First the good doggie news: Nike has suspended its endorsement of Vick. Check out the coverage at
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&ncl=1117915424 and send a letter to the editor of your paper. If you have any trouble finding the correct email address, don't hesitate to ask me for help.
And now a good story about not such good news -- pet over-population. Verlyn Klinkenborg has a terrific column in today's New York Times about the withdrawal of California's spay-neuter bill. It is headed, "Should Most Pet Owners Be Required to Neuter Their Animals?" (July 30, pg A16.)
Klinkenborg opens with:
"Recently a controversial bill -- Assembly Bill 1634 -- was withdrawn from a committee of the California State Senate by its sponsor, Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, a Democrat from Van Nuys. The bill would have required the mandatory spaying or neutering of all cats and dogs, applying statewide the kind of regulations that have already been enacted in some cities across the country.
"In its various drafts, Mr. Levine softened the basic provisions of the bill, changing the mandatory age of compliance from 4 months old to 6 months, allowing even later compliance if it was recommended by a veterinarian, and adding an amendment that would let local agencies issue "one litter" permits for the family pet. The bill would also have required breeders to obtain an "intact animal permit."
"None of these changes satisfied the bill's main opponent, the American Kennel Club. The A.K.C. argues that this bill threatens 'the right to own and breed dogs responsibly.' In fact, what the bill attacks is the habit of breeding dogs and cats irresponsibly."
He discusses the opposition to the bill and then ends with:
"The rate at which dogs are purchased and euthanized in this country is not a sign of our affection for them. It's a sign of our indifference."
Check out the whole article on line at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/opinion/30mon4.html and please send an appreciative letter to the times singing the praises of spay-neuter and the joys of adoption.
The New York Times takes letters at letters@nytimes.com
Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published.
You can learn more about the bill being discussed in the piece at http://www.cahealthypets.com/
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
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Date: Mon Jul 30 21:23:31 2007
