As I said, this is a developing story, so there is already a change.
So the NYCHA at some point (very recently) decided Boston Terriers and the like aren't a threat. However, they contend:
--pets over 40 lbs have not been allowed in NYCHA buildings or subsidized buildings for several years.
--the 'only one dog OR only one cat' rule has been in effect also for several years.
--they have recinded the list of dog breeds they initially published that will not be allowed, however, no Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, or Dobermans will be allowed in the buildings, period. Only current dogs of 40 lbs or less, and, after May 1st, only dogs 25 lbs or less. And no Pits, Rotties or Dobies. Pound restriction also means FULL GROWN, ie, if your Rottie is a 15 pound puppy now and it will be over 25 lbs full-grown, you are in violation.
--people have to fill out a form to register their animals NOW, like, before tomorrow afternoon before the NYCHA office closes. They DO NOT have to have the licence, vet papers, neuter, et al--there is a 90-day grace period for that--but fill out the registration form by asking your building manager.
I'll know more later. NYCHA finally answered my email; I'll take a look.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Not Just Pit Bulls Banned From City Housing -- (Cats and Dalmations, Too?)
This is a developing story. I've been trying to call NYCHA since last Thursday and Friday to get more details as to how they're getting around the anti-breed discrimination and other things to enact this law.
I am continuing to do research to get it straight from the horse's mouth (NYCHA) as I don't like to perpetuate half-truths. In the meantime, here is the section of the law which spells it out.
Read it carefully and you will see not just pit bulls are under the ban; the number of cats you can have as well as a plethora of other breeds--some that make you go whaaa?--are on the list. I've bolded some of those.
Cats are not exempt--ONE cat per apartment!
Please tell your friends in public housing, or if YOU live in public housing, about this. It starts May 1st. IMPORTANT--this does NOT mean to get rid of your dog by May 1st. Likely your current dog is grandfathered in. But they will be looking for licenses and shots.
Concerned citizesn, please contact your local council person and NYCHA directly (google NYCHA and CALL as well as email) and ask what's going on.
IV. Permissible Pet Guidelines
D. Dogs and Cats Registered with NYCHA on and After May 1, 2009
1. Number of Dogs or Cats: One. A resident may own either one (1)
domesticated dog or one (1) domesticated cat per apartment.
2. Dog Weight Restriction: Twenty-Five Pounds. The weight of a dog based
on the projected full-grown adult weight, may not exceed twenty-five (25)
pounds. [Currently, this weight may not exceed 40 lbs.]
3. Breed or Type of Pet Restriction: The following breeds of dogs, either full
breed or mixed breed, are prohibited:
.. Commonly known breeds: Pit bull, Rottweiler, Doberman , Chow,
Boxer, Akita, German Shepherd
.. Other breeds : Akita Inu, Alangu Mastiff, Alano Español, Alaskan
Husky, American Staffordshire Terrier, Argentine Dogo, Bedlington
Terrier, Boston Terrier, Bull and Terrier, Bull Terrier, Bully Kutta,
Cane Corso, Dalmation, Dogue de Bordeaux, Dogo Sardesco,
English Mastiff, Fila Brasileiro, Golden Retreiver, Gull Dong, Gull
Terr, Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Korea Jindo Dog, Lottatore
Brindisino, Neapolitan Mastiff, Perro de Presa Canario (CanaryDog), Perro de Presa Mallorquin (Ca de Bou), Shar Pei,
Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Tosa Inu
(2) Below is the portion of the policy that will assist residents who want to register dogs over 25 lbs. and/or belonging to one of the 33 prohibited breeds (or a mix thereof) prior to May 1st:
IV. Permissible Pet Guidelines
A. Small Pets Not Requiring Registration with NYCHA
Provided they are not prohibited by law, NYCHA permits residents to own
small pets which include small caged birds (parakeets, canaries), fish, and
small caged animals (hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs) in reasonable quantities, only if their numbers do not create a nuisance or an unsafe or unsanitary
condition. This paragraph does not include dogs or cats.
B. Dogs and Cats Owned Prior to May 1, 2002 and Registered with NYCHA
Prior to February 1, 2003 (“Grandparent Clause”)
Public housing residents who owned dogs or cats prior to May 1, 2002
(ownership must be independently verified) that were registered with NYCHA
prior to February 1, 2003 may keep that specific dog(s) or cat(s), even if the
number of dog(s) and/or cat(s) exceed the one pet limit. These pets are also
exempt from weight and breed restrictions. The pet is permitted if owned by
the resident and registered at a prior development, according to the dates
specified in this paragraph, before transferring to their current development.
Once the specific pet is removed from the apartment it can not be replaced.
Any newly acquired cat or dog must meet current guidelines.
C. Dogs and Cats Registered with NYCHA Between May 1, 2002 to April 30,
2009
1. Number of Dogs or Cats: One. A resident may own either one (1)
domesticated dog or one (1) domesticated cat per apartment.
2. Dog Weight Restriction: Forty Pounds. The weight of a dog based on the
projected full-grown adult weight, may not exceed forty (40) pounds.
3. Breed or Type of Pet Restriction: None.
Once the specific pet is removed from the apartment it can not be
replaced. Any newly acquired cat or dog must meet current guidelines.
VI. Registration of Dogs, Cats and Service Animals
All residents must register with NYCHA their dog, cat or Service Animal on a
one-time basis. If a dog, cat or Service Animal that was initially registered is
removed from the apartment, any new dog, cat or Service Animal acquired must
be registered. Registration is required for all dogs or cats and “Service Animals,”
even if the pet owner is exempt from paying the one–time registration fee. A
previously unregistered dog, cat or Service Animal can not be registered and can
not be maintained in the apartment, unless it complies with the NYCHA pet policy
in effect at the time of registration (e.g., regarding number of pets, weight and
breed restrictions).
The following are required in order to complete registration.
A. Dog, Cat and Service Animal Registration Form
Residents must report the presence of a dog, cat or Service Animal
maintained in their apartments by completing and returning the form, Dog,
Cat and Service Animal Registration, NYCHA 040.505.
The Registration form requires that residents must identify their dog, cat or
Service Animal, specify an alternative caregiver and certify that the pet/animal
will be maintained in accordance with NYCHA’s pet rules.
1. When the Registration Form must be submitted:
• Existing Residents: must submit the Registration Form no later than 30
days after acquiring a dog, cat or Service Animal.
• New Residents: must submit the Registration Form during the rental
interview for any dog, cat or Service Animal they wish to bring in to the
NYCHA apartment. Staff must explain the pet policy to prospective
residents at the time of the rental interview.
2. Subsequent Registrations:
If a dog, cat or Service Animal that was initially registered is removed from
the apartment, the resident must register and submit a new Registration
Form no later than 30 days after acquiring a new dog, cat or Service
Animal.
B. Dog and Cat Registration Fee
Unless exempt as noted below, residents who wish to maintain a dog or cat
must pay a one-time, non-refundable pet registration fee of $25.00, valid
for the duration of the tenancy at NYCHA. Residents must pay the fee in its
entirety at the time of registration. No partial payments are allowed.
Once the registration fee is paid, a resident may obtain another pet/animal
instead of the one initially registered without paying an additional fee,
however, the new pet/animal must be registered with NYCHA and any pet
rules in effect at the time of the new registration, such as number of pets, pet
weight or breed restrictions, apply.
Although required to register their pet with NYCHA, the following residents
are not charged the pet registration fee:
• Residents who reside in senior citizen developments or senior citizen
buildings.
• Residents who reside in Section 8 - Project Based developments.
• Residents who acquire or maintain a verified Service Animal.
C. Dog, Cat and Service Animal Veterinarian Certification Form
Upon receipt of the completed Registration form, staff shall give the form,
Dog, Cat and Service Animal Veterinarian Certification, NYCHA 040.505A, to
residents who wish to maintain a dog, cat or Service Animal.
The Veterinarian Certification form must be completed by a Veterinarian on a
one time basis per any dog, cat or Service Animal registered. The form must
be returned by residents within 90 days of the date that the form was given
to them.
The Veterinarian Certification form requires that a Veterinarian certify that the
dog, cat or Service Animal:
• Is properly licensed according to local law
• Has obtained current rabies vaccinations according to local law
• Has been spayed or neutered
(3) Below is the portion of the policy that will assist residents who want to register dogs over 25 lbs. and/or belonging to one of the 33 prohibited breeds (or a mix thereof) as of May 1st:
All current registration and certification info. applies, but in addition, as noted above, the weight limit is now 25 lbs. (based on projected full-grown weight) and 33 breeds (and mixes thereof) are prohibited under breed. Further: the Veterinarian Certification must note that the dog:
• Is not a prohibited breed as indicated in Section IV, D 3
I am continuing to do research to get it straight from the horse's mouth (NYCHA) as I don't like to perpetuate half-truths. In the meantime, here is the section of the law which spells it out.
Read it carefully and you will see not just pit bulls are under the ban; the number of cats you can have as well as a plethora of other breeds--some that make you go whaaa?--are on the list. I've bolded some of those.
Cats are not exempt--ONE cat per apartment!
Please tell your friends in public housing, or if YOU live in public housing, about this. It starts May 1st. IMPORTANT--this does NOT mean to get rid of your dog by May 1st. Likely your current dog is grandfathered in. But they will be looking for licenses and shots.
Concerned citizesn, please contact your local council person and NYCHA directly (google NYCHA and CALL as well as email) and ask what's going on.
IV. Permissible Pet Guidelines
D. Dogs and Cats Registered with NYCHA on and After May 1, 2009
1. Number of Dogs or Cats: One. A resident may own either one (1)
domesticated dog or one (1) domesticated cat per apartment.
2. Dog Weight Restriction: Twenty-Five Pounds. The weight of a dog based
on the projected full-grown adult weight, may not exceed twenty-five (25)
pounds. [Currently, this weight may not exceed 40 lbs.]
3. Breed or Type of Pet Restriction: The following breeds of dogs, either full
breed or mixed breed, are prohibited:
.. Commonly known breeds: Pit bull, Rottweiler, Doberman , Chow,
Boxer, Akita, German Shepherd
.. Other breeds : Akita Inu, Alangu Mastiff, Alano Español, Alaskan
Husky, American Staffordshire Terrier, Argentine Dogo, Bedlington
Terrier, Boston Terrier, Bull and Terrier, Bull Terrier, Bully Kutta,
Cane Corso, Dalmation, Dogue de Bordeaux, Dogo Sardesco,
English Mastiff, Fila Brasileiro, Golden Retreiver, Gull Dong, Gull
Terr, Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Korea Jindo Dog, Lottatore
Brindisino, Neapolitan Mastiff, Perro de Presa Canario (CanaryDog), Perro de Presa Mallorquin (Ca de Bou), Shar Pei,
Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Tosa Inu
(2) Below is the portion of the policy that will assist residents who want to register dogs over 25 lbs. and/or belonging to one of the 33 prohibited breeds (or a mix thereof) prior to May 1st:
IV. Permissible Pet Guidelines
A. Small Pets Not Requiring Registration with NYCHA
Provided they are not prohibited by law, NYCHA permits residents to own
small pets which include small caged birds (parakeets, canaries), fish, and
small caged animals (hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs) in reasonable quantities, only if their numbers do not create a nuisance or an unsafe or unsanitary
condition. This paragraph does not include dogs or cats.
B. Dogs and Cats Owned Prior to May 1, 2002 and Registered with NYCHA
Prior to February 1, 2003 (“Grandparent Clause”)
Public housing residents who owned dogs or cats prior to May 1, 2002
(ownership must be independently verified) that were registered with NYCHA
prior to February 1, 2003 may keep that specific dog(s) or cat(s), even if the
number of dog(s) and/or cat(s) exceed the one pet limit. These pets are also
exempt from weight and breed restrictions. The pet is permitted if owned by
the resident and registered at a prior development, according to the dates
specified in this paragraph, before transferring to their current development.
Once the specific pet is removed from the apartment it can not be replaced.
Any newly acquired cat or dog must meet current guidelines.
C. Dogs and Cats Registered with NYCHA Between May 1, 2002 to April 30,
2009
1. Number of Dogs or Cats: One. A resident may own either one (1)
domesticated dog or one (1) domesticated cat per apartment.
2. Dog Weight Restriction: Forty Pounds. The weight of a dog based on the
projected full-grown adult weight, may not exceed forty (40) pounds.
3. Breed or Type of Pet Restriction: None.
Once the specific pet is removed from the apartment it can not be
replaced. Any newly acquired cat or dog must meet current guidelines.
VI. Registration of Dogs, Cats and Service Animals
All residents must register with NYCHA their dog, cat or Service Animal on a
one-time basis. If a dog, cat or Service Animal that was initially registered is
removed from the apartment, any new dog, cat or Service Animal acquired must
be registered. Registration is required for all dogs or cats and “Service Animals,”
even if the pet owner is exempt from paying the one–time registration fee. A
previously unregistered dog, cat or Service Animal can not be registered and can
not be maintained in the apartment, unless it complies with the NYCHA pet policy
in effect at the time of registration (e.g., regarding number of pets, weight and
breed restrictions).
The following are required in order to complete registration.
A. Dog, Cat and Service Animal Registration Form
Residents must report the presence of a dog, cat or Service Animal
maintained in their apartments by completing and returning the form, Dog,
Cat and Service Animal Registration, NYCHA 040.505.
The Registration form requires that residents must identify their dog, cat or
Service Animal, specify an alternative caregiver and certify that the pet/animal
will be maintained in accordance with NYCHA’s pet rules.
1. When the Registration Form must be submitted:
• Existing Residents: must submit the Registration Form no later than 30
days after acquiring a dog, cat or Service Animal.
• New Residents: must submit the Registration Form during the rental
interview for any dog, cat or Service Animal they wish to bring in to the
NYCHA apartment. Staff must explain the pet policy to prospective
residents at the time of the rental interview.
2. Subsequent Registrations:
If a dog, cat or Service Animal that was initially registered is removed from
the apartment, the resident must register and submit a new Registration
Form no later than 30 days after acquiring a new dog, cat or Service
Animal.
B. Dog and Cat Registration Fee
Unless exempt as noted below, residents who wish to maintain a dog or cat
must pay a one-time, non-refundable pet registration fee of $25.00, valid
for the duration of the tenancy at NYCHA. Residents must pay the fee in its
entirety at the time of registration. No partial payments are allowed.
Once the registration fee is paid, a resident may obtain another pet/animal
instead of the one initially registered without paying an additional fee,
however, the new pet/animal must be registered with NYCHA and any pet
rules in effect at the time of the new registration, such as number of pets, pet
weight or breed restrictions, apply.
Although required to register their pet with NYCHA, the following residents
are not charged the pet registration fee:
• Residents who reside in senior citizen developments or senior citizen
buildings.
• Residents who reside in Section 8 - Project Based developments.
• Residents who acquire or maintain a verified Service Animal.
C. Dog, Cat and Service Animal Veterinarian Certification Form
Upon receipt of the completed Registration form, staff shall give the form,
Dog, Cat and Service Animal Veterinarian Certification, NYCHA 040.505A, to
residents who wish to maintain a dog, cat or Service Animal.
The Veterinarian Certification form must be completed by a Veterinarian on a
one time basis per any dog, cat or Service Animal registered. The form must
be returned by residents within 90 days of the date that the form was given
to them.
The Veterinarian Certification form requires that a Veterinarian certify that the
dog, cat or Service Animal:
• Is properly licensed according to local law
• Has obtained current rabies vaccinations according to local law
• Has been spayed or neutered
(3) Below is the portion of the policy that will assist residents who want to register dogs over 25 lbs. and/or belonging to one of the 33 prohibited breeds (or a mix thereof) as of May 1st:
All current registration and certification info. applies, but in addition, as noted above, the weight limit is now 25 lbs. (based on projected full-grown weight) and 33 breeds (and mixes thereof) are prohibited under breed. Further: the Veterinarian Certification must note that the dog:
• Is not a prohibited breed as indicated in Section IV, D 3
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Glow-In-The-Dark Puppies and Other Weirdness
Got your attention, huh? Yes, we will talk about glow-in-the-dark puppies, but first, a few tidbits for you.
You may wonder why Mistress Chilli Chinchilla is blogging rather than outside 'enjoying this gorgeous day'! (so says every singe radio station I've turned on today.) That's because Mistress Chilli hates--yes, hates--the heat. The sun is okay in small doses (Vitamin D!) but this heat, as far my secretary and I are concerned, sucks. Duh--I wear a chinchilla fur coat 24/4. My secretary, I don't know what her problem is. Probably better that she stays inside--she hasn't looked good in shorts since 1987. Still has a decent rack, though, so once in a while you'll catch her in the occasional tank top.
So, I am done hating on the weather. Here's those tidbits I promised mixed with my general crankiness:
What the (&*(% is up with y'all having everything under the sun (hah, hah) this weekend? Even I, Mistress Chilli, who can hop like a mini kangaroo, cannot jump fast enough. Heads up to you guys--journalists cannot be everywhere at once. Bloggers, yes. Twits (sorry, that's what you are), yes. Journalists--by that meaning flesh-and-blood human beings who spent many years in school and then later many more years taking their beatings and honing their craft--no. Physically impossible. Which makes me think that the organizers of these things don't care about flesh-and-blood journalists attending; they'll just blog about it themselves and give objective reporting their best shot (cough, cough.) Or they just all came to the educated guess several months ago that this weekend, the weekend of April 25th-26th would be the first 'nice' weekend of the outdoor season. Wow, they hit that one on the head this year.
Pick Your Protest
With that said, here's two events going on for those whose tempers flare as the temperature rises. On Saturday and Sunday, Best Friends brings their nationwide protest against pet stores that sell puppies to American Kennels, a tres chic pet store on Lexington Avenue not too far from my alma mater, Hunter College. If you want to join, just stop by with your favorite hand-made sign. Honestly I'm with Best Friends on this one--there is no way (no way) a 'reputable breeder' would ever sell through a pet store. (Although there are people out there who think there is no such thing as a 'reputable breeder' and they are all scum of the earth. Let's table that for a second.)
Serious breeders want to know where there puppies are and who they're with. If you've ever been to a dog show, you know why. Some of these animals can cost thousands upon thousands of dollars. The more ribbons they've won, the higher the price their owners can command for the fruit of their doggie loins. Believe me, people, these guys have a more meticulously researched and documented lineage than Queen Elizabeth. No way are they going to let the pups of their prized pooches be sold willy-nilly. Now, that said, do some breeders dump off their non-show quality pups at pet stores--"overstock", shall we say? Sadly, yes. So even if you do buy directly from a breeder (and the Humane Society of the United States has a checklist for you to check out) you should also ask them what they do with the 'pet quality' dogs they can't sell.
Where I will stop short, however, is when some of these groups use protests like this to jam their foot into the door of a larger agenda of NPOBAE(no pets owned by anybody, ever.) I'm not saying this is (or isn't) the case with Best Friends, but it's a crafty trick other have used with much success.
Still fired up over pet-store puppies? Cool off with a long walk downtown and then get fired up again on Sunday, April 26th, with Queens Councilman Tony Avella, who has emerged as New York's possibly first-and-only "Pet Friendly Party" candidate for Mayor. At high noon, protesters are expected to descend on the steps of City Hall to protest the general state of Animal Care and Control of New York City. (That's p.c. speak for the pound.)
This one's another mixed bag o'feelings. On the one hand, protesting the AC&C and executive director Charlene Pedrolie is like shooting fish in a barrel (okay, bad analogy.) The AC&C is in charge of euthanizing pretty much every unwanted animal in New York City. Thousands of them. Every year. But that's because other agencies (looking in your direction, ASPCA) 'outsource' this awful activity to them. Kinda like sending out your dirty laundry. Except in this case you don't get your clothes back. Instead, you open your closet and have a brand new wardrobe--every day! Before my friends and colleagues start screaming at me from the A: what am I saying that is not already plastered (albeit less colorfully) on your front door?
On the other hand, the AC&C has not been doing much to prove the protesters' wrong. There was a scary outbreak of some weird canine flu at one of their shelters earlier this year which resulted in the quarantine of not only that shelter, but a large upstate one as well because dogs were transported there. And most recently, they killed a 90-something year-old woman's dog by accident. You can't make up publicity this bad. Do some of the people who are whipping up this protest have a personal axe to grind against the AC&C and its supporters, like the Mayor's Alliance for New York City's Animals and the head of the AC&C herself? Yes, they do. But that doesn't mean problems don't exist. I just hope Councilman Avella, who is generally a nice guy and who is making a dark-horse run for Mayor, doesn't get too bogged down in this particular quagmire. It's a lot deeper than it appears on the surface.
Glow-In-The-Dark Puppies and a Bo Obama Update
Okay, enough local news and my opinions on them. I promised you glow-in-the-dark puppies. Seems like those crazy Korean scientists are at it again. In 2007 they cloned some glow-in-the-dark kitties. Now they've done for dogs what they've done for cats. Here's the quote that got me:
Ruppy (ed note: Red+Puppy, get it?) is transgenic, meaning she has genes from another animal. Scientists said they hope this will pave the way to model human diseases in dogs, whose relatively long life-span could make them better study subjects than other animals.
The creature they crossed her with is a sea anemone. If they do a DNA test, is this animal technically a dogfish? A water dog?
Which segues nicely into the latest about the world's most famous Portuguese Water Dog, Bo "Pseudo-Rescue" Obama. Glam First Lady Michelle tells Black Voices the following about having a new puppy in the house:
"It was like 10 o'clock. Everybody was asleep and we hear all this barking and jumping around," Mrs. Obama said. "The president and I came out and we thought somebody was out there. And it was just Bo. He was playing with his ball. And it was like there was another person in the house.
Um, Michelle? Sweetie? You and the President sleep in possibly the least-private, most heavily protected bedroom in the world. There are people surrounding you 24/7 whose job it is to take a bullet for you. If you think you need a dog to keep robbers and would-be assassins away I am very, very scared about what the Homeland Security budget looks like for the rest of us poor schmucks.
Okay, that's it for me. The sun is starting to turn a corner in the sky and it may soon be safe for me and other typewriter vampires to emerge. It's been a while, so hopefully this lengthy round-up post will keep you occupied for a while. For further reading, I've inserted links for you below. As always, feel free to holla back.
But first, make sure you check out New York Tails Magazine's world-famous Calendar of Pet Events for the tri-state Metro area. We're always posting more on there, so check back often. Just to be safe, bookmark it. Put it in your Favorites. Mail yourself a love letter with a print-out of the URL.
After than, download our very cool interview with The Choke to your iPod with guest host Victoria Wells. Yes, she is the same hot goth babe from Dogs 101. Quite a musician herself, too. She sings our City Pound intro on Pet Life Radio.
American Kennels On Lexington Avenue -- Puppy Mill Protest
An article that sums it up nicely by our colleague at the Daily News, Amy Sacks
Michelle Obama Asks: Honey, Did You Hear Something? Oh, Wait, It's Just The Damn Dog (title mine)
You Crazy Koreans! Glow In the Dark Puppies!
(Now You Have No Excuse for Tripping Over the Dog On The Way To The Bathroom!)
Or To Trip Over The Cat, For That Matter!
You may wonder why Mistress Chilli Chinchilla is blogging rather than outside 'enjoying this gorgeous day'! (so says every singe radio station I've turned on today.) That's because Mistress Chilli hates--yes, hates--the heat. The sun is okay in small doses (Vitamin D!) but this heat, as far my secretary and I are concerned, sucks. Duh--I wear a chinchilla fur coat 24/4. My secretary, I don't know what her problem is. Probably better that she stays inside--she hasn't looked good in shorts since 1987. Still has a decent rack, though, so once in a while you'll catch her in the occasional tank top.
So, I am done hating on the weather. Here's those tidbits I promised mixed with my general crankiness:
What the (&*(% is up with y'all having everything under the sun (hah, hah) this weekend? Even I, Mistress Chilli, who can hop like a mini kangaroo, cannot jump fast enough. Heads up to you guys--journalists cannot be everywhere at once. Bloggers, yes. Twits (sorry, that's what you are), yes. Journalists--by that meaning flesh-and-blood human beings who spent many years in school and then later many more years taking their beatings and honing their craft--no. Physically impossible. Which makes me think that the organizers of these things don't care about flesh-and-blood journalists attending; they'll just blog about it themselves and give objective reporting their best shot (cough, cough.) Or they just all came to the educated guess several months ago that this weekend, the weekend of April 25th-26th would be the first 'nice' weekend of the outdoor season. Wow, they hit that one on the head this year.
Pick Your Protest
With that said, here's two events going on for those whose tempers flare as the temperature rises. On Saturday and Sunday, Best Friends brings their nationwide protest against pet stores that sell puppies to American Kennels, a tres chic pet store on Lexington Avenue not too far from my alma mater, Hunter College. If you want to join, just stop by with your favorite hand-made sign. Honestly I'm with Best Friends on this one--there is no way (no way) a 'reputable breeder' would ever sell through a pet store. (Although there are people out there who think there is no such thing as a 'reputable breeder' and they are all scum of the earth. Let's table that for a second.)
Serious breeders want to know where there puppies are and who they're with. If you've ever been to a dog show, you know why. Some of these animals can cost thousands upon thousands of dollars. The more ribbons they've won, the higher the price their owners can command for the fruit of their doggie loins. Believe me, people, these guys have a more meticulously researched and documented lineage than Queen Elizabeth. No way are they going to let the pups of their prized pooches be sold willy-nilly. Now, that said, do some breeders dump off their non-show quality pups at pet stores--"overstock", shall we say? Sadly, yes. So even if you do buy directly from a breeder (and the Humane Society of the United States has a checklist for you to check out) you should also ask them what they do with the 'pet quality' dogs they can't sell.
Where I will stop short, however, is when some of these groups use protests like this to jam their foot into the door of a larger agenda of NPOBAE(no pets owned by anybody, ever.) I'm not saying this is (or isn't) the case with Best Friends, but it's a crafty trick other have used with much success.
Still fired up over pet-store puppies? Cool off with a long walk downtown and then get fired up again on Sunday, April 26th, with Queens Councilman Tony Avella, who has emerged as New York's possibly first-and-only "Pet Friendly Party" candidate for Mayor. At high noon, protesters are expected to descend on the steps of City Hall to protest the general state of Animal Care and Control of New York City. (That's p.c. speak for the pound.)
This one's another mixed bag o'feelings. On the one hand, protesting the AC&C and executive director Charlene Pedrolie is like shooting fish in a barrel (okay, bad analogy.) The AC&C is in charge of euthanizing pretty much every unwanted animal in New York City. Thousands of them. Every year. But that's because other agencies (looking in your direction, ASPCA) 'outsource' this awful activity to them. Kinda like sending out your dirty laundry. Except in this case you don't get your clothes back. Instead, you open your closet and have a brand new wardrobe--every day! Before my friends and colleagues start screaming at me from the A: what am I saying that is not already plastered (albeit less colorfully) on your front door?
On the other hand, the AC&C has not been doing much to prove the protesters' wrong. There was a scary outbreak of some weird canine flu at one of their shelters earlier this year which resulted in the quarantine of not only that shelter, but a large upstate one as well because dogs were transported there. And most recently, they killed a 90-something year-old woman's dog by accident. You can't make up publicity this bad. Do some of the people who are whipping up this protest have a personal axe to grind against the AC&C and its supporters, like the Mayor's Alliance for New York City's Animals and the head of the AC&C herself? Yes, they do. But that doesn't mean problems don't exist. I just hope Councilman Avella, who is generally a nice guy and who is making a dark-horse run for Mayor, doesn't get too bogged down in this particular quagmire. It's a lot deeper than it appears on the surface.
Glow-In-The-Dark Puppies and a Bo Obama Update
Okay, enough local news and my opinions on them. I promised you glow-in-the-dark puppies. Seems like those crazy Korean scientists are at it again. In 2007 they cloned some glow-in-the-dark kitties. Now they've done for dogs what they've done for cats. Here's the quote that got me:
Ruppy (ed note: Red+Puppy, get it?) is transgenic, meaning she has genes from another animal. Scientists said they hope this will pave the way to model human diseases in dogs, whose relatively long life-span could make them better study subjects than other animals.
The creature they crossed her with is a sea anemone. If they do a DNA test, is this animal technically a dogfish? A water dog?
Which segues nicely into the latest about the world's most famous Portuguese Water Dog, Bo "Pseudo-Rescue" Obama. Glam First Lady Michelle tells Black Voices the following about having a new puppy in the house:
"It was like 10 o'clock. Everybody was asleep and we hear all this barking and jumping around," Mrs. Obama said. "The president and I came out and we thought somebody was out there. And it was just Bo. He was playing with his ball. And it was like there was another person in the house.
Um, Michelle? Sweetie? You and the President sleep in possibly the least-private, most heavily protected bedroom in the world. There are people surrounding you 24/7 whose job it is to take a bullet for you. If you think you need a dog to keep robbers and would-be assassins away I am very, very scared about what the Homeland Security budget looks like for the rest of us poor schmucks.
Okay, that's it for me. The sun is starting to turn a corner in the sky and it may soon be safe for me and other typewriter vampires to emerge. It's been a while, so hopefully this lengthy round-up post will keep you occupied for a while. For further reading, I've inserted links for you below. As always, feel free to holla back.
But first, make sure you check out New York Tails Magazine's world-famous Calendar of Pet Events for the tri-state Metro area. We're always posting more on there, so check back often. Just to be safe, bookmark it. Put it in your Favorites. Mail yourself a love letter with a print-out of the URL.
After than, download our very cool interview with The Choke to your iPod with guest host Victoria Wells. Yes, she is the same hot goth babe from Dogs 101. Quite a musician herself, too. She sings our City Pound intro on Pet Life Radio.
American Kennels On Lexington Avenue -- Puppy Mill Protest
An article that sums it up nicely by our colleague at the Daily News, Amy Sacks
Michelle Obama Asks: Honey, Did You Hear Something? Oh, Wait, It's Just The Damn Dog (title mine)
You Crazy Koreans! Glow In the Dark Puppies!
(Now You Have No Excuse for Tripping Over the Dog On The Way To The Bathroom!)
Or To Trip Over The Cat, For That Matter!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Obama's New Dog -- Let Puppygate Begin!
For your perusal:
First Dog Charile? (A Rather Mysterious Website)
http://www.firstdogcharlie.com/
(Supposedly the website that ‘broke’ the story. Mistress Chilli finds it very interesting that the dog’s ‘original’ name was Charlie, supposedly in his first didn’t-work-out home, and the website is named ‘First Dog Charile.’ Coincidence much? Visit the website and it gets more bizarre.
Who Let the Dog Out? Obama’s Pet ID Leaked Before Debut (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6369634.html
AP – Obamas Pick Portuguese Water Dog
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hbyPtd-WxaAlO17Z6CCE-ZB69dCAD97GMH5G0
White House Readies for Presidential Pup
http://news.aol.com/article/white-house-dog/423774?icid=main|main|dl1|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fwhite-house-dog%2F423774
And, I have my problems with TMZ, but here you go:
http://www.tmz.com/2009/04/11/white-house-obama-family-dog/
First Dog Charile? (A Rather Mysterious Website)
http://www.firstdogcharlie.com/
(Supposedly the website that ‘broke’ the story. Mistress Chilli finds it very interesting that the dog’s ‘original’ name was Charlie, supposedly in his first didn’t-work-out home, and the website is named ‘First Dog Charile.’ Coincidence much? Visit the website and it gets more bizarre.
Who Let the Dog Out? Obama’s Pet ID Leaked Before Debut (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6369634.html
AP – Obamas Pick Portuguese Water Dog
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hbyPtd-WxaAlO17Z6CCE-ZB69dCAD97GMH5G0
White House Readies for Presidential Pup
http://news.aol.com/article/white-house-dog/423774?icid=main|main|dl1|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fwhite-house-dog%2F423774
And, I have my problems with TMZ, but here you go:
http://www.tmz.com/2009/04/11/white-house-obama-family-dog/
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