SB250 beaten back for now...

The California Assembly Appropriation Committee met today to consider SB 250 (the Mandatory Spay and Neyter bill). Charlie Hjerpe was there, and offers this report...

I just got back from the Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing on SB 250. After about an hour of testimony and voting on several other bills, it was announced that Senator Dean Florez had withdrawn SB 250 and placed it in the "suspense " file. No supporters of the bill were present, as they must have been tipped off before hand. Two opposition spokespersons were allowed to speak, but only very briefly. An AKC representative spoke effectively about the adverse fiscal impact that would result from cancellation of all of the bench shows held in California. I can't remember what the NAIA representative had to say. Following that, the Committee Chairman, Kevin De Leon, asked if there were any supporters of SB 250 present (there were none) and then asked those who were opposed to SB 250 to stand. Nearly everyone present in the room then stood. However, none of us were allowed to announce our affiliations or to speak. I could not see how many were seated in the balcony, but there were about 100 to 150 people present in the room below the balcony where I was sitting. Nothing even close to the thousands present for the Senate Local Government hearing on AB 1634, in July of 2007!

Then, several DEMOCRATIC Assemblymembers rose to express opposition to the bill. One of them stated that he hoped that the people bringing these kinds of bills before the State Legislature would stop doing so. He also noted that these MSN options are available at the city and county level, and that it was inappropriate to deal with these issues at the statewide level.

I have to believe that the tide was turned against this bill by two events: (1) the June 9 story in the SF Chronicle about SB 250 having it's greatest impact on low income people, and (2) the release of the 2008 California Department of Public Health county animal shelter statistics, which showed that the increases in impounds and euthanasias were 11x higher in LA County than in all of the rest of the state put together.

This bill was very bad news for California dog owners. We hope that after this the bill will die, as did AB 1634 last year, and the subject of statewide mandatory spay and neuter will not arise again.

Shame on Senator Dean Florez for authoring and sponsoring this ill-informed, ignorant piece of legislation. The HSUS worked on this bill, and I believe may have actually authored or had substantial influence on it's creation. It certainly takes a page directly from their political playbook. 

US Complete NW Regional Championship

The US Complete Shooting Dog Association NW Region has announced that the Regional Championship will be held November 6, 7, and 8 on the grounds of the Keistler K-Arrow Ranch near Jamestown, CA. This is an open walking shooting dog championship, sanctioned by US Complete and American Field. Details available on the website linked above.

I think we've got a hatch this year in California

I was in the south Sierras over the weekend and saw three young coveys, one about a week old and the other two perhaps two weeks old. Very encouraging - last year we had basically zero reproduction due to lack of rain. I also spent Sunday morning shooting clays with a new friend who is a DFG biologist and he reported that the reproduction in the coastal ranges looks good - liekly double clutches. This could be a good season in California. I keep hoping anyway.

SB250 closer to becoming law

Here is a bit of the bulletin received today from Dr. Charlie Hjerpe DVM...

"I attended and briefly spoke at the Assembly Local Government Committee hearing on SB 250 this morning. There were a fair number of people present who opposed the bill, but nothing like the thousands that were there 2 years ago, when the Senate Local Government Committee defeated AB 1634. About 15 people spoke for the bill, and about 50 to 70 spoke against it, which was just about everyone there who was opposed..."

Regrettably, the committee passed the bill through despite the fact that not all the committee members were present. The final vote may be as soon as this week. We need those NO letters, faxes and phone calls from you.

Apologies are due...

To  MDMNM blogging from New Mexico on Sometimes Far Afield. Good stuff, and the spirit of reciprocity demands that I bring it to your attention.

I really thought I had it on the blog roll... really. 

 A very worthwhile experience - have a look.

Note on the Garmin Astro in Canada

Use or possession of the Garmin Astro in Canada is forbidden by federal law. The bandwidth used by the Astro has been reserved for Canadian government use. If you are heading to Canada, leave the Astro home. No sense in irritating the Canadian government, is there?

EDIT: Craig over on ChiendogBlog has done the research (he's a Canadian, so they are more likely to talk with him...) regarding the exact nature of restrictions on the use of the Garmin Astro in Canada. Check it out HERE. Thanks, Craig!

Summer and heat

"Alder Brook" by Chet Reneson

I am always at a loss to determine when Summer officially begins. I went to Wikipedia, and remained unenlightened....

"In some Western countries, especially the USA, (summer is) believed to start at the equinoxes and solstices, based on a misunderstanding of astronomical reckoning. Thus, in the Southern Hemisphere, based on this premise summer begins on the day of the December solstice and ends on the March equinox. When it is summer in the southern hemisphere it is winter in the northern hemisphere, and vice versa. From a purely astronomical viewpoint, the equinoxes and solstices would be the middle of the respective seasons, but a variable seasonal lag means that the meteorological start of the season, which is based on average temperature patterns, occurs several weeks later than the start of the astronomical season. According to meteorologists, summer extends for the whole months of December, January and February in the southern hemisphere, and the whole months of June, July and August in the northern hemisphere..."

My take away on this is that summer begins when it starts to get hotter and is over when it starts to get cooler. So, in spite of cool weather here and in many parts of the West, it is now summer. OK?

In most states training on wild birds may not begin until July 1, in consideration of the Spring nesting period. A good thing, I think. But we can make sure that our dogs get exercise to keep them trim. Since I have setters, I am contemplating a buzz job to keep them cooler as the weather warms up. My wife hates it, but I suspect that it is a help to the dogs, especially when they are running. I am shopping for a quality clipper with the horsepower to make quick work of the coats of four setters. I have used horse clippers in the past, and they worked well. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Summer means thinking about warm weather hazards to the dogs when out in the field -- heat is a killer, and there are rattlesnakes, foxtails, speargrass and other concerns in many areas. I like to exercise the dogs in the morning before it gets too hot. I have also found fewer rattlesnakes in the morning, compared to the number that seem to become active in the evening, after a hot day.

I always cut back on the amount of food I give the dogs during summer - usually by about 1/3, and I only feed once daily. Some people change the feed to a lower protein/fat food, but I continue with what has proven to work for me - Purina Pro Plan Performance. I just feed less.

Summer means trout fishing and preparing for the fall hunting season. I have been doing much of the later and none of the former. Right now I am getting the bits together to build a dog topper for the truck - I'll post some on this as I make progress. Also beginning to get my Airstream out of mothballs, and do needed work on it. I need to get out and do some fishing before it is too hot. 

The painting above is by Chet Reneson. Chet is a very fine watercolorist, a gentleman, and dedicated outdoorsman. I have a number of paintings and prints by Chet, including a  Bahamian street scene that I gave to to my wife on a recent anniversary. Chet's wife Penny sent us a sheaf of originals to choose from. We picked out one we liked, and sent the rest back. Remarkable in this day and age, I think.