Watch out for Humane Society of the United States Fundraising

Take a look at what the Center for Consumer Freedom is saying about the HSUS's latest fundraising scam:

Consumer Group: HSUS Must Return Donations after Misleading Haiti Fundraising

Humane Society Of The United States Has A History Of Deceptive Pitches
Washington, DC - The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) is calling on the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to return all the funds it has raised under the pretense of "saving" animals in the wake of Haiti's devastating earthquake. A disaster relief expert working with Humane Society International (HSUS's global arm) reports that there are no animal issues resulting from the earthquake and that no actions can be taken to help animals there. This follows a thorough assessment of the situation in Haiti.
HSUS continues to raise funds for "emergency" donations, claiming Tuesday that "Humane Society International' s team on the ground in Haiti continues its work of helping animals in distress."
David Martosko, Director of Research at the Center for Consumer Freedom released the following statement on HSUS's deceptive fundraising:

Raising money to help nonexistent animals is the lowest kind of fundraising scam. Sadly, it's just the latest in a string of phony HSUS fundraising schemes.
In 2007 HSUS raised money with the false promise that it would be used to "care for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case." The New York Times later reported that HSUS was not caring for the animals at all, and HSUS president Wayne Pacelle said his group is recommending that government officials "put down" (kill) all the dogs, many of which were later saved by other organizations.
HSUS also raised a reported $34 million in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, funds that were supposed to help reunite lost pets with their owners. But an investigation by WSB-TV in Atlanta found that less than $7 million of this money could be publicly accounted for.
In the name of transparency, HSUS should cease its Haiti fundraising immediately, or redirect 100 percent of the proceeds to the American Red Cross.

The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies, and consumers, working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices.

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Golden Gate Kennel Club

Sasha and I are in San Francisco this weekend for the Golden Gate Kennel Club benched show.  Yesterday was a very long day, but we got to meet a lot of nice folks interested in Havanese.  Sasha took best Bred by Exhibitor and had a chance to show in the big arena in the toy group.  She showed well, but did not place in the group.

Sasha met lots of new people and was a wonderful ambassador for the breed.  She particularly loved meeting all the kids.  Even when I wasn't holding her, she was pressed up against the front of her bed, trying to attract the attention of all the kids walking by.

Today we're going to enjoy San Francisco and visit the city.  We decided that 2 days of being benched was just too much for the dogs, they are really exhausted!  Time for them to have some fun.

Rose City Classic Show Schedule

The Rose City Classic Dog show is next week. The show schedule has been posted.

Havanese show times are:

Thursday (1/21) Ring 16 at 12:45 pm after 22 dogs, so we will start at about 1:30 pm
Friday (1/22) Ring 4 at 12:55 pm after 2 dogs, so 1:00 pm
Saturday (1/23) Ring 15 at 2:30 pm straight into the ring
Sunday (1/24) Ring 15 at 1:10 pm after 21 dogs, so we will start at about 1:55 pm

This is the biggest dog show locally, with over 3,000 dogs shown each day. It is held at the Portland Expo Center on Marine Drive. Animal Planet will be filming the dog show and will film the groups and best in show on Saturday evening.

Along with conformation, this show also includes agility trials, obedience and rally trials.

Teacup Dog Agility Trial Jan 9, 2010

Last weekend I took Star and Michelle to their first agility trial. My Dog's Gym in Salem was the site for the trial. It was our first time to see the scaled down equipment that is used for the teacup dogs (under 17" tall at the withers). The teeter and dog walk were much narrower than the equipment used in the other agility venues.

At the workshop, we did two games, Star managed to get a qualifying score in both of the practice games. Michelle did a fine job of entertaining the audience, but no qualifying scores. She decided she didn't really like how narrow the dog walk and teeter were, so she spent the rest of the day avoiding them.

Michelle had a ton of fun, though and brought lots of laughs to everyone. She completely forgot that sit and stay were skills she (sort of) knows. Instead, I had to hold her before the start while she stood on two legs jumping around.

After the workshop, there was a trial with on standard run and one game. I am so proud of Star, she qualified in her very first trial!!! She took second in the novice 8" class, which was the largest class at the trial. The dog that beat her in the class was faster, but didn't manage to get a qualifying leg.