Stand Up

Posted on October 27, 2004 by J. Paul Jackson 

As many of you may know, the Iams Company teamed up earlier this year with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to present a program called Pet Fest America in various locales across the country. Since the HSUS is one of the largest and most virulent anti-hunting groups in the nation, many sportsman were shocked by this alliance.

Obviously, working with any anti-hunting group such as the HSUS places a company at odds with the hunting dog world. A number of sporting dog groups, including the publishers of The Retriever Journal, stood up and let the company know that this association had the potential to alienate many consumers. In response to this the fine folks at Iams have decided to discontinue their association with the Pet Fest America program.

Like most participants in the retriever trials portion of the Mack's Super Retriever Series I am a hunter and hunting dog owner. As such, I applaud the Iams Company for this decision. I also think that there is a lesson to be learned here. Hunters and sporting dog owners have a voice, but for that voice to be heard we must stand up for the things that we believe in. Next Tuesday I'll have the opportunity to stand up and be heard by going to the polls and casting my ballot. I will certainly do so, and I hope that you will, too.