Trend: Bowtie Press (owner of Reptiles Magazine)

[Hypancistrus]

My partner and I keep a wide variety of pets, and we subscribe to nearly every magazine that Bowtie Press, the company that owns Reptiles Magazine, offers, including Dog and Cat Fancy and Bird Talk. We also read their yearly periodicals-- Birds USA, Critters USA, Reptiles USA, etc.

I'm becoming deeply disturbed by trends I am seeing in the other magazines besides Reptiles. The worst article by far came from the September 2010 issue of Cat Fancy. It has a purple cover with a grey British Shorthair on the front, if you'd like to see for yourself.

On page 28 of this issue, there is an article entitled "Dream Jobs [With Cats]" and in it, the author details a new college degree being offered by the "Humane Society University, a division of the HSUS, in conjunction with Duquene University...." This degree will be in the field of "humane leadership" and, ironically, will train students to be animal shelter directors. Very ironic, considering the HSUS doesn't operate a single animal shelter, and, the one time in recent memory that they tried (Hurricane Katrina) it was an epic disaster.

So now, not only are the humaniacs directly targeting children and young, college age adults with websites and propaganda, they are going to take a direct role in their education... that is probably the scariest thing I've heard in a while.

Today, while reading through Birds USA, I also noticed that they quoted the Humane Society on pet bird care and selection in one of the articles (page 88).

I cannot for the life of me understand why Bowtie Press is going this route. Reptiles Magazine regularly posts USARK updates and updates on the fight against the current anti-reptile bills, and has contributions from people like Bill Love, who are active in the fight against the HSUS and anti-pet legislation.... why then are they allowing the people proposing and pushing these anti-pet bills to be active contributors to their other pet magazines??

And why can't people understand? Once they finish off our hobby, the HSUS will not be content to let bird and tropical fish keepers alone. They WILL go after them next... they tried to do so all at once with HR 669. Have people so easily and quickly forgotten??

Needless to say, I am irritated. I will be writing a letter today and mailing it off to the main company and each magazines editors. If this trend continues, so help me, I will cancel my subscription to every magazine Bowtie sells, and put that money into other companies that know who the enemy is and won't give them press space.