Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Stacykins]

Hello, my name is Kenzi and I am a 2 and a half year old, 44-lb purebred Australian Shepherd who is in need of a new home. I am a wonderful dog - completely hou...sebroken, good with older children, and great with other dogs! I am a bit of a digger, so will need supervision while outdoors, but I can be broken of this habit easily if you give me something to do or new things to play with! I'm not sure how I'd do with cats - being a herding breed, I do want to chase smaller animals. I did show a lot of interest in meeting kittens one day and was very gentle, but that kitty wasn't running and so I didn't feel the need to chase! Based on this experience, I think I could do okay with calm, older cats who aren't going to run and jump and play. Right now, I am a little nervous and have been spending time in the shelter office, getting to know the staff. I just arrived at Almost Home and am having a difficult time comprehending what has happened to me. Everyone says I am a very sweet girl and that I will be adopted quickly! I have a beautiful blue merle coat and, like a lot of Aussies, I have two different colored eyes. I have already been spayed, have tested heartworm negative and I am up-to-date on all of my vaccinations! I am also microchipped! All I need now is a new, "furever" home! If you are interested in adopting me, please fill out an application and come visit me at Almost Home located in Southfield! I'd really like to go home with you! To complete an adoption application, go to: http://almosthomeanimals.org/applications/adoption/

Is Kenzi a chimera? That color division on her is so clear!

No room in this house because of adopting Nicky, but I am sure she'll find a great home fast!

 

[Amerauchick17]

Is Kenzi a chimera? That color division on her is so clear!

No room in this house because of adopting Nicky, but I am sure she'll find a great home fast!

Not a chimera, just a variation of the merle coloring. It's fairly common in merle dogs. It is beatiful though!

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Please help me identify this critter.

 

[MiChickMagnet]

Raccoon maybe

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

I don't personally know anything about Kenzi... Saw her on FB and wanted to share her... she is so pretty!

I can't tell how big the prints are... Squirrel? Raccoon? Opossum? Weasle?

http://hikingmichigan.wordpress.com/2011/01/21/latest-animal-tracks-id-sheets/

 

[Juise]

Juise, so glad to see you are still out there hope all is OK

did you find her? very sweet looking hen

Doing alright, lost one bird this past Fall - to the rooster, of all things.

Other than that, (and worrying a bit that he will suddenly turn on another hen,) doing alright. Have had the chickens shut up tight in their coop these last few days just to be safe, and haven't had any Winter issues yet, everyone is still frostbite free and happy. They have enough room in the coop not to complain too much, they weren't really leaving it with this much snow anyway.

Snow out to the coop is mid-butt on me and still coming, it is welcome to take a break any time! I managed to fracture my arm being an idiot, so I am extra cursing the snow shoveling at the moment.

As to the hen, I didn't find her, it was a post a friend of mine shared on Facebook, so I thought I'd copy it here. Probably was dumped, but I figured it was worth a shot. And what a lousy person to dump the poor thing in this weather.

It did say she is well socialized with people though, so, I suppose you never know. Maybe someone is missing her.

Hope everyone is doing well, and hasn't had too much trouble with the weather and the cold.

 

[DavidKerk]

What it means is that if this change goes through then only corporate farms will be allowed to produce farm products.
People with backyard livestock (chickens, ducks, goat, etc) will not be allowed to keep them unless expressly permitted by a local unit of government.

So we will not be able to have chickens unless we have a permit (kind of like the permit some people get for dogs)?! This is crazy!!!

 

[preciouskitty]

So we will not be able to have chickens unless we have a permit (kind of like the permit some people get for dogs)?! This is crazy!!!

I don't think RaZ meant we would necessarily need a permit. If I understand correctly, we wouldn't be able to keep,them unless it was "permitted (I.e., allowed") by, say, your local ordinance. But, if is NOT allowed by your local ordinace(s), these changes would basically take away all the "ammo" (RTFA) that "small farms" & backyard owners have been using to either win to keep their animals or get ordinances changed.

I must admit, I am a bit confused though. And probably cuz I am not real up to speed on this stuff. The PDF I read was changes to GAAMP..not to RTFA. So I am not sure what I am missing here...

 

[DavidKerk]

I don't think RaZ meant we would necessarily need a permit. If I understand correctly, we wouldn't be able to keep,them unless it was "permitted (I.e., allowed") by, say, your local ordinance. But, if is NOT allowed by your local ordinace(s), these changes would basically take away all the "ammo" (RTFA) that "small farms" & backyard owners have been using to either win to keep their animals or get ordinances changed.

I must admit, I am a bit confused though. And probably cuz I am not real up to speed on this stuff. The PDF I read was changes to GAAMP..not to RTFA. So I am not sure what I am missing here...

Thanks for clarification! It is very confusing!

 

[RaZ]

I must admit, I am a bit confused though. And probably cuz I am not real up to speed on this stuff. The PDF I read was changes to GAAMP..not to RTFA. So I am not sure what I am missing here...

The GAAMPs are the tools that describe who and what is protected by the law. In recent years, after small operations successfully used RTF in court to keep their operations in business there has been a movement by MDARD, Farm Bureau, big ag and local governments to prevent small operations. Especially backyard chickens.

If the GAAMPs are changed anyone who is not big ag in a specifically zone Agriculture setting will lose the protection of the Law.

Historical footnote:
The RTF law was written FOR big ag/big business by the group known as ALEC. It was bought and paid for by those special interests for just a select few. That a real citizen is using the law is quite galling to them.