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From Cindy Marx-Sanders with the Anti Cruelty Taskforce (ACT) www.actmemphis.com.
I am pleased to announce that the Agricenter, due to public pressure, has cancelled the upcoming Pet Expo and has also cancelled ALL future bookings of the W.D. Brown Pet Expos. From what I was told Mr. Brown was also not happy about bringing his show here because of the negative publicity.
All of the letters, phone calls and the upcoming protest WORKED!
Everyone who wrote, called or planned to attend the protest. Give yourself a big pat on the back. This is just one example of what can happen when we come together and work with each other to create a better world for the animals.
Let's keep an eye out on the Agricenter and all venues in Memphis so that if they try to sneak one by us, WE WILL BE READY!
On September 27 and 28 the Pet Expo will be selling hundreds of puppies and birds at the Memphis Agricenter. These sales will continue to occur every few months. Fortunately for the City of Memphis, The Memphis Flea Market at the Fairgrounds agreed to stop selling puppies and cats due to concerns over puppy mills. Also the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville decided to ban the sale of animals because they do not know the conditions they are raised in. The Agricenter is on public land and the building is owned by the public. They have been supported financially by both Shelby County and the state with millions of taxpayer's dollars. This is taxpayer's dollars, and we should have a say in what they are selling on public land. The Humane Society is located within a short distance, and they are already overburdened with unwanted animals. If the City of Memphis wants to be perceived as progressive then we should stop the sale of pets on public property. Please contact the Shelby County Commissioners and the Shelby County Agricenter Commission and request that sale of pets not be permitted at the Agricenter.
If you write to the Shelby County Commissioners as a group, a copy will be placed in each Commissioner's mail box. District 1, George Flinn, Mike Carpenter and Mike Ritz, handle Shelby Farms.
Shelby County Commission
160 N. Main
Suite 450
Memphis, TN 38103
This is a sample letter. Please copy and forward to Mayor Wharton, the Shelby County Commissioners, and the Shelby County Agricenter Commission. Also include your name and address.Dear ___________,
It has come to my attention that the Agricenter has scheduled several Pet Expos, the next to be held September 27 & 28. The last Expo contained thousands of birds and puppies for sale. It is shocking to me that the Agricenter is renting space to an Expo that sells animals, while less than a half mile away, The Humane Society is trying to find homes for the many unwanted, unloved animals in our city.
Recently several articles have been published in The Commercial Appeal regarding the progressive future of Shelby Farms, a park hopefully that will rival Central Park. How ironic that just across the road, on the same county property, something so un-progressive and potentially harmful to our community is taking place.
Each year thousands of animals are euthanized because of Shelby County's overpopulation of animals. Why county land is being used to add to the overpopulation is incomprehensible. The Memphis Flea Market banned puppy and cat sales based on public concern over the potential for puppy mills. The Tennessee State Fairgrounds banned the sale of animals and cancelled their upcoming Pet Expo (the same company that is scheduled for Memphis) because Executive Director Buck Dozier had no proof of puppy mill activity but stated he did not want to "take the chance". Many counties in the state of Texas have banned sale of live animals on public property and right-of-ways. The results are less animal over-population and fewer irresponsible breeders of pets. These bans are occurring in many states, and should be enacted in Tennessee.
This is a request that the Agricenter stop allowing Pet Expos and pet sales on county property, our county property. If Shelby County is to proceed on it's current progressive path, the sale of pets must stop. This is not progressive and leads to more unwanted animals and the use of tax dollars to care for/euthanize them.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS
Below is a list of the Agricenter Board. The bottom five are the most important to contact.
AGRICENTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS
John Charles Wilson, Agricenter International, President
Marsh Campbell, Chairman of the Board; Regions Bank, Senior Vice-President
Thomas F. "Bud" Hughes, Vice-Chairman & Farm Research Chair; Verdant Partners, LLC
Randy Graves, Treasurer & Finance Committee Chair; Ducks Unlimited, Chief Financial Officer
Brad Champlin, Secretary & Goverment Affairs Chair; Regions Bank, Retired
Lee Todd, Past Chairman & Nominating Committee Chair; Southern Cotton Ginners, Retired
Joseph F. Ackermann, III, Technology Chair; University of Phoenix
Steve Bares, Long Term Strategic Planning Chair; Memphis Biotech Foundation
Mike Dennison, Education Chair; Shelby County Agricultural Extension Service, Director
Penny Estes, Main Complex Chair
Bill Gillon, Legal Committee Chair; Gillon Law Office
Richard S. Hollis, Jr., Property Use Chair; Hollis & Burns Insurance, President
Ron Carlsson, Catch 'em Lake Chair; USA Woods, International, Inc.
Joe McKinnon, Show Place Arena Chair; Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation
Deb Nichols, Marketing & Media Chair; Cousins Properties
Steve Shields, Human Resource Chair; Jackson, Shields, & Yeiser
John Shelton Wilder, Jr., RV Park/Farmer's Market Chair; Longtown Supply Co. Inc., Manager
Charles Askew, C.D. Askew Company Realtors, President
Dorothy Cleaves, Paragon National Bank, Vice-President Private Banking
Lewis Fort, Regional Medical Center
Joe Gaines, TN Dept. of Ag, Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture
Willie German, Willie German Equipment Company
David Hawkins, Helena Chemical Company
Mike Karst, Entira
B. Lee Mallory, The Mallory Group, Executive Vice-President
Bill Mayfield, USDA, CSREES, Retired
Fletcher F. Maynard, Jr., SunTrust Bank, Retired
Elton Robinson, Jr., Delta Farm Press, Editor
Kenneth "Ray" Sneed, Sneed Brothers Farms, Partner
Plato Touliatos, Trees by Touliatos
Shelby County Agricenter Commission
Hamilton Smythe, III, Chairman; Premier Transportation
Martin S. Belz, Vice Chairman; Belz Enterprises
Morice Haskins; First TN Bank, Retired
Kenneth Plunk; Union Planters Bank, Retired
William L. Taylor; TVA, Retired
