The Circus

I love the circus. Truly I do and for me the very best part are all the animal acts. A circus just isn’t a circus without the animals.

First, I’ll write about the elephants and not just because they were the biggest animals, but also because they have been the center of much unwanted attention by a few malcontents. There was one rather small female who just seemed to be smiling almost all the time. I spotted her during the opening parade. She came out looking just like those in front of her and those behind her. Once in the big ring she appeared to be looking around and then her mouth opened just a bit and the corners of her mouth turned up and she got a bit of spring to her step. It was just enough different that I found myself not just watching her, but actually looking for her every single time the elephants came through the entrance door. Sure enough, she would make it about a quarter of the way around and here would come this really delightful smile and that bit of a spring to her step. She looked like she was having the time of her life, a sort of a “I’m so happy you all could come to my party” look.

The dog acts followed and brought about my only real complaint. Both dog acts were on at the same time in different rings. BOO! HISS! To truly enjoy what the dogs were doing required a person to split into two people and try as I might, I just can’t seem to master the split. The act right in front of us used standard poodles and smooth fox terriers. They were great and cleverly made use of the terrier personality. One little terrier played the ‘naughty’ dog who earned more than one laugh from the audience. Sam and I both found a ‘trick’ or two that we will be teaching some of the dogs around here, just for fun. I liked the idea of having one of the dogs run out and knock the jumps over rather than actually jumping and Sam liked the little ‘dive-bomb’ terrier. So we came away with some stuff to play with on rainy days when everyone is pretty much stuck inside.

As for the other dog act, well all I can say is Sam spotted a Maltese. More than that I really can’t say since we were just too far away to be able to see what they were doing.

I was totally captivated by the Friesian who led the horse act. His coal black and super glossy coat along with a high-stepping trot that showed off his feathers made it almost impossible for me to watch the rest of the horses who followed him. Most of the horses we saw were Fjords and quite lovely. I have to say most because I honestly don’t remember if there were any other horses or not. I did manage to glance at the striking black and dun stripped manes of the Fjords only to find myself going right back to that lovely Friesian. Truth to tell, I don’t honestly know what was going on in the other rings, because I was so enthralled by the horse act.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my. Nope, these days the circus only has tigers. Of course I can only speak for the show we saw, but is was fine. The tigers all appeared to be about as relaxed and comfortable as big cats ever get.

I realize every circus has much more to it than the animal acts and the human acts were all interesting, entertaining and not animals. What can I say? I just love the circus animals in all their glory and pride of doing a job and doing it not just well, but the very best they can. I love the circus and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey are and always have been my favorite.

The only downside was having to deal with rude adults and uncivilized children. There were the two 9 to 10 year old boys sitting in front of us who never stopped waving brightly lit wands around, except for when they were climbing on the backs of their seats. The urge to strangle was strong. Then poor Sam was crashed into during the intermission and had soda spilled all over her clothes, face, hands and hair. The ‘owners’ of the brat responsible didn’t even bother to acknowledge there might be a problem. On the positive side all the 1st Mainer employees were not just polite and helpful but actually nice about it. Over all, a wonderful, if tiring evening and I look forward to doing it many more times in years to come.

The animal rights agenda

Subject: FW: The animal rights agenda - a personal story - a must read for dog (and cat) owners

Anyone who breeds, shows or owns dogs and cats in southern California needs to read this. Please note, the writer gives permission to cross post - I would strongly suggest you all do so. It doesn’t matter where you live. This, or something similar, is happening in every state, all across the country.

Carole
=======
I have permission to cross pst.
This is a note from a friend in S. CA. It is getting bad there with animal rights groups. this is not the first time this has happend to my friend. She lives in Riverside County and in the canyon and everyone has horses etc. do not understand these people, they are just plain crazy I guess !!!

Sandy

I have not listed my house yet. I can't until I get out of here ! I can't have people coming thru with both cats and dogs. My four dogs are licensed dogs and I have 10 cats on our 6 acre property. My husband fixed up the building behind the patio so I keep the intact cats there as they are very intense when they are cycling. But animal zealots are really agressive here so we can't take a chance. I can't even place my 3 spays for fear of problems. I met a woman at San Diego show who wanted to come see my neutered male. She worked at San Diego U and I checked the staff roster there. She did. She came and I had weird vibes. Asked all the wrong questons.. left with out taking him home. Find out that she'd been sitting up the road for hours before the appointment with a big animal control truck. He left just after she did. So then I did a more intense look up online and find out that she is HSUS rescue .. deeply entrenched. So it was a sting attempt. There were 3 cats here in my house. But Dave and I were really furious. Dave said don't risk it again. Keep what you have until we can get out of here. Thats why we are so limited in price. We can't get any money out of this house until we can sell. Can't sell until we can get out. Vicous circle.

Oh yes.. at the Palm Springs Kennel club show in Jan, there were 25 PETA drones there collecting business cards. Posing as prospective pet inquirers or just interested spectators. I was talking to the superintendents and they knew some of them and told me heads up. Lately, when I am at the cat shows [take one cat] and have time to chat with spectators. We talk a while and they always ask for a card. I don't have any or put any out. Nothing to sell. After that, they end up telling me that they are animal services employees. More of the same.

AS does not have the staff to do this. But the groups associated with AS.. the 'drones' are making it their personal cause to search out breeders by posing as pet buyers all over soCal. As you may know, PETA purchased a big building in LA recently and brought 40 of their key go-getter staff here.

Oh yes.. one more thing. AS arrested a woman in San Bernardino recently with 8 cats. Reason: selling a kitten less than 8 wks of age. Now a 3mo kitten is the equivalent to a 2mo puppy. So my guess is that she took a deposit and that is a transaction before 8 wks of age. They swamped in on her and now in jail for animal cruelty and her cats were euthanized immediately.

Compared to the man who raped and killed the young woman in north county San Diego who got 5 yrs. Its insane.

This is how dismal the situation is here for breeders. I have commercial zoned property for kennel, cattery, horses, .. no limit. We would have to sign a waiver allowing AS to come into our home and take photos and allow them access at any time w/o prior notice. If I do not let them in to go thru every room and every building on the place at any time, my license would be revoked immediately and charged simultaneously. A hobby kennel is a snap .. just put up 10 chain link pens on dirt away from the house with partial cement slab or raised floor, roof and dog house. I would never use it because coyotes would bait the dogs and pull their legs thru the fence. Its illegal to own 5 house trained dogs who play and exercise on the lawn to potty, on 6 rural acres. Incidentally,I would be allowed to have 25 unvaccinated horses on same property all running together in one fenced area with no shelter.

In most all counties across the country, vets are mandated [paid by AS ]to turn over owner information to the country of origin of any owner who gets a rabies vaccination. Now those who don't license, don't get rabies either. The only people who get rabies vaccinations who may not license are breeders/show exhibitors. For shipping purposes. Keep in mind, no one is checking incoming pets into LAX. AS staff [maybe the emotially charged volunteer drones] cross-checks rabies vaccinations with licences to find owners who are out of compliance.

Back to this issue. Highly likely that it would be frowned on to have a kennel and a cattery. 9 cats requires a commercial facility. Building permit would be $20K plus health department fee $6500 plus $17K for transportation study to determine if the cattery business would impact the area. So before the building can begin, its about $45K. From there, add $60 for the cost of a qualifying building to house 9 cats comfortably. I will never make $100K from my cats nor to I want to sell a lot of cats. I just want to own and show some dogs and cats. I do well and take very good care of them. We would have been wealthy years ago if we did not spend all our money taking such good care of our animals and providing beautiful place for them. Even if I make such an invest ment [$120K for both dogs and cats]they will harrass us continually. Breeding permit fees are starting and that will be a way to tax good breeders to pay for irresponsible pet owners they won't control [too risky for AS].

Let me tell you what I discovered last year. Riverside County CA cleverly re-zoned and re-classified every parcel in the county. Keep in mind that the requirement to have a hobby kennel has always been a one 1 acre minimum zoned RR, RA or A-1. Now only 1/2 acre parcels are RR or RA. 1-20 parcels are all now RE [rural estate]. Under this classification .. we are assured that its animal friendly environment. The statement is something like this: Mature animals okay but no offspring. So you can collect animals in rural estate but cannot breed them. AG zoning starts up again at 20+ acres. So they have effectively zoned out kennels and catteries in this animal friendly county.

You have to dig around to find a printout of the complete classification descriptions. This master plan [indeed !] was developed by a subcontractor and format was probably developed by HSUS. I wonder how long existing kennels/catteries will be allowed to operate as most are out of compliance now. The sleuth squeeze

A copy of this can be obtained from Riverside County RCIP or type in search: Riverside Master Plan or by going to http://www.rcip.org/generalplan.html

Sandy Kiever

Humane Watch vs HSUS update

This isn't what I was going to post about, but it is important enough to get on the blog first. A request has been made to spread this information far and wide. So the translation would read: Please forward the below information to everyone you know.

Permission to crosspost, but please strip my name & contact info. I'm just the messenger.

There's an update at HumaneWatch saying that as of 8:00 pm Hills no longer appears on the Care2 site...Go to the Humane Watch for the latest: http://tinyurl.com/yz9bptm

Don't let the agriculture folks have all the fun pointing out their objections to businesses that donate to HSUS. Hill's Science Diet does it, too. Think that's a little...I don't know. Weird? Time to weigh in. Here's the proof.
http://www.care2.com/click-to-donate/pets/

Here's the spin.
http://humanewatch.org/index.php/site/post/the_hills_are_alive_with_the_soun
d_of_hsus/

http://tinyurl.com/yz9bptm

More links and a link on how to contact Hill's through the humanewatch link or the tiny.

http://tinyurl.com/yz9bptm

Other animal interest groups are emboldened by their recent success in educating others as to the lunacy of donating funds to an organization that is ultimately going to put them out of business. Yellow Tail wine has changed its corporate giving plans so as to only donate to groups that actually give care to animals. Pilot Travel Center agreed to remove the donation cans from their centers when the same issues were raised. It was pointed out to them that the livestock industry throughout the country is run by truckers who use their centers. The latest was Mary Kay cosmetics. The wife of the founder donated to HSUS in her position as a major player in a Dallas fundraiser. HSUS listed Mary Kay as a corporate donor until that link was brought to their attention.

So now it's up to pet owners everywhere to educate Hill's as to HSUS's agenda. Be polite, but let them know how you feel. I know I will. Oh, and tell your veterinarians, too. Flex your muscles.

Don't steal my sanity

First the background. I'm not walking all that well these days and sure enough have to 'count' my steps. Sanity lost her public working privileges several months ago. The snow is just the pits on so many levels I've lost count. They are calling for yet another 5+ inches later this week. GAG.

I had an appointment for a hair cut this afternoon. What with one thing and another I had Jesse (son) drive me and Sanity rode along. Just because she lost some public privileges doesn't mean she can't carry the shoulder pack and ride along. Still saves me from having to struggle with a purse.

Rather than making Jesse wait, not a thing very many men are fond of doing, he dropped me at the hair salon and then with Sanity riding shotgun went off to run some much needed errands. One of those errands called for a stop at the post office on Main Street. When he got there because of the lack of parking (a snow related problem) he had to park around on the side of the building and some distance from the street.

As he was returning to the car he passed a local LEO on foot who was talking to a county Sheriff. The Sheriff's car was completely blocking the entrance to the Post Office parking lot. They looked at Jesse, Jesse looked at them and continued on toward the car. Nothing different or exciting so far, eh?

Then the car came into view. The back door was standing wide open and this strange man was leaning into the car with his arm outstretched. On the far side of the back seat sat Sanity. Silent as an old movie, she was in full ugly face display and managing to stay just out of reach.

Well, Jesse dropped the boxes he was carrying and taking off at a run, yelled, 'what the f ck do you think you are doing?'

For starters it sure did get the full attention of both LEO's. It also caused the want't'be thief to leap back, take a frantic look around and then start to run towards the LEO's yelling, 'he stol my dawg'.

The city LEO moves up to where Jesse is now standing and the creep gets snagged by the Sheriff. Identification is called for and Jesse gets out his driver's license, then moves over to the car and gets out the registration. City LEO says, 'Mother's car?' Jesse says 'yes'.

Next City LEO looks in the back seat and sees not just a dog, but a dog wearing a shoulder pack that says "Service Dog" on the side. Easy enough to see since Sanity has now moved over to the open door, the better to see what is going on. City LEO says, 'Service dog. Your mother's?' Jesse says yes as he closes the back door and after putting the registration away closes the front door.

The very next second, the Sheriff has the creep whipped around, bent over the hood of his car and it cuffing him. At the same time he is hearing the 'you have the right to remain silent' stuff and they are charging him with a host of crimes that had not a single thing to do with dog napping or even attempted dog napping. As it turned out, this was someone they had been searching for for a couple of days for burglary, and several other crimes.

I am so pleased with Sanity. She did exactly what I want my dogs to do in situations like that. Stay out of reach. Keep quiet. Do what threatening needs to be done without making a sound. Of course, it goes without saying that off leash training meant she didn't leave the car just because the doors were standing open. She didn't run away because no one was there to restrain her. Yes, oh my yes, she did a very good job.

Sometimes I wonder if all my dogs have some sort of flashing sign over their heads that says, 'steal me'. I've had 6 Dobermans over the years and at some point in each of their lives some creepy fool has tried to steal every single one of them. Bless them, one and all. They all handled the event exactly like Sanity did. No way can they be charged with dangerous behavior.

Like I said, 'Don't steal my Sanity'.

Just a little bit ago, she came in the living room and headed for her bed. AKKK! There was an Ellie, aka: mini-me curled up in the exact middle. So just where was she supposed to relax? Big, soulful eyes stare at me and she started to pace back and forth. Many sighs and even some moan's. Mini-me pretends she doesn't know about the trespass.

Finally I take some pity on the poor misunderstood thing. Even so, I have no intention in getting up just to solve what is actually a very simple problem.

"Sanity, fetch the blanket." Sanity walks over and picks up one corner and starts to tug. It's heavy rather than light. Seems it currently weighs 9 pounds. She drops the corner and comes back toward me with this truly pitiful look on her face.

"Sanity, if you want your bed, you are going to have to fetch that blanket." She turns around and moves back to the bed and picks up the corner again. Holding it in her mouth she stares at me.

"Well, don't just stand there, fetch the thing." With that she gives a mighty heave and sends Mini-me flying and in the process gains position of her bed once again.

Post script: We don't lock the car because a few years ago it was stolen. The thieves broke the locks and a window and the ignition. It just didn't seem worth it to pay a ton of money to get the locks fixed just so it could be forced again. So we just make very sure there is nothing left in it that can be stolen and that includes large, well trained Dobermans.

After blizzards 2010

This is what it looked like yesterday at about 2 p.m. As you can see, the snow is still piled high and deep. Neither the driveway, parking lot or paved training area had see shovel or plow. I was really getting pretty worried since it just seemed I continued to get pushed further and further back on every one's list. A little bit after I took this picture our local snowplow good guy came by and took one look and said there was NO WAY what remained his still working equipment could handle the job.

A little bit after that, Allen, tree care extraordinaire showed up. Took one looked at the mess and said, "Its too late in the day for me to try and start this without risking damage to my bobcat. See you tomorrow, late morning when it will be easier. Oh, and by the way, good thing you didn't let anyone else try to move this stuff with a plow."

Seems if I had it would only have made the job more difficult, more expensive and there would have been a chance he wouldn't have been able to do anything for me at all!

Look closely. What you are seeing are dog footprints INSIDE the flower garden. The snow is so deep they are able to simply walk over the top of the fence and right up to the side of the house.

About 10:30 this morning he showed up with big truck, trailer, bobcat and oldest son as a helper. They started moving the snow. They moved snow. They moved some more snow. Son shoveled in select places to give what looked like an outline for the bobcat to follow.

Alle pushed snow. He picked up snow and dropped it somewhere else. He piled snow on top of more snow.

By the time he was finished some of the piles of snow were more than seven feet high and there was more than one of them. Best part, we can now see pavement and in a few places actual ground! This will help to speed up the melt. Even so, I have this awful feeling I'm going to be looking at piles of nasty, dirty snow/ice until the Fourth of July.

At least we will be able to get people and dogs in and out of here once again. The cost? To date more than $400 and a big plate of fresh, warm brownies. My big tree? A loss. Once the snow is gone and it is possible for him to get back in here and work that tree is going to have to come down. It has been damaged past all hope of salvage. One of the problems is exactly what I thought it would be. Because almost all the lower limbs have been stripped brutally off the main trunk, it is now top heavy. Lacking the necessary close protection and support of other big trees beside it the next heavy wind storm we have will deal the final death blow and that very well could put it straight into the middle of my living room. Not a pleasant though, no matter how much I love my big trees.

Blizzard 2.1a

In response to one readers comments about having to shovel more snow here over the past few days than she ever did in Russia, I submit this is the reason for the difference.



What you are watching is the snow clean-up of a runway after a snow storm. Gee, seems like a splendid idea to me.

Blizzard Part 2.1

A former student of mine sent this picture to me. I wish I knew who built the snowman and took the picture. I'm quite sure this is actually me.

Blizzard Part 2

Over the past weekend we had a blizzard and you have seen pictures of what it looked like. It also left more than 30 inches of snow in our backyard and made a mess of some of my wonderful trees.

This morning I got up to blizzard number 2. Yet, it's official this is yet another blizzard in an area of the country that sometimes doesn't see enough snow to measure. Here are a few pictures of what it looked like at 11:00 this morning.

Looking out the office door towards the big tree on the other side of the paved training area.
The gate you can just barely see in the middle, right-hand side of this picture is 48 inches tall. This is an area where there are no drifts, or at least no drifts yet. You can also see the double gates, keep in mind they are 84 inches tall.

This next one was taken looking out the office door towards the back yard. The fence in the foreground, what you can see of it, is 48 inches tall. Looking out to the back and you are looking at 84 inch high fencing. Yes, that one tree is slowly being sucked to the ground.

This picture is taken looking out the window in the little room off the kitchen. You are looking at the roof of the shed and Jesse's truck.

Now, to help you with the perspective here is the same view as it looked last Friday morning.

While I worry about my trees and the lines that keep me in contact with the outside world, others are having to worry about the integrity of their roofs, how to stay warm because they are without heat and have been for days and days. Guess I shouldn't be whining so much, but I still HATE SNOW.

Where, oh, where is that global warming the algoreites keep bleating about?

Blizzard aftermath 2010

Here's what it looked like just after it stopped snowing.

Here's what it looks like today. What you are seeing are all the dogs here right now. Ellie and Bliss (here for training) are bold enough to at least run out to the big tree and back several times. Meanwhile, in the lower left hand corner is all you will ever see of Sanity. The entire business is just as terrible to her as it is to me. She won't even try to leave the tiny shoveled area.

My once beautiful pine tree is now pretty much a party toothpick. All the limbs are in the driveway and parking area.

This shot shows just how tenuous our connection with the outside world really is. Notice the one thin strand of wire that is all the connection we currently have. One more even mild blow and poof, no more Internet, no more telephone.

My poor cane was crying in fear. Fear of my leaving it behind as I struggled back into the house. It got stuck there while I took the pictures.

Meanwhile, my son just walked to announce they are calling for 20, yes that is twenty additional inches. Most of the counties are all but done in and lacking salt, sand, trucks, manpower will be giving up sometime very soon. Have I remembered to tell all of you just how much I HATE SNOW. I HATE IT... I HATE IT.

Pray we don't lose our power because our power line is just a hanging by a thread on the other side of the house.

Will we be able to get out before April? And most of all, just where in the hell is global warming when you need it the most?

UPDATE on Spay & Neuter HSUS

For the life of me, I don't seem to be able to find where I put the name of the author of the following information. Dear Author, please accept my apologies for using your material without the proper attributes. Just as soon as I know who you are, I'll rectify the situation.

Part of my problem is that having reached the age of CRS, I now find that I dare not put something aside just because of a single missing piece. To put a thing aside is now perilously close to the kiss of death.

SPAY & NEUTER UPDATE AND CALL FOR FOLLOW-UP ACTION

The IRS Tax Fraud Office in Fresno, CA has now received over 3,200 letters from concerned citizens from all 50 states - - over 1,100 were documented by certified mail. This is extraordinary because the IRS has probably never before received 100 requests about a single public charity, let alone more than 3,200. Additionally, the Tax Fraud Offices in Fresno CA and Washington DC are now in possession of more than 400 pages of documents that "document" that the HSUS has engaged in over 2,000 distinctly different lobbying activities over the last five years.

These documents clearly suggest that the HSUS has engaged in "too much lobbying," which could result in the IRS revoking tax-exempt, public charity status of the HSUS, and assessing back tack taxes, penalties and interest on the more than One Half of a Billion Dollars in revenue that the HSUS received in the last five years. That could amount to Tens of Millions of Dollars that the HSUS would have to pay to the IRS!

It is not too late for more letters to be sent to the IRS - - each extra letter increases the pressure on the IRS to begin an audit NOW!

"Thousands of concerned citizens from all 50 states are asking the IRS to audit the Lobbying Activities of the HSUS" is an impressive "sound bite" that may best be used in asking your Members of Congress to also make inquiries to the IRS about the HSUS.

A number of you have already sent E-Mails to your Members of Congress, and many have received "boilerplate" non-responsive responses that were "ghost written" by Staffers who are unaware of the "National Outcry" for an IRS audit of the HSUS.

That is why the time is now right for those of you who have already sent an E-Mail to your Members of Congress, and for those of you who have not done so, to consider either E-Mailing or FAXING the following short letter to your Respective Members of Congress. Since it highlights that many of the 3,200+ letters came from (your state), this will be a red flag that will be brought to the attention of the Members of Congress by their Chiefs of Staffs - - that is what typically happens when they believe 10 or more of their constituents took the time to write.

That is why the following letter should be E-Mailed or FAXED to your respective Members of Congress.

"The IRS Tax Fraud Office in Fresno, CA has received over 400 documents that substantiate more than 2,000 distinctly different lobbying activities of the Humane Society of the U.S (HSUS).; and has received over 3,200 individual letters from concerned citizens in all 50 States who are requesting that the IRS audit the alleged excessive and under-reported Lobbying Activities of the Humane Society of the U.S., as well as its tax-exempt, public charity status.

Many of those requests came from our State. I support those requests.
Please let me know when the IRS will begin its audit of the lobbying activities of the Humane Society of the U.S." (This last sentence makes it harder for a non-responsive, "boilerplate" response.)

To those who may question whether contacting your respective Members of Congress will really make a difference, I wish to share part of a response received by a breeder from her U.S. Representative: "I directed my staff to contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and have them respond directly to your concerns, since that agency is tasked with assigning tax-exempt status to organizations. Additionally, I have requested the IRS to provide a copy of that response to my office for review. In the meantime, you can be sure that I will remember your perspective should related legislation come before Congress."

Yes, thousands of letters and follow up communications with your Members of Congress can and will make a difference, and could cause the HSUS to be led to the "IRS SLAUGHTERHOUSE!"
　

Are you someone who cares about what happens to dogs and cats that fall on hard times through no fault of their own?

Do you get all teary-eyed when you hear the sad music and see the pictures of starving/abused animals during those FREE public service announcement ads on TV?

Do you ache to open up your heart, your purse, your checkbook to help the most recent of the reported abuse cases as uncovered by the Humane Society of the United States?

If so, did you know that the H$U$ takes your money and then laughs all the way to their bank while less than 1/2 of one percent of the money donated actually is spent on the dogs and cats you have shed a tear about?

Humane Society of the United States 2008 Tax Filing

In 2008, the Humane Society of the United States
(HSUS) spent just HALF of ONE PERCENT of its total budget on organizations
providing hands-on care to dogs and cats.
More info at http://www.chicobandido.com/2010/01/humane-society-of-united-states-2008-tax-filing/

If you want to help animals in need then give your time and/or money to an organization in your community. An organization you can visit. One that has real people you can talk to and real animals you can actually see and touch.

Just please, for your sake, for my sake and most of all for the sake of the animals, don't give to an organization that is going to take your money and use it to steal animals from someone who is doing a good job caring for them only to turn around, mistreat said animals, neglect them and then use the pictures of that neglect as an excuse to beg you for more money.

Not all groups are equal and it is important to make sure the right groups receive our help and those whose hidden goal is to steal all our animals are closed down. One way to close them down is to deny them operating funds.

Think before you give. Give wisely. Don't give to false prophets.

More Bars in More Places

This really is about the Wednesday morning Open/Utility class. Like just about everything else in my life it seems the things I don't plan for, those things that just sort of happen or just grew are always the best. My Wednesday morning Open/Utility class is one of those just grew things.

It started out with two students who traveled a fair distance to study under me. They wanted Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) obedience titles on their dogs. This is my Intermediate level class. Both dogs already had their Companion Dog (CD) titles. The Novice class is where I normally teach the necessary requirements for basic living and it is those basic living skills that are the basis of the Companion Dog title.

The problem was the same as is always is when I face students in this condition. While it is true the CD was earned and in their cases, with good scores, the foundation was so weak unless we went back and rebuilt there was going to be no way I could give them what they wanted in a reasonable manner of time, if at all.

So they stayed. I taught and they were both good, diligent students with good dogs. The strongly rebuilt foundation made it possible to move on in a timely fashion and the CDX's were earned fairly quickly and with good scores. Then it was on to Utility Dog (UD). Meanwhile, a friend and her dog joined the class for a time. A couple of my Novice students joined the class.

The original two students completed the Advanced material (Utility Dog) and moved on to the really difficult stuff. Learning the art of keeping a dog's spirits up, keeping it enjoyable and at the same time building in more and more reliability, stamina and precision. In due time both dogs had completed the requirements for a Utility Dog Excellent (UDX) and shoot, if you are going to do that then might just as well finish up with an Obedience Trial Championship. So they did.

Of course, more students from my novice class and/or my retrieve class joined this lovely mid-week class. So here's what this bunch looked like this morning. It was cold and blustery outside, while inside in my little training studio six dogs and six humans were warm, comfortable and doing a nice mixture of new and difficult tasks along with comfortable and easy tasks. Here they are doing the down/stay part of a set of stays.

Seeing as how none of us seem to be able to "just train" we all agreed it would be fun to play around with the dumbbell visit again. So we lined everyone up and left them doing a sit/stay with a twist. Everyone one holding their dumbbell.

For those of you who might be wondering or perhaps don't recognize all the breeds. From the left they are Standard Poodle, Caruso; Doberman, Sanity; Labrador, Pete; Brussels Griffon, Cabot; Yorkshire Terrier, Ellie and Maltese, Rugby.

While it is true I could have just used one shot instead of three, it just seemed like it would be more interesting to show three of the 9 taken. See, while they were working on holding the sit/stay and the dumbbell we were all dashing back and forth, jumping up and down, making silly noises and just about anything else we could think of. Sure its true that the silly humans were either supplying distractions or just playing the fool. Meanwhile, the dogs were getting a chance to learn what I think of as 'steady under fire'.

It actually wasn't until later when I finally load the pictures on my computer that Sam and I both realized we had the beginnings of an AT&T commercial. In this case I get to say, More Dogs in More Places. No, there really isn't any point in sending this in to AT&T. Seems they don't want any outside suggestions. Poop on them, their loss, our gain.

Not a bad sit/stay. Not a bad dumbbell hold. And best of all a darn good More Dogs in More Places. AT&T, eat your heart out.

Sit on the Dog pictorial

I'm starting this pictorial out with toy breeds. The first thing to notice is that their size and special needs are being seen to, which makes this exercise both easy and reasonable.

The toy breed dog really should never be required to do any sort of a down in a location that has the potential of putting them in physical danger. Doing a 'sit on the dog' strictly by the book will do just that and serve to damage the trust relationship between dog and owner. So two changes are made. The first one is to supply a small bed with sides and the second is to place the bed UNDER the chair rather than on the left side.

Notice the position of the collar and the leash. There is just enough slack allowed in the leash to maintain the slight upward pull on the collar. Since the dog is actually under the chair the leash angle is toward the owner's left side.

Pay attention to the location of the leash. Even though the dog is ultimately going to be under the chair there is still the need to adhere to the left side rule at this time.

Generally when you see a dog doing what this Lab is doing the digging is accompanied by verbalization. The noise may be anything from an annoying whine to a loud bay and frequently settles in to steady cadence style barking if not stopped.

Temporarily resigned to his fate our Lab is now quiet, in a comfortable position and able to take in his surroundings.

Babied and catered to this Portuguese Water Dog wants no part of the floor and tries for a lap.

When that fails, she sits hunched up and brooding. But not for long...

Surely the lap is not to be denied a second/third/tenth time and so she tries again and again. Each time she is simply pushed off and away and, if necessary, the leash is readjusted to allow less slack.

Finally getting the message, but only in part, Portuguese Water Dog grudgingly does a down. Notice she is still not willing to pay attention to what is going on around her. Because her curled up in a ball position is yelling, "I'm not here and I'm most certainly not going to play with you" we know there is still much work to do on this one exercise alone

And now we come to the large dog. Since this is what I call a 'naked' dog, i.e. one with short, tight coat and very little body fat, like the toy breed it makes good sense to supply a mat or bed for them to use during this exercise. No, it most definitely isn't spoiling or pampering. It's just good animal husbandry practice. Dogs with little coat/body fat protection are very prone to pressure sores on hocks and elbows. Besides which, this exercise is supposed to be teaching calmness, a willingness to follow and patience, not how long can you stay in one spot and suffer physical breakdown without complaining.

Meanwhile, our model is saying, "I ain't a gonna do it and you can't make me" Of course, the dog new to this sort of discipline hasn't a clue as to just what "it" might be. Being fair in this case simply means allowing the dog the necessary time to figure it out.

Here our model has resorted to pulling as hard as possible. Since there really isn't enough slack to allow for the necessary traction the pulling is short-lived.

Having figured out the guidelines of this rather strange human behavior, we are now treated to a calm, alert dog who appears to be very much with the program.

Please note that all the dogs used for these pictures are models well accustomed to posing and every single one of them are volunteers. Truth be told, one of them even threw something of a temper tantrum when she thought she might be passed over for the photo shoot.

No humans were injured during this production.

Sit on the Dog, aka: The long down

Because I am constantly getting requests to explain my 'sit on the dog' exercise I have finally decided to put a copy here. Before you go on to read the instructions you need to know these FACTS:

1. Students who actually come to me for training seem to find this a very difficult exercise.
2. People who hear about it, almost NEVER get it right.
3. People who read about it, seldom get it right.
4. Everyone wants to either add or take away some part of it.
5. More than 50% of those who hear about it or read about it don't believe it will work simply because it is TOO EASY.
6. When it is done EXACTLY as explained, it is 100% successful.

THE LONG DOWN (Margot’s sitting on the dog exercise)

There is a major difference in the down/stay and the long down. The down/stay can only be taught after the dog has learned to down on command. Teaching a dog to down on a voice command can take up to three weeks of working three sessions per day, every day. The dog must be wearing collar and leash when doing this exercise.

The long down can be taught in a couple of sessions. It has a totally different focus. It cannot be called a long down unless it is at least 30 minutes in duration. The dog has on a collar that it can’t back out of and a 6’ leather leash is then attached to that collar. The leash is then run, from left to right over the seat of a solid chair that does not have wheels. The owner then sits on the chair and the leash. The leash is adjusted so that when the dog decides to lie down there will be gentle upward pressure on the collar. At no time does the owner touch, look at or talk to the dog. The dog must be wearing collar and leash when doing this exercise.

The owner must have something else to do during the long down period. Read a book. Play a computer game. Write out all your complaints about having to do this stupid exercise. Talk to a friend. Eat a meal. Pay some bills. Do some homework. It really doesn’t matter as long as you are doing something. The only time you would acknowledge the dog is to push it away if it tries to climb into your lap or tries to eat the leg off the chair you are sitting in or some other behavior that is equally unacceptable. When this happens, you must take whatever physical means necessary to cause the dog to stop the behavior at once and not resume it at a latter date.

This is an exercise in leadership and dominance. You are supposed to be the dominant one and the leader. As such, you are the one who decides where the two of you will be and for how long and it is not a voting matter. This is an exercise in patience. Something every dog must learn if it is to survive to live a comfortable life. There are no maximum time lengths for this exercise. However, the minimum time is 30 minutes. The exercise should be practiced twice per day, every day. The dog must be wearing collar and leash when doing this exercise.

After the first couple of days, this is a very calming and soothing exercise for both parties. During the first couple of days a really determine dog will go through the most amazing series of behaviors. Not only that, they will repeat the series in the same sequence over and over. When none of the behaviors win them the leadership post they will literally throw themselves down, give a very loud humph and refuse to look at you. After this period has past it is all smooth sailing and happy tail wags.

Again, the long down has nothing in common with a down/stay other than the physical position of the dog. You can NOT leave a dog that is doing a long down because you are a major part of the picture. You do leave a dog that is doing a down/stay. You can NOT tell the dog or show the dog how to do the long down. You must give the dog the chance to figure out what the most comfortable position is going to be. The dog must be wearing collar and leash when doing this exercise.

There you have it. Nothing difficult about it. Very straight forward. And simply because it is so very easy just about everyone wants to twist it, change it, turn it into something it well and truly isn't and never was.

The back history one this exercise goes back more than 40 years now. I wanted to teach group classes that were really meaningful. Group classes that actually felt like a class room where learning was valued. To me that meant students sitting in chairs, able to take notes if they wished. It meant quiet, attentive students. But what to do with the dogs? The wild, untrained, heathen sorts. The dogs that had been labeled fighters. The dogs that had been labeled biters? The shy dog? The overly bold dog? How could I have 15 to 20 misfit dogs, dogs who had been kicked out of every club and training school for 50 miles in the same room with owners sitting quietly in chairs and taking notes on what was being taught?

Enter the sit on your dog exercise. Some first week classes were so bad each owner had to be escorted into the classroom and settled in place before the next team dared enter. By the second week of class the owner's had no need of an escort and by the third week I could walk into the classroom at the start of the class and find the quite, attentive students I so craved. And so was born the "sit on your dog" exercise. Over the years it has had much refinement and most was due in a vain attempt to get people to just do the exercise as it was taught. Neither add nor take away from the instructions, that it would seem is the true key to success.

No matter how hard an owner works, no matter how clever a trainer happens to be, the dog will learn nothing of value unless it is paying full attention to the lesson. That means the full focus of the dog's mind must be on the lesson and this is a thing that will never happen until the dog is given a chance to find that calm center point. The same, by the way, is true for the human. There really isn't much of anything useful to be gained by trying to teach or learn when the mind is in a scattered and unfocused condition.

Got 50 campaign revisited

Once again, Walt Hutchens has stated the case so well I simply can't find a good reason to re-invent the wheel. In this case the S/N H$U$ wheel. Please read carefully and think about what he is saying.

"...How do we get to that long term future?

This isn't a question of alternatives (for the future), it is a question of means. At one level the answer is clear enough: We need a whole lot more people who understand what's going on. That's the "Got 50?" campaign-- the idea that each of us who DOES know should recruit 50 more who equally understand and who equally would NEVER give money to HSUS or any of the others. AND who will in their turn go out to find 50 more.

Of course there's a lot of other recruiting stuff going on, as has been true since long before that label was applied. But recruiting takes time and while it proceeds we have to play defense. We aren't going to win all the battles but we can definitely slow down the AR advance. The more we do that, the less total damage our country and our animals will sustain.

So talking about what needs to be done now, that's it: Recruiting and defense. Sure, if you see an opportunity to fix a law affirmatively, then do it, but such opportunities will be rare. It's easy to see why you are casting about for something easier: exotic animals may be the most difficult defense project of all. But there is no 'easier.' Ultimately we will win because each loss of an animal use, even each encumbrance, raises costs or reduces income for our nation AND catches more people in the web of bad laws. (The greatest favor Wayne has done us in the last couple of years was to start seriously attacking farmers ...) But if 'ultimately' is two decades off, the price is going to be very high.

Five years to the crest of the tsunami would be a lot better than twenty, and I think that's about what will happen. HSUS can't slow down because what they're doing is like the running of the bulls: Both the more militant part of the AR movement and the rapidly awakening animal users are right on their heels. If they falter or slow down ...SPLAT!

Remember that HSUS's business is strip mining the good will the organization built up 1950s-1990s when it actually did some good. Now they claim only to 'protect' animals, by which they mean make animal ownership and use more difficult. People THINK they actually feed or care for animals with donated money but actually they just lobby and litigate. As the American public catches on to that, HSUS is going to be in trouble.

Of course almost any action from the IRS is going to be a serious problem for them.

SEND THOSE LETTERS!
Spreading the word that HSUS does NOT help animals as we fight each new proposal for a bad law is what we need to do now. ..."

Walt Hutchens
Timbreblue Whippets

A tip of the hat goes to Walt Hutchens.

Spay/Neuter H$U$ Update

First, Happy New Year to all. Now let's see if we can't make some serious inroads in the problems the animal radicals have been causing all of us. Yes, I did say all of us. Their stated goal is to eliminate all animal contact, but more on that later. For this first blog entry of 2010 I give you this.

_____________________________________

UPDATE ON "SPAY/NEUTER THE HSUS" INITIATIVE:
Mr Frank Losey reports that he has received confirmation from 34 states that have already sent in certifed letters to expose the HSUS to IRS. More from these states is certainly welcome.

THANK YOU all for doing this carefully-timed event at this busy time of year. Remember, BUSY PEOPLE CHANGE THE WORLD!!!
* * * * * * *
BUT....We would like to hear from ALL 50 states!!!!!!!!!!
* * * * * * *
The following states have not been heard from yet: if you know people in these states, PLEASE ask them to spend a few minutes to act between today and Jan 4th:

Alaska

Louisiana

Mississippi

North Dakota

Arizona

West Virginia

Montana

New Mexico

Delaware

Wyoming

Hawaii

Connecticut

Rhode Island

Maine

Utah

Minnesota

Now it is just a one-page letter, and the certified receipt - very easy!

Here is the letter, it couldn't be easier!!:

Internal Revenue Service
Fresno, CA 93888

Dear IRS Tax Fraud Investigator:

I respectfully ask that the IRS audit and investigate the alleged excessive and under-reported "Lobbying Activities" of the Humane Society of the United States.

Please keep my identity confidential.

Sincerely,
Your Name and
Address

As the Nation joins together to expose the HSUS...please crosspost this NEED for the copy of your certified receipt.

Scan and e-mail receipt for certified letter to f.losey@insightbb.com
or
Fax certified letter receipt to: 479-299-4417
or
Snail-mail your certified receipt (green) to

Frank Losey, 2029 Tampa Blvd, Navarre, FL 32566

(PLEASE NOTE, THE RECEIPTS ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR FRANK TO HAVE IN A FOLLOWUP INITIATIVE IN WASHINGTON, DC. NUMBERS MATTER!)

Busy day

Well, this time Sam beat me to it when it comes to posting pictures and video about what is going on around here. To make matters worse, grind salt in my wounds and all that sort of thing, while they were in the training studio having so much fun, I was so tired I had fallen asleep and missed it all.

On the one hand I'm mad that I got left out. On the other hand I'm so proud of all of them I could just about bust. Does that qualify as being in balance?

Go here to see what I'm fussing about:
http://misterrugby7.blogspot.com/2009/12/where-do-i-even-start.html

And now with a toast from the past I bid you all a Happy New Year and may it be healthy and more prosperous than last year.

The Mighty Maltese

Sometimes a person just has to do what a person must do. In this case, Sam, Rugby and I got together and shot this quick video as a protest.

Yep! That's right. We are all protesting the misconception people seem to have about toy breed dogs and perhaps Maltese toys in particularly. Sam ordered a dumbbell for Rugby and had to deal with being told what she was ordering was too big. It wasn't.

Several months of hard use later it broke. One of the bells just fell apart during a training session. Since Mr. Rugby has also been taught to retrieve all sorts of things besides the dumbbell he "borrowed" a dumbbell from his friend Ellie the Yorkie. Meanwhile, Sam ordered not one, but two new dumbbells, thinking to have one to use and one for a spare. Again, she was told the size she was ordering was too big. Shoot, it wasn't too big the first time around and it sure isn't too big now.

She complained to me about the problem. I found I was most annoyed about this issue. See, just a couple of months ago I ordered a dumbbell for Ellie only to have the wrong size sent to me because what I had ordered was "too big". Not so.

Sam and I both filed a protest and Rugby's new dumbbells are on the way. Meanwhile a guy's gotta keep on training. So Rugby asked Sanity if he could borrow her dumbbell. She said yes. Here is Rugby, hard at work. As you can see, he's no shrinking violet, hot-house, sissy, purse dog. Nope, this is a serious working dog that just happens to come in a very small package.




I don't know about you, but I think Rugby is one super and very special, not-toy, dog. Wonder if his diet of raw, meaty bones has anything to do with his jaw and neck strength?

Rescind HSUS' tax exempt charity status

Subject: Please join the campaign to rescind HSUS' tax exempt charity status

PERMISSION TO FORWARD and CROSSPOST is granted!!!!

I apologize to any who have already received this message but feel it is critical to reach everyone at this time.

As all of you know, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is perhaps the largest and most powerful anti-pet breeding organization that we face. They are behind much, and possibly most, of the adverse pet breeding legislation on the state and federal level throughout the United States. Those of you involved in Illinois pet ownership and breeding issues this past year know that the IL chapter of HSUS was directly supportive of legislation - and even helped in drafting several bills - that would have taken away our rights to own and breed our pets, such as HB 198 and SB 53, as well as other bills very harmful to our cause.

HSUS performs this heavy lobbying and legislative activity by masquerading itself as a 501(c)3 charitable organization and soliciting donations based upon this tax exempt status.

Under IRS regulations, lobbying, while not prohibited entirely, is heavily restricted for organizations receiving this tax-exempt status. HSUS has gone far beyond this boundary. It is time that we expose the HSUS for who they truly are.

With that in mind, there is a drive spearheaded by Mr. Frank Losey of Missouri Professional Pet Breeders Association that will put pressure on the IRS to thoroughly investigate the HSUS' tax exempt charitable status, and we are hopeful that such an investigation would have the result of removing HSUS' tax exempt status.

Mr. Losey is a long-time professional lobbyist in Washington DC, who represents animal ownership interests (in other words, us!), and has a very strong knowledge regarding what is - and is not - allowed in professional lobbying activities. He has amassed this information in the comprehensive and well-researched document entitled "Overview Summary of the Scope and Magnitude of the Lobbying Activities of the Humane Society of the United States, a Tax-Exempt Public Charity" (see link below to article below at which you can access this document.)

The first step for the plan to disarm the HSUS is for each of you to write a letter to the IRS asking that this be done, if you have not done so already. Also please write a letter for any groups that you may represent. Be certain to send a separate letter for each adult member of your household, as well!

The letter can be very simple - just ask the IRS to investigate HSUS' activities with regards to their 501(3)c tax exempt public charity status, based upon evidence you have seen showing that this tax exempt status is not justified. A sample letter is as follows:

Dear Tax Fraud Investigator,
We (I) respectfully request that you investigate the Humane Society of the United States ( tax identification number EIN 530225390 ) for their excessive lobbying using charitable donations.

Please keep the identity of my company ( or my identity ) private.
Thank you for your consideration in this urgent matter.

Respectfully,
(Sign your name or company name)
Type your name or company name
Address
　　
Please place in a separate envelope for each letter sent, and mail to:

Internal Revenue Service
Fresno, CA. 93888
(No street address or box number is needed)

Please mail this CERTIFIED MAIL. You will get a receipt from the post office when you send by certified mail. Please make a copy of the certified mail receipt and e-mail, fax or mail to:

Frank Losey
2029 Tampa Blvd.
Navarre, Florida 32566

or fax to: 1 (479) -299 - 4417

Mr. Losey MUST have copies of the certified receipt plan. If the IRS fails to act, Mr. Losey will go above them and demand that an investigation take place. It is vital that we follow the steps provided so that Mr. Losey has evidence, through the certified mail receipts, of the importance and urgency for the IRS to take action based upon public interest in this matter.

Please take this action by January 1, since we want a flood of letters to be received by the IRS during a short period of time.

Mr. Losey informs us that there will be additional steps to be taken in this campaign to remove HSUS' tax exempt status, so stay tuned for future reports on this subject.

The Cattle Network has information on this campaign which they are distributing to their members. This article has links to additional information on the SAOVA website, including the great amount of evidence that Mr.Losey has accumulated against the HSUS. You can access the Cattle Network article here:
"New Campaign Investigates HSUS Lobbying Activities" (Dec 23 2009)
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/New-Campaign-Investigates-HSUS-Lobbying-Activities/2009-12-23/Article_HotTopics.aspx?oid=969967&fid=VN-HOT_TOPICS
　
http://tinyurl.com/ybs36oy

Will this campaign work?

Does my letter count?

Below is an item off the national pet-law list, written by the list moderator Walt Hutchens, who asked just these questions of a tax expert. After reading it, you will see the importance of participating in these efforts yourself. (This item may also be forwarded and cross posted, as well.)

Thanks

The following was just posted on pet-law by the list moderator, and may be crossposted.

If you haven't gotten that letter out to the IRS, please do it today!
crossposted message below:

I expect some of us are wondering how worthwhile it is to do this. I
can answer that question.

As it happens, we have a contact, a professional who is an expert on
exactly this issue -- the tax status of non-profit corporations. Trust
me, this person KNOWS how these things work.

We asked this individual about this campaign. Here are paraphrases of
the responses to several specific questions:
============ ========
Q. Does the IRS care about these things?
A. Yes, ABSOLUTELY. EVERY complaint about abuse of the tax code must
be investigated.

Q. Isn't it enough to just poke the IRS once or twice and let them
take it from there?
A. NO, that isn't a good approach. With one or two complaints it can
be like cleaning up your bathroom closet: You know you ought to do it,
but if you don't get to it today, nothing ter rible will happen and
you've got more important stuff to do. But then tomorrow, some other
crisis comes along ... maybe you'll never get to hanging up the toilet
brush and picking up the Tidy Bowl bottle at all ....
The more letters the IRS gets complaining about a specific problem
corporation, the more likely they are to take action.

Q. So more complaints means more certain and faster action.
A. Yes. But it goes beyond 'more certain and faster.' The more
complaints there are, the higher the level at which the problems will
be considered.

If there is a serious problem, you WANT high level attention because
that's where the big decisions get made. Get those top managers on
board with thousands of letters and if the complaint is found to be
justified, the top levels can and will do more.
It is the IRS's job to collect taxes. Nothing pleases them more than
to find a real tax cheat, turn him upside down and shake. Top
management shakes a lot harder than lower levels.

Q. Do we have to get our contacts (letters, etc.) exactly right?
A. The IRS are professionals. Tell them about the problems (in this
case your view that a corporation claiming to be a charity is nothing
of the sort), give them whatever you have, and they will take it from
there.

Even stories are good, as long as they describe significant actions by
the corporation that do not represent a valid charitable purpose. When
telling stories, DO focus on the specific corporation and be as clear
as you can about what they're doing, but DON'T feel that if your
format isn't perfect or a word is misspelled, they'll toss your
complaint.

Q. What if I don't have any new facts?
A. Then just tell the IRS that in your opinion this corporation does not
meet the guidelines for a charitable exemption. Again, NUMBERS COUNT.
One letter ought to be enough to get basic checks done, someday.
Thousands, however, WILL get a serious investigation started.
============ ======
SEND THAT LETTER, folks. Do it now. If you can't or don't want to
write your own letter, then go to:

http://www.saova.%20org/SpayNeuterHS%20US.html

OR

http://www.adoa.org/documents/overview_summary_excessive_lobbying.doc

http://www.adoa/.org/documents/cover_letter_irs_fraud_division.doc

And print and send the 'cover letter' form letter -- second item on
both lists, above, edited to provide your personal information.

Frank Losey says: "The most important priority is for letters to be
sent to the IRS Office in Fresno,CA (The two line address is the
address - - no street address.)

"Ideally, the letters should be sent by Certified Mail, and a copy of
the certified mail receipt should be sent to me by E-Mail or to 2029
Tampa Blvd, Navarre, FL 32566 or FAXED to 479-299-4417. "

Finally, please FORWARD THIS INFORMATION to other lists

More Snow Daze

Sanity starts a hunt.

So how is she doing it? Scent or hearing? For sure it isn't sight. Not unless the "look of eagles" means X-ray vision.



Sadly or not so sadly, just depending on your point of view, she never did manage to catch whatever it was under all that snow.