco Cat Rescue, NAHEE (HSUS Education programs), an many more. Among those receiving HSUS money are the Harris County Veterinary Publications group in Houston, the Houston Humane Society, the Houston SPCA, the Humane Society of Fort Worth, Operation Kindness, PAWS in Dallas, SNAP of Houston, SPCA Texas, TACA, the Texas Veterinary Medical Program and of course, the Texas Humane Legislative Network.
Spidey's head is spinning. I need to climb out of this vortex and take a deep breath before I venture deeper.
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