Current News
By Erin Auerbach
California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, who authored the original bill and subsequent amendments, believes it failed because senate members were not educated about the overcrowding problems in many of the state’s shelters and were further dissuaded by tactics by those who opposed the bill.
“Shelter directors across the state need to do a better job of making elected officials understand what they face,” he says. “The bill’s opponents threw out so many lies that it became impossible (for legislators) to discern the truth.”
Levine, whose term ends in November, doesn’t know if anyone else will propose similar laws in the future. “I would guess that the next step is for people to get together and educate the government about the problems in shelters to see the problems firsthand. You have to make people understand the problem before they want to solve it.”
Concerned Dog Owners of California (CDOC), one of many groups that opposed AB 1634, celebrated the outcome. “With regard to dogs, the senators were able to see that the bill was not about taking roaming, intact dogs off the street, which would have had an impact on the issue of unwanted breedings, but rather it was designed to punish responsible dog [guardians] who keep their animals safe at home,” says Cathie Turner, CDOC’s executive director. “CDOC looks forward to working with legislators at the state and local levels to educate people about responsible dog [guardianship] and to promote voluntary spay and neuter when the [guardians] and their veterinarians agree the time is right.”
Rudd produces a number of pet-friendly events around town, including the Bulldog Beauty Contest, the Easter Parade, and Operation Santa Paws. Although he estimates that only about one-third of the events he organizes are for animals (he also manages charity runs and kids’ events and has been a beauty pageant consultant for many years), more than half of his busy schedule is devoted to the dogs. And except for day-of-event volunteers, he has been running all of these by himself for 10 years, maintaining multiple websites, publishing an online newsletter with more than 11,000 subscribers, writing his own press releases, and helping people enjoy their pets out in the community.
“I didn’t set out to be an event planner,” Rudd says. “I wanted to be involved in Long Beach activities with my dog, and I saw that the beach was dirty, and I wanted to get it clean. Now I organize around 40 events a year; 12 of them are beach cleanups.”
But dogs aren’t the only pets welcome in Rudd’s world. On Saturday, Oct. 4, he will combine the small-dog festival and Chihuahua beauty contest with the Blessing of the Animals, which will take place on the north side of Marine Stadium and is open to any kind of pet. “This is the seventh year for the interfaith blessing,” says Rudd. “I’ll have eight or nine leaders from different faiths lead. As a Christian, I thank God for animals being in our lives, so I came up with this so people of all religions—including those who are not religious at all—will feel comfortable coming to celebrate their animals. It’s nondenominational, but we hold it on St. Francis Day because he was the patron saint of animals.”
But Rudd’s biggest event this month—the biggest of its kind in the world—is the Howl’oween Parade on Sunday, Oct. 26, at Livingston Park. Complete with canine and kid costume contests, the festivities drew more than 650 dogs and their caretakers to walk the 10-block parade route last year. “I’ve seen everything,” Rudd says, “including Pugs in homemade costumes designed to make them look like pieces of sushi.”
The hour-long parade will have vendors and an emergency vet on site. Rudd’s own pooches, Rosie and Riley, will help out by working the Bulldog Kissing Booth with about 30 other pooches. Booth proceeds benefit Operation Santa Paws, a dog food, toy, and supply fundraiser that Rudd organizes each year to bring necessary supplies and treats to shelter dogs.
For more information, visit JustinRudd.com or HauteDogs.org.
In September, Los Angeles Animal Control employees took their grievances to the City Council, calling on Los Angeles Animal Services General Manager Ed Boks and his assistant, Linda Barth, to resign. Several local newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the Daily Breeze, have been reporting on the acrimony between the Los Angles Department of Animal Services workers and Boks, who is the department’s seventh manager in a decade.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa specifically hired Boks in 2006 to reduce the number of euthanized animals in the city’s shelters in an effort to make them no-kill facilities for healthy, adoptable pets. Workers contend that this effort may be too ambitious for the city’s limited resources and has resulted in poorer shelter conditions. Among other problems, they say shelters are packing too many dogs and cats in kennels, which causes fights and the spread of disease.
Responding to anonymous similar allegations posted on the Internet, Boks wrote on his blog (LAAnimalServices.blogspot.com), “The department is committed to achieving ‘no-kill.’ Yes, we keep animals a long time in an effort to find them homes. … Are we slow to euthanize animals? Yes. And I am in the process of implementing a program to make the process even slower.”
The petition to fire Boks and Barth was signed by most supervisors and half of the Animal Control officers and animal-care technicians. The City Council granted a public hearing request, which has yet to be scheduled.
Tiger, a 4-year-old Chihuahua from Bakersfield, retrieved the title of America’s fastest Chihuahua by outrunning 14 pint-sized competitors at the fourth annual PETCO Unleashed National Chihuahua Race finals, held at PETCO Park in San Diego. Tiger won the same race in 2006, and this time ran the 35-foot-long track in just 1.9 seconds, surpassing 2007 winner, Maddy of New York City. Tiger, a sporty little dog who also enjoys playing flyball, responded to caretaker Cathy Smith’s encouragement and ironic cry of “Kitty kitty!” The speedy pooch won a trophy, a one-year supply of Royal Canin Chihuahua dog food, and a $300 PETCO gift card. PETCO and race-presenting sponsor Royal Canin host the annual event to encourage all animal enthusiasts to consider adoption as a first option when adding a pet to their family.
Mandatory spay-neuter bill for California fails
On Aug. 22, the California State Senate overwhelmingly defeated, by a vote of 27 to 5, AB 1634, the proposed law to make pet sterilization mandatory in California.California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, who authored the original bill and subsequent amendments, believes it failed because senate members were not educated about the overcrowding problems in many of the state’s shelters and were further dissuaded by tactics by those who opposed the bill.
“Shelter directors across the state need to do a better job of making elected officials understand what they face,” he says. “The bill’s opponents threw out so many lies that it became impossible (for legislators) to discern the truth.”
Levine, whose term ends in November, doesn’t know if anyone else will propose similar laws in the future. “I would guess that the next step is for people to get together and educate the government about the problems in shelters to see the problems firsthand. You have to make people understand the problem before they want to solve it.”
Concerned Dog Owners of California (CDOC), one of many groups that opposed AB 1634, celebrated the outcome. “With regard to dogs, the senators were able to see that the bill was not about taking roaming, intact dogs off the street, which would have had an impact on the issue of unwanted breedings, but rather it was designed to punish responsible dog [guardians] who keep their animals safe at home,” says Cathie Turner, CDOC’s executive director. “CDOC looks forward to working with legislators at the state and local levels to educate people about responsible dog [guardianship] and to promote voluntary spay and neuter when the [guardians] and their veterinarians agree the time is right.”
Spotlight on: Justin Rudd, Dogs’ best friend
It’s a bit ironic that the acronym for Justin Rudd’s nonprofit, Community Action Team, is CAT. After all, much of CAT’s work is for the dogs. When Rudd moved to Long Beach 15 years ago, he adopted a Bulldog and wanted to do things with her. So he got involved in the community and became instrumental in making Long Beach one of America’s most dog-friendly cities. He did this by leading the effort to legalize a local beach for dogs (the only one in Los Angeles County) and organizing dog-centric events. He also established the website HauteDogs.org to provide the community with event information as well as helpful pet resources.Rudd produces a number of pet-friendly events around town, including the Bulldog Beauty Contest, the Easter Parade, and Operation Santa Paws. Although he estimates that only about one-third of the events he organizes are for animals (he also manages charity runs and kids’ events and has been a beauty pageant consultant for many years), more than half of his busy schedule is devoted to the dogs. And except for day-of-event volunteers, he has been running all of these by himself for 10 years, maintaining multiple websites, publishing an online newsletter with more than 11,000 subscribers, writing his own press releases, and helping people enjoy their pets out in the community.
“I didn’t set out to be an event planner,” Rudd says. “I wanted to be involved in Long Beach activities with my dog, and I saw that the beach was dirty, and I wanted to get it clean. Now I organize around 40 events a year; 12 of them are beach cleanups.”
But dogs aren’t the only pets welcome in Rudd’s world. On Saturday, Oct. 4, he will combine the small-dog festival and Chihuahua beauty contest with the Blessing of the Animals, which will take place on the north side of Marine Stadium and is open to any kind of pet. “This is the seventh year for the interfaith blessing,” says Rudd. “I’ll have eight or nine leaders from different faiths lead. As a Christian, I thank God for animals being in our lives, so I came up with this so people of all religions—including those who are not religious at all—will feel comfortable coming to celebrate their animals. It’s nondenominational, but we hold it on St. Francis Day because he was the patron saint of animals.”
But Rudd’s biggest event this month—the biggest of its kind in the world—is the Howl’oween Parade on Sunday, Oct. 26, at Livingston Park. Complete with canine and kid costume contests, the festivities drew more than 650 dogs and their caretakers to walk the 10-block parade route last year. “I’ve seen everything,” Rudd says, “including Pugs in homemade costumes designed to make them look like pieces of sushi.”
The hour-long parade will have vendors and an emergency vet on site. Rudd’s own pooches, Rosie and Riley, will help out by working the Bulldog Kissing Booth with about 30 other pooches. Booth proceeds benefit Operation Santa Paws, a dog food, toy, and supply fundraiser that Rudd organizes each year to bring necessary supplies and treats to shelter dogs.
For more information, visit JustinRudd.com or HauteDogs.org.
Alligator taken from North Hollywood home
Acting on a Los Angeles Police Department referral, Animal Control officers recently discovered a 5-foot, 6-inch-long male alligator named Ziggy in a resident’s North Hollywood home, according to a Los Angeles Times report. The resident had Ziggy, now 5, since the gator was a baby. California residents cannot keep alligators without a special permit. Kathy Davis, assistant general manager of Animal Services, told the Times that the alligator is healthy, but urged people to opt for more traditional pets from local shelters, such as dogs, cats, and rabbits, instead of wild animals. Ziggy has been sent to a local herpetology society.Animal Control workers contend Boks and no-kill model aren’t working out
In September, Los Angeles Animal Control employees took their grievances to the City Council, calling on Los Angeles Animal Services General Manager Ed Boks and his assistant, Linda Barth, to resign. Several local newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the Daily Breeze, have been reporting on the acrimony between the Los Angles Department of Animal Services workers and Boks, who is the department’s seventh manager in a decade.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa specifically hired Boks in 2006 to reduce the number of euthanized animals in the city’s shelters in an effort to make them no-kill facilities for healthy, adoptable pets. Workers contend that this effort may be too ambitious for the city’s limited resources and has resulted in poorer shelter conditions. Among other problems, they say shelters are packing too many dogs and cats in kennels, which causes fights and the spread of disease.
Responding to anonymous similar allegations posted on the Internet, Boks wrote on his blog (LAAnimalServices.blogspot.com), “The department is committed to achieving ‘no-kill.’ Yes, we keep animals a long time in an effort to find them homes. … Are we slow to euthanize animals? Yes. And I am in the process of implementing a program to make the process even slower.”
The petition to fire Boks and Barth was signed by most supervisors and half of the Animal Control officers and animal-care technicians. The City Council granted a public hearing request, which has yet to be scheduled.
Chihuahua champ reclaims title
Tiger, a 4-year-old Chihuahua from Bakersfield, retrieved the title of America’s fastest Chihuahua by outrunning 14 pint-sized competitors at the fourth annual PETCO Unleashed National Chihuahua Race finals, held at PETCO Park in San Diego. Tiger won the same race in 2006, and this time ran the 35-foot-long track in just 1.9 seconds, surpassing 2007 winner, Maddy of New York City. Tiger, a sporty little dog who also enjoys playing flyball, responded to caretaker Cathy Smith’s encouragement and ironic cry of “Kitty kitty!” The speedy pooch won a trophy, a one-year supply of Royal Canin Chihuahua dog food, and a $300 PETCO gift card. PETCO and race-presenting sponsor Royal Canin host the annual event to encourage all animal enthusiasts to consider adoption as a first option when adding a pet to their family.
