Dogs will remain on chains in Florida and children will be less safe because of it.

First, thanks to the dedicated people who supported banning unattended dog chaining in Florida. Thanks to Representative Emily Slosberg for sponsoring HB177 and to Senator Annette Taddeo for sponsoring SB650, and the thirty-one legislatures who co-sponsored the Bills. Had the Bills passed, leaving dogs chained and unattended would have been illegal.

To become law, the Bills had to pass through five subcommittees and then pass the general assemblies of the House and Senate.  While SB 650 did pass the Senate Agriculture Committee, it was amended by Senator Keith Perry to exempt any dog deemed a “hunting dog,”  (whatever that is). Perry's amendment neutered (pun intended) the Bill rendering it unenforceable and useless.

Senator Wilton Simpson is the President of the Florida Senate and has influence over which bills are introduced in Senate subcommittees. Senator Simpson was against the bill.  In response to emails from animal advocates asking for his support, Senator Simpson stated that he supported the version of the anti-tethering bill that passed the Senate Agriculture Committee, however, this is misleading because as mentioned above, this version was amended to make it unenforceable and useless.  

Senator Simpson’s net worth is estimated at $30 million. Most of his wealth is attributed his massive commercial egg farm that houses one-million caged chickens in eight barns. The hens are caged from the time they hatch until they are killed. They never see the light of day. The roosters are killed when they are three days old.

As a result of Senator Simpson’s actions to block the dog chaining Bills and his treatment of chickens, animal welfare advocates are boycotting eggs produced on Simpson’s farm. These eggs are sold at Publix grocery stores and Walmart. We are asking people not to buy ANY eggs from these stores until the anti-dog tethering Bill passes in Florida. 

Click this link to let Senator Simpson know that dogs need to be off chains and chickens out of cages http://chng.it/Tyx5tYvXbm  and remember don't by eggs from Publix or Walmart. 

"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."

                                                                            - Immanuel Kant 

Again, thanks for your support.