There are many groups dedicated to animal welfare in Oregon, but Ron Murray and his wife, Gail, noticed a dearth of people willing to go to bat for them in the halls of power.

So, about eight years ago, the Suavie Island couple decided to found the Oregon Dog Political Action Committee.

“Somebody has to play hardball for the animals, and I really believe that,” Murray said.

Murray, a trained plumber who has a master’s in public administration from Lewis & Clark, spent 15 years as a lobbyist for the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters before he retired in 2009.

He says Oregon Dog PAC is the first political action committee dedicated to dogs (and cats and other companion animals) in the U.S. The “100 percent pro bono” organization already has some accomplishments under its belt, Murray says.

This session, they advocated for a rule change that requires veterinarians to provide written prescriptions if requested and to post notices saying that written prescriptions are available.

While they initially wanted to make that a statutory requirement through Senate Bill 222, they were satisfied with a guarantee that the state Veterinary Medical Examining Board would take up the issue through state administrative rules.

While they’re concerned about possible pushback from the vet industry on that issue, which will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the board Nov. 4, Ron Murray says that much of what they do receives “bipartisan” support in the legislature.

“Everybody’s got a dog or a cat, so they can kinda relate to it,” he says.

The PAC is mostly funded by the Murrays, although they do have about 20 or 25 supporters who donate. They encourage people to use their political tax credit (Oregon allows you to claim up to $50 in tax credit for donations to political causes).

Disclosure: Murray thinks the author’s grandmother’s monster cookies are “to die for.”