AUSTRALIA. Pets Haven Pro-life Animal Shelter is a facility that rehomes cats, kittens, and dogs and puppies. They do not euthanise animals for economic reasons. Animals are rescued from death row pounds and are kept at the shelter while waiting to be adopted into new homes.  Go to site…. http://www.petshaven.com.au/

Dogs are notoriously indiscriminate when it comes to food. NewsFeed has known dogs to chow down on entire pizzas and blocks of cheese. These are some pricey snacks, to be sure – but one Florida pooch sure knows how to tear through her owners’ cash. By literally eating their money.

Tuity, a four-year-old chow/Labrador mix, chowed down on $1,000 left on a countertop. Her owners had left the ten $100 bills in an envelope, ready to head to the bank. But the money sooner found its way into Tuity’s stomach. When St. Augustine resident Christy Lawrenson returned home, she found shreddings of the bills around the house, and a guilty dog sitting nearby.

“She ate the bill, the envelope … everything,” Lawrenson told the St. Augustine Record. After inducing the dog to cough up the cash, the Lawrensons were able to piece together the bills, to the tune of $900.

Their bank replaced the nine bills for crisp ones, but one of the Benjamins was beyond repair.  That’s because Tuity ate too many serial numbers to make it valid. The Lawrensons sent the tattered bill to the Department of Treasury with an explanation in hopes that the government will replace it. And then, we can only presume, the fresh cash will find its way to the bank, far away from Tuity’s tastebuds.…Story taken from Time newsfeed…read story, see video…. http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/11/13/dog-eats-1000-in-cash-only-returns-900/

To anyone else, it’s just a dog’s nose. But to the small boy in Susan Erisman’s autism class, it’s simply fascinating.

Soft and wet, punctuated by puffs of air. He ran his hands over them, sometimes covering them completely until he was reminded that the dog couldn’t breathe that way.

And the dog? She didn’t seem to mind a bit. That is, after all, what Bella is trained to do.

The black Labrador retriever was certified as a therapy dog this summer and now works at schools and nursing homes. Owner Jim McQuinn brings her to Erisman’s class at Seth Whitman Elementary in Belvidere, Ill., each Wednesday, where schoolchildren touch, hug and explore Bella.

“My (students), who have autism, love the feel of her,” Erisman said. “There are so many sensory things about a dog. They love to hug her and squeeze on her.”

Along with another class, the students enjoy the break from their studies when Bella comes to visit. There are 19 students in all, ages 5 to 10, who spend time with Bella each week. They learn about caring for and training a dog, as well as learning to socialize with Bella’s owner.

“The major drive in our class is to form communication and language skills,” Erisman said. “This is a time when they are not doing academics, but are learning to talk to Jim, who is someone new. They have really taken to Jim. He’s a very kind and patient man.”

For McQuinn, a retired business owner, bringing Bella is something he enjoys and a way of giving back.

“I love the kids and I love the dog,” he said. “I love giving back to the community, and this is one asset I have that I can share.”

McQuinn has three Labs but was struck by Bella’s tame demeanor.

“More and more of my friends, including my ex-wife, said Bella is so sweet, she should be a therapy dog,” he said.

So McQuinn researched the possibility and took Bella into the backyard with a list of criteria for therapy dogs. They need to be able to walk past food without touching it, and to walk past other dogs without reacting. They can’t shy away from medical equipment or be intimidated in loud settings.

The list was filled with “things that are stressful to a lot of dogs,” McQuinn said. But Bella “didn’t miss a step. This is a special dog.”

So far, Bella has visited the Seth Whitman children six times, and McQuinn has watched many of the students come out of their shells.

“Some were afraid of her. She’s about 70 pounds,” McQuinn said. “You would be surprised in the change in the six times we’ve been here. Now, 95 percent of the class is right up there, touching her.”

Erisman said this is the first time in her six years at Seth Whitman that she has had a therapy dog in the classroom, though she kept her dog in a basket on her classroom desk when she previously worked in another school district.

She praises the use of animals with autistic children for the way it helps them learn through their senses, and it also teaches them to develop a relationship with an animal.

“This is a sensory event for my kids,” she said. “But it’s also about building a relationship with another living thing and learning to care for it.”…. story taken from… Rockingford Register Star… read full story… http://www.rrstar.com/specialsection/boomers/x1691081992/Therapy-dog-a-touching-experience-for-kids-with-autism

Dogs have aided humans for thousands of years. Man’s best friend has provided protection, companionship and hunting assistance since the days of the earliest human settlements.

But how and when dogs evolved from wolves is a matter of debate. Naturalist Mark Derr says there are two main schools of thought: Some researchers believe that humans domesticated wolves who were scrounging around their villages for trash. Others think that humans were taking care of wolves from the time they were puppies — until enough puppies were tamed and they somehow then evolved into dogs.

“Neither explanation seems satisfactory,” writes Derr in How the Dog Became the Dog — From Wolves to Our Best Friends. “That is why there’s no consensus.”

In his book, Derr explores how the relationship between humans and wolves developed, and how that relationship then influenced the physical evolution of wolves into dogs. He tells Fresh Air‘s Dave Davies that he believes humans and wolves developed a close relationship after recognizing themselves in each other while hunting on the trail of big game.

“[That's when] they started traveling together, and they’ve been at it ever since,” he says. “The dog is a creation of wolves and humans — of two equal beings that came together at a certain point in history and have been together ever since.”

Derr says our ancestors likely followed behind wolves as they hunted for game on the trail. Wolves, in turn, learned to wait for scraps from bipedal hunters — who were far more accurate with their rudimentary weapons than the wolves were with their teeth.

“The wolf could say, ‘These people are far more profligate hunters than we are. When they go out, they always leave a surplus. It’s easier for us to take the scraps that they have than to hunt,’” says Derr. “Hunting is a highly energetic activity. And they could learn from each other, just by observing each other.”

As humans and wolves began to work and live together, physical features on the wolf began to change: Its skeletal frame grew smaller, and its jaw shortened. Wolves that socialized well with humans began to travel with them, and then were able to pass on their genes.

“You had populations of dog-wolves that became isolated, and in doing so, they began to inbreed,” says Derr. “And when you inbreed, you get genetic peculiarities that arise, and then those peculiarities become part of the population. If they work or become popular or have some function of beauty or utility, then they were kept by the humans — and that population then spreads those through other populations through breeding.”

Fossils of wolves and dogs have been found in early hunting camps. In China, researchers have found evidence that some hunters were raising millet to feed to their hunting companions.

“This kept the dogs alive during times of thin meat,” says Derr. “When they weren’t getting as much meat as they wanted, they would feed [the dogs] millet. That would indicate that the early dog was being used as a hunter, but also that it was highly valued.” …story taken from… 90.0 wbur, Boston’s News Station… read and hear story… http://www.wbur.org/npr/142100653/how-dogs-evolved-into-our-best-friends

TEHACHAPI, Calif. — During this summer’s Canyon Fire, 23 ABC met Oscar, a dog that suffered third-degree burns while running with his owner from the flames.

After Oscar was treated for his burns he was placed in the care of a rescue organization in Tehachapi called Marley’s Mutts. His stay was supposed to be short because Oscar’s owner planned to take him back, but two months later, the rescue still has the dog.

“He’s a happy go-lucky, very happy dog,” said Zach Skow, the owner of Marley’s Mutts. “We go on bike rides and I let the leash dangle from him. He likes to go on the skateboard.”

This is a whole new world Oscar is adjusting to now that Skow has taken him in.

“He’s just an awesome dog,” said Skow. “(He’s) really well assimilated, surprisingly so because he was really freaky at first. He had never been indoors. (He wasn’t) potty trained at all. He had to learn everything.”

23 ABC first met Oscar on Sept.5 at Bakersfield Veterinarian Hospital where he was being treated for the burns he got during the Canyon Fire.

“His undercarriage was completely burnt — his face, his ears, his tail, back of his legs– all (were) in really bad shape,” said Skow when asked how Oscar was when he got him.

After being released, Marley’s Mutts took him in. At the time Oscar’s owner Tim Shirey was going to take him back, but now Oscar is up for adoption.

“Tim is very grateful,” said Skow. “(He) loves his dog obviously, and wants the best for him. (He) decided to let us try and find him the best home possible.”

23 abc talked to Shirey by phone on Friday and he said he thought the rescue could provide Oscar with more than he could and did what was best for the dog.

Skow is now hoping that for Oscar the best is still to come.

“The best thing for him is to find him a family, someone who can love him and cherish him, and spend time with him,” said Skow. “He’s just so good around dogs (and) around kids. He’s got this amazing personality. The best thing for him is to share that with somebody else rather than keep him in a kennel.”…story taken from Kern County Mountain News… read story… http://www.turnto23.com/mountain/29688874/detail.html

Authorities on Thursday were seeking information about a driver who dragged a dog through a Riverside neighborhood while the animal was tied to the back of a pickup.

The white dog suffered injuries on all four paws in the incident, which occurred Wednesday about 7 p.m., the Riverside County Department of Animal Services said.

“The paws were pretty bloody, and there were a lot of sores,” said Krista Stewart, an animal service officer.

A witness called 911 and alerted authorities that the animal was being dragged near Claycroft and Peacock lanes in the city’s La Sierra area, agency spokesman Jose Arballo said.

It was not clear how far the dog had been dragged. The driver stopped and untied the dog before leaving.

The driver was in a red pickup truck. The dog, about 10 months old, was treated and wrapped with bandages. The dog was recovering from the injuries, officials said… story taken from… The Los Angeles Times.. read full story… http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/dog-dragged-behind-pickup.html

It’s a reunion 2 years and 3,000 miles in the making. Monday night in the cargo terminal at Sacramento International Airport, a boy and his puppy found each other again. Only after all that time and all those miles, they had really become a man and his dog.

“I think somebody found him and moved with him,” said Cody Baetge, now 17. “Because he’s a good dog. He’s sweet.”

Cooper the Chihuahua mix went missing two years ago. Cody and his family did everything they could to find him; they combed the neighborhood and searched shelter after shelter. Cody says he never gave up hope.

But it wasn’t until two weeks ago that Cody’s mom Michelle got a call from a veterinary hospital in Brandon, Florida. Someone had picked-up Cooper, and a microchip scan had revealed that Cooper belongs in West Sacramento.

“I thought it was just a California town I had never heard of,” said Michelle Baetge. “I told them I’d drive over and pick him up.”

That’s when she got the incredible news: Cooper had traveled nearly 3,000 miles in the two years since he’d been gone. The company that microchipped Cooper made the arrangement to have him flown to Sacramento. The veterinary hospital chipped-in with a create. And Cooper was on his way.

The little Chihuahua has a special significance to Cody because his grandfather got him as something for Cody to remember him by.

“Most news is bad news,” Michelle Baetge said. “This is good news. It makes people feel good to hear there are still good people.”

Cody was worried that Cooper might take a little while to recognize him after all that time.

“I think it’s going to be crazy… to finally have him back after two years,” Cody said, a few hours before Cooper arrived in Sacramento.

But you could tell by the way the little dog was licking Cody’s face, he knew he was right where he belonged.

And as the crowd of well-wishers and media looked-on, more than one person wondered out loud: the little dog, named after a Cooper Mini car, had traveled so far, for so long… what stories could he tell?

Story taken from… Fox40.com … read story, see video… http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-west-sacramento-family-reunited-with-dog-cooper-after-2-years-and-3000-miles-20111004,0,2607254.story

One of the newest residents at Luther Acres Retirement Home in Lititz is only five months old.

His name is Buddy, and he has white hair and big brown puppy dog eyes. That’s not so unusual, because Buddy is a puppy, a Great Pyrenees puppy to be exact. He is the new resident therapy dog at Luther Acres.

His “job” at Luther Acres is to fill the need of residents for a warm. loving dog that can keep them company and attend some of their activities. He also helps to give them a purpose, in helping to take care of him. They enjoy feeding him, petting him and taking him for walks.

As Mary Schreiber, recreational therapist at Luther Acres, points out, residents enjoy activities and experiences that remind them of being at home. A few of them had to give up pets, and miss their cats and dogs. Buddy helps to give them the sense of well being that a pet can provide.

“Just petting a dog can help you feel more relaxed and satisfied,” says Schreiber. “And Buddy is a great listener.”

Schreiber has brought her own cat, Maddie, a sweet orange and white tabby, to Luther Acres, and discovered how much that meant to some of the residents. A therapy pet has to have the right temperament— friendly and calm— to visit nursing home residents.

“I saw how much some of them liked Maddie, and she still comes to visit.” says Schreiber. “But Buddy will be a full-time resident here.”

Buddy has his own area at the skilled nursing unit of the retirement home, plus a large, enclosed outdoor courtyard. He is crate-trained, so likes to sleep in his crate. Residents and staff take care of feeding him, giving him water and taking him for walks. By the time he is full grown, he is likely to weigh more than 100 pounds.

“I like Buddy. It’s great to have a companion,” says resident Jennie Baker, 102, and a retired nurse, one of the first graduates of Lancaster General Hospital nursing school.

Baker enjoys when Buddy stops by for a visit. He is able to sense when people are dog-lovers. He goes up to them and gently nuzzles them for a pat on the head. He often lies down next to Baker, and she just likes having him around… story taken from… Lancaster online … read story… http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/483727_Buddy-is-new-therapy-dog-at-Luther-Acres.html

They cut us slack all those many evenings we arrive home late for dinner, and all those days we don’t walk them as often as we should. They instantly forgive us the outrages we all are guilty of inflicting from time to time, like accidentally closing the screen door on a tail, or forcing them to accept a new (unspeakably badly behaved) kitten. That willingness to excuse our day-to-day misdeeds is legendary, the stuff of novels and movies.

But millions of dogs go far beyond what we rhapsodize about in our own pets. They find ways (I can’t even imagine how) to dig deep and forgive an entire species — humans — for much bigger, and, you’d think, essentially unforgiveable crimes against them: starving them, hurting them, neglecting them, heaping misery upon misery upon them.

Never have I been more conscious of dogs’ profound ability to forgive than on this past Fourth of Julyweekend, when I visited National Mill Dog Rescue in Peyton, Colo., a dog-saving Mecca out on the dusty plains of rural Colorado.I met more than 100 dogs rescued from puppy mills, where they’d been cooped up year after year, producing litter after litter on too little food and water, crammed into too little space, living life with no veterinary care, no care of any kind, really, and no engagement with anyone but people who deliver only anguish.

Most of the dogs arrive here with teeth so rotted and painful that it’s hard to imagine why they didn’t just stop eating and die (some do, of course). Sometimes bad teeth evolve into complete disintegration of their jawbones.

NMDR founder Theresa Strader has such a dog. Daisy, just recently saved from a breeder and adopted by the Strader family, has a jaw so decomposed that they must place a towel on the floor and scatter kibble across it so Daisy can move forward in a wheelbarrow-like position, the better side of her head on the floor pulling in and chewing the food.

Some of these mill dogs arrive with eye infections, or blind, or missing eyes. Most are filthy, some with urine burns, some with fur so matted it’s hard for them to walk.

There are “common puppy mill dog” behaviors that everyone at NMDR is familiar with. Dogs will race to the front of their kennels and paw at the wire, appearing eager for human contact. But as soon as anyone actually opens the gate to enter, they run trembling to a corner. Simple reason: Until they landed here, no one had actually ever bothered to pet them.

“They know they want love,” Strader says, “they just don’t know what to do about it.” Some, in fact, are terrified of hands. Anyone can figure out why that would be.

Many won’t eat their food out of bowls. They’ve never been presented food in this manner before, so they warily approach bowls, reach out to tip them over, then gobble food from the floor.

And yet somehow, against all odds, these dogs that have known nothing from people but deprivation — and worse — forgive us all. Once they arrive here, once they’re no longer in pain or starving, once they get regular doses of care and love, they come around. The blind cocker spaniel, who definitely wasn’t born that way, kisses me with abandon, a wriggling mass of indiscriminate love. A couple of white fluffballs of tiny poodledom, a little stunted, really, from their previous life, push forward, eager to show just how good they are at snuggling. Two snorfling pugs, looking for all the world as if they’re smiling, press in for a hug.

I can’t explain how these dogs, and the dozens like them here, in just weeks have decided to forgive even if they can’t forget. But they do.

For some, of course, the journey is harder and longer than for others.

Week after week, one little white dog tore after everyone who approached her. A fear-biter of the highest order, she always struck first — before, she was certain, she would be struck. No gentle words seemed to comfort or reassure her, and this went on for eight months.

The exceedingly patient volunteers, who had had more than a few hard cases, began to despair. Then one day, not gradually but in a split second, the fear and rage disappeared, replaced by warm affection for one and all. “The light just clicked for her” says Strader. “We see it all the time.”

When I met that dog at a recent adoption event, she was being passed from person to person, the most sweet-tempered thing ever.

Most of these dogs get there, sooner or later.

I really can’t imagine how. … story taken from USA Today, Your Life… read story… http://yourlife.usatoday.com/parenting-family/pets/dogs/story/2011/07/Pet-Talk-Mill-dogs-forgiveness-is-a-real-head-scratcher/49319516/1

Oscar’s Law – Abolish puppy factories today!… go to site for more information… http://www.oscarslaw.org/

(Memphis 8/22/2011) When a Raleigh woman held a yard sale over the weekend she didn’t know some visitors would think it was “free for all.”

Not only did some bargain hunters walk off without paying, but she believes they also left the family dog.

“I’ve had her for five years,” said Jacqueline Reed.

Reed says she realized her dog, Bianca was missing after she ran after a customers who picked up some items, but didn’t pay.

“She was loading the stuff and we just told her you didn’t pay us. She said oh, I paid somebody. We said no you did not pay us,” said Reed.

She says the woman finally paid and left with her family, but believes she also drove off with her dog.

She says she even saw a man in the vehicle holding down her pet.

“I thought he was intoxicated cause he was slumped over. Either he was holding her down or he was holding her with his foot,” said Reed.

She said just minutes earlier their children had been playing with the dog. She says she never imagined anyone would just walk off with Bianca.

“Not only did you try to take my stuff you took my dog, too? You gonna take my dog too,” said Reed.

Last month we told you about a 10-year-old-boy who had a puppy stolen from his back yard in the Berclair area.

His family believes whoever took the dog planned to sell it.

Reed is afraid the same thing is going to happen to her Bichon Frise and is asking for the public’s help.

“If you lurky about buying a dog look into it before you purchase a dog because these dogs are designer dogs they are expensive. nobody is going to just sell a dog,” said Reed.

Reed says while the ordeal has shaken her faith in humanity, she’s now relying on strangers to bring her dog home.

Reed says the family of four left in a tan or beige..newer, Chevy SUV.

I you know anything about the dog call 901-303-9353…. story taken from … News Channel 3 Memphis… read story, see video of dog… http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-dog-stolen-story,0,7997703.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wreg-news+%28WREG+-+News%29

Rescued With Love Inc. is a fully registered, not for profit organization.  We are a group of foster carers who help rescue unwanted dogs from Pounds and Shelters. We have all their vet work done and then care for them in our homes, and teach them how to be a loved well mannered pet.  We then find the best possible home suitable for their needs. Dogs need a home today!… go to site… http://www.rescuedwithlove.org/

Rescued With Love Inc. is a fully registered, not for profit organization.  We are a group of foster carers who help rescue unwanted dogs from Pounds and Shelters. We have all their vet work done and then care for them in our homes, and teach them how to be a loved well mannered pet.  We then find the best possible home suitable for their needs… go to website… http://www.rescuedwithlove.org/

BARKIN’ BUDDY is the new must have mobile application for dog lovers everywhere. This social networking app allows owners to build profiles, add buddies, make new friends to play with, locate dog friendly location and ultimately better manage their pet’s relationships. The app is an innovative concept from the Radical Ideas Group. All you have to do is download BARKIN’ BUDDY from the App Store, head outside with your dog and start making friends.

BARKIN’ BUDDY is a dog-to-dog relationship management app, set to improve your pet’s social life. Once downloaded, simply create a pet profile, add a photo of your pooch and you’re on the way to creating your dog’s very own social network. Let others know when and where you’re heading, share information on hot spots, locate buddies and use it to make new doggy friends.

Radical Ideas Group CEO and dog lover Alexander Bagg, came up with the idea after recognising the disconnect between the sheer number  of dog owners worldwide and the advent of social networking. “Being a dog owner, I felt there was a need to effectively combine the two” Bagg says “pet profile pages on other social platforms can only do so much in terms of actual functionality but with BARKIN’ BUDDY, the focus is on the pet and not the person.”

The BARKIN’ BUDDY app is a fun and modern way to develop your pet’s relationships and is simple and easy to navigate. In particular, the Map page displays various icons representing the location and status of your dog and those of other pooches nearby. It can show how many dogs you are walking, which buddies of yours are out and about, those who are yet to become a buddy, and those who are offline. BARKIN’ BUDDY will enable dog owners everywhere to better manage their pet’s relationships just by ‘barking’ to their dog’s buddies to let them know where and when to catch up.

Visit the official website http://www.barkinbuddy.com for step-by-step details on how to manage the app and updates from the world of BARKIN’ BUDDY.

BARKIN’ BUDDY is available now from the App store:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/barkin-buddy/id441400702?mt=8

Australia. PAA Animal Refuge Shelter rescue dogs and cats in Redcliffe, north of Brisbane. A non-profit voluntary charity, PAA is solely operated and run by volunteers. Donate or help today!… http://www.peninsulaanimalaid.com.au/index.html

By the time summer school starts in early July, Caleb will probably walk into class with a golden retriever at his side.

Caleb Ciriacks is a 7-year-old severely autisticboy who for the most part doesn’t speak. He shrieks and paces when he gets anxious, and on occasion he pinches and scratches others. Eddy is Caleb’s service dog, tethered to the boy by a red strap. The dog keeps Caleb from running off into crowds or darting into traffic, and he knows to intervene when the boy starts to feel anxious.

When Caleb entered first grade last year, school officials in Cypress refused to let him take Eddy to school. Caleb’s parents sued in federal court, alleging that the district was discriminating against their son based on his disability.

On Tuesday, a federal judge in Santa Ana ruled that Frank Vessels Elementary School must let Caleb take Eddy to school and that the boy was probably a victim of discrimination. U.S. Department of Justice attorneys filed a “statement of interest” in the case, saying the school district was violating the boy’s civil rights and misinterpreting the Americans With Disabilities Act…. Story taken from… the Los Angeles Times… read full story… http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-autism-dog-20110615,0,1727974.story

The richest lapdog in the world — a little white Maltese named Trouble — died at the age of 12 in her final days in luxury, every need tended to around the clock, in Sarasota, Fla.

Trouble owed her coddled lifestyle to her former owner, New York Hotel heiress Leona Helmsley, who died in 2007 and turned her back on relatives to bequeath the bulk of her estate, $12 million, to her dog.

Helmsley bought the beloved pet for comfort after the death of her husband, billionaire hotelier Harry Helmsley.

A judge later knocked down the dog’s inheritance to $2 million. Though the pooch died in December, news of her demise was only reported this week.

The pampered pooch had led a life of luxury after her owner purchased her at a New York City pet shop and chauffeured her around in a stretch limo…. Story taken from… abcnews.go.com…. read story… http://abcnews.go.com/US/leona-helmsleys-dog-trouble-richest-world-dies-12/story?id=13810168

The Luzerne County SPCA is trying to find out who would beat the little dog then stuff her in a garbage bag and abandon it, especially in this heat.

The case is troubling to humane officers who said the dog survived but needs special care to bring her back to health. Veterinarians are working to help the abused female puppy recover from what appears to be a vicious attack.

The cage at the SPCA is covered with notes warning of a head injury. She receives painkilling medication while those treating her ask who is she, and why would someone hurt her in such a cruel manner.

“She was in critical condition when she arrived. She was in a stupor or in a coma,” said veterinarian Dr. Sharon Finster.

Rescue workers with the Luzerne County SPCA will only say she was found in a high-traffic area, perhaps dropped off by her attacker.

The person who found the dog found it in a large, dark trash bag. The dog inside had a cracked skull. The dog’s attacker left her for dead.

“You just can’t do this to animals. It’s not right,” said Cary Moran of the Luzerne County SPCA… Story taken from… wnep.com… read full story… http://www.wnep.com/wnep-luz-puppy-was-beaten-stuff-in-trash-bag-20110608,0,788783.story

** Newzhoundz believes that there is a special place in HELL for people that abuse animals.. if you could call them people…they are lower than the beautiful animals that they are suppose to care for.

Around 50 dogs competed to become a surfing champion at this year’s annual Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition.

The surfing contest, in its sixth iteration, took place at Imperial Beach in California and saw the dogs divided into categories based on size and whether or not their owners would ride with them on the surfboard.

The canines were judged on various criteria, including style, time spent on a wave and confidence, while winners were awarded a trip to a San Diego resort and are to be featured in magazine Modern Dog.  … Story taken from… digitalspy.com.au … read story and see video… http://www.digitalspy.com.au/odd/news/a323341/dogs-take-part-in-surfing-contest-video.html

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – Missouri leaders say everyone reported missing since the massive tornado in Joplin on May 22 are now accounted for. The death toll is at least 134, but nearly 270 people had been listed as “unaccounted for” after the tornado. We learned that a rescue team from Kentuckiana helped confirm those numbers.

Sometimes, it’s amazing how something so small, can mean so much, to so many. Scout, a Parson Russell Terrier commonly used in England K-9 Search and Rescue, was with her handler Jennifer Jordan Hall at a training session in Arkansas. The two were with some Missouri emergency workers when they received the devastating news of the Joplin tornado.

“They were driving back when the tornado hit,” said Jordan Hall about the Missouri team.

So Jordan Hall and Scout went straight to Joplin to help their new friends look for the missing.

“Without the dogs, it’s such massive destruction they wouldn’t even know where to begin to look for people,” Jordan Hall said…story taken from… ‘wave3.com’ … read full story… http://www.wave3.com/story/14824192/little-dog-helps-make-big-impact-with-rescue-workers-in-joplin

It doesn’t take long for Sandy the dog to feel at ease with a stranger.

A few soothing words, a good scratch behind her ears, and the 32-pound mutt drops and rolls onto her back. Her soulful eyes and swishing tail seem to say — á la Dug, the talking dog from the film “Up” — “I have just met you, and I looove you.”

“My friends call her a hussy when she does that,” joked her owner, Toni Nelson. “She is very well liked by the people in this building.”

It was about a year ago, following a rough period of hospitalizations for depression, when Nelson thought about getting a dog.

But she had no idea that the bond she would develop with the sweet pooch would be her lifeline — her reason to live.

“I think she thinks that she’s here to please me and to take care of me,” Nelson said.

From the recliner in her tiny apartment at a well-kept senior housing complex in Staunton, Nelson stroked Sandy as the dog snuggled on her lap, her head resting on Nelson’s chest.

“I believe very strongly that Sandy was meant to be with me.”  …story taken from… ‘newsleader.com’… read full story… http://www.newsleader.com/article/20110522/NEWS01/105220343

LA GRANGE, Ky. (AP) — His arms covered with faded tattoos, his neck tomato red from the prison yard sun, Robert Butterfield’s home is cell No. 226 of the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in La Grange, where he’s doing 13 years for robbery and stealing drugs.

Nine-year-old Celia Dutton lives in Floyds Knobs, Ind., with her parents and two brothers, where she helps take care of the family’s horses and reads four books a week.

Butterfield and Celia have never met — and probably never will — but they have one thing in common: Mickey, a 60-pound, black-and-white pointer mix who has, in different and separate ways, rescued both of them — Butterfield from the dreary isolation of prison and Celia from her nightly anxiety about seizures.

Butterfield trained Mickey through a 2-year-old program at Luther Luckett called Camp Canine that has resulted in adoptions for around 140 dogs. Celia’s family adopted Mickey in June after a doctor suggested sleeping with a dog could calm her at night.

Programs similar to Camp Canine are operating at 11 of 13 state prisons and two private facilities in the Kentucky Department of Corrections system, said department spokeswoman Lisa Lamb. … story taken from… ‘NecN.com’… read full story… http://www.necn.com/05/08/11/Dog-adoption-program-changes-lives-behin/landing_nation.html?&blockID=3&apID=e62697780de4459a9ae6abfd94fcc182

Dogs respond to human body language and verbal commands, but what exactly they are reacting to is unclear. For example, how do dogs know to preferentially beg for food from attentive people, and to behave badly when people are not looking?

According to new research published in Springer’s journal Learning & Behavior, dogs (Canis lupusfamiliaris) can predict human behavior based on specific cues, context, and learning from experience.

Monique Udell and colleagues at theUniversity of Florida set out to understand this complex social cognition, and determine whether species and the animal’s rearing and living environment (shelter or human home) affect performance by comparing behavior in pet domestic dogs, shelter dogs, and wolves.

The researchers looked at how the three different types behaved when allowed to beg for food—either from an attentive person or someone unable to see the animal.

They found that wolves beg successfully for food from attentive humans, just like dogs, and both species rapidly improve with practice.

“Here we provide the first evidence that non-domesticated canids, grey wolves (Canis lupus), are also sensitive to human attentional state under some conditions,” write the researchers in the study abstract.

The team also found that dogs have varying sensitivity to different visual cues of human attention, with pet dogs reacting more to stimuli they have learned, while those with less human exposure are not very successful at begging. Story taken from… The Epoch Times… read full story… http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/science/canine-telepathy-can-dogs-read-peoples-minds-57514.html

A 72-year-old man has told how he wrestled with an alligator to save his pet dog from certain death.

Gary Murphy leapt on to the back of the six ft-long beast in a desperate attempt to save his pet West Highland terrier named Doogie.

He threw himself on the to back of the alligator and began punching him on the head to force the gator to release the terrified dog from its jaws.

After a few blows to the head the gator released its prey and slid back into the water in Palm City, Florida.

Mr Murphy said: ‘I hit the back of that gator. It was like jumping on a pile of rocks.

‘But when I did, I caught him right behind the head, his mouth opened and Doogie took off and the gator turned around and went under the boat and out he went.’  story taken from… dailymail.co.uk… read full story and see video… http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389879/Man-rescues-pet-dog-Doogie-jaws-alligator-punching-beast-head.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese zoo official says two rare cubs born to a male lion and a female tiger are being nursed by a dog after they were abandoned by their mother.

Cong Wen of Xixiakou Wildlife Zoo in eastern China says four cubs called ligers were born to the lion and tiger earlier this month.

She said Tuesday the tiger mother fed the ligers for four days but then abandoned them for unknown reasons. Two died of weakness.

Cong said staff at the zoo in Shandong province found a dog who had just given birth to feed the surviving cubs.

She said the two cubs had trouble at first drinking milk from the dog but are now used to it… story taken from… Timesunion.com… read story… http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Dog-nurses-ligers-after-tiger-mom-refuses-1392892.php

Australia. A Michelago woman whose starving, maggot-infested pet dog was brought “virtually dead” into an emergency vet has been banned from keeping animals for the next two years.

Natasha Ann Ceric, 28, told animal inspectors that her dog was “anorexic” when a vet found the animal had not eaten for about a week.

She said she had not noticed anything wrong with 14-year-old kelpie Daizy until two days before the dog died.

This morning in the ACT Magistrates Court she was convicted of animal neglect and failing to seek treatment for the animal.

The court heard Ceric’s mother brought Daizy into the Canberra animal emergency centre in August 2009 but the dog died within two minutes

of arrival. Story taken from… The Canberra Times… read story… http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/crime-and-law/owner-of-maggotinfested-dog-convicted-of-neglect/2155336.aspx?src=rss

A SCOTTISH couple who made the ‘heartrending’ decision to return home from holiday without their missing pet dog are relieved she has been found.

Pat and Hamish Robertson visited their holiday home at Eller How House, near Lindale, when their two dogs, Inca and Cassie, went missing on May 16 after crossing the dual carriageway near the BP garage.

Cassie was spotted by a jogger shortly afterwards but Inca went missing for days.

But a local woman found Inca in Meathop this afternoon (Thursday) bringing a worrying week for Mr and Mrs Robertson to an end.  Story taken from… The Westmorland Gazette.. read story… http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/9048174.Holiday_couple_s_missing_labrador_found_safe/?ref=rss

When San Bernardino Valley Humane Society Officer Mike Ashbaker responded to Francine Lucas’ home in April 2010 on a report of animal cruelty and neglect, he was shocked at what he found – a small, white male terrier, who had been living for weeks without proper veterinary care after he was attacked during a dog fight.

Ashbaker remembered a clicking noise that interrupted his talk with a woman who was leaving the home with the dog.

It was the sound of the dog’s leg bone meeting concrete.

“He was filthy, smelled and on top of that, the smell of infection from his wound was a little overpowering,” Ashbaker said. “We deal with cruelty neglect cases all the time, but I don’t know how someone couldn’t – or didn’t – do

 

Terrier mix Lucky gives Humane Society recovery room supervisor Dawn Mehl a kiss at the Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley’s office on Monday. Lucky lost a leg after being mauled by a pit bull. He was rescued by a Humane Society employee from a home in Highland last year. (Al Cuizon/Staff Photographer)

anything (for him).”

What he saw on that call is something he’ll never forget, he said.

Especially since he gave the pooch – now known as Lucky – a new chance at life.

When Ashbaker first encountered Lucky – then known as “Buddy” – he was matted, dehydrated, underweight and missing a portion of his left rear leg.

He learned that the dog had been attacked by a pit bull. The pit bull chewed off a portion of Lucky’s leg, leaving bone exposed.

Lucas claimed the dog did not belong to her, but had been living at the residence for weeks with the injury. Instead of taking the dog to a veterinarian for proper care, Lucas said she had given him antibiotics, according to a report from the San Bernardino County Probation Department.

“It’s not my dog. All I did was nurse him back to health,” Lucas told Ashbaker, according to the report. “The kids bring me animals, and I take care of them,” she continued. When the officer asked why she did not call Animal Control if the dog was a stray, she replied, “I don’t do that! I didn’t want him to be put to sleep.”

She told the officer that she could not afford the $500 bill for vet costs, but after putting antibiotic ointment on the dog’s wounds herself, she said the dog was running around on three legs after a week.

“The doctors here at the Humane Society said based on how the wound was healing that he had been at the residence for at least six to seven weeks,” he said. “But without proper vet care, the wound would have never healed itself.”

Recovery

The dog was taken from Lucas’ residence and brought to the Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley for proper treatment.

The wound was so severe, the dog’s leg had to be amputated.

After a successful surgery, Lucky was on the road to recovery…Story taken from… Redlands Daily Facts…Read full story… http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/sanbernardinocounty/ci_18076900

BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhuanet) — Now that keeping pets has become popular in Shanghai, pampered pedigree dogs are becoming a regular sight on the streets. The boom in the number of dogs and cats has increased the number of strays as more pets are abandoned. But from May 15th, things should change. The implementation of the “one dog under one roof policy” lowers the price for dog ownership but limits the number of dogs within one family in an effort to crackdown on unregistered animals. To what extent will the new quota save the day…. Story taken from… News.Xinhuanet.com.. Read story… http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/video/2011-05/17/c_13878942.htm

A once forlorn stray dog that a group of Marines serving in Afghanistan adopted as their unit mascot is now safe in the U.S. and living with one of those Marines thanks in part to schoolchildren who raised money to help bring the canine to Indiana.

WISH-TV reports that students at Lebanon Middle School donated one dollar at a time to raise more than $1,000 that helped pay for the dog’s long journey from the war-torn nation to the central Indiana city.

Capt. Matt Taylor of Lebanon visited their middle school last week with the friendly white and tan dog, Alice, to thank the students for their generosity.  Story taken from… Chicago Tribune News… Read full story… http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-in-afghanistan-dogs,0,3890950.story

The man who severely abused his dog by hitting her in the mouth with a golf club and burning her eyes with bleach, received his sentence Wednesday.

Back in November, Robert Gonzales was charged with felony animal cruelty. He pleaded no contest to the charges.

Although the prosecution wanted 16 months in prison for Gonzales, the judge sentenced him to eight months in county jail and three years probation.

“If he fails his probation he will then be looking at three years in prison.”

Police say Gonzales tethered a dog named Lacey, to a tree at his home in southwest Bakersfield, then hit her in the mouth with a golf club and sprayed bleach in her eyes. Story taken from… KGET.com… Read story… http://www.kget.com/news/local/story/Man-who-severely-abused-dog-is-sentenced-to-jail/-Nhx2cI0zku0JK3tAirePA.cspx

Millions of dog owners in the United States consider their pet to be a part of the family, so it’s no surprise that an increasing number plan to include their pets in their Memorial Day weekend or summer vacation plans. Whether you’re traveling by car or plane, taking a little extra time to prepare for the trip will make a world of difference when it comes to Fido.

The American Kennel Club offers the following tips to help make traveling with your dog a stress-free experience:

Check flights. If you plan on taking your dog with you on a plane, try to find nonstop flights rather than ones with layovers. Pets remain in the plane’s hold when it is stopped on the ground… Taken from The Mercury News… for more tips… http://www.mercurynews.com/pets-animals/ci_18100526?nclick_check=1

A Fells Point woman whose 9-year-old dog was in her car when it was stolen Monday night was reunited with her pet after it was found in the yard of a Baltimore home

Kelly Belk rarely travels beyond Fells Point, where she lives, and Hampden, where she works. But on Monday night, Belk decided to meet friends at a Pikesville crab house for an all-you-can-eat special. Belk took Matilda, a 9-year-old Rottweiler and German shepherd mix.

“When I was leaving for dinner, she gave me the stink eye. It was like, ‘You better take me with you,’” Belk said Thursday. “She’s happier being in the car than being home alone.”

It’s a decision that Belk regretted after her sport utility vehicle, with Matilda inside, was stolen from the parking lot of an adjacent bank on Reisterstown Road. Belk said she later realized that she had left the keys to the SUV inside the vehicle after earlier checking on Matilda, who had been injured that day while out for a walk with Belk… Story taken from… The Baltimore Sun.. Read full story… http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-missing-dog-20110519-30,0,2778766.story

SHANGHAI — China’s largest city is setting a limit of one dog per family in an effort to gain control over the soaring pet population and curb rabies.

Cao Yi already was walking her dogs at 11 p.m., hoping to avoid trouble both with neighbors and with the authorities over her brown poodle and golden retriever.

“I’m afraid one of the dogs might be taken away,” she said.  Story taken from… The SunHerald.com. Read full story… http://www.sunherald.com/2011/05/19/3126902/shanghais-one-dog-limit-causes.html

Greetings once again fur-pals. I’m having a lovely time in the front yard today, as the new grass has been laid and I’m running amok. While it’s not as good as the mud puddle for stirring up the household, it’s jolly good for running at top speed without any tread damage. I’m having a field day running up and down the perimeters barking at anything that goes by.  Bonuses for me, as I’m harder to catch on the grass when I’ve done something wrong.

Until next time…

The story of Colton, a one-year-old English bulldog, does not begin as a happy tale of a puppy romping with laughing little children. It does, however, end with a smile.

Born paralyzed in both of his hind legs, Colton spent the first year of his life trying to get around by dragging the two legs until, in time, a huge hole had been worn in one back leg, and both were painfully infected.

The owner who took in Colton after finding out that the breeder would euthanize the pup came to realize that the care the dog required exceeded her capabilities, so she called upon Black Hills Boxer Rescue, a local organization of about 50 volunteers that provides care and foster homes to dogs.

“The owner contacted me back in November,” said Shelley Cumella, who along with her husband, Vince, started up Black Hills Boxer Rescue in 1999. “The owner’s daughter who lived in Mitchell had taken the dog and discovered that with her own children, the dog had become too much for her to take care of. At that time, they moved Colton to Rapid City.”

Cumella said that even though she had been told the basics of Colton’s past, she hadn’t realized the severity of his disability until seeing him for the first time. Realizing that Colton’s injuries required immediate attention, Cumella contacted Dean Falcon of All Creatures Veterinary Hospital, who had tended her own two dogs.  Story taken from… Rapid City Journal… read story… http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_0f49b950-7226-11e0-ad6f-001cc4c002e0.html

Australia. Best Friends Rescue is a non-profit group dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane.  They need your help today!..go to site… http://www.bestfriendsrescue.com/

A puppy and dog pulled from a fire in Bucktown Friday were brought “back to life’’ after a firefighter performed CPR on both, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman said.

Firefighter Tammy Rodriguez pulled the two dogs from the 3 p.m. blaze at a home on the 1800 block of North Wood. She used specially-fitted oxygen masks for pets to perform CPR.

The dog was doing well Friday night, but the puppy was being monitored overnight at an animal hospital. No one else was injured in the blaze, which caused minor damage…. Story taken from… ‘the Chicago Sun Times’… story… http://www.suntimes.com/news/4861554-418/dog-puppy-given-cpr-brought-back-to-life-after-bucktown-blaze.html

Carol Schrader thought her beloved gray miniature poodle was gone forever after a man took the keys to her Ford Explorer at the Puyallup Library and drove off with the dog inside on March 21.

“I imagined all the horrible things that might have happened to him,” she said. “Was he sold? Was he still trapped inside the truck?”

But on Tuesday night, she and her 4-year-old pet, Jaqson, were reunited at the Puyallup police station after detectives found the thief, questioned him and recovered both SUV and dog.

“It’s like a miracle; I really thought I would never see him again,” Schrader, 69, said.  Story taken from… ‘The Seattle Times’… read full story… http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/theblotter/2014767740_dogbackhome.html

Fukushima. Rescuers have been risking their lives in the nuclear swamp around tsunami-hit Japan’s stricken power plant – to save abandoned dogs.

Thousands of animals have starved to death or been abandoned by their owners after the earthquake and tsunami shattered Japan on March 11.

A 20km exclusion zone was put in place around the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant as deadly radiation spilled into the atmosphere.  Taken from… ‘Mail Online’… read full story… http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1376743/Japan-nuclear-crisis-Dog-lovers-brave-Fukushima-danger-zone-save-abandoned-pets.html

Beltsville. A handful of neighbors saved a family dog from a large blaze in a Beltsville home Monday, Prince George’s County fire officials said.

At least 3 neighbors noticed smoke and flames coming from the home’s garage shortly before 10 a.m. and called 911, fire officials said. One man raced to the Kennedy family’s house in the 4100 block of Ulster Road and banged on the front door to alert anyone inside.

No one was home at the time, but the man heard barking coming from the home, fire officials said. The man punched through a double-pane glass window next to the front door trying to get to the dog, said Kevin Kennedy, the homeowner. In th process, the man suffered minor cuts on one arm. Taken from ..’The Washington Post’…. read full story… http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/crime-scene/post/neighbor-rescues-dog-from-beltsville-fire/2011/04/12/AFzog2PD_blog.html

Police in Burlington County say a puppy was seriously injured Monday when someone shot the 17-week-old labradoodle three times with a pellet gun.

The owner of the dog, named “Rocko,” called Lumberton Police around 10 a.m. after finding the injured dog lying on the street near a blue pickup truck, police said. The truck drove off as the owner approached.

Police said the dog, which apparently got loose from the home’s back yard, was shot three times with a pellet gun. The dog was taken to Creek’s Edge Animal Hospital in Hainesport and then was transported to a veterinarian hospital in Langhorne, Pa.  Story taken from… ‘Courier Post Online’…read full story… http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20110413/NEWS01/104130382/1006/news01/Dog-shot-by-pellet-gun-seriously-injured

SPRINGFIELD — The dogs saved from One More Chance Rescue and Adoption in February have lasting trauma from living in deplorable conditions.

The dogs were kept in pens filled with feces, spoiled food and rats at the facility at 8393 Lower Valley Park before the Clark County Humane Society rescued them and the shelter was declared a public health nuisance.

The Humane Society has begun a slow process to rehabilitate many of the dogs so they can be adopted…Story taken from… ‘Springfield News Sun’…read full story… http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-news/rehab-helps-abused-dogs-become-mans-best-friend-1132302.html

BUFORD, Ga. — A driver’s Friday morning commute outside Atlanta was interrupted by a heart-wrenching scene:

Jamie Contreras saw a black and white head sticking out of a garbage bag on the road, and she braced herself for the worst.

“I knew it was an animal of some kind,” she told the Gwinnett Daily Post. “I was expecting a dismembered body.”

She doubled back on the road, then watched as the Boston terrier worked his way out of the garbage bag.

The dog was still alive, but badly hurt.

Part of his skin had rubbed away, revealing tendons and muscles. One eye was hanging out.

She and other motorists called 911, and the dog was rushed to an animal hospital.  Story taken from… ‘The Republic’… http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/3df4598bb5844bec82b0025959fffa1c/GA–Garbage-Bag-Dog/

Helloooo fur-fans. I’m back today and sunning myself in the lovely weather on the island. It’s been a bleak few days previously, and I’ve not been able to get out and about to socialise with my fans, which has been disappointing.

I’m looking forward to the Easter festivities at Poppy’s place again this year, where I’m guaranteed top quality treats and attention. I’m sure to look my best after a recent cut and blow dry, so my fans won’t be disappointed when they view me on the ferry ride to the mainland.

Until next time…

Greetings fur-pals. I’m coming to you today from the front veranda, where I’ve been exiled after a night of bad behaviour.  I’m glad at least it’s sunny and I’m not out in the wind and rain, which was the problem in the first place. Why should I go out in the rain and get myself soaked just to go to the toilet?  Humans do it inside so THEY don’t get wet, so why can’t I?

Unfortunately Mum doesn’t see it that way, so here I sit – alone and forlorn, while the house is cleaned and the carpets washed.

Perhaps they will take pity on my soul and let me in by dinner time…

VANCOUVER, Wash. —

Not too long ago, a 6-year-old girl arrived at the Arthur D. Curtis Children’s Justice Center in downtown Vancouver, stress and fear set on her small face as she prepared to tell her story of abuse to investigators.

It’s not an easy job for anyone – let alone a small child – to tell their story. To relive their trauma. But then Tabitha II padded by.

“The girl looks at Tabitha. Tabitha looks at the her,” Mary Blanchette, the Children’s Justice Center executive director, said. “And she just smiled. Nothing else in the world is going to make them smile like Tabitha.”

A 2-year-old ivory retriever and black Labrador retriever mix, Tabitha is the center’s new service dog, providing comfort for the juvenile visitors to the center. And it’s just that look, her human trainers say, that brings relief to a boy or girl in their greatest time of distress and need… read full story… http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014714235_apwaservicedog.html

NEWARK, N.J.—When an emaciated pit bull found at the bottom of a trash chute in New Jersey was rushed to a veterinary emergency room last month, doctors there thought he would be dead within the hour.

Instead, the scrappy pup, nicknamed Patrick, has defied the odds and is getting stronger by the day.

“He is a tremendous fighter,” said Dr. Thomas Scavelli, the director and founder of the Garden State Veterinary Specialists, the pet hospital in Tinton Falls where Patrick is being treated. “There are very few animals, or any life form, that could have gone through and survived what he has, and really never looked back.”

Hospital staffers, who named the dog for his reddish fur and because he was found the day before St. Patrick’s Day, have been chronicling his progress on their website and a Facebook page that has garnered fans from around the world. He’s received hundreds of emails, donations, gifts and letters from those inspired by his tale of survival… read full story… http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17800802?nclick_check=1

BELLINGHAM, Wash. —

Whatcom County sheriff’s officers responding to an animal cruelty complaint found a young bloodhound whose entire head – except for his nostrils – was covered in duct tape.

The sheriff’s office is recommending that prosecutors file a second-degree animal cruelty charge against the 25-year-old owner.

Whatcom Humane Society Executive Director Laura Clark says that in addition to the duct tape, the 7-month-old dog named “Bear” was muzzled and leashed to a doorknob in a laundry room.

Clark tells the Bellingham Herald that the dog’s owner told investigators he muzzled Bear because “he chewed.”

Bear is now in the custody of the Whatcom Humane Society. Clark says he got a bath to remove urine and dried feces and has received treatment for abrasions to his head, as well as for eye and ear infections.  Story taken from… http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014694019_apwapuppyducttape.html

ELGIN, S.C. – The only things that protected 22-month-old Tyler Jacobson from the frigid overnight temperatures Friday were a T-shirt, a diaper and his favorite buddy – a mixed Labrador retriever.

“To tell you the truth, that dog is what kept him alive,” Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews told The State on Saturday…. read full story… http://www.sacbee.com/2011/04/02/3523860/toddler-missing-overnight-found.html

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/04/02/3523860/toddler-missing-overnight-found.html#ixzz1JHJLpdbO

A dog has been rescued from debris floating off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, three weeks after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The dog appeared to be in good health and was being fed biscuits and a finger water.

A helicopter of a Japan Coast Guard patrol boat, Tsugaru, searching a vacation for people home, or missing two. Gran since last month’s disaster spotted the dog at family members one wish. Help about 4 p.m. Friday about 1.8 kilometres off the coast of Kesennuma with on random the roof acts of a kindness. building that had been swept out to sea.  Read full story… http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/rescued+after+three+weeks+adrift/4551001/story.html

A Merritt-area man received 30 days of house arrest after pleading guilty to tying his golden Lab cross dog to his truck and dragging her behind the vehicle.

Bobby Elliott was charged with animal cruelty under both the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Criminal Code.

n June last year, a female dog named April Rain had been tied to her owner’s truck as he drove in order to provide her with exercise.

“The poor dog was dragged behind the vehicle, sustaining a number of painful injuries, including deep lacerations and bruising all over her body,” said Marcie Moriarty, general manager of cruelty investigations for the B.C. SPCA.

April Rain is now recovering and has been adopted by a loving family…  read full story… http://www.theprovince.com/news/House+arrest+dragging/4551148/story.html

HARRISON COUNTY, Ind. — A southern Indiana woman charged with animal cruelty is out of jail.

Detectives said Maximina Shelton threw her dog from a moving car in Harrison County.

An animal control officer said the woman got the dog from a shelter about a year ago. The officer believes financial hardship is what forced the owner to abandon the dog.

The dog was given the name Bambi nearly two weeks ago after she was found abandoned along Highway 135 in Harrison County.

A 6-year-old boy told police the dog’s name is Puddles and that his grandmother had thrown it from the car…. read full story… http://www.wlky.com/news/27403674/detail.html

Brisbane, Australia.

A STAFFORDSHIRE cross was dramatically underweight when it was dumped on a northside Brisbane street corner, and the RSPCA is concerned for its pups.

A witness saw the brindle staffordshire-boxer cross being thrown out of an early-’80s model white Commodore, Magna or Falcon at the corner of Thompson Rd and Alma Rd, Dakabin, early in the morning last Thursday, February 25.

The RSPCA Queensland Inspectorate is seeking public assistance in locating the dog’s owners.

The dog was emaciated, lethargic and excreting milk from her mammaries, suggesting she may have recently had pups, the RSPCA said.

Taken from… the Herald Sun, Brisbane.  Read full story…http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/horribly-starved-dog-thrown-from-car-on-brisbanes-northside/story-e6frf7jo-1225835728232

This story and its subsequent picture makes me ashamed to be a Brisbanite. What type of animal does this to a poor defenseless creature???

It’s a story about the worst of humanity and the best of humanity.

Patrick is a young pit bull mix who was hours away from death on March 16 when his owner allegedly wrapped him in a garbage bag and sent him down the garbage chute of her Newark, N.J., apartment building to the basement 22 floors below.

A maintenance worker saw the bag slightly moving and opened it, finding the starved dog. He called the authorities, who immediately got help for the animal, setting into action a series of events that have brought together tens of thousands of people around the world who were horrified and touched by Patrick’s story. … Taken from Northhaven Patch…. read full story… http://northhaven.patch.com/articles/thrown-away-as-garbage-dog-captures-nations-heart-3

Raleigh. Zeus the Siberian Husky is resting comfortably after a state-of-the-art procedure was performed, through which a titanium prosthetic front paw was infused into his leg bone.

Zeus’s front paw was ripped off by another dog when he was a puppy..  read full story.. http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/03/31/1093566/dog-will-get-a-new-paw-at-ncsu.html

Evansville. A man was relieved to see his dog, Maggie, outside his home with firefighters, after a fire broke out, damaging most of the house. Everything else could be replaced, he said, as long as his family and his dog were safe.  Read full story and see video… http://www.14wfie.com/story/14351347/crews-battle-evansville-house-fire

AUSTIN (KXAN) – In the gymnasium at north Austin’s Gullett Elementary School, a young boy sits on the floor with a book in his lap. The child is trying to sharpen his reading skills and he has a helper. Actually, he has two helpers: a woman who is volunteering her time and her dog.

Across the room, Patti Brauss, a 14-year veteran physical education teacher, watches with a grin on her face.

“There are kids who absolutely light up when they see a dog and that builds bridges sometimes if there’s a stressful situation in the classroom,” said Brauss, “or a skill the child can’t do, and by being able to share that with a dog or be motivated by the dog, we can’t do that as humans. It’s the power of the petting.”

On the gym floor another dog rolls over on her back and accepts some of that petting from another student.

“I think she’s precious,” the child said. “She’s precious; she’s a precious dog.”

Nearby, another girl bends down and kisses a dog on the head.

Taken from Austin News…read full story… http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/pit-bulls-go-to-work-as-therapy-dogs

Pittsburgh. Spirit the Schnauzer is lucky to be alive after firefighters rescued him from his burning home. Spirit’s owner wasn’t home at the time, and says that he was smart enough to go downstairs away from the fire, where he was soon rescued.  Read story… http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_729540.html

America. Adogo Pet Hotel..the premier dog hotel and day care facility. From overnight boarding and dog daycare to professional grooming.  Created by a lifelong dog lover and former leading hotel industry executive, John Sturgess, Adogo Pet Hotel strives to give a quality service for your pet.  Go to site… http://www.adogopethotels.com/

Buckley, the family dog, is a hero after alerting his owner to a fire that ripped through his home and destroyed it.

Buckley kept barking, pulling the covers off his owner’s head to get him up and out in time. No one was hurt in the blaze, although the fire destroyed the property and everything in it.  Read story… http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/12003887547944/dog-alerts-family-of-fire-at-home-in-billerica/

Millville. An investigation is underway into the case of a dog found starving and burned recently.  Nick-named Tonka, the chocolate and white male dog suffered severe neglect and cruelty, and was only 16 pounds. Estimation is that this type of dog should be around 40 pounds.

Tonka is residing at a local animal shelter. Investigations are ongoing.  Read story… http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20110323/NEWS01/103230325

Hyde Park. Lola, a long haired Dachshund, is at last with her relieved owner after fire gutted their home recently. Lola was originally thought to have run away from the fire, but as the days turned into weeks, she was thought to have perished in the fire.

When Lola’s owner returned to the house after a month, she heard scratching and instantly knew that Lola had indeed survived.  Lola is now recovering in the local animal hospital.  Read story… http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/hyde_park/2011/03/dog_survives_a_month_in_burned.html

Manhattan. Molly Pfeiffer was taking a walk with her unleashed dog, Boogie, along the Hudson river when he suddenly took off to chase a gull and jumped into the chilly water.  Molly jumped in after Boogie in an attempt to rescue her, securing her to a wooden support, but needed to be rescued herself by the NYPD harbour unit boat who were called soon after.

Both owner and pooch are doing well.  Read full story… http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/03/22/2011-03-22_manhattan_woman_jumps_into_hudson_river_to_save_her_dogs_life.html?r=news

A 77-year-old man and his dog were rescued Monday by the U.S. Coast Guard from their disabled sailboat in the Pacific Ocean about 120 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico.

A ham radio operator in Stonewall, Texas, had heard a Mayday call from the sailboat shortly after noon and relayed the call to the Coast Guard. The 30-foot sailboat had no propulsion, food, water or safety equipment, the Coast Guard said.  Read story… http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/03/man-and-dog-rescued-from-disabled-sailboat-by-us-coast-guard-.html

Iowa. Gretchen, a Labrador cross, is at home with her family after being stolen four years ago in Washington state.

An implanted chip aided the return of Gretchen to her family in Iowa, where they had moved since Gretchen was stolen.  Gretchen was found wandering near a lake in Fort Lewis, Washington.  Read story… http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110320/NEWS/110319023/-1/AMES/Microchipped-dog-returned-family

Oakland. Codie-Rae was eight months old when she was dumped in a night box at an animal rescue shelter. Codie had wire wrapped around a badly infected hind leg and had instructions to euthanise her because she was in pain.

Codie was saved by the shelter crew and has showed her undominatable spirit by being featured in a music video… read full story… http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17641197

China. An eleven month old pup called ‘Big Splash’ sold recently in the Chinese city of Qingdao for ten million yuan, approximately 1.5 million dollars.

Big Splash is a prized red Tibetan Mastiff – thought to be one of the world’s oldest and venerable breeds.  Tibetan Mastiffs are rarely seen outside of Tibet.  Read story… http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42128943/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/

Manilla (news story). The massive quake and subsequent tsunami  in Japan not only affected people, it has affected animals. Watch You Tube footage of a loyal dog standing by his injured companion in the rubble.

The two dogs have since been rescued, and are receiving veterinary care in the city of Mito. Read story and watch You Tube video… http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/03/17/11/loyal-dog-japan-stands-injured-canine-friend

Oregon. Ceili, a fifteen year old Labrador mix, is up for a national award after saving her owner’s life.

Ceili started to pester her owner, trying to block his path and stop him from climbing the stairs. A short time later Ceili’s owner suffered a heart attack and Ceili once again stopped him from trying to climb the stairs in a daze, pulling him to the floor and going for help.

Her owner was at the hospital within 20 minutes of the alert, and was immediately treated. Ceili is being nominated for the Dogs of Valor award, sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States.  Read more…http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/03/10/dog-nominated-national-award-saving-mans-life/

Livermore. A Livermore couple are offering a reward for the safe return of Zoe, a two year old Maltese-ShihTzu cross.

Zoe went missing when the couple’s home was burgled. A number of items were stolen, and it is not certain whether Zoe was taken or released outside during the burglary.

The distraught owners are offering a cash reward for Zoe’s return.  Read story… http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17532606?nclick_check=1

Norwood. Xena, a seven year old Boxer-Labrador Retriever mix was found safe and sound after a fire destoyed her foster home.

Sadly eleven other dogs being cared for at the home did not survive.

Xena ran off during the rescue effort, and was found a couple of days later by volunteers.  Xena’s boarding expenses are being covered until she finds a home.. read more… http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20110302/NEWS01/103030331/1196/BIZ01/Dog-found-two-days-after-Norwood-fire?odyssey=nav|head

Australia. The Animal Welfare League Queensland…takes care of approximately 10,000 stray or abandoned animals per year throughout South East Queensland.  The AWL receives no government funding, and relies predominantly on the community for support. Go to site... http://www.awlqld.com.au/

Puppies Behind Bars trains inmates to raise puppies to become service dogs for the disabled and explosive detection canines for law enforcement.  Visit the website… http://www.puppiesbehindbars.com/

Best Friends Animal Society Network Charities…..check out on You Tube and become involved today…  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LvKX7rOsjM

Australia. The complete pet care service. Furry Kids at Home is a professional pet sitting, pet minding, dog walking, puppy and doggy day care, ..and much more. This company is dedicated to the love and care of all dog and cat minding, bird and fish minding, when you aren’t at home. Check out the site… http://www.furrykidsathome.com.au/

Susan Cronin’s animal story could be a Disney movie.

The office administrator/interior designer met stray Jack Russell terrier Slim on a wet Wednesday afternoon in late November of last year. Within a whirlwind 24-hour period, she somehow managed to find not one, but two, of the dog’s owners.

“I was on my way to Westover High School to pick up my son Evan, and it was pouring down rain,” Cronin, one of those high-energy people whose enthusiasm for life is always bubbling near the surface, said over a cup of coffee. “I was in the Lake Park subdivision, and I saw the sweetest dog wandering in the rain. I got out of my car and called him, and he came right to me.

“I loaded him up in the car, and when we got to Westover, Evan opened the door and said, ‘Mom, another one?’”

It seems Cronin had previously found and, for a time, taken care of cocker spaniel/dachshund mix William (who’s still available on petfinder.com).

“I took (Slim) home, but our cats didn’t want him there, so I decided to go back and drive around the neighborhood where I found him to see if anyone was out looking for him,” Cronin picks up her story. “I couldn’t believe a young mother actually opened the door for me at the first house I went to, but she had a 10-year-old who said, ‘I think he lives that way.’

“I was cruising down an alley and pulled into someone’s driveway to turn around. Before I could back out of the driveway, the homeowner came out of the house with a phone in hand. He did not look thrilled.”

When Cronin explained her situation, the homeowner suggested she call a local animal hospital. She told him she had no phone with her, so the homeowner simply pushed a button and handed her the phone.

He had the facility on speed dial.

“This is where the story gets amazing,” Cronin said. “It was 10 ’til 6, and the girl at the vet’s office told me they closed at 6. I told her my story and said I’d pay to board the dog. I could hear in her voice that she was going to say no, but she told me if I got there before 6 and paid up front she’d take the dog in.

“So I rushed there, and when I walked in the door with the dog, the receptionist gasped and called out to her co-worker, ‘Come look at this dog and tell me who he looks like.’ The other girl came out and said, ‘It can’t be.’”

The Jack Russell was a dead ringer for the young lady’s family dog, which had gone missing two years earlier. She checked his back teeth and, sure enough, two of them were missing, just like her family’s dog.

The young lady kept the dog at the office and didn’t charge Cronin. The story, apparently, had its happy ending.

But the next morning, after taking Evan to school, Cronin, for some reason she couldn’t explain, took a different route back toward their home. She was on Flamingo Road when she saw a notice posted on a stop sign. It was for a lost dog and, upon closer inspection, Cronin saw that the dog looked very familiar.

“It looked just like the dog I’d taken to the vet’s the day before,” she said. “I stopped to take down the number on the sign, and a vehicle drove by. The woman driving saw me, stopped and said, ‘Are you the one who saved my dog?’ ”

The woman, who was so distraught over losing Slim she’d called her 21-year-old daughter home from Columbus College to help her look for him, had started calling veterinarians’ offices to see if anyone had brought in her missing Jack Russell.

Slim, it turns out, had wandered off and had been missing for three days. She and Slim’s previous owner at the vet’s office discussed it and agreed the dog should stay with its new owner.

“A lot of times with stories like these, things just don’t work out,” Cronin said. “But in less than a day, I was able to find not just one but two of the dog’s owners. And the story had a happy ending.”

Awwww.

Taken from..The Albany Herald.. link.. http://www.albanyherald.com/home/headlines/Tale_of_two_lost_dogs_114846574.html

Check out the dancing dog on You Tube!  Brilliant!  …http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZuoLLDz1C8

Check out the pool playing dog on You Tube!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHiiG3-yU7k

World Society for the Protection of Animals. WSPA’s vision is of a world where animal welfare matters, and animal cruelty ends. Become involved today!!  website… http://www.wspa.org.au/

Australia.  Adopt a Rescue Dog.  Give a dog a second chance at life! Make your new year and their’s much better. Go to site… http://www.adoptarescuedog.webs.com/

Los Angeles.  Rebel, an eight month old German Shepherd puppy was stuck fast after somehow managing to squeeze his head through a hole in an eighteen inch block wall in the family home.

Rebel was discovered by a neighbour after hearing the dog’s cries. Rebel’s owner was not home at the time. County Animal Services Officers were called and managed to free Rebel after much nudging back and forth for approximately half an hour.

Rebel was released to the neighbour. He is reportedly doing fine.  Read story… http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/12/german-shepherd-puppy-gets-himself-in-stuck-in-a-tight-spot.html

A small but growing number of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and other therapists are bringing their dogs to work in their private practices, where they help calm patients down, cheer them up and offer a happy distraction with a wagging tail. The job is similar to what therapy dogs do when they visit at hospitals or nursing homes, but these “canine therapy-assistants” often work full days and get to know the patients just as well as the doctors.   Paragraph taken from … ‘The Doctor’s Dog Will See You Now’.. link.. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703886904576031521407391768.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Australia.  The Save-A-Dog-Scheme was established in 1985 to offer a humane alternative to the killing of unwanted dogs, especially dogs of good temperament, that would otherwise be destroyed at pounds or shelters.

They are saving more and more dogs, but they need help to continue to do the good work they do. Please offer your support and donate today!… go to site… http://www.saveadog.org.au/index.asp

Chihauhau Cherubs, Chihauhau breeders, rescue and relocators. Chihauhua Cherubs not only breeds Chihuahuas, it also aims to place Chihauhuas, free of charge, to those whose lives would be enriched by the companionship of these little dogs, including people who are terminally ill, cancer-stricken, or confined to a bed or a wheelchair.  Check out website today… http://www.chihuahuacherubs.com/

Columbia. 

When one of Caryn Fenton’s family members fell ill, she began a personal journey to find a cure.

Traditional medical treatments failed, and the problems intensified. At times the pain would subside, but it always returned. A permanent solution seemed elusive.

Katherine Wilkie* shows veterinary technician Billy Inskeep the collection of red blood cells and stem cells at the bottom of a test tube after coming out of a centrifuge on Friday at the Columbia Pet Hospital. The stem cells will be injected into a four-year-old Labrador Retriever that has painful joints as part of a new procedure in veterinary medicine.

Ellie, a four-year-old Labrador Retriever, paces in a kennel on Friday at the Columbia Pet Hospital between procedures. The first procedure involved removing fat cells, which will then be used to harvest stem cells. The second procedure occurs about an hour after the first, and involves injecting the stem cells into affected areas — in this case, Ellie’s shoulders and elbows.

Cami Anderson, 10, lays on the floor and comforts her dog Ellie on Friday at the Columbia Pet Hospital after veterinarians gave the dog an anesthetic shot, knocking her unconscious before a procedure that will place stem cells into painful joints.

Katherine Wilkie* watches veterinary technician Billy Inskeep extract waste fluid from a test tube containing a dog’s stem cells that had just come out of the centrifuge on Friday. The stem cells will be injected into the four-year-old Labrador Retriever Ellie, who suffers from painful joints, as part of a new procedure in veterinary medicine.

Cami Anderson, 10, sits on the floor and comforts her dog Ellie on Friday after veterinarians gave the dog an anesthetic shot, knocking her unconscious before a procedure that will put stem cells into painful joints at the Columbia Pet Hospital. The new procedure, which is done entirely in-clinic, was the first one done in Missouri. It involves removing the animal’s fat cells, separating the stem cells, activating them, and then injecting them into the affected area.

More than five years ago, Abbie, who was 12 at the time, started to have problems in both of her knees. She was suffering. Fenton, whose husband owns the Columbia Pet Hospital, tried a variety of methods to ease the pain, but the medical treatments brought serious side effects. Fenton even tried acupuncture, which mitigated the problem, but never cured Abbie.

“I was really looking for something that permanently ended Abbie’s pain,” Fenton said. “I started talking to Dr. (Sherri) Russell, and we researched stem cell treatments. But those were not developed enough and too expensive at the time.”

Fenton found that the only option to treat her dog with stem cells involved sending some of the animal’s fat to California, where a company called Vet-Stem activated the cells in its labs and shipped them back to the patient’s address. The process was too expensive and there was no guarantee that there would be enough active stem cells due to the extensive time it took to ship them.

Abbie died of unrelated causes at 14. But her illness pushed Fenton, her husband and Russell to continue to research.

On Friday morning, Cami Anderson, Fenton’s 10-year-old granddaughter, was able to do what her grandma never could; treat her dog’s illness with stem cells. It will be months or years to find out whether it worked.

The procedure took place at the Columbia Pet Hospital. As an in-clinic operation, it was less complicated and, therefore, cheaper than the ones offered when Fenton’s dog was ill. Russell said it was the first one to take place in Missouri.

The patient, Ellie, is a 4-year-old Labrador Retriever that suffers from an early osteoarthritis and tendonitis of the elbow. Ellie has been ill for two years now, and the inflammations have affected her shoulder as well.

Cami stayed by Ellie’s side at the clinic on Friday, hoping for a better life for her dog.

“Her legs hurt a lot,” Cami said, “After we would play in the yard, she would limp and I could tell she was in pain.”

An experimental procedure

Cami’s blue eyes sparkled with expectation as she walked around her grandparents’ clinic while Ellie was in surgery. Nervous, responsible and caring, she wandered around asking for an update on the procedure..

“I was scared at first, because after she woke up from her anesthesia she went crazy,” Cami said.

Katherine Wilkie, the director of lab services with MediVet America, the company that developed a kit making this in-clinic procedure possible, led the operation at Columbia Pet Hospital.

The procedure, which Wilkie said can be applied to other animals such as cats and horses, cost $1,800 for Ellie. The price varies depending upon the individual animal.

The equipment being used allows for the operation to happen in a surprisingly small space. In a room of no more than 100 square feet, Billy Inskeep and Russell helped Wilkie while they absorbed her knowledge.

Inskeep, a veterinary technician, will be assisting Russell in the procedures that the pet hospital will offer after they are done with this first one. Russell, who will take the lead, is thrilled by the possibilities.

“This is a big advancement,” Russell said. “It has a clear cost advantage, but also we are sure that the cells will be good, because we control them at all times since we don’t have to send them to the lab. For the animal it is also an advantage, as it all happens one day.”

Russell also addressed the use of embryonic stem cells, one of the most controversial aspects of the procedure. But because the tissue is taken directly from the animal she said it nullifies the embryonic cell issue.

Instead, the procedure uses adult stem cells extracted from fat. Fat has a high concentration of the cells and its collection is a lot less traumatic than its alternative, bone marrow.

Once the cells have been concentrated, Wilkie explained, tri-colored LED lights are used to activate the cells. They are then injected into the joint, where they begin to differentiate and create new tissue.

However, some argue stem cell procedure techniques aren’t developed enough to be used on in-clinic operations. Among them is Thomas Koch, a professor of biomedical sciences at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in Canada. He said in an October interview with The Globe and Mail that isolating cells is a highly complex process that can’t be accomplished in a few steps in a veterinary clinic. Koch argues that those who are marketing these techniques “are generating a lot of hype and expectations that I think (are) unwarranted at this point in time.”

Wilkie is aware of the controversy surrounding the new techniques but disagrees with them.

To Wilkie, speaking on behalf of her company, MediVet, “You can’t make a claim that it’s going to help 100 percent of the (animal) patients, but we have not seen any contrary effects. Stem cell treatment has only helped,” she said. 

“She is ready”

Wilkie worked on the cells with a handbook in front of her, using it to show Russell and Inskeep what she was doing.

The atmosphere in the tiny improvised laboratory was dramatic and the tension of novelty palpable, made more so by the opera music in the background of the clinic. Wilkie joked that she began to feel the effects of the pungent smelling ethanol used to filter the solution containing the cells.

Once the cells were activated, Cami brought her dog back into the room after taking her for a walk.

“She is ready,” the girl said. “She already went to the bathroom.”

Ellie resisted her owner’s pull but eventually gave in. “C’mon Ellie! I know you don’t like it,” Cami said.

Cami sat next to Ellie and caressed the back of her head as the dog was given anesthesia a second time. About 45 minutes later, the procedure had been completed.

“We are all done,” Russell said. “Ellie is up and around.”

“She will start improving pretty much immediately and the cells will keep creating new tissue for up to 90 days,” Wilkie said. “But the effects we expect are long-term – up to years.”

Fenton, who was unable to save her own dog more than five years earlier said this procedure is meant to prevent Ellie from having to spend the rest of her life in pain relievers like her own dog.

“Hopefully this will help other dogs in Columbia as well,” she said, “as we are taking something from their body and using it to cure them.”

Taken from… http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/12/11/dog-gets-stem-cell-treatment-columbia-pet-hospital/

Well it’s that time of the year again. I can’t believe the year has gone by so quickly. It was only January 2010 a few weeks ago…

Things around my neck of the woods generally heat up, as we prepare for the rellies on the veranda, and the habitual Bar-B-Q lunch followed by conversation and the usual disagreement with my over-opinionated brother.

My fur-kids tend to make the most of these occasions and hang around looking like they haven’t had a good meal for a month. Not that they ever miss out, but Christmas time usually means more treats than usual, when they find an extra hand or two willing to offer them the best pickings from the table in a non-stop cycle of sad-eyes and guilt-ridden suckers who fall for it.

This year we are off to my Dad’s place with the fur-kids, where they will lounge in air-conditioned comfort on their own beds, and be fed a ‘special Christmas chicken’ bought just for them by my mother.

Yes, it’s a very happy Christmas indeed for any fur-kid that is lucky enough to be a part of my spoil-the-dog-as-much-as-possible family tradition.

Merry Christmas from my fur-kids to yours, and a very happy New Year!

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named ‘Lucky.’ Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky’s toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky’s other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease ….in fact, she was just sure it was fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her …what would happen to Lucky?

Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary’s dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won’t understand that I didn’t want to leave him. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn’t even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn’t come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second she couldn’t understand what was wrong. She couldn’t move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem.

She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It’s been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free.

Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Taken from… http://www.german-shepherd-lore.com/dog-stories.html