I went down to Salem last Monday to testify again in front of the House Committee on the Anti-Puppy Mill Bill and was headed down there again today until my car overheated and I was left stranded at the side of I-5 hanging out in the nice weather. No matter - turns out the Committee voted on the bill and in a vote of 7-3 decided to send the Bill on to the House for a vote! They recommended the dash 9 amendment which included the 50 dog cap. 

Inside the Capitol Building in Salem

Today they were deciding on which amendment to vote on ( dash 9 - with the 50 dog cap or dash 10 - without the cap). So it's a good day for puppies in Oregon. The dash 9 amendment is going to the house floor! So now it's your turn. What can you do to end puppy mills in Oregon? You can contact your state representative and let them know your thoughts on HB 2470.  To find out your Oregon state representative and their contact information click here. From what I understand, a written, signed letter is the best but calling or emailing can also help. Please be sure to put "vote yes on HB 2470" in the subject line.  

 

Stop Puppy Mills

Testifying in front of the committee has been an amazing experience. Sitting in the overflow room watching the hearing on the big screen tv in a room full of people both for and against was so interesting. You'd hear the murmurs on both sides as the person said something agreeable (or disagreeable) and I kept wondering if things were going to get out of hand. I could only relate it to a room full of school kids with no monitor or teacher present. We were all adult and friendly - no fights, no spitballs and comments were kept to the issue at hand - never personal. The other thing I realized is that politics are...well, politics and this arena is not for the faint at heart or the fair minded. There is a lot of posturing and adamant stances on both sides and for me that was difficult. I guess I'm a pragmatist - all sides are against puppy mills so why can't we get together and make a bill that makes them illegal in Oregon? Why does this become a contest of posturing and trying to place the bill in a light that will get it defeated so the opposition no longer has to deal with it?  

Anti Puppy Mill rally on the steps

I am so grateful to everyone that has commented on my previous blog about HB 2470 - including points of view in opposition. I still contend that the responsible breeders in Oregon already meet the standards outlined in the bill and with the 50 intact breeding age (2 year old) dog cap they will not be adversely affected by the bill. I long for the day when no puppies have to suffer for a profit.  

My original sticker from testifying against Puppy Mills

 

 

 

 

Check out the Nightline Video on Puppy Mills

 

 

For the past seven years Animal Aid in conjunction with Spay Day USA offers a month of spay and neuter specials. From Valentine's Day to St. Patrick's Day participating clinics offer to spay female cats for $15 and neuter male cats for $10. We decided to participate this year - our first opportunity.  

Melissa, Daniela and Katie arranged the whole project - I was just a volunteer. We decided we would offer a day of neuters for the project and pledged to neuter 20 cats. We thought a Monday would be best since we would be closed and we all came in to make it happen. I have to tell you how proud I am of our entire staff for organizing every detail of this project and making it a success all on a volunteer basis. We even had extra volunteers come in to help out including Dr. Krissy Bussmann who will soon be coming on board as our second doctor!

We ended up neutering  18 males and spaying one female. We were working so hard we forgot to take pictures - sorry about that! It was a fun day seeing all of these kitties come through and we really shined in the appreciation of the families bringing in their beloved pets. We were so happy to be able to help! The proceeds from the day are going to Cat Adoption Team and the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon to continue to help in the spaying and neutering of more cats in need. 

On Monday I headed down to Salem to testify in favor of House Bill 2470 - a piece of proposed legisltation to shut down Puppy Mills in Oregon and give some guidelines for consumers who purchase puppies that are ill.

Me and my puppy mill rescue DeeDee

I arrived early for the hearing and after finding parking and paying my meter in the pouring rain I headed to the Capitol Building. Immediately inside I met Glen Kolb, the executive director of the OVMA also there to testify. The OVMA originally was taking an opposed stance on the bill due to language but was willing to come in Neutral with the chance to work on the bill. 

The crowd waits to get into the hearing room

I saw the crowd waiting outside of the hearing room. Groups of people gathered on both sides of the issue and there was tension in the air as people were passionately discussing their sides of the argument with friends. When they finally opened the door to the hearing room only 1/2 of the people were let in. The rest of us filtered in next door to watch on the big screen. Again people were clustered in groups and in such close quarters. Everyone was pretty respectful but without being in the Committee Hearing Room, I felt a little like we were in an 8th grade classroom with no teacher present. With each passionate testimonial the growd gently edged to get out of hand - but it never did. I sat with Glenn and another veterinarian there to testify - Larry Peet. 

Scott Beckman testifies in support of HB 2470

Chair Holvey opened up the hearing by explained that he drafted this legislation and has a great interest in the bill. He also generously added that he wanted to hear all sides to make this bill a good one and looked forward to the testimony. The first to speak was Scott Beckman with the Humane Society of the United States who did an excellent job outlining why the bill was needed and put to rest some of the rumors out there that the HSUS was ultimately trying to eliminate pet ownership. The HSUS is an organization that is made up of very reasonable, proactive people working hard on animal welfare issues (that's why I am a member of the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association.) After Scott, Sharon Harmon spoke for the Oregon Humane Society and gave an empassioned speak about the horrors of puppy mills and echoed my feeling that the bill doesn't go far enough. She repeated over and over that the minimum standards set out in the bill was that the cage has to be big enough for the dog to lie down, stand up and turn around.

Sharon Harmon with OHS makes an empassioned speech

There were many other testimonies from both sides of the aisle. Most of the breeders and the National Animal Interest Alliance were concerned with the wording of the bill, the fear that good breeders would be affected by this bill, that Oregon Welfare laws already apply and that it is an unfunded mandate. Other breeders supported the bill and believed that everyone should be against the horror of puppy mills. 

Finally it was my turn. Right before I went up we were asked to keep the testimony to 1 minute instead of the 3 we originally were granted. I read the most important parts of my testimony including the difficulties I have seen when puppies from questionable sources are purchased and become deathly ill. I was so honored to be on the panel with the other 3 veterinarians including Dr. Ingrid, Dr. Larry Peet, and another doctor from Tillamook who all did such an excellent job - speaking to the Committee with their heartfelt testimony. 

The plan for the bill now is for it to enter a Working Group to revise the bill and get it to the floor for a vote. Please take the time to read the bill. Once you have read it I encourage you to contact your state senator and representative and encourage them to vote yes on HB 2470.  You can also find a form for the anti puppy mill legislation on the HSUS website along with information about the bill and issues with Puppy Mills.

 

    

Hey All - it's Michael.

Two cool opportunites came up at the same time, so I thought I'd post them together. Check it out!

1. Best Friends Animal Society

The singer-songwriter Neko Case, who has an incredibly beautiful and haunting voice, is asking blogs to post her new song "People Got A Lotta Nerve" and for every blog that does, she'll donate $5 to Best Friends Animal Society. So here it is!

You can play it right here:

or you can download the MP3 to keep in your normal collection.

If you have a blog of your own, please post the song as well - not only does it promote a great independent artist, but it provides money and media coverage for animal welfare.

2. The Humane Society of the United States

To promote Spay Day 2009, the HSUS has launched an online photo contest, where you can vote with dollars (contributed to HSUS). The HSUS is anincredible force for change, and if you doubt that your dollars are going to good use, check out the impressive list of accomplishments for 2008 - and those are just the state-level legal victories!

So, you can either enter your own super cute pet, or we can skip the formalities and you can simply go and vote for the most awesomest pup around, the master of face-chewing disaster, the howlin' hurricane of the west, weighing in at 45 pounds (although technically she should be 50), the Undisputed Champion of Cuteness, MOJO!, who I've already taken the trouble of entering.  I suppose if you'd like, you could also browse through the other contestants, but honestly that would just be a waste of everyone's time, wouldn't it?

I recently wrote the story of Mojo (our 3-legged puppy) for the Animal Rescue and Care Fund Newsletter. I seemed to keep mentioning how much everybody loves Mojo. People stop on the street to pet her. They smile at her while she licks their toes. There is something so resilient and amazing in her demeanor but it turns out she isn't the only one with an amazing story of triumph! A few weeks ago I met Dottie when she came into the clinic with her kitty brother, Pullo for wellness care. She is such a sweet dog - a pit bull no less - and so very happy. She, like Mojo, brings out the best in people as they find this great desire to help her. It's no wonder she wags her tail so much - check out this story written by her mom, Amie:

Dottie

According to the 'Must Love Dogs NW', the rescue group Dottie came from, she had a pretty rough start in life. Apparently she was on her way to the Vancouver H.S. after her family became homeless. For some reason, the family stopped at a used tire yard, where the owner offered to take Dottie to avoid going to the H.S. ( A much worse fate!). For the next 2 and a half years, the owner of the tire lot chained her to a tire with no shelter and very little food. The only shelter Dottie had was to crawl amongst (and in) the tires. In the summer time, she would burn the pads of her paws due to the heat and in the winter time, she would make a bed out of rat carcasses. (I assume she was hunting them)

Dottie in the Tire Yard - what a fierce watch dog!

Eventually, an elderly gentleman took a liking to her and made it his mission to be her caretaker. (It is unclear exactly how he came to know her).  Everyday, the man would take Dottie off of her chain and walk her around the neighborhood and to the local elementary school. Before long he had the entire community rallying around her. People chipped in to buy her a harness, the pizza parlor nearby would give her pizza scraps and the elderly man would scrap together enough money to buy her dog food. (I've been told that she was eating 'Ol Roy'. Yuck!)  Eventually the elderly man, who apparently had beginning alzheimers or dementia, was forced to go into assisted living and could no longer care for Dottie. That is when 'Must Love Dogs NW' became involved and talked the tire lot owner into letting them take Dottie.

Before we got Dottie she spent 3 months in a fabulous foster home with 4 other dogs. The first time we met her at an outreach event, we knelt down and she was so sweet, she just melted right into us. Even though we had another dog to see that day, we pretty much knew that Dottie was our girl right then.

Dottie relaxing with her dad

 

 

Dottie now lives in a loving home with Amie and Mark (who are getting married next week!) and her kitty brother, Pullo. She loves to snuggle under the covers when it's cold and eagerly awaits her regular run with her mom. She loves cats, kids and most dogs. Dottie's favorite things include running long distances or curling up and watching t.v., as long as it includes hanging out with her people.