Ethics Of Dog Auction Called Into Question
As I read this article I kept seeing in my mind the slave auctions of the 1800’s before slavery was outlawed here in the States. How amazingly scummy!!! And I thought Wisconsin was a better state than this!
This article comes from the WFRV.com.
Dog Auction In Wisconsin Draws Some Protestors
THORP, Wis.– A dog auction held Saturday at a stable near Thorp drew hundreds of people, including some who contended it wasn’t a humane way to sell the animals.
Organizers said about 600 people attended and about 200 dogs were sold. They described the auction as the first of its kind in Wisconsin.
Horst Stables manager Ken Stauffer disputed claims of those who opposed the auction.
“All the dogs we have here are high quality,” Stauffer said. He predicted before the auction that the dogs would go for $100 to $1,000 each.
An animal care inspector from the U.S. Department of Agriculture examined the dogs, he said. He also said the dogs had not been bred for fighting.
According to the bid book, most of the dogs were registered with the American Canine Association or the American Kennel Club.
Auctioneer Kevin Frese said making a purchase at the auction was the same as finding a dog through classified ads, “except here, you’ve got a better selection.”
Michelle Lipski of Oconomowoc said the dogs seemed to be in good health, but she said she was concerned about how they would be treated after being sold.
Those who adopt pets through humane societies often go through a screening process, but at auctions, the highest bidder gets the animal, she said.
“I would bet that some of the people here may be purchasing them for breeding,” she said. “It’s a quality-of-life issue for the dog.”
Lipski and Beth Madunic, also of Oconomowoc, bought 12 dogs and planned to donate them to a local shelter where they would be spayed or neutered and then placed in good homes, Lipski said.
