We just got back from our National. Clooney finished his championship a couple of weeks ago from the bred by exhibitor class despite my handling. Although, he was entered at the National, I did not show him as he is not quite ready for the Best of Breed or Champion class. He did take a fourth in stud dog with two of his barely six month old puppies. As the judge said, the Clooney puppies were too young to really evaluate in the class. Clooney’s mother, Ch. Emjo Arriere did win the brood bitch class and we retired our second brood bitch trophy which must be won three times for permanent possession. The trophies are different LLardo figurines of a young girl with a Cavalier. Beautiful. The girls who have won brood bitch are: Ch. and Can. Ch. Rattlebridge Make Believe, ROM (two times); Ch. Rattlebridge Dutch Treat (two times); and Ch. Emjo Arriere (two times). We are so proud of our girls and of all of our nine ROM titles.

The puppies, Rattlebridge True Spirit and her brother Rattlebridge Truth or Dare conducted themselves very well despite their young age. Truth or Dare took a fourth in Sweepstakes and a second in his regular class. We had a couple of other placements, but did not go this year with anything really ready.

My young friend, Melissa Charbonneau, went with me. We had fun meeting friends and socializing. Melissa lives in Florida and has been coming us to visit us since she was twelve. She is now sixteen, brilliant student, and very pretty with a great sense of humor. After waiting for the right puppy to come along, she now owns and is going to show Clooney’s adorable first daughter, R. True Spirit.

Ted Crawford and I addressed everybody before the Best of Breed competition. We reminded all about the danger of California Bill 1634 and how it could spread throughout the country. The animal rights and anti breeding activists are well organized and doing their fanatic best to push this bill through. Below are some interesting things for you to read and act upon to help us stem the spread of anti dog legislation which will really affect our civil right to own dogs. Read the Pet Data material in the Blue Dog State newsletter; it will frighten you to think that our rights can be taken away even in the United States:

http://bluedogstate.blogspot.com/

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PLEASE CHECK UPCOMING LEGISLATION IN YOUR COMMUNITIES AND CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS. PLEASE WRITE THE LEGISLATORS IN CALIFORNIA NOW TO REGISTER YOUR OPPOSITION TO AB1634. IF YOU GO TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA WEBSITE, YOU WILL FIND LISTED ALL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.

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AND MORE AND VERY IMPORTANT FROM THE AKC CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD:

Following, please find the May Chairman’s Report.

Regards,

AKC Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: May 8, 2007

Contact: Daisy Okas

Phone: 212-696-8343

MAY CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

New York, NY – Since February we have been waging a legislative battle
against California Assembly Bill 1634 which would require mandatory
spaying/neutering for all dogs over 4 months of age unless the owner
qualifies for and purchases an intact dog permit through the local
authorities.

This would mean that those wishing to keep their dogs intact would be at
the whim of municipalities, who, under the bill’s provisions, can set
the fees for such permits.

So, what appears as an “exception” for purebred dog owners and breeders,
will result in higher fees for responsible dog owners and breeders.
California state law already requires that dog licenses for intact
animals cost twice as much as those for spayed or neutered animals.

Immediately after this bill was introduced AKC began an aggressive,
pro-active grassroots effort to get the word out about our opposition to
this bill. We have continually posted updated legislative alerts on our
web site and provided resources such as fliers, sample letters and
talking points via our “CA Spay/Neuter Action Center” on the home page.
We have also rung the alarm far and wide by individually contacting
2,000 California club officers, legislative liaisons, judges, and
Delegates as well as alerting 90,000 AKC-registrants in addition to more
than 14,750 who recently registered a litter urging them to oppose this
bill.

AKC President and CEO Dennis Sprung and I each sent a letter to
Assemblyman Mike Eng, Chairman of the Business and Professions Committee
where the bill was scheduled for a hearing detailing our opposition. I
also sent a letter to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger,
reiterating the damage this bill could inflict on responsible dog owners
and breeders and the revenue that would be lost to the state should he
sign this bill into law.

Our early efforts helped to secure a postponement on a vote to move the
bill out of committee on April 10. I believe our unified voice of
opposition from the fancy directly affected this action.

Because we understood the importance of the bill and the far-reaching
effect it might have on other states, AKC sent staff member Sarah
Sprouse from AKC’s Canine Legislation department and AKC legislative
consultant Stephanie Lane to the April 24 hearing in Sacramento. In
addition, we hired a California lobbyist to help us navigate the
political waters.

Despite our efforts, the bill was kept alive and voted out of committee.
We did, however, retain support from lawmakers who understood our
position as was evidenced in the committee vote down party lines.
Immediately after the hearing, our staff members met with more than 200
dedicated fanciers, supplied them with materials and instructed them how
to approach their assembly members to voice continued opposition. I want
to thank the several hundred fanciers who turned out for the April 10th
and 24th hearings, and the thousands of dog owners who sent letters and
e-mails to legislators. Their collective voice and strong numbers
strengthened our opposition.

According to the sponsor of AB 1634, the bill is intended to reduce
shelter populations and costs. AKC opposition to the bill is predicated
on the reality that the bill wrongly targets responsible dog owners and
breeders while failing to address the real reasons animals are
surrendered. National research organizations have reported that the
majority of unwanted dogs in the United States come from owners who are
unable or unwilling to train, socialize and care for their dog.

While AKC opposes mandatory spaying and neutering of purebred dogs, we
have always encouraged pet owners to spay or neuter their dogs if they
do not want to participate in AKC conformation events or engage in
responsible breeding programs. In fact, the American Pet Products
Manufacturers Association 2005-2006 National Pet Owners Survey reports
that more than 70 percent of owned dogs are spayed or neutered. Seven
out of 10 dog owners chose spaying or neutering as the right decision
for their pet. This is an individual choice best made by pet owners in
consultation with their veterinarian.

Since the majority of owned dogs in this country are already spayed and
neutered, we need to address the reasons dogs are relinquished. I
believe educating the public about responsible dog ownership, coupled
with enforcement of existing leash laws, best addresses shelter
population issues.

AKC proactively developed several education programs, including AKC
Responsible Dog Ownership Day, dedicated to teaching the pet-buying
public how to make well-informed decisions when acquiring a pet. Such
programs help to ensure that pet purchasers find a puppy or dog that is
a good match for their lifestyle, thereby decreasing the chance that the
animal will be relinquished to a shelter. In addition, our AKC Canine
Good Citizen(r) program, AKC Obedience trials, and our nearly 5,000 AKC
affiliated clubs offer ongoing training opportunities for owners to curb
potential behavior problems through training. Our education programs are
in schools and libraries and at shows, club meetings and community
events nationwide.

AKC Clubs also routinely donate money raised at their events back into
the community in the form of scholarships, bullet proof vests for law
enforcement K-9s, and other civic minded endeavors. Club members and
breeders who engage in this high level of volunteerism are in no way
irresponsibly breeding dogs, in fact, if a dog they breed does need to
be re-homed they are the first to step up and take responsibility for
it, giving it a foster home until a new owner can be found.

We know education is the best way to influence responsible dog ownership
and since our programs have been implemented there has actually been a
decrease in shelter populations. What some lawmakers fail to realize is
that with our mission to promote responsible dog ownership through
public education, we are a significant part of the solution. We strive
to help dog owners have a successful and rewarding experience with their
pet, making it more likely the dog will remain a valued member of the
family for its entire lifetime. Lawmakers must end the debate of
mandatory spay and neuter and embrace the concept of public education.

Additionally, AKC breed parent clubs and local affiliates participate in
breed rescue which further reduces the number of dogs in municipal and
private shelters across the United States. More than 280 AKC affiliated
rescue organizations are committed to assisting shelters with adoption
and placement of purebred dogs identified within the shelter
populations. These organizations rehabilitate dogs in foster homes and
permanently place them with loving and responsible families.

We will continue to be vigilant in our opposition and keep you informed
of developments. It is imperative that all of you join us in defeating
California AB 1634. Please visit our website for sample letters, talking
points and contact information for California Assemblymembers. (Visit
the AKC website at:
http://www.akc.org/canine_legislation/CA_action_center.cfm
to learn
more.)

By staying involved we can make sure our right to decide what is best
for our animals is preserved.

We are actively investigating the possibility of establishing an AKC
Political Action Committee (PAC).

Sincerely,

Ron Menaker

AKC Communications

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AND MORE:

At this link http://agriculture.house.gov.hearings/index.html
you can read the testimony of Congressman Charles W. Stenholm to the House
Committee on Agriculture. This is a piece to read, print out, and save
for anyone who is trying to educate others about the AR movement.
This is a United States Congressman testifying before the Congress on
the agenda of the animal rights movement. FINALLY – they are beginning
to get it!

Just click on “witness opening statements,” then click on Stenholm’s
name. Don’t bother with the 52 pages of drivel from Wayne Pacelle of
HSUS…that’s the same old same old from him…….not what he said,
since the Committee apparently mounted an immediate attack against him!
One of the “good ole boys” even called Pacelle “son.” Bet that got his
dander up! The Members were not amused or interested in listening to
Pacelle! Hooray!

From Peggy…and permission to crosspost is given (various sources
provided the background here)

And More:

The Doberman Pinscher Club of America has a new flyer available for
>> distribution regarding Assembly Bill 1634. Since AB1634 will be heard
>> by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 16th, this flyer
>> addresses the fiscal side of the bill. Please print this flyer with the
>> Committee Members’ contact information on the back and distribute it far
>> and wide. The general public needs to be aware of the impact this bill
>> would have on their communities and businesses. Pass it out at the
>> malls, your church, your neighborhood center – anywhere and everywhere.
>> If each of us does this, the public will become aware of this unfair
>> and costly legislation and will contact the Appropriations Committee.
>> Many vets and most of the general public are not even aware of this
>> bill. We need public awareness of this attempt to govern our
>> relationship with our pets.
>>
>> This is the direct link to the flyer:
>> http://www.dpca.org/Legisltv/documents/Cost_to_CA.pdf
>>
>> It can also be accessed from this page:
>>
>> http://www.dpca.org/Legisltv/bills/CA1634.htmLook for the flashing
>> “NEW” sign.
>>
>> Thank you for your help in educating the public about AB 1634.
>> Dana Johnson
>> DPCA Legislative Committee