Tag Archives: animals

Killing Native Wildlife

This bill revises a variety of existing programs to expand access to, and opportunities for, hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting.

“The Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act is reauthorized through FY2025. The North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act are reauthorized through FY2020.

Components of firearms and ammunition and sport fishing equipment and its interesting stuff (such as lead sinkers) are exempted from regulations of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

The proportion of funding from the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act that states may use for public target ranges is increased.” This is a bill summary.

Interior must issue permits for the importation of polar bear parts taken in sports hunts in Canada before May 15, 2008, which is the date the species was listed as threatened.

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Our government wants killers to go to Canada and bring back polar bear heads and parts of other animals. They want to kill more here. I lived on a wildlife preserve for several years and elk, moose, coyotes, Greater Sandhill Cranes were always preserved. Even when the two juvenile moose whose mom was killed on the freeway protecting them from traffic. They crashed a wedding down the road. Imagine those videos and photos. Wedding of a lifetime!

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The bill revises standards for determining what a baited area is for purposes of the prohibition on taking migratory game birds.

Federal public land management officials must facilitate hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting on certain federal public land. Land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service must be open for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting unless the managing agency acts to close the land.

This bill provides special rules to expand access to federal land and waterways for film crews of five people or fewer.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may not prohibit individuals from possessing a firearm in public areas of a water resources development project. The National Park Service may not prohibit individuals from transporting bows and crossbows if certain requirements are met.

Funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund are allocated for priority projects that secure public access to federal public lands for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.

What is wrong with this picture? We’re allowing hunters to take wildlife that is endangered and place their heads in their man caves. All so a state can get revenue through hunting permits. What a sad story that is.

I know we have a better story, as a nation, to tell, and a better future and troops. No-one carries a weapon but our voices are stronger than your cruel traps. Let’s go to it. Remember it’s Sen. 405. I’m writing in today. Dee

Digging to China

Yes, I was warned that our guest dog would scratch at the bed. It was our dog’s bed and she did it at three in the morning. From our bed I asked her to stop and she went right back to sleep.

It’s been three hours and I’m ready to take them out. She wants her mom. I’m doing everything I can to keep things on schedule and watch her every move. She and Zoe are getting along great, playing, competing and sleeping within a few feet.

They are both great individuals that feed off each other. Let’s hope they’re teaching good things and that next week our Zoe will not start digging to China. Dee

Misperception

Eight days ago I tripped and fell, while walking our dog, on a crosswalk I asked for and got designated. They do no re-paint it and no-one ever stops even though it is state law to do so.

I took a header that started with my knees, hand, shoulder and head and have the first black eye in my aged life, after years of athletics so I know how to fall. My husband was out with us on this serene late afternoon walk and tried to save me from a fall but the dog was between us and he could not do so.

Now, people will not ask the obvious question about my black eye because they think my husband beats me. Other than a few involuntary elbow movements during sleep over the past fourteen years my husband has never touched me in a manner unbefitting a gentleman.

Kids ask. They want to know the truth. I tell them my eye looks ugly but it doesn’t hurt. Look both ways (we did) and always wear good shoes with tread on them. Adults think my husband beat me so look down and ignore me. Where did we go wrong in life? A taxi cab driver actually stopped when I fell. I don’t remember that.

I fell on pavement. I told people about it. Nurses have advised me on how to care for myself. My husband insists on taking off the bandage every day. Next thing I know someone will call it in as domestic violence. It is vehicular harassment.

As for me, it’s a city/county dispute and no, I do not want to sue them for “my” crosswalk, just want it re-painted with slip-resistant paint. And a flippy thing in the middle that says it’s State law to stop for pedestrians.

Speed demons go up and down our street in rush hours. I’ve many bruises and now can reconstruct exactly how I fell. My knees will be swollen for months. Hand, I don’t know. Shoulder and eye, play the dice. But my husband tried to save me when I tripped. He has helped every day. There are good husbands out there, and great ones. I got a great one. He opened the car door, took my hand and always kept me in his heart.

I tripped walking the dog. Now I have to explain this to kids and I’m OK with that. Adults avoid me as I’ve the plague. I am an advocate and have written laws that governed millions of people, including human and civil rights. Why do adults who see a woman with a black eye always think domestic violence? I’m sure there are cameras out there, I may be able to have them pull the footage. Just like a cop show.

I’m Aunt Dee, just asked for vet recommendations yesterday. I’m Dee, the gal who brings treats like lasagne and pizza to staff. I took a spill that I’ll deal with for months. Please know even though my eye looks bad for now, I’m always here, now that I have two eyes to see through and write. Cheers! Dee

Fear

My husband was gone over half a year for work last year and our dog Zoe got used to it. Now he’s home and traveling. She doesn’t like the travel part as he’s the “fun guy.”

I took her out mid-day today and when I was in the midst of my medical routine she stared at me. She’d just gone out and done “everything” two hours before. I thought she wanted her toy or my attention.

It seems that my husband’s leaving with a suitcase is “routine” now (she’s a herder, an Aussie mix) and he left tonight with no suitcase. I took some time for myself and was in the tub and when I came out, she’d left a few drops on the floor but peed all over her bed, which is outside and will be at the cleaner’s tomorrow as it’s too large for our washing machine.

There is a lot going on with our family, and us. I need to make sure our dog Zoe does not suffer from any fear and stress. I know she did not have to make a little mess, but she’s a smart, herding dog and is trying to get us all together. There are health issues, work stress et al and she’s just letting us know to do better.

She’s getting older. She doesn’t have #1 “accidents.” She went on her bed on purpose. It was to send us a message. With my love for shelter animals, Dee

Losing

I get emotional twice a year, after Thanksgiving listening to sad holiday songs on the radio driving home with my husband sleeping in the passenger seat in our old car. And July 4th with military and other music that makes us remember who we are, Americans.

Why did I not walk out to see the fireworks last night? Bugs in standing water the County will not drain. They’ve always loved to munch on me, since I was a kid. I also stayed to protect dog Zoe but she didn’t need protection as she just stayed away from the windows.

We used to live next door to the largest land-based fireworks in the US. Guess who was Zoe’s best friend? Pyro Paula. Company owner who ran the whole thing. We’d walk by a month earlier and a voice would call out ZOE! They’ve been buds for years so I don’t think she’s afraid of a little “thunder.”

And I don’t mind missing the fireworks as I’ve seen the best in the world, and then went to see the smallest on a tiny lake in the middle of no-where by the local fire department. Sitting on the grass for ten minutes was just as fun, but I got better photos of the big ones. One day my husband will tell me where he placed those old photos. New battery, more memory. Still my laptop is ancient.

I’ve been present at three pet euthansias. The first was my cat Nathan, then my dog Chani and then the dog of a friend. I do not look forward to the death of my old dog Zoe. My husband may not wish to be there but as he as been there through her entire life he must help her in the end.

Renewal. Do everything you can to protect someone you love. Care for them. Feed them. My sister gave a box of chicken broth to my mother, home from the hospital. She said “Dee always makes it from scratch.” I did, and used to go across the street to a mini-mart and buy her a NYTimes and a V-8. She needed nutrients.

Our dog Zoe passed her ten-year elderly blood panel with flying colors and another vet said she doesn’t need another until age 12. I think she’ll be with us for a while. There will be sadness when she goes but I think I’ve one more shelter pup in me to train and feed well and be a great companion. Thanks for reading! Happy Independence Day. “Aunt” Dee

Pit Bulls

I was able to watch a show by dog trainer Cesar Millan on pit bulls. He made cogent arguments that they be accepted into society and went from bad neighborhoods where people make the dogs fight each other to shelters who rehabilitate these dogs and breed others to be family pets.

On this journey he personally helped rehabilitate one dog and ended up in Washington, D.C. to talk to his representative. Congratulations, Cesar! I will fight with you against breed ban legislation and laws.

A few months ago I tried to find a place for us to live. I told them we have a dog. She’s an 11.5 year-old Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix, 34 lbs. I was immediately told that German Shepherds are on the breed ban list. The woman wouldn’t listen as I said she was not a German Shepherd. There was no way I was going to convince her that breed ban lists are wrong, she didn’t know my dog and had never even seen the property she was selling. I got rid of her in a heartbeat.

I did call the property after sending management a photo of our our old hip-less wonder dog belly-up on our sofa. It demonstrated she is not a German Shepherd. I’ve two problems with this. The manager said they would “consider” our dog. I said that we would not consider them. The other is that in order to get in I denigrated German Shepherds who are great dogs, and so are American Staffordshire Terriers.

As a kid I was bitten in the butt by two German Shepherds but am not afraid of them. I’ve only known the nicest of Pit terriers. If I was putting on my shoes on the front stoop Dolly would run out her door and come and lick and hug me. What a sweetie. Years ago I met with the staff of the San Francisco SPCA. They renamed this dog the St. Francis Terrier. Seeing as I went to a Franciscan school, I thought that appropriate.

Thank you, Cesar, for bringing this issue to the table. My focus for the past 20 years has been responsible pet ownership. I agree that this responsibility plus activism is needed for all dogs who are on the breed ban lists. Thanks, Dee

The Velveteen Dog

I’ve been lucky enough to have two: one abused by an official and left in a shelter to die; another as a pup came from squalor and had her hips removed as a pup because they were the worst x-rays her vet had ever seen.

I like to think that I and the people surrounding me made them “real.” Chani would root inside her basket of stuffed animals when she heard a car to find just the right one with which to greet our guest. Abandoned and abused, she was afraid of men and children. Years later she always loved a ball at our park but took out a huge teddy bear I got for $.50 at that very park. All the kids called out her name to say hello when we came around the corner. She said her goodbye’s which I did not understand as she hadn’t been sick, and bled out the next day.

The pup, Zoe was very sick with coccidia and hookworms but they still spayed her at the shelter at five weeks. She was a herder from day one, popped out of the box on my lap in the passenger seat. Still is at age 11. Although she lived in squalor for a few weeks we adopted her at just six weeks of age. I don’t think she remembered her past, even her two hip removals, just us. She has such a sweet personality and everyone loves her. Neighbors from here and all around know her name, not mine. She is lucky to be a dog free of the trauma Chani had.

Zoe has gone through two devastating hip excisings but has emerged still cow-hocked but victorious. Happy, after working with thousands of dogs and cats for over 20 years I must say she is the Velveteen Dog of the decade, our Zoe. She is real, the happiest dog in the world, for everyone. Of course my pup was flawed, why else did she choose Aunt Dee to raise her? And I do raise her. I’m called Otis. I elevate our hipless wonder to the bed every night. As I was with Chani, I will be with our Zoe when she needs to go. Chani was real and built a neighborhood, Zoe and I got a crosswalk installed, they’re both real. Dee

Bills

You know all those ads you see for cable companies all comparing DirecTV to Dish Network? I’ve no choice. I’ve DirecTV.

After paying on time for well over three years I was ill and missed a payment by about ten hours. I called to apologize and made the payment. I was told that my credit card number would be held for six months and my bill paid in advance if I didn’t behave.

I tried a very nice letter to the company’s president and their public relations office rejected it. I tried to call and was given the run-around.

Knowing all of this was going to happen beforehand I changed my card. Unfortunately my husband designed a surprise, our dog on my new card. She looks, in this unfortunate photo of a wonderful and beautiful girl, like a dog in an ASPCA or HSUS photo of a dog chained outside in a crummy doghouse in the rain.

Believe me, she’s inside and sleeps on our bed and she’s the happiest dog I’ve ever met in 20 years of working with shelter animals. Yes, she is a shelter dog and we rescued her at six weeks of age. She’s now 11.5 years old and loved by all.

If that’s not enough, none of our HD channels we pay for work. We pay $130 per month for this “service” and get none and they want to keep our cards for payment for months for being ten hours late for…. television.

Dear President Michael White,

DirecTV, you and now AT&T (I’ve been a paying customer of theirs for years as well) have someone to deal with. Your company treats me badly. AT&T does not. A kind letter I tried to send you was rejected by none other than your own PR department. We pay for yet do not get HD channels but no-one cares.

As your company doesn’t care to hear valid complaints from a customer it is going online, in about 30 seconds.

Thanks for your kind consideration of my earlier requests, Mr. White. Cheers! Dee

Silent Commands

My husband is brilliant but not good at this or changing toilet paper rolls. He doesn’t send a signal to leave a party. I do. Sometimes he understands that signal.

Who does understand these signals? Our dog. Lucky for us. I learned from my first dog’s trainer nearly 25 years ago to use hand signals for come, sit, stay, down and whatever.

Said trainer would have used German commands for his Shepherds as he ascertained my old dog to be rude and look his Alpha dog in the eye. Verboten. But I learned a lot from him and she went on to a sweet life after being abused by a Deputy Sheriff and dumped at a shelter for a year before I rescued and rehabilated her. She was the darling of the Park and it was so sad to tell the kids she was gone.

Now our “new” 11 year-old dog is the unofficial “mascot” here as she loves everyone and doesn’t pee every time someone pets her head. Hand signals. Silent commands. Learn them. Your significant other will appreciate you for that knowledge.

When my husband needs sleep I can get Zoe out of the room with a simple hand gesture, not a word spoken. For family happiness and all of dog-dom, Dee

My Future

That’s Dad behind me keeping me safe. All I want is the dog. That’s the photo I found this morning. Decades later it makes me think I’ve done OK with my life and work. Oh, I look a bit different these days as I was only a few months old at the time, blogs were not invented and I did not know how to type.

This photo means so much to me now as Dad and I grow older. I do not remember that setting but know I was loved and cared for and Dad said I could be anything. Cheers, Dee

DeeFirstDog