A 30-minute minute video and an accompanying website about puppy mills, scheduled for airing tonight on the town’s BCTV public-access channel, has been removed from public viewing, the chair of the animal shelter said in an interview last night.
The action came after Town Attorney William H. Clendenen, Jr., at the request of First Selectman Unk DaRos, sent a cease-&-desist letter to Lori Nicholson, the chair of the Dan Cosgrove Animal Commission and commission members. Click here to read our earlier story.
Clendenden said the 30- minute video and a website produced by the Commission entitled BranfordSaysNo were created without permission from the town. In the letter, Clendenen stated emphatically that “the commission and any commission member purporting to officially act on behalf of the town or the commission or the shelter must cease any such activity immediately. Accordingly you must immediately remove the commission’s name from all material associated in any way with this BranfordSaysNo organization,” he wrote.
As it turned out, both Nicholson and several other members of the Commission individually introduced themselves as commissioners on the video before making their statements. It would have been impossible to remove every reference to every commission member, Nicholson said in an interview.
“We are now editing it. We will be removing all reference to the town of Branford, the shelter and the commission. Until we re-edit to comply with the town attorney’s letter, we have put the Clendenen letter on the screen in a continuing loop.” She said the video also contains live footage of actual puppy mills, showing how the dogs live in crates and cages, piled atop one another. The females spend their lives in numerous cycles of procreation.
Nicholson also said in an interview that as of yesterday the USDA is now imposing oversight and inspections on large breeders who sell puppies via the internet, mail, or phone, a major accomplishment, she said, in bringing control to the puppy mill pet industry. Until this new law, companies using internet, mail or phone, were exempt from oversight.
DaRos finally saw the video this week. He said in an interview there were many, many references to the town, the shelter and the animal commission, even though the commission had no permission to include these entities on the video.
DaRos said he approved of putting Clendenen’s letter on BCTV as a way of explaining to the station’s viewers why the video was not being aired, he said. The video was supposed to air tonight beginning at 8:30 p.m. and during other time slots in conjunction with National Puppy Mill Awareness Day on Sept. 22.
Nicholson said the new video will identify commission members as Branford residents or some such description. “It will be neutral. We will redo it. We have live footage from one of the puppy mill sources,” she said, adding it was powerful material.
All Pets Reaction
The only store in Branford that sells puppies for retail profit is All Pet’s Club at 479 East Main St. One of the store’s owners, Jerry Pleban, told DaRos last week that he intended to sue the town if the video aired. He complained that his business was down.
David L. Boomer, a lobbyist with The Kowalski Group, attended the commission’s meeting last night in the expectation that the video issue would be raised. But it was not. Neither Nicholson nor any commissioner attending the meeting raised the issue of the day. As a result there was no discussion at the meeting and no vote was taken on the Nicholson’s decision to remove the video and do another one.
Boomer, whose lobbying firm represents the interests of the pet industry, including All Pets Club, did not know of Nicholson’s decision to remove the video because it was not mentioned at the meeting. He learned about it during our interview today. Asked about possible legal action at this juncture, he took a wait and see attitude. Legal action, he said, is not imminent, but he did not rule it out in the future.
“We will see what happens with the video and on some other items,” he said. He did not elaborate on the “other items,” but said legal action is still an option.
As for the animal commissioners becoming residents on a new video, Boomer suggested that Nicholson “go to each commissioner and say, ‘Given this letter by the town attorney do you still want to be identified as part of this video?’ She owes that to each commissioner.” He said the video “has almost been tainted at this point. Maybe some of the commissioners would decide not to be on the video.”
This is not the first time that the All Pets Club has faced issues about selling sick pure-bred puppies. Protestors have demonstrated outside the store in 2011 and 2012. Pleban has denied selling puppy mill puppies; protesters say otherwise. Click here, here, and here for previous stories detailing that debate.
The Clendenen letter was sent to Animal Commission members last Friday. By Monday Nicholson told DaRos and Clendenen that she would comply with the town’s letter. She said yesterday she spoke with Clendenen by phone. They agreed on the steps to be taken regarding the video and the website BranfordSaysNo.
At the end of the now defunct video, DaRos said the names and phone number of the members of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) were listed so that viewers could call their representatives to ask them to adopt an ordinance banning the selling of puppies and other animals at retail stores. That would have put the commission in the position of lobbying for the ordinance, DaRos said.
It would also put the animal commission (and the town) in the position of defining the business model All Pets Club should use in its daily operation. DaRos said he believes individual or organized protest outside a store is one thing. What was new about this situation, he said, was that a town commission took an action that was directly or indirectly aimed against a licensed business.
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It was never the intent of the Commission or any of its commissioner's to dictate what a particular business's business model ought to be. The commissioners were appropriately trying to rid the town of business practices that are adverse to the humane treatment of animals. What other interests would the commissioners of an animal shelter have, for goodness sake? It just so happens that only one establishment in this town happens to engage in the highly distasteful practice of selling dogs manufactured in canine concentration camps, where "breeding stock" live lives of unspeakable pain and misery.
Personally, I'm disappointed in Unk DaRoss for caving in on this. It is entirely appropriate for the Animal Shelter and its commissioners, employees and volunteers to speak out about the terribly cruel practice of commercially breeding puppies for sale. This should not be a controversial topic for a humane commission to take up, and the threats of a lawsuit by Pleban amounts to nothing more than bullying the town into pulling the video. Shame on you, Unk DaRoss for caving on this issue.
But hooray for the Eagle for bringing this entire matter to the attention of the town. Now everyone knows how Pleban is apparently threatened by a little video that exposes his dirty business's secret. Even though he has insisted many times that he doesn't sell puppy mill dogs. Right, so why then did he hire a lawyer to threaten the town for airing a video on the topic? What does that have to do with him?
I would urge anyone who cares about animal welfare to share this story and to boycott All Pets Club and any store anywhere that sells commercially bred puppies.