Upcoming Events...
2004
Spay Day USA ~ February 24
Be Kind to Animals Week ~ May 2 - 8
National Dog Bite Prevention Week ~ May 16 - 22
Adopt a Cat Month ~ June
National Farm Animals Week ~ September
Adopt a Dog Month ~ October
National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week ~ November
Adopt a Senior Month ~ November

News...

On 9/5/01, the Portland Mercury had more. According to them, Dr.Wiete Westerhof, a Dutch dermatologist known for growing skin replacement tissue for human, has used his methods to create create huge quantities of artificial "pork, beef, and chicken meat as well as kangaroo, whale, and shellfish." See the story: http://www.portlandmercury.com/2001-11-15/scientific.html (Caution, it contains a teeny bit of rough language.)

Students at NJ Middle School Take a Stand Against Animal Testing
A group of students at Ezra L. Nolan Middle School in Jersey City have changed school policy regarding purchasing! Upset about the ongoing use of animals in product testing, the students presented their principal with a list of companies who test on animals and requested that the school no longer purchase supplies from those companies. They also provided a list of alternative, cruelty-free suppliers. Their presentation was a great success, and the "Critterpals's " school has begun purchasing only from companies who do not do animal testing.

Their website is "dedicated to the millions of animals who die needlessly in animal research facilities and in cosmetic, personal product and household item testing."
http://www.geocities.com/critterpals/homepage.html

Three Men Plead Guilty to Animal Abuse in Beating Death of Calf in Pineville, Mo.
Two southwest Missouri men and one from Arkansas have pleaded guilty to felony animal abuse in the Memorial Day weekend (2002) beating of a three-week-old calf. Before the plea, no one in the state had ever pleaded guilty or been convicted of felony animal abuse in a case involving livestock, state Humane Society officials said.

Brent Colville, 27, of Pineville, Rick Roark, 27, of Anderson, and Jeff East, 22, of Garfield, Ark., pleaded guilty Thursday in McDonald County
Associate Circuit Court to one count each of felony animal abuse and misdemeanor animal abuse. They were given suspended sentences, placed on probation for three years, fined $1,000 and ordered to do 300 hours of community service with the Missouri Department of Conservation, McDonald County Prosecutor Steve Geeding said.

Geeding said the felony count stemmed from the men dragging the calf around and breaking its spine. The misdemeanor count relates to "mental anguish" suffered by the calf's mother, which apparently witnessed and tried to prevent its abuse.

The case marks a first time in Missouri that anyone has been convicted of animal abuse for causing mental anguish to an animal, said Allen Miller, chief statewide investigator for the Humane Society of Missouri.

After their courtroom appearance, East and Roark both complained that the incident had been blown out of proportion. "I'm glad it's over, but it went too far," East said. "It should have been over when we paid restitution to Bob Parish, but it's over."

If you'd like to contact these boys directly to explain why you don't agree with them about the "incident" being blown out of proportion:
Jeff East, 15763 N. Wimpy Jones Rd., Garfield, AR 72732
479-359-3999
Brent Colville, 1 S. 1, Pineville, MO 64856
417-223-4189
Rick Roark, Anderson, MO 64831
417-845-7539 or, because it's been disconnected, he may be at: Seneca, MO 64865 417-776-3046

Germany Guarantees Animal Rights
The debate lasted 10 years, but the law will read: "The state takes responsibillity for protecting the natural foundations of life and animals in the interest of future generations."

The lower house of Parliment, the Bundesrat, votet 543 to 15 in favor of the change. The upper house is expected to approve the change this summer.

More from CNN: June 21, 2002
BERLIN, Germany -- Animal rights has been enshrined in the German Constitution after a vote in the upper house of parliament.Legislators voted with the necessary two-thirds majority to add the words"and animals" to the constitutional clause obliging the state to respect and protect the dignity of humans.Germany becomes the first country in the European Union to enshrine animal rights in its constitution.Germany already recognizes animal rights with a raft of legislation covering the conditions they can be held in captivity and in homes. But campaigners argued the laws did not do enough to prevent the use of animals in research. In future cases the federal constitutional court will have to weigh an animal's rights against other entrenched rights, like those to conduct research or practice religion. It could result in tighter restrictions on the use of animals for testing cosmetics or non-prescription drugs. The constitutional change follows a decade of debate. Until this year, conservatives had argued it could put the interests of animals before those of humans and damage Germany's research industry. But they changed policy after Germany's highest court allowed Muslim butchers to slaughter animals without first being stunned, according to Islamic law. Neighboring Switzerland, which is not a member of the EU, passed a similar amendment in 1992, allowing animals to be recognized as beings and not things.
Source: http://europe.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/06/21
/germany.animals/index.html

Further proof of how far the U.S. is falling behind the rest of the world in animal related matters: The Council of Europe, an association of 39 European countries, adopted a Convention in November 1987, prohibiting "surgical operations for the purpose of modifying the appearance of a pet animal or for other non-curative purposes ... in particular: a. the docking of tails; b. the cropping of ears; c. devocalisation (debarking); and d. declawing and defanging." Eleven countries have signed and ratified this convention, although 5 have exempted tail-docking under certain circumstances, e.g., for hunting dogs. Worldwide, more than a dozen countries have specific laws restricting or banning tail-docking.

Other related news:
As of March 4, 2002, four cities and one state have adopted legislation acknowledging the right of individuals to consider themselves the guardians of their companion animals, replacing the term "owner" with the term “guardian.” Menomonee Falls, WI has joined Boulder, CO, West Hollywood and Berkeley, CA, Sherwood, AR, and the State of Rhode Island in passing this important legislation. Last July, Boulder became the first city to pass a measure to replace the word “owner” with the term “guardian” in their municipal ordinances.

Virginia's Anti-Cruelty Bill Becomes Law
Governor Mark Warner has signed a bill which makes cruelty to dogs and cats a felony on the first conviction. The bill became law on July 1, 2002.

The bill specifically provides that it is a Class 6 felony to cause the death of a dog or cat by willfully and maliciously torturing or inflicting inhumane injury or pain or by cruelly beating, maiming, or mutilating the dog or cat.

Convictions on Class 6 felonies can mean longer prison sentences and higher fines than convictions on misdemeanors.

Virginia is one of only seven states to make intentional cruelty to dogs and cats a felony.

This legislation was prompted by the nationally publicized case in June, 2001, of a Virginia man who tied his girlfriend'sdog to the bumper of his truck and dragged the dog for almost a mile, then threw him over an embankment still alive, and buried him under tires and a chair. The dog was dead by the time the police found him.

Unfortunately, because this was the first offense of animal cruelty with which the perpetrator had been charged, his crime was considered only a misdemeanor under Virginia law. The maximum punishment was one year's incarceration and a $2,500 fine. The bill that the governor just signed makes such a crime a felony now.MILL VALLEY, Calif. – On March 4, the Menomonee Falls, WI, Board of Trustees adopted an ordinance amending the village’s municipal code to refer to people as the “guardian” of their companion animals instead of as their “owner.” The action made the city the fifth in the nation to acknowledge the right of individuals to consider themselves the guardians of their companion animals.

The Society for Animal Protective Legislation
From the 106th Congress Scorecard
Pet Theft: Through language added to the bill funding the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Congress pushed NIH to stop awarding research grants to institutions that obtain animals from Class B (or random source) dealers, many of whom treat animals inhumanely and even sell stolen pets into research. Animal advocates are grateful for the efforts of Rep. John Porter (R-IL) and Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA). Attention now turns to NIH, which must heed the concerns of Congress and the public and ensure that tax dollars no longer are used to fund research on Class B animals.
Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2001
The Pet Safety and Protection Act (H.R. 4039)
On March 20, 2002, Congressman Michael Doyle (D-PA) along with 32 members of Congress introduced the Pet Safety and Protection Act (H.R. 4039) in the House of Representatives.

The Pet Safety and Protection Act (S. 668)
was introduced by Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Senator Robert Smith (R-NH) to ensure that all dogs and cats used by research facilities are obtained legally.

Class B dealers, who collect dogs and cats from random sources, routinely violate the Animal Welfare Act. This federal law set the minimum standards of care for animals and requires accurate record keeping on their acquisition and disposition. For too long, Class B dealers have thrived in a “cottage industry” that collects dogs and cats, sometimes family pets obtained by theft or fraudulent means, in order to sell them to laboratories for between $200 and $800 each.

Although there are only about 23 Class B dealers selling random source dogs and cats for research, there are thousands of suppliers to the dealers. Dogs and cats that rightfully belong to individuals and families may be illegally acquired by use of “dirty tricks,” such as: Responding to “free to good home” ads in local newspapers, posing as providers of loving homes; Falsifying animal records to keep their true origins unknown; and Stealing pet dogs and cats from their owners’ yards and farms. Too often, dogs and cats are subjected to abusive handling and exposure to the elements while kept on the premises of Class B dealers. Sadly, Class B dealers routinely deny these animals sufficient food, water and veterinary care before they are sold off to laboratories.

The Department of Agriculture lacks the necessary resources to track the interstate activities of Class B dealers to ensure that they comply with federal law. USDA cannot provide an assurance that illegally acquired pets are not being sold by Class B dealers.

This bill seeks a moderate, bipartisan solution to the problems caused by Class B dealers. “The Pet Safety and Protection Act” will protect family pets while allowing research on dogs and cats to continue in an environment free from fraud and abuse.

In short, the Pet Safety and Protection Act would:
~Prohibit Class B dealers and unlicensed individuals from selling dogs and cats to laboratories.
~Prevent stray animals, who may be lost family pets, from being sold to laboratories.
~Permit breeders (Class A dealers) to supply animals to laboratories.
~Permit research facilities that breed animals to supply them to other research facilities.
~Permit registered public pounds that receive animals turned in by their owners to provide these animals to research facilities.
~Permit individuals to donate their own animals to laboratories for research purposes.

Other Laws We Agree With...
An ordinance in Belvedere, California, states "No dog shall be in a public place without its master on a leash."

Fights between cats and dogs are prohibited by statute in Barber, North Carolina.

In Sterling, Colorado, it is unlawful to allow a pet cat to run loose without a tail light.

In Ventura County, California, cats and dogs are not allowed to have sex without a permit.

Hong Kong SPCA
has a plan to become Asia's first "No kill" city. Currently at least 30,000 dogs and cats are euthanized each year, and only 2,000 are adopted. This summer, the SPCA is following the lead of San Francisco, CA and Richmond, VA, and will focus on spay/neuter, adoption and education. They also propose a ban on the sale of animals in pet shops, and the elimination of all puppy mills. Public housing complexes and private property owners are being encouraged to allow animals. Hong Kong hopes to go from 6% to 12% adoption rate by the summer of 2003.

In Tokyo
New guidelines for cats say that felines should be spayed/neutered and kept indoors. The new standards also call on people to love and care for their animals thorough out the animals' lives, and to keep baby animals with their parents for at least three months. The number of stray dogs has dropped from 529,000 in 1975 to 145,000 in 1999, but the number of stray cats has jumped from 68,000 to 276,000 in the same time. A major new Tokyo housing project was the first to permit residents to keep animals, and it received over ten times mor applications for housing than there were condo's available.

Companion Animal Sitting & Holistic Wellness Care in Columbus!

New Rhode Island Cruelty Bill
On Wednesday, March 26th, the Health, Education and Welfare Committee of the Rhode Island House, will vote on HB 5817, a measure sponsored by Representative Peter L. Lewiss and others, which would vastly improve the protections and treatment of animals in Rhode Island.

The bill, called the Rhode Island Animal Protection Act, creates the new crime of "Animal Abuse" with much more severe penalties than those under current "Animal Cruelty" statutes. Among its many strong provisions the bill would:

- Create felony animal abuse and sexual assault charges resulting in stiff jail time and financial penalties;

- Allow trained SPCA and other animal welfare representatives to act as law enforcement officers in response to animal neglect and abuse cases;

- Ban bodily alterations, disablements or removals done to animals “except as necessary for proper veterinary care or population control”;

- Ban sport animal fighting and impose severe consequences for participating in it;

- Set procedures to take all animals away from convicted abusers and prohibit them from keeping any new ones,

- Set high financial penalties, including possible large punitive and emotional damage awards, for the abuse, and especially the killing, of an animal companion;

- Require that detailed information about convicted animal-abusing criminals be given to law enforcement, schools, animal welfare and other agencies so abusers can be tracked and deterred from harming animals and/or people again. March 2003

From IDA Action Alerts

Current Pennsylvania law allows convicted animal abusers to get away with little more than a slap on the wrist, as cruelty to animals is only considered a misdemeanor of the second degree. The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee is currently considering House Bill (HB) 709, an Act Concerning Cruelty to Animals. This bill, if passed, would increase the penalty of willful and malicious killing, maiming, or poisoning of a dog or cat to a felony of the third degree and increase the maximum imprisonment from two to five years. Courts would also be given the authority to prohibit convicted offenders from owning or possessing any animals for a certain period of time and to order a presentence mental evaluation. March 2003

From PETA Action Alerts

Ohio Passes New Animal Cruelty Legislation
This new legislation, signed into law by Governor Taft in January of 2003, has finally upped a second (and subsequent) conviction of torture or maiming an animal to a fifth degree felony, with punishment of 6-12 months in jail and up to a $2500 fine. While it is an improvement over the previous 125 year old law, the bill not only does not address first offenses, but curiously only protects animals kept in the home! Those who are kept in unattached garages or outbuildings, or those living on a business property (or presumably in backyards) are excluded! It seems as though this exception was a result of lobbying by the Ohio Association of Animal Owners and Ohio Hunters' groups which watered down much of the wording of the original bill as introduced by Representative Patrick Tiberi in 1997-98 and 1999-2000.

Here is the portion of the code dealing with felony offenses:

(E)(1) Whoever violates division (B)* of section 959.131 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree on a first offense and a felony of the fifth degree on each subsequent offense.

*(B) No person shall knowingly torture, torment, needlessly mutilate or maim, cruelly beat, poison, needlessly kill, or commit an act of cruelty against a companion animal.

This is bill is modeled after the HSUS proposal to separate 'companion animals' from livestock, to increase penalties to felony level for some offenses, and to hold dog and cat breeders, exhibitors, and even participants to a higher standard of care than required for livestock, hunting dogs, or research animals. It was opposed by the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Assoc., the Ohio Association of Animal Owners, the Ohio Valley Dog Owners Association, and several dog clubs.

The bill also has the addition of a rather curious amendment that only allows for home treatment of companion animals if the medications being used have been prescribed by a veterinarian/someone licensed by the state to prescribe. Whether this amendment was designed to somehow affect our ability to choose homeopathic and other forms of alternative health care is unclear.

Prior to the passage of this bill, Ohio was one of only 14 states where violations of cruelty remain misdemeanors.

This bill was the result of six years of work on the behalf of Ohio's animals. There is still a long way to go.

See: http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/11/02/loc_animalcruelty.html

These Ohio Representatives sponsored H.B. 480:
Reps. Grendell, Raga, Olman, Husted, Jolivette, Webster, Schaffer, Schmidt, Setzer, Schuring, White, Kilbane, Distel, Rhine, S. Smith, Jerse, Patton, Sullivan, Oakar, Otterman, Carano, Sferra, Fedor, Perry, D. Miller, Hartnett

These Ohio Senators sponsored S.B. 221:
Sens. Goodman, Mumper, Ryan, Coughlin, DiDonato, Furney, Hagan, Brady, Spada, Randy Gardner

H.B. 480 summary: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=124_HB_480
Companion S.B. 221: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=124_SB_22

2002 State Ballot Initiatives

Arizona’s Proposition 201: VICTORY - 20% to 80%
Would have expanded greyhound race tracks

Arkansas’s Proposed Initiated Act 1: DEFEAT - 37% to 63%
Would have increased penalty for animal cruelty convictions

Georgia’s Amendment 6: VICTORY - 71% to 29%.
Creates spay-neuter programs

Florida’s Amendment 10: VICTORY - 55% to 45%
Bans gestation crates

Oklahoma’s State Question 687: VICTORY - 56% to 44%
Bans cockfighting

Oklahoma’s SQ 698: VICTORY - 46% to 54%
Would have increased the number of signatures needed for animal-protection initiatives

From The Animal Protection Institute

North Carolina Adds Three Animal Protection Laws to Its Books
In one fell legal swoop, North Carolina outlawed both pigeon shooting contests and greyhound racing, and upgraded animal cruelty to a felony offense. Working with state legislators, the Humane Society of the United States, North Carolina Network for Animals, the Fund for Animals, and local activists amended the state's existing cruelty statute to include pigeons and to deem malicious animal abuse a felony (making it the twenty-second state with felony cruelty laws). The law also preemptively bans live dog races and their simulcasts from occurring in the state, which the racing industry had long set it sights on. THE DAILY DISPATCH, HSUS, NCNA

Tennessee Enacts Animal Cruelty Legislation
A bill that "creates the offense of aggravated cruelty to animals" and makes repeat violations felonies" was recently enacted in Tennessee, and goes into effect September 30, 2002.

The new legislation, which defines a violator as "any person who intentionally kills or causes serious physical injury to a pet," requires individuals convicted of first offenses to be imprisoned for a minimum of six months, and repeat offenders to be sentenced to at least nine months in jail.

All individuals convicted of violating the law may be required to forfeit animals owned by them, pay for costs of impounding animals, make reparations to owners of animals and undergo psychological evaluation.

Prior to this legislation, all acts of animal cruelty had been misdemeanors under Tennessee state law. *SB1810 sponsored by *Cohen, *Crutchfield, *Person. (HB1716 by *McMillan.)

National Homeless Animals' Day
On August 17, 2002, hundreds of animal groups and shelters across the United States observed National Homeless Animals' Day.

The event was designed to shed light on the American tragedy of companion animal over-population, which results in the killing of millions of homeless animals each year. In Ohio, the Ohio Humane Education Association (OHEA) conducted a Blessing of the Animals and Candlelight Vigil outside the Humane Society of Delaware County (www.delawarecohumanesoc.org) in remembrance of each homeless dog or cat who lost his or her life in our state over the past year. Shelter and humane society workers, those who care for the animals and who are often the ones burdened with the task of administering lethal injection, were also honored for their often painful work in protecting our homeless companion animals.

We attended this event, and were touched by the heartfelt stories shared by those who have worked in animal rescue. As the sun set, we lit our candles, and OHEA Director Terry Turner read the names of just a representative few of the thousands of dogs and cats killed in Ohio shelters over the past year. Some were killed because years of abuse had made them too frightened or aggressive to be adopted. Some were ill, and the funds needed to heal them were not available. Many were killed simply due to space restrictions.

At least 75 dogs and one cat were present, including several currently up for adoption. The shelter stood highlighted in the background, full of more dogs and cats awaiting new homes. (Delaware County is a non-euthanizing shelter.) Instead of the chorus of barking that would be expected in such a situation, there was not a sound throughout most of the vigil. It was completely silent during the reading of names.

Three of our own dogs were there with us, two of them generally very high energy. None of them showed any sign of restlessness, and they remained calm and attentive throughout the evening. They were also especially affectionate. Our shy girl, Jillian, is normally a bit frightened of humans. She had been abused prior to coming to us, and the abuse caused her to be extremely timid around men. Her fear extended to include my husband; however, that evening, as the group sat in a big circle under stars, for the first time ever, Jilly climbed into his lap and pressed herself against him.

I was so struck by the fact that all the animals there were obviously affected by what was happening, and had picked up on the energy surrounding us. If only more people could witness this and accept the implications, I truly believe that there would be no more homeless animals...
National link Ohio link

California Governor Gray Davis recently signed into law a bill that encourages social workers employed by county Child Protective Services and Adult Protective Services to report cases of animal cruelty to local animal control agencies. (August 2002)

"Studies have proven that there is a direct link between child, elderly and animal abuse," said California Assembly member Virginia Strom-Martin, who introduced the legislation. "This is an attempt to open the lines of communication between agencies that deal with violence against both people and animals."

The original version of the legislation required rather than encouraged social workers to report cases of animal cruelty. It also mandated training to help ensure that the workers followed proper reporting procedures.

The changes were made because funding was not available to pay for the training.

New Law Protects Animals in Overheated Cars
Arizona Governor Jane Dee Hull recently signed into law a bill that both specifies penalties for harming an animal by leaving him or her in an overheated car and allows police to break into a vehicle in which they see an animal suffering.

Under the new law, individuals convicted of leaving an animal in an overheated car are subject to fines of up to $2,500 and imprisonment for as many as six months.

"Leaving a pet in a hot car is a very common problem," said Arizona Humane Society spokesperson Kim Noetzel. "I would estimate that we receive 10 to 15 heat-related calls during the summer months."

An animal can suffer brain damage in as few as five minutes while in an overheated car.

"I'm told on a day like today that a car can go from being cool to 180 degrees in 20 minutes," said Representative Marian McClure, one of the sponsors of the legislation. "All I'm saying is that if it's 100 degrees outside, don't leave your dog or some other animal in the car."
© 2002 Animal News Center, Inc.

Swiss Petition
Sweden and Germany are the most progressive countries regarding animal welfare, however only Germany has extended the basic rights ensured to humans by their laws to include animals. More than 100,000 people in Switzerland have signed a petition calling for the same changes in Swiss laws. Under the current constitution, animals are inanimate objects. Four welfare groups, however, spearheaded the petition and, in keeping with the Swiss direct democracy system, the issue can now be put to a national vote. Meanwhile, another Swiss welfare group is circulating a second petition that would introduce even more widespread changes. These include respecting an animal's dignity, emotions and ability to feel pain, as well as making provisions for their own set of rights in the constitution. If passed, divorce, inheritance and bankruptcy cases would have to take into account the animals' rights instead of treating them like property. (BBC and CBC News)

The SPCA British Columbia
has placed a moratorium on killing animals for anything except health reasons. Of the 18,000 euthanized in the 32 SPCA shelters each year, half are killed because of space or behavioral issues. Shelters are going to increase hours of operation, develop foster programs, subsidize spay/neuter surgeries for those who qualify, and implement new systems for temperament evaluation. Better analysis of temperament will allow more appropriate, and lasting, placements.

home

19 April 2002

Time sure flies. It's been five months since I moved here, and snips has been in limbo all this time. Changing gears from being focused on adoptions hasn't been easy, but I think that we're ready to begin the next phase of snips's evolution. It's time to shift some of the focus to other groups and individuals, both locally and across the country, showing the kinds of things that are being done to make the world a better place for our animal companions.

There are several events coming up right here in the Columbus area in the next few weeks, so we'll start out by highlighting what the local groups are doing. The time I've spent surfing the web these past few months has yielded links to lots of interesting sites - some serious and some just for fun, so they'll be added, too.

I've noticed an incredible increase in awareness of the responsibility we have for our animal companions, with some realizing that in many ways we are the students rather than the teachers. It's interesting to see that many people are looking at the skills and intuitions animals possess, and rather than taking them for granted or belittling them by attributing them to "brute nature," admitting that these abilities are just as valuable as those we claim as humans. We are beginning to understand their connection to that world beyond our own awareness, and we realize that much of what we search for in our daily lives is something that they already posess.

And, of course, since I still live with 11 dogs, 12 cats, two birds and now two HUMANS, I'll do a lot of reporting on the antics of my gang. With $1500 dental surgery stories, to broken blood feather emergency stories, to the challenges of moving 25 animals from rural Virginia to suburban Ohio stories, maybe there will be a couple of things that you find comforting or informative or entertaining. And for everyone who told me that I'd never find anybody as long as I had all these animals, well, I have a story for you, too.

Just ask Ripley. Her first words were "Oh boy!"

15 November 2001

We've Moved! The gang and I have pulled up stakes and moved. We're back in my home state of Ohio, and my "VA WOOFS" and kitties are going to have to adjust to being city dogs - and to having a new "dad" and "brother" and kitty sister! We're not sure exactly what direction snips is going to take here in Columbus; I plan to contact local groups to find out where I can help. Our greyhound placements, in cooperation with Greyhounds Adopting Families (www.countryroadskennel.com), will continue, and there are still a few mixed breed snips dogs needing forever homes. Other than that, we'll just have to play it by ear.

There is so much about Virginia that I'll miss, but I gotta admit, this new life is pretty exciting...

7 October 2001

Last weekend's Vegetarian Festival & Adopt-a-Thon was a huge success for Charlottesville's Voices for Animals, and for several shelters ~ including snips! We placed three dogs and have a greyhound home all lined up thanks to the wonderful people we met at the Festival! This is an amazing event. The people from Voices for Animals make it better every year, and it should be on EVERYONE'S "must do" list.

Thanks to volunteers Kathy Ladika, Jo Ann Olsen, Frank Delk, Judy Levine, Gary Lisle and Trigger Lisle-Levine. snips wouldn't be snips without you!

AND......... snips has a new greyhound spokesdog! She made her debut at this year's Veg Fest and she had a greyt time! Her name is Tansy, and she is a pretty six year old brindle who is my Zack's twin. Tans was a very good racer, and she has a litter of greypups just making their way to the track. We will be following their progress as they begin their careers. My thanks to my bestest greyfriends Sandy and Geary Burns of Country Roads Kennels and Greyhounds Adopting Families for allowing Tansy to come live at snips!