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3/21/10
On 3/20/10 Chico, Wesley and I made the three hour drive from Kansas
City AND Kyle XVX, and his partner Jamaica, made the 1.5 hour drive from
Springfield, MO to Goodman, MO to engage in an unprecedented protest
against the Hunte Corporation, the largest puppy mill broker in the US.
Weather conditions were treacherous, to say the least–which prevented
most of our activist allies from joining us. Our KC contingency
encountered snow and dangerous road conditions on the way down and back,
counting at least 50 vehicles that had gone off the road, some
seriously damaged. By the time we hit Butler, MO on the trip home,
conditions were blizzard-like and it was touch and go most of the rest
of the way. Kyle and Jamaica were contending with hazardous driving
conditions as well.
Fortunately, when we arrived in Goodman, there was no snow, but we
did encounter a very cold rain and several law enforcement officers
(including a state trooper, a local Goodman constable, and a county
sheriff whom you will see in the video). We were also confronted by a
Hunte Corporation employee, also captured on our video, who spent a good
deal of time in his car videoing us as we trekked through Goodman.
Hunte had hired several security henchmen who followed us around in
white F-350 pick-ups and tried to intimidate us.
As you will see in the video, due to weather conditions and the small
turnout, we decided that in lieu of a protest we would “knock on
Hunte’s front door” with a request to tour their facility.
In this video, dressed as the “anarchist love bunny” (we wanted to be
certain that Hunte had no trouble IDing us as AR activists upon our
arrival–and sure enough, the sheriff addressed me as “Mr. Miller” with
no introduction), I explain our reason for wanting a tour of Hunte Corp:
Due to less-than-ideal conditions (weather and otherwise), the audio
is weak and the video footage is rough. So in summary, what I said was
that essentially we wanted to tour the Hunte Corporation to verify that
they were keeping their promise, as pledged on their own website:
http://www.huntecorp.com/New%20Facility.aspx
“The next time you visit Goodman, Missouri, you’ll see
that The Hunte Corporation has really grown. This new 100,000 sq. ft.
distribution and manufacturing site is the largest, most advanced puppy
care facility in the world. No effort has been spared to provide
America’s best purebred puppies with the superior nutrition, sanitation
and individual attention they deserve…..Doing what’s right for puppies.”
And I also said that we wanted to deliver the message to the world
(via the Fox news affiliate who covered our visit but who failed to
include even a sound-bite from the interview they did with me that
presented our side—as you will see, their “news” segment turned out to
be 47 seconds of free advertising for Hunte) that regardless of how
humanely Hunte MIGHT be treating the puppies in its facility, their very
existence as a facilitator of puppy mills and breeders that mass
produce dogs in a world that is highly over-populated with domesticated
canines is a moral abomination. MILLIONS of shelter dogs, like Chico, go
unadopted and die each year because the Hunte Corporation and its
suppliers profit from commodifying dogs and convincing an ill-informed
public to purchase puppies from retail pet stores like the malevolent
Petland, Hunte’s largest customer. The most important point that we
wanted to convey was for people to “ADOPT; DON’T BUY!”
As you will see in the next video, Hunte Corporation was less than
accommodating when we asked for a tour of their “state-of-the-art”
facility:
Were they maintaining their promise and “doing what’s right for
puppies,” they would have been eager to allow skeptical animal defenders
(and the media–the Fox reporter did confirm after his interview with
Steve Rook of Hunte Corporation that they did NOT give him a tour
either) to have a look at their facility, which they tout as a veritable
Disneyland for dogs.
They obviously have something to hide, as we concluded here when we
got the “official no” via a cell phone call from Hunte’s president,
Steve Rook (who’s married to Jessica Hunte, founder Andrew Hunte’s
daughter—can you say nepotism?) to the sheriff:
Aside from drawing the logical conclusion that Hunte’s secrecy and
defensiveness clearly demonstrate that they have much to hide, we also
have myriad credible sources which cite specific aspects of the Hunte
Corporation, its operation and its actions that prove that Hunte is
morally bankrupt and thus has much to hide from the public:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Hunte_Corporation
[According to Mr. Rook, his business operates in the
"stratosphere of integrity". However, the company received an "F" rating
from the Southwest Missouri Better Business Bureau for failing to
address customer complaints. Although he could not verify breeders who
supplied specific stores, he insisted that:
"There are only two acceptable sources for our puppies at
the Hunte Corporation. They include small-time "hobby breeders" and
"USDA-registered and licensed and inspected breeders."
He also refused to provide names or information about breeders:
"The (USDA) is required to by law. And if they find that
there is something that should be repaired to improve the quality of the
facility, they give that breeder 30 or 40 days to fix that." [11]
USDA certified puppy mills
There are only about a hundred USDA inspectors to monitor
10,000 facilities across the country, ranging from research labs to
zoos. Furthermore, “standards” are abysmal. Federal guidelines allow a
medium sized terrier to be kept in a cage the size of a clothes drier
for its entire life. The federal Animal Welfare Act is hardly the gold
standard for compassion. For example, the act does not say you cannot
have 300 dogs confined to cages for their entire lives; never to be
taken for a walk or receive any personal attention, let alone be a part
of a family. A breeder passes USDA muster as long as the dog has food,
water and enough space to turn around.
USDA standards are very minimal. Adhering to them does
not prove that a breeder is not a puppy mill. Even more so, since even
these standards are often not enforced. Many licensed breeders for large
chains like Petland, have significant violations. [12] See also puppy
mills.”]
It’s interesting to note that even the profit-motivated champions of
capitalist exploitation at the Better Business Bureau have given Hunte
an “F.” And Source Watch’s revelations about the gross inadequacy of the
USDA welfare laws and enforcement completely negate Steve Rook’s
mendacious justification for Hunte Corp’s miserable existence and claim
that Bite Club’s “accusations are false and out of line.”
Watch Hunte President Steve Rook’s pathetically transparent attempt to legitimize evil
And here’s more
Hunte malevolence from Source Watch:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Hunte_Corporation
[Clean water & waste citation for trenches of dead
puppies
When the Missouri Department of Natural Resources made a
complaint driven investigation of a Hunte kennel facility in 2003, they
discovered "trenches of dead canines" on the premises. According to
department spokesperson Mark Rader, most facilities bury dogs in
landfills. It is rare for a kennel to bury so many dogs on site. He did
not know how the dogs died:
"The kennel was close to violating the state's dead
animal disposal laws, which allow no more than 1,000 pounds of dead
animals to be buried per acre."
The company was cited for clean water and waste
violations. [14] Apparently, no other investigation or inquiries were
made regarding into the “trenches of dead canines” by the state of
Missouri.
What happens to imperfect puppies?
If the company was “close to violating” a law that allows
“no more than 1,000 pounds of dead animals per acre”, how many “dead
canines” (specifically, puppies) were found? Many or perhaps most of
these puppies were likely popular small and toy breeds that weigh no
more than a few pounds each. They would have been approximately 8 weeks
(the “standard” age for puppies purchased by the company). All the more
strange as puppies spend one to five days maximum at the facility and
are screened (presumably for illness and other “defects”) before being
purchased by Hunte. Hunte’s puppies are “guaranteed”. However, at 90,000
puppies per year processed through the Hunte assembly line, even very
small percentage of “unsellable” puppies would translate into hundreds
or thousands. This does not even take into account their breeding
parents; at the mercy of miserable AKC and USDA approved puppy mills
across the mid west.
Many puppies die within days of reaching the store from
illness or lack of nourishment or soon after being purchased. A pet
store has no motivation to treat them, as they receive “credit” for dead
puppies. If they buy a puppy for 100 dollars or less, than can sell it,
along with its AKC “papers”; for $600 and up. Sometimes, the customer
often does not have the option of a refund, only credit for another
puppy. In the pet trade, it makes little sense to spend hundreds of
dollars on a 60 dollar puppy. [15] In some cases, people or
organizations step in to rescue a “defective” dog. However, in the world
of puppy mills, pet stores and brokers, unmarketable puppies are
usually dumped in over burdened shelters, killed or simply allowed to
die. [16]
Hunte truck fire kills 60 puppies
In August of 2006, a tractor trailer from the Hunte
Corporation delivering puppies to New England pet stores, caught fire in
Lowell Mass., after a thousand mile trip from Goodman, Mo. By the time
the fire department arrived, the flames had burned through the roof.
Investigators searched the charred 40 foot trailer, which suffocated 60
puppies before firefighters arrived. The fire was attributed to an
overheated ceiling fan. According to Fire Chief Patrick McCabe:
“We got the fire knocked down, but it was already too
late. There was no hope for saving the puppies.”
According to state police spokes person Robert Bousquet, no charges were
filed, but his department planned on an “involved investigation to make
sure that there was nothing that was inappropriate.” The state fire
marshal and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals also planned to investigate. According to USDA spokesman Darby
Holladay, the department had no “prior enforcement” against Hunte, but
was looking into possible Animal Welfare Act (AWA) violations. The
company did not return repeated calls for comment. All of the
approximately 5 dozen 8 to 12 week old puppies housed in cages inside
the air-conditioned aluminum trailer died in the fire. The driver,
Joseph Price of Joplin Mo. was driving on an access road when he
received a radio call from another truck driver alerting him of flames
coming from the back of his truck. Another driver, William Iriarte, 50,
of Nesho, Mo., was also in the truck. State Police cited the driver and
Hunte with three unrelated violations for defective brakes and an
expired inspection. According to Stephanie Shain of the Humane Society
of the United States (HSUS), the dog’s deaths highlight problems in the
national puppy trade:
“There might not have been anything they could have
knowingly done to prevent this, that will be determined by the police;
but the way to prevent a similar incident like this from happening again
is to quit carting thousands of puppies around the country in
tractor-trailers every day. The journey is too long, and they’re moving
them like they’re cartons of toasters.” [17]
Class action lawsuit against Petland & Hunte
In March of 2009, HSUS members and other consumers filed a
class action lawsuit against Petland and the Hunte Corporation for
conspiring to sell unhealthy mill puppies to unsuspecting consumers in
20 states. The lawsuit was filed in the federal district court in
Phoenix. According to Jonathan Lovvorn, vice president and chief counsel
for Animal Protection Litigation at HSUS, many of Petland’s puppies
come from mills, with the Hunte Corporation acting as a middleman.
According to reports resulting from HSUS’s 9 month investigation,
Petland used deceptive sales and marketing to sell puppies with
life-threatening genetic defects and highly contagious parasitic and
viral infections. The 34-page complaint included numerous examples of
sick and dying puppies.
Petland denied supporting substandard facilities and
claimed to follow “Humane Care Guidelines” developed in conjunction with
the USDA. However, the USDA informed HSUS in writing that it had no
record of any such guidelines. The law suit requested a jury trial and
reimbursement of the puppies’ purchase price with compensation for all
related monetary damages for the class members. [18]
On August 7, 2009, Judge David G. Campbell of the Arizona
federal district court dismissed the plaintiffs’ complaint against
Petland and Hunte Corporation. The plaintiffs were given the option of
refiling the Petland complaint, but must add allegations. According to
the judge’s decision, the plaintiffs did not establish that Petland and
Hunte had a duty to inform customers that their puppies were from mills;
thus could not sue the companies for non-disclosure. The judge did not
allow oral argument. [19]
Hunte owned Petlands & other companies
Hunte’s president Steve Rook is married to Andrew Hunte’s
daughter, Jessica. The Hunte family own a diversified network of
companies incorporated in Missouri under names like JessAnd
(Jessica/Andrew) and JesStevAnd and JesSteve and own Petlands in
Missouri and Kansas. [20] Jessica (Hunte) Rook operates Petland
franchises in Springfield, Independence and Joplin Missouri and Olathe,
Kansas.]
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of our action against Hunte was
our discovery of the overwhelming disdain, and in some cases, outright
hatred, that the Hunte Corporation’s neighbors have for the company and
for Andrew Hunte. After Hunte denied our request to see their “doggy
Shangri-La,” we went door to door to educate nearby residents about
Hunte. Being in a town of 2,000 people, which is essentially Andrew
Hunt’s personal fiefdom, we fully anticipated a very hostile reception
from locals. However, each person with whom we spoke expressed a strong
distaste for Hunte and one man even quipped that “Andrew
Hunte belongs in jail.”
Don’t let Steve Rook’s Fox news infomercial fool you. Hunte
Corporation is evil and we need to shut it down. Remember, he’s a
multi-millionaire fighting to perpetuate the flow of bloody lucre into
his bank account, regardless of how many sentient beings suffer and die
in the process.
And remember, Adopt; don’t buy!
Additional
references citing Hunte’s cruelty and moral turpitude:
http://www.petstorecruelty.org/Hunte%20Corp.htm
http://www.caps-web.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=169&Itemid=207&report_id=145
http://www.caps-web.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=169&Itemid=207&report_id=147
http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/Bunnie.html
http://www.puppymillssuck.com/huntepresentation/
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/companion-animal-breeding/article/620
RAGE, the anarcho-vegan collective behind this blog, is
Radicals against Greed and Exploitation….
RAGE will never surrender, and as our recent communiqué to
our 20,000 strong network of allies reads, “We will not be intimidated!”
RAGE is Sunil Potnis, Judy Levy, George Albayan, Colin Biroc,
Kyle XVX, Stacey Rakic, Jason Miller, Kiantha Shadduck, Lane Ferrante,
Dominique Landis, Michael Bishop, Jennifer Bowman, Jo Walsh, Carmen
Vegan Fight, Jen Strickler-Renstrom, Sarah Strickler, Christy Melanson,
and Ricky Setticase
Contact RAGE and join our email subscribers’ list at willpowerful@hotmail.com.
AND
Visit RAGE’s blogs and our Facebook and My Space pages at:
Thomas Paine’s Corner:
http://thomaspainescorner.wordpress.com/
Bite Club of KC:
http://biteclubkc.wordpress.com/
Canine Crusaders:
http://caninecrusaders.wordpress.com/
The Right to Keep and Arm Bears:
http://gahc.wordpress.com/
Until Every Closet is Empty:
http://emptyclosets.wordpress.com/
Castrating the Patriarchy:
http://castthepat.wordpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=256337460768&ref=ts&v=info#!/pages/fight-for-animal-rights/104290676526?ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=328897505546&ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=333999894586&ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=272047424730&ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=333472792621&ref=ts
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http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=392391740131&ref=mf#!/group.php?gid=371213506837&ref=ts
http://www.myspace.com/anarchovegan
http://www.myspace.com/justice4kids
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