We herd, we work ... or we get bored and sad

by pawlitico

Look at our furriend Emma Corgi herding! She knows how to communicate to give each individual sheep safe directions. It's in her body language and her special Corgi communication ability.


Herding and droving is what we Welsh Corgis do well and have always done well. Like other working dogs who herd, and like cutting horses, we see the world in terms of keeping individual animals and flocks organized and safe.

Emma is a happy Corgi. She gets to do what she loves.


We Corgis are not lap dogs. We are not toy dogs. Not a play thing or a puppet or a toy.

We don't want to be kept in little crates in apartments and brought out just for show and cuddles.

As Emma paw-elegantly stated, "Working/herding/water dog breeds are great, just as long as they can live the lifestyle they were bred for (by humans). Otherwise, they are frustrated, develop behavioral problems, and end up in shelters being destroyed."

There's been so much controversy lately over dog breeding. I feel that I must bark about maintaining the strength and vitality and health of traditional breeds, especially working and herding breeds.

My Corgi feelings are hurt that humans mix up overbreeding with breeding, as if it's bad or elitist to be a working dog.

We want us dogs to be healthy and happy. What we don't want is to reduce the dog population at the expense of breed integrity.

Pawleeze reduce dog overpopulation: Reduce breeding as a source of human income!

And pawleeze help humans understand us better. If they did, very few of us would end up abandoned in shelters!

Paw-note: You can rescue a wonderful Pembroke or Cardigan Welsh Corgi through CorgiAid and Golden Gate PWCF and other organizations.

Billy Elephant shouldn't have to be alone

by pawlitico

Billy Elephant is 23 years old and he lives alone at the Los Angeles Zoo.


I'd like to ask Billy whether the zoo's claim is true that he receives good care from the staff. He pawbably does. Who wouldn't fall in love with Billy and want to take care of him?

Billy has been the focus recently of a raging argument over his living arrangements. The argument is whether the zoo should build a Pachyderm Forest for Billy or retire Billy to an elephant sanctuary.

You'll find thoughtful comments on both sides of the issue, that's fur sure.

It's not my intention to add to the debate. I know how I feel about zoos and cages. But as a corgi, my area of knowledge doesn't extend to habitat issues and why zoos can't be transformed into humane habitats.

So I paw-write about Billy for one reason, the thing I doo know: Elephants are social creatures and it's a sin to make them live alone.


While humans are busy arguing about Billy's future, they should be finding him a furriend right now! He's got decades of life ahead of him, and he needs a buddy.

To see how social elephants are, watch the youtube about elephant furriends at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. It features Tarra, a 30-plus-year-old Burmese elephant who's best furriends with a dog named Bella.



Paw-note: To read some of the debate over Billy, click here to see blog and comments.

Ask California Governor not to tax veterinary care!

by pawlitico

Read it and howl: The State of California wants to impose a 9% sales tax on veterinary care!

Remember when my buddy Tilin "winecountrydog" Corgi had major emergency veterinary surgery and looked like he did in this photo?


Do you think we corgis had lotsa cash to pay for all that wonderful surgery and after-care? . . . Imagine what adding an extra 9% to our vet bills would've done to us!

We're not the only ones who can't afford a tax on vet care.

I want to bark to Governor Schwarzenegger on behalf of humane "food animal" farmers and California consumers: A 9% increase in the cost of farm animal vet care will not only cause food prices to rise but also cause some farmers to go under.

The cost of biz for farmers has gone up, as feed costs and other prices have soared. The implementation of State Proposition 2 to set standards for confining farm animals will also increase the cost of doing business for "food animal" farmers, albeit it for the right reason. Howl, we're trying to suppawt humane farmers who raise free-range "food animals" and produce cage-free eggs, and here the State comes along with an idea that'll hurt these good guys.

All farm animals require veterinary care — and deserve good healthcare — just as we dogs do, but farmers can't afford higher medical costs.

This is the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) Action Alert:

Governor Schwarzenegger recently announced his plans to add a sales tax on veterinary services as part of his budget plan to stimulate the California economy. This was part of a larger combination of program cuts and revenue increases to solve the multi-billion dollar budget shortfall. It is particularly disturbing that veterinary services were included with "appliance and furniture repair, vehicle repair and golf." All of the other healing arts professions were excluded from the sales tax proposal.

A special session of the Legislature must be convened to approve the Governor’s plan. The proposal would need to be approved by the Legislature with a two-thirds majority of both the Assembly and the Senate.
The CVMA is strongly opposed to this proposal.

Our legislative team has been working hard to get sales tax on veterinary services removed from the Governor’s proposal. We know you are concerned for the welfare of your patients, the difficult choices your clients may need to make if the cost of veterinary care increases, more animals being abandoned to shelters, increased euthanasia, and the overall strain placed on small businesses.

It is imperative that the voice of the veterinary profession is heard with respect to this important issue. We urge you to write personal letters to the Governor, your state representatives and their leadership expressing your concerns. We also encourage you to get your clients involved and ask them to write letters as well. It is easy to do. View the CVMA Fact Sheet and contact information. Visit the Legislative Action Center for contact information for your state representatives.

Your letter should be mailed directly to the Governor with copies forwarded to key members of the Legislature, including your local representatives. The letter should be on your practice letterhead, and if possible we would appreciate it if you would fax the CVMA a copy of your letter as well at (916) 646-9156.
If you have any questions, please call the CVMA office at 1(800) 655-2862.

Thank you for your assistance,
William Grant II, DVM
CVMA President

Paw-leeze, veterinarians and everybuddy everywhere, growl to the Governor and State pawliticans to stop this doggone crazy tax proposal — even if you don't live in California!

Tell the State to spread out a sales tax increase across the board, or add it to some high-demand consumer items like electronics and booze. Human medical care isn't taxed. Veterinary care should NOT be taxed either!

The CVMA is asking its membership of more than 6,000 veterinarians to write letters to the Governor about the hardship this proposed vet sales tax would create. Read more at CVMA.net and at Veterinary Newsmagazine's DVM360.com.

I'm hoping you pets and people out there will write your own letters. Woof!

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California
State Capitol Building Sacramento, CA 95814
916.558.3160 Fax
---
The Honorable Karen Bass
Speaker of the Assembly
State Capitol, Room 319 Sacramento, CA 95814
916.319.2147 Fax
---
The Honorable Don Perata, Senate President pro Tempore State Capitol, Room 205 Sacramento, CA 95814 916.327.1997 Fax
---
The Honorable Darrell Steinberg
Senate President pro Tempore
State Capitol, Room 4035 Sacramento, CA 95815
916.323.2263 Fax
---
The Honorable Mike Villines
Assembly Republican Leader
State Capitol, Room 3104 Sacramento, CA 95814
916.319.2129 Fax
---
The Honorable Dave Cogdill
Senate Republican Leader
State Capitol, Room 3048 Sacramento, CA 95814
916.327.3523 Fax

When you write to the Governor and legislative leaders, ask them to remove the proposed sales tax on veterinary services in the 2008-09 Special Session proposal.

Cage-free eggs: cheap & eat 'em too?

by pawlitico

Dog-ma came home in a wee tizzy from last night's Great Egg debate about California Proposition 2, which was held on the campus of Santa Rosa Junior College. She said that the wonderful Paul Shapiro of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) debated the wonderful cage-free egg farmer, Steve Mahrt, of Petaluma.


Dog-ma sez it just isn't fair to have to argue about egg price over egg quality and nutrition. Besides, we wouldn't eat the eggs of cruelly-caged chickens even if they were givin' 'em away!

Our concern that laying hens be treated compassionately isn't compromised by caring about egg farmers like Steve Mahrt. After all, he and his family have been in the cage-free egg biz fur years, and he's now afraid that changes in regulations are gonna put him out of business.

Okay, so, what are we gonna do in order to see to it that laying hens are treated well and that the 'Steve Mahrts' of the Pacific region stay strong? . . . How are we dogs, who need animal protein in our diets, gonna help get rid of all inhumane farming of eggs, poultry, meat, and dairy!?

The answer from us Humane California Dogs: We're followin' the rule of fair prey! We companion animals have got to be humane consumers!

Look, my dog-ma had previously sat down and bellyached to me and Tilin Corgi and our Ani Siamese about declining terms of trade and other political-economic realities. Then she got into that thing about how either you're a leader, a change agent, or you're not.

So, all you doggehs, kittehs, and animal lovers: Is you is on the lead team or is you ain't? Either you're gonna lead the way in this period of economic change toward humane food production, or else you ain't! In other words, either you're gonna study up fast on the benefits of eatin' humanely-farmed animal protein, and then take that studyin' to the streets, or you're just not in the game.

And, in a sense, it is a game. It's the game of how humans whine about food prices while blowin' dollars on lotsa other stuff. C'mon, folks! You can't have your eggs cheap and have 'em tasty and cage-free, too.

But this is of course not a game to the "food animals" whose lives end when they become someone's prey.

Paw-leeze, humans everywhere, join us in investing in the humane food ethic and in a humane farming future. Be a humane food consumer!

And Californians, we'd better put paws up in favor of YES! on Prop 2. Otherwise the California farm economy and the regional farm economy ain't gonna stay ahead and be strong in the future.


We support a YES! on Prop 2 vote for ethical and economic reasons. The economic reason is to promote California's humane farmers as leaders in the New Egg economy. The ethical reason is self-explanatory. . . . Oh howl, I don't have to explain compassion, do I?

The first 'YES on Prop 2' TV ad

by pawlitico

I watched the first TV advertisement for California Proposition 2, which is about the treatment of farm animals. This TV ad launched just today.

As a humane dog, I cringed as I watched. I think humans might have a similar reaction. This ad contains graphic images of inhumanely treated animals.

I heard that the results of a recent poll show Californians favor the passage of Proposition 2. The poll sez voters are 72 to 10 percent in favor of Prop 2. The article about the poll is at California Progress Report.

I sure hope humans are making progress.

Pawnote: I'm worrying that the TV ad is too graphic and shocking. I mean, it's gruesome! But dog-ma and Tilin Corgi said maybe we better show it so humans know what's going on. Oh howl, I hope this was the right decision.

You want to do the funky chicken?

By pawlitico

I want to do the funky chicken. Look, I can do it without moving my legs or turning around!

I don't want to be free — I don't want to have to cross the road and then put up with humans asking me why I did it. I want to party like a battery-caged factory-farm chicken.

Doggoneit, I was looking furward to shackin' up with some cute local chickens in a claustrophobic yet cozy cage. But in November 2008, Californians will vote on Prop 2, the ballot initiative for the Prevention of Farm Cruelty Act (see PDF).

The Act requires that "an enclosure or tether confining specified farm animals allow the animals for the majority of every day to fully extend their limbs or wings, lie down, stand up, and turn around."

When the Act becomes law, it will, among other things, require CA egg farmers to move their 19 million caged chickens into cage-free facilities by 2015.

Egg and poultry farmer Arnie Riebli is a smart human. He saw this cage-free day coming. His family's been in the egg business in Sonoma County for 100 years. They're Sunrise Farms, the county's largest egg farm, producing one million eggs a day. Mr. Riebli's prepared whether or not the new law passes: Some of his chickens are cage free and some are not.

You can see egg farmer Riebli, and also Hope Bohanec, coordinator for 'YES! on Prop 2' for Sonoma County. The video makers labeled this a "debate" and "a look inside the egg industry." Woof? In reality, it's a look inside Sunrise Farms, with some sensible commentary from the two interviewees.

Palweeze learn more and join in supporting the initiative at the official 'YES on Prop 2' website.

Pawnote: You want to "Do The Funky Chicken"? Download this hit song by the late R&B/soul legend Rufus Thomas, who also did "Walking The Dog." Let's get funky for freeing the chickens!

'Bark the Vote'

By pawlitico

Tilin Corgi and I keep saying that the canine pack is critical when it comes to pawlitics. Here's proof: A five-pound pooch named Schmitty who's taking a bite out of voter apathy!

See Schmitty the Real New Yorkie in "Political Pooch Holds News Conference":



At her website Bark the Vote, Schmitty says what we two dogs have been saying: "Just imagine if all the pet lovin' humans voted — what a kinder, friendlier place this would be." Woof!

Maybe you've seen Schmitty on TV talking about her DOGS WHO CARE foundation? She created the foundation to raise money for animals across the country who become displaced and homeless in everyday life and on account of disasters.

Schmitty makes cards, calendars, designer dog collars, and other products for pets and people to raise money fur her foundation. You can buy them at her online store.

When you order a Dogs Who Care™ Message Collar, 100% of the profit goes to a growing network of shelters and sanctuaries across the U.S. (including several on the West Coast) that are dedicated to helping displaced and homeless pets find loving homes.

Be sure to read Schmitty's platform at Bark the Vote so you'll know how she stands/sits/stays on some issues that we relate to!