I have so much to catch up on posting to this blog.  I am amazed at how many people read my blog and then email me to find out if I am okay as there have been no new posts for a long time.  I am crazed with all the preparations to move our dogs from the former Rattlebridge Farm to our new Rattlebridge FARMLETT (If that is a real word).  Our farm will hit MLS this week;  Cindy Yeager, my sainted Boxer friend who has long taken care of our Cavaliers, and I have been taking turns staying at the farm getting it ready to sell and taking care of our dogs.  The hold up has been getting the dog living arrangements ready at our new home and all is now ready after five months of bad weather.  We have turned one of our all reason rooms into the dog living area and our other all reason room into our family room for dogs and us.  Both are lovely rooms with my  must have TV’s with DVR so I do not have to miss American Idol (yes I rooted for David Cook from the first moment he opened his mouth!!!) because I adore the surly, sarcastic, and very handsome Simon Cowell!  Reminds me of my Brooklyn relatives sporting a different dialect! Both of the all season rooms are heated and cooled and have lots and lots of windows with pretty views; they open up to the same large deck which feeds into our new very large patio which then feeds into a large area with new playground mulch which will adjoin a fenced lawn when we can get to it.  Not the acres of lawn our Cavaliers have had in the past, but certainly sufficient for our downscaled operation.  We still plan to breed our wonderful Cavaliers.

Cavaliers are so very versatile; show dogs, obedience dogs, therapy dogs, agility dogs, lap dogs, hiking dogs, food stealing dogs, and now diabetes alert dogs.  Please read the following from one of my puppy owners, Carmen Nicklaus, about her little “Julie:’

“Julie is taking a nap and snoring here by me while I am on the PC.
Can you believe she will be 7 in October? She is the best little Blenheim ever. And listen to this; she has a certain pitch of bark when I have a low blood sugar and she has prompted me several times to quit what I am doing
and go test my blood sugar and every time it is 60 or less!!

She has saved me from a disaster more than once. I have developed a condition called
hypoglycemia unawareness as a complication of having had diabetes over 44
years. In recent years, people have been training helper dogs to warn
diabetics and or their significant others of low blood sugars. One yellow
lab even goes and fetches the blood sugar machine and gets “his” diabetic
child’s mom up in the middle of the night to treat the child. I guess it
costs about 25 thou to train such a dog–and here my Julie does it on her
own. She does not fetch my glucose machine, but she has this distinctive
bark and she will not stop barking until I heed her and go check my blood
sugar. She has never been wrong and I just realized it recently as I am home
alone with the dogs a lot and I get low and then I get confused and cannot
even think to go check. But since I realized what she was doing, she has
saved me a few 911 calls to say the least. Isn’t that cool?”

Thank you for sharing, Carmen!

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!!!!!!  May our Lord smile upon you on this celebration of His Resurrection and His gift of Salvation.  Today I went to Mass at St. Mary’s in Delaware, Ohio, which was one of the churches of my childhood.  We lived in Delaware for three years upon our arrival from Brooklyn and Long Island, New York.  We moved every three years. I went to school at St. Mary”s in Delaware.  My father moved us to Ohio to open up a new Midwest territory for the Spicene Company located in New Jersey; Dad made huge money for those days and he excelled at his job until his compulsive gambling got the better of him.  Dad moved us to Ohio because there were more thoroughbred race tracks in Ohio than any other state. We bought our first string of Thoroughbreds while in Delaware;I grew up partially at race tracks as Dad and I shared the same passion for horses and racing often staying up night talking about horses and planning strategy. Horses were my life and losing them has made a permanent hole in my heart; my father left a much bigger hole as we were extremely close and I still miss him almost fifty years later.

There was no help for compulsive gambling in those days and at the end my father had gambled all of our financial resources away. He died at forty five leaving my mother and five kids in really dire financial straights.  I was fifteen when Daddy died; our youngest brother was three.  My mother leaned on me for everything.  People so often think I am so tough, but we had to be tough to make it and with the grace of God we did all make it.

At Mass today, I could see my father kneeling in Church in our first parish in Ohio.  Enough of reminiscing which I seem to be doing more and more in my later years.

My friend Melissa Charbonneau and her darling mother Mona are visiting during spring break so Melissa could tour Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware; Melissa had an interview with the Admissions officer which went extremely well.  Melissa has many options for college when she graduates next year, but her plan has been to go to Ohio Wesleyan and live with us as she shares my passion for Cavaliers and may bully me into showing a bit again.  Who knows what the future will be.  We will have to see what Melissa will decide; she has always wanted to go into medicine and although Ohio Wesleyan has a very strong premed program with nearly all of its premed students getting into med school, She is also considering Ohio State University which would also allow her to live here. Melissa is considering all her options.  Al and I do want her to come here as we have become her second set of parents.  She has a wonderful Cavalier who we think will grow up and become a champion, Rattlebridge Dusk Bunny, as she is by Clooney, our beautiful Ch. and Ch.  Rattlebridge From Dusk ‘Til Dawn.

Well my Faulkner stream of conscientiousness (spell check says word is correct, does not look right to me, but too lazy to get a dictionary) is over for today.  Happy Easter everyone!  May our dear Lord bless you all.

Our life has been in an uproar with our moving house.  We got possession on January 28th and the fun began!!–and what fun it has been.  We hired painters to paint (now I should be able to paint, but when I paint I get paint everywhere, mostly on me clear through to my underwear creating my new look in multicolored bras) We hired tile guys to put down really stunning porcelain tile in the rooms of the house which were not already tiled leaving only the bedrooms to worry about with sneaky little Cavaliers.  We hired a decorator just to put up the Staffordshire dog wall border that I have hoarded for 11 years for some reason never putting it up in our former home.  I guess I knew this home was waiting.  We love this house and its setting, truly love it.  The only flies in the ointment are that the dog yards are not finished due to weather and that we have not even had time to  get our former house and farm ready to sell. We moved in on February 21 and it has been non stop since.  Only a few of the dogs are with us as we have no fencing yet; we have barricaded the deck which connects the doors to the all season room that is going to be our dog room and the all season room which is already the family room/dog room. While the deck is an adequate size for the dogs to potty, we really want to be able to let our dogs run as they always have. Soon we hope!

These are two pictures of the outside of our new home.  It is so open and airy on the inside with two master bedrooms with their own baths on the main floor. Upstairs is an office loft with wrap around office set up, a bedroom with another complete office set up, huge attic rooms which could be finished as additional rooms, a guest bedroom and full bath.  It truly is the house for us.  We found it accidentally, and were under contract with all financing within two days. The way things happened could only be the work of God as I was so ready for a change and this house was the necessary impetus I needed.  I love my Cavaliers and still want to breed, but not on the scale we have done in the past with the search for the next great show dog or producer. For some reason, after all our success, joy and heartache of breeding and showing purebred dogs, I have lost my drive to succeed at the level that was so important to me in the past. There are so many interests that Al and I want to pursue together and independently right now; Al is my main concern  and I do not want to regret losing time with him because of the heavy show and judging travel schedules that have been my life in the past.  Al and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last Monday.  I cannot believe the years have gone so fast.  I got married later in life and Al has been my only husband.  It certainly has been better than following my original plan to go into the convent; I would have never been able to follow all, or to be truthful, any of the rules.  Just ask my poor husband!

Our biggest worry right now is selling our farm. Carrying two mortgages is going to get old fast. The housing market is absolutely awful here.  We have a great realtor who has been our friend for many years and we have a great property to sell, but the market is awful right now.  Ohio is one of the leading states in foreclosures and still new houses are being built all the time.  We have subdivisions standing empty.  The economy is really not good here with so many companies moving or closing and so many jobs being cut.  I pray that our next president will be blessed with the capability to put us back on track, address the many issues challenging us, and keep the good of our country and its future foremost in his or her mind rather than political party or personal gain.  May our next president have the courage, the fortitude, and the ability to truly chart a new course for us.  Would you not like to go shopping to buy products “made in America” rather than other countries.  I cannot believe how few product seem to be made in our own country!  We really do need a new direction!

As soon as we get our new home organized and really livable with most of the little odds and ends completed, I will be moving back to the old house where my friend Cindy has been staying with my dogs; when I planned on living in the old house to take care of the dogs and get the house ready to sell, our friend Cindy said she and her Boxers would move in and stay so that I could go with Al.  I do so appreciate her kindness;  I am up there to see our dogs every day, but am frantically busy here putting finishing touches on this house.  I am so ADD that I am always in a frenzy trying to find this or that in the upheaval of unpacking boxes.  I just get everything in order and one of us brings up another load of boxes.  My local friends have been so wonderful helping all they can despite their busy schedules.  

On a different note, more and more anti dog and anti breeding legislation is being introduced throughout our country.  If we do not band together and fight for the right to breed and own dogs and without so many specific breeds being banned, we must be afraid that dog breeding and maybe dog ownership will be challenged at every level.  It is the PETA goal, buried in their manifesto, to end the ownership of animals. With PETA’a organization, money, and political clout,, PETA along with the Humane Society of the United States, must be challenged as to their beliefs, practices, and actions. Please become proactive in this fight.  Keep up with what your elected officials are doing in your community and state before it is too late to fight back. 

Until next time… may God bless!

I just got back from Christmas Mass.  The school children performed a Christmas pageant which was darling.  In all of our planning and activities for Christmas, let us not forget the reason for Christmas and celebrate the coming of Jesus as a humble infant who grew up to become our Savour. His act of sacrifice which is represented in the Mass brought Salvation to what was a very troubled world then which continues into the present time.  You can tell this Irish Catholic gets very sentimental at Christmas. May you have a wonderful Christmas.  May all of our Jewish friends celebrate a wonderful Hanukkah also! 

Thank you to my dear friend Roxy Hayes for doing the above montage of many of our Rattlebridge Cavaliers. Some of the dogs are gone now, but memories are sweet as they live in our hearts forever.

We have wonderful news!  We have found the house of our dreams and will take possession the end of January.  We are so very excited as are our Cavaliers.  We are moving back to the woods which Meredith has always missed.  Our present home, the wonderful Rattlebridge farm, was bought mostly for the dogs; the new house is for us, less acreage, wonderful floor plan to serve our needs as we get older; plenty of  room to raise puppies and closer to everything! Al will move first and I will stay here  going back and forth for a few months so I can raise puppies, get the house ready to sell, and decide what to do with our horses—probably board at least one of them. It is time for new adventures and Al and I are ready.  We will offer our  place to dog fanciers first and then list it on the market; the market is down right now, but the way all of this happened when we were not even looking for a house, we feel it was all in God’s plan.  Picture of new house and address below.  Email and Meredith’s cell phone stay the same 419 560 1548.  Merry Christmas to you all!

Our friend Roxy Hayes of AARH website design is now working with a company that will put logos or pictures on great items such as caps, baby clothes, mugs, buttons, license plate holders, sweatshirts, tee shirts, and more. Right now you can buy Rattlebridge items with our dogs on them so you can show that you are part of our extended family if you have Rattlebridge dogs.  You can also design your own!!!  Please check out the site!!!! No profit goes to us! Roxy now has a partnership with the company that makes the items; she does the design.  She will also do websites as she did our beautiful one.  Roxy has been one of my very best friends for all of my Cavalier mania; her Kelsey, still going strong at over fifteen years, is from our first litter.  I want to support Roxy for all she has done for the breed.  You will have to copy and paste the following URL: 

www.cafepress.com/cavalierclub/4280414

I am so excited to buy a few of these items for my partners in Cavaliers for Christmas.  More pictures of Rattlebridge dogs follow:

I have been really, really busy since my last post.  I keep meaning to write every day, but always seem to be become involved in so many things.  I barely get email done.  I do have puppies available, mostly really pretty rubies who will go to pet homes once decisions about selecting show dogs is done.  Both litters are from our wonderful Ch. Rattlebridge Code Red. 

I am very involved in the pending legislation in Ohio.  Beside SB 173/HB 223, we also have SB 71 concerning the legitimate breeders.  This Bill would allow dogs living in abusive situations, such as dog fighting kennels, to be confiscated by law officials without due process being observed.  No one wants to see dogs living in abuse or neglect, but the worry is that owners’ individual rights may be at stake.  Walt Bebout, Director of Legislation, at AKC gave a very informative talk this past Saturday during the Lima Kennel Club show in Columbus.  We are forming an Ohio Federation of Dog Clubs to get clubs in Ohio to band together for political strength as we fight legislation which would seriously affect us legitimate show breeders who try our best to do right by the dogs we breed and own.  We have formed a steering committee to form the Federation.  I do hope we have enough club involvement to make the Federation go. 

This past weekend was the fall cluster of Columbus, Ohio shows.   I judged on Friday: Dobermans, Mastiffs, Rottweilers, Samoyeds, Portuguese Water Dogs.  I had a full day’s work and enjoyed every minute of it.  I cannot take as many judging assignments as in the past because of Al’s need to have me home, but I do so like to judge.  I saw some very good dogs.  My wonderful friend and co owner, Margaret Valentine, flew up from Texas to spend five days.  As always when together, we had a great time watching the show the days that I did not judge and operating as the fashion police, very quietly and respectfully  of course.  We also had the chance to spend time with our great friend and co owner Sherri Meyer and her daughter Nicole Newkirk.  Sherri and Nicole finished the championship of their black Italian Greyhound “Walker,”  a really lovely IG.  Margaret and Sherri co owned our last two Best in Show  and number one Cavaliers with me.  Margaret is the co breeder and co owner of Ch. Rattlebridge From Dusk ‘Til Dawn and his sisters except for Ch.  Delta Dawn who is co owned with Sherri Meyer. 

Meanwhile back at the farm, we have recently housed a few Humane Society dogs in the back kennel.  We also have a young and very pretty stud pony that was picked up running the roads of our county.  One of our mares is totally in love and in flaming heat with this pony and cannot understand why we will not let her have access to her boyfriend.  We want no unplanned breedings here!  We are running a “found pony” ad with absolutely no calls to claim him.  How can someone not notice the loss of a pony?!!He is not staying as cute as he is.  I am presently doing all the horse chores since Al has had his shoulder surgery and another equine body is one too many. We need homes for the Humane Society dogs and the pony. I do hope they all can find wonderful forever homes.  We have our own rescue dog and there is no more room in our house since the Cavaliers are still hanging from the chandeliers!  Want a beagle mix or two, we have it.  Want a border collie mix, we have it.  We have designer dogs whom no one created on purpose, but I believe that all of these dogs deserve the same wonderful homes as my Cavaliers get.  I am on the Humane Society of Morrow County Board and am the public relations director.  The Humane Society takes many hours of time from the whole board.  We do not have a shelter and do not have the money to fund a shelter in the near future.  We depend on foster homes which have been very scarce lately, hence the gang of dogs in our back kennel.  Working for the Humane Society is hard as it is difficult to see so many animals in trouble. If you wish to help animals, volunteer at your local humane society.

One of the very odd things happening in shelters around the country is the importation of puppies from other countries.  Our country is really making a effort to spay and neuter actually reducing the number of animals in shelters in different parts of the country.  So now certain shelters, which depend on adoption fees, are actually bringing in puppies and dogs, sometimes from other countries, to make available for adoption.  Our humane society has a voucher program to help people neuter their cats and dogs and we do not make any animal available for adoption which has not been spayed or neutered.

My Clooney is back from Canada and on my lap once more.  I keep being asked if we are going to send him out to be shown to be ranked in this country, but I do not think that I can bear to have him gone from me.  He is the best little companion.  His sister Delta Dawn is back home from Sherri Meyer to be bred. She is so beautiful.  I am so excited to do this breeding with Sherri. 

In our rural county, dog fighting has been a long time concern. It is barbaric to be sure and goes on in many venues from rural areas like ours, to deep country, in well to do areas hidden by security fences, and of course in urban areas.  Dog fighting, like cock fighting, is barbaric and in fact goes back to less civilized times. Dogs have been used to bait bulls, bait bear, and fight each other since very early times.  In fact some breeds were developed from these earlier uses of dogs.  One would think that in our society today, such horrible games would not be taking place, but then one would think that mankind would no longer be practicing genocide and waging war.  The veneer of civilization is indeed thin.

We all know how our country seems to revere celebrities and watch and sometimes copy every thing a celebrity does.  I feel celebrities have a real responsibility especially to our youth to set examples for moral and lawful behavior.  Many celebrities fail in setting a rightful example; headlines center around drugs and rehab, public fights and disturbances, outlandish behavior and so forth. For Michael Vick, a big time NFL celebrity, hero and role model to our sports crazy youth, to be brought up on charges on a felony so heinous as dog fighting, is not to be condoned in any fashion.  In this country, one is innocent until proven guilty; Michael Vick may be innocent, but dog fighting is so horrific and ugly, that Mr. Vick should be suspended from the NFL until his innocence is proven.  The case against Mr. Vick seems solid. Other athletes have been suspended pending investigations and so should Mr. Vick.  If you feel the same way as I do, let the NFL know how you feel.  Dog fighting is immoral.

Please read the following letters to the NFL (permission to cross post has been given)from the Doberman Pinscher Club of America at    http://dpca.org/Legisltv/documents/Roger_Goodell_Letter_July_20.pdf

and the American Kennel Club letter which I applaud is below:

RONALD H. MENAKER                            DENNIS B. SPRUNG

Chairman of the Board president and chief executive officer

July 20, 2007

Roger Goodell

Commissioner, National Football League

280 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Dear Commissioner Goodell:

As the Board Chairman and President & CEO of a 123-year-old sport-governing body, we are very much aware of the conflicting pressures you face in the matter of the Michael Vick indictment.

Michael Vick is not only a nationally known superstar, but he is also the face of the National Football League?s Atlanta franchise. The Atlanta Falcons will not take any unilateral action on the matter because of the negative impact both in their financial liability and their on-field performance.
The buck thus stops with you as NFL Commissioner.

It is easy to take the position that you will just let the legal process play out, and that he is innocent until proven guilty, which is what the NFL and the Falcons, as well as the players association, have done to date. However, the nature of the crimes described in detail in the indictment in this case are so heinous and repulsive that they should be strongly condemned by any civilized person. This activity is anathema to everything the American Kennel Club stands for, and the millions of AKC registrants and competitors, many of whom have been NFL fans, unilaterally condemn it and those who perpetrated it.

It is common for state laws to recommend the immediate suspension of a teacher when charged with certain crimes. To acknowledge the severity of Mr. Vick?s charges, we urge his immediate suspension.

Respectfully,

Ronald H. Menaker Dennis B. Sprung

Chairman President & Chief Executive Officer

“When it rains, it pours the old adage goes.” At this point the adage would not be referring to the drought in Ohio, but to the amount of anti breeding legislation being introduced in our country. Ohio Senate Bill 173, the puppymill bill, will have a formal hearing this coming Tuesday with bill sponsors and opposition giving testimony. This bill is an awful bill. Written to shut down the Amish puppymills, the bill will effectively stop the small reputable show breeders from breeding. Commercial breeders will really not be affected; they will get their vendors’ licenses, pay the fees to do high volume breeding, and raise their dogs like livestock under the regulations of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. While the spirit of requiring better housing and care for the puppy mill dogs, the bill lumps all breeders together who have over a certain number of breeding animals which includes brood bitches and stud dogs. If one would have a stud dog, that dog could not be bred more than once a year. So a healthy dog could effectively not be used by other breeders to improve their dogs. We presently have four dogs who have been MRI’d clear of Syringomlyelia who really could not be used as I read the bill. I am attaching the link to the bill and to the list of senators. PLEASE, THOSE OF YOU IN OHIO, AND THOSE IN OTHER STATES, CONTACT YOUR SENATOR OR ALL SENATORS NOW IN OPPOSITION TO THIS BILL. Just look on the link to the Ohio Government website to read the bill and find the list of senators. Please become involved.

The site for SB 173:

http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=127_SB_173

And don’t forget AB 1634 in California. Thank you!

Welcome to my WordPress Blog. Please bookmark this page and checkback often!

Meredith

The battle in California continues to heat up. The latest news from Susan Van Luchene follows. If you live in California please help oppose AB 1634 by reading below and contacting your Assembly Member in opposition. Please.

Susan Van Luchene:

Here is the list of Assembly Members that are still undecided. The good news is that several of these have made up their mind to oppose this draconian piece of legislation!! In calling this morning I discovered that Assembly Member Anna Marie Caballero will OPPOSE, Assembly Member Cathleen Galgiani will OPPOSE, Assembly Member Fiona MA is opposed at present (this means we cannot let up on her!!), ad Assembly Member Nicole Parra will OPPOSE!

This means we are having an IMACT and we CAN DEFEAT AB 1634 — Please.
Please, EVERYONE get on the phone and call every one of these Assembly
Members today to let them know You OPPOSE AB1634 as Amended 5-31-07. (new
amendment date, used to be 5-9) to make sure you get the point across you
READ the amendments and STILL oppose this.

My gut tells me a few of the Assembly Members WE STILL NEED TO CONVINCE are
Julia Brownley, Charles Calderon, Mike Davis,, Betty Karnette and Tony
Mendoza — make these your SPECIAL TARGETS!!

Please don’t forget to register you opposition, as well as your thanks for
their opposition, with Assembly Members, Marie Caballero, Cathleen Galgiani,
Fiona Ma, and Nicole Parra
Many thanks!
Susan Van Luchene

Permission to cross post — cross posting is strongly encouraged!!
Here is the list:

ASSEMBLYMEMBER JULIA BROWNLEY
Phone: 916-319-2041 and 818-596-4141
Fax: 916-319-2141 and 818-596-4150

ASSEMBLYMEMBER ANNA MARIE CABALLERO
Phone: 916-319-2028 and 831-759-8676
Fax: 916-319-2128 and 831-759-2961

ASSEMBLYMEMBER CHARLES CALDERON
Phone: 916-319-2058 and 562-692-5858
Fax: 916-319-2158 and 562-695-5852

ASSEMBLYMEMBER MIKE DAVIS
Phone: 916-319-2048 and 213-744-2111
Fax: 916-319-2148 and 213-744-2122

ASSEMBLYMEMBER CATHLEEN GALGIANI
Phone: 916-319-2017 and 209-948-7479 and 209-726-5465
Fax: 916-319-2117

ASSEMBLYMEMBER BETTY KARNETTE
Phone: 916-319-2054 and 562-997-0794 and 310-548-6420
Fax: 916-319-2154 and 562-997-0799

ASSEMBLYMEMBER FIONA MA
Phone: 916-319-2012 and 415-557-2312
Fax: 916-319-2112 and 415-557-1178

ASSEMBLYMEMBER TONY MENDOZA
Phone: 916-319-2056 and 562-864-5600
Fax: 916-319-2156 and 562-863-7466

ASSEMBLYMEMBER NICOLE PARRA
Phone: 916-319-2030 and 661-334-3745 and 559-585-7170
Fax: 916-319-2130 and 661-334-3796 and 559-585-7175

ASSEMBLYMEMBER ANTHONY PORTANTINO
Phone: 916-319-2044 and 626-577-9944
Fax: 916-319-2144 and 626-577-2868

ASSEMBLYMEMBER LAURA RICHARDSON
Phone: 916-319-2055 and 562-989-2919
Fax: 916-319-2155 and 562-989-5494

There are two organizations that need money to continue the fight against anti breeding: the Concerned Dog Owners of California (see address in Ted Crawford’s email to me below) and PetPac (the political action committee formed to protect the rights of pets and owners through public awareness and education http://www.petpac.net/ )

From my friend and president of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of Southern California:

We are in a critical time this week. If this bill does not get passed
this week it is dead. We believe he is having a hard time finding the
votes to get it passed. Some of us also feel that he would like to get
away from this bill that will likely be the end of his political career.
The overwhelming numbers of CA. residents do not want this bill (80%
oppose to 20% support). One would have to realize that the people that
vote you into office can just as easily vote you out.

As for any donations, please make checks payable to; CDOC (Concerned Dog
Owners of California) you can send to me and I will hand deliver.

Ted Crawford,
446 E. Jefferson Ave.
Pomona, CA 91767

Thank you for all your support and please know that everything we are
doing will be helpful to everyone who may face the same problem.