NEW LAWS IN CALIFORNIA
TAKE AFFECT ON JANUARY 1, 2007

The new law, SB 1806, will bar owners and guardians from leaving animals unattended in a motor vehicle "under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of an animal due to heat, cold, lack of adequate ventilation, or lack of food or water, or other circumstances that could reasonably be expected to cause suffering, disability, or death to the animal."

Peace officers, humane officers and animal control officers may remove animals found in such situations. The animals may then be taken to a veterinary clinic, shelter or other place for safekeeping. Owners or guardians will not be able to retrieve their animals until they pay for the costs of such care.
First time violators face fines of only $100 unless the animal suffers serious injury. If the animal does suffer serious injury, the animals' owners or guardians can be fined up to $500 and imprisoned for up to 6 months. Also for a second and subsequent violation owners or guardians will face fines up to $500 and imprisonment for up to 6 months.

Bill SB 1578
The new law will limit the circumstances under which Californians can tether or chain dogs. With few exceptions, "No person shall tether, fasten, chain, tie, or restrain a dog, or cause a dog to be tethered, fastened, chained, tied, or restrained, to a dog house, tree, fence, or any other stationary object."

Under the law a person may be issued a warning or charged with an infraction or misdemeanor. An infraction is punishable by a $250 fine. A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine up to $1000 or 6 months in jail or both.

The law signals a recognition by Californians and others around the country that tethering or chaining dogs is cruel and inhumane and fosters aggression.

Papa got run over by a reindeer

We decided to have some fun with "Grandma got run over by a reindeer" so we changed the words to make it work for my Dad and sang it to the family on Christmas Eve. It's all a bunch of inside jokes so if you know him it's pretty funny, so it may not make much sense to the general public, but here it is:

Papa got run over by a reindeer

Going to a call on Christmas eve

You can say there’s no such thing as Santa

But as for me and Papa we believe

He was sleeping when the call came

And we’d begged him not to go

But he didn’t have his ears in

So he ran out of the door into the snow

Santa’s sleigh knocked off the light bar

To say the least he was perturbed

The S.O. didn’t buy his story

So they booked him in as mentally disturbed

Papa got run over by a reindeer

Going to a call on Christmas eve

You can say there’s no such thing as Santa

But as for me and Papa we believe

Now we’re all so proud of Memaw

She’s been takin’ this so well

See her in there on her cell phone

She’s got listings that she really needs to sell

It’s not Christmas without Papa

And Lady thinks she’s gonna starve

And she just can’t help but wonder

Will they give all of the leftovers to Harv

Papa got run over by a reindeer

Going to a call on Christmas eve

You can say there’s no such thing as Santa

But as for me and Papa we believe

Now the ham is on the table

And Donna’s green bean casserole

We’ve got Tabby’s mashed potatoes

Now who we gonna get to burn the rolls

He has warned all of his colleagues

There is something you should know

When a reindeer sees a red light

To pull over to the right he doesn’t know

Papa got run over by a reindeer

Going to a call on Christmas eve

You can say there’s no such thing as Santa

But as for me and Papa we believe