I emailed my congresswoman for our district in Oregon, asking her to read, sign, and share this petition.  In her reply, she talked about dog fighting and animal cruelty but said nothing about toxins in dog food.  Below is my second message to her:

Dear Congresswoman Salinas,

Thank you for replying to my earlier message regarding carcinogens in mass-manufactured dog food.  Unfortunately, upon reading your emailed reply, I could find no mention whatsoever of harmful substances in dog food.  Indeed, there's no evidence in your reply that you took the time to actually read and understand the subject about which I was writing or that you had anyone in your office (if you were too busy) read, sign and share my petition.

I know that staying in elected office these days is a daunting task, filled with the need for fundraising and the pleas of constituents who need help.  Campaigning costs millions, and you must prioritize your activities to address major issues and concerns.  That being said, I know that you could (and should) consolidate the good will and garner the votes of many thousands of Oregonians by introducing legislation that would require our nation's pet food manufacturers to do the following:

Immediately stop producing kibbles and canned foods that, due to harmful environmental conditions and high-temperature cooking, contain virulent carcinogens such as mercury, lead, arsenic, pesticides, acrylamide, and BPA.
Label pet foods in ways that inform consumers of potentially dangerous substances in the products they are feeding their pets.

Such regulations would save millions of animal lives.  At present, 50% of pet dogs in the U.S, die from cancer, and a significant portion of those deaths can and should be prevented.

Once again, I send you a link to my petition and ask you to please read, sign, and share it so that more Oregonians may learn that they are killing their pets by feeding them tainted foods. Your signature will appear in updates to my petition, and that will confirm to us that you truly hear and care about our concerns.

I hope that you, too, will write to Congresswoman Salinas, asking her to actually pay attention.  Thank you