Follow-up Letter To Legislators Opposing Python Ban

The other day I wrote my legislators about SOPA and PIPA, and tonight I sent a letter to President Obama and my Representative and Senators and signed a petition to oppose the Python ban. This is my letter;

January 21, 2012

Dear President Obama:

Dear Representative Johnson:

Dear Senator Chambliss:

Dear Senator Isakson:

I am an animal lover and it has long been a dream of mine since I was a child to have pet snakes. Finally after doing alot of reading up and talking to experts I am ready to realize that dream and now I find out that it may just be a matter of time before I lose that opportunity because several of the constrictors are being legislated against, and I hear that still others (including the one I want) are on the chopping block yet to come.

The reptile industry is a needed American Industry for which there is a huge market. It has developed and grown exponentially over the past two decades and most breeders promote responsible pet ownership through public education and one-on-one support. There are many working in that field who depend on it to feed their families. Restricting interstate stransport of their "product" will only result in putting these people out of business and placing them in debt as well as ultimately adding to the National debt.

The reptile industry creates jobs and employs and provides the necessary income to many people by serving people like me, and it contributes to our national economy, important functions which are about to be put in jeopardy. I want you to be aware of the potential impact this bad precedent will have because it strikes at the ability of Americans to maintain their jobs, family life, and this industry's contributions to our American education, enjoyment, and work ethic.

I suspect you have been approached by special interest groups that would like to end animal ownership and kill the industry that supports it by pushing enactment of the Constrictor Rule as proposed by US Fish & Wildlife Service. This rule making has failed at every turn to make the case that 9 constricting snakes should be added to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act. The science is questionable and Fish & Wildlife has failed to do a cost benefit analysis. The rule has been pushed along by mid level bureaucrats with no regard for information quality or due process. If enacted this rule would put more than 1 million Americans in jeopardy of becoming Lacey Act felons.

The Constrictor Rule, if passed will be the beginning of the end of such industry. This rule will not solve the problem that is its purported purpose (protecting the Everglades from Invasive snakes). It will hurt American business and my family. The alleged science being used to justify the rule has been called out as biased and fatally flawed by scientists from around the country, including; University of Florida, Texas A&M and the National Geographic Society. The rule was so poorly constructed that it was recently the subject of a hearing conducted by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee examining this rule as an extreme example of government overreach negatively impacting a $1.4 billion cottage industry.

It looks very suspicious that the rule says it prohibits importing but not exporting. That tells me what's really behind it is more about the fear of breeders outsourcing to obtain their breeding stock thus sending American money overseas to the snakes' countries of origin. The initiators of this rule clearly have a hidden agenda. Any such fear is an overreaction because enough of these snakes exist in the US for breeders to obtain them from other breeders here (if allowed to ship across state lines), but such a rule would make doing so difficult if not impossible. In addition, people wanting a pet snake may not be able to obtain them in our own state, so would be unable to get one. I live in Georgia and do not know of any local snake breeders, for instance.

You yourself own a pet and I'm sure you believe vehemently in your right to keep it, so I hope you will instantly identify with my position. In these uncertain times pets of many kinds bring many of us comfort when little else does. Please make certain that I and millions of Americans can get back to work free from fear of the consequences of the Constrictor Rule.

I know that you will want to do the right thing not wasting government time and money on unecessary new laws that only restrict Americans' persuit of happiness so that our government can attend to more pressing national and international matters.

President Obama please ask the Office of Management & Budget to reverse this rule due to the failure of Fish & Wildlife to adhere to mandated guidelines and procedures required for a rule making. Policy should be based on facts and science, not opinion or partiality. This rule is in violation of at least three of your own executive orders. It is inappropriate on many levels and if passed it will reflect badly on you and your administration. Hold the writers of the rule to their stated agenda of sound science and be the voice of fairness and reason. Please stand up and refuse to let such bad decision-making stand.

The Constrictor Rule is a prejudicial, economically damaging, and ineffective. It is very similar to the bans proposed by certain states and other municipalities targeting Pit Bulls "breed-specific legislation".

This is not the way to solve the problem in the Everglades. Thousands of innocent snakes and those who keep them should not be penalized for a few errant ones that are on the loose.

Instead of making this a Federal rule/law this should be treated as a Florida problem and remedies designed only for those particular problem animals such as spaying and neutering those feral snakes to prevent their reproduction/any risk of overpopulation. This should not involve restricting the whole country from breeding, shipping, or owning these species as pets.

In addition, all stakeholders should be included in designing the solution to the problem in the Everglades; not just those who drafted this legislation. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,


Pippit Carlington

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If you are an animal lover please let your voice be heard, sign the petition, and send a letter of your own by clicking on the badge in the sidebar of this blog. That will take you directly to the site through which you can contact your political officials.

You can also sign this Whitehouse petition;

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/overturn-python-ban/4wGFbc4Y

 25,000 signatures are needed by February 17th  in order to get the job done!

Carmella Sees The Orthopedist

This morning we headed to Northlake Veterinary Surgery to find out the extent of the damage to Carmella's ligament and get her set up for a custom brace.

The office was not far from my house, set off the street in an unassuming little building surrounded by a small strip of land containing ornamental grass like that outside of GA. Veterinary Specialists. Sitting just outside Stone Mountain nobody would know from looking at the outside that this small clinic housed state-of-the-art facilities and dealt in high-dollar treatment for canine and feline orthopedic disorders.

Only when you entered did you find out that many rescue organizations brought their dogs here; dogs with broken legs needing repair, dogs with hip displaysia, and dogs with a whole variety of joint and ligament problems, many of whom had been down on their luck until finding that right person willing to go to the mat for them.

A large black Newfoundland limped with his owner to the car, back leg and side shaved.

As we waited in the waitingroom a red Doberman came out with an elderly woman. "What a beautiful dog" I commented.

The woman regarded me with amusement and with a tight-lipped smile said, "An expensive dog!" Sure, it was pure-bred, and most likely show quality but that wasn't what she meant.

Carmella pulled heavily on her leash and whined in anticipation of meeting new people, new dogs, and new experiences. She looks at the world with curiosity and wonder much as a young child does on vacation.

The receptionist asked me to fill out another new patient form because the online system had failed and they'd lost data for the past week. My friend and I talked to each other and some of the women in the waitingroom.

A few dogs came and went and then a vet tech called Carmella back to one of the inner examining rooms.

I noticed that the room contained two small rugs; one on the table and the other on the floor below. Carmella nosed around sniffing and listening at the door to the people and dogs who had come in the front entrance, then plopped down on the small swatch of carpet in front of the chair I was sitting in. She got up and lay down several times, bounced on her leg trying to propel herself forward with exuberance toward the sounds she heard coming from the next room.

In walked a tall, thin young man with dark brown curly hair and a scruffy beard who looked more like a stoner than someone you'd expect to find in an animal hospital. He wore blue scrubs and seemed a little disheveled. He came around the metal examining table with outstretched hand smiling broudly.

"Miss Carlington?" he said in a falsetto voice. "I'm Dr. Corse". Shaking my hand, he then looked at Carmella who had already started to jump up on him. "She's not shy" he laughed, taking hold of her on the head with both hands and looking her in the eye. Carmella licked him and wagged her tail.

"This dog has a very interesting history" he went on. "Dr. Muller told me, and I don't think I've ever really seen a case like hers with myoclonus and a carpal ligament injury. Whether or not the two are related is hard to know for sure but we can do both a neuro exam and an orthopedic exam to see how much of this is related to possible nerve damage and how much related to the ligament, how much might be arthritis-related with one of the joints in the wrist." He went on to explain that in some cases the central nerve can be affected and cause lameness and sometimes it is intact and not a contributing factor.

We discussed the options of surgery, a brace, and stem cell transplant, and I was glad that he was not averse to the idea of stem cell transplant although he said that not alot of research has been done on its use on this type of ligament. He had heard about that German Shepherd with Hip Dysplasia on TV lately who had a successful outcome treated by Dr. Hines in Alpharetta. I told him I would rather work towards regeneration of the ligament than destruction of bone which would forever and irreversibly change her range of motion. I couldn't bring myself to go that route. Something about it is repugnant to me. He said with the brace there was no rush to do surgery, but that he didn't think it would heal from the amount of scar tissue which might develop over time and her leg would probably do the same flimsiness once it was removed after any length of time.

In any case stem cell transplant might or might not work, but it sure couldn't do any harm. I'd heard the same thing about the CSF procedure from Dr. Muller, and it ended up working to cure the distemper, so I thought, this kind of statement is a good sign. Maybe the two are cut from the same cloth.

He examined Carmella's response to pinching the top of her foot and leg, and tapped on her tricep. He noted that the main nerve was intact but that there could be some problem in smaller surrounding nerves although it was impossible to know for sure because of the jerking that might be disrupting her reflexes.

Then he walked her around and felt all her joints, commented on what good overall physical condition she was in.

I told him that I had read up on the brace and that would give me time to look further into the stem cell transplant and exactly which technique might help heal both of her current problems in the leg, while preventing any further deterioration. He seemed to think that was a good plan, and said he could take some X-rays to see what small parts of the wrist might be affected so that the right brace could be built for her. They would put her under "light sedation" and then move her leg to see how far it hyperextends on X-ray. I asked whether there was any risk of making the injury worse, and he said that the pressure applied for that was less than the pressure she applied standing on it.

He said that they could do that and make the mold today and that it would all take about 2 hours or so.

They said they'd call me when she was all done and then my friend and I left to kill some time at my house. Carmella was finished around 3:00 and we headed back to pick her up. She was a little calmer than usual but not extremely sedated.

The vet filled out some forms, and I filled out some forms related to the brace, the vet tech told me it would be delivered to me in about two weeks and then the receptionist checked me out. The bill just about knocked me out and I asked her to give me as much time on my Care Credit as humanly possible because I'm going to need it! I pulled out a few of my business cards and asked her to spread the word to all the staff that I make jewelry and that these sales will help pay off Carmella's veterinary expenses. She nodded and took them.

Carmella had a lttle bit of diarrhea in the pinestraw outside but other than that did not to seem to have any side-effects.

We headed home and I gave her dinner, then finished a small bowl of pasta myself.

I listed a few things in my supply shop while Carmella took a nap. Then I took some cute pictures of her when she woke up stretched and moved around a bit in the kitchen.

I want to thank all those who have donated recently! Your contributions are much appreciated! To those who are reading and would still like to help Carmella, keep it coming;

* Purchase an ad on my blog in the "Top Spots"
* Buy Jewelry from http://giftbearer.etsy.com/
* Purchase Supplies from http://giftbearer.etsy.com/
* Use the Please Donate to Carmella Button in my sidebar for whatever amount you can afford.

Every reader who helps Carmella in any of these ways will be an important part of the solution and will bring us a little closer to our goal of $6,000.

In today's economy medical expenses can be almost as devastating as the health problems they come from, not only in human health but for pets as well. These animals rely on us to be their protectors, and as any animal-lover can attest, they give back so much more!

Step by step we are returning Carmella, this incredibly special dog, to full health.

With Love and Action All Things Are Possible!

What Carmella Got For Christmas

Boy what a lucky dog! This year Carmella got just about everything she wanted; a stuffed squeeky squirrel, a big giant marinated ham bone, and a bone from a T-bone steak with all kinds of meat left on it.

If you've checked the Carmella-cam today then you've probably seen what she got for Christmas, but if not, here are some adorable pictures of her enjoying her presents!

Her jaws are likely to be tired tomorrow from all that chewing!

http://Giftbearer.etsy.com/

Carmella - My Rescued Shelter Dog

I missed the shelter dog I was waiting for originally that was part greyhound, but got another one last Saturday (July 5th, 2008). I named her Carmella and she is the sweetest little 3 month old puppy you could ever find. She looks like a Dingo with reddish brown fur and distinctive-looking eyes that are almost cat-like in their shape, big ears that stand up and fold slightly to the side, and a light chocolate mask around her nose and chin. Carmella likes to climb into my lap and sit with me while I type on the computer, and already barks at the door when someone comes to it. She's pretty close to being housebroken and is very smart.

The day I picked her out (the previous Wednesday) she seemed fine, but when I came to pick her up just a few days later she had developed some sort of illness. (In retrospect it appeared that one of the shelter employees was unusually elated, thanking me profusely when I told him I was coming back to take her home. Although it seemed a little extreme I thought nothing of it at the time. I just figured he loved animals and that maybe she was his favorite, but now I can't help but wonder whether she was slated for the "gas chamber" and was saved by the bell).

Looking back I remember that I had to ask for each piece of her records one by one and they did not seem sure of what their vet had done or not done, on what date. Some things were not actually documented until the day I brought her home.

The shelter sent her home with some antibiotics, telling me it's kennel cough and nothing serious, but after one week she did not get any better, so I took her to the vet this morning and they say there's a 50/50 chance she will pull through, as she is sicker than the shelter staff led me to believe. It looks as though I am going to be paying off this bill for a long time, but I couldn't see putting her to sleep just to save myself the debt.

Right now she is in intensive care at the vet for several days because she won't eat and needs 'round the clock veterinary care. They're in the process of doing some tests to determine exactly what's wrong, do chest X-rays, give her an IV and get some nutrition into her to help her fight off the infection.

I believe there was a reason why I rescued her in particular and a purpose in her coming into my life, and that she is meant to survive and have many happy and healthy years ahead.

We must all do what we can to protect the innocents of the world; not merely wish good luck but to BE good luck.

For those of you who are interested I will post a picture of her here on my blogspot blog once she's out of the woods. (I felt taking a picture of her in her current state may jinx her recovery, so I decided to wait).

If you see anything in my Etsy shop you think you can use or give as a gift to someone in your life, your purchase at this time is much appreciated, so that I can give this puppy all the help she needs to get back on her feet. http://Giftbearer.etsy.com

Thanks for caring!

Sincerely,

Pippit