Poodle - Labradoodle - Goldendoodle - Rescue

Severely Abused Afghan Hound

2007-01-30T16:04:00.000-08:00

When Winston the Afghan Hound was confiscated he was so severely underweight due to starvation that you could see every bone in his body -- in-between the filthy matted mess his coat was in. If that wasn’t enough he had broken bones for which he had not received medical attention – yes that's right he had broken bones that had not been set - and he was so sick that he had less than 25% percent lung capacity.

I commend the County of Muskingum for confiscating this dog but why on earth were animal cruelty charges not laid?

Surely any one who watched the T.V./video coverage provided by WCMH-TV4 (NBC) on December 28th, 2006 or read the newspaper reports provided by the
Zanesville Times Recorder could clearly see that Winston was abused and neglected.

Why didn’t someone from the city, or county or state step up to the plate and take action?

Citizens, taxpayers and voters of the County of Muskingum and the City of Zanesville -- and in the rest of the state of Ohio -- please take note and respond accordingly the next time you are asked to cast your vote and please make your thoughts known not just here but by taking a moment to write to City, County and State Government officials.

Please take a moment right now to visit: http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770130023 and send a quick note to the Zanesville Times Recorder. Next it may, or may not, be too late for Winston but if enough of us write and weigh in perhaps the next time the local prosecutor has a case of animal abuse he will take a stronger stand and who knows perhaps we can persuade the powers that be to take another look at Winston's case.

Additionally please join Cecilia and Maureen and others in writing to:

The Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann http://www.ag.state.oh.us/contact/inquiry_form.asp

The mayor of Zanesville, OH and city council members.

[Simply copy and paste your letter to the newspaper into the forms at the following locations.]

Mayor's online form for comments may be found at: http://www.coz.org/contact.cfm?depart=Mayor

Law Director's office: http://www.coz.org/contact.cfm?depart=Law

City Clerk's office: http://www.coz.org/city_clerk.cfm

Governor Ted Strickland: http://governor.ohio.gov/ConstituentAffairs/tabid/101/Default.aspx

New Orleans 16 months after Katrina...

2007-01-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

Please, please take a moment to read a little about exactly what has NOT happened in the New Orleans and surrounding areas even though it has already been 16 months since Katrina first hit.

Read it and weep - http://camphopecanuks.blogspot.com

Click here to view the photo above in a larger format.

YES this really was taken 16 months AFTER Hurricane Katrina first hit. And yes that's one of the dentist's chairs still there street side after being washed out of the practice.

To zoom in on the photo above please click here.

2006-12-30T18:01:00.001-08:00

Fireworks controversy...

2006-07-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

has been dogging Camarillo for a long time

By Colleen Cason, ccason@VenturaCountyStar.com

Ventura County Star July 14, 2006

Indignation fueled Donna Brennan as she composed her letter to the editor.
"Can anyone explain," she wrote in her best longhand, "what wisdom prevailed when Camarillo's fireworks extravaganza was moved from the high school field to the airport grounds, which of course, was already the home of the County Animal Shelter?

"This appears to be both mental and physical cruelty," she concluded. She added a "sincerely" and a stamp and sent that puppy to the paper.

The Camarillo woman then waited for the hue and cry from a great, dog-loving American public. She waited for compassionate city officials to change the venue of the July 4 celebration.
Little did Brennan know she would be waiting 18 years. The clipping she sent me indicates her missive appeared in a 1988 edition of the old Camarillo Daily News. And today she remains indignant that her city's Independence Day fireworks are still shot off over the shelter. So much so that she talked to me on Thursday from her bed at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center.

Please take a moment to read the rest of Colleen Cason's article by clicking here.

The above article followed one also written by Colleen Cason published on July 7th titled Fidos endure another fitful Fourth in Camarillo you may read that article by clicking here.

In response to comments left on the Ventura County Star website after Ms. Cason's July 7th article Anson MacLauchlan writes:

Dear Miss Herrera,

In the comment above you wrote in reply to Carole Hunter "I, too, was there at the shelter on the 4th. What I saw was not what you saw."

I notice that you did not say that you were there to help. I am guessing that you were with Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long as she strolled through the kennels that night. Please forgive me if I am wrong but neither of you were assigned to dogs to look after. After going back and double checking I do NOT see either of your names on the list of volunteers. Neither of you got your hands dirty or were down on the floor holding or trying to restrain a dog. Again, please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

As someone who was at the shelter on July 4th, 2005 and again this year I would like to go on the record as saying that I too feel that setting off community fireworks within several hundred yards of where already distressed cats and dogs are housed is not appropriate. I was one of two men who worked desperately trying to distract one dog during the 2005 display. This particular German Shepherd was calm and relaxed with her tail wagging moments before the fireworks display started. The second the fireworks started the dog started to tear at the enclosure.

Thankfully we had been warned during our orientation by shelter manager Kathy Jenks to expect this behavior. During the duration of the fireworks two of us proceeded to stuff towels and blankets between this large dog and the enclosure. Each blanket and towel was in absolute terror ripped to shreds. Had the fireworks not been at this location this behavior and the potential for injury to both the dog and volunteers could have been averted.

As for Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long's statement that she is a dog person, based on all that I have seen first hand of Ms. Long at the shelter, all I have heard and all I have read including the following excerpts from a 2005 article in the Ventura County Star Ms. Long does not measure up to my definition of a dog person.

On July 2, 2005 the Ventura County Star published an article by Cheri Carlson.

In that article the reporter wrote:

July Fourth is a bad night for pet owners across Ventura County, said Kathy Jenks, the county's director of animal regulation. But it's even worse for animals kept at the Ventura County Animal Shelter in Camarillo. The shelter at 600 Aviation Drive, is within "spitting distance" of Camarillo's annual fireworks display at Freedom Park, she said. As the article continues shelter manager Kathy Jenks is quoted as saying "The Fourth of July is the single worst night of the year. About 50 percent of the dogs are scared to death of the noise."

Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long is quoted in that same article. "Certainly, there were a couple of animals disturbed. Others were trying to find a corner to curl up in."

I ask you, based on the excerpts from the above article who do you think is a dog person? Shelter Manager Kathy Jenks who states about 50 percent of the dogs are scared to death or Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long who is quoted as saying "a couple of animals were disturbed"?

Respectfully,

Anson MacLauchlan

Ms. Cason, thank you for speaking up for my canine and feline friends who are not able to do the same for themselves ~ Hunter

A Cartoon is worth a 1,000,000 words

2006-07-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

From the Ventura County Star July 4th, 2006
Thank you Steve Greenberg!

To the Editor of the Ventura County Star:

Whoops, they did it again!

Well, once again the Pleasant Valley/Somis Lions Club hosted their night of torture for the animals located 500 yards away from their launch pad for the fireworks display.

Again, I was a volunteer with 40 plus other volunteers to calm and soothe these helpless and homeless animals. As I tended to a young sweet female Australian Cattle Dog mix, I sat on her kennel floor watching her go into a frantic panic. After the first few blasts, I began to well up with tears, trying to calm her, wondering why this could be permitted year after year. Did I mention that this dog bit her tongue and had blood in her mouth and some on my sleeve too as proof. I left this pup briefly to tend to my other dog to care for, this one a tiny male Silky Terrier. This poor dog did not display the frenzy as the other dog but was trembling and panting with his eyes wide open in fear. I picked him up held him close, only to feel his heart pounding out of his chest. At this moment, Supervisor Kathy Long walked by me and I said, Kathy, this is what you cannot see with your eyes, I held the dog out for her, and said feel this dogs heart beating in fear. She backed away and declined to verify (feel) the condition of the dog. I felt she was not very concerned about the condition of this dog and perhaps will once again go on record and say that this is nothing out of the ordinary for shelter animals. WRONG. This is not normal behavior for these animals, it is cruel and abusive to be subjected to loud thunderous explosions set such a short distance away. Animals do not mix with fireworks, especially next door!

To the Lions Club I say, you are not a welcome visitor on Fourth of July. Your show of patriotism is shameful. The community has numerous shows to see fireworks shows that do not torture animals. Do the right thing, stop the cruelty now. No more!

Carole Hunter

Kay, Ha, Barb, Pat & Lachlan I can't find the words to express my thanks but for now please click here ~ your admirer Hunter the honorary Poodle, wanna be protestor.

Hear the Lions Roar...

2006-07-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

In the Ventura County Star.

4 paws up to Linda Bowring who writes in response:

I am freshly amazed at the logic that would try to convince the public that the dogs and cats in the shelter do not suffer from the close proximity of fireworks being set off. Some of those animals are there solely because they escaped their own homes BECAUSE of fireworks in their neighborhoods in the days before the 4th. Never was the adage "from the frying pan into the fire" more appopriate. Common sense would suggest that the animals are traumatized by this.

I commend the Lion's Club for all of the other services that they provide to the public, but I would also like to ask if they would find it appropriate to have such a show next to a facility filled with human infants and toddlers? The animals are no different in their understanding of the warlike sounds going on right next door, and seemingly over their heads. How does one convince an infant, or an animal, that they are safe during such a barrage. Every boom is like a shock wave. And for many, the trauma remains long after the event is over.

We SHOULD celebrate our freedoms, but with freedom comes responsibility - especially to those that would be harmed by that celebration. The question was asked as to why this trauma wasn't filmed. I'd like to know why the Lion's Club isn't in that shelter themselves - especially with their claim to care about dogs. Let them see first hand how difficult it is to calm a frightened dog or cat.

Agenda? No, I have none, except a complete sense of amazement that anyone could be this cruel, and this insensitive to animals whose sense of hearing is so much more intense than ours, and who have no understanding of why they are being tortured like this. Humane groups all over the country warn the public at this time of year to take extra precautions to keep their animals safe, including locking them in safe rooms (no windows) and turning on competing sounds (tv and radio) to help drown out the fireworks -- and most of them aren't right next door to a huge display.

Common sense, people !!!!

Another National Group weighs in

2006-07-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

June 30th, 2006

The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is the oldest animal welfare organization in the Western Hemisphere and our mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. We have recently received numerous complaints from concerned citizens in Ventura county CA regarding the annual fireworks display that is held in close proximity to the county animal shelter.

It is very clear from all the data that has been gathered about the health and well being of animals in shelters that the reduction of stress plays a major role in any comprehensive health care strategy to reduce the incidence of disease transmission. Stress appears in many forms in shelters, as physical, emotional or environmental. Shelters are advised by veterinary experts to expend as many of their resources as possible to minimize stress in order to keep their animals healthy. While some stresses cannot be eliminated or controlled by management, others can. One of the stresses that management can control is noise. Noise either in the form of barking dogs, loud machinery or equipment, harsh loud music, etc can have a very detrimental effect not only on the emotional health of the population, but their physical health as well. It is well known that the noise from firecrackers has a devastating effect on many dogs and cats. Many veterinarians must prescribe tranquilizers for the animals, and these are animals in a home where they can be comforted by their owners, and they still suffer from paralyzing fear and anxiety. For animals in a shelter who may already be debilitated, isolated and alone, the effects are truly frightening, and for some animals, even terrifying.

We would urge the Camarillo Parks and Recreation Dept., the Pleasant Valley/Somis chapter of the Lions Club and the City of Camarillo to reconsider locating their fireworks display to an area where it will have no effect on the animals seeking sanctuary in the shelter. We believe the citizens of the town would enjoy the fireworks much more if they knew the animals would not suffer as a consequence.

Lila Miller, DVM
ASPCA
Vice President, Veterinary Outreach
Shelter Veterinary Advisor
(212) 876-7700 extension 4342
fax: (212) 860-3435
lilam@aspca.org

******
Founded in 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was the first humane organization established in the Western Hemisphere and today has one million supporters. The ASPCA's mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. The ASPCA provides national leadership in humane education, government affairs and public policy, shelter support, and animal poison control. The NYC headquarters houses a full-service animal hospital, animal behavior center, and adoption facility. The Humane Law Enforcement department enforces New York's animal cruelty laws and is featured on the reality television series Animal Precinct on Animal Planet.
Visit www.aspca.org for more information.
Media Contact: Eric Rayvid at office: 646-291-4562 cell: 917-861-8290

Click on the graphic above to study the area more carefully.

Super Hero - Bob Tarlau

2006-06-29T23:01:00.000-07:00

Make that four super heroes.

The first super hero of 2006 is Carole Hunter. Starting in July of 2005 Carole tirelessly led the way and tried to reason with the Camarillo, Somis, Pleasant Valley Lions Club along with the City of Camarillo and the Pleasant Valley Parks and Recreation Department. Unfortunately the Lions Club, in their great wisdom decided not to listen to Carole and they still think that it’s appropriate to follow through with their plans to set off community 4th of July fireworks within 500 yards of the Ventura County Animal shelter which houses 400 lost and abandoned pets.

Super hero number two is the manager of the Ventura County Animal Shelter Kathy Jenks and her staff who work tirelessly 365 days of the year helping lost and abandoned pets!

Barbara Tarlau noticed a write up about the fireworks situation on the Poodle Club of Southern California website and called upon her husband Emmy Award winning Senior Producer at Fox 11 Bob Tarlau to do a story. She and her husband instantly both became super heroes of every one of my feline and canine friends and their 2 legged friends. Bob started researching a story on June 12th and tonight when his story aired on the 10:00 P.M. newscast it included points of view from both sides. Barbara and Bob I love you both! ~ Hunter oxox

P.S. To all those Lions lurking out there -- hear US roar! Today was a banner day. This morning on Good Day L.A. on Fox Sky brought up the fireworks Fiasco, ABC ran a story during their 5:30 P.M. news report with "teasers" leading up to it starting at 5:00, not to mention Fox doing the same at 10 tonight! The Ventura County Star printed 4 more letters all from local citizens calling for a boycott of your fireworks while they remain at the airport/Freedom Park location.

Hmmm.... let's see now:
CBS2/KCAL9,
KEYT Santa Barbara,
The Ventura County Star,
ABC
and Fox 11/UPN 13
have all done stories with commitments in place to follow up on the nights of the fourth and the fifth.

Rumor has it that the
L.A. Times,
KTLA,
and NBC are all gearing up to do stories.

Purrrrrr away... we are not going to go away until you agree that fireworks at this location are not appropriate!

Want to make the negative publicity go away? Simply commit to not setting off fireworks at this location ever again!

P.S.S. Ventura County Animal Shelter manager Kathy Jenks reminds all of us that there are currently LOTS of highly adoptable animals at the shelter in desperate need of homes...

Lions Club asked to move Fireworks!

2006-06-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

Article in the Ventura County Star by Sam Richard today and hurray for Hollywood - ABC called tonight and they are going to tape a story either tomorrow or Friday! Rumor has it that NBC is cooking up something too. A little bird told me to keep an eye tomorrow morning on Fox 11 Good Day LA because animal friend Sky is going to be on between 7 and 10 a.m. Being the sight hound, or should I say "site" hound, that I am that shouldn't be too hard.

4 mop like white wanna be poodle paws up to Abbie Moore who today wrote:

Dear Mr. Brown, Mr. Zwinkel, Mr. Blattel, and Mr. Christie,

I am the Executive Director of Humane America Animal Foundation (dba 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com), a national non-profit organization devoted to the advocacy of shelter animals. I am writing to you today in the hope that I can appeal to your sense of compassion and decency and change your mind about staging the Lions Club fireworks show adjacent to the Camarillo Animal Shelter.

Sirs, animals in shelters are in an extremely high-stress environment. If you’ve ever visited an animal shelter, you’ve seen it firsthand—some dogs pace their kennels, some bark uncontrollably, some become unresponsive and curl up in a ball in the corner of their kennel, shaking and afraid. I wish there was a way to comfort each and every one of these poor creatures, and I’m sure you do, too.

I know how terrifying the Fourth of July is for my own dog. There have been many holidays when I feared that he would suffer a heart attack; so great is his terror of the very distant fireworks that I honestly worry it will cause him irreparable physical harm. He trembles uncontrollably for hours and paces the house, trying to throw himself through any window he can find. It’s a heartbreaking sight.

I tell you about my own dog in order to illustrate just how horrifying even distant fireworks can be to a normal, well-adjusted dog in his own home, surrounded by familiar people who are focused on his well-being and doing everything they can to soothe him and keep him safe until the terrible noises cease. Imagine the effect your fireworks show will have (and has had in the past) on so many pets right next door, pets who are already scared, lonely, vulnerable, and in completely unfamiliar and uncomfortable surroundings. Please, Mr. Brown, visit these pets on a normal day and see the trauma they’re already experiencing. I’m sure it does not fall within the mission statement of the esteemed Lions Club to inflict this kind of additional emotional torture on your community’s pets.

I’m sure you are in a difficult position. You’ve already planned the show. You don’t want to let your community down. You don’t want to lose this battle with a bunch of people you may see as animal-loving freaks. If you take a look around your community and see all of the citizens who have dogs and cats and other pets, though, you’ll see that it’s not a bunch of freaks at all—it’s everybody who loves their dog or their cat and values the health and well-being of creatures above the momentary gratification of a fireworks display. We are the majority.

So on behalf of the good people of your community, I implore you to cancel this fireworks show or change the venue. I guarantee you will be a hero for it. I know you’re trying to do what you think is right, and I’m sure you mean no harm to animals. Perhaps some of you have pets of your own. Please weigh the incredible trauma this display will inflict on the animals against the importance of putting on a fireworks show, and I think you’ll see the answer is obvious.

Just a postscript: I plan on including an article about this in the next issue of our monthly e-newsletter, which is circulated to literally hundreds of thousands of people around the country. I would be thrilled to write that you bucked tradition and gave this story a happy ending for the shelter animals. It could very well even lead to some new donors for you--you never know!

Sincerely,

Abbie Moore
abbie@1-800-Save-A-Pet.com
Executive Director1-800-Save-A-Pet.com
http://www.1-800-save-a-pet.com/
Box 7,
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
1 (800)728-3273 x43

UPDATES:
June 12th, 2006 Emmy Award Winning Senior Producer Bob Tarlau of Fox 11/UPN 13 starts his research and interviews
June 20th, 2006 KCAL9/CBS2 - TV and online video coverage
June 20th, 2006 Program Manager, Animal Sheltering Issues of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) contacts City Council & Lions Club
June 21st, 2006 PETA posts an action alert of the Lion’s Club & assigns a Cruelty Caseworker
June 21st, 2006 Ventura County Star - 4 letters published in the Opinion section.
June 21st, 2006 Have YOUR say right now. Visit the Ventura County Star link, then scroll to the bottom of the page and hit COMMENTS.
June 22nd, 2006 - Sam Richard at the Ventura County Star starts working on a story
June 23rd, 2006 - KEYT 3 Santa Barbara TV evening news coverage between 5 & 6 and 6 & 7
June 23rd, 2006 The Acorn newspaper starts working on a story
June 24th, 2006 Warren Eckstein talks about Camarillo Fireworks vs. pets on The Pet Show
June 24th, 2006 Hunter the honorary poodle decides eruff is eruff - time to blog about this matter
June 26th, 2006 Emmy Award Winning Senior Producer Bob Tarlau of Fox 11/UPN 13 taped a story
June 27, 2006 PETA ACTION ALERT - NATIONAL ATTENTION!
June 27, 2006 PETA get active Center - NATIONAL ATTENTION!
June 27th Ventura County Star publishes letter
June 28th, 2006 Helping Animals dot com = MORE NATIONAL ATTENTION
June 28th, 2006 Ventura County Star publishes a story by Sam Richard
June 29th, 2006 Watch the Fox 11 news at 10:00 P.M. for Bob Tarlau's report.

On the home front Hattie went back to Dr. Brad Patterson last night and Brad once again, along with his wife Madeline stayed after their regular work days were done to work on Hattie for over two hours. Last night marked the fifth time Hattie has been put under in 10 days. Last night almost 20 more foxtails were surgically removed. A few new shots online now.

Thank you each for all that you do each and every day for those less fortunate. All paws still crossed that the powers that be move the fireworks before the fourth ~ Hunter

P.S. Have you checked out Spirit's photo album lately? Not even a year old she's ready for a loving permanent home of her own. Her temporary home is with Heidi and Joe just 1.4 miles away - Joe you make the best chicken picata!

Shame on the Lions Club

2006-06-25T00:41:00.000-07:00

4 furry honorary poodle paws up to Susan Cox who took part of her Saturday night to compose and send the following letter to 3 members of the Lions Club; mjbelectric@worldnet.att.net, wzwinkels@aol.com, tombco@msn.com, the Camarillo City Council council@ci.camarillo.ca.us and the Editor in Chief of the Ventura County Star Joe Howry jhowry@venturacountystar.com

Dear Sirs and Madams:

I am writing to protest the location of the Camarillo Parks and Recreation Dept., the Pleasant Valley/Somis chapter of the Lions Club and the City of Camarillo community fireworks display at 600 Aviation Drive, Camarillo CA. It is next to The Ventura County Animal Shelter that houses 400 stray, abandoned and lost animals.

What has gone wrong? What has caused this lack in imagination that seems to be epidemic. Can you not, for a second, put yourself in the place of these abandoned and homeless creatures and experience the fear that might be caused by unexplained explosions, bursts of accompanying bright light and the smell of heat and gunpowder. If you can imagine, then shame on you for letting it continue. If you cannot, then join the volunteers who are at The Camarillo Animal Shelter trying to calm the terrified animals this July 4th starting at 6:00 PM and experience the effects for yourself.

The 4th of July is a commemoration of the victory of imagination. A people imagined a country without the rule of tyrants and rose up to secure the life they imagined to be possible. It is our responsibility as the society imagined by our forefathers to protect the weak and defend the powerless. Celebrate the victory of right over might. You don't have to loose your party. Move it to a place more imaginative.

Sincerely,

Susan A. Cox

Past 2 weeks in review:

June 12th, 2006 Emmy Award Winning Senior Producer Bob Tarlau of Fox 11/UPN 13 starts his research and interviews
June 20th, 2006 KCAL9/CBS2 - TV and online video coverage
June 20th, 2006 Program Manager, Animal Sheltering Issues of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) contacts City Council & Lions Club
June 21st, 2006 PETA posts an action alert of the Lion’s Club & assigns a Cruelty Caseworker
June 21st, 2006 Ventura County Star - 4 letters published in the Opinion section.
June 21st, 2006 Have YOUR say right now. Visit the Ventura County Star link, then scroll to the bottom of the page and hit COMMENTS.
June 22nd, 2006 - Sam Richard at the Ventura County Star starts working on a story
June 23rd, 2006 - KEYT 3 Santa Barbara TV evening news coverage between 5 & 6 and 6 & 7
June 23rd, 2006 The Acorn newspaper starts working on a story
June 24th, 2006 Warren Eckstein talks about Camarillo Fireworks vs. pets on The Pet Show
June 24th, 2006 Hunter the honorary poodle AKA an Afghan Hound decides eruff is eruff - time to blog about this matter
June 26th, 2006 Emmy Award Winning Senior Producer Bob Tarlau of Fox 11/UPN 13 will be taping a story

Still hoping that ABC and NBC and the L.A. Times will join the other networks and papers and do a story.

All paws remained crossed here that the fourth will be fireworks free for the 400 already dramatized pets at the Ventura County Animal Shelter - if you haven't already done so please take a moment right now to visit: http://www.PoodleClubSoCal.com and write a letter or two - or three barking your two 'scents' worth ~ Hunter

Community Fireworks next to Animal Shelter!

2006-06-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

The big dogs at the Camarillo/Somis/Pleasant Valley Lions Club along with the big dogs on the City of Camarillo, California council seem to think that it's pawfectly okay to set off 4th of July community fireworks within several hundred yards of where 400 lost and abandoned pets are housed at the Ventura County Animal Shelter! [And they say that Afghan Hounds are not the smartest dogs - I beg to differ!]

Special thanks go to Carole Hunter (no she's not related) who yesterday rushed to get to the Ventura County Animal Shelter in Camarillo in time to speak up on behalf of my feline and canine friends who will be stuck in the shelter on July 4th. Carole spoke with a reporter for the Santa Barbara based TV station KEYT who aired a segment last evening at 5:30 and 6:30. Carole you were GRRRREAT! [You didn't know that Afghan Hounds speak tiger did ya?]

I was disappointed that shelter manager Kathy Jenks was not available to speak to the reporter yesterday as Kathy did such a très beau job during the CBS 2/KCAL9 report. [Poodles aren't the only ones who speak French!]

Today Carole Hunter jumped on the phone and called Warren Eckstein's The Pet Show. Warren had already received several emails in regards to this matter and he had planned to explain to listeners - even before Carole called - just how tragic it is that the The Lions Club have not seen fit to move the fireworks to a location that would not terrorize 400 lost or abandoned and already dramatized pets.

Yes, I know, I know writing letters may appear to be boring but see YOUR letters do have a cumulative effect!

What's that you haven't made the time to write one yet? Please take a moment right now to visit http://www.PoodleClubSoCal.com and write a letter or two to the powers that be!

Two paws up to Bill Zardus for the following post on the Ventura County Star website under the COMMENTS section.

These 5 women have raised an excellent point and The Lions club should be embarrassed for not figuring this out for themselves.

What idiot decides to set off fireworks next to an animal shelter and how are they getting the permit to do this approved???

Meanwhile my housemate foster goldendoodle Hattie is happy to report that her foster father has been soaking her paws in hot water and sea salt several times per day for the past few days and today out popped yet another infected foxtail. Her temporary dad will keep soaking the open festering spots and Hattie will have to make another trip to Bradley Patterson, DVM so that he can surgically remove at least another 1/2 dozen abscessed foxtails that had 'healed' over before she came to us.

A few new pictures were added to Hattie's photo journal earlier today.

Woofing all of you at the Ventura County Animal Shelter a fireworks free fourth - crossing all the fingers, toes, eyes and all paws here that my woof for you comes true ~ Hunter