California AB 1634 passed out of committee today which means it now goes to the full assembly for the vote. Please, please fight to defeat this bill for if it passes it will be the end of dog breeding. The animal right activists or ARistas are they are called are really running the show. What the Aristas really want is the end of all dog breeding. Peta is behind all of this. If you have any doubt please go to http://blog.peta.org/. Now for a personal account of the California hearing today:

>—–Original Message—–
>Posted by Darlene Hernandez – permission to crosspost:
>
> “The chairman (Leno) was referring to the bill going to the assembly floor
>BEFORE the vote was taken.One of Assemblyman Levine’s staff opened the doors
>to the Capitol early for supporters of the bill, cutting in front of the
>long line of bill opponents. Fortunately the guards inside kicked out most
>of the people. We then strategically blocked them from entering the
>building until all of the opponents that had originally been in line were
>in the building. Someone (the same person that arranged for staffers to
>let proponents in the building before it opened?) had notified the AR
>people that the mezzanine would be open for seating. AR people went
>directly to the 6th floor. Opponents of the bill had been told in advance
>if the main room was full, to go to the cafeteria to watch.
>
>The meeting room was mostly filled with bill opponents so the chairman
>declined to have people come to the microphone to state their positions.
>Both sides were supposed to have 8 minutes to state their positions. The
>chairman let the bill supporters speak for 12 minutes and allowed an
>additional person to speak after time had been called. Opponents were
>allowed to speak for 8 minutes and the timer cut off the third opposing
>viewpoint.
>
>While waiting to get into the assembly room, there was an AR person that was
>attempting to stop those of us that had to use the bathroom from returning
>to our place in line. She had a stick on gold sheriff’s badge and was
>trying to act like an official and keep anyone with an opposing AB-1634
>button from passing.
>
>The vote was along party lines except for one Democrat (Anna Caballero) that
>voted No and there were 2 others that were wavering. PetPAC will have their
>names up on the website later in the day.
>
> Levine kept mentioning that the 1998 Hayden Act (increase shelter time for
>dogs from 72 hours to 6 days) was causing a major financial burden. Because
>of the state mandate they could not repeal the law and the only way around
>to get financial relief would be the mandatory spay/neuter of dogs.
>
> Levine worked for the major supporters of the Hayden Act in the late 90’s
>(Koretz, O’Connell & Vincent). Levine and Leno (the chairman of the
>Appropriations Committee) led the fight against Gov. Schwarzenegger when he
>wanted to repeal the Hayden Act in 2004 to help reduce the budget deficit.
>
> Slippery slope indeed. Enact a bill that would knowingly cause the State
>billions of $$ and then up the stakes to mandatory spay/nueter for the next
>step of the plan. Complain about the cost of building “x” numbers of
>shelters in L.A. County due to overcrowding (not that they are outdated and
>need repair) and then hire 20 new Animal Control Officers for door-to-door
>policing of license violations to the tune of $1.2 million.
>
> Now we have to start calling, writing and personally visiting the entire
>Assembly to get them oppose this bill. Also contact your vet and ask the to oppose the bill. Apparently many vets are unaware of the stance CVMA
>has taken on co-sponsoring the bill.”
>

Please read the following and realize what is at stake if the anti-dog and anti-breeding activists have their way. This comes from the Pet Law list. from my friend Peggy:

This is what is at stake!

The Last Dog
By Lidia Seebeck

The report came in slowly from Muddy Gap, Wyoming.
Someone had spotted a dog sniffing around his house in the bitter cold of a
Wyoming winter. The person was quite sure that this was a dog, not a wolf.
No, of course he didnt secretly own the dog. That had been banned long
ago, of course. This dog seemed to appear out of the blizzard itself one
cold night, scaring his daughter silly.

Of course the animal was transferred to the authorities. It was determined
that yes, indeed, this person really had found a dog,
and only its somewhat feral behavior kept the land-dweller from being
prosecuted for animal slavery. This dog had clearly been in the wild for
some time. Everyone knew that for the last five years only the police, search
and rescue, and a few charitable hospices and the like were allowed dogs,
and the last one, a Yorkshire Terrier, had died last year. There was a
funeral and everything, and many experts from the animal rights movement
hailed the end of canine slavery.

***
It hadn’t always been that way, of course. Long ago,
around the millennium, people often owned and bred dogs, and sometimes they
ended up in shelters.
Unfortunately the dogs that ended up in shelters were
sometimes euthanized.
Well, some people didnt like this. So they began to
change the laws. First they banned dogs that were considered dangerous like
Bull Terriers and Dobermans. Unfortunately sometimes docile breeds got
mixed up into this, like the Greyhound, who was eventually maligned due to
the muzzle it once wore while racing around a track. Predictably, the
whole practice of racing the dogs was banned as being too cruel and the dogs
were executed wholesale, being unadoptable due to the laws. Greyhound lovers,
or Greyters, were broken hearted and tried to tell the authorities that
the Greyhounds were good dogs, gentle with kids and loving even to
strangers. But they were soon locked up, having been prosecuted for animal slavery.

Another one of the milestones had to have been the passage of Californias
Healthy Pets Law, which mandated spaying and neutering
for nearly all dogs except the most pampered of show animals. People were
outraged but the law passed anyways, in an effort to reduce the shelter
population. Many Californians were aghast that people were doing
backyard breeding, and others were just mad that animals were still getting
killed. Eventually this became the American Spay and Neuter Law, which
mandated spaying and neutering for all animals not involved in police or
search and rescue. The next ten years or so saw the canine population growing
old, and more breeds being executed wholesale as they were deemed
dangerous. Too late, people realized that very docile breeds were getting
declared, and they began to question the wisdom of breed-specific legislation. By
then even the young dogs were eight or so, and many were rapidly dying of
old age, at least in the larger breeds,

***
The dog in Muddy Gap had been transferred to a facility in Laramie where a
police dog academy still stood, unused. The dog was soon deluged with
donations from around the country of old kibble and soft blankets that had
cushioned their canine seniors. Animal lovers came in from around the
country to the chance to see and cuddle with the dog.
Lucky soon responded to the attention, which everyone insisted on.

This dog was clearly quite old, having a very gray muzzle and face.
Surprisingly, this dog was also clearly part Mastiff,
which was one of the breeds to be Declared rather early on. Some dogs had
been preserved as police dogs, however, so this dog was probably the
offspring of one of those dogs. It had numerous abrasions and bite marks, and it
was theorized that the dog had probably had to fight and hunt a lot to
stay alive. No one really knew of course.

***
As the War on Dogs continued, canine slavery became quite the hot topic, and
there were two distinct camps of dog owners and former
owners. The first was that dogs were nice to have around, but utterly
miserable and it was good that they had mostly been euthanized. The other camp
believed something quite different, They honestly believed that dogs were
pack animals and honestly didn’t mind the direction of a dog owner,
rather relishing the leadership the owner provided and basking in the love
the owner gave. As such they felt that canine ownership (and they were
very unhappy with the term “slavery”) was an ethical thing, and well worth
the trouble of pursuing. Unfortunately this viewpoint was rapidly
becoming illegal, and there were numerous people in prison for canine
slavery. There were also a number of people who lived in the back of beyond who
were breeding dogs beyond the reach of authorities. In the days when
breeding was more common, these people such as coyote-dog breeders, were
relatively few and far between. The shift in laws had increased their
numbers, and now even responsible breeders were hiding out, hoping to save
the last of their lines until the political storm broke. While some of these
people persisted for a few years, it was rather easy to find a kennel full of
barking dogs when all the other registered dogs were gone. Soon even these
people fell to the insatiable sweep of the War on Dogs.

The number of dogs in America had been rapidly dropping and was now at
5,673. Mostly these were police and rescue dogs, with
a precious 10 or 15 dogs who served as roving servants, transported from
hospice to nursing home to hospital to comfort the ailing. Still, the
occasional dog would show up and be pressed into one of the allowed professions, or
else euthanized. (For some reason, euthanasia was now viewed as the greatest
gift ever, when it was euthanasia which had started the legal avalanche
in the first place)

***
Lucky was not doing well in captivity. He had suddenly developed a fever,
and there was no legal veterinarian anymore, since
they had all been out of practice for years. Former vets clustered around him
and tried to remember what to do. They gave him all manner of potions and
antibiotics but these only gave Lucky a really nasty attitude and equally
nasty gastric disturbances. With every hour it was clear the poor
old fella was dying.

The nation turned in their televisions to watch, hourly updates, and the
debate on dog keeping began to be opened once again.
People reminisced about their dogs when they were young, and remembered good
times at the dog beach or at the dog park. The talk of allowing dogs once
again raged just as badly as poor Luckys fever. His health declined quickly, and
within a few days he was on the brink of death. Some news stations had
completely stopped reporting on anything other than Lucky and the dog
debate.. As his last sputtering breaths were captured live and transmitted
around the world, people started to call their Legislators, asking to
please, please not let Lucky be the last American dog. Unfortunately, things
had gone too far, this was too little and too late.

Lucky truly became the last American dog..

We are fighting legisative battles on so many fronts. Today was a big hearing in Sacremento on AB 1364. Have not heard what happened yet. For those living in New Jersey, please read the following and act upon the information:

From my friend Peggy who keeps us abreast of the battles being fought . .

All you NJ folks, please start calling Senator Sweeney’s office. He has three offices, but the
number at the main office is 856-251-9801.
If you bug the staff long enough and keep them from doing other work because they have to answer the phone, they will let him know, for sure. Of course, you are calling to OPPOSE Senate Bill 1064–
I can’t find a fax number, but if you can find one, fax away… Get your friends and neighbors, and relatives and co-workers, to call in opposition, also.

Also…if you google NJ Legislature, you can go to the state’s website and find the name of your own State Senator there… you should also call/fax, or write your own Senator, too…and ask them to oppose the bill.
The California fight isn’t over, nor is the fight in Texas, or
Ohio…but there are equally noxious bills popping up everywhere. We
have to fight them, and fight them hard…if we don’t win these battles,
folks, it won’t matter what club you’re in, or who your friends
are…none of us will have dogs much longer. And don’t think I’m
exaggerating…I’m not. That is, after all, the aim of the ARistas who
are constantly badgering these legislators and convincing them these
onerous laws are necessary…while we all sit around and say “no, it
won’t bother ME and MY dogs.” Uh huh…………..believe me…it
will. Maybe not your state right now…
but every battle we lose brings the war closer to each and everyone else.

Don’t just sit there….make a phone call to Sweeney’s office
first thing tomorrow…and keep calling until you get through. Make
sure they know you are
vehemently opposed to State Bill 1064.

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

I have promised to write about the forces working against the show breeders and small reputable breeders in this country in the name of animal welfare; if the anti breeding and anti dog activists have their way, dog ownership and dog breeding will become a thing of the past. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the American Humane Society (ASA), and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) are all zealousy campaigning for anti breeding legislation in many of our communities, cities, and states. Do your own research into manifestos of these groups and see how very dangerous they really are to our American way of life.

I am currently serving on the board of the local Humane Society and have worked hard to help all the dogs in our county. Most of us show breeders care about all dogs.Those who have visited us will have met our Snoop who is a much beloved rescue dog of mixed heritage. Ther purpose of some of the proposed or active legislation is to cut down on shelter dogs which will not happen as most of the shelter dogs do not come from reputable breeders and this legislation will hit us the hardest. For your information, I will address some of the legislation being proposed throughout the country in future “Latest News.”

For now, below are some of the trends across the country as compiled by Walt Hutchens, Whippet breeder:

From left to right across the country we have:

In New Mexico they’re facing the ‘Pet Owner Responsibility Act,’

mandatory spay/neuter for the state; there’s talk that a brain-dead

negotiation by the Sangre de Cristo Kennel Club (Santa Fe) got partial

exemptions for fanciers inserted making this one harder to beat. This

one is expected to be introduced not later than Feb. 15th.

The District of Columbia has the just introduced ‘Animal Protection

Amendment Act of 2007.’ Said to be mandatory spay/neuter and more,

this was introduced on February 6th. I posted the bill to the pet-law

files section (DC_B_89.txt) last night but haven’t had time to read it

yet.

In Pennsylvania they have an administrative rulemaking process that

would extend the no-home-breeding standards of the federal AWA to many

if not most show dog breeders. I believe the extended comment period

closes March 15th.

In Virginia we’ve just beaten the fourth annual breeder licensing

bill. However we lost (our state federation of dog clubs withdrew) our own

bill to remove hobby breeders from the definition of pet ‘dealer’ in

our state law — a major vulnerability.

I wouldn’t want to swear that there isn’t another state or two with a

major threat to hobby breeding that I’ve missed. And of course we are

promised a replay this year of PAWS with support from the

fresh-cookies-fresh-cookfresh-cookies-and-spray-starch Stepford

Various measures that would lead to mandatory national microchipping

are tuning up, offstage.

Albuquerque and Louisville are already lost. Maybe they’ll win their

court fights and get back part or all … and maybe not.

The most deadly piece of legtislation is California AB 1634 which has just gotten out of committee and is now going to appropriations before it goes to the full Assembly. This bill calls for a mandatory spay and neuter throughout the state. The commercial breeders will not be stopped and the unsavory internet breeders will just go underground meeting buyers in rest stops or across state lines or just shipping poor very young puppies across the country not even know to whom they are really going. We breeders who do the testing, socialize our puppies, and breed to the breed standard will be stopped.

Please, please go to the website for the California Federation of Dog Clubs and read about dog genocide and how you can help. cfodconline.org Please join. cfodconline.org

ALSO the AKC has put together some sample letters to be used to write legislators in California to fight AB 1634. There are letters for California residents, letters for non-residents that may show there, one for local breed clubs, and one for breed parent clubs. Of course you may use your own words, too.

Please follow the link and send letters to the CA Assembly Members to
help fight this terrible bill.

http://www.akc.org:80/canine_legislation/CA_action_center.cfm

As my friend Peggy has been warning:

CA AB 1634 has passed out of committee. It will now go on to the appropriations committee. If it passes there, the next stop is the full assembly for a vote into law. If it becomes law, there will effectively be no more breeding in California. The people who believe we should “work with” the fanatics who want these bills passed should read The Future of Dogs at http://www.pet-law.com/future/forward.html It can also be ordered as a booklet from that site. These laws are not intended to lower euthanasia rate — the DOG euthanasia rate has been dropping steadily for 30 years. They are intended to STOP BREEDING ALTOGETHER.Unless you understand the animal rights agenda, you will never be able to protect your rights. When California develops a dog deficit, which is already happening in many parts of the state, when people cannot buy a quality purebred, guess where the puppies will come from? Over the border, as many are now. They are raised in uninspected, often filthy places that make the breeders we call “puppy mills” look like doggie heaven. Do you think the people who are already supplying puppies illegally (“Meet me in the Walmart parking lot at midnight. Bring cash.”) are going to stop doing it when their market doubles and triples? Since many of those pups will end up in shelters due to health or temperament problems, the ARS will be back in three or four years saying “The law isn’t tough enough.” And those Responsible Breeders who decided that since the laws would only apply to those Irresponsible Breeders, we should work on a compromise will find themselves caught in the web next. And guess who will NOT be there to help us? Remember those commercial breeders we threw to the lions?? The statistics cited as “horrific euthanasia rates” include: 1) Cats — there is still a cat overpopulation problem, largely due to feral & “barn cats.” Forcing purebred cat breeders to spay and neuter will not touch this problem. How many “excess euthanasias” do you think there are of, say, Abyssinians or even Persians? How many people with purebred cats allow them to roam and breed freely? Purebred cats account for one percent of the overall cat population. 2) Dogs brought to shelters FOR euthanasia. Many people cannot afford to have a vet euthanize an old, even very much loved, pet. Their only choice may be shelter euthanasia, where the perhaps 16-year-old chihuhahua is counted as “ANOTHER UNWANTED PET!!!!” 3) Dogs with no chance of being safe, happy or healthy pets. It’s not true that there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. Just like some people, some dogs are just plain wired wrong. Yes, unfortunately they may bounce through a few homes before arriving at the shelter, but they too — even though no one could call them pets — are counted in the “SKYROCKETING EUTHANASIA NUMBERS.”If California goes mandatory spay/neuter, we will lose possibly ten percent of the gene pool of many of our breeds. What will that do for purebred dogs? Folks, this is war. We are county by county and now state by state losing our right to not only breed, but to even OWN more than two or three dogs. Compromising is not the answer. Education is. I am amazed at the number of inquiries I get from people who already KNOW not to buy from pet shops, know what questions to ask, are prepared to pay a fair price for a good puppy. It will not help us to win the education war if we have meanwhile been legislated out of existence. There will always be shelter euthanasia and it ill always include some dogs that could have been good pets. There will also always be child abuse, homelessness, and cancer. It happens. Life is not perfect. Passing laws to wipe out breeding as an approach to shelter euthanasia is like limiting couples to two children to prevent child abuse. The issues are not even related except that they both involve children. We do not have a pet overpopulation problem. We have a pet retention problem, and the answer to that is education. Help people KEEP their pets by offering support and being open to questions. Many people who turn their dogs in to shelters do so because they don’t understand the basics of housetraining or dog behavior. And yes, they may turn in their next dog too unless there is intervention. When your neighbor gripes about her Labradoodle peeing in the house, don’t roll your eyes and preach about the folly of “designer dogs.” Give her a copy of the housetraining paper you send home with puppies. Talk to her about what exactly is going on. Is he marking? Is he confined for too long and just can’t hold it? Has he just never been housetrained? As breeders, we have a responsibility to address the owner turn-in part of euthanasia, but it is not fulfilled by cutting back on breeding or supporting laws against “those other guys.” It is hands-on, one-on-one education provided in a friendly — not condescending and bossy, which we all excel in! — manner. We need to be making friends in the community and doing something to fight the “snobby dog breeder” image we’ve built over the years.

Okay. Enough. Next time you see something about AB1634 or another bill in someone else’s community, find out what you can do to help. Today it’s California. Tomorrow it will be your state. You may not think you have time to help. You’d better make time or no one will be left to help you when it’s your turn.

again from Peggy:

If you don’t do anything else today, go to the following URL and read the interview SATYA conducted with Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the Humane Society of the United States … read every word of it, and then print it out and share it with everyone you know … this is clearly a social/political/spiritual manifesto and it is being implemented under the guise of “animal welfare.” In this interview, Pacelle offers up his personal philosophical position and his belief that it is “OK” to use money and power to manipulate the legal and legislative system in order to change the face of American Culture and rewrite the social value system. This is truly a method for pushing and conditioning people to believe and behave in certain ways using covert mind control and thought manipulation. The law is the tool they are attempting to use to fabricate a false ideology and morality on all of us … Read this little manifesto, understand that this man believes he is qualified, competent and justified in using any means at his disposal to change who we are … this is operant and behavioral conditioning at a level that is right up there with everything I’ve read in “Brave New World” and other science fiction fantasies about the future. The question is this – What are Wayne Pacelle’s political ambitions, and why does he think he is qualified to manipulate the “way we ought to live,” and by what authority does he justify his attempts to restructure the fabric and texture of American culture and society? He has raised the practice of deception and thought manipulation to a new level … never mind that most of us were raised to believe that we live in a free country which offers us the opportunity to research the facts and truth about issues and make our own deformed decisions about the way we “should be living.” Folks, we need to get serious about telling people who this man is and what he is *really* about and what his political ambitions are.

http://www.satyamag.com/jun05/pacelle.html

More next time. Kiss your Cavalier and your other pets.

I am leaving for the Louisville shows where the warnings are out about PETA disrupting the dog shows. When I come back I would like to address what is going on with the anti breeding activists threatening the show and hobby breeders’ right to breed dogs and the right to dog ownership. There are many city, county and state ordinances being passed. But for now and in advance:

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Hello from bitterly cold Ohio with more snow expected tomorrow. At least we are not in Michigan where my friend Roxy Hayes lives with feet of snow still on the ground with more falling often. Beside the cold weather we are doing well. Al and I celebrated our 24th anniversary last Saturday—so romantic! I was on puppy watch with visitors all day and Al was hiding out in his office trying to reconstruct all our financial data which was lost when his computer finally gave up the ghost (with Windows 98 yet!). He now has a new computer with Vista yet! I only hope Vista does not prove difficult for me as I now have to teach Al who does not take any instruction from me with a good attitude. We still have not celebrated our anniversary. Below is a picture of one of Clooney’s first sons, Rattlebridge Truth and Dare, who is co owned by our good friend Lu Ann Rogers who is going to show him should he turn out as nice as we think he is. Beside the picture of Tru is a picture of Clooney taken at eighteen months.

My trip to judge the Cook Inlet Kennel Club in Palmer, Alaska, was absolutely marvelous. Tbe show was very enjoyable; the venue was lovely with mountains towering over the show grounds. The club members saw to every need of the judging panel. Members fished and judges ate halibut and salmon for every lunch. Delicious! I enjoyed meeting the Cavalier exhibitors and renewing my acqaintance of Janet Klinger of Maryne Cavaliers. Most of the other exhibitors are new to Cavaliers but so eager to learn about the breed. After the shows, I took the Gold Star train from Wasilla to Denali Park. The scenery was magnificent along the train. What beautiful country! I stayed in Denali for two days, took my first CALM rafting trip down the river. Next day, Jim and Ann Sims took the following photos while we were on our bus tour into the heart of Denali Park while on our backcountry tour. We left from our hotel at 6:00 am and returned after 7:00 pm. I still have not developed the film for the pictures I took and have yet to figure out how to download the digital photos from the other camera that I borrowed. Thank you Jim and Ann for sharing. The bears pictured below came straight down the road toward our bus. Denali Park is so beautiful. I so enjoyed meeting some of the workers who come from all over the world to work at Denali during the summers. Denali closes during the winters when sunlight is limited to only a few hours and the park rangers get around by snowshoe and dog sleds.

From Denali Park, I took the train once again to Fairbanks–another lovely scenic train ride. While in Fairbanks, I took the paddle wheeler up the river. We visited the dog kennels of the Iditarod winning Susan Butcher who recently died. Her dogs were still at her place where her husband and daughter still live. To learn more about Susan Butcher: http://Iditarod.com One of the interesting facts about Alaskan sled dogs is that they are not pure bred Alaskan Malamute or Siberian Huskies which would be expected. Sled dogs are called Alaskan Huskies and are a mixture of breeds; they are not registered just chosen for their speed, stamina, and willingness to work as a team.

Our riverboat stopped at a replica of an Alaskan Native Village where we saw the early way of life reenacted. To be in Alaska in the early days of the Gold Rush would have been very hard living as hard living as the days of the building of the Alaskan oil pipe line.

In two days, I am off to Houston to visit my good friend Hazel Arnold of Red Oak Cavaliers. Hazel is suffering from ovarian cancer and is having a really tough time. I am going to attend the first specialty put on by the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of Houston. I come home on the August 29th and will stay home until I judge in California the end of the month with also a short visit to my friends Tami and Jeff Byroads in San Diego.

When I get back, I will be whelping a litter of wholecolors and talking to those interested in Rattlebridge puppies. Right now, we have a darling four month old black and tan boy and a lovely eight month old blenheim boy available.

Many thanks to my friend and webmaster, Roxy Hayes, for making my news page into a blog that even I can manage.

We love to breed and show dogs, but are just as proud of our dogs that are great family members, obedience or performance dogs, or therapy dogs. The following is a note I received from Jackie Kurlich who has two of our dogs. I am so proud of what Jackie and Candle are dong to cheer up hospital patients!!! From Jackie Kurlich: “I wanted to share a story about one of your girls. Just to refresh your memory, Candle came from Lucy and Freddie and is turning 2 this March. I know a lot of emphasis is put on the show dogs but I think the true hero’s are the working dogs like Candle that are touching lives. She visits our local hospital each Thursday and we will soon be going into the school system and alternative schools to help at-risk kids. She wins “Best of Breed” in my eyes! I have to tell you about our Therapy Dog visit to the hospital today. Let me start by saying that lately I have been wondering about the “quality”, I guess you could say, of our visits lately. It just seemed like there wasn’t any substance to them. Yeah, everyone was thrilled to see and pet Candle. The nurses adored her. Everyone wanted to take her home with them and she gave all the patients a change from their boring hospital stay. I can’t say that there was anyone that didn’t want to see her, but I just kept thinking there must be more to this therapy dog stuff. It just didn’t seem like we were helping anyone Then I visited the 4th floor of the hospital today where patients were recovering from major surgery. As we entered the floor we got the usual reception from the nurses on the floor wanting to pet her. Then a lady came up and asked if we could visit her dad. I followed her to room 409 and there was this very ill, very weak man in the bed turned on his side with his eyes closed. She told her dad that he had a visitor and I picked Candle up and put her beside him on the bed and he got this complete look of joy in his eyes, wrapped his arms around her and kept saying “She’s such a baby”, “She’s such a baby” over and over. Whenever I put Candle on a hospital bed she just seems to know to be calm. With this gentleman she put her head on his chest and lay down and the only thing you could hear was him whispering to her and her tail thumping away on the bedJ. Normally we only stay in each room a couple of minutes. We stayed with this gentleman for about a half hour. As we were leaving the room his daughter told me that this was the first time in a long time she had seen her dad smile and that she had had a dream about a Therapy Dog coming to visit the night before. I’ll never think of our visits in the same way again. There’s always that one person we are meant to visit. If anyone is thinking about going into a Therapy Dog program, I strongly encourage it. Your cavalier could make a big difference in someone’s day…quite possibly at the end of their life…..” Thank you, Jackie and Candle. I will try harder to get to the local nursing homes for visits with our dogs. It is one of the things I keep putting off. We used to do it before life got so busy and I began to deal with my aging orthopedics!!! On another note, I am very involved in the local Humane Society as the vice president and public relations director. We live in a very poor county with lots of animal neglect and/or abuse. The Humane Society does our best to help save animals. Last week we were told that someone had moved out of their house leaving behind dogs, chickens, and of all things–emus. Yes, emus! The birds and dogs were starving; some of the chickens were frozen to the ground. We rescued all we could. Rattlebridge Farm is now the home to a flock of chickens and two rather tall big birds who do not share one brain cell between them. My husband has named the emus Imogene and Emil. I do so hope that naming does not mean that they will be staying!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! I cannot believe that it has been almost two months since I have posted any news. Thank you to all who have sent Christmas greetings and pictures of our Cavaliers. We will soon update our family gallery section. OHIO STATE RECEIVES SYRINGOMYELIA GRANT! The Ohio State Universtiy Veterinary College has received a grant of over $50,000 for a study of Syringomyelia centering around our extended family of dogs. SM is a problem in our breed and is very widespread genetically. We are very grateful to the American Kennel Club Health Foundation and the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club Charitable Trust for giving matching funds for this grant. Dr. Carley Abramson and Dr. Phil March, neurologists at Ohio State, Clare Rusbridge in England, and I will be working to find ways to eradicate or stop progression of this disease. Thank you to my friends who gave so generously (over $20,000) to begin the study before we received the grant: Mr. Gilbert Kahn, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Tschetter, Mrs Tami Byroads, Mrs. Betsy Skae, and Mrs. Jeanie Geiger We have had a good Christmas. My husband is recovering from surgery on both of his knees, but we are grateful he did not need total knee replacement at this point. Because of my own back problems, I have taken time off from traveling and judging to seek treatment for my back, but will begin judging again in April and look forward to judging the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club National in May. I have been very involved with the local Humane Society which with a skeletal crew trys to meet the needs of the animals of our county. If you can do anything to support your local humane society, please do. The need is great. We have not shown much these past few months. Our little girl, Rattlebridge Hit the Spot “Pepsi” has done very well for herself in the puppy classes and is just a couple of points away from finishing her championship. Her picture will soon be featured on our website. Rattlebridge Rock ‘n’ Roll and Rattlebridge Saranade are just a few points from finishing their championship. We wil soon be introducing our new show puppies: Rattlebridge Sienna Shimmer, a lovely ruby girl; Rattlebridge Nite ‘n’ Gale, a black and tan called Florence, and our older girl, Rattlebridge Jeannette. We will also be introducing our wonderful imports from the famous Harana kennel in England: Harana Spencer Tracy, black and tan, and Harana Star Appeal, a lovely ruby girl. Despite the fact that it looks like we are becoming a wholecolor kennel, we do have blenheim and tricolor breedings planned!!!!!! Once agin–Happy New Year!!!!