Fetch the Paper: Digital Dog Edition

Wine Country Weekend

Forget Napa. This weekend, anyway.

Two of my very favorite dog scenes are happening this weekend in Sonoma County's bucolic (isn't that an odd word?) Wine Country. And the weather promises to be perfectly restrained (read: not too hot) for hopping into the car with Fido and Fluffy, enjoying a scenic ride up the valley or coast, with a final destination at Mutt Lynch and/or Trentadue wineries.

Mutt Lynch Winery only opens its doors to the public once a year, and that's for its Dog Days weekend. Just a short hop outside Healdsburg in Alexander Valley, the winery overlooks the acres of lush vines that cover the valley floor. You can taste to your heart's delight with your (leashed) dog at your side.

If you haven't already had some eats at a Healdsburg sidewalk cafe, get a hot dog and chips to munch while you sip, and then stroll the local art (much of it dog-themed) and information booths. Brenda and Chris Lynch have been doing this event for at least 4 years now, and they donate a portion of the proceeds to the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. I like it because we always see a lot of great dogs and people, and everyone's so relaxed. Be sure to say Hi - I will be the FETCH The Paper booth.

Just a few miles further north between Healdsburg and Geyserville, Trentadue Winery is also having its Dog Days celebration. On Sunday, this winery will have several indoor and outdoor areas with lots of shade devoted to dogs. There will be games, vendor booths, training tips, and, of course, sipping of wine by humans. This event also gives proceeds to the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. Daniel from FETCH will be at Trentadue, too.

De-tails
MuttL ynch Dog Days: Saturday & Sunday August 9 & 10, 11am-5pm. Admission free. Dogs on leash welcome. Tasting fee donations benefit Healdsburg Animal Shelter. 1960 Dry Creek Rd, Healdsburg
www.muttlynchwinery.com
info@muttlynchwinery.com

Trentadue Winery Dog Days: Sunday August 10, 12-4pm. People $5 each, dogs $5 each, on leash.
19170 Geyserville Ave, Geyserville
www.trentadue.com

Noe Valley DPA opens

Good news for San Fran dogs and the people who love them: the dog park at the Noe Valley Rec Center is finally re-opened. You can thank Supervisor Bevan Dufty for this -- the DPA (dog play area) was slated to open in August with the rest of the recently renovated space, but Dufty pushed for a faster open. (I mean -- it's August now, obviously, but the run opened about a week ago.)

Then again, Dufty is also the Supe who wrote the SF ordinance requiring that all pit bulls be neutered. Hero of the hour or enemy of the dog state? I'm going to throw my hat in the ring for "neither, just a politician trying to do his job," but I'm open to other interpretations.

Pogo, R.I.P.

When I first heard about the death of young Pogo, the pit bull foster puppy who was found stabbed this week seven days after he disappeared while exercising off-leash at Ocean Beach, I was snapped into despair and frustration. With so much good being done for animals in our community, with dozens of groups and thousands of volunteers rescuing and caring for the homeless and sick, it's always shocking to hear a story like this.

Pogo died when he was still a puppy, about 7 months old. He was in a foster home under the auspices of Grateful Dogs Rescue, one of San Francisco's most active rescue groups, and one dear to my own heart. My own Wylie  was rescued by Grateful dogs at age 10, and fostered by them for a year until we adopted him. Until Grateful Dogs took him in, he was slated for euthanasia because of his age and arthritis.

But Pogo's story has a special twist. Pogo came to San Francisco Animal Care & Control with a genetic defect that required the amputation of one hind leg. Now with two barriers to quick adoption - his breed and being a tripod - Pogo was taken in by Grateful Dogs, who raised the funds for his surgery and would train, socialize and care for him until he was ready for adoption. San Francisco Veterinary Specialists generously donated part of the cost of his surgery. Pogo was now set for success.

All that changed in the circumstance of a moment. While out on Ocean Beach near Sunset on July 22, Pogo disappeared behind a sand dune. Seven days later, his body, brutally stabbed to death, was found, dumped in an unincorporated area of Bayview.

SF ACC is asking anyone  with  information  about Pogo's death – or who knows anything about Pogo being taken from Ocean  Beach - to call Animal Care & Control at (415) 554-9400. A $2000 reward  for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator has been established by Grateful Dogs Rescue and The Friends of SF Animal Care & Control. To contribute to the reward fund, please contact Animal Care & Control at (415) 554-9412.

Yes, I am mourning Pogo. And my heart goes out to the wonderful folks at Grateful Dogs, who have rescued, healed, fostered, trained, and re-homed thousands of dogs taken from the streets of San Francisco or who, like my Wylie, were surrendered by owners when they became old, sick, or inconvenient.

Even if you can't help solve this horrible crime, please do anything you can to support the efforts of groups like Grateful Dogs.

Ugh

This story, about a man mistreating 38 dogs in Colorado, will turn your stomach. I'm posting the link because the man was reportedly selling his dogs to people in the Bay Area as purebreds. I want to remind everyone that if you're going to buy a dog from a breeder, really look into the breeder's background. Visit the dogs, see the breeder's premises, and do your homework. And remember that if you're just looking for a dog to love you unconditionally, shelter dogs do the job just as well as purebreds.

Our shelter dog, Molly, doesn't need a pedigree to be cute.

Off-leash Advocacy Alert

This off leash action alert requesting IMMEDIATE action just in from Sally Stephens, Chair of SF Dog:

Last week I sent out an email about a bill introduced by Nancy Pelosi, HR 6305, that includes a section that would change the name of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to the Golden Gate National Parks. While this seems like an innocuous cosmetic change, the implications for recreation in the GGNRA -- including off-leash recreation -- are disturbing:

1. The legislation that created the GGNRA states that the GGNRA was created to: "provide for the maintenance of needed recreational open space necessary for urban environment and planning." Recreation, including off-leash dog walking, was the primary reason the GGNRA was created.
2. For years, GGNRA staff have been citing the fact that the GGNRA is a national park as the reason they have to restrict off-leash recreation. They say that the primary reason national parks exist is to preserve and restore habitat, and that recreation interferes with that mandate.
3. The US Code says that national parks have to be governed uniformly (with an emphasis on scenery and habitat). But it also says (16, U.S.C. Section 1a-1) that: "the protection, management, and administration of these areas ... shall not be exercised in derogation of the values and purposes for which these various areas have been established, except as may have been or shall be directly and specifically provided by Congress."
4. Even if Congress doesn't intend it, this bill will be cited by those opposed to off-leash and all other forms of recreation as evidence that Congress wants to overturn the recreation mandate contained in the legislation that created the GGNRA. This name change will be cited as proof Congress wants the GGNRA managed to restore habitat, not to maintain needed recreational open space.
5. This is not just about dogs. All current, non-hiking recreational users of the GGNRA are at risk with this bill. Equestrians, surfers, windsurfers, mountain bikers -- all could be banned from GGNRA trails if this name change goes through. Look at Yosemite's park rules -- no bikes or trails, no dogs on trails.
6. This name change will be used to push all recreational users -- including people with dogs -- out of the GGNRA.

Several representatives of dog groups met with Pelosi's staff last Friday morning. We were assured this bill would not be heard in the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands tomorrow (Tues 7/15) as had originally been planned. I have just learned that information was not correct. This bill will in fact be heard by the Subcommittee tomorrow (Tues, 7/15) and will be passed on to the full House Committee on Natural Resources for action the next day (Wed 7/16). The claim is that nothing will really be happening with the bill until September, and that Pelosi's office knows that they have to make some changes to the language of the bill (not just the name change section, but other sections too) and so we all shouldn't be too worried at this point. Don't believe it.

If this bill, H.R. 6305 is passed by the Subcommittee tomorrow, there's no guarantee it won't continue to sail through.

Please email, fax or call Pelosi's office, as well as the Subcommittee members BEFORE 10 am EDT tomorrow (July 15) and demand they remove Section 2 from H.R. 6305.

Ask them to delay any action on the bill until the problems with it can be addressed.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
sf.nancy@mail.house.gov
San Francisco office: (415) 556-4862 phone, (415) 861-1670
Washington DC office: (202) 225-4965 phone, (202) 225-4188

Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands:
(202) 226-7736 phone, (202) 226-2301 fax
Raul Grijalva (D, Ariz), Chairman
Rob Bishop, (R, Utah), ranking Republican

Committee on Natural Resources:
(202) 225-6065 phone. (202) 225-1931 fax
Nick Rahall II (D, West Virginia), Chairman
Don Young (R, Alaska), ranking Republican

Also contact your San Francisco Supervisor:
http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=7271
and Mayor Newsom:
gavin.newsom@sfgov.org
(415) 554-6141 phone, (415) 554-6160 fax
and let them know this bill is unacceptable and will have a negative impact on San Franciscans quality of life and recreational opportunities.

"Fragrant meat" gets kicked off the menu

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that dog will be nowhere on the menu during the upcoming Olympics in Beijing. Specifically, it's being removed from "official" Olympic restaurants, and other restaurants are instructed to discourage people from ordering it. In fact, Beijing seems to be instituting a lot of cosmetic changes for the games: everything from an anti-spitting campaign to an attempt to reduce air pollution by only allowing drivers to use cars on alternate days.

Animal activists shouldn't rejoice too quickly, though; dogs probably won't be saved from the pot for good. South Korea banned dog meat during their own turn at hosting, but the ban wasn't enforced much after the games were over.

Off Leash Updates

A couple of important items related to off-leash space came across my inbox today.

Is their vision your vision?
If you care about the off-leash use of Ocean Beach, one of SF's favorite dog socialization spots, you may want to show up at the Ocean Beach Vision Council meeting this Thursday, July 8, 6-8 PM at the Osher Great Hall at the San Francisco Zoo.

The Ocean Beach Vision Council was formed by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area officials and SF Mayor Gavin Newsom to discuss how best to improve the use of SF's Ocean Beach, a 5-mile long beach that has been in the center of some controversy around off-leash use by dogs. While some environmentalists claim that parts of Ocean Beach house vulnerable species that are threatened by the presence of dogs, many of SF's dog loving folk enjoy using Ocean Beach and tout it as a valuable exercise and socialization resource in the urban environment--something key for our city's dogs.
SF Dog Chair Sally Stephens notes that many dog advocates are concerned that the Vision Council is biased against off-leash use of Ocean Beach, citing that plans to commercially develop Ocean Beach may leave dogs and their people to find other spots for exercise.

This is an excellent opportunity to advocate for our community's dogs. Urban dogs need sufficient space and fresh air, and the unfettered socialization that off-leash recreation affords. Ocean Beach's 5 miles of shoreline can provide a very special environment for our canine friends.

What's in a name?
I also got word today from Suzanne Valenti, a representative of Ocean Beach Dog, that Nancy Pelosi has submitted Bill HR 6305 that would, among a number of other things, rename the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to "Golden Gate National Parks." If you think this is meaningless, you might want to think again.

Years ago when the people of San Francisco turned some of their key open space over to the Federal government, it was with the intention that the land continue to be used recreationally. According to the Ocean Beach Dog web site:

Off-leash advocates have been told by GGNRA staff for years that changing the name from Golden Gate National Recreation Area to Golden Gate National Parks will make it easier for them to further restrict recreation within GGNRA boundaries. There is no other reason for this name change. They want to remove recreation from the park just as they remove it from their name.

It's been no secret for the last few years that a vocal group has called for dogs to either be banned completely from certain land in the GGNRA or to be forced to return to leash-only recreation. The Ocean Beach Dog group contends that this "name change" would effectively allow the affected land to be treated more like a national park rather than the recreational treasure it has been for the many Bay Area residents who have enjoyed it with and without their dogs.

If you would like to comment on this issue:

• Contact Nancy Pelosi and demand that she remove Sec 2 from HR 6305:
  email: sf.nancy@mail.house.gov
  District Office - 450 Golden Gate Ave. - 14th Floor - San Francisco, CA 94102, (415) 556-4862
  Washington, D.C. Office - 235 Cannon HOB - Washington, DC 20515 - (202) 225-4965
• Also contact the Committee on Natural Resources to which the bill has been referred:
  1324 Longworth House Office Building
  (202) 225-6065 Fax: (202) 225-1931
  MR. NICK J. RAHALL, II, West Virginia, Chairman
  MR. DON YOUNG, Alaska, Ranking Republican Member
  and the Subcommittee on National Parks Forests and Public Lands to which it was referred on June 25:
  1333 Longworth House Office Building
  (202) 226-7736 Fax: (202) 226-2301
  Mr. Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona, Chairman
  Mr. Rob Bishop, Utah, Ranking Republican Member 

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Queen of Mean leaves billions to dog care

Hotel maven Leona Helmsley, who died last year after a life spent amassing a fortune in the hotel business, may have left somewhere between $5 and $8 billion to dogs.

Helmsley definitely left her Maltese, Trouble, a $12 million trust fund. The dog reportedly blew it all on a six-dollar box of Milkbones, barking a message that the cashier interpreted as "Keep the change."*

There's some question as to the legality of the statement Helmsley left behind instructing that these billions be used to care for needy dogs, but if it happens, it'll provide more funding for dog care than all the other animal charities in the country, combined. (Or so this article claims.) Has Helmsley, nicknamed the Queen of Mean, redeemed her reputation with one fell swoop? You decide.

*I made up the Milkbone thing. But the $12 million trust fund is true.

Thanking the Monkey

At the last minute, we just got word that Karen Dawn, animal rights activist and author of Thanking the Monkey, will have a book launch part in San Francisco on Tuesday July 1.

The event will be held at The Usual Suspects, a North Beach vegetarian restaurant located at 450 Broadway. Karen will do a reading upstairs at 7 pm, and attendees are welcome to have dinner downstairs after the reading.

Karen's trying to round up a few local "special guests" so you never know who might show!

Karen's email about the event instructs folks to go to www.thankingthemonkey.com and click "Readings" to RSVP if you plan to be there. Please spread the word and let everyone know.