Urgent RABIES VACCINE

FOR CALIFORNIANS -- IF YOU'RE NOT A CALIFORNIA RESIDENT, PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO
FRIENDS IN CALIFORNIA AND POST ON DOG LISTS, BOARDS, AND FORUMS. ALERT DOG BREED
GROUPS.

On April 5, 2010, California legislators added amendment #2 to proposed bill
AB2000: "In rabies areas, all of the following shall apply: A dog exempt from
the canine antirabies vaccination shall be kept quarantined as directed by the
local health officer, until the dog's medical condition has resolved and the
administration of the canine antirabies vaccine occurs."

Every county in California has been declared a “rabies area.”

Kris Christine, Founder of the Rabies Challenge Fund, in consultation with Dr.
Jean Dodds and others, faxed and e-mailed a letter to the sponsor of the bill,
Senator Steinberg and the Rules Committee. Find her letter at
http://www.dogs4dogs.com/AB2000

Arguments: I know that some people will say, who cares? Let's quarantine the
dogs so I won't catch rabies. But only one dog has contracted rabies in CA since
2006. Only 6 humans cases of rabies were reported in California -- 4 from
exposure that occurred outside of the US. The remaining 2 cases were associated
with California bat variants.
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/data/statistics/Documents/rabies-episummary.pdf

Dogs all over CA and the US currently have exemptions and have for many years.

What about the impracticality and cost of quarantine? Where will dogs be
quarantined? Who will pay? Who will handle their medical needs if they’re
impounded? What about all the inevitable lawsuits from people whose dogs die
from forced quarantine or vaccination? Read more about this at
http://www.dogs4dogs.com/alerts “WHY IS QUARANTINE A BAD IDEA?”

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Please e-mail today and call on Monday the following people.
And tell your friends, post on boards and lists, call your local media with a
story. We’ll help in any way we can. And be sure to alert any vets have written
medical exemptions. We must act now!

The phone number for the California Senate Rules Committee is (916) 651-4120
Chair of the Committee is Senator Darrell Steinberg e-mail: Senator.Steinberg@senate.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4006
Vice-chair Sam Aanestad Senator.Aanestad@senate.ca.gov (916) 651-4004
Gilbert Cedillo Senator.Cedillo@senate.ca.gov (916) 651-4022
Robert Dutton Senator.Dutton@senate.ca.gov (916) 651-4031
Jenny Oropeza Senator.Oropeza@senate.ca.gov (916) 651-4028
Bill Co-Sponsor Assembly Member Curt Hagman Assemblymember.Hagman@assembly.ca.gov
(916) 319-2060

See www.dogs4dogs.com/alerts for more information. Familiarize yourself about
the facts and then make impassioned pleas to the legislators. TIME IS OF THE
ESSENCE. Once the committee approves Amendment #2 regarding quarantine it will
be very hard to stop.

Important: At present, it is Amendment 2 we especially oppose.

PLEASE ACT NOW! EVEN IF YOUR OWN DOG ISN’T SICK, THIS BILL WILL SET A DANGEROUS
PRECEDENT.

Dogs4Dogs

PO Box 675446
Rancho Santa Fe, CA
92067
US