March 13 is K9 Veteran's Day

So, apparently today is a Twofer Tuesday!

I just discovered on Loving for a Living that today is K9 Veteran's Day. Depending on the state, it isn't in full swing, or even fully official, but in light of my recent posts (about Sgt. Rex, and about the Canine Members of the Armed Forces Act, for those of you keeping score at home), I figured I'd at the very least mention it!

(from k9veteransday.org)

Here's a helpful link to a petition, and also suggestions for letters that you can write, to get Congress to unilaterally acknowledge a day for K9 veterans.

Also in Sgt. Rex news, Senator Schumer has a petition his web site to bring Sgt. Rex to his forever home sooner and safer: http://schumer.senate.gov/Contact/sgtrex.cfm

Sgt. Rex, petition to bring him home

Yesterday, I posted about supporting the Canine Members of the Armed Forces Act. Today, I'm posting about Sergeant Rex.

He's getting a lot of screen time. I learned about him first on Life with Arie. He's also on Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge, and Pippa Dog Blog.

(picture from petition page on change.org)

Sgt. Rex's story is one of the exact reasons I support the Canine Members of the Armed Forces Act. He's a 10 year old German Shepherd who has more than earned his retirement. He has a person, Meagan Leavey, retired marine, who's completed the paper work to adopt him, who loves him and has worked with him, and was injured with him in Iraq. My very own Senator, Charles E. Schumer, has already written a letter to Michael B. Donley, secretary of the Airforce (the Air Force is who trains Military Working Dogs, at Lackland Air Force Base), supporting Sgt. Rex's "rotation to a civilian lifestyle" (my words. I don't know what the letter said).

Edited to add: This is the petition that Senator Charles E. Schumer has on his web site: http://schumer.senate.gov/Contact/sgtrex.cfm . I'd urge signing that one specifically, as the other one (on change.org) might not have as much weight.

Here is the petition, also to be sent to Michael B. Donley, that wants Sgt. Rex to go home with Cpl. Leavey: http://www.change.org/petitions/help-sgt-rex . Please sign it, and share the information. Every dog deserves a home!

Doberman in Trouble! Help Heidi

(Note: Heidi is not my Doberman, nor do I know the family, nor do I live in Royal Oak or even Michigan. I'm just getting the word out on this scary story)

Cut and pasted from SaveHeidi.com:

"We adopted Heidi almost 4 years ago from a well-established and reputable rescue organization specializing in the Doberman breed. Like most Doberman, Heidi is a very intelligent and energetic dog. She is a loving & loyal member of our family.

In October, while out for a leashed walk to a local market, a stranger approached suddenly wanting to pet her. Startled and in her excitement, Heidi popped up at the same time that the stranger bent over to pet her. She collided with his face. He has claimed this resulted in a broken nose and reported the accident to Royal Oak Police.

Royal Oak is now prosecuting this as a dog bite/attack! The Assistant Deputy City Attorney has offered to dismiss the criminal charges only if Heidi is destroyed or removed from her loving family in Royal Oak. This is happening to our family with a 30+ year history as law abiding Royal Oak residents. Heidi has no previous incidents of aggressive behavior and is a well trained, obedient, loving success story of a Doberman rescue.

All dog owners must be aware of the risks of criminal prosecution under the antiquated Michigan statutes written in 1919 and the paranoid overreaction by local city officials who are prosecuting dog breeds, not dog attack cases.

Time is of the essence to save Heidi’s life. A final decision on Heidi’s fate will be made on February 9^th, 2012.

Please help us to save our sweet girl, Heidi by signing our petition to the City of Royal Oak."

(photo from here: http://www.saveheidi.com/index.php/photo-gallery, not owned by me, used without permission. I hope they don't mind. I'll take it down if they do.

Link to the petition:  http://www.saveheidi.com/limesurvey/index.php?sid=73841&lang=en

Note from me after the jump

Help Stop Puppy Mills!

For those of you who are stateside, there's a petition on the White House website to stop puppy mills.

To prevent the suffering of dogs and puppies in puppy mills, will the President act to close the current regulatory loophole and require large-scale, commercial breeders who sell puppies online and directly to the public to be covered by USDA’s Animal Welfare Act regulations, including minimum standards for humane care and treatment? This will help to protect consumers from unknowingly buying sick puppies from inhumane facilities and help to eliminate the horrible conditions in large-scale puppy mills.

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/crack-down-puppy-mills/B9W46NCH#thank-you=p 

You need to create an account to sign the petition, but it is literally your name, an email address, and your zip code. They then send you an email to "complete your account", and you click that link to go back to the web site, where you can then sign the petition.

The petition apparently runs 'til October 23, and the goal was 5,000 people, but the current total is 11,033 signatures. Double the hoped-for response? That seems promising.

So, sign the petition today, and perhaps it will make a difference.