Capitol Hill

 

 

 

 

 

Every now and then it's fun to take time to smell the flowers. After walking some of my client's dogs, Adam and I headed out to the Capitol Hill area to photograph the sunset. It was simple and beautiful, and the dogs had a ton of fun rolling around in the four foot deep wheat grass. It was a great way to unwind after a long day.

Ogden Update

Hi friends,

Thank you Erin and Shannon for you comments, as always, I love my friends!

We attended the 'work session' last night, and though unable to participate, myself and Nikki Sharp of Best Friends were able to introduce ourselves after the meeting. I felt that the council did ask some good questions, and may be open to other ideas. Hopefully Nikki will be able to meet with them to propose some alternatives.

Here is what they proposed (they were clear not to say 'ban'):

Ogden City (Utah) Council regarding their proposed BSL that would add pit bulls and pit bull 'type/mixes' dogs to their dangerous dog ordinance. They are proposing legislation that would require:

*special registration of pit bulls and their owners
*special microchip and tags identifying the dog as a pit bull
*6 foot privacy fence WITH 2 FEET of underground fencing, or kenneling your dog in your yard
*for renters, written landlord consent that you have permission to make alterations to fence/property and own a pitbull
*immediate notification if your dog is loose
*special insurance or surety bond in the amount of $50,000
*Animal control can inspect at any time for compliance

They can be emailed or contacted through:

www.ogdencity.com/government/city_council.aspx

I feel this Ordinance is flawed in many ways. The problems Ogden is having relates to irresponsible ownership, people who wouldn't follow these requirements anyways. They cited their gang problem as issue number one for pit bulls...So why not address that?! They will punish the majority for the issues with the minority, and this will do nothing the help the hundreds of dogs in the shelter find good homes. It will only increase their euthanasia, and harm the dogs, and the responsible people who love them.

I am looking forward to seeing where this process goes. I do hope that we can make some headway in presenting Ogden with better alternatives.

City Of Ogden Proposes Breed Specific Legislation

There will be a meeting tonight at 5:30 pm in Ogden to review their City Council's proposed BS legislation....

Ogden City Municipal Building
2549 Washington Blvd Ste 340
Ogden UT 84401

For the uninitiated, Breed Specific Legislation simply means a ban on a particular breed (pit bulls in this case), or any pit bull 'type' dogs. What does this mean? The burden usually falls on the owner to prove that their dog is NOT the affected breed, lest their dog is impounded and euthanized, as is the case in Denver. Please read Desiree's story about her beloved Coco:

I can remember how I felt the day I came home on 6/23/2008.... When I came home & saw the card in my screen door with the writing on the back "call us about your dog." I felt so empty because I knew the destiny for my son. Denver Animal Control had taken Coco from the back yard while we were gone. The hardest thing for myself while Coco was on death row was going to visit him. He didn't understand what was going on. He thought we were there to take him home. It broke my heart every time. He was in their 3' by 5 ' cell for nearly 2 months. They said they took him outside every day, but by the way his nails looked, I doubt it. Every time I would leave I could hear him cry & scream all the way to the door. He was so confused. Several workers there at the dog pound told me how he was such a good dog, so I would reply to that, "How do you kill a innocent family dog," and they would always have the same response, "It's just our job." One animal control employee even nicknamed Coco, "Cocolicious."

The last day Coco was alive they had finally moved him to a double cell which is just a metal slab in between 2 of the 3' by 5' cells so he could run back and fourth through the 2 cells. I believe he knew what was going to happen to him within the short hours to come. He was very nervous. His eyes & nose were bright pink & I could not get him to calm down. Maybe he felt how sad and scared I was because I knew it was coming down to his final hours. I lay on the floor with him for about an hour then I said my final goodbye!!! That was the longest walk out the dog pound. I felt that I had let my son, my innocent son that has never hurt anything or anybody in his life, down. He never knew anything about violence; he was a spoiled brat that our entire family loved. The next day when we picked up his remains was even harder than the last walk. They had him in a black trash bag. About 20-25 of our family members were there and we all held hands and said a prayer. Now he is at home with us in his urn on our front desk. He will remain in our hearts & thoughts forever.



I will be in attendance with written materials to give to the Council. I'm told that while the public is invited to attend, they are not however, able to participate. Don't ya just love democracy?!

Casino Night

 

 

 

 

We volunteered at the 2nd Annual Canine Casino Night to benefit No More Homeless Pets, it was a blast. Everyone wears a wig, and people bring dogs of all shapes, sizes and pedigrees. There is a huge silent auction. I donated a few items, and won a few. I won the auction on these beautiful small hand made bud vases, as well as 2 arial dance classes at a studio called Revolve! I didn't even know we had that here, but I have a feeling I'll be addicted- it's all fabric and trapeze, Cirque du Soleil style! I also bought a beautiful handmade necklace with an old fashioned picture of a pitty bull on it. The artist's name is Paige Burris, and she is a pitty advocate too. Her necklaces show through the old photos that pit bulls were once revered family pets, not ostracized outcasts. Fun was had by all, and I hope that we raised a lot of money.

Five Years

 

 

Adam and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary on June 5th. Adam got me peonies, just like my bouquet. It's hard to believe five years have passed. We went to the Tin Angel and had a nice meal in an eclectic setting. Followed by a day of pumpy sports climbing actions in Maple Canyon with our old, dear friends from Fort Collins, Melissa and Jimmy, and Lisa and John. All of my peeps have kiddos now, and it was a total trip to see all of these cute little 3 year old mini-me's running around the crag. I forgot my damn camera at Maple, but fun was had by all.