Dispatches (VIII): A Dog’s Life in Wisconsin

Or, don’t lose your dog in Wisconsin.


Just one of the odd bits of legislation winding through Madison, WI. From AB40:

SECTION 2704. 174.13 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
174.13 (2) Any officer or pound which has custody of an unclaimed dog may
release the dog to the University of Wisconsin System, the University of
Wisconsin–Madison, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc., or to any other
educational institution of higher learning chartered under the laws of the state and
accredited to the University of Wisconsin System or University of
Wisconsin–Madison, upon requisition by the institution.

The requisition shall be in
writing, shall bear the signature of an authorized agent, and shall state that the dog
is requisitioned for scientific or educational purposes. If a requisition is made for a
greater number of dogs than is available at a given time, the officer or pound may
supply those immediately available and may withhold from other disposition all
unclaimed dogs coming into the officer’s or pound’s custody until the requisition is
fully discharged, excluding impounded dogs as to which ownership is established
within a reasonable period. A dog left by its owner for disposition is not considered
an unclaimed dog under this section. If operated by a county, city, village or town,
the officer or pound is entitled to the payment of $1 for each dog requisitioned. An
institution making a requisition shall provide for the transportation of the dog.

It’s been pointed out the bill only adds UW Madison to the list of organizations that can purchase dogs, but I’m compelled to wonder about the motivation for this measure, given UW-Madison doesn’t rely upon purchases of strays [1]. Perhaps, the hope is that local governments can rely upon the sales of stray dogs to help offset the multi-million dollar reductions in state funding of local governments, as proposed in Governor Walker’s budget.


I have not seen any formal estimates of the fiscal impact of this measure.

8 thoughts on “Dispatches (VIII): A Dog’s Life in Wisconsin”

  2. beezer

    There’s a market for everything Menzie. Might as well have the government use its power to gain a piece of the action.
    As for morality and ethics, how many times must we be reminded they are irrelevant considerations.

  3. gene

    As I started to read this post, I was hoping that MC was going to support humane treatment of dogs. Alas, he is simply continuing his support for big government and lots of government spending.

  5. Ivars

    My view, expressed in following simple February 6th DJIA and Oil charts for 2011-2012. USA will have to tighten soon, leading to second recession in q4 2011-q1 2012 and all 2012-2013. Except, oil will not go down, but up, because of continuing supply disruptions due to widening political instability in all ( except Norway) oil exporter countries. The inflation will be not there, so other commodities may well take a pause. But NOT oil. Recession in the USA starting in q1 2012 (and elsewhere) will only make a small dip in oil prices ( down to 2012 April Brent 135-150 USD/bbl).
    http://saposjoint.net/Forum/download/file.php?id=2608
    http://saposjoint.net/Forum/download/file.php?id=2609
    Just two charts, clear picture. The punctuated supply disruption events multiplies by reduced investment in extraction capacity is responsible for swings in oil price.
    If there is correlation between DJIA change and GDP growth, the coming USA recession in q1 2012 and beyond will be minus 2%-4% quarter on quarter annually.
    USD will stay strong, and military protection in general and especially of Oil resources will be bought in the USD. There will be no USD hyperinflation, thanks to Oil prices taking out energy of QE xxx and further fiscal deficits as they will only pay for Oil, not growth.
    This is an endgame for monetary and fiscal easing.
    As it does not have any argument left in it. Which it never had, but now everyone sees it.

  6. ivars

    And so the biggest farce in US politics so far in 2011 (absent of course from the whole debt [ceiling|target] debate, not to mention the ridiculous budget, but those are topics for another day) is about to come to an end. After earlier tonight the Wisconsin Senate used a “procedural move on Wednesday to pass the proposal without the Democrats present” thereby rendering their three week long self-appointed exile to Illinois moot, “the leader of Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate says his caucus will return to the state, but he won’t say when.” The loophole used by the Republicans is that in lieu of passing the full budget bill, lacking a Democrat vote for a quorum, they instead formed a special committee to isolate only the collective bargaining portions of the bill and passed it with just 19 votes. The Seattle Times reports: “the floor session lasted just minutes, and the state Assembly is scheduled to take up the measure on Thursday morning. That’s the last step before it can go to Walker for his signature. Senate Democratic leader Mark Miller of Monona says Democrats will “join the people of Wisconsin in taking back their government,” but he refused to say when.” In other words, the first attempt at forced austerity in the US is about to be enacted. What happens next will likely not be pretty as it suddenly becomes evident that the whole “cost-cutting” thing that is so popular in Europe is about to really come to the world’s most entitled country.

  7. westslope

    In some First Nation communities here in British Columbia, they have dog day, where owners keep their pets inside and a few braves hunt and shoot dead the stray dogs.

  8. Ivars

    From www. zerohedge.com:
    While the signature of Governor Walker to the Bill that had passed both the Senate and the Assembly, was inevitable, it is now also history. The first shot across the bow at America’s unions is now official. What happens in Wisconsin next is anyone’s guess. Probably nothing much. And any union member who may consider protesting today should carefully evaluate whether they should be doing so at the Senate building or on Wall Street/D.C. where the root of America’s insolvency, and all of its financial problems stems from.

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