http://www.itsmarta.com/Clifton-Corr.aspx

Briarcliff Animal Clinic is dear to the community, and with the support of our clients we have a better chance of making this situation right for our hospital. I urge everyone in support of Briarcliff Animal Clinic to complete a brief public survey to give MARTA our feedback in writing.  The survey can be found online at the following link:

http://www.itsmarta.com/clifton-corridor-comment2.aspx

This survey asks for your input regarding the type of rail to be installed and yourcomments.  It is due by November 8th.

Our feelings about the Clifton Corridor project are that we could not function as a veterinary clinic with the noise and hazards of construction and the greatly increased car and bus traffic once the station is complete.  It is crucial that we provide a safe and calm environment for our clients and patients.  Research shows that often pets do not receive the medical care they need because of the stress involved in getting to and from the vet.  This issue would be greatly exacerbated by having to park in a shared deck at a MARTA station and having to cross a street busy with cars and buses.  The loss of our property would make any future expansion of services impossible, further inhibiting our ability to serve our clients.

If you agree shared parking is not a possibility for Briarcliff Animal Clinic, please write in the comment section, “Regarding the proposed Sage Hill Marta Station, shared parking is not feasible for Briarcliff Animal Clinic.  The noise and congestion will upset the patients and make visits to the vet difficult and unsafe.” Of course, you may use your own words or express any other concerns you may have; we just want to make sure MARTA understands the nature of our business and the unique challenges of serving patrons who arrive on six legs!

To be clear, Briarcliff Animal Clinic is not against the Clifton Corridor project; it is a positive solution to the transportation problems in the area.  However, the current project plans would prevent us from being able to effectively serve our community.  We hope that all businesses affected by this project will be treated fairly, so that everyone in the community will benefit.

The MARTA survey is currently our best tool for making our needs known. It can be submitted online, or printed and mailed or faxed to:

Leah Vaughan
Sycamore Consulting
195 Arizona Avenue, Unit LW 4
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
FAX (404) 377-9091

Thank you again,

Peter J. Muller III, DVM

Briarcliff Animal Clinic

We just want to follow up about tomorrow’s meeting regarding the Clifton Corridor extension of MARTA at the Silver Bell Pavilion at the Emory Conference Center Hotel from 5:30PM until 8:30PM with the presentation at 6PM.

In the last week, we have been able to talk with several key people involved in developing the plan that is being presented. We want our friends and neighbors to know our thoughts:

• We are not opposed to a MARTA station somewhere in the Sage Hill/Emory area.
• We question why the station is being proposed in the parking lot of Briarcliff Animal Clinic when there are more suitable undeveloped tracts of land in the immediate area.
• Though the current proposal calls for offering us parking spaces in a MARTA deck, we cannot see this as feasible. The intersection of Zonolite and Briarcliff will become a major thoroughfare for both car and bus traffic entering and exiting the station. Clients with pets would not be able to safely navigate the crossing. Recent research shows difficulty getting a pet to and from a veterinarian’s office is a leading cause of pets not getting the care they need. A cumbersome parking and entrance situation only exacerbates this issue. Our ability to grow and thrive would be severely hampered by the difficulty our clients would face in attempting to park, enter and exit our hospital.
• In addition, any future expansion of our hospital or services would be impossible. Our plans for a state of the art boarding facility cannot be pursued nor can we explore any other expansion options if all our available land is owned by MARTA. It is not reasonable to assume a business that has grown with the neighborhood for 53 years would now be asked to stagnate and stop evolving to meet the needs of our clients and their pets.
• If the MARTA station cannot be moved, we have come to a clear conclusion: Briarcliff Animal Clinic will need to be moved.
• Interestingly, a suitable piece of property about two miles from our current location was available three years ago. We considered the possibility and decided against it, as we saw no real reason to move. Had we had any idea of the work being planned, we would have likely made a different decision!
• We are major stakeholders in the plans being publically vetted, but we were not informed and have had no input. Moving forward, we want to be at the table.

We want to be cooperative and work toward a solution that allows both MARTA and Braircliff Animal Clinic to grow, thrive and serve our community. We ask for your support at Tuesday’s meeting.

Dr. Peter Muller III, ABVP

The plan proposed by the Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative puts a MARTA station on the corner of Briarcliff Rd and Zonolite Rd.  This would seize almost all of our hospital parking, leaving only a few spaces at our front door.  There would be no parking for our veterinarians, support staff, and not nearly enough parking for our clients.

Enclosed is a representation of MARTA’s plan.  Note that there is minimally developed land on the other side of the train tracks from Briarcliff Animal Clinic, where a station could be built without such a negative impact to the area.

The FINAL Public Open House is being held on Tuesday, October 25th from 5:30pm until 8:30pm in the Silver Bell Pavilion at the Emory Conference Center Hotel.  There will be a brief formal presentation of the plans at 6:00pm.  This is the last chance you will have to make your opinion known.  It is our understanding that the final plan will be approved in November.  Time is running out, and this is extremely important to our community.

Briarcliff Animal Clinic has served the Emory area since 1958.  If you would like to see us remain in the neighborhood, please come to this meeting and express your views.  We need your help!  Please come if you have any reason for opposing the MARTA Station in that particular location.  Please sign our petition on change.org.

Thank you,

Peter Muller III, DVM and the staff of Briarcliff Animal Clinic

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Several countries, including the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Spain, had Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) for years, and have recently repealed the laws.  Apparently these restrictions do not work.  Several American states have done the same thing.  It has been demonstrated that the number of dog bites either stays the same or actually increases after these laws have been passed.  Another issue is that the identification of dog breeds can be difficult, if not impossible, when the dog is a mixed breed.  Different laws have different ways of classifying “dangerous” dogs, so there is no universal standard to judge which dogs are vicious.  When put into practice the data shows that in most cases the problem is not solved, or even affected.

I believe that the problem is in the raising of our pets.  If a dog isn’t socialized or trained properly, people get hurt.  Some can’t get over an aggression they have towards children or certain groups of people (I met one dog who was scared silly of men with beards), but responsible owners can make sure these pets won’t cause anyone injury.  The dog who scared me the most was a Golden Retriever.  She was a rescue and had been abused, but she just could not be friendly toward anyone but her owner.  The owner kept her safe and as far as I know she never hurt anyone.

Stereotyping a breed does nothing but harm.  It also makes dogs who are “dangerous” more attractive to the criminal element of society, and hurts those who are responsible owners.  This legislation also does nothing to protect those who are attacked by the “wrong” type of dog.  That’s not to mention the needless euthanasias of dogs due solely to their appearance.

There are many web sites documenting attempts at BSL in places around the world.  Most of the ones I have read demonstrate its failure to protect the citizens.  None of our local counties has an ordinance like it, but some of the cities may, so make sure to check your local laws and comply with them to avoid hefty fines.

The following resources have information about this new BSL:

http://www.adoa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3785&catid=56&Itemid=200067

https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=152298564838900

http://stopbsl.com/2011/06/06/college-park-ga-council-revises-dog-ordinance-retains-bsl/

If you live in College Park, you need to be aware of this new legislation.  What do you think about BSL?

Photo credit: stephskardal

The stories are horrible: bait dogs, executions, maltreatment, neglect of injured dogs; the list is endless.  I’m unable to understand how or why people can treat animals like this.  If someone doesn’t love animals, fine – don’t own them.  The malice that is required to commit these acts is reprehensible.

Now, Kage Games, LLC has developed a game that details all of the inner workings of this heinous enterprise.  The platform it runs on is Android, so you can have this as a diversion while you’re waiting for your doctor’s appointment or standing in line for lunch.  It includes how to pick a dog, feed it, train it, and match it against other dogs to win money.  The insider knowledge seems a little too on target with what happens in real life dogfighting operations.

Whoever thought this was a good idea must not be in touch with the animal rights community these days.  There has already been an outcry over the app, and the developer is already complaining on their site about people who have a “bug up your b*tt about the game concept”.

Michael Vick has done a good job of trying to educate young people on the harm his old hobby causes, by partnering with the Humane Society in their anti-dogfighting campaign.  A large number of young people seem to be unaware of the damage that can result, and he is using his celebrity to change that.  Something like this can only serve to undo the good he has done.  Mr. Vick made a statement today condemning the game.

You can let Google know that you’re not a fan of Dog Wars, and ask them to take it down here:  http://www.google.com/support/androidmarket/bin/request.py?contact_type=takedown

What do you think?  Is it “just a game”, as the makers claim?  Or do things like this desensitize people to the abuse?

http://www.11alive.com/news/article/187049/3/Pets-in-Panic-Animals-deal-with-severe-weather

www.companiontherapylaser.com