Pictured: My daughter holds some new female chicks that we will raise this summer to have more eggs by next winter-- the chicks were purchased from the Issaquah Grange yesterday for $2.99 each



Now's the time to buy your baby chicks if you have been thinking about it. The Issaquah Grange has the chicks you really want right now, as theirs have already been selected for gender. You don't want to raise any roosters, as they are not allowed on small lots in the city (too noisy).

The chicks have to be kept at 90 degrees the first week, 85 the next, and keep reducing the temp five degrees every week until you get down to about 60 degrees. By then, your chicks will have lost their cute downy feathers, and start looking like gangly dinosaur-like creatures, but with real feathers breaking through all over their bodies.

The chicks you buy now may not lay any eggs for you this season, but will become awesome layers by next January or so. Then they will lay eggs for you reliably for many years... some of ours were good layers for at least seven years.

I think you are allowed six chickens if you live on 6000 square feet, but I will have to check on that. So don't buy more than that unless you know you are allowed to have a bigger flock. Six good layers will give you up to six eggs per day next year, (over three dozen per week), which is more than enough for most families.

If you decide to get laying hens, look online for ideas on how to create a suitable enclosure. The hens can handle our winter temperatures if they can get out of the rain and wind. You also need to ensure you can keep them confined to your property, and protect them from raccoons and other predators. Consider seeking some advice from friends if this is brand-new to you.

Here is a story I wrote for the Renton Reporter after we loosened up restrictions on layer-hens (and made other animal-keeping updates) a year ago.

A couple dozen people turned out for the Dog Park Meeting on Wednesday night. Most of the original dog park task force was present, along with some of the hundred or so individuals who have contacted the Parks Department and expressed a desire to help make the park a reality.

Community Services Director Terry Higashiyama and I made some introductory remarks, and then turned the meeting over to parks officials and citizens in attendance to work on details.

The land that we often refer to as the NARCO property (the former site of the NARCO brick-making facility) is available for the dog park, at least as a temporary use. The city is interested in seeing whether the park is popular and well-taken care of by the users before committing the land for the purpose in perpetuity.

In order to make the site work, the land needs a few basic improvements, including a fence. A preliminary design is available for a split rail fence with a wire mesh.

The City Council has budgeted $50,000 for 2009 for this park, but we would need another $50,000 or so to complete the fence. We are hoping that the money could be raised privately, by creation of a charitable foundation and a giving-campaign. This is appealing because any money raised in addition to the $50,00 could be used for further improvements. We also want the users to feel a sense of ownership, so that they take good care of it.

We can make a rule that all dogs using the park must be licensed, which will help us improve compliance with animal licensing regulations. I think that this change will help generate some of the money necessary to meet the city costs associated with the park.

The citizens in attendance broke up into working groups, took different assignments, and decided to meet once a month to keep the dog park moving forward. Anyone else who wants to become a new volunteer could join them at 7:00 PM on the first Wednesday of each month, on 7th floor at city hall.

All in all, I'm very excited about the prospect for an off-leash dog park in Renton, and I enjoyed meeting the other boosters of this facility.


( see more photos by clicking here )

For people who love our wild Mustangs, which includes my family, we are very grateful that Madeleine Pickens (wife of oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens) has taken up the cause to save tens of thousands of these animals from euthanasia. Here is more information on this from the New York Times.



My wife Cathy poses with our Mustang Zeus; Zeus was captured in Nevada when he was 9

After many years of discussing the pros and cons of a dog park, we finally have a proposal with real teeth :-)

I like the work the Dog Park Task Force has done so far, and I will personally be advocating for a way to find the funds as soon as we can. I think dog license fees, which we have kept to the lowest levels in King County (ten bucks a year for spayed/neutered animals, twenty bucks for unaltered), could sustain a small increase to pay for the park. I also think the dog park would be a great way to help enforce the liscensing requirements; we should post the requirement that all dogs must be licensed to enter the park, along with information on how to obtain a license. That step might also help with revenue, since we still have non-compliant dogs out there.

Here is a Renton Reporter article about the work done so far on the dog park proposal. Click Here

My hat is off to the Dog Park Task Force, the Parks Commission, the city staff, and the Mayor, who have progressed this proposal to the council approval/funding stage. Thank you all.

In an age of new environmental sensitivity, jurisdictions like Renton are rediscovering goats as a non-mechanized means to keep unwanted plants under control.

The following pictures are of goats grazing on land near the perimeter road at Renton airport.













Here is a note from our airport management team: (They also provided the photos)
______________________________________________
FYI - we have these goats for a number of days and they will be working the area opposite the B-Ramp along Perimeter Road. This approach was much cheaper and more effective than using labor and equipment to kill the bad plants. Step two, probably this fall/winter, is to replant the area with some sort of native plants.

Ryan

Jonathan Wilson 7/30/2008 4:30 PM
Hello,

Just a heads up - Goat Trimmers LLC has arrived with over 100 goats for use on our West Perimeter Road vegetation.

We have them for the next eight days or so, and they will be monitored by the contractor 24/7.

This should really help us control and eliminate much of the invasive vegetation along West Perimeter Road including Blackberries, Morning Glory, and Knotweed in a "green" way.

Attached are some pictures right after they arrived.


Jonathan Wilson
Assistant Airport Manager
_________________________________________
end of message



Interestingly, today there is a story in the national press about these "Weapons of Grass Destruction" setting off terrorist warning systems in New York City. As someone who has kept goats, I will vouch for two aspects of their perosnalities. (1)They are affectionate and personable, (2) They are escape artists.

I'm sure the goat wrangler that brought the goats to our airport knows this; it's going to be important to avoid airport runway incursions.


Here is the MSNBC article here

Japan was saddened by the loss of Ling Ling on Wednesay, Tokyo Zoo's Giant Panda. Here is the Story on MSNBC Ling Ling was the only Panda owned by Japan, although the country has a few on loan from other zoos.

Ling Ling was a superstar at the zoo, and attracted a huge crowd that waited patiently to see him when we were there a few weeks ago. He was old, and having some health issues, but his death still seemed rather sudden.

Our daughter Susie got a back-pack when we visited Ling Ling, which you can see in many of the pitures I took while we were in Japan.


Here are our pictures from visiting the Panda a few weeks ago.


Ling Ling sleeping in his house




The Panda's Home



The crowd queued up to see Ling Ling... an official made sure they kept moving at a slow walk past the Panda's home




Our daughter Susie (far right) takes her Ling Ling backback everywhere

Renton – An Animal Friendly Community
By Randy Corman, Renton City Council



Renton has always been a city that is friendly to animals. We recognize that animals occupy an esteemed place in many of our households, often being treated as members of the family. They offer a source of amusement, pleasure, and companionship. They provide opportunities for outdoor exercise and socialization. We have some of the lowest animal license fees in King County, we allow dogs in 26 of our 28 parks, and we have our own animal control officers who love animals. They are responsible for inspecting properties to make sure they are suitable for the safe and appropriate care of the animals. We also enjoy a great history of large animal husbandry, dating back to Longacres, which for decades hosted up to 1,500 horses. The greater Renton area has also been home to some great pet, feed and tack stores over the years.

Recently, we heard from our community about their preferences and desires regarding pets and other domestic animals. Many people are intensely passionate about the animals they keep and their right to keep them. On the other hand, people also feel equally strongly about the impact of animals in their neighborhood and their property rights. We decided to review our current code and regulations so that we could be responsive to residents’ needs and concerns, anticipate future needs regarding keeping animals and ensure that we protect property rights and our neighborhoods.

I'm happy to share with you that at our last Council meeting, we updated and approved our regulations regarding the keeping of animals in the city of Renton. The new regulations change the definitions so that they are more specific about which animals are permissible, and revise the definitions of small, medium and large domestic animals. The type and number of permissible animals is now based on the lot size required to keep these animals. The new code links the use to the property, and does not prohibit the homeowner from replacing animals.

For instance, homeowners on lots of over 6,000 square feet can now own laying hens, for a supply of eggs. The new law also allows people on larger suburban lots of over 12,500 square feet to keep miniature goats, ducks, geese and sheep. Those with lot sizes of at least one acre can keep potbelly pigs, cows, llamas and horses. The number of animals allowed varies according to the lot size. Historically people could have a total of three dogs and cats. The new law allows one additional dog or cat for homeowners with large sized lots that are over 30,000 square feet.

In addition to providing flexibility and security for Renton residents who love their pets, this new ordinance safeguards the animals, and protects against any detrimental effect to neighboring properties. It also makes it easier for our newly-annexed residents to continue to keep their animals.

For more information please contact Angie Mathias from our staff at 425-430-6576, or visit our website at rentonwa.gov.

Sincerely, Randy Corman

My nine year old took this picture of my wife on one of the first sunny days we have had in a while...

(This case of alleged animal cruelty is outside of our city limits, but inside our potential annexation area.)

We are currently making updates to our animal keeping ordinance, but all versions, old and new, require proper housing and good nutrition for animals being kept.

________________________________________
KIRO TV
Horses Seized From Farm Near Renton

King County Animal Control said they received a report a week ago that 16 horses living on a farm in the 13400 block of 156th Street Southeast were not getting enough to eat and were living in dangerous conditions.


Read the whole story here

I have a few different topics I want to cover from tonight's meeting in some upcoming journal entries; (1) Rich Zwicker's oath of office (I'll get a picture);(2)  new ordinances for the keeping of animals (more people will be allowed laying hens, miniature goats, and things like this, and large property owners will have more clarity on how many horses, goats, etc that they can keep);(3) and protest signs with highly offensive content (I'll post the examples that were given to us tonight, that were not shown on television).  I'm anxious to your input/ideas on this last topic, as it will come down to first amendment issues vs. protecting our children from being harmed by shocking content. 

Also, I want to share some insight about our need for a new jail for misdemeanor offenders in the 2012 time frame.

Overall, I am really enjoying the new mayor and new council.  Denis Law is already up to speed, and getting much done as our new mayor.  the staff seem comfortable and productive, and everything is moving forwards.  We are seeing a huge amount of work being accomplished in preparation for Benson Hill joining our city...but everyone seems upbeat even though they are busy.

His expression makes me laugh. This picture is so cute, and Susie took it herself.

In Today's Seattle Times there is an important warning about the local coyote population. Coyotes are kind of cute, in their wild-doggy sort of way, but many pet owners do not realize the threat these wild animals pose to their cats in particular. Cats that have been raised with dogs are actually in the most danger, as they have generally become accustomed to the behaviors of domestic dogs and are taken completely by surprise when a meandering coyote suddenly charges and lunges at them on your street after dark.

Renton's coyote population is rising, and many of my residents have noted that Renton sounds like the Arizona prairies on some evenings after dark. Howooooooo......

You can spot areas in Renton with high coyote populations simply by looking at the telephone poles....the more signs you see for lost kitty's, the more coyotes there are. Raccoons also are a threat to cats, but they are less likely to attack them, and when they do they will leave the body for the very sad family to find. Coyotes, on the other hand, take the body back to their den, and leave their grieving owner posting reward signs for their lost kittys....too sad.

Renton animal control has come across dens with the remains of up to 50 kitty-cats, sometimes with collars and tags in the mix!

What can you do?

First, please do not hurt or harass the coyotes. This may get you in legal danger and physical danger.
Here is a list of steps from today's Seattle Times...



To keep coyotes away


.. Keep pet food and water inside.

.. Keep cats inside.

.. Keep wild bird seed elevated and in feeders designed for birds, and clean up spilled seed from the ground; coyotes can either be drawn directly to the seed, or to rodents drawn to the seed.

.. Keep fruit trees fenced or pick up fruit that falls to the ground.

.. Minimize vegetation near children's play areas to avoid attracting rodents and small mammals that will in turn attract coyotes. Keep clusters of shrubs, trees and other cover and food plants away from buildings and children's play areas.

Source: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife


And here is the Complete Article.....








Saturday, October 28, 2006 - Page updated at 12:18 AM

Pets vanish as Seattle's coyote sightings increase

By Tan Vinh

Seattle Times staff reporter

Coyotes' local habitat is shrinking.

At first, the stories sounded like playground lore .. coyotes snatching house cats around Beacon Hill neighborhoods in the middle of the night.

But then Tub, Teenie and other felines weren't coming home at night. More than the usual number of fliers about missing tabby and Siamese cats began showing up on utility poles and community bulletin boards.

By summer, reports of sightings were becoming frequent on community e-mail listserves and at neighborhood crime-watch meetings in this South Seattle community.

In late July, resident Tina Miller said, two coyotes mauled and killed the family's beloved 3-year-old cat in her backyard. Two weeks later, Miller said, her son saw a coyote trying to snatch a stray cat near her house.

"It was traumatizing," Miller said. "We had no idea there was such a big problem with coyotes."

( Read more... )

so to speak!....

A lot has changed since 1776, but the Bald Eagles seem to be a resiliant species if we don't hunt them! Yay!