Dog on the Run

Poop-a-Thon

2008-01-25T14:41:00.001-08:00

WEATHER LOOKS PERFECT FOR COINDRE HALL POOP-A-THON!

Cold and dry weather means conditions are GREAT for LI-DOG's Clean Park Campaign and Poop-a-thon this weekend at Coindre Hall in Huntington! The two-day cleanup, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on Sat., January 26th and at 10 a.m. again on Sun., Jan. 27th, will feature:

- Coffee for everyone at the top of the hill donated by fellow dog owners

- Prizes—dog treats, toys, and more—generously donated by Bed & Breakfast Dog Boarding in Huntington, for the dogs whose owners clean up the most orphan poop and debris! LI-DOG's signature event, the Poop-a-thon, will start promptly at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

- Plus, the chance to meet lots of fellow dog owners and talk about how great Coindre Hall is and how important it is to clean up after our dogs.

We still need a few more people to help:

- Hand out flyers

- Staff the table with the coffee

- Plus, does anyone have access to a good supply of plastic bags? That would be helpful for those of us who don't have pooper-scoopers.

Spread the word! And, if you need more information, email us .

Train the Owners

2008-01-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

In Britain, they're talking about requiring dog owners to undergo training.
That's not a bad idea, actually, though we'd probably never accept it the US.

Time for Compulsory Training for All Dog Owners?
By Hamish Lazari
The recent spate of dog attacks in the United Kingdom has reignited the debate about adding additional breeds to the Dangerous Dogs Act. The Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne is quoted as saying that ‘a review should look at the breed to be banned.’

What Mr Huhne like a lot of other people fails to appreciate is that adding more breeds of dog to be outlawed under the DDA will do nothing to prevent dog attacks occurring in the future.

What breeds would any review panel consider to be eligible for banning, what breed of dog living in the UK has never ever had one of its own kind bite a person either accidentally or purposely?

Would the panel see size as an issue and only consider large dogs, what about small dogs, the ‘nippers’ and ankle biters that more than contribute to the total number of dog bites per annun in the UK.

The most popular and likely candidates may well be breeds that are associated with certain sections of society. Is it the fault of a specific dog if it is bought by an irresponsible person who merely wants the dog for ’street cred.’

Surely the best way to protect public safety and to be rid of unfair breed specific legislation is to look at compulsory training and insurance as a way of protecting public safety.

The National Dog Warden Association at its recent annual seminar in Birmingham presented a number of ‘thoughts’ on the use of owner training and some form of compulsory insurance, where you cannot have one without the other.

Make Your Own

2008-01-02T06:33:00.002-08:00

There's a very useful piece of information here on how to make your own dog bed so that you're not paying a ridiculous amount of money.

Like this $89 item from Petco:

Bastard.

2008-01-02T06:18:00.000-08:00

Suspect Jumps Off SoCal Bridge With Dog
1 day ago

CORONADO, Calif. (AP) — A man being chased by authorities grabbed a police dog and leaped off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, taking the animal with him into the frigid ocean water 200 feet below.

The fall killed the dog. The fugitive survived and was hospitalized Tuesday.

The pursuit began Monday evening after an Oceanside police officer saw the man driving a GMC pickup erratically on a road. The officer, accompanied by a German shepherd named Stryker, ordered the driver to stop but he refused, California Highway Patrol Officer Larry Landeros said.

The man, whose name was not immediately released, led police on a chase through a section of Interstate 5 and onto the bridge, where he stopped and the officer released Stryker.

"The dog actually took the driver to the ground and then he actually lifted the dog up and jumped over the side," CHP Sgt. Steven Toth said.

The man was rescued from the water and taken to a hospital, Toth said. His condition was not released. An after-hours call to a hospital representative was not immediately returned.

The dog was recovered from the water, Toth said.

LI Dog Meeting

2008-01-01T11:53:00.000-08:00

LI-DOG Kick off to 2008 Meeting Set for Thurs., Jan. 10 th!

If you want to help make 2008 a great year for dog parks and dog-related events on LI, come to the LI-DOG January meeting!

The Long Island Dog Owners Group will hold its January 2008 meeting at 7 p.m. on Thurs., January 10th at the Golden Coach Diner, 350 W. Jericho Tpke. in Huntington.

At LI-DOG's Kick Off to 2008 meeting, we will:

- Plan new dog parks under Suffolk County's 5 New Dog Parks initiative

- Discuss ways to protect existing off-leash areas at Coindre Hall, Gardiner Park and various beaches

- Create a plan to change the anti-dog owner attitude in Nassau County through new off-leash areas there

- Put together a team to develop dog-related events

- Plus, we will discuss the latest news from Blydenburgh, Coindre Hall, Gardiner, Southaven and West Hills County Parks.

Yikes. Death at the Dog Run

2007-12-29T07:02:00.000-08:00

Dog collision kills pet at Sequim off-leash park

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEQUIM, Wash. -- A greyhound was fatally injured in a collision with another dog at the off-leash park in Sequim.

Merri and Russ Wilson of Port Angeles say their three-year-old greyhound "Moon" was running really fast earlier this week when it ran into a golden retriever that was chasing a tennis ball.

Moon was thrown into the air and apparently suffered a spinal injury. It couldn't move and it later died at a vet's clinic.

The Wilsons had adopted Moon about two years ago from Greyhound Pets of America.

Tips From the Whisperer

2007-12-29T01:05:00.000-08:00

Some tips for your dog and you:

Prevent obsessive behavior by establishing rules, limits and boundaries early and consistently.
Setting rules will help, not hurt your dog. He or she will see you as a strong pack leader.
Who you are to your dog is the energy you project. A pack leader’s energy is calm & assertive.
Give dogs affection when they’re doing what you want.
Everyone in the family must be on the same team when trying to get rid of unwanted behaviors in your dog.
Controlling dogs of any size requires mental strength. Leadership is always your most powerful tool!
Being self-aware and conscious of the energy we are projecting can help us become better pack leaders.
Choose a breed that fits your lifestyle. Couch potato or always on-the-go, the right dog is out there!

The Crimes of Dogs

2007-12-06T06:27:00.000-08:00

(I am kidding.) This sounds like something my dog would do but hasn't thought of. Yet.
Dog Blamed for Fish Frying House Blaze

16 hours ago

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Firefighters said a grease fire that left $50,000 in damage to a Topeka home erupted after a dog shut a woman out of the house while fish was frying on the stove.

Authorities said the woman was taking garbage outside Tuesday evening when the dog somehow shut the door behind her. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke with flames shooting from the roof of the home.

Topeka Fire Department Capt. Greg Degand said residents tried to douse the blaze, which started on a stove in the kitchen. But the flames spread to the attic and fully engulfed the house.

The woman's husband said the important thing is that everyone made it out safely, including the dog and their pet bird.

Checking the DNA

2007-12-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

Lloyd Garver at CBS has an amusing piece about tracking his dog's DNA.

Smart Doggie!

2007-11-29T04:38:00.001-08:00

I've always thought that many people underestimated the intelligence of dogs, mistaking obstinance or the dog's viewpoint for stupidity. Here's some support for the idea that they're smarter than some think.

Dogs Can Classify Complex Photos In Categories Like Humans Do
ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2007) — Like us, our canine friends are able to form abstract concepts. Friederike Range and colleagues from the University of Vienna in Austria have shown for the first time that dogs can classify complex color photographs and place them into categories in the same way that humans do. And the dogs successfully demonstrate their learning through the use of computer automated touch-screens, eliminating potential human influence.

Here's another take on the study.

Set to Music

2007-11-28T04:51:00.000-08:00

Dog Magazine has an article on videos featuring dogs, including the one above. Yes, Who Let the Dogs Out is there, too.

And In Other Bizarre Dog News..

2007-11-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

Plotting a dog's death: PETA goes to police

MUMBAI: Drop them from building tops, run them over with your car - are just some of the ways dog-hating members of Orkut say they want to kill them while socialising online. Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has now complained to the police.

PETA accused Orkut, the social networking site, of promoting cruelty to animals and has demanded action against it by cyber cells of the government.

PETA has written to the Mumbai police and complained that among topics discussed on Orkut community sites was "I hate dogs".

Communicators on the site took part in discussions such as "How 2 kill a dog".

One member of the community suggested killing of puppies "by dropping them from a building" and also admitted to throwing three puppies.

Another admitted, "I have killed two by my car after 10-12 hard tries near my place. One was a small puppy on which I dragged my bike."

In the letter addressed to Mumbai's joint commissioner of police, copied to the secretary, Department of Information and Technology, Government of India and COO, Google, PETA has urged the police to immediately direct the website to block such illegal content.

Yes, This Would Be My Cause

2007-11-24T10:44:00.000-08:00

Is this anything like the attempt to save drunken elephants, which turned out not to be true?

Richie backs campaign for 'dog urinals'

Nicole Richie is lending her name to a bizarre campaign to save street lights - from the dangers of dog urine.

The socialite, who has two dogs - Foxxy Brown and Honeychild - has signed up to promote Swedish inventor Lennart Jarrelbro's latest creation, dog urinals, to stop the metal on the posts being eroded by the chemicals found in canine waste products.

Yorkie Wins

2007-11-20T08:36:00.001-08:00

Newsday's Huntington blog shows a contest-winning Yorkie from Centerport.

'Chewy Vuiton' Wins

2007-11-20T07:15:00.000-08:00

How do these cases get to the courtroom?

Louis Vuitton loses dog chew-toy case — again
A federal appeals court unanimously affirmed on appeal a trial court ruling throwing out Louis Vuitton Malletier’s trademark infringement suit against a “Chewy Vuiton” plush toy manufactured by Haute Diggity Dog.

Louis Vuitton, which is a unit of LVMH (LVM), brought the case to enjoin sale of a small polyester chew-toy, shaped roughly like a handbag, that bears a monogram that parodies the French luxury goods retailer’s famous “monogram canvas mark.” The Chewy Vuiton toys are decorated with geometric doo-dads that mimic Louis Vuitton’s four-pointed-star designs, and feature an interlocking CV logo in place of the famous interlocking LV logo. Nevertheless, the court found that consumers were unlikely to think that the inexpensive dog toys, which are sold in pet shops or online, were made by the French luxury house, which sells its monogrammed handbags (for between $995 and $4,500) only from licensed Louis Vuitton stores or toney department stores boutiques.

“The furry little ‘Chewy Vuiton’ imitation, as something to be chewed by a dog, pokes fun at the elegance and expensiveness of a LOUIS VUITTON handbag, which must not be chewed by a dog,” wrote Circuit Judge Paul V. Niemeyer. His 24-page ruling is available here.

The court cited as authority a 2002 precedent in which a Manhattan federal judge rebuffed Tommy Hilfiger’s trademark suit against a novelty “pet perfume” called “Timmy Holedigger.”

The court also rejected Louis Vuitton’s claim that the toy might constitute “trademark dilution,” blurring, or tarnishment — slightly murkier legal concepts. The luxury house had based these challenges in part on alleged concerns that the toy might cause certain dogs to choke, leading distraught owners to think less of Louis Vuitton as a result. “There is no record support, however, that any dog has choked on a pet chew toy, such as a ‘Chewy Vuiton’ toy,” wrote Judge Niemeyer, “or that there is any basis from which to conclude that a dog would likely choke on such a toy.”

Haute Diggity Dog, which is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, also makes parody chew toys called Chewnel No. 5 (Chanel No. 5), Furcedes (Mercedes), Jimmy Chew (Jimmy Choo), Dog Perignonn (Dom Perignon), Sniffany & Co. (Tiffany & Co.), and Dogior (Dior).

Dog Show After the Parade

2007-11-20T07:09:00.001-08:00

Dogs, Dancing and Feuding
National Dog Show Airs Thanksgiving Day on NBC
John O'Hurley
TV Host, Author, Actor, Dancer
Monday, November 19, 2007; 12:00 PM

John O'Hurley, known for his "Peterman" role on Seinfeld and his elegant form on the first Dancing with the Stars, is back for a sixth year as host of the Thanksgiving Day broadcast of the National Dog Show. He, along with dog show analyst David Frei, will serve as guides to the action in the show ring where 2,000 dogs are vying for glory at the Philadelphia event.

Airing right after the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, the dog show broadcast is becoming a Thanksgiving tradition that lets families --including the four-footed members -- enjoy something besides football while waiting for their holiday feast.

Spiff Up Fido

2007-11-20T07:05:00.000-08:00

For that best friend sometimes known as Stinky:

Dog perfume - the new must-have for stylish pets
By Emma Henry
London Telegraph
A new perfume made especially for dogs is likely to become an immediate must-have for stylish pets.

London 'cat and dog outfitters' Mungo & Maud have introduced the ‘Petite Amande’ dog fragrance,which they claim is the world’s first premium Eau de Toilette designed exclusively for dogs.

The company hired well-known perfumer Lyn Harris to come up with the scent, which is inspired by nature with notes of French blackcurrant, Tunisian neroli, mimosa and violet leaf on a base of sweet vanilla bourbon with a little almond.

There is even a matching dog shampoo, for the pet who likes to co-ordinate its fragrances.

About Animal Behavior

2007-11-19T05:29:00.000-08:00

She is talking mostly about apes but much of this applies to dogs, too. From the TED conference. When I see our Lab imitating us, I'm ready to believe what this expert is saying.

Support the Louisiana SPCA

2007-11-14T06:16:00.000-08:00

This sounds like fun.

A HOLIDAY GIFT TO TRULY “BARK” ABOUT AND IT SUPPORTS THE LOUISIANA SPCA

New Orleans, LA – Celebrating life with dogs and a love of great wine is what Dog Lovers Wine Club is all about! Supporting non-profit animal shelters and rescues all over the country is the winery’s sole mission. That’s why they’re partnering with the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LA/SPCA).

The LA/SPCA has served the New Orleans area for almost 20 years and is the oldest animal welfare organization in the state. They provide services to more than 11,000 homeless and abandoned animals every year. To do this, they rely heavily on community fund-raising.

Dog Lovers Wine Club wants to help support the LA/SPCA and with a wine club membership, supporting your local shelter is now more beneficial than ever! It truly is a unique holiday gift that keeps on giving.

Each month, the boutique California winery selects a special dog from stories and photos submitted by wine and dog enthusiasts across the United States. The bottles feature real dogs illustrated on the wine labels, a personal story of triumph and family bonding with every bottle of carefully crafted premium wine shipped out to Dog Lovers Wine Club members all over the country.

Now through January 15th, anyone who signs up for a wine club membership at www.dogloverswineclub.com will receive their first wine shipment FOR JUST $2. So, treat yourself, your family and friends to a “toast” with man’s best friend and help the LA/SPCA at the same time!

Here’s how the wine club works:

Go online at www.dogloverswineclub.com to receive your “2 Buck Mutt” discount. You can choose to receive wine shipments monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly. Each month, the wine is accompanied by inspirational stories of families and their lives with dogs. The wine labels are illustrated from selected photos (and stories) received from dog lovers across the country. The wine shipments also include tips about dogs, tasting notes about the featured wine, the source of the grapes and recommended food pairings.

How it helps the Louisiana SPCA:

The LA/SPCA will receive a portion of the proceeds from your purchase. Before you make you purchase at www.dogloverswineclub.com go to the affiliates tab at the top of the Dog Lovers Wine Club home page. From there, click on the left where it says “Bark Partners Listings.” Then, you can set “Louisiana SPCA” as your group. Then, every time you make a purchase, it will help support the LA/SPCA.

Media Opportunities: Video and additional images are available upon request. Interviews with the co-creators of Dog Lovers Wine Club and/or interviews with a Louisiana SPCA spokesperson are also available upon request.

ABOUT DOG LOVERS WINE CLUB:

Dog Lovers Wine Club is a boutique winery, based in California, which offers carefully crafted premium wine and illustrated labels to support animal shelters and rescue organizations around the country. Every shipment includes a new and inspirational pet story and photo, chosen from people who submit their stories to www.dogloverswineclub.com . Along with the personal story, the shipments include tips about dogs, tasting notes about the wine, the source of the grapes and recommended food parings. It’s a unique way to celebrate life with dogs! Wine club memberships are available in monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly shipments.

Shipping States:

Due to individual state alcohol laws, wine shipments are legally limited to AK, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, LA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY.

Dogs on the Trail

2007-11-13T07:53:00.000-08:00

If only their sense of smell would keep them out of the garbage!

How come dogs have better sense of smell than us?
BY KATHY WOLLARD
Special to Newsday
How do dogs smell things we can't? asks Olivia Minogue, a student in Sayville.

Sniff sniff sniff.

You can actually see a dog's nose hard at work, picking up a scent wafting through the air, following the invisible trail a rabbit left in the yard, or investigating your pants leg for evidence of a secret meeting with a cat.

No one knows for sure how much more scent-sensitive dogs are than humans: a thousand times? Ten thousand?

But what is known is that a dog's nose has many more odor receptors, and an olfactory (smell) center that takes up much more room in the brain.

To Each His Own

2007-11-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

Man marries dog to ward off curse
SIVAGANGA, India--A 33-year-old man in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu has married a dog in a bid to ward off the "curse" of a canine couple he had killed 15 years ago.

Selva Kumar tied a 'mangal sutra' on the animal, petnamed Selvi, at a Ganesh temple in Manamadurai on Sunday. The 10-year-old saree-clad "bride" was brought to the temple in a grand procession. Kumar, who vowed to protect Selvi all through its life, said he married the animal as per the advice of an astrologer.

Auto Pet Insurance

2007-11-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

Innovative Auto Insurance For Pets

Cleveland-area company provides extra coverage at no cost.

(Mayfield Heights) - An auto insurance company headquartered in Greater Cleveland is now offering their owners a benefit for Ohio pets.

Progressive Insurance is providing collision coverage for customers' dogs or cats at no additional premium cost. It will pay up to $500 if a customer's dog or cat is hurt or dies in a car accident.

Jean Salvatore, of the New York-based insurance information institute, says it's an unusual and interesting benefit. She's never heard of any other company offering a collision benefit for pets.

A recent insurance information institute study found that there are over 150 million pets in the U.S., and Americans spend over 40 billion dollars on their pets annually.

The Progressive benefit has been in place since September 6th.

One Snarl and They're Out

2007-11-10T06:53:00.000-08:00

This doesn't leave much room for even normal behavior. I'm not in the "it's not the breed, it's the people camp" all that much but this seems pretty unforgiving.

Humane Society dogs face life-or-death audition
Safety fears doom many potential pets

John Faherty
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 9, 2007 12:00 AM
Baby, a pit bull, walked into a room with cinder-block walls and a concrete floor for her behavior evaluation at the Arizona Humane Society shelter.

The dog let the handler open her mouth and tug on her ears. She didn't bark, growl or snip when her paws were pulled and her tail was tugged.

This was a good dog but not good enough.

"With pit bulls, she would have to be perfect. And she's not," said Marilyn Gooding-Stueland, supervisor of behavior programs. "She will be humanely euthanized."

Five minutes later, Baby was dead.

There is a heightened interest in these evaluations after a 4-year-old girl was killed by her pet dog Monday afternoon in the north Valley.

More than 4.7 million people in the U.S. are bitten by dogs each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are on average 16 fatal dog attacks annually.

The Humane Society screens dogs put up for adoption to try to ensure safety, but sometimes, even those evaluations cannot predict an animal's behavior.

Off the Farm in Virginia

2007-11-10T06:49:00.000-08:00

Massive Dog Breeding Farm Rescue in Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A dog breeding operation that was home to more than 600 breeding females is now the site of a huge rescue operation, with the owner agreeing to relinquish nearly 1,000 dogs for treatment and possible adoption.

Hundreds of puppies, mostly small, purebred varieties such as pugs, corgis and King Charles spaniels were taken to an emergency operations center staffed by volunteer veterinarians, Carroll County Administrator Gary Larrowe said Thursday.

He estimated that as many as 120 people are involved at any given time, and said the pet store chain PetSmart sent a tractor-trailer load of supplies.

"I'm not sure what we would have done with 1,000 dogs otherwise," he said.

The dog breeding operation was uncovered by the Humane Society of the United States during a five-month investigation into so-called "puppy mills" in Virginia. Local animal rights groups made sure the county was aware of the report, and the county then asked for state help.

Many of the dogs were discovered in cages made of wire fencing and wood framing, said the Humane Society's John Snyder. The animals largely appeared to be in good shape, Larrowe said, although many were denied the socialization that produces good pets.

Junior Horton, the owner of the breeding operation, has been breeding dogs for more than 20 years, he told authorities, and had a license to have as many as 500 dogs.

Earlier this week, Horton called the effort to remove dogs from his farm "dognapping." He said, "They just come in on me out of the blue."

"I've got the best kennel in southwest Virginia," he said.

In negotiations with county officials, Horton will keep 200 dogs and will secure the proper licensing and comply with federal laws for dog breeders, Larrowe said.

He could eventually face charges that include animal cruelty, but he has cooperated as authorities work to remove the dogs from his farm, treat them and send them on to shelters.

Animal shelters up and down the East Coast are preparing for arrivals.

The dogs, once cleared for release, will be sent to shelters from as far away as Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to upstate New York, Snyder said.

End Petlessness

2007-11-09T15:47:00.001-08:00

Wieners All Around

2007-11-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

I suppose there's a reason for this posting but I'm not sure what it is. Oh, well.

Hazards From the Air

2007-11-08T23:57:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed? There's always some sort of weird story out of Florida.

Florida Dog Owners Fear Flying Menace

GULF BREEZE, Fla. (AP) — Move over coyotes. Some northwest Florida residents are worried because they believe hawks are swooping down from the sky and attacking their small dogs.

Gulf Breeze residents have seen their pets fall victim to coyotes before, and the city even sets traps to control their population.

Martha Powers said she began yelling after seeing a large bird flying down toward her dog. The bird turned away. And Caren Gardner believes that her 3-pound Pomeranian was taken by a hawk last year 'within minutes' after she let her out to play

Fido Gets Clean

2007-11-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

This probably beats trying to clean out the bathtub after the dog has been bathed but this poor pooch sure doesn't look happy.
Sudsing Up the Dog
A dog washing machine is the latest craze for canines in Poitiers, France.

The machine, which costs more than $30,000 (French poodle not included), washes and dries the pets in four minutes. An operator stands by to watch and to make sure the dog is comfortable.

Puppies and Cons

2007-11-08T05:19:00.000-08:00

"Puppies Behind Bars" gives new life to both dogs and prison inmates. The prisoners train the dogs to become guide dogs for the blind or police bomb sniffers.

The dogs get weekend furloughs in New York City to get used to the streets.

Drugs and Dog Poop

2007-11-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

Feds want you to mix meds with kitty litter, dog waste
Instead of flushing leftover medicine down the toilet, the federal government is urging consumers to mix unused drugs with kitty litter, dog feces or sawdust before they toss it in the trash.

Sled Dogs Attacked

2007-11-04T14:29:00.000-08:00

Village Reacts to Rabid Wolf AttackANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Children in the village of Marshall do not go out alone without an adult. They have been told to stay inside after dark. When night falls, three sentries are posted along the village periphery to keep the wolves out.

Precautions have been taken in the Eskimo village in western Alaska after a pack of wolves last week attacked sled dogs, killing three adults and three puppies. A wolf killed by villagers turned out to be rabid.

"There is a concern about the pack that is left remaining that is wandering out there," he said. "That pack is still out there and might have the rabies."

On Friday morning, fresh wolf tracks were spotted a quarter-mile from town, said Ray Alstrom, mayor of Marshall.

Cleaning Up Behind the Dog

2007-11-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

Read some tips on environmental awareness while cleaning up behind your dog. Here's a thought--I'll bet some enterprising type could make a few bucks selling biodegrable dog poop bags at LI dog runs.

Heroic Dog (and Cat)

2007-11-02T23:47:00.000-07:00

This morning's news brings us a life-affirming story that comes as a nice break from death and destruction that has been dominating current events of late.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has recognized its "Humane Heroes of 2007." In addition to a small group of humans, the honorees include a cat and dog who share heroic attributes.

New Law in Texas Town

2007-11-02T23:37:00.000-07:00

I have really mixed feelings about this--tethering my dog outside while I drive down to the school 2.5 miles away to pick up the kid and then immediately return seems sensible--she gets outside, does her business, can roam the entire front yard and yet is calm. She's not inclined to try to dig under any fences, as she is when left in the back yard for more than 10 seconds. It drives me crazy when these laws are driven by one or two people because of what their kid did. I'm open to a different viewpoint, however.

Irving council OKs ban on unattended, tethered dogs

Owners of unattended, chained pets to receive Class C misdemeanors

12:00 AM CDT on Friday, November 2, 2007
By BRANDON FORMBY
The Dallas Morning News

The Irving City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Thursday night that bans tethering unattended dogs any time, any place. The new city law is believed to be the first of its kind in North Texas.

Irving's ordinance goes beyond a state law that went into effect in September that limits the time dog owners can tether their pets to between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

"We've chosen as a community to make ours a little stricter," said Fred Sanderson, Irving's animal services manager.

Mr. Sanderson said the law is aligned with a growing national movement of dog lovers and lawmakers who believe tethering dogs can make them more aggressive.

Dale and Kristi McKenzie, whose 8-year-old son, Shane, was attacked by a tethered dog in March, were among a dozen residents who supported the ordinance. Shane has undergone eight surgeries to repair his carotid artery after a tethered Akita mix jumped him when he went into its yard to retrieve a basketball.

Colorizing the Dog

2007-11-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

Scientists Spot Dog Fur Color Gene

THURSDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Dogged research has identified a gene that determines canine coat color, and the discovery could have implications for human health, too

A team from Stanford University School of Medicine says the finding may help lead to a better understanding of why humans come in different weights and have varying abilities to cope with stress.

They analyzed DNA samples from hundreds of dogs and pinpointed a gene that makes the beta defensin protein. One version of the gene produces yellow dogs, while a mutant version produces black dogs, the researchers found.

The gene belongs to the large family of defensin genes, which may play a role in fighting infections, although that's not certain.

What is clear is that this newly-identified beta-defensin gene engages a pathway that determines skin and hair color as well as stress adaptation and weight regulation, the Stanford researchers said. The identification of a new gene in this pathway creates new possibilities for drug research.

Microchips in New Zealand

2007-11-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

Dog laws get a bit more bite
The Marlborough Express

When associate Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta's dog microchipping law was passed last year it was seen by some as more of a nuisance than a solution to a serious problem, writes The Marlborough Express in an editorial.

Dog owners complained and even local governments labelled the changes to the Dog Control Act "inappropriate and unnecessary". The law was seen as a knee-jerk reaction to the vicious dog attack on seven-year-old Carolina Anderson four years ago.

Since its inception there have been several serious dog attacks, with one of the most horrifying being the mauling to death of Murupara woman Virginia Ohlson and the attack on Christchurch toddler Aotea Coxon. The young girl suffered severe injuries and underwent seven hours of facial surgery, which included having a plate inserted in her jaw and 290 stitches.

After the death of Mrs Ohlson, Prime Minister Helen Clark ordered a review into the dog control laws. Miss Clark said she wanted the review to focus on

designating more dogs as dangerous and menacing, focusing on cross-breeds such as the two that killed Mrs Ohlson as she walked to catch a bus. She also instructed Ms Mahuta and officials to examine ways to make local councils take a more active approach to designating individual dogs, regardless of their breed, as dangerous.

Now a government review has been released Ms Mahuta yesterday unveiled plans to strengthen the dog control laws. Theses include legislation requiring menacing dogs to be neutered.

The law will also simplify the process of adding more breeds to the import ban. The presa canario breed, not yet in New Zealand, would be banned from importation. Ms Mahuta says many councils already require the neutering of menacing breeds or types of dog but the legislation will make this

consistent nationwide. In addition to the breed-based classification, individual dogs can also be classified as menacing by councils.

Government will issue a

discussion document on the issue for consultation before the end of the year. Ideas being considered included: the addition of breeds of dog to dog control legislation; the mandatory destruction of dogs

classified as dangerous; and compulsory round-ups and/or faster destruction of unregistered dogs.

The New Zealand Veterinary Association disagrees with the new plans. The association believes that focusing on dog breeds and types is not the right approach to preventing dog attacks on people. It says that branding dogs as dangerous by breed or type ignores the fact that all dogs are potentially dangerous and aggressive behaviour in dogs is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.

The new proposals will not eliminate attacks by dogs but will certainly give the current laws a bit more bite. Any law change needs to be accompanied by a drive to educate dog owners. A well-trained dog owner - regardless of what breed the dog is - is less of a menace to society than an untrained one.

Next, They'll Be Playing Poker

2007-10-30T04:48:00.000-07:00

Dogs shoot man on hunting trip

CHICAGO (AFP) — A pack of hunting dogs shot an Iowa man as he went to retrieve a fallen pheasant, authorities said.

James Harris, 37, was shot in the leg while hunting with some friends on Saturday afternoon.

The group shot a bird which landed on the other side of a fence, the Iowa Department of Natural Resource said in a press release.

"Harris reportedly went to retrieve the bird, placed his gun on the ground and crossed the fence near the muzzle end," the press release said.

"When he crossed the fence, hunting dogs stepped on the gun, which discharged and struck Harris in the left calf at a distance of roughly three feet."

Harris was treated at a regional medical center and later transported by helicopter to an Iowa City hospital.

Dog and People Etiquette

2007-10-30T04:32:00.000-07:00

LIDOG has a lot of good information about dogs, pet etiquette, dog runs,etc. Here's a sample of the group's advice about using the town or county dog parks. Personally, we like the Coindre Hall site better than the one on West Hills Road one in Huntington but everyone has his favorites. We haven't tried any other parks. To read the full list of tips, go here.

by Ellen Rassiger
DO keep a regular collar WITH ID TAGS on your dog at all times, even at the park.
DO bring fresh water for your dog if there is none available (and be willing to share).
DO educate your fellow dog owners, politely and discreetly, if you see that their dog is wearing an inappropriate collar, or if they haven’t picked up after their dog.
DO make sure your dog is fully vaccinated and licensed before bringing her to the park.
DO keep your dog on leash until you reach the off-leash area.

DON'T bring your dog to an unfenced dog park if he/she must be kept on a leash for fear of running away.DON'T let your dog run in the dog park while wearing a choke chain OR prong collar.

DON'T bring small children to a dog park. They can easily be knocked down or injured by running dogs.

DON'T bring a dog to the dog park that has aggression issues toward other animals OR people. This is NOT the place to work on it!

DON'T allow your dog to stand and bark at the double-gate area when a new dog is coming in – it is polite to call your dog away so the new dog can enter with ease.

Dog Crates on eBay

2007-10-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

Howl-a-Ween

2007-10-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Oct. 28th, Corky's Howl-Ween Canine Costume Parade and Celebration will be held in Cold Spring Harbor from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. The parade and celebration will help benefit the New York Animal Rescue Foundation.

The event will feature:

- A canine costume parade down Main Street beginning at Noon and ending at Cold Spring Harbor Park

- Pupparazzi who will take photos of pups as they enter the Park

- Costume Contests

- Woofstock, featuring The Doug Gordon Band

- Ruff, Rhythm & Blues featuring The Tash Brothers

- Feasts for Beasts sponsored by the Cold Spring Harbor Fire Dept.

- And, lots more!

LI-DOG will have a booth at the event. If you'd like to volunteer to help us staff the booth—it's a great opportunity to meet fellow dog owners!—please email us at lidog_news@yahoo.com.

To get the flyer and for more information about the Howl-Ween Parade and Celebration, visit our website at www.lidog.org. This should be a great event for a very good cause! Please don't forget to bring your leash.

K-9 Death

2007-10-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Wow. I wonder how this happened or how this guy ever got to be on the K-9 unit in the first place.

Sergeant barred from unit after dog's death
Christopher Ramirez
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 20
Chandler police Sgt. Tom Lovejoy will serve a two-day suspension without pay and never work on the department's K-9 unit again, police announced Friday after an inquiry into the death of his K-9 partner, Bandit.

Chandler Police Chief Sherry Kiyler said in a statement that the suspension was for "conduct unbecoming and neglect of duty."

Bandit died in August after being left in a car for more than 12 hours.

Am I Crazy?

2007-10-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

Does anyone, anyone at all, think this DeGeneres dog thing is a prank? OK, that's nuts, I know. Apparently, the shelter people could claim the dog because their name was on the dog's microchip. But what kind of screening did they do--did they not know that DeGeneres had cats?

Meantime, the folks at yourpurebredpuppy.com say that children and Brussels Griffons aren't a good mix, though I don't know if by children, they mean pre-teens.

Dog Run, Round XXXXIII

2007-10-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

Dear fellow dog owners,
This Thursday, the Suffolk County Parks Board of Trustees will meet at Coindre Hall at 1 p.m. for the first time in almost two years. The last time the Parks Trustees met at Coindre Hall, several people from the surrounding neighborhood spoke out against the presence of dog owners and their dogs at Coindre Hall and asked the County to come up with a plan for dealing with the situation.

LI-DOG plans on attending the meeting this Thursday in order to respond to any complaints made by neighbors against dog owners at Coindre Hall. We also will reiterate LI-DOG's readiness to sit down with other park users to come up with a workable solution that will allow all of us to enjoy the park.

We are asking our fellow dog owners to:

Join us at 1 p.m. on Thursday to stand up for the right of dog owners to be at Coindre Hall!

Let the Parks Trustees know the presence of dog owners and their dogs have made Coindre Hall a SAFE county park

Let the Parks Trustees know the presence of dog owners and their dogs makes Coindre Hall a CLEAN county park. No other waterfront property is clean of goose droppings! And, we clean up after our dogs.

Let the Parks Trustees know that dog owners are willing to Share the Park and that we are ready to sit down with other park users to come up with a solution at Coindre Hall that works for everyone

- If you can't join us, please help us make sure that:

o The park is Clean on Thursday morning!

o Dogs are on-leash Thurs. from 1 until 4 p.m. while the Trustees meet

o There are no aggressive dogs in the park

o The park is free of excessive barking

Ellen Runs Into Flak

2007-10-16T04:14:00.000-07:00

Seems a bit extreme to me...

Ellen DeGeneres under fire for giving away dog

By BETH HARRIS, Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES - Ellen DeGeneres is in the doghouse with a pet rescue agency after giving a pooch away to her hairdresser because it didn't get along with her cats.

The talk show hostess and her partner Portia de Rossi adopted Iggy, a Brussels Griffon mix, on Sept. 20. But when things didn't work out, DeGeneres gave the dog to her hairdresser.

In doing so, DeGeneres violated an agreement with the Mutts and Moms dog rescue agency by not informing them of the handoff.

When the agency called DeGeneres to ask about Iggy, she said she found another home for the dog. The agency sent a representative to the hairdresser's home Sunday and took the dog away.

DeGeneres went public about the situation Monday while taping an episode of her show to air Tuesday. She admitted she didn't read all the paperwork involving the adoption.

DeGeneres said she spent $3,000 having the dog neutered and trained to be with her cats. But the dog had too much energy and was too rambunctious, she told her television audience.

"I guess I signed a piece of paper that says if I can't keep Iggy, it goes back to the rescue organization, which is not someone's home, which is not a family," she said in a show transcript provided to The Associated Press.

"I thought I did a good thing. I tried to find a loving home for the dog because I couldn't keep it."

DeGeneres said her hairdresser's daughters, ages 11 and 12, had bonded with Iggy and were heartbroken when the dog was taken away.

"Because I did it wrong, those people went and took that dog out of their home, and took it away from those kids," a sobbing DeGeneres said on her show.

"I feel totally responsible for it and I'm so sorry. I'm begging them to give that dog back to that family," she said. "It's not their fault. It's my fault. I shouldn't have given the dog away. Just please give the dog back to those little girls."

Mutts and Moms, a volunteer nonprofit organization in Pasadena, does not have a listed phone number and didn't immediately respond to an e-mail request for comment.

Blog Action Day: Going Green

2007-10-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't use these items directly on the dog--except for diluted vinegar to get rid of fleas--but all of these products work to clean around the dog's crate and floor to keep your pet healthy.

It’s time to get rid of the unhealthy cleaning products in the house and use such natural items as borax, distilled white vinegar, baking soda, salt, washing soda (sodium carbonate), also known as soda ash, and lemons. Note that most of these products are readily available. We had trouble finding Borax for a while. I went to seven supermarkets over a period of weeks, looking for Borax but was met by blank looks by the 20-somethings.

I did find one manager who knew what I was talking about but said that Borax, like other products, such as Brillo and Spic-and-Span, had pretty much disappeared. (Stop and Shop, in particular, seems determined to reduce the number products it offers).

Then, suddenly, Borax reappeared on the shelves of the Waldbaum’s store near me, so I’ve been scooping up the boxes as I can.

If it’s not available in your nearest store, try Soaps Gone Buy, which offers Twenty Mule Team Borax, Fels Naptha and other seemingly lost products.

If you need convincing that shifting to these products is a good idea, study the labels of your commercial soaps. One day, when I had an especially ugly, sticky spill on my kitchen floor, I used bleach and a little dish soap and immediately felt sickened by the fumes. It turned out that the dish soap contained ammonia, and mixing it with bleach is a terrible idea.

I was further surprised to discover ammonia in some shampoo! So read those labels or just switch; it’s easy.

Here are some uses:

Lemon juice: We’ve also used lemon to clean the inside of the car. I frequently found myself coughing hard in the car, especially when the heat came on. Just spraying the air didn’t help; we keep a lot of papers and clothing in the car for different reasons and so the air is frequently dusty from those items. So applying some lemon to clean off the dashboard, reaching into the air vents and sprinkling some baking soda and then vacuuming it up helped the air quality a lot.

It also can dissolve soap scum. We have hard water in our neighborhood and soap scum remains on the bathtub. It works well to remove it, especially if mixed with vinegar or baking soda. You can also let it soak in the kitchen sink and pour it down the drain to remove odors. It also works to clean the kitchen floor.

Borax: all kinds of cleaning: countertops, laundry, floors. Boosts cleaning of clothes—will definitely brighten your clothes. We didn’t realize how dingy our bed covers had gotten from the dog—we washed the covers, of course, and they looked fine. Then we used Borax to supplement laundry soap and things looked much, much better, almost new.

Baking soda: Use about a half cup of baking soda, followed by a half cup of vinegar, as a drain cleaner. Those over-the-counter drain cleaners are about as toxic as you can get in a household product. It’s far less abrasive than commercial products.

Hydrogen peroxide: mix with water, spray on grout and areas subject to mold; let sit for an hour and then wash off with water. Kills mold and germs.

Vinegar: We use this for all kinds of projects: we use a bit to clean the dishwasher to kill germs, to kill mold or mildew, as a fabric softener (add a little during the rinse cycle), countertops, kitchen and bathroom floors. There may be a strong smell when first used but it dries and the scent disappears very quickly. And the temporary smell is nothing compared to the odor of bleach or ammonia, and there’s no harm remaining from using it.

Squirrels Get Their Moment

2007-10-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

Having falsely accused the squirrels of digging up the tulip bulbs when the energetic Lab was actually the guilty party, I thought I'd give the critters their own moment of glory. Thanks to my friend at Grey and Red

What should people know about squirrels and getting along with them?

A few simple things will do. Squirrels are wild animals. Cute as they may be as youngsters, and cute and clever as they may be as adults, they are not meant to be kept captive. It is not only illegal but inhumane. These are wild animals
built to live in the wild and they can get into more trouble in captive care because they are not designed for it.

Squirrels are best appreciated from a distance, even a short distance. True, some will approach you, take food from your hands and even sit on your lap (I've experienced this myself), but it's best not to encourage this kind of behavior. You could inadvertently get bitten and you might also get the squirrel accustomed to a kind of behavior not universally welcomed by humans. If, on the other hand, a juvenile squirrel ever approaches you unsolicited and climbs you, it is an almost definite sign the mother squirrel is dead or missing and the little one needs to be taken into the care of a rehabber. This is not normal behavior.

Always remember: squirrels are smart, photogenic, tough and beautiful.
And they are wild, through and through.

Dog vs. Cat for the Environment

2007-10-08T05:56:00.000-07:00

I'll admit that I never thought about this issue before but obviously, some people have.

Cat or dog - which is the best choice for the planet?
EVERYONE knows the world is divided between cat people and dog people and that, to paraphrase Kipling, pups are pups and pussies are pussies and never the twain shall meet. But perhaps it is time we began choosing our pets on another basis altogether - the environment.

Dogs and the Garden

2007-10-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

After about a week of blaming the ever-present squirrels for the disappearance of several tulip bulbs, guess what? The kid and the neighbor ratted out the dog. The bulbs have been moved out of her reach.

Oddly, she didn't seem interested in munching on the bulbs but the blood meal and freshly dug dirt certainly grabbed her attention.

Reporter Nzong Xiong of the Fresno Bee recommends keeping your dog's habits in mind when planting.

Fatal Pit Bull Attack

2007-10-02T05:55:00.000-07:00

This happened today in Florida

Middleburg woman killed by her pet pit bulls

By Alice Wallace
Sun staff writer

A Middleburg woman died Tuesday after she was attacked by her own pet pit bulls, according to the Clay County Sheriff's Office. Tina Marie Canterbury, 42, was fatally attacked by her two pit bulls around 8 a.m. Tuesday, and both dogs were later killed by police when they continued to be aggressive, according to Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Mary Justino.

The attack occurred at Canterbury's home, at 2445 Cosmos Road in Middleburg. Justino reported that the pit bulls apparently attacked the woman while she was alone in the yard, and then once family members came outside and found her injured, the dogs prevented the family from providing aid.

Canterbury's son, Christopher Canterbury, 21, received minor injuries when one of the dogs bit him while he was trying to reach his mother, and a family friend finally scared the dogs away by firing shots from a handgun, Justino reported.

The first deputy to arrive on scene Tuesday shot one of the dogs when it tried to attack him. The other dog remained loose in the neighborhood for about two hours before it was located and killed by Sheriff's Office personnel, Justino reported.

LI-Dog Meeting

2007-10-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

October LI-DOG Meeting Moves to Smithtown!

The LI-DOG meeting scheduled for Thurs., October 4 th will be held at the Millennium Diner, at the corner of Main Street (Route 25) and Route 111 in Smithtown, instead of the Huntington Public Library as usual. We'll start dinner at 7 p.m. and the meeting at 7:30 p.m.

On the agenda:

- The latest development at Blydenburgh, West Hills, Coindre Hall, Southaven, Gardiners and other dog parks
- News on the designation of 5 New Dog Parks in Suffolk County
- Progress on a Dog Park 101 educational program
- Plus, plans for LI-DOG social events.

If you want to help create new dog parks on Long Island, help plan social events for fellow dog owners and their dogs, and meet up with like-minded people, come to the LI-DOG meeting on October 4th. Please email us at lidog_news@yahoo.com by Thursday at noon so we can let the restaurant know how many people to expect.

Animal Lawyers

2007-10-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

Newsday takes a good look at the rise in the number of lawyers who specialize in animal law: Animal lawyers share passion to protect helpless

Bad Foods

2007-09-25T11:15:00.001-07:00

WikiHow has a good post on foods you shouldn't feed your dog.

Beyond the usual suspects:
caffeine
macadamia nuts
avocado

PetEducation addresses some of the same points.

Deaf and Adoptable

2007-09-25T09:25:00.001-07:00

It's Deaf Awareness Week, so Petfinder is showcasing animals "who are available, adoptable, and deaf," including Lilly. Take a look.

Some Dog Product Reviews

2007-09-23T20:13:00.001-07:00

Here are a handful of reviews of dog products from the epinions site:

Greenies

PupPeroni

Alpo

Bio Spot Flea & Tick Control

Taking Out the Dog

2007-09-22T07:13:00.001-07:00

See, this is why I could never be a criminal. Or a cop. This never would have occurred to me.
From the South Africa Independent Online
Gadget to silence dogs 'may aid criminals'
Helen Bamford
September 22 2007 at 12:05PM

A new gadget designed to stop dogs from barking incessantly is on the market, but animal experts have warned there are no quick-fixes and that the devices could be abused by criminals.

Heather Hiscox, of Plettenberg Bay, said she came across the device called a Dazer while visiting relatives in Portugal and was so impressed with it that she had decided to market it in South Africa.

She said the device emitted a discomforting, but harmless, high-frequency sound that only animals could hear and was a humane alternative to items such as shock collars, electric mats and choker chains.

Hiscox said the device could be used to stop nuisance barking as well as to stop the approach of unfriendly, aggressive dogs from as far away as seven metres.

Dog Slaughter?

2007-09-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

Wow, I never heard of this but it's pretty appalling, if true.

Inuit truth commission to investigate whether RCMP slaughtered sled dogs

An Inuit group is investigating for itself a long-standing accusation that RCMP officers slaughtered sled dogs in the 1950s and '60s to force their owners to give up their traditional lifestyle.

"Once the truth commission has completed their work (we'll) have a clearer picture of what actually happened," Terry Audla of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association said Wednesday.

Many Inuit are convinced that up to 20,000 sled dogs were systematically killed by police officers and other white authority figures as people were moving off the land and into communities. It's long been believed that the RCMP's actions were part of a plan to keep Inuit in settlements - where they were easier to administer - by destroying their main form of transportation.

Much of the social dysfunction in Inuit communities today stems back to that time of transition, giving the sled dog issue tremendous emotional force in Nunavut and Arctic Quebec.

Attacks on Dogs, by Dogs

2007-09-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

Update 9/21: the news from Michigan gets stranger and stranger. USAToday reports on a series of murders of dogs.

Earlier:
Of course, sometimes the dogs strike first.

Ten dogs euthanized after fatal attacks
Thursday, September 20, 2007
CHRONICLE NEWS SERVICE

Ten dogs seized last week after some of them allegedly attacked and killed two Livingston County residents have been euthanized.

Anne Burns, director of Livingston County Animal Control, confirmed Wednesday that all 10 of the dogs -- all American bulldogs and bulldog mixes -- were destroyed, even though investigators believe only four of the dogs may have been involved in the attack.

Burns said she decided to destroy all the dogs because they were deemed unadoptable.

State police continue to investigate the vicious attacks that killed Edward Gierlach, 91, and 56-year-old Cheryl Harper. They were neighbors in rural Iosco Township, south of Fowlerville.

Police believe the dogs attacked Gierlach, who was in his yard, and then turned their attention to Harper, who was on her daily walk nearby.

Burns said all 10 dogs, which averaged 75-80 pounds, looked "like a boxer on stilts" and had faces similar to a boxer -- with a strong jaw and muscular body. She said none of the dogs looked like they had been used to fight, and there was no indication that dogs were involved in fights on owner Diane Cockrell's property.

Police have not found any witnesses to the attacks, said Sgt. Therese Fogarty-Cremonte.

Fogarty-Cremonte said autopsies on Gierlach and Harper were being conducted in Ingham County.

Trooper Jeff Frasier, one of three officers investigating the attacks, said Wednesday that neighbors are flooding police with reports that the dogs got out of their kennel a number of times.

Frasier said "there have been times they have gotten out." But, he said, in those cases neighbors said the dogs left the property and returned. But, he said, "if they menaced anyone, no reports were generated."

Frasier also confirmed Wednesday that Cockrell was out of town at the time of the attacks Sept. 13, and that a local teenager was taking care of the dogs. He said both Cockrell and the teen are cooperating with police.

Frasier said the investigation is nearly complete, and will probably be turned over to prosecutors for possible charges in the next day or two.

Jail for Dog-Fight Operators

2007-09-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

What is the matter with people?

Five facing jail over barbaric dog fight
By Nick Britten
The Telegraph
Five men are facing jail after being convicted of one of the bloodiest and most barbaric dog fights ever discovered.

Police raided a kitchen showroom to find two pit bull terriers on the verge of death after spending around two hours relentlessly ripping into each other.

The RSPCA said there was a worrying increase in dog fighting amongst gangs of young men.

Twenty six men were convicted over the fight in Alum Rock, Birmingham, last February, which pitted the dogs, Elvis and Bullet, against each other.

Birmingham Magistrates' Court was told the battled inflicted “unimaginable” pain and suffering on the dogs.

Graphic video footage taken during the fights shows the dogs' owners encouraging them to fight by shouting and clapping.

Squeals of pain and phrases such as “shake him” and “come on boy” could be heard on the videos as the dogs bit each other so badly that one was left covered in blood with barely any hair around its face.

'Greenies' Suit Settled

2007-09-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

Greenies dog treat lawsuit settled
By DAVID TWIDDY
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
The makers of Greenies, one of the nation's best-selling dog treats, have settled a class-action lawsuit claiming the teeth-cleaning product injured or killed close to a dozen dogs.

U.S. District Judge Gary Fenner on Monday agreed with a joint request to dismiss the case.

Alan Sash, who represented 10 dog owners against Kansas City-based manufacturer S&M NuTec, said the case was settled but the terms were confidential.

An attorney for S&M NuTec, which was acquired last year by McLean, Va.-based candy conglomerate Mars Inc., also declined further comment.

"All issues between the parties have been resolved," said Laura Fey.

Greenies are hard, dark green treats shaped like a bone on one end and a toothbrush on the other. Designed to scrub dogs' teeth while being chewed, the treats have become extremely popular in recent years, with pet owners snapping up more than 300 million a year.

But beginning in 2005, media outlets began carrying stories of pet owners claiming their dogs either choked on pieces of Greenies or suffered medical problems when undigested pieces became trapped in their intestines. A CNN report last year estimated at least 13 dogs had died of Greenies-related problems.

In their lawsuit, Sash's clients claimed S&M NuTec, the company that invented the treats, knew of the dangers Greenies posed for dogs but refused to adequately warn consumers or pull the treats from the shelves.

The company repeatedly said Greenies were safe when used as directed, which included buying dogs the correct size of treat and making sure the animal adequately chewed it and didn't gulp it down.

Pet Fundraiser

2007-09-18T05:12:00.000-07:00

"Furry Tails Can Come True" – Wednesday Oct.3. Pet Peeves, Inc. is holding its fifth annual social and business networking gala to raise funds for no-kill shelters, animal rescue groups, humane education, and pet therapy initiatives. Tickets are $100 and should be ordered in advance. All proceeds go toward supporting Pet Peeves. Call 516-692-PETS to purchase tickets or to obtain more information. 6 p.m., Crest Hollow Country Club 8325 Jericho Turnpike, Woodbury.

North Shore Animal League Q and A

2007-09-18T04:56:00.001-07:00

The North Shore Animal League answers legal questions about pets.

Representing the Dog

2007-09-18T04:55:00.000-07:00

Lawyer for the dog
Inside the booming field of animal law, in which animals have their own interests -- and their own lawyers.

By Drake Bennett
Boston Globe
In recent years, Dr. Amy Marder, a veterinarian practicing in Lexington, has found herself called upon to decide which human "parent" a pet prefers.

Pet custody disputes have become an increasingly common fixture in divorce cases and Marder, an animal behavior specialist, has consulted in several. To do a proper evaluation, she likes to spend at least an hour and a half with the couple and the pet. She asks the owners a barrage of questions: which of the two spends more time with the animal, who plays with it more, who feeds it. She asks about the pet's upbringing, its temperament, how much it exercises.

Marder frowns on so-called "calling contests," a method used by lawyers in some custody cases, in which the owners stand at opposite ends of a room and call the pet to see which way it will go. She prefers to observe the animal's body language as it interacts with its owners. She looks at whether it sits closer to one or the other, and how it reacts when each pets it.

At the end of the session, Marder makes her recommendation, based not only on who she thinks would take better care of the pet, but whom she has decided the pet has a stronger bond with - the same sort of considerations that would go into deciding a child-custody case. Sometimes she recommends joint custody, but only if she thinks the animal can handle it.

Nova's Show

2007-09-17T05:09:00.000-07:00

If you get a chance to see Nova's Dogs and More Dogs, do it. It's a wonderful program, lots of explanation of how different breeds developed, how dogs adapt to their environment, etc.

From the program's description:
Why do we know people are the key? Think of your favorite species of wild animal—elephant, eagle, barracuda, whatever. Does its kind come in as wide a range of shapes, sizes, and colors as the dog? Not even remotely. "You never get that kind of variation in wild populations," says animal behaviorist James Serpell of the University of Pennsylvania. "For the most part, selection in the wild is towards one particular type that does best in whatever environment the species has to deal with. In fact, divergent individuals tend to be selected against."

Dogs are diverse largely because of artificial rather than natural selection, because of us rather than nature. But just how much of their variety can be laid at our feet versus Mother Nature's remains unclear.

Face-Off

2007-09-17T05:08:00.001-07:00

A face-lift for a dog? Brazilian vet does it all
'Good symmetry is very important'

By MEI-LING HOPGOOD
COX NEWS SERVICE

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Is Fido in need of a face-lift?

Go see Edgado Brito, who is advancing the practice of pet plastic surgery in a land with a worldwide reputation for making people beautiful by any means.

Brazilians have long been known for their penchant for cosmetic surgery, and Brito has been adapting those techniques for use on animals.

"Plastic surgery is good for dogs!" said Brito, 45, a Doberman breeder who has worked as a veterinarian for 20 years.

He can make protruding ears droop and uses Metacril to straighten bent ears. He uses Botox to fix inverted eyelashes. He has even tightened the mammillae of a couple of female dogs, whose owners wanted to show them after they had given birth.

Simple surgeries usually cost from about $100 to $200.

In Brazil, the United States and Europe, pet plastic surgery is increasingly in demand, despite objections from animal rights activists and some dog breeders.

Dogs on the Scene

2007-09-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

Zowie, this is an appalling story, with dogs playing a key role. It's the people's behavior that seems pretty awful; the dogs were being dogs.

From the Telegraph in India

Stray dogs bite into ‘cremated’ bodies
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Patna, Sept. 16: In death, they lost the right to live; after death, they lost the right for having last rites.

While villagers in Dhelphodwa took law in their hands to beat 10 thieves of a nomad community to death on Thursday, stray dogs today were up for feast on at least two of the bodies “cremated” at Konhara ghat on Friday.

In his report filed on Friday, Vaishali district welfare officer J.K. Mathur, who was also the magistrate in charge of the incident, said that all the 10 bodies were “cremated” after post-mortem.

This morning had a telltale evidence that something was wrong in the process when local people went to the ghat — on the confluence of the Ganga and Gandak — to take bath. “About six dogs were feeding on the two bodies swept ashore. Another seven bodies were also floating,” said Surendra Tiwary, the pundit at the ghat who takes care of the funeral process of bodies.

Dog a Day

2007-09-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

So, you don't want to actually own a dog, but would enjoy having one to cavort with on occasion? Hmm, FlexPetz to the rescue!
Here's how the service describes itself:

FLEXPETZ provides our members with local access to a variety of dogs, all of whom are rescued or rehomed, very lovable and fully trained. FLEXPETZ members can spend from just a few hours to a number of days with each of our dogs. FLEXPETZ dogs are available in varied breed sizes to ensure compatibility with our member's individual lifestyles and unique circumstances. Local drop-off and collection to your home or office is available in some locations.

CURRENT LOCATIONS
FLEXPETZ LOS ANGELES
FLEXPETZ SAN DIEGO

Coming soon:
FLEXPETZ NYC (Manhattan)- Coming in September, 2007
FLEXPETZ San Francisco- Coming in September, 2007
FLEXPETZ London, UK- Coming in November, 2007
FLEXPETZ Boston - Coming in Spring 2008
FLEXPETZ Washington, DC - Coming in Spring 2008

Hi-Tech Dog Searches

2007-09-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

Experts hope high-tech police dogs will 'revolutionize' rescue

TORONTO - Search-and-rescue dogs mounted with two-way cameras will revolutionize how lives are saved during a 9/11-scale crisis, says a canine handler and constable with Ontario's elite Provincial Emergency Response Team.

"What's great about a dog is that they can actually get into smaller spaces; they can search much more effectively with their nose," Const. Kevin Barnum said as he crouched in the debris of Toronto's half-demolished Regal Constellation hotel with his rescue dog Dare.

"With the camera it allows us a proper mapping system and you can actually know exactly where the victim is and what we have to expect as rescuers."

"I truly believe that this could revolutionize search-and-rescue dogs."

The camera-mounted harness, which now sports two pan-and-tilt infrared lenses on either side of the dog, was subject to ridicule until they found a model that worked, said Ryerson University professor and project leader Alex Ferworn.

"At first? People thought it was a horrible idea," Ferworn said with a laugh.

"People don't see the relationship between the technology and the animal . . . and as soon as I wanted to mount something on a dog, it became a huge problem."

Super Dogs Go Diving

2007-09-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

Katrina Rescues

2007-09-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

This story last week was truly disturbing, an account of clashes between the owners of dogs pulled from the Katrina floodwaters and the people who rescued them and now won't return them. The story, in my opinion, reeks of class and race issues. If you wanted to do good and save the dogs, why not return them to owners?

And, unless they're being abused but you think they're not being as well cared for as you like, why not give the owners money? Why abscond with the dog?

See what you think.

Thinking About Buying?

2007-09-02T06:08:00.000-07:00

The Humane Society has a good list of topics to consider before buying a puppy. Topping the list: Choosing the right dog.

I'll say. We bought a yellow Labrador pup almost two years ago, with no recognition of just how much energy a Lab could actually expend. She turned 2 last month and is just beginning to calm down.

That's after she destroyed a neighbor's door, ate the cables on the side of the house, chewed her way into a food cabinet, broke into the shed and ate two bicycle seats, chewed numerous shoes and other items around the house, and, the topper, ate into the plastic fuel sensor underneath the car, leading to a $500 repair bill. She thinks cars are her friend and, until recently, if she managed to burst out of the house without a leash, would run all over the place, including in front of cars, hoping we would chase her.

But we love her and would never consider getting rid of her. She's an absolutely fabulous dog, tons of personality, playful, great to have around. It's hard to describe how many tricks this dog has to get her way. But had I realized what people were saying about Labs having a lot of energy, we never would have bought her in the first place. Shh, don't mention that the the kids.

Stubby the War Hero

2007-09-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

Stubby was a hero of the Great War, serving in France with the American 102nd Infantry out of Connecticut:

Stubby did his part by providing morale-lifting visits up and down the line and occasional early warning about gas attacks or by waking a sleeping sentry to alert him to a German attack.