Pooch Day Features My Dog Votes Campaign
Homemade doggy treats, a walk through the woods, grooming sessions, blessings from a minister and a chance to "vote" turned a Putnam County park into a noisy dog run yesterday.
Billed as a "fun-filled dog day in the park" to benefit the Putnam Humane Society, this year's event at Veterans Memorial Park in Kent also featured organizers from a group that wants to put politicians on notice that dogs can be constituents, too.
Dog owners need to be more vocal at election time, said Mahlon Goer, a member of the Dog Federation of New York.
"Don't let them slip by with 'I love dogs.' Ask them what they're going to do for you," Goer urged dog owners who stopped by the booth emblazoned with signs reading "My Dog Votes," the name of a national campaign.
Goer said dog owners could push local and state legislators to make their communities more amenable to dog owners: "We want to inspire dog owners to get involved in the political process." She cited as a major issue recent moves by insurance companies to strip homeowners of their policies if they own certain types of dogs. Access to parks was another goal that dog owners should lobby for, she said. The issue of municipal restrictions on the number of animals that a person can own is another topic in which the group is involved.
Dog owner Peter Menken of Stormville, N.Y., said a dog-friendly political movement made sense to him. "I think it's a good idea to know what candidates think about dogs," he said, and there are many restrictions on dog ownership which he has become aware of only since adopting an American foxhound named Skip.
Read the rest of the story here: http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060924/NEWS04/609240321/1020
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