The PAWS Bill - Show Me The Money, Microchips and Political Power

PAWS - Show Me The Money!

People have emailed me over the past several months ask when I will write about PAWS.  Just where do I stand?  Well that time, ladies and gentlemen, has arrived, so listen up, all you dog - and cat people - cause here it is..........

The PAWS bill, cleverly spun as the "puppy mill bill" (after all - who could oppose that?) , positioned by Santorum to protect pets, has greatly divided the purebred dog community, and other breeder groups as well.  Well I say it's got little to do with pets and more to do with moolah.

Why Is This Man Smiling?

So let's get something straight right now. No one in Washington, DC does anything without a self-serving motivation.  No politician supports or opposes legislation without motivation.  Rick Santorum is no exception. 

In Washington, that motivation is usually distilled down to just two things. Votes and money.  Or money and votes. 

And as for the AKC, HSUS and PETA - the three key nonprofit players supporting the PAWS bill? Are they without motivation in their support of PAWS?  Or are they selfless in their support? 

Well maybe it just boils down to money. After all, even nonprofits need to earn money to stay in business - they all need revenue - and really the only difference between them and Corporate America is their tax status.

Next - ask yourself this..........why  would such organizations  - complete polar opposites (and almost sworn enemies) like the AKC, PETA and HSUS - line up together behind PAWS?

So ask yourself this........ Do you really think PAWS is about keeping pets safe?  Or saving the public from unscrupulous pet importers?  Or shielding the pet-buying public from unscrupulous puppy mills?

Do you think the AKC and PETA and the HSUS  have now found a common cause - are they now sharing the love?   Do they love Rick Santorum.  Does he love them back?

I'll tell you what kind of love they'll be sharing - the green kind. It's called money. 

Fuggetaboutit - there's ONLY ONE question that truly matters:

Will the PAWS bill further endanger our freedom, our privacy, our constitutional rights?

And IMHO - PAWS comes down to this..............Money, microchips and political power. 

Show me the money!  Better yet - I'll show you.

There's Gold In Them There Chips

Now let's pretend I am one of the big players in microchips  - say like Digital Angel, which is owned by Applied Digital Solutions, makers of the VeriChip and the HomeAgain Chip.   

And let's say that we want to speed up the sales process for RFID microchips - after all - there's a pretty big untapped market out there.  Just how big is that market & how much money can be made with microchips?

There are close to 73.9 million pet dogs and 90.5 million cats in the USA alone, according to the APPMA - the American Pet Products Manufacturer's Association.  And according to Applied Digital Technologies site - about 1 million pets are "protected" with their products. 

Money Markets

That leaves about 163 million pets that have not yet been microchipped. And that, dear readers, translates to a HUGE UNTAPPED market $$$$$$$$$ - just ripe for the picking.

OK - raise your hand if you like math! Just for fun - let's do the math - and let's assume an average retail price of $35 per chip implantation procedure.  Ready?

163,000,000 pets x $35 = $5,705,000,000.

Whoa, baby - 5.7 billion -  that's a hunka hunk of burning love for the AKC, PETA and HSUS to share. 

And while we must point out that the AKC does not directly market the HomeAgain Chip.

"As of February 3, 2005, the enrollment form in the HomeAgain® microchip packaging no longer is an AKC CAR enrollment form. Consumers now have a choice to enroll with the nation's largest non-profit recovery service provider, AKC CAR, or with other less experienced, "for-profit" recovery services."

And at $12.50 a pop - that ain't chicken feed. But is that because the USDA's National Animal Identification System as becoming a MANDATORY program but allowing privatization of the data? 

The HomeAgain chip - now marketed by Schering Plough Animal Health, is made by Digital Angel, an Applied Technology Solutions company.

Microchip Madness?

While I'm on the subject of Money Markets, what is one of the most interesting items on the AKC site about the Third Annual AKC Lobby Day?  Here's an excerpt:

Sessions included in-depth information about the federal legislative process, tips for effectively lobbying a Member of Congress, and substantial issue briefings on three key agenda items: strengthening enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act through support of PAWS, encouraging open access to microchip technology for animal identification, and assuring access to air transport for dogs and those traveling with their animals.

All three of the AKC Lobby Day agenda items lead to microchips.  Has the AKC has become a corporate shill for Digital Angel? Or is controlling the data more important.

The Players

Now - back to the deal - if I were Digital Angel/Applied Digital Technologies - the first thing I would do would be to identify the largest channels for distribution- meaning sales - in the US.

If we were to look at the U.S. dog or cat market for microchips,  first we would need to find out who the biggest players are, and get them on our side.

Can you guess, boys and girls - who those players are?  That's right.  That would be the AKC, PETA and HSUS - because they each have the largest constituencies or access to the data of pet owners in the U.S.

How To Become A Government Contractor In One Easy Step

Next - I would do what any red-blooded American corporation does when it wants to drive sales in a really big way.

• One - sell to the government and
• Two - ensure that every pet in the country has a chip in it.

In other words - make my product MANDATORY.

First - whatcha gotta do is hire up a really big government heavyweight for a spokesperson.  Then make sure t0 use that former government employee to help sell back into the government.  Works for Lockheed Martin every time and it sure worked for the smoke detector manufacturers.

Digital Angel's Hired Heavyweight Hand

That's why Digital Angel (Applied Digital Solutions) named Tommy Thompson - former Bush Cabinet Member & Secretary of Health & Human Services onto its Board Of Directors.

What's worrisome to many and has raised privacy concerns from medical and constitutional privacy experts - is that Digital Angel has plans - big plans - iincluding a mandatory database to track all livestock in the country. 

Do you think it would be a huge leap to track all pets & pet owners in the US?  It's  exactly what Gordon Stull, DVM wants  - remember he's the guy that wants the country's first database in New Jersey - you know to deal with our "pet overpopulation" problem.

Privacy And The Constitution Are Overrated?

But wait - there's more.  Tommy Thompson, Digital Angel's media darling, was interviewed on CBS Marketwatch in July.  And boy did Tommy have some very interesting things to say about the use of microchips -in  pets and in humans, like,

"And you also, of course, have animals all over the country that have chips in them that can determine, you know, when a dog or a cat or another animal has to go in for a physical or medical or medicine or any kinds of vaccines. So it is really a coming thing."

AND

"with a chip in your arm that is placed there instantaneously, and is going to be able to help you secure your medical records which will be able to allow you to, if you have an accident or a serious illness, be able to get immediate care."

The (Business) Plan

Digital Angel/Applied Digital Solution's goal is to have everything, every creature and every person on the planet microchipped.  Talked about global markets.

BTW - did I mention that those microchips are RFID chips?  That's radio frequency indentification. Readable by scanners.  Trackable by satellite. 

Want more information about RFID technology?  Just give it a Google.

Nuthin' Says Luvin' Like A Microchip

Now - we had posed the question what' could make AKC, PETA & HSUS all line up behind PAWS?

How about The Coalition ForReuniting Pets And Families? 

The Humane Society of the U.S. recently formed the Coalition for Reuniting Pets and Families to urge microchip manufacturers and distributors for a solution. Joining the HSUS are AAHA, ASPCA, American Humane Association, AVMA, American Society of Veterinary Medical Association Executives, AKC Companion Animal Recovery, Society of Animal Welfare Administrators and other major U.S. animal shelters and humane societies.

A newly formed coalition (Fall 2004) to urge the standardization of  chips, scanners, etc. in the name of reuniting lost pets.  Who wouldn't want that? 

But is there another reason behind this group? Check out http://www.readallchips.com/en_US/data_root/readallchips/ which, interestingly enough, is a P & G site - the makers of IAMS and one of the biggest players in RFID technology.  See the P & G link at the bottom of the page :-)

It's the Data, Stupid - The Microchip Aftermarket

OK - so let's say all the pets in the land have been microchipped - 163 million of them. Now what?

Microchips are the means to COLLECT THE DATA, and in the case of RFID technology, TRACK the asset (in this case your dog or cat).

Because once your pet has been chipped, now you need to register them in a database, right?  And just like the AKC's CAR program - it'll cost you, as in the case of the AKC - $12.50. 

That' means the owners  of 163 million pets are now in database somewhere.  A database owned by the AKC?  Or how about PETA or even HSUS?

And just who would have access to that database?  Marketers?  The government?  Insurers?

As they say - he who CONTROLS THE DATA - wins.

Why PAWS, and Why Now?

So, dear readers, at the end of the day, is PAWS just setting the stage for more government control over our daily lives - and perhaps even in ways that we have yet to imagine?

Does the PAWS Bill ensure that domestic pets will roll up under the USDA's National Animal Identification System - aka NAIS?  Is the strategic plan for NAIS  - to effectively combat and manage foreign animal diseases by way of RFID tagging and tracking - is this the core reason for the AKC's supporting argument for PAWS of battling the (manufactured many say) foreign puppy importation crisis?

PAWS This, Baby

So while everyone out there is debating PAWS - think about this:

• If PAWS passes - how will it be enforced - and who will be responsible for enforcement?
• If PAWS passes - will technologies like microchips be required to ensure compliance?
• If PAWS passes AND microchips become MANDATORY  - who will control the market?
• If PAWS passes AND microchips become MANDATORY  - who will control the data?
• If PAWS passes AND microchips become MANDATORY - where are the privacy protections?
• If PAWS passes - who will make lots of money?

Can You Feel The Love?

Oh- and who or what will just LOVE a mandatory microchips and a mandatory database?

• Will the US government LOVE mandatory microchips because enforcement of PAWS will be easy?
• Will the members of the USDA Subcomittee on Research, Nutrition and General Legislation wield more power since they may control government contractors that manage the PAWS implementation and enforcement?
• Will the AKC, PETA & HSUS have a role (and revenue) as a result of their support for PAWS?
• Will animal rights groups LOVE mandatory microchips because the mandatory database will capture the reproductive status of every pet in the land?
• Will the AKC LOVE mandatory microchips because it will feed money into their AKC CAR registry program (read that as a database)?
• Will local and state governments LOVE mandatory microchips because it will ensure 100% compliance with licenses - because pet owners can't get a license without a microchip?
• Will local and state governments and AR groups  LOVE microchips because pet owners can't get a mandatory dog license unless their pet is spayed or neutered?
• Will the insurance industry LOVE mandatory microchips because they'll be able to ID which pet owners own which breed of dogs?
• Will marketers like P&G - makers of IAMS (and big investors in RFID technology) LOVE mandatory microchips because they'll have access to the databases? (They will if it's public information collected by local, state or federal governments)
• Will the American Veterinary Medical Asociation LOVE mandatory microchips because it means  a steady stream of revenue for members?
• Does the government LOVE mandatory microchips and animal tracking because it provides a precursor experience to human microchipping programs, and allows time for public acceptance of such a program?

Why - there's just so much LOVE here I don't know if I can stand it.

Comments

[linda gardner]

wow..an eye opener...
Where have I been?
Just doing some research on a behaviorist I took my dog to for aconsultation...........
dog shelters.. politics...
I'm exhausted and ready to have my animals "dechipped"..........
Please keep me posted.
Thanks for info..
Linda

[Pati]

I laugh when people say support PAWS because it stops Puppymills. Wake up! I tell them, Puppymills are covered by the USDA and are NOT covered by PAWS. Who wants PAWS? Why the HUNTE corporation because it will "hurt the competition" which could be responsible breeders (I know there are plenty of the bad kind though, sigh) who might provide puppies that properly socialized, healthy, and not raised in cages. Gasp! There aren't even enough inspectors (and many are buddies with the millers and turn a blind eye) to handle the inspections now.
We have to change how people view the responsibility of adding a dog to their family. You don't find a new furry family member at a pet store or in the back of someone's car at a parking lot.

[Therese M. Festa]

I really understand all of your concern about the emergence of the RFID technology and how it can capture and control data.

HOWEVER what do you think we should do with all the lost pets??? It is at an epidemic proportion in the US and the world.

All pets should be spayed and neutered …unless you live on a farm and are breeding your pet… are you going to pay for all the extra offspring????

I love animals like I love my family I see no difference, I am the guardian of 5 cats ... all but one was a lost stray..

Each time I have gone to countless databases and lost pet websites trying in vain to find their owners ... the last young cat I found I had him chipped with all his shots and I am glad I did. I love animals and feel they are entitled to rights as much as we are.

But I think you should offer some solution to all the lost and euthanized pets that I see ever day at the shelters...

I am not a lover of BIG corporate America’s greedy ways but pick your battles …. Fight what you do not like about the law but WE do need mandatory chipping …

Many pets get lost by pure accident and some owners are not responsible and if they lose their pet more than once they should be fined!

Each animal control office is isolated per city and we should have one master data base just like the amber alert for children.

Before we become hysterical and condemn something that really will do a lot of good.. figure out how we can make it more agreeable to all involved instead of

Shooting down that which will be much more beneficial to all animals

How many of you go on line blog and purchase products over the net and use credit cards … YOUR DATA is out there and if someone needs it they will find it..

oh by the way do you use cell phones … You all can already be located .. all phones have a GPS signal built in … BIG Brother knows where you are and where you go right now …. Work on the privacy and rights issues but do not stop the chipping of pets.. as Martha would say it’s a good thing ..

I would really like to understand in more depth why you are all so adamant … I would speak to any one on a phone call so they can better educate me …

If I have to see another family heartbroken due to their lost pet or another cat, dog put to sleep due to overpopulation.. I will lose it …

[Pat Joyce]

I am very much against the passing of the PAWS bill.

[Diana Dowd]

WOW, I would love to sare this information with people on message boards..... would this be OK?-- Thank you for writing this wonderfull peice please submit this to 20/20, 60 min ect... this is VERY IMPORTANT and THANK YOU FOR WRITTING THIS.

[Kim Pezza]

Those of you agains the PAWS, can also assits in its defeat by helping those of us working against NAIS. We feel that once NAIS gets a foothold, its only a matter of time for the rest. There are a number of groups to obtain information, like http://www.stopanimalid.org, http://NoNAIS.org. Email groups are also starting, both on a state by state basis and nationally.
For those who do not know, you do not have to be a "farmer" for NAIS to affect you. All you need to to have a SINGLE pet chicken, goat, etc., and you will be required to tag your pet as well as id and register your premise (meaning your home)if this goes through.
As I said, once NAIS goes through, dogs and cats will not be far behind. In fact, good old NYS has a bill now where they want to require ALL DOGS AND CATS to be microchipped.
So, if you want to stop PAWS, help us get NAIS stopped, and we may be able to get 2 terribly intrusive bills defeated at the same time. As I do believe, if we get the big NAIS bill stopped, it will then have a great affect on what happens with PAWS.
When contacting your state and federal reps, state your outrage on BOTH PAWS and NAIS.

[Patricia Hampton]

We can only stop this if we stand together and refuse. Starting with NAIS, we must go on a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and our state legislators. This can only happen if we obey. Do NOT get a site ID, do NOT let them microchip your pets. Tell everyone you know about this. Let us all join together and stop this insanity now.

[Nell Liquorman]

If all the polititians will wear a foreign object under their skins to see how this really feels (say on the nape of the neck) for a few years, then I might be willing to take a look at how great these microchips really are. I have had many pets, for many years, and have been able to keep them safe without any monitoring except from me. I think that I prefer to go on this way. Incidentally, there is not a veterinarian or retailer that will look at my pesticide-free bathing and grooming treatment program. News media has ignored me since 1992. Wonder why that is? Never mind that my own two cats have been flea-free in Florida since before I wrote my KEEP FLEAS OFF guide. My process just plain eliminates the need for flea products. I keep my two cat flea-free and I spend about 10 a year to do so. That works out to about 10 cents per week per cat. My program would not be profitable for the chemical industry, veterinarians, pet stores and many other retailers. But it does make life easier for dogs, cats, other furry pets and for owners with limited imcomes.

[Moose]

Thought I would check in and thank those of you who work so hard to help our canines.

[yasuko]

This report really talk about what is problems for this bill and make people think if it is good bill or not. Other than mandatory microtip, are there any regulation all pets owners get effected? I read somewhere about breeder's license and fine and spay/neuter issue..Something like that.Would you tell me more detail about this bill?I looked up on the internet but I could not find good linkl so, I am not that knowledgeable for this bill. I am from VA.
thank you

[Robin Souers]

Your essay brings to light yet another chilling dimension in the symbiotic love affair between big government and the commercial data industry. This is especially significant to me because I happen to be all of the following:
1) a lifelong dog lover and hobby breeder of one of the "pitbull" breeds targeted by BSL;
2) a federal employee (DoD)
3) a victim of precisely the type of malfeasant and dehumanizing acts spawned by this unholy alliance.
Suffice it to say that I have been following with great interest (read: an axe to grind) the process of litigation involving Choicepoint, a very big dog in the struggle to contol the nation's databank while positioning itself for some mutual back-scratching with dear old Uncle Sam.
I realize that this is supposed to be about your soapbox and not mine, but the implications are the same in either case and truly frightening. For those of us who are like-minded, another excellent read can be found at: http://docs.law.gwu.edu/facweb/dsolove/Privacy-Power.pdf
Thank you for sharing your insight.

[Donna Barnett]

Am I the only one who has thought of responding to AKC where it really hurts?
I know that a boycott would be impossible, but why not, just this once, boycot Westminster? This would be a HUGE embarrassment, and might get our message across.
Without the support from the people who spend so much money via entry fees, hunt tests, obedience trials, and litter registrations, AKC would cease to exist as we know it today.
Now, with the newer venues around, there is no reason that AKC has to be the only place to register and validate our dogs.

[Gail Marschak]

Why won't you take this story to the National Network Televisions? Please expose this for what it is and let them defend themselves.

We need all the assistance we can to "kill this bill".

[Jaime Garcia]

I believe there are many reasons for these orgs to come together, but I dont feel it is as united a front as one might expect.

Animal Rights orgs such as PETA and HSUS goals are to stop us from owning domesticated animals. Stop us from using hunting dogs, and some day to no longer be able to walk into a store and eat meat.

They dont care if you walk into a pet store and purchase a poor specimen for a high price, as much as they care about having their hand in legislation and changing things so that THEY get to tell you what your rights are.

The AVMA now they are a scary group, and not afraid to use their power to stop low income and poverty stricken people from seeking affordable services for their animals.

I am part of a local organization that for many many years has held low cost vaccination and microchip clinics. They started out holding perhaps three clinics a year to recently having them once a month.

A pet owner can acquire a chip (registration fee included) for $15 and it used to be your vaccinations including Rabies were free for the lifetime of the animal.

Local Veterinarians started grouping together and complaining about our clinics, and the AVMA stepped in and imposed all sorts of stipulations in hopes we wouldnt be able to jump thru those hoops and thus no longer be able to hold low cost clinics.

We now hold clinics every other month and have to hire not only Veterinarians, but the techs as well.

Once they finished with us they moved onto our County Facilities, and stopped them cold in offering vaccinations other than Rabies for the public.

Our organization recieves a grant from a local organization every year and this money we use to hold these clinics. There is of course no profit to us, but it certainly takes away profit for the Vets whom charge outrageous prices for a chip that you still have to pay to register.

So this makes sense that the Animal Rights groups would want this to pass, for they can then not only have their cake but eat it too.

So each organization backing and pushing this bill has their own agenda, but to tack on the profits of microchipping now that the AVMA is controlling the cost of chips, is certainly an added bonus to each ones agenda.....

Pretty scary stuff.....indeed.

[Linda D. Witouski, owner of [email protected]]

A most impressive piece of journalism and insight. Though most of us knew $$$ was a key issue, you have managed to put the puzzle together and I thank you a billion times @ what was that figure ... $12.50 each ?

[Tammy]

Thanks for such a great report. This seems to be leading to - so called last days where only those with a special mark can buy and sell. Micro chipped humans will be scanned for purchases, their every move will be tracked via satellite for easier government control, loss of freedom. May God be with us.

[Vickie Haywood]

I am Speachless...
What an Idea...and all those BIG org's will reap the benifits...so now we know why the vets jumped on board..they are loosing money over the vaccination issue...BIG BROTHER is at work..and the showing hobby breeders loose!!BIG TIME...sold out by the very org;s that we support each weekend with our dog show entry money...
Well At least the CAT people have it right!!!
v

[Carole Pivarnik]

I hope that you have emailed this article to Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Atlantic Monthly, and every other magazine that might give some negative coverage to these organizations trying to strip our freedoms from us one devious step at a time.

[Selma Mulvey]

You make many valid and scary points in this piece.

What's with all the George Orwell-style government these days? When did everybody become a sheep suitable only for chipping and clipping on this continent (it's as bad in Canada, where I live)? When did people stop generalizing and thinking for themselves? It is positively horrifying that this kind of thing is going on. Keep sounding the alarm - your blog is brilliant.

[Bob Kane]

You've done an outstanding reporting job and I feel you've put your finger on why the AKC, despite its customers' strenuous objections, refuses to let go of PAWS and why AVMA is also supporting S1139-HR2669 (PAWS).

There is clearly another planned bill involved and AKC, AVMA, HSUS all stand to hugely benefit if federal or state legislation is passed which makes pet microchipping mandatory, rather than voluntary. Such a law can only be passed if these three parties cooperate and coordinate their efforts to saddle pet owners with forced extra costs and "Big Brother" intrusive government.

Bob Kane, President
Virginia Hunting Dog Owners' Association
http://vhdoa.uplandbirddog.com/
Sportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance -
Working to identify and elect supportive legislators
** NO PAWS **
http://saova.org/1139.html

[Colby Homer:owner of e-list WestVirginiaPetLaw]

This incisive piece neatly fits together all the pieces of the PAWS puzzle! Federalization of animal ownership ties in perfectly with big business..and big profit.
"Show Me the Money" indeed says it all.

[Laurella Desborough]

Thank you for a brilliant analysis of the reasons why PAWS is being put forward and will be supported by many. By connecting the dots between the money and the players, you have shown the PAWS bill to be even more dangerous than we could ever have imagined. This bill is a very serious threat to our privacy and freedom.