This Thursday we will be testifying in Salem at a public hearing for House Concurrent Resolution 16, which would designate the rescued shelter dog as Oregon’s official state dog. You can submit your own written testimony in support by email; you can also attend the hearing at 3 pm Thursday and testify.
We support HCR 16 because choosing the rescued shelter dog as the state dog would encourage people to provide homes for homeless dogs. It would also recognize and honor all the great work by local humane societies and shelters in Oregon, and all the big-hearted people who already have adopted dogs from shelters.
Making the shelter dog the state dog also would answer the charge that naming a state dog is a triviality that distracts from the real work of the Legislature. By encouraging Oregonians to adopt dogs from shelters, the Legislature would be helping to reduce the cost of government, and the burdens on taxpayers, by reducing demands for space and animal care at county animal control facilities.
To help us support this legislation, email your own brief statement by noon on Wednesday, April 26th to hrules.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov, the exhibit email for the House Committee on Rules. You can say something as simple as, “I support HCR 16, which will honor and raise awareness for wonderful adoptable dogs of all breeds.” It’s always best to personalize your comments a bit; you could even include a sentence about your own experience with rescued dogs or animal shelters. Be sure to include the bill number (HCR 16), your name, and where you live.
Another way you can help is to go here to see who is on the committee considering this bill and then check here to see if your representative is on the committee. If he or she is, send a similar email directly to him or her and be sure to say, “I live in your district and am therefore one of your constituents.”
Thanks for your help on this great bill!