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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/bluedogstate.blogspot.com\/<\/p>\n
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\nPLEASE 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. <\/p>\n
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AND MORE AND VERY IMPORTANT FROM THE AKC CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD:<\/p>\n
Following, please find the May Chairman’s Report. <\/p>\n
Regards,<\/p>\n
AKC Communications<\/p>\n
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/p>\n
Date: May 8, 2007<\/p>\n
Contact: Daisy Okas<\/p>\n
Phone: 212-696-8343<\/p>\n
MAY CHAIRMAN’S REPORT<\/p>\n
New York, NY – Since February we have been waging a legislative battle
\nagainst California Assembly Bill 1634 which would require mandatory
\nspaying\/neutering for all dogs over 4 months of age unless the owner
\nqualifies for and purchases an intact dog permit through the local
\nauthorities.<\/p>\n
This would mean that those wishing to keep their dogs intact would be at
\nthe whim of municipalities, who, under the bill’s provisions, can set
\nthe fees for such permits.<\/p>\n
So, what appears as an “exception” for purebred dog owners and breeders,
\nwill result in higher fees for responsible dog owners and breeders.
\nCalifornia state law already requires that dog licenses for intact
\nanimals cost twice as much as those for spayed or neutered animals.<\/p>\n
Immediately after this bill was introduced AKC began an aggressive,
\npro-active grassroots effort to get the word out about our opposition to
\nthis bill. We have continually posted updated legislative alerts on our
\nweb site and provided resources such as fliers, sample letters and
\ntalking points via our “CA Spay\/Neuter Action Center” on the home page.
\nWe have also rung the alarm far and wide by individually contacting
\n2,000 California club officers, legislative liaisons, judges, and
\nDelegates as well as alerting 90,000 AKC-registrants in addition to more
\nthan 14,750 who recently registered a litter urging them to oppose this
\nbill.<\/p>\n
AKC President and CEO Dennis Sprung and I each sent a letter to
\nAssemblyman Mike Eng, Chairman of the Business and Professions Committee
\nwhere the bill was scheduled for a hearing detailing our opposition. I
\nalso sent a letter to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger,
\nreiterating the damage this bill could inflict on responsible dog owners
\nand breeders and the revenue that would be lost to the state should he
\nsign this bill into law.<\/p>\n
Our early efforts helped to secure a postponement on a vote to move the
\nbill out of committee on April 10. I believe our unified voice of
\nopposition from the fancy directly affected this action.<\/p>\n
Because we understood the importance of the bill and the far-reaching
\neffect it might have on other states, AKC sent staff member Sarah
\nSprouse from AKC’s Canine Legislation department and AKC legislative
\nconsultant Stephanie Lane to the April 24 hearing in Sacramento. In
\naddition, we hired a California lobbyist to help us navigate the
\npolitical waters.<\/p>\n
Despite our efforts, the bill was kept alive and voted out of committee.
\nWe did, however, retain support from lawmakers who understood our
\nposition as was evidenced in the committee vote down party lines.
\nImmediately after the hearing, our staff members met with more than 200
\ndedicated fanciers, supplied them with materials and instructed them how
\nto approach their assembly members to voice continued opposition. I want
\nto thank the several hundred fanciers who turned out for the April 10th
\nand 24th hearings, and the thousands of dog owners who sent letters and
\ne-mails to legislators. Their collective voice and strong numbers
\nstrengthened our opposition.<\/p>\n
According to the sponsor of AB 1634, the bill is intended to reduce
\nshelter populations and costs. AKC opposition to the bill is predicated
\non the reality that the bill wrongly targets responsible dog owners and
\nbreeders while failing to address the real reasons animals are
\nsurrendered. National research organizations have reported that the
\nmajority of unwanted dogs in the United States come from owners who are
\nunable or unwilling to train, socialize and care for their dog.<\/p>\n
While AKC opposes mandatory spaying and neutering of purebred dogs, we
\nhave always encouraged pet owners to spay or neuter their dogs if they
\ndo not want to participate in AKC conformation events or engage in
\nresponsible breeding programs. In fact, the American Pet Products
\nManufacturers Association 2005-2006 National Pet Owners Survey reports
\nthat more than 70 percent of owned dogs are spayed or neutered. Seven
\nout of 10 dog owners chose spaying or neutering as the right decision
\nfor their pet. This is an individual choice best made by pet owners in
\nconsultation with their veterinarian.<\/p>\n
Since the majority of owned dogs in this country are already spayed and
\nneutered, we need to address the reasons dogs are relinquished. I
\nbelieve educating the public about responsible dog ownership, coupled
\nwith enforcement of existing leash laws, best addresses shelter
\npopulation issues.<\/p>\n
AKC proactively developed several education programs, including AKC
\nResponsible Dog Ownership Day, dedicated to teaching the pet-buying
\npublic how to make well-informed decisions when acquiring a pet. Such
\nprograms help to ensure that pet purchasers find a puppy or dog that is
\na good match for their lifestyle, thereby decreasing the chance that the
\nanimal will be relinquished to a shelter. In addition, our AKC Canine
\nGood Citizen(r) program, AKC Obedience trials, and our nearly 5,000 AKC
\naffiliated clubs offer ongoing training opportunities for owners to curb
\npotential behavior problems through training. Our education programs are
\nin schools and libraries and at shows, club meetings and community
\nevents nationwide.<\/p>\n
AKC Clubs also routinely donate money raised at their events back into
\nthe community in the form of scholarships, bullet proof vests for law
\nenforcement K-9s, and other civic minded endeavors. Club members and
\nbreeders who engage in this high level of volunteerism are in no way
\nirresponsibly breeding dogs, in fact, if a dog they breed does need to
\nbe re-homed they are the first to step up and take responsibility for
\nit, giving it a foster home until a new owner can be found.<\/p>\n
We know education is the best way to influence responsible dog ownership
\nand since our programs have been implemented there has actually been a
\ndecrease in shelter populations. What some lawmakers fail to realize is
\nthat with our mission to promote responsible dog ownership through
\npublic education, we are a significant part of the solution. We strive
\nto help dog owners have a successful and rewarding experience with their
\npet, making it more likely the dog will remain a valued member of the
\nfamily for its entire lifetime. Lawmakers must end the debate of
\nmandatory spay and neuter and embrace the concept of public education.<\/p>\n
Additionally, AKC breed parent clubs and local affiliates participate in
\nbreed rescue which further reduces the number of dogs in municipal and
\nprivate shelters across the United States. More than 280 AKC affiliated
\nrescue organizations are committed to assisting shelters with adoption
\nand placement of purebred dogs identified within the shelter
\npopulations. These organizations rehabilitate dogs in foster homes and
\npermanently place them with loving and responsible families.<\/p>\n
We will continue to be vigilant in our opposition and keep you informed By staying involved we can make sure our right to decide what is best We are actively investigating the possibility of establishing an AKC Sincerely,<\/p>\n Ron Menaker<\/p>\n AKC Communications<\/p>\n ——————————————————————————–<\/p>\n ——————————————————————————–<\/p>\n AND MORE:<\/p>\n At this link http:\/\/agriculture.house.gov.hearings\/index.html Just click on “witness opening statements,” then click on Stenholm’s From Peggy…and permission to crosspost is given (various sources And More:<\/p>\n The Doberman Pinscher Club of America has a new flyer available for 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[25,32,34],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nof developments. It is imperative that all of you join us in defeating
\nCalifornia AB 1634. Please visit our website for sample letters, talking
\npoints and contact information for California Assemblymembers. (Visit
\nthe AKC website at:
\nhttp:\/\/www.akc.org\/canine_legislation\/CA_action_center.cfm
\n
\nmore.)<\/p>\n
\nfor our animals is preserved.<\/p>\n
\nPolitical Action Committee (PAC).<\/p>\n
\nyou can read the testimony of Congressman Charles W. Stenholm to the House
\nCommittee on Agriculture. This is a piece to read, print out, and save
\nfor anyone who is trying to educate others about the AR movement.
\n This is a United States Congressman testifying before the Congress on
\nthe agenda of the animal rights movement. FINALLY – they are beginning
\nto get it!<\/p>\n
\nname. Don’t bother with the 52 pages of drivel from Wayne Pacelle of
\nHSUS…that’s the same old same old from him…….not what he said,
\nsince the Committee apparently mounted an immediate attack against him!
\nOne of the “good ole boys” even called Pacelle “son.” Bet that got his
\ndander up! The Members were not amused or interested in listening to
\nPacelle! Hooray! <\/p>\n
\nprovided the background here)<\/p>\n
\n>> distribution regarding Assembly Bill 1634. Since AB1634 will be heard
\n>> by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 16th, this flyer
\n>> addresses the fiscal side of the bill. Please print this flyer with the
\n>> Committee Members’ contact information on the back and distribute it far
\n>> and wide. The general public needs to be aware of the impact this bill
\n>> would have on their communities and businesses. Pass it out at the
\n>> malls, your church, your neighborhood center – anywhere and everywhere.
\n>> If each of us does this, the public will become aware of this unfair
\n>> and costly legislation and will contact the Appropriations Committee.
\n>> Many vets and most of the general public are not even aware of this
\n>> bill. We need public awareness of this attempt to govern our
\n>> relationship with our pets.
\n>>
\n>> This is the direct link to the flyer:
\n>> http:\/\/www.dpca.org\/Legisltv\/documents\/Cost_to_CA.pdf
\n>>
\n>> It can also be accessed from this page:
\n>>
\n>> http:\/\/www.dpca.org\/Legisltv\/bills\/CA1634.htmLook for the flashing
\n>> “NEW” sign.
\n>>
\n>> Thank you for your help in educating the public about AB 1634.
\n>> Dana Johnson
\n>> DPCA Legislative Committee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"