HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!!!!!!  May our Lord smile upon you on this celebration of His Resurrection and His gift of Salvation.  Today I went to Mass at St. Mary’s in Delaware, Ohio, which was one of the churches of my childhood.  We lived in Delaware for three years upon our arrival from Brooklyn and Long Island, New York.  We moved every three years. I went to school at St. Mary”s in Delaware.  My father moved us to Ohio to open up a new Midwest territory for the Spicene Company located in New Jersey; Dad made huge money for those days and he excelled at his job until his compulsive gambling got the better of him.  Dad moved us to Ohio because there were more thoroughbred race tracks in Ohio than any other state. We bought our first string of Thoroughbreds while in Delaware;I grew up partially at race tracks as Dad and I shared the same passion for horses and racing often staying up night talking about horses and planning strategy. Horses were my life and losing them has made a permanent hole in my heart; my father left a much bigger hole as we were extremely close and I still miss him almost fifty years later.

There was no help for compulsive gambling in those days and at the end my father had gambled all of our financial resources away. He died at forty five leaving my mother and five kids in really dire financial straights.  I was fifteen when Daddy died; our youngest brother was three.  My mother leaned on me for everything.  People so often think I am so tough, but we had to be tough to make it and with the grace of God we did all make it.

At Mass today, I could see my father kneeling in Church in our first parish in Ohio.  Enough of reminiscing which I seem to be doing more and more in my later years.

My friend Melissa Charbonneau and her darling mother Mona are visiting during spring break so Melissa could tour Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware; Melissa had an interview with the Admissions officer which went extremely well.  Melissa has many options for college when she graduates next year, but her plan has been to go to Ohio Wesleyan and live with us as she shares my passion for Cavaliers and may bully me into showing a bit again.  Who knows what the future will be.  We will have to see what Melissa will decide; she has always wanted to go into medicine and although Ohio Wesleyan has a very strong premed program with nearly all of its premed students getting into med school, She is also considering Ohio State University which would also allow her to live here. Melissa is considering all her options.  Al and I do want her to come here as we have become her second set of parents.  She has a wonderful Cavalier who we think will grow up and become a champion, Rattlebridge Dusk Bunny, as she is by Clooney, our beautiful Ch. and Ch.  Rattlebridge From Dusk ‘Til Dawn.

Well my Faulkner stream of conscientiousness (spell check says word is correct, does not look right to me, but too lazy to get a dictionary) is over for today.  Happy Easter everyone!  May our dear Lord bless you all.

Our life has been in an uproar with our moving house.  We got possession on January 28th and the fun began!!–and what fun it has been.  We hired painters to paint (now I should be able to paint, but when I paint I get paint everywhere, mostly on me clear through to my underwear creating my new look in multicolored bras) We hired tile guys to put down really stunning porcelain tile in the rooms of the house which were not already tiled leaving only the bedrooms to worry about with sneaky little Cavaliers.  We hired a decorator just to put up the Staffordshire dog wall border that I have hoarded for 11 years for some reason never putting it up in our former home.  I guess I knew this home was waiting.  We love this house and its setting, truly love it.  The only flies in the ointment are that the dog yards are not finished due to weather and that we have not even had time to  get our former house and farm ready to sell. We moved in on February 21 and it has been non stop since.  Only a few of the dogs are with us as we have no fencing yet; we have barricaded the deck which connects the doors to the all season room that is going to be our dog room and the all season room which is already the family room/dog room. While the deck is an adequate size for the dogs to potty, we really want to be able to let our dogs run as they always have. Soon we hope!

These are two pictures of the outside of our new home.  It is so open and airy on the inside with two master bedrooms with their own baths on the main floor. Upstairs is an office loft with wrap around office set up, a bedroom with another complete office set up, huge attic rooms which could be finished as additional rooms, a guest bedroom and full bath.  It truly is the house for us.  We found it accidentally, and were under contract with all financing within two days. The way things happened could only be the work of God as I was so ready for a change and this house was the necessary impetus I needed.  I love my Cavaliers and still want to breed, but not on the scale we have done in the past with the search for the next great show dog or producer. For some reason, after all our success, joy and heartache of breeding and showing purebred dogs, I have lost my drive to succeed at the level that was so important to me in the past. There are so many interests that Al and I want to pursue together and independently right now; Al is my main concern  and I do not want to regret losing time with him because of the heavy show and judging travel schedules that have been my life in the past.  Al and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last Monday.  I cannot believe the years have gone so fast.  I got married later in life and Al has been my only husband.  It certainly has been better than following my original plan to go into the convent; I would have never been able to follow all, or to be truthful, any of the rules.  Just ask my poor husband!

Our biggest worry right now is selling our farm. Carrying two mortgages is going to get old fast. The housing market is absolutely awful here.  We have a great realtor who has been our friend for many years and we have a great property to sell, but the market is awful right now.  Ohio is one of the leading states in foreclosures and still new houses are being built all the time.  We have subdivisions standing empty.  The economy is really not good here with so many companies moving or closing and so many jobs being cut.  I pray that our next president will be blessed with the capability to put us back on track, address the many issues challenging us, and keep the good of our country and its future foremost in his or her mind rather than political party or personal gain.  May our next president have the courage, the fortitude, and the ability to truly chart a new course for us.  Would you not like to go shopping to buy products “made in America” rather than other countries.  I cannot believe how few product seem to be made in our own country!  We really do need a new direction!

As soon as we get our new home organized and really livable with most of the little odds and ends completed, I will be moving back to the old house where my friend Cindy has been staying with my dogs; when I planned on living in the old house to take care of the dogs and get the house ready to sell, our friend Cindy said she and her Boxers would move in and stay so that I could go with Al.  I do so appreciate her kindness;  I am up there to see our dogs every day, but am frantically busy here putting finishing touches on this house.  I am so ADD that I am always in a frenzy trying to find this or that in the upheaval of unpacking boxes.  I just get everything in order and one of us brings up another load of boxes.  My local friends have been so wonderful helping all they can despite their busy schedules.  

On a different note, more and more anti dog and anti breeding legislation is being introduced throughout our country.  If we do not band together and fight for the right to breed and own dogs and without so many specific breeds being banned, we must be afraid that dog breeding and maybe dog ownership will be challenged at every level.  It is the PETA goal, buried in their manifesto, to end the ownership of animals. With PETA’a organization, money, and political clout,, PETA along with the Humane Society of the United States, must be challenged as to their beliefs, practices, and actions. Please become proactive in this fight.  Keep up with what your elected officials are doing in your community and state before it is too late to fight back. 

Until next time… may God bless!

It has been brought to my attention that I have not written in over a month, but we have been so busy with trying to move and really running two households.  On top of this, I got my usual acute bronchitis and wound up in the emergency room.  Two weeks of being down really gets one behind.

Anti dog legislation is heating up in many States including Ohio.  Oklahoma has a real fight on its hands. Renee Bruns appeals for  help in defeating this legislation:

“Please help us kill this bill.  Please write, call, email the Oklahoma House
Agriculture Committee.  Help us give them the ammunition they need to kill
the bill.  Contact information and a sample letter is pasted below.  We
really need your help in this nationwide war with the Animal Rights
Activists.  We have to unite in this war.  As Peggy has so often pointed
out, they are going city by city, state by state and they are well organized
and funded.  Please also sign our petition:”
http://www.oaia.bravehost.com 

And from California:

There is an informal poll being taken about the recent LA City Council 
Spay/Neuter ordinance which was pushed by the Animal Rights people.  Please  go to
the following link and vote NO to register your disapproval.

_From  the Desk of Ed Boks: LA City Council approves Spay/Neuter  Ordinance!_
http://laanimalservices.blogspot.com/2008/02/la-city-council-passes-spayneuter.html

The following report from Peggy Mickelson:

The Los Angeles City Council passed a spay and neuter ordinance  today. The
vote was 11 to 1 in favor. It was all preordained as some of the  council
members were wearing signs that said that they support it before the
meeting started. Nothing like being impartial. The supporters had lots of people
there including the “wonderful” Bob Barker. They also had some vets in the  city’s
employ that testified that it is fine to neuter puppies at 4 months or  even
earlier and that they could be reproducing by 6 months. Have you ever had a
bitch in season by 6 months? There were quite a few people there in opposition,
but I haven’t heard if any Cavalier fanciers attended.

Folks, if we don’t get out  en masse to oppose these things,
we have no right to complain.   I try my best to post all the things you
need to know,and Susan, Maureen, Renee, and others post too…just remember…you may not be bothered if mandatory spay neuter laws pass in a place where you do not
live…but every time one of these laws is passed, it just means you are a step closer
to having the same thing pass where you live…WHEREVER that is…and don’t think it
can’t happen to you!   Some of you are young enough that if all these Animal
Rights people have their way, you will find it impossible to own an animal by the time you are retired from work.

No one can continue to ignore these laws and leave the fighting to others.
Well, maybe you can, if you don’t care if you are allowed to ever breed another litter,
or own a dog or bitch that isn’t spayed/neutered, or whether you are allowed to own a dog at all…ever.

Believe me…the goal of these fanatics is no animal ownership at all….if
it doesn’t bother you that they want the world to be vegans, maybe the thought of never having a dog or cat or bird again, or seeing a cow or horse or goat or pig, (never mind eating meat

And an update on Louisville, Kentucky:

For those of you who were wondering what is  happening in Louisville, KY, the
Louisville Kennel Club has now added  information on its website. You can
view the newly passed animal ordinance  (better, but still has
problems-although all animals entering the city for  less than 30 days are
exempt, as is state property) at the Legislative link  (bottom of left hand
menu). You can read the Motion for Summary Judgment in  our civil rights suit
at the Litigation link (bottom of left hand menu too).  The Louisville Kennel
Club’s website is:   www.louisvillekenneClub’s

The list of communities, cities, states considering anti breeding legislation and/or threatening dog ownership is growing.  Please help us defeat these bills.  Ohio still has Senate Bill 173 and HB 223 in process.  I have been involved in forming the Ohio Federation of Dog Clubs which hopefully can unite us in the fight against the formation of a kennel authority to oversee breeding in our state. 

Make sure you check out what is going on in your community.

On another note, Rattlebridge Breath of Dawn is getting ready to have her first litter.  The sire will be our Ch. Rattlebridge Code Red.  This will be the last litter born at our present home, the wonderful Rattlebridge Farm. We expect all rubies.  I hope to keep a couple as my beloved Wendy, Ch. Rattlebridge Dutch Treat, the only wholecolor ROM in this country to my knowledge, is aging so I am keeping grandchildren and of course our wonderful Code Red (Dew), her son.I am very nostalgic about the great dogs that we have produced over the years here.  I have such mixed feelings about leaving, but know that at this time in our lives, especially in Al’s as we deal with his form of liver cancer and the continued radiation for his skin cancer which is not easily going into remission. There is a line on the flyleaf of one of Albert Payson Terhune’s books about his famous Sunnybank collies:  “the kennels of Sunnybank are empty now.”  I often think of that phrase as we have placed a few of our older dogs so they could have their own pillows on the beds of their new owners.  We have had some hard decisions to downsize, but hopefully we will be successful in continuing our breeding program on a smaller scale for now. We certainly will continue to welcome visitors at our new Rattlebridge.

All of us at Rattlebridge wish you a very Happy New Year!  This is an election year and change may be in our future.  We have so many issues to work on in our country that sometimes it might seem hopeless to tackle them all; but there is always hope that our country can pull together and address the critical problems that face us as a nation and put the welfare of our country and its citizens before the welfare of the corporate world and our elected politicians.  One can always hope . . . 

The Ohio State vs LSU football game is on tonight.  I have always disliked sports, except for horses and dog showing;  I became an elementary school principal instead of a secondary principal because middle and high school principals must attend a myriad of sports activities;  I wanted no part of Friday Night Lights!!!  However, I am now a big convert to Ohio State football and especially Jim Tressel, our awesome coach.  I still do not understand football, but I am fast becoming an OSU zealot!!!!!

For anyone interested, we have a couple of darling ruby puppies for sale–puppies I normally would have kept, but with moving, it is impossible for us to keep all the puppies that we feel may be for the show ring.  So we have decided to offer them as pets.  We closed on our new house next week.  We have become good friends with the former owners who are trying to help us prepare the new house while they are still in possession. Cavalier yards must be created; fencing must go up, and of course the house must be readied for the onslaught of the patter of multiple feet.  We all will adjust.  Al and I are truly in love with our new home and can’t wait to move in, although he is quite pleased that he will be in residence before I as I stay here to raise puppies and prepare our house for sale.  I do get a break in January as I go to Charleston, S.C. to judge.  I am taking an extra day there to enjoy the warmth I hope as we are having a taste of real winter here–snow and all.  We are in no ways as badly hit as the east coast, but we do have quite a bit of snow on the ground. 

I just got back from Christmas Mass.  The school children performed a Christmas pageant which was darling.  In all of our planning and activities for Christmas, let us not forget the reason for Christmas and celebrate the coming of Jesus as a humble infant who grew up to become our Savour. His act of sacrifice which is represented in the Mass brought Salvation to what was a very troubled world then which continues into the present time.  You can tell this Irish Catholic gets very sentimental at Christmas. May you have a wonderful Christmas.  May all of our Jewish friends celebrate a wonderful Hanukkah also! 

Thank you to my dear friend Roxy Hayes for doing the above montage of many of our Rattlebridge Cavaliers. Some of the dogs are gone now, but memories are sweet as they live in our hearts forever.

We have wonderful news!  We have found the house of our dreams and will take possession the end of January.  We are so very excited as are our Cavaliers.  We are moving back to the woods which Meredith has always missed.  Our present home, the wonderful Rattlebridge farm, was bought mostly for the dogs; the new house is for us, less acreage, wonderful floor plan to serve our needs as we get older; plenty of  room to raise puppies and closer to everything! Al will move first and I will stay here  going back and forth for a few months so I can raise puppies, get the house ready to sell, and decide what to do with our horses—probably board at least one of them. It is time for new adventures and Al and I are ready.  We will offer our  place to dog fanciers first and then list it on the market; the market is down right now, but the way all of this happened when we were not even looking for a house, we feel it was all in God’s plan.  Picture of new house and address below.  Email and Meredith’s cell phone stay the same 419 560 1548.  Merry Christmas to you all!

Our friend Roxy Hayes of AARH website design is now working with a company that will put logos or pictures on great items such as caps, baby clothes, mugs, buttons, license plate holders, sweatshirts, tee shirts, and more. Right now you can buy Rattlebridge items with our dogs on them so you can show that you are part of our extended family if you have Rattlebridge dogs.  You can also design your own!!!  Please check out the site!!!! No profit goes to us! Roxy now has a partnership with the company that makes the items; she does the design.  She will also do websites as she did our beautiful one.  Roxy has been one of my very best friends for all of my Cavalier mania; her Kelsey, still going strong at over fifteen years, is from our first litter.  I want to support Roxy for all she has done for the breed.  You will have to copy and paste the following URL: 

www.cafepress.com/cavalierclub/4280414

I am so excited to buy a few of these items for my partners in Cavaliers for Christmas.  More pictures of Rattlebridge dogs follow:

I have been really, really busy since my last post.  I keep meaning to write every day, but always seem to be become involved in so many things.  I barely get email done.  I do have puppies available, mostly really pretty rubies who will go to pet homes once decisions about selecting show dogs is done.  Both litters are from our wonderful Ch. Rattlebridge Code Red. 

I am very involved in the pending legislation in Ohio.  Beside SB 173/HB 223, we also have SB 71 concerning the legitimate breeders.  This Bill would allow dogs living in abusive situations, such as dog fighting kennels, to be confiscated by law officials without due process being observed.  No one wants to see dogs living in abuse or neglect, but the worry is that owners’ individual rights may be at stake.  Walt Bebout, Director of Legislation, at AKC gave a very informative talk this past Saturday during the Lima Kennel Club show in Columbus.  We are forming an Ohio Federation of Dog Clubs to get clubs in Ohio to band together for political strength as we fight legislation which would seriously affect us legitimate show breeders who try our best to do right by the dogs we breed and own.  We have formed a steering committee to form the Federation.  I do hope we have enough club involvement to make the Federation go. 

This past weekend was the fall cluster of Columbus, Ohio shows.   I judged on Friday: Dobermans, Mastiffs, Rottweilers, Samoyeds, Portuguese Water Dogs.  I had a full day’s work and enjoyed every minute of it.  I cannot take as many judging assignments as in the past because of Al’s need to have me home, but I do so like to judge.  I saw some very good dogs.  My wonderful friend and co owner, Margaret Valentine, flew up from Texas to spend five days.  As always when together, we had a great time watching the show the days that I did not judge and operating as the fashion police, very quietly and respectfully  of course.  We also had the chance to spend time with our great friend and co owner Sherri Meyer and her daughter Nicole Newkirk.  Sherri and Nicole finished the championship of their black Italian Greyhound “Walker,”  a really lovely IG.  Margaret and Sherri co owned our last two Best in Show  and number one Cavaliers with me.  Margaret is the co breeder and co owner of Ch. Rattlebridge From Dusk ‘Til Dawn and his sisters except for Ch.  Delta Dawn who is co owned with Sherri Meyer. 

Meanwhile back at the farm, we have recently housed a few Humane Society dogs in the back kennel.  We also have a young and very pretty stud pony that was picked up running the roads of our county.  One of our mares is totally in love and in flaming heat with this pony and cannot understand why we will not let her have access to her boyfriend.  We want no unplanned breedings here!  We are running a “found pony” ad with absolutely no calls to claim him.  How can someone not notice the loss of a pony?!!He is not staying as cute as he is.  I am presently doing all the horse chores since Al has had his shoulder surgery and another equine body is one too many. We need homes for the Humane Society dogs and the pony. I do hope they all can find wonderful forever homes.  We have our own rescue dog and there is no more room in our house since the Cavaliers are still hanging from the chandeliers!  Want a beagle mix or two, we have it.  Want a border collie mix, we have it.  We have designer dogs whom no one created on purpose, but I believe that all of these dogs deserve the same wonderful homes as my Cavaliers get.  I am on the Humane Society of Morrow County Board and am the public relations director.  The Humane Society takes many hours of time from the whole board.  We do not have a shelter and do not have the money to fund a shelter in the near future.  We depend on foster homes which have been very scarce lately, hence the gang of dogs in our back kennel.  Working for the Humane Society is hard as it is difficult to see so many animals in trouble. If you wish to help animals, volunteer at your local humane society.

One of the very odd things happening in shelters around the country is the importation of puppies from other countries.  Our country is really making a effort to spay and neuter actually reducing the number of animals in shelters in different parts of the country.  So now certain shelters, which depend on adoption fees, are actually bringing in puppies and dogs, sometimes from other countries, to make available for adoption.  Our humane society has a voucher program to help people neuter their cats and dogs and we do not make any animal available for adoption which has not been spayed or neutered.

My Clooney is back from Canada and on my lap once more.  I keep being asked if we are going to send him out to be shown to be ranked in this country, but I do not think that I can bear to have him gone from me.  He is the best little companion.  His sister Delta Dawn is back home from Sherri Meyer to be bred. She is so beautiful.  I am so excited to do this breeding with Sherri. 

Some of these photos may be duplicates to others posted.  I am trying to use all the photos that I think I have not posted in this new format of the blog.  Keep sending those photos of my babies!!!

Again, almost a month has gone by since I last posted. Our Clooney, Ch. and Ch. From Dusk ‘Til Dawn, won the Canadian National and the regional the next day. The National judge was Jenny McAlpine from England; the Regional was judged by Karen Heron-Mills from the States. Thank you so much to both of these ladies. 

The legislation HB 223 and Senate Bill 223 have been introduced in Ohio; a few of us have been working hard to change some of the language in the bill and have been successful in working with the legislators.  The bill calls for the creation of a State Kennel Authority to investigate any breeders who have nine or more dogs or bitches each producing a litter in the previous calendar year.  This bill was crafted to monitor the large volume breeders who keep and breed dogs in deplorable conditions; however, this bill will very much affect reputable and responsible breeders by kennel licensing fees, inspections by State inspections to ensure proper care and conditions for dogs.  We are in the midst of hearings; we shall see what develops.

Al will have rotator cuff surgery on October 22.  We are not looking forward to his recovery period.  I am off to buy a recliner as his doctor told me that he really will not be able to lie down for quite awhile.  We have four matching wing chairs in our living room; I ordered them twenty five years ago and Al has hated having four of them for that long of a time.  I love them; they are still in excellent condition despite a few puppy nips here and there which do not show.  Since I have such short legs, these are the only chairs in the house where my feet actually hit the floor.  They are the most comfortable chairs for me.  With the addition of a recliner for Al, the set of four will have to be broken and Al is just delighted that one of the wing chairs will have to go elsewhere (where who knows as every room in this house is jammed full). So any visitors be forewarned, my lovely living room furniture arrangement will no longer be symmetrical!!  I love symmetry! 

I have been very busy working with the Humane Society of Morrow County.  We are trying to buy property to some day build a shelter.  We have so many abused and abandoned dogs in this county.  We presently have a whole litter of black lab mix puppies who were just dumped in the middle of the road of one of our county roads.  If any of you would be interested in giving a needy puppy a home, please email me.  My black lab mix Snoop came to us to spend a few days until I could find him a home; that was seven years ago so he found a home.  He has been the best dog!  He is my constant shadow and is very protective of our home and the Cavaliers, yet is so friendly and loving.  If any of you would like to help the Humane Society of Morrow County realize its dream of a shelter for our abused and abandoned dogs, we would welcome any donations.  Shameless plug over! 

Please pray for me to have patience with Al after his surgery as I have an idea he will take grouchy to a higher level.

Until next time, Meredith

Well, my darling husband who was all set to move, has decided not to move–this is after I started the huge task of sorting through every hidden hoard of “STUFF” in the house. The property we wanted to buy that started all this moving business turned out to have serious flaws and we simply cannot find anyplace nicer than our place despite the work of this property. Al is now facing a couple of possible surgeries and now is not the time to take on the physical tasks that come with moving. I do not know how we will ever tackle cleaning out all Al’s stash of baling wire, string, tools, nuts, bolts, pieces of lumber he might just need “someday,” farm equipment, the hay elevator (which I bought for him for his birthday we first moved here–how romantic but you should see what he buys for me! This year I got a Mantis rototiller!); fencing; fence posts, lawn equipment; old lawn chairs that he might need someday–the list could go on. Al says not to worry, he will “take care of it.” Yeah, right! Men say that women are pack rats, but at least what we keep makes some sense. I have gone through years of dog magazines; clothes from my skinny days, to my really heavy days, back to halfway skinny days, back up rotund days, and now wherever the hell I am size wise;old books; notes from high school classes; old term papers; years of dog pictures of assorted breeds, furniture that just may have a spot someday; piles of clutter and more clutter. If I cannot fill up every horizontal surface of the house, I do not seem to be content. I am making a real effort to declutter, but not being as successful as I would like I am afraid. Still, in case we ever do move, I will be prepared . . . HAH!

Dog wise, we are raising a couple of lovely litters and may let a couple of puppies go to show homes as we are serious about not showing dogs. I am looking at a couple of really super looking puppies and when I feel myself weakening, I just remind myself that the last thing that we need right now is the effort it takes to show dogs at the level we have shown. We have just let a few puppies go on our regular spay/neuter contracts to spectacular pet homes in Florida, Oklahoma, and Ohio over the last month or so and gritted our teeth as we kissed the puppies goodbye as they were really nice show prospects that we would have liked to evaluate longer. One of them went to our friends Melissa and Marshall Gimple who just lost their Bounce son at over fourteen. So now they have a ruby Bounce son in their home to be company to their ruby girl “Tessa” who they got from us several years ago.

We have never sold many show dogs as we keenly feel the responsibility of protecting this breed and have been control freaks about where our dogs go. Sadly I have made grave mistakes in judgment in choosing a few show homes; even on co ownerships one cannot control what others do once a dog leaves one’s property. One can hear horror stories in all breeds about co ownerships and selling show dogs; sadly many of the stories are true. I have also been so lucky in continuing to co own dogs with Margaret Valentine and Sherri Meyer who have become very close friends and great partners. Cindy Chandler and Jeff and Tami Byroads have also been wonderful to work with our dogs in continued co ownership and friendship. There are a few people out there whom we consider totally trustworthy enough and we look forward to perhaps seeing a few Rattlebridge dogs continue to be shown in their hands. Of course the puppies we are looking at for show prospects may not turn out to be show dogs and we may then be looking for wonderful pet homes for them.

I am now deep into working on HB 223/SB 173 which is being proposed in both houses; termed the “puppy mill” bill, this bill has real ramifications for legitimate show breeders. My friend, Bobbi Brady, AKC delegate from the Central Ohio Kennel Club, and I have succeeded in meeting with two Ohio Senators, including the sponsor of the bill. We will meet next week with the sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives. Walt Bebout, director of legislation for the AKC has been most helpful to us. So far our legislators are at least willing to listen to our concerns. The wave of anti dog and anti breeding legislation throughout our country is very scary. The so called animal activists are well organized and well financed; our ability to own pets is being challenged as if one reads the fine print in Peta’s manifesto one would see that Peta is against any ownership of animals.

Enough for tonight. Thank you to my friend and webmaster, Roxy Hayes, for continuing to monitor our website and news items.