New Oakland Dog Park
Downtown Oakland residents are celebrating the renovation of Jefferson Square Park at 7th and Jefferson Sts., a formerly blighted location in the shadow of the Nimitz Freeway, where a pleasant dog park now welcomes two- and four-legged visitors. The park also includes a baseball/soccer field, basketball court, and children’s playground.
As of press time, the Jefferson Square Dog Park was scheduled to be dedicated on Saturday, November 20 from 11AM to 2PM, with a community celebration featuring food and other festivities, including a dog parade.
Missouri Voters Say No To Puppy Mills
One result in the November elections should be of special interest to dog lovers. Voters in Missouri narrowly approved tough new rules for the state’s dog breeders, an important victory considering the fact that Missouri has the most licensed breeding operations (1,400) of any state in the country. Raids on suspect breeding operations over the past decades have found evidence of inhumane conditions and treatment at many.
“This vote is a clear signal that we no longer want to be known as the puppy-mill capital of the country,” said Barbara Schmitz, spokeswoman for Missourians for the Protection of Dogs, which supported the measure. Large national groups like the Humane Society of the U.S. and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also worked in support of the Act. Celebrities who spoke out in its favor included Missouri natives, actors Kevin Klein and Chris Cooper, and Patrick McDonnell, creator of the Mutts comic strip.
Breeders and agriculture groups strongly opposed the measure, calling it the beginning of an all-out assault on animal agriculture in the state.
Yorkie Goes Home
Deuce, an adorable Yorkshire terrier stolen from an 80-year-old woman during a purse snatching incident in Alameda on October 30, is back home with his human as of November 12.
A Stockton woman purchased the dog for $20 from two people in a park several days after the incident, then saw a news report about Deuce and realized what had happened. She contacted police, who confirmed the dog’s identity via his microchip.
Officers who returned the dog to his rightful owner reported that Deuce and the elderly woman were both overjoyed at their reunion.
Two robbery suspects have been identified. One was immediately detained and told police he had released the dog at a Stockton park two days after the crime.
Hillside Rescue
On the afternoon of November 13, two men and a dog were rescued from the side of a cliff at Lands End, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco. The tourists had apparently wandered into a closed part of the park and climbed down the hillside, then couldn’t get pack up. Park rangers and city firefighters swiftly rescued the victims. No injuries were reported.
Due to video footage taken by spectators, news of the rescue spread via the Internet. The general thrust of the public response to the event was, “Hey, don’t be stupid, people!” The dog, of course, deserves none of the blame for the foolish behavior of his human companions.
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