dogs

Obama's acceptance speech was as eloquent as ever, though as many has pointed out, he didn't rise to his usual crescendo, going for a more quietly presidential tone. (His stump speech at UO's Mac Court back in the spring felt at times like a rock concert because he's so capable of firing up a crowd.) But I did think his use in last night's acceptance speech of the traditional African American crowd-stirring call-and-response sermonic technique was fabulous. YES WE CAN!

And of course animal lover that I am, one of my favorite parts was when he told his daughters,Malia, 10, and Sasha, seven: "I love you both more than you can imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House."

His puppy-promise made headlines earlier in the election season, (he promised the girls a dog at the end of the campaign) and Michelle Obama indicated in a television interview at one point they would like to adopt a rescue dog.

As a Senator, Obama voted in favor of ending horse slaughter—a rather important vote since he came from the state that had one of the last operating horse slaughter plants in the country—and strengthening anti-dog fighting laws.

There's a big weekend for critters and causes coming up, so mark your calendars if you're in the mood to run with pups, pet ponies and drink wine for social justice.

Saturday Aug. 23 kicks off with Meet a Mustang at Avalon Stables in Cottage Grove.

Strawberry Mountain Mustangs will bring rescued wild horses for adoption and wild horse owners from around the Willamette Valley will bring their mustangs to be petted and ridden. There will be a mustang gentling demonstration, a raffle and information on a adopting a wild horse from the BLM. With the BLM's threat this summer to begin euthanizing "excess" horses, the animals who have been taken off the range need homes now more than ever. The free event runs from 11 am to 3pm at 80143 Hazelton Rd. Cottage Grove. Call Melanie at 484-6751 or email bluefairypress@yahoo.com for more information.

Once you're done petting and saving the ponies, head on over to the Civil Liberties Defense Center's wine bottling and benefit at 5 pm at RainSong Vineyard in Cheshire. Transportation provided and reservations are required. RSVPs are required. Contact kristy@cldc.org or at 687-9180.

Sunday Aug. 23 you're going to want to work off all that wine, so you have three doggie events to choose from.

From 8 am til noon you can romp with Rover at Greenhill Humane Society's 15th Annual Rover Romp..

It's a 5k doggie run or 2k walk and you can register online at www.green-hill.org

The event is at 88530 Green Hill Road.

If that's not enough pups and running for you, then dash on over to Alton Baker Park where Save the Pets is hosting a 5k dog run and featuring adoptable pets.

Registration starts at 9 am and the run is at 11 am. You can register online at http://www.stpevents.info/index.php?pr=Paws_for_a_Cause_Dog_Walk

Bring your own pup to run with, shop for retail items and get a rabies tag and license from Lane County Animal Services. The entry fee is $15 in advance and $20 the day of the run.

If you're lucky, you'll get to meet Helmsley the Weather Dog.

AND WAIT — THAT'S NOT ALL!

If you and your dog are swimmers, not runners, then you and your pup can go jump in Tamarack Wellness Center's saltwater pool. Starting at 11 am on Sunday, it's Tamarack Wellness Center's Dog Swim.

Dogs and their people will swim in groups of six, and afterwards you can check out some Doga (doggie yoga) and get a dogwash from the Campfire Girls. Go to 3575 Donald Street to take the plunge and call Pat at 683-7506 for more information.

And in case you're worried about fleas and dog hair, the dog swim takes place right before Tamarack's big pool cleaning, so the pool will be Fido-Free when classes and regular human swims resume.

In honor of our upcoming "Pets" issue and because I've been a little, um, remiss, in blogging lately I thought I'd post some recent dog news.

1. Nude sunbather attacks Chihuahuas.

2. Dog lovers protested a Verizon Wireless ad featuring chained pit bulls attacking and Verizon has pulled the ad.

Finally, do you think your dog is cuter than this?

If so, send a copy of a photo of your cutest or best dressed dogs (or any other pet) to pets@eugeneweekly.com If you happen to have an ugly pet, send that one in too, for the ugliest pet contest. All photos due by Monday, Aug. 18.

Unlike the Republican candidates, who seem to have a poor track record when it comes to furry folk, the Dems are coming out full of puppy love.

According to an AP wire story out today, Obama announced that he doesn't just want to be the people's president, but a president for all critters:

"What about animal rights?" a woman shouted out during the candidate's town hall meeting outside Las Vegas Wednesday after he discussed issues that relate more to humans, like war, health care and the economy.

Obama responded that he cares about animal rights very much, "not only because I have a 9-year-old and 6-year-old who want a dog." He said he sponsored a bill to prevent horse slaughter in the Illinois state Senate and has been repeatedly endorsed by the Humane Society.

"I think how we treat our animals reflects how we treat each other," he
said. "And it's very important that we have a president who is mindful
of the cruelty that is perpetrated on animals."

Greenhill Humane Society recently underwent a surprise inspection by a staff veterinarian from the Department of Agriculture. The shelter was given a rating of "good" out of "good," "fair" or "poor" in every category.

The inspection was in response to "complaints on animals (dogs) not being fed adequately."

According to the notes of Dan Jemelka, staff veterinarian for the Oregon Department of Health, "Dogs seem to be well fed — a few are thin, but seemed to be kennel stress."

"Stressed dogs are placed in outdoor runs for relief," he added, and some are taken to foster care if needed."

In an email announcing the inspection, Katie Dyer, Greenhill's director of marketing and development said: "I’m so proud of the work we do here at Greenhill, and it’s so satisfying to have that work recognized."