Going On Offense. Breeders Take it to the Antis!

Got this (rather long) post in one of the lists we subscribe to. This sounds so good I feel I should pass it on. Feel free to do likewise.

Monday, February 12, 2007 10:28 AM
Subject: REPOST OF LEGISLATIVE ALERT - OPERATION: DOOLITTLE'SRAID

PERMISSION TO CROSS POST WIDELY

Joint Initiative Between The Doberman Pinscher Club of America and The American Rottweiler Club

Operation: Doolittle's Raid

The Legislative Committees of the Doberman Pinscher Club of America(DPCA) and The American Rottweiler Club (ARC) have recognized whatevery member of the purebred dog fancy has noticed over the pastseveral years. With increasing frequency, legislative bodies in our cities, counties, and states throughout this country have seemingly become hostile to the interests of purebred dog lovers in the UnitedStates. Indeed, the passage of the egregious anti-dog legislation in Louisville, Kentucky within the past several weeks has raised the stakes substantially for us. Anti-breeder legislation is picking up steam. It is in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It has been introduced in the state of Indiana. It is metastasizing throughout the country. We cannot merely fight a defensive struggle and expect that our interests will be preserved. All too often, our members have been faced with struggles on another front. Liability and homeowners insurance companies increasingly refuse to insure, or even cancel, those of us who own purebred dogs despite the responsibility that we take in raising and housing our loving members of our families, and regardless of the fact that our dogs have never had an incident resulting in any claim being filed with our insurance carriers. DPCA and ARC know this. The American Kennel Club knows this. The AKC Legislative Department does an outstanding job in working with all of us in very difficult circumstances. The problem of fighting against anti-dog legislation in every state and every city cannot be solvedat the national level. AKC can only do so much. It is up to each of us to step forward at this time. People ask: "what can I do"? They see anti-dog legislation everywhere they turn. They hear stories of insurance companies canceling policies, forcing their friends and family to make choices. Do I giveup my dogs? Do I move somewhere where I may be left alone?These are choices none of us should have to make. Now is the time for us to go on offense. Now is the time for us to take the lead. Now is the time to advance our cause rather than to wait for the next anti-dog bill to threaten us. DPCA and ARC have launched Operation: Doolittle's Raid. In Washington state, HB 1105 has again been introduced in the Washington House ofRepresentatives. This bill, the "Deeds Not the Breeds Bill", twice passed the House of Representatives. In 2005, the bill made it through the House and received a hearing in the Senate FinancialInstitutions, Insurance and Consumer Protection Committee. We ran out of time in that session. Now, the "Deeds Not the Breeds Bill" is moving again. On Thursday, February 1, 2007, HB 1105 passed out of the House Insurance Committee. The prime sponsor of HB 1105 is Representative Tom Campbell who is the Chair of the House Committee on Environmental Health. HB 1105 is very simple. It is one paragraph long. It simply prevents insurance carriers from refusing to insure or canceling the insurance of any homeowner based upon the breed of dog he or she owns. Its simplicity is transferable to other states. The DPCA and ARC have committed in Operation Doolittle's Raid to persuade legislators in 20 states to introduce HB 1105 during the month of February. We will strike in 20 states simultaneously. For once, we will be on offense. For once, we will make insurance carriers have to defend themselves on multiple fronts. For once, we will control the agenda instead of the agenda controlling us. Now is the time. For those who have asked what you can do, we have an answer. Call your state legislator. Meet with him or her at his orher office. Invite him or her to your local shows as a "Distinguished Awards Presenter" to present the Group or Best in Show trophies. Provide him or her with a copy of the "Deeds Not the Breeds Bill", which is the purpose of our initiative which we have titled Operation: Doolittle's Raid. Ask him or her to introduce the bill immediately. Here is a link to the bill: http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1105.pdf Lastly, once the bill is introduced in your state legislature, we need to know so that we can assist you to publicize that the bill has been introduced in your state. We are now in the process of populating the DPCA LobbyNow Tool with Talking Points to use in the battle that is to come. Our Doolittle's Raid, like the original, is designed to be a daring move intended to shock our adversaries. TheDPCA and the ARC need the help of committed purebred dog fanciers throughout the United States, in many different breeds, to launch this initiative successfully.

Cordially,
Jeffrey P. Helsdon
Legislative DirectorDoberman Pinscher Club Of America
jurisdobes@aol.com

Jan Cooper
Legislative DirectorAmerican Rottweiler Club
jan4rott@rott-n-chatter.com

PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST WIDELY
Dale Maddox Geddis Associate Legislative Director

Catwalk.

Yesterday was a "tourist" day. We decided to revisit the Whitewater Creek Catwalk, in the Gila National Wilderness. We went last year in the midst of the 5 year drought. Not a lot of water in the creek at that time. We thought... wrongly as it turned out... that with all the recent rain and snow in the area, that there would be a whole lot more water this time. While the level was up slightly, it didn't quite thrill like a roaring torrent would. The record water level in the canyon is about 6 feet above the catwalk floor level, and about 20 feet above what you see here. Judging by the washout areas on the access road, we were a few weeks late.

The canyon is characterized by high, steep rock walls, and massive boulders in the streambed.

A little closeup detail of one of the many falls in the canyon.


We know that lady in red, I think.

Yet Another Fine Day In the Field.

Another Day In the Desert

Up early yesterday morning. Meet with Dutch, and Susan, who's visiting from way up in Ontario, Canada, with her two deerhounds. The weather is ideal, the mud we trudged through 10 days ago is only a memory.

Unusual day for the hounds in that they caught every hare they chased. The sequence in this online album is from the second hare. Rally was in the lead until she collided with Angie a millisecond after this cover image was taken. She's very sore today, but is moving around- much better now than when we got home yesterday. She could barely stand at that point. If she continues to improve at this rate we won't have to pull our pack from this weekend's Pack Hunt.

Enjoy.. and remember, all images Copyright 2007, Shot On Site Photography. Leave 'em online.

Coming soon: Album from today's trip to the Gila National Wilderness Catwalk.

Men At Work.

Deming, New Mexico.

In Addition to the Human Toll...

...The Florida tornados also had
this devastating effect on a well known wildlife project. There's just a glimmer of good news in this report.

Those who know us know cranes are a large part of our wildlife and nature images.

HT to Frank V. in New Mexico.

Image courtesy Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership

I Like a Nice '07 Zapp's Cajun Crawtater...

Potato-Chip Connoisseur Detects Notes Of Sour Cream, Onion

ST. CHARLES, MO—"A fine chip can be worth years of waiting," said Nathan Sterkin, whose refined palate allows him to appreciate flavors like "flamin' hot" and salt.

Yankees Can Be Morons, Too.

Several times in these pages I've cast aspersions on Texans, (among other Southern denizens).
Recent events in the Northeast prove that there's enough stupidity to go around.

Pretty bizarre.