MSIR wallet auctions are LIVE!

The sweet little one-of-a-kind card keepers are now up for auction with MSIR! Inspired by three of my very favorite shiba-folk, I'm hoping these fun little side projects will result in a few bucks to help the fine folks of Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue with their good work.









All auctions are up and running at Ebay, at the following links:

Sweet Deshi
Grinning Yuki
Smiling Winnie

Or searchable with terms MSIR wallet

Cheers, and happy bidding!

Jack

I'm not in much of a state right now to really say anything eloquent on the topic, but last night my mom and dad cried our old friend, Jack, to sleep.

My dad sent me this letter, today, that he wrote to our local newspaper. Its a small town, and everybody there knew our golden friend.

____________________
Dear Editor: Today, I put to sleep my golden retriever "Jack". I am writing this to hopefully help people understand the agonizing decisions we must deal with when ending an animals life. I have been a veterinarian for 25 years and have euthanized countless numbers of animals. I have consoled many people over this and have at times been frustrated with the inability to effect a cure or treatment for someone's pet. But this was the first time I have ever personally put to sleep an animal that I was this close to. I obtained Jack 15 years ago from his breeder who wanted to put him to sleep as a 10 week old puppy. It was Christmas Eve 1994 and Jack and a litter mate were brought to me because they had parvovirus. I refused to euthanize these dogs because, after all it was Christmas, and I couldn't do that to a puppy on Christmas. I told the breeder that if he didn't want to pay, then I would treat the dogs and he owed me pick of the litter for it. That is how our family got Jack. Jack went everywhere with us. We took him to work, school, and on vacations. Jack went camping in the snow up to Butte Meadows, summer camping at Letts lake, and weekend trips to Ft. Bragg and Mendocino. Once, we bought him an ice cream cone in Mendocino. We sat in the warm sun and held the cone while Jack licked it clean. He wouldn't just bite it and swallow it whole, he savored every bit of that ice cream. That is how Jack approached life. He loved everyone and every animal he ever came across.

Jack had no enemies. When my son raised chickens in the backyard for the FFA, Jack slept with them, keeping them warm and let them pick through his fur. Jack didn't like water. When we put in a pool in the backyard, he barked at us when we went into the pool, not understanding why we would do that when life to him was perfectly good on dry land.

He was not a complainer nor was he ever grumpy. About two years ago we noticed Jack had suddenly become deaf. I did a complete exam on him and consulted with a neurologist. Though there was no explanation, it did not seem to stop him, he compensated well and as was typical, went on acting happy as always. Last year, I noticed a lump on his right hind quarter. Since throughout his life he had many lipomas, I didn't worry too much about it, but decided to biopsy it anyway. This time, it was not good news. The tumor was a soft tissue sarcoma and was highly metastatic. I x-rayed him and found the tumor had already spread to his lungs. We kept him comfortable for a whole year after that and though I knew the tumor was slowly growing inside of him, he never complained, never showed us that he was in pain. The tumor was taking its toll however, because as the days passed, he became a little slower, a little less eager to bark and run. In January of this year, Jack had a seizure and developed a problem called vestibular syndrome. I thought that this was the end, but he didn't quit. He slowly improved his gait and got to the point where he could walk on his own and take care of himself. Eventually, the combination of the cancer and age took Jack. In the last few weeks, he couldn't get up on his own, was losing weight rapidly and got to the point where he wouldn't eat. My wife Terri and I agonized over this and came to the conclusion that he was miserable. It became clear to me that I had to take the responsibility of ending his life. I knew the task would be extremely hard, but I wanted to do this for him, because he was so close to us, I did not want him to know that I passed his life off to someone else’s hands. Terri held him and talked to him. We told him how much we loved him and reminded him of our trips and memories. I inserted the needle with the euthanasia solution into his vein and he slowly and quietly slipped into his endless sleep.

In the end, he met death with the same dignity that he lived his life. I am a richer person for knowing Jack, through example he taught me so much. He never complained, he always accepted life as it came to him. I knew that he loved us and we loved him and I pray to God that some day, I will see him again.

Christopher R. Impinna, DVM

Heads up, hikers!

Local folks: please be careful to keep your dogs away from the area of Elk Creek at the Umpqua River/Elkton. Five dogs have now died suddenly, apparently due to exposure to some kind of violent toxin. Police are investigating but have not found any likely substance in the area.

Douglas County Media Release

Exclusive for Shiba rescue... one-of-a-kind Shiba wallets!

Roomy enough for a back pocket's worth of essentials, these sweet little card-keepers are one-of-a-kind creations. They measure approximately 3 X 5" and are made with the very finest of materials. I am a professional scrap-rat to a ridiculous degree, and these fun side-projects demonstrate why... even the tiniest bits and pieces might be the perfect shape for a nose, an ear, or a distinctive curly tail =). Modeled after three of my very favorite shiba-folk, these wallets are individually designed and intimately handcrafted.

They are destined for regional Shiba rescue fundraising auctions. If you'd like to get your paws on one, keep an eye out for them there, and please fork over the bucks to help them with their good work!!! =D

Back at it!

Back at work and veeeeery nearly caught up. A couple big custom pieces will keep me pretty heavily occupied this next week, but after that things should be running pretty smoothly again.
I most sincerely appreciate everyone's patience. We had a wonderful visit with our families, and got to see some absolutely spectacular bits of Oregon while we were at it. When I get a few spare moments, I'll post some photos.
Until then, here's some reading to keep you occupied: 10 Awesome things: What the health care reform will REALLY do for you

On behalf of entrepreneurs, small business owners, and my future employees... thumbs up for public-option health care!

Cheers ;0)

Feature spots, stuff

We were honored with two nice features this past week, with the fabulous Yuki packs making a cameo in an Etsy treasury listing and a featured spot in a very nice handcrafting blog, Dig Under Rocks
Thanks to both ladies for the features! Those packs are getting some attention out in the world.

We'll be continuing to run a bit slow in the next couple weeks. Currently our dockets are full to the point of bursting, and with family on the way for a good, extended visit. We haven't seen Mr. Armadillo's parents in years, so will be taking the next week mostly off from business. We'll be accepting orders for custom work, but with the caveat that wait times are likely to run 3-4 weeks for heavily custom gear as of today. Basic stuff should move a bit faster!

Cheers, and hope you all are enjoying the best of summers.

Just a heads-up...

Things are running a little slow this week. Mr. Armadillo is wrapping up seven years' worth of PhD work in defending his thesis today, and things have been a bit manic around here this last week. I'll be attending his lecture today, we'll be taking tomorrow off together, then spending a long weekend with family. Also in early August we'll be taking a week off to spend with family as well. We'll try to keep things moving, but please expect some delays.

Thanks for your patience, we appreciate it. It's an exciting time for us. Honestly... I've got what I feel is some small measure of tenacity in my soul, but this dude's wrapping up what amounts to twelve years of concentrated study on a single topic. The mind, it boggles. Mad respect for endless hours at the bench that would drive me out of my mind.


"Ah, there's nothing more exciting than science. You get all the fun of sitting still, being quiet, writing down numbers, paying attention...[chuckles] Science has it all!" -Principal Skinner

Scary stuff! Learn the heimlich... it really does save lives.

A friend's geriatric pug, Mandi, nearly choked on a hunk of turkey neck today. Jon was able to save her by quickly performing the canine version of the heimlich maneuver: turn the pooch upside down and give several hard thrusts to the abdomen just below the crest of the ribcage. Here's a printable PDF with excellent, clear instructions. Everyone should familiarize themselves with the techniques: http://www.theanimalspirit.com/dogcpr.pdf

On choking and raw food, the most common culprits seem to be chicken or turkey necks, foods small enough to encourage hasty gulping and cyllindrically-shaped to make an effective airway plug. Common preventative measures are to crush the bones internally with a mallet (Mandi's turkey neck had been crushed prior to serving), to serve foods partly frozen in order to encourage slower eating, and holding one end of the food while the chewies commence. Serving ground or chopped foods is the ultimate solution for choking prevention. Though going this route circumvents some of the other perceived benefits of a whole-foods raw diet, in the end, we all have to troubleshoot in the ways that work best for our own pack.

Hugs to old puggles, and here's hoping to never to hear similar stories again.

Cross-posted!

Shout-out to Raw Doggers everywhere: anyone in that area of the country willing and able to help?
______________________________________

PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST

Shiba Transport, Jupiter, FL to Chicago, IL Saturday, August 1st to Sunday, August 2nd
**17 LEGS STILL NEED TO BE FILLED OVERNIGHT**

PASSENGER INFORMATION LISTED AT BOTTOM OF SHEET
NUMBER OF PASSENGERS - 1 Shiba Inu
RESPONSIBLE RESCUE - Shiba Inu Rescue Association www.savingshibas.com
RESCUE COORDINATOR - Aimee Winkler

Please respond to admin @savingshibas. com (remove spaces) if you can take a leg/legs or part of a leg. Please include your car's make and model, license plate state and number, and contact phone number that will be used during the transport.

Coming from: Foster Home
Going to: Foster Home
Every leg allows a 10 minute break

**ALL LEGS AND TIMES ARE VERY FLEXIBLE**

***** ALL DAY 1 TIMES ARE LISTED IN EASTERN TIME UNLESS NOTED! *****

DAY 1:

Leg 1
Jupiter, FL to Vero Beach, FL
64 miles
1 hr
7:00 am to 8:00 am
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 2
Vero Beach, FL to Titusville, FL
70 miles
1 hr 5 min
8:10 am to 9:15 am
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 3
Titusville, FL to Palm Coast, FL
70 miles
1 hr 5 min
9:25 am to 10:30 am
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 4
Palm Coast, FL to Jacksonville, FL
68 miles
1 hr 5 min
10:40 am to 11:45 am
FILLED! Thanks Tammy!

Leg 5
Jacksonville, FL to White Springs, FL
74 miles
1 hr 5 min
11:55 am to 1:00 pm
FILLED! Thanks Jill!

Leg 6
White Springs, FL to Adel, GA
71 miles
1 hr
1:10 pm to 2:10 pm
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 7
Adel, GA to Vienna, GA
71 miles
1 hr 5 min
2:20 pm to 3:25 pm
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 8
Vienna, GA to Macon, GA
61 miles
55 min
3:35 pm to 4:30 pm
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 9
Macon, GA to Atlanta, GA
77 miles
1 hr 15 min
4:40 pm to 5:55 pm
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 10
Atlanta, GA to Calhoun, GA
67 miles
1 hr
6:05 pm to 7:05 pm
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 11
Calhoun, GA to Chattanooga, TN
56 miles
50 min
7:15 pm to 8:05 pm
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 12
Chattanooga, TN to Manchester, TN
66 miles
1 hr
8:15 pm to 9:15 pm
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

**OVERNIGHT NEEDED IN OR NEAR MANCHESTER, TN**

***** ALL DAY 2 TIMES ARE LISTED IN CENTRAL TIME UNLESS NOTED! *****

DAY 2:

Leg 13
Manchester, TN to Nashville, TN
65 miles
1 hr
7:00 am to 8:00 am
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 14
Nashville, TN to Cadiz, KY
74 miles
1 hr 5 min
8:10 am to 9:15 am
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 15
Cadiz, KY to Metropolis, IL
68 miles
1 hr
9:25 am to 10:25 am
FILLED! Thanks Katie and Cindy!

Leg 16
Metropolis, IL to Benton, IL
65 miles
55 min
10:35 am to 11:30 am
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 17
Benton, IL to Effingham, IL
89 miles
1 hr 20 min
11:40 am to 1:00 pm
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 18
Effingham, IL to Champaign, IL
80 miles
1 hr 10 min
1:10 pm to 2:20 pm
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 19
Champaign, IL to Kankakee, IL
77 miles
1 hr 10 min
2:30 pm to 3:40 pm
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

Leg 20
Kankakee, IL to Chicago, IL
64 miles
1 hr 5 min
3:50 pm to 4:55 pm
NEED VOLUNTEER!!!

PASSENGER #1
NAME: Norton
BREED: Shiba Inu
AGE: 5 yo
SEX: Male
COLOR: Sesame
SIZE/WEIGHT: 25 lbs
SPAYED/NEUTERED: Yes
SHOT UTD: Yes
HEALTH: Good
HOUSETRAINED: Yes
SPECIAL NEEDS: None
DOES THE DOG RIDE WELL IN A CAR: Yes, but must be closely monitored when doors are opened
DOES DOG GET ALONG WITH OTHER ANIMALS: Needs slow introduction to dogs, NOT good with cats
ADDITIONAL INFO: Proven escape artist. Please walk on leash at all times (even in a fenced yard) and be very careful around doors
ITEMS PROVIDED: leash, collar, vet paperwork
ITEMS NEEDED: water bowl, extra leash, crate
REASON FOR TRANSPORT: Foster Home to Foster Home

Aimee Winkler
President
Shiba Inu Rescue Association
www.savingshibas.com

Reposted from Portlanders Against Breed Bans

Thanks to Green Dog/PABB Julie for the following. Karen Delise's article is a fantastic one.
___

There have been a number of good articles this week about the difficulty of identifying dog breeds visually, an issue that is especially concerning for dogs labeled "pit bull mixes", considering the implications of being a "pit bull type dog" in our world. Brent over at KC Dog Blog had a great post about this today, which I've included below.

I also would encourage you to check out Karen Delise's historical view of "dangerous" dogs on her site by visiting this link: http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/canines-issues/a-historical-view/
It is basically an overview of her book, The Pit Bull Placebo, but is a must-read if you haven't had time to read the whole book yet.

Enjoy!

How well can we really identify breeds of dogs?
http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/

Our friends over at the National Canine Research Council have been having some fun with DNA testing of late.

Last week I noted some new research from the AVMA is indicating that DNA testing may just be debunking any studies ever done on dog bite studies by breed. Basically, every dog bite by breed study out there is based on people's visual identification of the dog breed -- and we're finding out that people really aren't that good at identifying breeds of dogs by looks -- and in fact, it is more or less impossible.

But when you put images with it, it is really telling.

So last week, the NCRC published a "Find the Labrador Retriever mix" visual ID game. Similar to other version of the Find a "Pit bull" game, it turns out that a lot of mixed breed dogs that we assume to be mixed breeds that are predominently common breeds don't often contain any of those breeds at all.

Most people, including many who work in animal rescue, are not all that great at knowing the looks of all the different dog breeds. The AKC/UKC combined recognize over 150 different breeds of dogs....but at this point, there are over 400 recognized dog breeds. And often, when these breed intermingle, they don't carry with them looks of any of the breeds they represent.

However, because we are familiar with a few dog breeds, we have become pretty good at grouping dogs together in groups with other similar looking dogs. Is the dog about 80 lbs and black? "Lab Mix." Boxy head and muscly? "Pit bull". Long hair and snout? "Shepherd mix". Never mind that there are several breeds of "Shepherd" that don't look all that much alike -- and many of the "shepherd mixes" don't really look like any of those breeds.

We group them, because in our mind, it's easier to classify them. Besides, what does a Chesapeake Bay Retriever/Chihuahua mix look like? And what does that mean to a potential adopter? Mostly nothing. But it's a cute black dog that kind of looks like a Lab, so let's call it that.

So what do our classifications mean? It means we group a lot of mixed breed dogs of uncommon breeds into a grouping of more popular breeds. So go to PetFinder, your local shelter, or look at any bite study. Almost anywhere you look for classifications by breed, you see "labs", "shepherds" and "pit bulls" as the most common breeds. Most often it's not because these dogs share the same DNA -- but because the LOOK similar to each other and it they are more easily categorized that way.

I think this is a really important distinction. When communities say they are putting restrictions based on "breed" because they say they are "inherantly dangerous based on their DNA" -- we need to be honest about what that means. These communities are not making decisions based on DNA, or breed at all -- but on LOOKS. They are determining that a LOOK is aggressive - not genetics. Which is an even crazier notion than the genetics argument which doesn't hold up to science either.

It's turning out that the more we learn about dogs and breeds, we find out the less we ever knew in the first place. And that pretty much every study we have ever done about dogs and breeds is completely irrelevant now because we didn't identify the breeds right in the first place.

Have room for a shiba in your life?

Shiba folks are apparently drowning in spare shibas at the moment. These primitive little dogs are awfully attractive, but definitely more dog than many folks looking for an attractive little dog are prepared to handle. As such, it's not surprising that in our impulse-buy and puppies-as-commodoties world, too many end up in rescue. And, too, sometimes people are just embarassed, after having been warned and lectured, to admit that maybe they're just not suited to the task.

It's a tricky thing in the breed-fancy world. Humans have a hard time hearing "no", and people seem to take a dog-breed-assessment very personally... even though it's no reflection on a person as a human being if their situation isn't quite right for any given dog. After all, no breed is any "better" than another, just different, with different needs. It sounds like a "well, hello Mr. Obvious!" thing to say, but I'm a big proponent of people choosing the breed or type that best suits their current needs and lifestyle. In other words, no matter how deeply in love you are with any given breed or type of dog, sometimes you just have to be able to take a step back, look at your situation with an objective eye, and ask yourself if you're pursuing the breed because you want one or because you really think they're a suitable match for your lifestyle. In today's "dog owning world", just as in with plenty of other things, people often choose dogs because they want. They want a particular look, or they want what the breed represents, or they just find themselves irresistibly drawn to a particular breed for any given number of reasons. People often convince themselves that they will change their lifestyle to accommodate the dog; like the treadmill that's now a clothes hanger, the dog's very presence will mean they "have" to exercise more, or socialize more, or take up a dog-related sport or hobby. Whatever the adjustment is, making changes to our lives, major changes, is hard. As the dust-gathering exercise equipment can testify, good intentions don't carry very far.

Something else that's difficult for some people to hear and understand: it is not absolutely true that a dog is a dog is a dog. Consider the hypothetical case of a dog handler with some experience who lives a moderately active life, has some background in dogs, and a compelling interest in, let's say, the rottweiler as a breed. They also spend much of their time working with sheep. This person thinks "I have room in my life and budget for a dog, and now I can get the rottweiler I've always wanted". The person knows rotties like most dogs of any active breed need a job, something to keep their brains and bodies occupied. This person thinks they can teach the rottie to herd--after all, rotties are former cattle drovers, no?--and thus occupy the dog, get some help on the farm, and enjoy the company of his or her chosen companion.

Now, this story could end in a lot of ways, but the two main potential results I see are this: maybe the person is able to pull it off and work their rottie brilliantly. Maybe the person is dedicated enough to the individual dog, maybe the dog has the innate skills and smarts to pick up a non-traditional job, maybe it all works out great. Maybe, on the other hand, the person learns that rotties just aren't bred with herding in mind. Most dogs could probably be trained to some level of proficiency, and some dogs could probably perform the task extremely capably, but you'll increase your chances of success exponentially (and have a far easier time getting there), if you choose a purpose-bred herding breed... and a molosser enthusiast who needs a farm dog has other, more suitable options. Why make life difficult for yourself?

There are a lot of reasons dogs end up in rescue, some of them beyond our control--especially in these tough economic times--but I do strongly feel that the vast majority of rescue situations could have been avoided from the start with a little bit of introspection and a healthy chunk of brutal self-honesty.

Shibas are an interesting lot. They are beautiful little dogs, but they are a handful. They are primitive hunting dogs, despite their plush and cuddly exterior. Hopeful shiba owners should be prepared for a dog that will bolt after anything it wants to and really really really really really likes to kill stuff. Lots of stuff. If nothing interesting to chase and kill, perhaps your sofa will suffice. I myself am not an experienced shiba owner, but word from those plucky (and/or masochistic) folks is that The Misanthropic Shiba is your go-to source for down & dirty, real-world shiba news. If you want to know what life with a shiba is like, this is an informative (and hysterically funny) place to start.

SO! All that having been said... if you have room (and courage) in your heart for some hot shiba action, please look to S.I.R.A, the Shiba Inu Rescue Association. They are reaching the point of "overwhelmed" with nineteen dogs currently housed and several more either on the way or being held temporarily elsewhere. They've got a lot of incredible and incredibly deserving dogs waiting for permanent placement. Shibas are difficult dogs and these pooches have already been through multiple placements; they do not need more inconsistency in their lives, so please consider your long-term commitment capabilities very carefully before taking the leap. Keeping primitive dogs presents a host of challenges that many other dog owners will not have to face... but in the end, I think the rewards are greater, too, for those up to it.

Check out beautiful Rosalie, sweet Emi, lovely Shika, or cuddly Momiji:



...and a good fifteen or so others. If you don't have room for a shiba in your life, please consider donating to help them with their work.

Foodie nerdgasm:

A couple weeks ago I made a sticky toffee pudding, for no particular reason other than it just seemed like a good idea at the time. I am a total Potter nerd and mild anglophile. I love toffee and butterscotch and when I saw the words "sticky toffee pudding" in print I knew that whatever this confection was, it had to be a win. Turns out, I was right:


I don't keep a food scale in the kitchen, and most proper recipes I found online were written by weight, so I found an American version for the ingredient proportions and used the traditional UK ingredient list. After baking, I aerated the top, threw a couple shots of Kahlua Especial over it and let that sit for about ten minutes while the sauce thickened. I soaked the pudding with about half of the hot toffee sauce and let that sit for another ten minutes or so.

Have I yet mentioned that I'm emotionally bonded to my stand mixer? I lufs it. This is not entirely because of the incredible ice cream attachment, but it sure doesn't hurt. That bad boy was a wedding gift from our friend Peter, who also bestowed upon us a copy of the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Cookbook so that we may never again be saddled with the whims of our local scoop jockeys, and their staunch refusal to keep Chubby Hubby on tap. This time it was a straight-up sweet cream base made with good local cream and half-and-half, sweetened with brown sugar.

Final cut, spoon a bit more toffee sauce over, and add a scoop of ice cream. Snap photo quick and nom.

Incredible!

Cherry on this story, I posted the above food porn photo to The Naked Chef, Jaime Oliver* this morning, who responded a minute later with a "wow" =D
Rockin' ;0)



*my secret boyfriend

Bassetfest 2009

Oh man... I'll say one thing: Basset people know how to party ;0)

So! Here's the scoop: rockin' basset-girl Heidi called me up a couple months back from Oregon Basset Rescue; she had seen our gear at Green Dog in Portland, and wanted to invite Raw Dog to set up a booth at their annual reunion/summer party: the Basset (not technically "Olympic") Games! Who could resist?

They actually have a full weekend's events, Saturday kicked off with the Basset Waddle, a low-slung parade through the local shops which I would have loved to see, and a BBQ in the park. We weren't able to make a weekend of it, but arrived early on Sunday morning to set up before the Games. I got busy unpacking while Mr. Armadillo did the canine reconnaissance (he scoped out the pooches). A few minutes later, he made the very astute observation that one dog in particular had stayed put. For, like, ten or fifteen minutes! Just... staying! And wagging! In light of the Raw Dog's notably poor impulse control when there are faces to be slurped, I can see why he'd be astonished. He was suitably impressed, and wandered over to say "hi". The owner expressed concern said pooch might wear out his wag prior to competition.

It's a serious concern, the wag-factor at this event was nearly unbearable.

I haven't quite sorted out this whole Flickr thing yet, but here's a link to the photo set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23005609@N06/sets/72157621648026439/


Schedule of events!

Basset Limbo!



An obstacle course




Wet T-Shirt Contest



And the crown jewel of the Games: Synchronized Swimming...! The key to this event is to synchronize all four paws; get them to put all four paws in the water at the same time by way of bribery, cajoling, demonstrations, or demands. Any means legal excepting physical compulsion (no dragging or foisting allowed). Described as "a near-impossible feat".


Spectacular. I haven't laughed this hard in... I don't know how long.


Some of my favorite images:

This just in:

Basset parties = amazing.
I'm beat... more tomorrow. Apéritif: limbo, wet t-shirt contests, and synchronized swimming. Stay tuned.

2009 Oregon Basset Hound Rescue Games!

Hooray for tubular canines! We're pleased to announce that this year we'll be joining the Oregon Basset Hound Rescue for their annual Olympic-style Basset Games! Starting at ten (gates open at 8:30) tomorrow morning at Legion Park in Portland, this should be a rockin' good time. Even if you are not, of yourself, in possession of a long-bodied, short-legged hound dog, it will most definitely be worth your time to stop by and see the fun. This is my first year for attendance, though I did experience many a UC Davis Picnic Day's annual Dachshund Derby (quite a spectacle). Those longdogs know how to party ;0)

Come see us!



View Larger Map


*Random basset trivia: show up for the party and name-drop Scott Kurtz' totally awesome PvP pupsters and YOU will walk away with a fine piece of custom gear!

Web TV: viewing schedules I can handle!

I am enjoying the hell out of Kevin Pollak's new web show, a weekly broadcast live interview show, usually with two guests and interviews that run about an hour to two hours each. It's great--a really pretty uninhibited venue for chit-chat with folks you don't usually get to hear talk for more than a minute or two at a time (Kevin Smith, excepted).

A clickeroo here will get you to the archive of episodes. I was gonna toss out a couple of my favorite segments as places to start but honestly I've legitimately LOL'ed up every single interview so far. They're all great--the ones with the names I recognized, but even and especially the names I'd never heard. What I'm loving about it is exposure to all these brilliant and funny people who I'd never come across because they hadn't been "marketed" to me. The web is the great equalizer, where people with real talent can put their work out into the world and sink or swim on wits and merits. It's no longer necessarily about who you are or who you know or how much money you have. Real people are finding real audiences and I can't adequately describe how awesome this conceptual shift is. Kevin Pollak is a celebrity with clearly more showbiz resources than the norm, but the show itself is decidedly grassroots in feel even so.

An unapologetic Charlie Rose rip-off, Pollak started out the first couple months mining his address book for guests. Although I'm sure this wasn't so much a choice as a function of convenience with a healthy dose of necessity, I think it was a brilliant way to start. Chatting with his friends in an ultra low-key setting instantly set the tone for the show's greatest asset: candidness. Several guests so far have mentioned what an unusual experience it is for them to be able to actually talk. Kevin Smith said it best about Dana Carvey's appearance the week before: "I just thought it was so delightful to hear him be like '...is this okay? Can I keep talking?'" Carvey talked about Tonight Show appearances as "complete performances". You get zero sense of these people as actual human beings in a three-minute, tightly scripted "segment". Pollak's round table, on the other hand, is an easy, relaxed forum where conversations wander miles from any recognizable topic. We heard an in-depth description of Carvey's heart plumbing escapades. Ninteen minutes of Felicia Day's interview were dedicated to cat-chat. Several guests talked extremely candidly about adoption and parenting issues. Matthew Perry turns out to be a funny guy. Who knew?

The word "grassroots" came up early on. As quite a few corporate entities have discovered, money, spit, and polish do not always translate to endearment with the greater internet public's fickle hearts. Pollak observed with glee and maybe a little awe a few episodes in "they just don't care if you screw something up". Not only do I not care if he flubs a line, misses a joke, knocks over his water glass, or his guests have to army-crawl in under the cameras, I'd a million times rather see this honest-to-goodness humanity than a tightly produced and carefully edited "show". It seems like broadcast TV gives us impossible standards of perfection on just about every level. The LA Times called it "TV with its corset off" and I guess that's just about right. This show feels like a bunch of friends got together to produce a show in someone's basement. For the first handful of episodes, Pollak seemed very self-conscious of this. He kept apologizing for being "not ready" and moments of "unprofessionalism" when the show's hem showed. By the fifth or sixth episode as it became apparent that these moments are exactly what differentiate him from, say, Disney's lame attempts at entering this forum.

On the subject grassroots entertainment, I've almost entirely abandoned my cable subscription for the joys of audiobooks, podcasts, web tv, netflix, and OTR goodness. Broadcast TV is largely irrelevant to me these days and honestly I couldn't be happier about it. This world of web-based viewing and digital audio listening is a world of entertainment without guile, of talent and creativity for its own sake. Also... I have never been adept at revolving my life around the TV Guide. I know there are still plenty of kinks to be worked out, but I cannot wait to see people start getting paid real money for grassroots, web-based entertainment.

Please help save Bruce!

Eleventh Hour Mercy Plea to Save Death Row Dog Bruce

July 2, 2009 by K9 Magazine News Editor

Dog lovers around the world have reacted in horror to the recent news that the high profile case of pet dog “Bruce” may finally be over as a court orders he be destroyed in a few days time ending an exhaustive twenty one month battle to save him.

Bruce was a young Staffordshire Bull Terrier living happily with his family in Northern Ireland. On September 19th 2007 Bruce was seized by council officials as an alleged “pit bull type” and taken to secluded kennels whilst his owner was taken to court for owning a banned type of dog contrary to the Dangerous Dogs Act (Northern Ireland) Order 1991.

Whilst incarcerated in kennels his family were allowed to visit their dog in October 2007, Bruce had lost weight, muscle tone and had an open cut to his muzzle. Five months later Bruce was allowed a second visit from his family in March 2008, they were shocked with what they found: The wound on Bruce’s muzzle was larger, weeping and had become infected, he tail had been amputated due to damage and infection, he had open pressure sores, was underweight and looked totally broken and rejected, yet despite the clear pain he was in, is described by experts as being a friendly dog that poses no danger to the public.

A trial was heard at Bangor Magistrates’ Court on 27th August 2008 and the court determined that Bruce was “of type” despite the evidence from two expert identification witnesses who said he was not. Judgement was given two weeks later on the 12th September and Bruce was ordered destroyed devastating his family and supporters.

A legal appeal was lodged and a brief hearing on the 12th November 2008 listed the case for mention on 12th January 2009.

A further hearing in March 2009 was scheduled to set a date for the full Appeal. But, as we understand it, at this hearing the Judge gave Bruce a reprieve, as she believed Bruce does not pose a danger to the public. It was unclear how this potentially groundbreaking ruling would proceed as the Judge did not contest that Bruce had been found to be a pit bull type but decided as he posed no danger to the public he could be returned to his owner under the conditions that apply to pit bull types in England: Bruce’s owner was trying to obtain third party liability insurance for him as a pit bull type in Northern Ireland. As it is illegal to have a “pit bull type” in Northern Ireland no insurance company was able to offer insurance cover.

A further court date was set for 29th June 2009 to decide how this ruling for Bruce could proceed and the Judge ordered destruction.

In a desperate attempt to save Bruce, owner Shannon Brown, supporters and neighbours have created petitions, online networking groups and videos resulting in worldwide support to “Bring Bruce Home”. Bruce remains on canine death row, removed from his family home, alone and unaware of the worldwide support he has to spare his life.

Despite being debated several times, Northern Ireland has not adopted the provisions within the1997 Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act allowing friendly pet dogs found to be unlawful by appearance, but posing no danger to the public, to be allowed to live. In England, Scotland and Wales, a dog found to be “pit bull type” by the courts can be ordered entered onto the Index of Exempted Dogs as an alternative to destruction. If the Amendment had been accepted in Northern Ireland, the court would have been able to exercise discretion as with the rest of the UK - Bruce is likely to have been home long before now, alive and well registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs.

If Bruce lived across the border in Southern Ireland where no breeds are nationally banned he would never have been seized and imprisoned at all. Bruce has been offered a place of safety with a dedicated rescue and sanctuary in Southern Ireland where he could legally live out the rest of his life; this offer has been conveyed in writing to the solicitor but has sadly not been accepted by the court.

Bruce hasn’t actually ever put a paw wrong; he is sentenced to death due to the way he looks and the fact that NI has a mandatory death penalty unlike the rest of the UK who gave the courts discretion when sentencing twelve years ago.

Bruce and his family have endured much mental and physical anguish and pain solely due to a draconian law. His owner is simply a young dog owner who has been struggling for nearly two years to save her dogs life.

All that needs to be done to let a friendly dog live is for Bruce to be allowed safe passage from Northern to Southern Ireland and Bruce needs your support again during his eleventh hour.

We are asking supporters to contact the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Shaun Woodward MP) and Ministers urging them to use compassion and discretion by granting Bruce a Pardon removing the penalty imposed – the mandatory death sentence with the provision that Bruce is moved to the rescue placement ready and waiting for him in Southern Ireland. For a nation who claims to be animal lovers this would be the expected outcome.

As the court has ordered that Bruce be destroyed someone will be expected to administer the fatal injection. Veterinary surgeons take a sworn oath and promise to safeguard the welfare of animals committed into their care. In line with this sworn promise we are calling on all veterinary professionals within the UK to take a stand and refuse to kill Bruce - a healthy, wanted animal who poses no danger to the public & has a rescue space waiting for him in Eire. Bruce’s legal owner does not give consent for Bruce to be destroyed.

Please help by contacting the relevant authorities (template letters available) – details below to add your support to “Saving Bruce”.

For Further Information – Please Contact:

DDA Watch

Email: mail@dangerousdogsact.co.uk

www.dangerousdogsact.co.uk

Had enough of politics yet?

If you're still all jazzed up to make your opinions known, I urge you to contact the USDA to oppose a new draft rule that goes a significant way toward implementing the National Animal Identification System. The NAIS is a proposed system that effectively tags and catalogs all members of most livestock species in the US, tracks their movements and records specific information about them.

The USDA's main argument in support of the NAIS is that it will improve animal health and food safety... the problem is that it does absolutely nothing to promote animal health. The NAIS is simply a system that provides for the warehousing of billions of pieces of largely irrelevant information. The databases to register properties, identify each animal, and record billions of "events" will dwarf any system currently in existence.

The costs for implementing the program, enforcing compliance, monitoring, and storing the recorded information are astronomical. The USDA has already spent $130 million toward the NAIS without yet developing any workable system. Such a waste of money in these troubled economic times is simply unconscionable. This is an enormous diversion of resources from the far more critical needs under USDA oversight, such as disease testing, disease prevention through vaccination and improved animal husbandry practices, and disease detection--basic biosecurity measures which, properly implemented and sufficiently funded, will do far more to improve herd health and food safety than a national animal tracking system. The NAIS will not prevent food-borne illnesses such as e. coli or salmonella contamination, because the tracking ends at the time of slaughter. If we truly want to protect people from animal-borne diseases the answer is simple: stop feeding animal parts to sheep and cattle, and test slaughtered animals before they enter the food supply. Salmonella and e. coli are best addressed by improved husbandry practices and the improved oversight of slaughterhouses and processing facilities. The truth is, this isn't really about food safety.

Programs such as NAIS that burden small, sustainable farmers will hurt efforts to develop safer, decentralized local food systems. In fact, the NAIS goes a significant way toward reducing the humane and ethical handling of food animals and the cleanliness of small-scale, locally-produced foods. It discourages individual involvement in farming or animal husbandry: because of extremely high costs of participation to the individual farmer, and government intrusion, many people will choose not to participate in food production and animal husbandry, or will refuse compliance. This will result in less competition, greater reliance on centralized, industrialized food sources, worse food quality, less consistent disease reporting and treatment, and fewer choices regarding the source and humane handling of your food animals.

National registration and health surveillance will benefit large-scale, commercial operations by making their products more valuable on a global market... but for the small-scale and family farmer there is absolutely no rational basis for the government to monitor the movements of personally-owned livestock animals. Under the NAIS plan, even the individual owner of a pet riding horse or a few backyard chickens would need to register with the government as a livestock producer, purchase tracking tags, report basic health care information, and report the movements of animals that have absolutely no interaction with the commercial food supply. The whole concept of a national tagging and tracking system for all livestock animals is so mind-bogglingly wasteful and useless, it leads one to wonder who actually does benefit from this system, since it's not the animals and it's not the small-scale farmers. The truth lies in the direction of big agribusiness, the sale of RFID chips, readers and implant equipment for every livestock animal in the country... not to mention the operation of the absolutely monumental databases, privately operated and maintained. The truth lies in in 2002, when the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (membership comprised of entities such as Cargill Pork, Tyson, Micro Beef Technologies, and Global Vet Link) proposed that the USDA develop a "national animal identification system"... companies that would reap the benefits of an enhanced export market and reduced competition without having to bear any of the costs.

In much the same way that the USDA regulates and oversees large-scale, commercial dog breeding operations but does not interfere with the good work of the small-scale hobby breeder's activities, a NAIS could be implemented toward the greater oversight of feedlots and factory farms without impacting local, small-scale, homestead, and family-farm operations. Please urge the USDA to end their support of a system that only benefits big agribusiness and will do great harm to local and humane food production. Follow the link below to visit the USDA's public comments forum and make your opinion known. Click the talk-bubble next to "add comments" to do just that.

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=090000648081c664

The Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance has some good stuff to say on the subject... much clearer and more succinct than my thoughts, I'm sure. Be sure to check the "Focus on Horses" link on the right side for more information on the NAIS impact for horse owners.

Another very tidy summary can be found at the website of the LibertyArk Coalition. The thing that freaks me out the most about this is how far we've gone toward full implementation without any kind of public discussion on the matter. It's an issue that's totally off the radar, unless you happen to be a livestock owner. I am not, currently, but hope to be someday soon. More importantly, I care very much about where my food comes from. I feel very strongly about local food production, sustainability, biodiversity, and the ability of people to feed themselves from the ground up. I want us to continue to have food options that don't involve factories, that don't involve the horrific conditions of large feedlots and commercial slaughterhouses. I want to be able to grow my own chickens and keep a pig around without it being anyone's business but my own. I want to take trail rides and go camping without notifying the government of my movements. This system is frightening in its scope and impact. I can't urge you strongly enough to look into the issue, and to make your opinions known.

More on HB2852

HB2852, which would require “pit bull” owners to purchase $1M worth of liability insurance, has been referred to the Consumer Protection committee. These are the people to contact to request modification of HB 2852 to remove the breed-specific language. The fact that it has officially gone into committee doesn't mean it's set to pass--the bill could very well die in committee, but if they move on it the next step will be public hearing, where we could call for public opposition in Salem.

Below is contact information for members of the Consumer Protection committee. Please feel free to write and call. Remember to be reasonable, calm, and factual.
A hearing for the bill has not yet been scheduled.

Consumer Protection

Membership:

Paul Holvey, Chair
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1408
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE H-275, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.paulholvey@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/holvey

Chuck Riley, Vice-Chair
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1429
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-274, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.chuckriley@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/riley

Jim Weidner, Vice-Chair
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1424
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-387, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.jimweidner@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/weidner

Brent Barton
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1451
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-386, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.brentbarton@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/barton

Jean Cowan
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1410
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-376, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.jeancowan@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/cowan

Vic Gilliam
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1418
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-389, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.vicgilliam@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/gilliam

Wayne Krieger
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1401
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., H-381, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.waynekrieger@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/krieger

Greg Matthews
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1450
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-379, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.gregmatthews@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/matthews

Carolyn Tomei
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1441
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., H-279, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.carolyntomei@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/tomei

Matt Wingard
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1426
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-474, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.mattwingard@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/wingard/

Staffing:
Victoria Cox
Cindy Hupp

Full list of email addresses for easy cut and paste: rep.paulholvey@state.or.us; rep.chuckriley@state.or.us; rep.jimweidner@state.or.us; rep.brentbarton@state.or.us; rep.jeancowan@state.or.us; rep.vicgilliam@state.or.us; rep.waynekrieger@state.or.us; rep.gregmatthews@state.or.us; rep.carolyntomei@state.or.us; rep.mattwingard@state.or.us

This Committee agenda may be watched here: http://www.leg.state.or.us/09reg/agenda/agendas.htm#HCP

This bill may be tracked here (click “House Bill” button and type 2852 into the box): http://www.leg.state.or.us/searchmeas.html

Previous alert and additional information can be found here: http://stopbsl.com/2009/03/03/oregon-hb-2852-requires-pit-bull-owners-to-have-liability-insurance-bsl/

Thanks to Green Dog Julie for the above links!

HALP!!!

Well, it appears Senator Starr's proposed "pit bull" ban was only a diversionary tactic to try and distract the public while HB 2852 was slipped in under the radar. Proposed by Rep. Vicki Berger, HB 2852 requires owners of APBTs, AmStaffs, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or owners of any dog resembling any of these breeds to carry liability insurance to the tune of one million dollars.

The senate was evidently flooded with phone calls, letters, and emails regarding Starr's proposed ban. We need to make even MORE noise about this issue--let them know we ARE paying attention and that we mean what we say. The fact of the matter is breed specific legislation is ineffective, misguided, unfair, and totally unacceptable. If the issue were TRULY about public safety, we'd be talking about fair and effective dangerous dog legislation that places the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of irresponsible pet owners, REGARDLESS of breed or type.

Please, contact our representatives. Let them know that HB 2852 will do nothing to improve public safety. Responsible owners will handle their dogs responsibly, while irresponsible owners will continue to put the public at risk, no matter what breed or type of dog they own. Irresponsible owners will not purchase these insurance policies; victims of dog attacks will still have been attacked... mandating insurance policies will not stop these occurrences. Mandatory insurance and the social stigma around it will drive responsible owners away from adopting and caring for shelter dogs that even vaguely resemble pit bulls to avoid the embarrassment and hassle, leaving millions of dogs a year to die in shelters. It will lead to pet abandonment and unfairly target low-income and working-class dog owners and be nearly impossible to enforce. Add to that the near-impossibility of identifying a pit bull on sight (recent DNA testing of mixed breeds shows even the experts can't do it) and the fact that they temperament test as more stable than nearly all breeds and you can see that mandating insurance on the basis of
external appearance is sheer stupidity.

A far more appropriate piece of legislation would require dogs with bite histories or previous complaints about aggression to be insured. A far more effective piece of legislation would resemble Calgary, Alberta, Canada's Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw (warning: PDF), a smart and effective piece of legislation that puts the onus of responsible ownership squarely with the dog owner, themselves.

...but of course we all know this isn't about public safety. Write now!

Say NO to HB2852!

rep.juleskopelbailey@state.or.us
rep.jeffbarker@state.or.us
rep.philbarnhart@state.or.us
rep.brentbarton@state.or.us
rep.vickiberger@state.or.us
rep.terrybeyer@state.or.us
rep.deborahboone@state.or.us
rep.scottbruun@state.or.us
rep.peterbuckley@state.or.us
rep.kevincameron@state.or.us
rep.bencannon@state.or.us
rep.brianclem@state.or.us
rep.jeancowan@state.or.us
rep.michaeldembrow@state.or.us
rep.chrisedwards@state.or.us
rep.davidedwards@state.or.us
rep.timfreeman@state.or.us
rep.larrygalizio@state.or.us
rep.billgarrard@state.or.us
rep.chrisgarrett@state.or.us
rep.saragelser@state.or.us
rep.vicgilliam@state.or.us
rep.georgegilman@state.or.us
rep.mitchgreenlick@state.or.us
rep.brucehanna@state.or.us
rep.chrisharker@state.or.us
rep.paulholvey@state.or.us
rep.johnhuffman@state.or.us
rep.davehunt@state.or.us
rep.bobjenson@state.or.us
rep.nickkahl@state.or.us
rep.billkennemer@state.or.us
rep.bettykomp@state.or.us
rep.tinakotek@state.or.us
rep.waynekrieger@state.or.us
rep.gregmatthews@state.or.us
rep.ronmaurer@state.or.us
rep.nancynathanson@state.or.us
rep.marynolan@state.or.us
rep.andyolson@state.or.us
rep.tobiasread@state.or.us
rep.dennisrichardson@state.or.us
rep.chuckriley@state.or.us
rep.arnieroblan@state.or.us
rep.mikeschaufler@state.or.us
rep.chipshields@state.or.us
rep.gregsmith@state.or.us
rep.jeffersonsmith@state.or.us
rep.sherriesprenger@state.or.us
rep.judystiegler@state.or.us
rep.kimthatcher@state.or.us
rep.jimthompson@state.or.us
rep.carolyntomei@state.or.us
rep.suzannevanorman@state.or.us
rep.jimweidner@state.or.us
rep.genewhisnant@state.or.us
rep.mattwingard@state.or.us
rep.bradwitt@state.or.us

Senator Starr proposes "pit bull" ban in Oregon

From Green Dog Julie's BSL watchdog list, please act:
-----------------------

Hi all,
Senator Starr out of Hillsboro has proposed a statewide ban on "pit bulls", which KATU reports will be heard within the next couple of weeks. While we are waiting on more details on the hearing in order to organize a protest, please send your polite, calm and informative emails to our senators. Remember to note the ineffectiveness of BSL, the cost, and the extreme difficulty in enforcement.

For help on writing to legislators, www.stopbsl.com is a great resource.

Here is the contact information:

Senator Jason Atkinson
Party: R District: 2
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1702
Interim Phone: 541-955-0911
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-415, Salem, OR, 97301
Interim Address: PO Box 1704, Grants Pass, OR, 97528
Email: sen.jasonatkinson@state.or.us

Senator Alan C Bates
Party: D District: 3
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1703
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-205, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.alanbates@state.or.us

Senator Suzanne Bonamici
Party: D District: 17
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1717
District Phone: 503-627-0246
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-403, Salem, OR, 97301
District Office Address: PO Box 990, Beaverton, OR, 97075
Email: sen.suzannebonamici@state.or.us

Senator Brian Boquist
Party: R District: 12
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1712
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-305, Salem,, OR, 97301
Email: sen.brianboquist@state.or.us

Senator Ginny Burdick
Party: D District: 18
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1718
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-213, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.ginnyburdick@state.or.us

Senator Margaret Carter
Party: D District: 22
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1722
Interim Phone: 503-282-6846
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-209, Salem, OR, 97301
Interim Address: PO Box 3722, Portland, OR, 97208
Email: sen.margaretcarter@state.or.us

Senator Peter Courtney
Party: D District: 11
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1600
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-201, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.petercourtney@state.or.us

Senator Richard Devlin
Party: D District: 19
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1700
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-223, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.richarddevlin@state.or.us

Senator Jackie Dingfelder
Party: D District: 23
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1723
Interim Phone: 503-493-2804
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-407, Salem, OR, 97301
Interim Address: PO Box 13432, Portland, OR, 97213
Email: sen.jackiedingfelder@state.or.us

Senator Ted Ferrioli
Party: R District: 30
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1950
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-323, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.tedferrioli@state.or.us

Senator Larry George
Party: R District: 13
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1713
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-307, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.larrygeorge@state.or.us

Senator Fred Girod
Party: R District: 9
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1709
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-421, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.fredgirod@state.or.us

Senator Mark Hass
Party: D District: 14
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1714
District Phone: 503-641-2742
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-419, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.markhass@state.or.us

Senator Betsy Johnson
Party: D District: 16
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1716
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-215, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.betsyjohnson@state.or.us

Senator Jeff Kruse
Party: R District: 1
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1701
Interim Phone: 541-673-7201
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-316, Salem, OR, 97301
Interim Address: 636 Wild Iris Lane, Roseburg, OR, 97470
Email: sen.jeffkruse@state.or.us

Senator Rick Metsger
Party: D District: 26
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1726
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-315, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.rickmetsger@state.or.us

Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson
Party: D District: 25
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1725
Interim Phone: 503-618-3071
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-413, Salem, OR, 97301
Interim Address: PO Box 1531 , Gresham, OR, 97030
Email: sen.lauriemonnesanderson@state.or.us

Senator Rod Monroe
Party: D District: 24
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1724
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-409, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.rodmonroe@state.or.us

Senator Bill Morrisette
Party: D District: 6
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1706
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-207, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.billmorrisette@state.or.us

Senator Frank Morse
Party: R District: 8
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1708
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-311, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.frankmorse@state.or.us

Senator David Nelson
Party: R District: 29
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1729
Interim Phone: 541-278-2332
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-211, Salem, OR, 97301
Interim Address: 1407 NW Horn Ave., Pendleton, OR, 97801
Email: sen.davidnelson@state.or.us

Senator Floyd Prozanski
Party: D District: 4
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1704
Interim Phone: 541-342-2447
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-417, Salem, OR, 97301
Interim Address: PO Box 11511, Eugene, OR, 97440
Email: sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us

Senator Diane Rosenbaum
Party: D District: 21
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1721
Interim Phone: 503-231-9970
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-405, Salem, OR, 97301
Interim Address: 1125 SE Madison St., Suite 100B, Portland, OR, 97214
Email: sen.dianerosenbaum@state.or.us

Senator Martha Schrader
Party: D District: 20
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1720
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-425, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.marthaschrader@state.or.us

Senator Bruce Starr
Party: R District: 15
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1715
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-411, Salem, OR, 97302
Email: sen.brucestarr@state.or.us

Senator Chris Telfer
Party: R District: 27
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1727
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-423, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.christelfer@state.or.us

Senator Joanne Verger
Party: D District: 5
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1705
Interim Phone: 541-756-4140
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-401, Salem, OR, 97301
Interim Address: 3696 Broadway PMB 344, North Bend, OR, 97459
Email: sen.joanneverger@state.or.us

Senator Vicki L Walker
Party: D District: 7
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1707
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-309, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.vickiwalker@state.or.us

Senator Doug Whitsett
Party: R District: 28
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1728
Interim Phone: 541-882-1315
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE., S-303, Salem, OR, 97301
Interim Address: 23131 North Poe Valley Rd., Klamath Falls, OR, 97603
Email: sen.dougwhitsett@state.or.us

Senator Jackie Winters
Party: R District: 10
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1710
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-301, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.jackiewinters@state.or.us

Raw Dog meets Green Dog!

Raw Dog is on the ground in Portland! We’re absolutely more than thrilled to announce that as of January 2009, Green Dog Pet Supply in Beaumont Village, Portland is the newest retailer of Raw Dog Gear. Green Dog is currently stocked with a selection of black and brown leads, ¾” and 1” collars.

If you happen to be in the area, I highly recommend you visit (and support!) this fine little shop. Focusing on eco-friendly and durable product lines, they’ve got a fantastic selection of toys, treats, and gear all hand-selected for quality, and for being environmentally low-impact; though leather may not necessarily fit the traditional “green” model, durability is one component of eco-friendliness. A good leather lead well cared-for should last at least a couple human generations. Additionally, many of their product lines are locally or domestically hand-produced. One thing among many to love about this shop is their great selection of ultra-premium foods, including support for RAW feeders (hooray!).

Just poking around this shop was a blast... for one thing, the entire interior including fixtures and displays was built from recycled and reclaimed materials from demolished buildings. The displays are so clever and attractive it makes me want to go scour Bring Recycling and start building stuff!

Something else to love: Green Dog employee Julie started and maintains the Portlanders Against Breed Bans web group at meetup.com, an online resource for local residents to monitor, disseminate information on, and help combat breed-specific legislative movements in Portland and surrounding areas of Multnomah County. We remain fairly diplomatic regarding most topics political but there’s just no better way to say it;
BSL Sucks (being a totally inefficient, more or less completely useless way to reduce the incidence of dog-related injuries and fatalities).

Green Dog Rocks, we’re honored to be a part of their business.

Rathawkers extraordinaire!

The last week has been great! I put out a notice on Craig's List the other day for private property on which to fly, but the response hasn't exactly been overwhelming. I've got a few areas I can fly her, but there's nothing in the way of critters to chase. There's really not much in the way of a cottontail population near by, so mostly we've been practicing the mechanics of "following on", a behavior pattern in which the bird stays even with, or slightly in front of, the handler and dog(s) so as to be in good position for the strike when quarry is flushed.

She's doing well, I just wish I had better hunting ground for her. We did manage to make our first kill as a team yesterday; she took a packrat in an absolutely spectacular dive out of a tree. We'd tried to hunt her early in the morning, but I'd fed her a bit at dawn in a clumsy attempt to course-correct when I was worried about her weight dropping too low due to an unexpected freeze overnight. We put her up into a tree and proceeded to flush three rabbits right under her, which she appeared to enjoy watching as they zoomy-zoomed right on by, so at that point I called her down to the glove and put her back in the box while we flew Chris' gos, Harlot and Sabrina's Redtail, Aala. Both birds made kills, although Aala unfortunately snagged herself a mouse or meadowvole which she swallowed in two quick bites, ending the hunt for her for the day.

Later Mr. Hoyer took the two of us and my friend Laurie to a quiet farm road with a row of trees and packrat nests lining the easement. Apparently Mr. Hoyer has been poking these same rat warrens for over twenty years--those industrious little critters will continue using and adding to their community nests generation after generation. We tried flushing a few of them, but it looked as though they'd been hunted earlier in the week, as we poked four nests without dispensing a single rodent. A few minutes later, Gaia took herself across the road and a few trees down; we followed and sure enough, flushed a rat in a nest under the tree she'd gone to.

Falconry isn't much about training a bird. You don't teach the bird really anything, their entire evolutionary history has shaped them to be the finely-honed predators they are. If you are to be successful as a falconer, you must train yourself to work within the bird's parameters; often the hawk is a better "bird dog" than the bird dogs themselves are. She'd spotted prey, and it was our job to put it somewhere she could get it. We turned out the rat, which dashed along the underbrush and scaled the next tree over--a heavily brushy, willow-sort of tree with a dense tangle of thin, limber branches. Gaia hesitated just a moment then moved to the top of the tree about fifteen feet above the rat, which was crouching on a branch just above the brush level. My heart sank; the tree was too thick, brush too dense, and the rat was one solid leap from the safety of his nest. She was hesitant enough earlier in the day that I sort of assumed she'd take a good look at it, and watch it scamper off to safety.

A heartbeat later, she tucked her wings and did a head-first dive, what they call a "teardrop stoop" dropping like a rock. The rat jumped and the two of them fell straight down, where Gaia, crashing brush like a veteran, nailed the rat mere inches above the ground! I was so stunned with the flight I didn't even have the presence of mind to have the camera at the ready, and just tossed it to my friend Laurie as I bolted by to help her if she needed assistance with the dispach. Mr. Hoyer was yelling and cheering, jumping up and down like kids at a football game, we all were. Laughing, he told us that at 75, that was one of the best rat stoops he'd ever seen, he couldn't believe she did it. It was fantastic!

The two of us, Mr. Hoyer and myself, made into the brush on our hands and knees where she was mantled over the rat. I picked the two of them up together, and she filled her crop as we made our way back to the cars. What an adventure. I'll need to put some more bunnies in front of her, but entering her to rats is sure a fine start!

Watch out bunnies... here we come!

Well, I can definitely count our first hunt a success. We didn't catch anything, but they say the first few times just coming home with your bird on fist is a success ;0).
And actually, we did much more than that.

For our first hunt, I planned to meet up with Chris Fox and Mr. Richard Hoyer. Chris is an incredibly meticulous falconer; he has taught me a tremendous amount in the past couple of weeks, particularly in the realm of weight management.
An aside on weight management--it might just be the most important skill to learn in the sport of falconry, and is easily the most difficult to master... if you're wondering why I keep mentioning monitoring Gaia's weight, this is why. Precise weight management is more or less key to every element of your bird's behavior; a bird at combat weight is in a keen state of alertness, ready to hunt and kill. Hunting is hard work, and dangerous. A falconry bird is not a hunting dog, doing a job for the joy of it and to please his human hunting companion; a hawk hunts for one reason only: survival. When her immediate needs are met, she will always prefer to sit snugly on a high branch, one foot tucked, percolating her last meal and waiting for a convenient snack to mosey along immediately underneath her. As I've mentioned before, birds of prey don't work with and for you because they like you or enjoy your company. They do what suits them and only for as long as it continues to be profitable. An article I read recently described the relationship between handler and hawk like so: "The truth is, she would eat you alive while you begged for mercy, if she thought she could hold you down." Yikes!
But it's true that they return to the glove because they expect that there's something in it for them. They hunt with you because there's inherent profit to it--I provide her with better hunting than she's able to find on her own. She eats better and more consistently by hunting with me, but if ever she decides I'm not holding up my end of the bargain, she's able to sever the relationship at any time with a few quick strokes of her wings. I stack the deck in my favor with careful weight management, ensuring that when we're in the field, she's always keen and ready to hunt.

We can predict and induce this keenness for the hunt by careful weight management; a plump and comfy bird has no reason to hunt. When we enter the field they are lean and hungry. We look for a state of what we call "yarak"--a keen, alert, and aggressive bird who is... well... watching the world like a hawk. Timing this keen state requires the ability to calculate nutritional requirements navigating a complex framework of variables including type of prey, hours until the next hunt, air temperatures, predicted weather patterns, previous calorie requirements, casting pattern, and any expected variables, such as spectators or new dogs. Feeding a falconry hawk is an art and science in and of itself; and with each bird we have to learn a new set of nutritional needs, every bird is an individual. Principles are generally the same, but different birds burn different foods at different rates, and calorie consumption is affected by all the above variables and more.

Overnight lows were hovering close to freezing--they burn more calories in cold weather, a helpful variable this time, as she'd eaten well from the lure the day before and in warmer weather might not have hunted at all the next day. She was about 30g up when I weighed her first thing in the morning, but by the time we got up to Corvallis and had hunted Chris' goshawk, Harlot, she was dead on key at her flying weight.

It's too bad I didn't manage to get any good shots of Chris and his gos, they're neat birds. Goshawks are killing machines--agile forest hawks game enough to tackle any- and everything and with plenty of skill to back up their nerve. Harlot took a cottontail and two packrats in just over a half hour with the help of a beagle posse, one master falconer, one general falconer, and one apprentice.

After Harlot's flight, we took Gaia to a farm field with a convenient row of trees bordered by a hedgerow of wild blackberries for her first training hunt:


One of the major perks of this whole falconry thing is spending my time in places like this.
Setups like this are good bunny habitat, but also an ideal setup for the training of a young falcory bird. In their early flights, we set them up in such a way that we can predict which directions they'll move by the terrain, and so that we can flush prey directly below them. Their first hunts are less about catching things, and more about teaching them the mechanics of hunting over dogs and with a human companion. We want them to make a connection between the actions of the other players and the appearance of game, and to learn to move along from tree to tree, staying in good position to strike when quarry appears beneath them. All that said, the first hunt is considered a solid success if you can just get your bird down out of the tree--plenty of times once they're up high it's a real challenge to get them back down for the first time. Here she is up in her first tree:


She spent much of the time hunting on her own, without paying much attention to what we were doing, which is typical. She had two great flights, crashing down into the brush after some critter or another. She missed both times, but that she even took a shot was pretty great. At one point after we'd worked the brambles in both directions without producing any bunnies she struck out across the field, and I had another quiet moment of panic, envisioning her soaring off into the wild blue yonder without a glance back... but she landed, and far more importantly, she came back a fair distance across the field to the glove.


It was a real honor to hear Mr. Hoyer say that her glove response was better than he'd seen in a passage redtail in quite some time.

After she came back down to the glove, we tossed her back up into the same tree, and threw the bunny lure for her in order to finish the hunt with a net positive experience: exposure to and feeding from a cottontail. We scooped her up, bunny and all, letting her eat a fair amount as we headed back for the truck. All in all, a fantastic success.

We packed up then, had a quick bite of lunch, then hunted Mr. Hoyer's Harris' Hawk, Conchita, over the whole beagle posse, along a set of abandoned train tracks. Following is a series of photos that shows something more of what goes on in a "real" hunt.

Beagle posse, setting out down the tracks, warming up their noses and gearing up for action:



Setting off--Mr. Hoyer and Conchita with 14 y/o Tana in the lead:



Working the briars; the hawk is up high, both brush-beaters working the briars behind and moving any prey forward to flush underneath the bird. The beagles work their way straight through the thick of the brambles, singing all the way:


See if you can spot the happy beagle, doing what beagles do best:


Here we see Mr. Hoyer working a packrat nest. Dusky-footed woodrats are busy little critters; that nest is just about taller than any of us. Often, poking the base of the nest will dispense a bunny along with the packrats.


In this case we got no bunny, but did flush a packrat, who made the poor decision to go up into the next tree, where Conchita was waiting. You might be able to pick out the unfortunate rodent, about two-thirds of the way up the tree on the left-hand side:


Mr. Hoyer assisting with the dispach:


Harris' Hawks are also called "bay-winged hawks" for obvious reasons as seen above. They are the only birds of prey who hunt co-operatively in packs. They are "wolves of the sky," employing very similar hunting tactics, using teams to flush prey for other birds strategically positioned for the strike, or running down prey in pre-arranged relays. The first raptor I ever handled was a Harris' Hawk; I carry a reminder of her on my hide to this day. I have a tremendous admiration for these birds.



I'll leave you with this image, one last sweep before the light failed us.


Onward and upward... more to come!