CALIFORNIA FEDERATION
OF DOG CLUBS
Newsletter
July
22, 2015
Wildfires
The North Fire in San Bernardino County
hit the headlines when it crossed I-15 and destroyed twenty vehicles
– thankfully without serious injuries. CFODC contacted San
Bernardino Animal Control to offer support for evacuated pets and is
standing by.
For more information about CFODC’s
disaster assistance activities, please read the following article.
25th
Anniversary Annual Meeting
California Federation of Dog Clubs held
its annual meeting on July 3, 2015 in conjunction with the El Camino
Real Summerfest cluster in Ventura, CA. We would like to thank
Channel City K. C. and Santa Maria K. C., both CFODC members, for
providing the venue.
Prior to meeting, the members of the
Board recognized outgoing President Judy Coffman for her long service
to CFODC and the fancy. Judy isn’t retiring, she’s simply
changing roles and will continue as CFODC’s Vice President.
Judy reported on the activities for the
past year:
Judy and Board Member Carol
Hamilton put on Breed ID Workshops at shelters in Agoura, Riverside,
San Jacinto and Kern County. The Breed ID Workshop, a seminar and MS
PowerPoint presentation developed by CFODC, gives shelter and rescue
organization workers, and the general public, information to
correctly identify the breed lineage of dogs they encounter – one
of the first steps to returning lost dogs to their owners or finding
new homes for unowned dogs. Board Member Jan Dykema and incoming
President Chuck Bridges are being trained to give the Breed ID
Workshop and rollout the seminar to organizations in Northern
California.
CFODC has provided support for
pets evacuated from their homes as a result of natural disasters for
over a decade. CFODC can immediately dispatch a trailer stocked
with needed supplies (such as crates, pet bedding, cat litter boxes,
feeding supplies and food) to emergency sites. CFODC’s current
disaster assistance trailer is stored in Southern California.
Judy identified a
similar trailer used by a specialty club that’s for sale. This
potential new addition to CFODC could be stocked and positioned in
Northern California to reduce response times to disasters in that
part of the state. The CFODC will approach the AKC for funds to
stock the new trailer and restock the Southern California trailer.
The Northern California disaster assistance trailer should be fully
provisioned and on station by late summer.
SB 716 bans the use of the elephant goad (commonly known as a
bullhook or ankus) in the State of California beginning in 2018. It
would apply not only to circuses, but to zoos and all other elephant
exhibitors and facilities in California. The bullhook is a benign
tool used by animal trainers for thousands of years to control
elephants – much like dog fanciers use dog collars to control their
pets. With few true humane issues associated with the use of
bullhooks, we believe that the motivation behind the bill is to
eliminate elephants in captivity – eliminate the ability to control
elephants in captivity and you eliminate the ability to maintain
elephants in captivity. Similarly, we’ve seen Animal Rights
activists attempting to further their view of no human “exploitation”
of animals by claiming that dog collars are a form of cruelty and
animal oppression. CFODC is OPPOSED.
AB 147 requires
research animals to be adopted by rescue organizations. CFODC has
requested the bill be amended to allow anyone to adopt such animals.
CFODC SUPPORTS the bill as amended.
AB 794 provides for
restitution for dogs or horses injured or killed while engaged in law
enforcement. CFODC SUPPORTS.
AB 1543 provides
for a fine of $5,000 to compensate the owners of animals subjected to
abuse by others. The bill has been amended to direct local animal
control agencies to administer this “animal victims of crime”
program, rather than the state Veterinary Medical Board. CFODC is
NEUTRAL.
Please feel free to
contact us concerning these bills at any time.
Mandatory spay/neuter proponents
were active at the local level. Despite strong opposition by CFODC
and groups of local fanciers, mandatory spay/neuter ordinances were
passed in Pasadena and Long Beach. Sadly, a fancier – President
of Long Beach K. C. and Great Western Terrier Association and
interestingly not a resident of Long Beach or the surrounding
counties – spoke in favor of the ordinance in Long Beach.
Whittier, CA is renewing its
animal control contract with the County of Los Angeles and is
considering adopting the County’s animal control ordinance, which
includes mandatory spay/neuter provisions. CFODC, assisted by the
AKC, has organized local fanciers to oppose the measure, and CFODC
representatives appeared at the initial Whittier City Council
hearing. Consideration of the measure was postponed until early
August. CFODC will post additional alerts to its members.
CFODC and the AKC hosted a “Safety
Around Dogs Workshop” in Dublin, CA on June 20 as a community
outreach event for Assemblymember Catherine Baker (R-16). CFODC
will host a similar workshop for Assemblymember Tom Lackey (R-36)
October or November and possibly for Assemblymember Shannon Grove
(R-34). These workshops give CFODC the opportunity to show the
public that dog fanciers and breeders are responsible dog owners and
provide important access to interested politicians.
In 2009, CFODC hosted a summit
meeting at Harris Ranch of organizations interested in protecting
animal ownership in the state. This year, Judy and Board Members
Janice Anderson and Chuck Bridges attended a meeting of the Kern
County Cattlemen’s Association. The CFODC delegation to presented
“Numbers, they add up!: Political Power on the Hoof and in the
Home,” a description of the potential for an alliance of animal
agriculture and pet owners in the state.
With the numerous
common concerns of farmers, ranchers, and pet owners, should CFODC
host another summit in 2015-2016?
With no nominations received from the
floor, the following were declared elected as officers and directors
of CFODC:
Chuck Bridges – President
Judy Coffman – Vice President
Geneva Coats – Secretary
Jamie Rudolph – Treasurer
Janice Anderson, Jan Dykema, Carol
Hamilton, Teri Kahn, and Carole Raschella – Directors
Incoming President Chuck Bridges again
thanked Judy Coffman for her service to CFODC and her willingness to
continue to serve as Vice President. Chuck then outlined what he
viewed as priorities for the coming year:
Increasing membership is always a
goal, but beyond that, CFODC needs to increase the number of
individuals actively working on the organization's programs –
CFODC needs more “boots on the ground.” Perhaps it’s time
once again to visit dog club meetings across the state to enlist new
member clubs and individual volunteers.
State Federations were in
existence before the formation of the AKC Government Relations
Department. As a result, the various federations, while
“recognized” by the AKC and working collaboratively with the AKC
on government relations and disaster assistance, do not have formal
relationships with the AKC. In 2015-16, CFODC should work with the
AKC to develop a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) clarifying the
relationship. One goal, which may not be obtainable, would be to
have the CFODC formally represent the AKC in local governmental
matters.
