My Billings Gazette

Here's their latest (the Gazette has a word filter in place, prohibiting the term for female dogs, so "#######" refers to that term):

YELLOWSTONE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE GOING FROM POOPIES TO PUPPIES; NEW LITTERS EXPECTED IN LATE SUMMER
by MONTANA NEWS ASSOCIATION
Syndicated by: Montana News Donald Cyphers Editor-In-Chief

Billings Mt., May 5, 2009--/MNA PRESS/--Billings attorney Liz Honaker, who has previously successfully represented Shady Lane Kennels owner Linda Kapsa in a civil lawsuit against Yellowstone County, is asking the Yellowstone County Attorney’s office some very pointed questions. Questions that Deputy Yellowstone County Attorney Kevin Gillen, of the civil division, apparently doesn’t want the public to know about, as evidenced by his attempted refusal to release Honaker’s letter to the local liberal media.

Yellowstone County must face the fact that their gross miscalculation of the consequences of their raids – according to some, conducted purely to further the political agenda of Animal Rights Fanatic (ARF) Deputy County Attorney Ingrid Rosenquist – has burgeoned into an albatross around the County’s neck. Now, because of this ARF Ingrid Rosenquist, the taxpayers face a bill that is quickly nearing the hundred thousand dollar mark. The County Attorney’s office showed little to no foresight in its rush to attack Linda Kapsa in an effort to bring more attention to a political agenda. Now, the ripple effects of the County’s reckless actions are being felt.

The Yellowstone Valley Kennel Club plans to hold a three day event at METRAPark in June , in which attendance of over more than 125 breeds is advertised. How many of those attending are aware that there have been multiple outbreaks of Parvo among Linda Kapsa’s dogs, resulting in numerous fatalities, while in the County’s custody at METRA?

According to www.workingdog.com: “Parvo is highly contagious to unprotected dogs, and the virus can remain infectious in ground contaminated with fecal material for five months or more if conditions are favorable. Extremely hardy, most disinfectants cannot kill the virus, however chlorine bleach is the most effective and inexpensive agent that works, and is commonly used by veterinarians.
The ease with which infection with Parvo can occur in any unvaccinated dog must be stressed. The virus is extremely hardy in the environment. Withstanding wide temperature fluctuations and most cleaning agents. Parvo can be brought home to your dog on shoes, hands and even car tires. It can live for many months outside the animal. Any areas that are thought to be contaminated with parvo should be thoroughly washed with chlorine bleach diluted 1 ounce per quart of water.”
Now, with a continuance having been granted until the middle of July, the County faces even more complications with the logistics of caring for over 200 dogs that it took without cause. More ##### are pregnant, with litters due at the end of the summer. It looks like Yellowstone County has turned into a puppy mill operation, itself.

Can anyone spot the usual inconsistencies in reporting here?  Hmmm, "more ##### are pregnant, with litters due at the end of the summer". 

When exactly is late summer? According to the almanac, the last day of summer is September 22, 2009 (at 5:19 P.M. EDT, to be exact) when Fall officially starts.

Let's use two examples to determine when litters could be due "at the end of summer", the first we assume "late summer" would be within the first three weeks in September (est.).  Substract, the highest number of days possible for canine gestation in the most unusual, yet plausible, of circumstances (which I described in another post here - canine gestation is normally 63 days, give or take a couple of days, but I am giving the MNA a wide berth in the following examples):

September 13 (3rd week in September) minus 72 days, equals conception date of July 3rd or 4th, 2009.  

Hmmm, it's not July yet, pregnancies haven't occured. No puppies developing in any wombs.

Another example, let's move the "late summer" date up to August 31.  Subtract 72 days, equals conception date of June 20th or 21st, 2009.

Hmmm, it's not June yet, pregnancies haven't occured. No puppies developing in wombs.

The only way any of the Kapsa dogs could be delivering by the "end of summer", would be by conception occuring past the month of June or early July.  Which hasn't happened, since last I checked, we were still in the present, that is, today, May 7, 2009, on Planet Earth.  

"More ##### are pregnant, with litters due at the end of the summer".  So, even if some dogs were pregnant on the first of May, then the "end of summer", to the MNA, must mean approximately July 11, 2009.  I don't know about you, but I kinda hate when my summers are cut short!

Prove it, MNA, I dare you.  Prove that more ##### are pregnant, with litters due at the end of summer.

Oh, and the letter Liz Honaker sent to the county attorney's office, dated May 1, recieved by that office on May 4, posted by me on this blog on May 4, and the Billings Gazette posted on May 5:  Doesn't look like that information was too hard to obtain and release, does it?

While you're at it, MNA, prove that Ingrid Rosenquist is an "Animal Rights Activist (ARF)" in the context of your slandering little scheme.  Could it be that she simply spoke to the legislators and mentioned the Kapsa case as an example of why Bill SB221 should be moved forward and put into law?  Or could it be that you falsely associate her with PETA because they sent a request to her earlier to prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law?   Or could it be that you just continually make stuff up to satisfy your own useless agenda but are not willing to put up your own "proof" and your secret sources?

As for the parvo spiel, you got one thing right, parvo is indeed deadly and can live in the ground for months.  The Yellowstone Valley Kennel Club, if they have any sense at all, will move the show elsewhere, or re-schedule, or cancel altogether.  

If they can't move the show elsewhere, then they had better insist on all the dogs have proof of current vaccination, be in excellent health (with a valid certificate of health by a qualified veterinarian), not allow puppies without a full vaccination series, and commence activities well enough away from the barns currently holding the Kapsa dogs (which should be a completely restricted area).  But that might be just too inconvenient for the show people, so if there is any risk of contracting parvo, it would be due to meandering dog owners and visitors who track the virus on their clothes, shoes, etc across the entire complex and do not take adequate measures to contain the virus.

Thanks for the chuckles, though, on this one:  More of Janet Green stumbling to get YC Comissioner Jim Reno to falter under her rediculous accusations.  At least Reno had class and didn't fall for her scheming tactics.