from another list to share.
Dear dog owner/breeder,
We are a research team at Texas A&M University studying Chagas disease in dogs
across Texas. You may recall in 2013 we solicited letters of support for an AKC
Canine Health Foundation grant proposal. We were very grateful that many dog
owners and breeders across the state were generous enough to write letters of
support at that time. Although the grant proposal reviews were favorable, we
were not among the proposals selected for funding that year. In intervening
years, the calls for grant proposals were focused on other topics, and we were
not able to re-apply. This year, however, there is an opportunity for us to
apply again with a focus on studying Chagas disease. Since 2013, we have
worked quite diligently with many kennel owners across the state, and we
believe that the data we have collected from 2013-2017 will allow us a
strengthened application this time!
The grant reviewers also place great importance on hearing from the AKC
community about the desire and need to support specific research proposals.
Therefore, we are again seeking letters of support from the Texas AKC
owner/breeder community. I have attached a memo outlining relevant information.
We are on a bit of a tight deadline, with need for letters by Wednesday, August
16. If you would like to write a letter of support, but need a template or
other assistance, please let me know, and I will be happy to help.
Please also feel free to forward this email to any other AKC owners/breeders.
We will be happy to assemble as many letters as possible from a wide variety of
breeds and areas to help convince AKC that Chagas disease is an important
threat to canine health that needs more research.
Thank you so much for considering writing a letter of support. We look forward
to hearing from you. If we are funded this year, we look forward to working
with you as part of a state-wide (or nation-wide!) project!
Thank you very much,
Rachel Curtis-Robles, PhD
Hamer Lab
Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Texas A&M University
A&M to study chagasCollege Station, TX 77843
Stormy Hope
NAIATrust, Trustee
NAIA-CA on Facebook!
German Shepherd Dog Club of America Legislative Liaison to AKC
California Responsible Pet Owners Coalition, VP
Southern California Kennel Owners and Breeders, Secretary
