Doggy Doodles is back in the New Year with a new creation.  Have a peek at ‘Punchie and Ruben’ by clicking on the first picture icon under ‘Latest Portfolio’ in the right-hand column.

Enjoy!

SAN PABLO — A maintenance man with a little bit of emergency training proved to be a dog’s best friend Tuesday after a fire broke out at an apartment complex, a battalion chief said.

Fire crews revived the gray Shih Tzu with oxygen after the man’s quick response doused the flames in the apartment and kept the fire from spreading, Batallion Chief Bryan Craig of the Contra Costa Fire Protection District said. The blaze, in an upstairs unit in the complex at 1320 Road 20, caused no other injuries.

The man who put out the fire was not identified.

“We actually don’t know very much about him,” Craig said. “He said he’d taken a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training course, and that without it, he wouldn’t have attempted it.”

The fire was set off by a cigarette left unattended by a woman living in the unit, Craig said.

When crews arrived at the fire at about 5:20 p.m., smoke was billowing out an upstairs window but the flames were out. Once inside, firefighters found the dog unconscious. An emergency medical technician administered the oxygen and the dog stirred, Craig said. The dog, which was suffering from smoke inhalation, is expected to make a full recovery, he said.

Only one building was damaged in the blaze, but no monetary estimate was given.  Story taken from … Mercury News.com  … read story .. http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_22083674

It’s easy to pamper your pet with some table scraps, a few extra treats, and a little too much dog food. Before long, your fit Fido has become a hefty hound. Fujitsu is looking to help dog owners fight the fat with a pedometer and cloud service system.

The Wandant pedometer is based on motion-tracking technology from Fujitsu Laboratories. It measures and records the steps your pooch takes, picks up shivering motions, and monitors temperature changes.

All that data gets uploaded to an accompanying cloud service so you can view graphs and reports on your dog’s activities.

The Wandant sits on the dog’s collar. The data is uploaded through a contactless connection to a smartphone or computer. For a more complete look at a dog’s health, the owner can add information like weight, food serving sizes, and (yes) stool conditions.

Story taken from C/Net … read full story…  http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57556028-1/fujitsu-pet-pedometer-helps-chunky-dogs-slim-down/

Hello there fur-pals.  It’s been ages since I’ve been in.

Things have been busy here and I’ve just lost my best mate, Dylan, so I have been keeping a low profile around the house because everybody is so sad.

I wait by the front door in hope that he will be back and I’m hopeful that maybe I might catch a glimpse of him if I look hard enough.  Mum says that I might if I’m very lucky and concentrate hard enough.

I miss my friend and hope that I see him again one day.

Helloooo fur fans.  It’s been absolutely ages since I have graced these pages.  Mum has been working and it has been impossible to get a look in around here.

Where do I begin?  It’s been a hectic year and with Christmas just around the corner, I am in a flurry to be ready for the relatives when we go meeting and greeting off the island for Christmas nibblies and a chicken or two.  I have to say I am looking forward to it.

On a really sad note, my friend and older statesman furboy, Dylan, passed away and went to the rainbow 3 November 2012.  I am very sad at the moment and I am looking for him everywhere, even though I know he is no longer on this earth with me.

I shall miss him forever.  Rest in peace, my friend Dylan.

Doggy Doodles announces another great pencil and pastel drawing for 2012. Molly the beautiful Labrador! Click on ‘Latest Portfolio’  link or small drawing icon in the right-hand column to view.

That Bo is one lucky dog: He’s going into the record books as the first White House pet to have his very own commemorative Easteregg.

Look closely at the White House’s 2012 set of collector’s Easter eggs, above. You can make out the black-and-white Portuguese water dog’s image — the red one, center — alongside the Easter bunny emblems that decorate the rest of the eggs in the souvenir set.

The wooden Easter eggs are sold through the National Park Foundation, which raises money to preserve and maintain America’s open spaces.

Sales figures were not immediately available, but the public’s reaction to the Bo Easter egg has been described as ”enthusiastic.”

Unfortunately, you can’t buy simply the Bo egg (we tried). The Bo egg is available only when you buy the entire set, seen above, which costs $29.50. Any of the other Easter eggs in the set, however, can be bought for $7.50 apiece… story taken from…. The Baltimore Sun… read full story… http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/pets/la-na-nn-bo-the-white-house-dog-has-his-own-easter-egg-20120406,0,6405744.story

Dog is man’s best friend – until she eats your Masters tickets.

Russ Berkman of Seattle told KJR Sports Radio he was running errands when Sierra, his Swiss mountain dog, swallowed four tickets to the annual PGA Masters Tournament in Georgia.

Frantic, Berkman knew he had to get the tickets, and called his girlfriend for advice.

“She says, ‘You have to make the dog puke,” he told the radio station.

Familiar with a safe method veterinarians sometimes have to use on dogs, Berkman fed Sierra a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water.

“It bubbles in their stomach; it’s very safe, and they puke in about 10 minutes,” he said. “About 10 minutes later she did what she was supposed to, which was puke up the Masters tickets.”

Sure enough, the tickets were there — in bits and pieces.

When Berkmancalled the Masters ticket office to explain, staffers reissued his coveted passes… story taken from… NY Daily News… read story… http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-04-04/news/31289619_1_masters-tickets-swiss-mountain-dog-bits-and-pieces

One couple couldn’t bare to live without their beloved yellow Labrador, so when he died of cancer they put a fortune into bringing him back.

Edgar and Nina Otto spent $155,000 in getting their beloved deceased dog, named Sir Lancelot, cloned.

‘I would’ve gone higher, I would have done anything at that point,’ Mrs Otto told TLC during a segment of their series called I Cloned My Pet.

Though they may have been shocked when it actually happened, the Ottos were prepared and first had Lancelot’s DNA stored four years prior to his death when they first heard that cloning technology was beginning to be developed.

CNN reports that Mr Otto is the son of Edward Otto, one of the co-founders of NASCAR, which helps explain why the auction price of the cloning procedure was not off-putting.

The cloning itself was done in conjunction with a San Francisco firm called BioArts and the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in South Korea.

A cat called Little Nicky earned the title as the first commercially cloned pet when a woman in Texas paid $50,000 for the service.

Lancelot Encore, the cloned version of Sir Lancelot who goes by ‘Lancey’ for short, was the first cloned dog and he was born in 2009. BioArts, the American partner, suspended their commercial cloning service in September 2009, though the process is still completed in South Korea.

In animal cloning, the stored DNA of the animal is then injected into the egg of a surrogate dog. The South Korean firm is the only one to have perfected the technology as of yet.

In spite of continued criticism of pet cloning by animal welfare groups, which argue it is wasteful to spend thousands for a replica pet when there are so many homeless already, the Ottos are very happy with their decision.

‘I only was hoping to get the essence of Lancelot back,’ Mrs Otto said.

‘I know I’ve gotten that. Anything else is icing on the cake.’… story taken from… Mail Online…. read full story, see video… http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2141574/First-couple-clone-pet-dog-paid-155-000-job-say-new-pup-mannerisms-dead-Labrador.html?ITO=1490

Canton firefighters used a special oxygen mask to save the life of a dog during a house fire Saturday, according to a press release from the Canton Fire Department.

Skylar, a yellow Labrador retriever, was found unconscious and having trouble breathing inside a home on the 6800 block of Carriage Hills Drive at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, the release said.

According to the release, firefighters arrived at the house and noticed smoke coming from the overhangs. Firefighters forced the front door of the residence open, the release said, and found the family dog unresponsive and with labored breathing.

Firefighters brought the dog outdoors, the release said, where firefighters waited for a special oxygen masked designed specifically for dogs that was donated to the department in 2008 by then-Canton resident Christy Jones.

Firefighters administered oxygen to the dog for about 20 minutes, until Skylar regained consciousness, the release said, and began breathing better.

Dr. Mark Alsager of Alsager Animal Care Center in Canton arrived at the scene and took Skylar to a 24-hour animal hospital, where the dog is in stable condition and expected to fully recover. Alsager credited the special mask with saving the dog’s life, the news release said… story taken from… Plymouth Patch.. read full story… http://plymouth-mi.patch.com/articles/firefighters-save-dog-s-life-in-canton-fire

Helloooo fur fans! How lovely it is to be here. I didn’t think I would be feeling as good as I am right now, as I have been quite ill recently. Mum is starting to call me things like ‘the million dollar dog’ and the more derogatory ‘lemon.’ I certainly don’t think I’m a lemon, although my bits and pieces have been a little defective lately.

Bladder problems, we girls have them now and again, but I’ve been getting them BIG time. The vet bill for me so far is well over the $3,000 mark, but of course, I am worth every cent. I keep hearing Mum say ‘thank god for the dog insurance.’ Thank god she has me to love her, is all I can say to that.

I’m here today to tout the effectiveness of dog insurance, however. It’s been a ‘godsend’ apparently, says Mum, although I thought that I was the godsend. I’ve had the best of care, not that I don’t deserve it, and the vets and the specialist have all been marvellous. I’ve been the centre of attention, as usual, and it’s been great… except for the operation and the ultrasounds. I’m also giving the vet table a wide berth in the future, as bad things happen there, that’s for sure.

I will be back soon with news of my recovery.

Greetings fur pals!  It’s good to be back on the net again. Mum’s been having some time off, so it’s been hell trying to get any computer time around here.

Life is good right now, and the weather is starting to turn cool, so I’m looking for places to keep myself warm, preferably the comfy beds and lounges, if I can.

Sadly, I have been kicked out of the house today and I am spending some of my time on the veranda. At least the veranda also has a comfy, warm lounge, but it’s not inside and it’s as warm as it could be. I have peed on the last bit of furniture, or so Mum says. So I’m out here doing my penance, until tomorrow, when Dad gets home and I can bluff my way back indoors during the daytime.

Right now, it’s every dog for himself to get the best spot on the veranda lounge. I’m doing it tough.

Until next time.

A San Antonio dog named Stevie Oedipus Wonder disappeared from his family’s home for about a month, so the owners assumed he had been lost and then died.

Stevie Oedipus Wonder had not died though he wound up at San Antonio Animal Care Services, but his dog tag information had not been updated so the owners could not be found. An ad was published to help find him a home, but he was also scheduled for euthanization. A school teacher saw the ad and volunteered to take him in for a short period. The teacher became curious after looking at Stevie’s dog tags and conducted a search on the Craig’s List website using the key words ‘blind dog’.

One of Stevie’s family members had placed on ad on the site describing the lost blind dog and their contact information should anyone find him. The school teacher reached out to them saying she had Stevie and he was reunited with his family.

Animal services or animal shelters are probably a good bet when one is looking for a lost animal. Also, microchipping a pet can help in these situations, because the owner information will remain with the animal and animal shelters typically know to scan them…. story taken from Care2.com… read story… http://www.care2.com/greenliving/lost-blind-dog-returned-to-home.html

Scout & Zoe’s Natural Antler Dog Chews is honoring a 6-month-old Boxer pup who saved Christmas – and his family – by detecting a dangerous gas leak in their Georgia home.

Something just didn’t smell right. And thanks to an alert puppy named Ollie, a family got the message quickly enough to escape for safety.

Ollie, a young Boxer pup, sensed danger while his family was putting up holiday decorations one early December night at their home in Canton, Ga. Gas logs in the Hyde family’s fireplace were spewing odorless and highly flammable fumes into the air. The potential for a deadly accident was very real, either from asphyxiation due to the gas or from a possible explosion if somehow a spark ignited the gas that was filling the home.

“He knew something we didn’t know,” Jason Hyde told an Atlanta TV station. “He sensed something wasn’t right.”

Ollie arched his back and began nudging the Hyde’s and their daughter until they eventually got the message and followed him outside. In the process, Jason realized that gas was flowing from the gas logs and that he had forgotten to light the fire.

“He cared about us enough to get us out,” says Sheree Hyde. “He was not giving up until we all came outside. We loved him before and obviously we still do, but we thank God for such a smart dog.”

For sensing danger and bravely ushering his family to safety, Ollie is being recognized with the Scout & Zoe’s Exceptional Canine Award.

“We just love Ollie’s story, because he’s our youngest Exceptional Canine Award recipient by far,” says Cindy Dunston Quirk, owner and developer of Scout & Zoe’s Natural Antler Dog Chews. “For a young puppy to show so much love, devotion and bravery is just an amazing story. He really did save Christmas, and it’s the kind of story that reminds us just how special and strong the bond is between a dog and his family, even at such a young age.”

Ollie has become quite a celebrity in his small Georgia town. The Hyde’s have done a number of television interviews, emphasizing the uncanny ability Ollie showed to be aware of the gas and the potential for danger.

“I just think it’s cool that God has made a creature, made a dog, as smart as this dog and I am glad to have him,” says Jason.

As a Scout & Zoe’s honoree, a special card has been created featuring Ollie’s photo and his achievements. It will be included in packages of Scout & Zoe’s chews. .… story taken from… PRWeb.. read story… http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/12/prweb9057240.htm

Pusuke, listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest-living dog, died in Japan on Monday. He was 26 years old — or somewhere between 117 and 185 in “dog years,” according to various calculations. There is no official method for converting human years to dog years.

The dog’s owner, Yumiko Shinohara, said the male cross-breed died at Sakura in the Tochigi prefecture, north of Tokyo, according to the Kyodo news agency.

Pusuke was reportedly eating well and staying active until Monday, when he lost his appetite and had difficulty breathing.  Pusuke died peacefully, minutes after his owner returned home from a walk.

“I think (Pusuke) waited for me to come home,” she said, according to Kyodo.

Born in April of 1985, Pusuke was recognized last December as the world’s oldest-living dog.

The oldest-known dog on record, according to Guinness, was an Australian cattle dog named Bluey, who lived to the ripe old age of 29 years and five months before it was put down in November 1939… story taken from… ABC News.com Blogs… read full story… http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/worlds-oldest-dog-dies-at-age-26/

Hellooooo fantastic fur-fans. Well I’m feeling lovely and primped and pampered today. I’ve just had a shampoo and a blowdry, and I just love my new doo. I’m smelling like the Ruby-Rosebud that Mum calls me.

I’ve had a lovely time in the holidays, enjoying meeting and greeting our guests and I’ve been out and about to visit my many fans recently. I had the pleasure of seeing Nan and Pop last week and enjoyed a sumptuous luncheon on the back patio. Of course I was privy to the most delectable tidbits that were coming my way.  I can highly recommend the chef.

I’m not really looking forward to going to the vet next month for my annual checkup and weigh-in. I suspect that I have put on a pound or two over the xmas break and I will be rationed once again in the near future.

Until next time fur-fans….

“Wow. Quite frankly, [my husband] John and I just figured somehow she had gotten killed.” Kristen Pruitt told Fredricksburg.com after being reunited with her mix breed pit bull Petunia who had been missing for eight years.

The dog disappeared on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2003 from a family farm in Fredricksburg, Virginia, according to Fredricksburg.com. Somehow, eight years later, the dog ended up on the opposite side of the United States at an animal shelter in California.

The shelter then used a microchip implanted in the dog to track down the dog owners, according to Fredricksburg.com.

In a Skype interview with CBS13 Sacramento, Pruitt exclaimed upon seeing the dog,”Awwwwww. Look at her.”

Debra Luis, supervisor at the Yuba County Animal Control Office in California, told the Appeal Democrat about the dog’s health. The Appeal Democrat reports Luis said “that the dog is in fine shape physically, though she also said there are signs the animal had not received enough nutrition in recent months.”

Now, according to KCRA Sacramento, “The shelter is now working with Pruitt to make sure Petunia is home for the holidays.” ….story taken from… The Huffington Post… read story, see video… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/04/missing-dog-reunited-with_n_1128036.html

ALLEN PARISH, LA (KPLC) -

A dog was found shot on the side of the road in Allen Parish and one man saved the dog’s life by bringing her to a veterinary hospital.

This incident brings up the issue of how people abandon their dogs on the side of the road, generally in rural areas. Dogs left on the streets end up starving to death or getting run over. In this dog’s case, getting shot.

Resident of Allen Parish Jackie Parks said many people dump their dogs on the road where he lives.

“Allen Parish doesn’t have an animal shelter, so people in this area don’t have options,” he said. “For me, there’s never an option to abandon a dog on the side of the road.”

Parks found the dog a few days earlier along with a male dog and a puppy. He would bring food to the dogs and eventually when they warmed up to him, he would take them to a shelter.

“On the last night I checked on them as I went to work, I found the male dog had been shot,” Parks said.

With the male dog dead, he went searching for the female dog and her puppy. He discovered the female dog had been shot as well, but was still alive. The puppy ran off as he got closer to the dog.

“I made kind of a decision to take the female dog to the vet and I would come back for the puppy and try to catch it, but I came back and the puppy was gone,” Parks said.

The female dog he brought to the vet, he named Hope. Parks described her as friendly and calm, but after being shot in the abdomen, she was unable to stand.

“I didn’t know what kind of damage she had. I was really afraid for her,” Parks said.

Veterinarian at the Lake Area Animal Hospital Dr. Sally Kate Scroggs said Hope had a 50-percent chance of survival.

“We took X-rays and she had a broken hip and she also had a ruptured bladder,” Scroggs said. “The first surgery, her bladder was still leaking, so I had to take her back into surgery the next night.”

Two surgeries later, Hope’s tail is now wagging and she’s running around on all four legs. She’s a happy healthy dog.

“People really need to think about what they’re doing before they just dump dogs off. Because I’m sure the people who dropped her off didn’t expect someone was going to shoot her,” Scroggs said.

And Parks is happy to see that Hope has a second chance.

“My hope is that someday she finds a good home and that someone will find a spot in their heart for her,” he said. “It’s kind of a bitter sweet thing. I’m really glad that she has a second chance and I’m thankful for that.”…story taken from … KPLC TV.com… read full story… http://www.kplctv.com/story/16178366/abandoned-dog-is-shot-and-gets-a-second-chance-at-life

Cody, a yellow labrador retriever, was home Tuesday after being kidnapped during a carjacking in Oakbrook Terrace a day earlier.

The dog was in the back seat of the white 2009 Ford Escape stolen from Anyway’s Restaurant parking lot, according to WGN News.

A 25-year-old man, Bradley L. Haggard, of Lombard, was later arrested in connection with the carjacking. Villa Park and Addison police said the SUV was taken to a Wal-Mart and used as a getaway car after Haggard shoplifted items from the store.

Villa Park police chased Haggard east on North Avenue. The chase caused Haggard to crash into a tree at St. Charles Road and Craig Street. Haggard was caught and arrested after trying to flee on foot. Police report Haggard was under the influence and driving with a suspended license.

He is charged with felony charges of aggravated failure to obey an order to stop, possession of a stolen vehicle, resisting an officer and possession of cannabis. He is held on a $150,000 bail at DuPage County Jail.

Cody, the dog, was not hurt during the accident and was returned to his owner… story taken from NBC Chicago News… read story…. http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Villa-Park-Dog–134360373.html

San Antonio -

The service dog of a local military veteran disappeared two weeks ago, but now, he’s now back home.
KSAT did the initial report about the missing dog last week and after a viewer, who had picked up the dog, saw the story, he contacted the owner.
“He’s a wonderful dog,” said Brent Von Aschen, the military veteran who had lost his dog. “And, I’m really happy to have him home.”
Von Aschen said his black Labrador, Tyson, had wandered away from him home about two weeks ago and that he had been desperately searching for him ever since.
“It brought tears to my eyes that he’s back,” said Von Aschen. “Because, I was concerned so much for him and to have him back, is just wonderful.”
However, Von Aschen, who suffered a serious head injury while serving in Iraq, not only has his companion back, but Tyson is also a service dog.
Von Aschen now suffers frequent seizures, but he told KSAT that he and his dog, Tyson, have a connection, where Tyson not only watches out for him, but he also alerts him when a seizure is about to strike.
“He is able to sense trouble in advance,” said Von Aschen. “He has just been extremely valuable for that purpose, but as a pet, he couldn’t be a better pet.”
Von Aschen said he never lost hope that he would find his special companion.
In fact, Tyson had been found just three miles away.
“They knew he belonged to somebody, but they didn’t know who until they saw the news report,” he said. “Which was wonderful because he had been gone from us two weeks.”
Von Aschen said that the people who found Tyson and contacted him after watching the report on KSAT, actually turned down a reward for returning the dog.
Instead, they asked that the $1,000 go toward a noble animal cause.
He also told KSAT that he’s getting Tyson chipped and neutered to prevent this from happening again… story taken from KSAT.com News… read story… http://www.ksat.com/news/Missing-dog-returned-to-retired-vet/-/478452/4796794/-/r45atq/-/

Hello there my old fur comrades. It’s good to be here today. It’s good to be anywhere today at my age. I’ve enjoyed seeing another new year in and I’m in relatively good spirits. I’m still getting fed and looked after in accordance to my status as chief senior resident of the household. I’m now officially older than my senior owner, in dog years, which is saying something because my senior owner is 85 this year.

We do alright together, the two of us. We forget a lot, can’t see properly and the hearing is going, but we managed to wolf down our dinners and enjoy our days together still.

My only angst is the presence of that interloping snapper, Angus, in the holiday periods and occasional weekend visitations. I can’t seem to get rid of him anymore. My teeth aren’t what they used to be unfortunately, or I’d be given him a couple of shots of dutch courage that he would remember for the rest of his life.

Until next time…

Greetings fur pals! This post is brought to you today from under the lounge, where I am hiding out to escape a soaking in the dreaded ‘big white tub.’

My sister Ruby seems to enjoy all the primping and pampering, but I’m not one for the excesses of it all, so hide I must, lest I be cornered and dragged into the laundry.

I’m pretty sure I’ve found myself a good spot. I’m right up in the corner, in a nice dark place. Now if only I could get rid of Ruby, who is out of the bath and trying to get under here with me. She’s a dead giveaway, because she’s leaving a trail of water right to my secret location.

Until next time… if there is a next time…

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

AVIS COUNTY, Utah (ABC 4 News) – A pet dog is recovering from a high powered pellet shot wound.
Roxy is a 7-year-old weimaraner.
The injury brought her close to death and collapsed her lungs.

Her owner rushed her to the Mountain View Animal clinic in Layton. She was in severe pain and shock.

Dr. Josiel Lopez gave her a high powered morphine like drug just to reduce her shock and to keep her alive.

Her X-rays reveal the pellet traveled through her chest area and missed her heart by about one inch and eventually lodged just beneath the surface of her skin.

Several neighbors who know Roxy says she’s lovable.  She doesn’t bite and isn’t threatening.
Her owner, Gary Marchant, wants to know who shot her more than a week ago and why?

“It’s like one of our kids.  It’s like somebody tried to kill one of our family members, trying to kill one of our children.  That don’t sit well with me,” said Marchant

She was last seen wandering a field just south of Love Lane in Davis County before the she was hit September 20.

“She was breathing hard and I turned her over.  I could see some blood on her bottom side there,” said Marchant.
Blood was rapidly pooling into her chest area and she was on the verge of losing consciousness.

“I just scooped her up in my arms and got in my car and hauled her to the veterinarian,” said Marchant.
Now, 11 days later her entry wound is almost healed, but the sting of this injustice continues.

Almost everyone we talked with wants to know who hurt this dog.
“I think they ought to have their pants kicked, really to shoot a dog that’s friendly,” said Gene Clark.

The Davis County Sheriff is still looking for the person who shot Roxy.  If you know anything about this crime call the Davis County Sheriff’s Department.
Roxy finished the last of her pain medications October 31 and ran for the first time since the shooting….story taken from ABC4.com…read story and see video… http://www.abc4.com/content/news/slc/story/Pet-dog-recovering-from-high-powered-pellet/o7zmcuEt4kqUp5hDq3BYxQ.cspx

Hello there to all my old fur-comrades. I hope you have all made it through the silly season and come out the other side into 2012 relatively unscathed. I have managed to live through another year with my senior owner, and survive the influx of visitors and family into our quiet domain, just as I like it to be now that I have reached my pensioner milestones.

I am still going strong, and pleased to be here for yet another year. Some are getting worried about me because my eyes don’t see as well and my hearing is going a little, but my sense of smell is keen and I can smell my dinner from well over 20 metres away on a windy day, so I’m alright. As long as I live, breath and eat, I’m still here.

Happy New Year to you all…especially my old comrades who are celebrating with me. Until next time…

Helloooo to all my fur-fans, and a happy new year to you all!  I’ve been a bit quiet lately, not because I haven’t wanted to get out and about, but because Mum hasn’t taken me anywhere of note. A walk around the block occasionally and a sniff in the next yard does not warrant as a tour, that’s for sure.

I entertained a few guests over the Christmas break and I basked in the love and attention that I received. I have also been able to perfect my best ‘sad dog’ look to make the most of those tidbits and leftovers just hanging around after the festivities. Mum and I have put on so much weight, she is threatening me with exercise…again.

I’m looking forward to resuming my weekly tour of the island to cheer up all my fans who haven’t seen me for a while. The woman down the road was just complaining the other day that she hadn’t seen my beautiful face in weeks.

Until next time….Happy Pampered New Year to you all!

Greetings fellow fur-pals and new year travellers! It was quite a year last year for me, and mum hasn’t let me post for a while due to illness. I’m hoping for an action-packed 2012 to make up for lack of action and interest in 2011.

I’ve managed to upset the neighbours already in the new year. Barking at anything that came my way, especially those pesky New Year fireworks that I couldn’t scare off no matter how much I barked at them.

We’ve had a lot of visitors and tourists over the Christmas break and I’ve barked at them all. Mum is threatening to put me in the ‘naughty dog’ room for a few hours to teach me a lesson, but it never happens.

Until next time.. do your best dog impression and stay safe…!

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

A starving dog left in an abandoned apartment for two months, jumped from a third-story window in a desperate attempt to find food. Amazingly the dog survived the fall and helped rescue a puppy still locked inside.

The story of one-year-old Pit bull mix, Miracle and a four-month-old puppy named Gracie shows the remarkable spirit of animals.

Abandoned by their owners in a New Bedford, MA apartment for nearly two months, emaciated Miracle made a courageous leap for help by diving out of a third story window on Friday. Incredibly at that exact moment, a police officer pulled to the curb outside the residence to stop a car. The officer looked up and saw the painfully thin dog jump.

Miracle broke her hip and hind leg in the fall, but the officer was there to immediately help her.

Miracle’s amazing leap led Animal Control officers inside the apartment where they found a small malnourished puppy hanging onto life. The puppy, now named Gracie, was too weak to stand.

No food was found in the filthy apartment, but the dogs had managed to survive on a “water source” they found.

Animal Control Officer Emanuel Maciel described the apartment. “It was flea infested – feces all over the floor. It was devastating to see the conditions these animals were living.”

Both dogs are receiving treatment at Cape Cod Veterinary Specialists. Surgeons successfully repaired Miracle’s broken hip and leg and she is on a special feeding program to help her gain weight. Gracie was in shock at the time of her rescue and is in intensive care. The staff said she is “active and alert.”

The property manager said the tenant left the apartment nearly two months ago, but did not leave a forwarding address.

Animal Control is asking for the public’s help to find the owner. Anyone with information is asked to contact New Bedford Animal Control.

“This constitutes felony cruelty against an innocent animal,” said Lt. Alan Borgal, director of the Center for Animal Protection at the Animal Rescue League of Boston. “We are counting on the public to step forward with information to help bring the person or persons responsible to justice.”

“We see this too often,” said Jennifer Wooliscroft from the Animal Rescue League. “These dogs are often so resilient and nice when they have no reason to be nice at all.”

Hopefully both dogs will recover and be available for adoption in the future.

Story taken from… Care2.com …read full story… http://www.care2.com/causes/starving-dog-jumps-from-third-story-window-and-survives.html

Staff Sgt. Abel Emanuelli may not miss the battlefields of Afghanistan, but he will miss his companions there.

Especially Miley and Fathead.

Soldiers?

No, they’re dogs.

The two canines were among the many strays the former Derry man befriended before leaving Afghanistan last year with the New Hampshire Army National Guard.

“They were something we could relate to,” Emanuelli said. “They helped our morale.”

But, he had to leave them behind, hoping they survived in the war-torn country. He’s been lonely ever since.

“He was just sitting there, saying, “I miss Fathead, I miss Fathead,” said his mother, Jane Lockard of Derry.

Now, Emanuelli, 27, wants to help a dog just like the canines that made life much more bearable for him in Afghanistan.

The former member of Charlie Company is adopting a black-and-white mongrel through a national organization, The Puppy Rescue Mission. Its goal is to unite soldiers and dogs from the battlefield.

He even has a name for his new pet — Charlie.

Out of all the dogs on the organization’s website, it was love at first sight.

Why?

He looked just like Fathead.

“I saw a couple of photos online,” Emanuelli said. “It looks just like the dog I had. When he was a puppy, he had a fat head.”

Miley was a little brown dog, or “kuchi, as they called them, that the soldiers befriended.

Emanuelli, who now lives in Manchester and is a student at Southern New Hampshire University, decided to obtain a pet through The Puppy Rescue Mission.

The organization seeks about $3,000 to fund the various expenses to adopt a dog of war, including airline transportation and medical care, Emanuelli said. The Purple Heart recipient has raised about $400 and the remainder will come from donors wanting to help.

Charlie, one of thousands of dogs that roam Afghanistan eating whatever they can find, is expected to arrive in the United States on Tuesday.

“He was eating rocks and dirt to stay alive,” Lockard said. “They don’t adopt dogs in Afghanistan. They shoot them if they are an annoyance.”

Anna Maria Cannan, founder of The Puppy Rescue Mission, could not be reached for comment. But Lockard said Cannan and other members of the organization are glad Charlie will make a soldier happy.

“They are just thrilled he’s going to have a permanent home,” Lockard said. “I think this is going to be very healing for Abel.”

She said Emanuelli and his younger brother, Luis, always had dogs when they were growing up.

“Adoption runs in the family,” Lockard said.

The family, including father Steven Emanuelli, usually adopted older dogs — at least 10 years old — that no one else wanted, she said. The only problem was they didn’t live much longer, and the family would soon be looking for another one.

“The boys said, ‘We need to get some younger dogs,”‘ Lockard said.

Emanuelli is not worried about Charlie dying of old age. He’s only about a year old. Dogs don’t tend to grow old in Afghanistan.

“I’m just happy to have a dog again,” Emanuelli said… story taken from… Eagle Tribune… read full story… http://www.eagletribune.com/newhampshire/x553403640/Soldier-adopts-dog-from-battlefield

The kidnapping for ransom of a Woodland woman’s bulldog has drawn the attention of the press and the public across the U.S. and beyond, a Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Spokesman said Tuesday.

Chief Deputy Corey Huffine said he received calls Tuesday from the Los Angeles Times, ABC News and numerous other media outlets requesting information on the case. Good Morning America did a segment about the extortion scheme. A story about the dog also appeared on the website of the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom.

Jennifer Thomas of Woodland told authorities that Jagger, her English bulldog, disappeared Oct. 4.

The sheriff’s office said Thomas also told investigators she began receiving text messages Oct. 8 demanding she hand over prescription drugs and cash if she wanted her dog back. Thomas, who is wheelchair-bound, could not be reached Tuesday.

Huffine said he has been flooded with calls and e-mails this week from the local public as well as concerned people across the U.S. and overseas. He said he received one e-mail from someone in Germany wanting to ensure that the case was being handled properly. Others, he said, are offering to help bring Jagger home.

“There’s been a ton of interest,” Huffine said. “People love pets and love dogs.”

Huffine said he was so overwhelmed with interest in Jagger’s case that he was unable to work on much else Tuesday.

“My email’s blown up,” Huffine said, adding that he can’t step away from his desk without returning to find new messages on his phone. “It actually has slowed us down.”

Huffine said there had been no break in the case Tuesday, but that the sheriff’s office was taking the situation seriously.

Sheriff Mark Nelson released a statement Tuesday saying he’s had as many as four deputies at a time working the case.

“This is a living creature,” Huffine said. “We’re just doing the best that we can.”

Story taken from…. TDN.com.. read full story…. http://tdn.com/news/local/article_109ec342-fa23-11e0-9a52-001cc4c03286.html

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 say all dogs go to heaven. But sometimes, heaven comes to the dog.

At least, that’s what 73-year-old Jim Arrighi of Tennessee said he believes.

Arrighi had been searching for his 4-year-old Jack Russell terrier, Petie, since the dog wandered away from his Erin, Tenn., yard July 28. He hung posters and bought ads in the local newspaper — he even went door to door when he could — searching for his beloved companion.

To make matters worse, Arrighi’s wife of 37 years, Juanita Arrighi, 77, died Oct. 12. Arrighi said he feels his wife is an angel who helped make sure Petie found his way home.

“I think she had something to do with it,” he said Wednesday, full of conviction. “She knew how much I loved that dog and how much comfort he was to me. I’d sit on the back porch and drink my coffee, and he’d do what he needed to do, then he’d crawl up in my lap and go to sleep.”

How Petie ended up in the yard of a Rochester Hills home, nearly 600 miles away, is unknown. But Arrighi said he has his theories. This morning, Arrighi and Petie will reunite, thanks to a microchip, a friend and volunteer and the generosity of strangers.

Petie wasn’t the only pet to find his way to the Great Lakes State recently. Ozzie, a long-haired, black-and-white cat sits in a Clinton Township veterinary clinic while workers there try to track down his owner in New York.

As with Petie, a microchip helped track down Ozzie’s owner and home. But more on Ozzie later.

Earlier this week, Petie wandered into the backyard of a family in Rochester Hills. The family contacted the Michigan Humane Society, which discovered the microchip and contacted Arrighi.

Arrighi said Petie’s favorite pastime is jumping Muster Ground Creek outside his house to visit the home of his daughter, Tyanne Morrison, 54. Petie would chase his daughter’s three cats up trees and sometimes ride on her four-wheeler, he said.

Occasionally, Petie also wandered down to say hello to workers who knew him at a nearby restaurant, Arrighi said. And that may have been his undoing.

“He’d ride with anybody — he loved to ride anything,” Arrighi said. “I’m sure he got into somebody’s car, and they just took off with him. He didn’t meet no strangers. He was friendly to everybody.”

Wednesday morning, Petie got into a car outside the Michigan Humane Society’s Rochester Hills facility with volunteer Nancy Greiser of Wayne, a humane society foster parent and volunteer since 2009. She was one of 76 volunteers who offered to drive Petie home — and she was the one who said she could leave immediately, humane society spokesman Kevin Hatman said.

“How can you not have your heartstrings tugged?” said Greiser, as Petie jumped for treats she held.

Greiser said she has volunteered with the Michigan Humane Society’s Berman Center for Animal Care in Westland since she retired from teaching at an adult-education facility about two years ago.

She said she and her friend expected to drive 10 hours Wednesday and stay at a bed-and-breakfast in Erin, Tenn., that offered them free accommodations. An anonymous donor was paying for their gas.

The reunion between Petie and Arrighi is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Arrighi’s home, about 90 minutes west of Nashville.

“I said nobody can cry when we show up,” Greiser said.

But that might be hard.

“This story puts a smile on the faces of our entire adoption center team,” said Marcelena Mace, shelter manager at the MHS Rochester Hills Center for Animal Care.

“It’s wonderful when we see microchip reunions, including those that seem like miracles. It really proves that no matter how far your pet may travel, a microchip can help him find his way home.”

Hatman said one in three pets gets lost at some time, but only 15% to 20% of lost dogs and 3% of lost cats are able to find their way home. Now, most rescues and veterinary clinics have universal scanners that can read any chip — and offer the pet a way home, he said… story taken from… Detroit Free Press … read story, see video… http://www.freep.com/article/20111027/NEWS05/110270683

Helloooo my lovely fur-fans. What a delight it is to be here today! I’m really enjoying the summer season this year, as I tour the island and make new friends with the holiday makers along the beach. Nothing says friendly dog like a lovely bow, clipped nails and a wagging tail. I have also perfected my lovely smile, and it’s sure to draw admirers from near and far.

It was lovely to get down to the beach the other day to explore the sand and inspect the perimeters for suitable bathing. Mind you, I don’t like to get too wet, but my extremities certainly appreciate a paddle during the heat waves. I like an occasional  roll in the sand, but detest scratching myself to bits afterwards, trying to get every grain of sand out of my pampered doo.

This Christmas is looking exciting, as I have received news of the impending arrival of some rellies for the Christmas day bash! I’m expecting lots of presents and, of course, more than one nibbly on the day. I can’t wait!

Until next time…

Greetings fellow fur-pals.  I’m back today and feeling fighting fit for the summer months ahead. I’m enjoying myself immensely and running up and down the beach whenever I can get the opportunity. It was only the other day I ‘escaped’ and went for a walk down to the local sandpit, ie, beach for humans. Miles of lovely stuff to dig in and bury my nose. Lots of great smells and, if I’m lucky, a bbq offering to pilfer an occasional sausage.

My adventure didn’t last long as Mum had a regiment out looking for me. I’m planning my next escape as we speak.

Until next time…

Friends of the Pound … Their primary purposes are to re-home abandoned animals and to improve conditions at the Pound. They also promote the importance of responsible pet ownership and slowly, but surely, hope to lessen the increasing number of homeless animals, particularly through encouraging the desexing of animals to reduce the appalling numbers of unwanted pets… visit their site today… http://www.friendsofthepound.com/

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – Midge the “chiweenie” — or Chihuahua-dachshund cross — has lived a dogs age and she’s not ready to go any time soon.

The petite pooch has just celebrated her twenty-first birthday. That’s about 100 in dog years.

Her eyes are a bit milky due to cataracts and she’s growing hard of hearing, but her owner Jen Roos, 37, of Abbotsford, B.C., said Midge has no trouble hearing the food drop in her dish at dinner time.

And when the treats come out, Midge is just like any other dog.

“She’s quite the spry old gal. She still occasionally jogs and if there’s food involved she will jump,” she laughed.

Midge loves her walks and going for a car ride, especially when the ride includes a trip to the nearby off-leash park, Roos said.

“She wanders around there and says hello to everybody.”

The elderly dog, who weights just over three kilograms, is a new addition to the family.

Roos and her fiance, Derek Morley, adopted the dog in March when her elderly owners moved to a new home that wouldn’t allow dogs.

Because she’s only owned the dog for six months, Roos couldn’t say why the dog is so long-lived.

“I know that her previous owners loved her very much, it was very hard for them to let her go,” she said. “She’s just a sweet little dog.”

Midge was also welcomed — with great enthusiasm — by their one-year-old miniature pincher-pug cross named Smeagle.

“He tries to play with her and she tells him to leave her alone,” she laughed.

“Smeagle knows that she’s become the boss. He’s OK with that. I think he’s going to really going to miss her when she does pass away,” she said. “He’s become very protective of her and he always checks on her every morning when she gets up. He sticks his head in her crate to make sure she’s still there.”

Angela MacMillian on the board of director with Canadian Dachshund Rescue in Ontario, said small dogs do live longer, but 21 is still very old.

“Dachshund’s typically live to about 15, 16,” she said.

MacMillian couldn’t say if Midge’s longevity came from the dachshund or the Chihuahua side, or perhaps a mixture of both.

“It could be either, again, it is still old, even though the dog is small, that’s old,” she said. “Maybe it’s a one-off situation, a rare situation.”

Roos said her experience with Midge has been rewarding and should be a lesson to others when it comes to adopting older pets.

“There are older dogs out there who need some love and attention, and my heart went out to this couple when I heard of their situation. I met the dog and I thought ‘we’ll why not, she’ll fit in just fine,’ and she certainly has.” …story taken from…. Winnipeg Free Press… read story… http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/midge-the-chiweenie-dog-still-chipper-at-the-ripe-old-age-of-21-129636643.html

On Thursday, a day of deluge, damage and tragedy, a beloved dog fled her Northeast Washington home and vanished. She apparently spent the night amid rain, thunder and lightning.

But for Asia, a medium-size black Labrador retriever/collie mix, the outcome was better than in many of the week’s storm-related events.

After a long chase through Northeast, three D.C. police officers took Asia into custody Friday morning at Gallaudet University.

It was not clear why officers had pursued her, but the chase ended about a mile from Asia’s house, which is at 16th and Rosedale streets. Asia had run out when workers came in. Asia, said owner Chris Maier, is “not used to strangers.”

The workers first looked for her and then called Maier, and he and his girlfriend searched for hours in vain. But after many calls to the D.C. animal control unit, Maier was told Friday morning that “something just came across the police radio” and that “it may have been your dog.”

It was. When they were reunited, Maier said, a tail-wagging Asia was truly excited. But on Saturday, he said, she still seemed “just sort of worn out.”... story taken from… The Washington Post… read story… http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-dog-goes-lost-in-storm-is-found/2011/09/10/gIQAvn5iIK_story.html

SALT LAKE CITY — It’s been eight months since Sharalyn Cooper has seen Fadidle, her 2-year-old miniature pinscher, but on Saturday, she held the tiny animal, with its “bat ears” quivering, to her chest and cried.

The two were reunited at the Salt Lake International Airport after the dog turned up in San Diego.

“It’s wonderful,” she said, smiling though her eyes were full of tears.

The slight creature ran off from Cooper’s Roy home last October. Cooper said that wasn’t unusual. Most often, she’d find Fadidle running around with some neighborhood kids down the street, but this time her 1-year-old puppy was gone.

“We had a hard time,” Cooper said. “She’s our baby. It was pretty tough.”

After a couple of months of scouring the neighborhood, posting fliers and diligently checking animal shelters in Davis and Weber counties, Cooper all but gave up hope.

Then, seven months after the dog disappeared, a call came from the San Diego Humane Society letting them now they had found Fadidle.

“I bawled and thanked them an awful lot,” Cooper said. “I couldn’t believe it. We done so much to get her back and hadn’t found her.”

Athena Davis, an employee at the humane society said the dog was brought to them by a “Good Samaritan” and was at first believed to be a stray. They placed the animal on a stray hold, but then discovered she had been implanted with a microchip that linked her to Cooper.

But the dog then had to go on ringworm watch, delaying her return until Saturday.

“I just want to see my dog,” Cooper said anxiously in the airport. Then came Davis riding down the escalator, a small red kennel in hand and Cooper, her daughter, Darien, and Darin Watkins ran to greet the animal with hugs and tears.

She’s the best little girl,” Davis told them, noting that their pet had held up well, even amid the stress of the airport and having to ride underneath the airplane. “She did so good. She was very quiet and very patient.”

Davis said she only found out two days ago that she would be accompanying the animal back to its home.

“I’m just so excited we were able to do it and make it happen,” she said. “It’s one of the more unusual things I’ve done, but I enjoyed it.”

Davis said that the microchip made all the difference and recommended that everyone with a pet get one. In this case, it led to the “happy ending.”

“We see a lot of different things,” Davis said. “When it works out this way, it’s really touching.”

The family thanked Davis and those in San Diego for bringing Fadidle home. Sharalyn Cooper noted that the animal looked skinnier than when she had left, but was nevertheless happy to see Fadidle had survived the ordeal — even if a little unexpectedly…. story taken from… Deseret News… read story… http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705389499/Roy-family-reunited-with-dog-found-in-San-Diego-after-8-months.html

GRAFTON, Mass. (AP) – Not only are dogs man’s best friend, they might possibly help your child’s reading skills to boot.

According to a pilot study published by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, a group of second-graders who read aloud to a dog experienced a slight gain in their reading ability and attitude toward reading, while another group of second-graders who were paired up with veterinary school volunteers (all adults) experienced a decrease on both measures.

Dr. Lisa M. Freeman, one of the study’s authors and the research mentor for lead author Dawn Lenihan, a third-year veterinary student, said what is statistically significant about the study is no second-grade readers who were paired up with canine-counterparts left the group, while one third of those readers paired up with humans, failed to complete the study.

“For those of us who participated in this reading program, it is very easy to see how beneficial it is for the children who participate, both in their excitement about the reading and their improvement in reading skills over a very short time period,” said Dr. Freeman, professor of Clinical Sciences in Nutrition at the school.

The study was conducted for five weeks last summer at the Grafton Public Library. Children read for a half-hour to an attentive two-legged or four-legged friend. The participating dogs are enrolled in the Reading Education Assistance Dogs Program, a nonprofit organization that encourages children to read through the use of therapy animals.

All of the study’s investigators (including Grafton Public Library’s children and youth services librarian Amanda Diurba and Cummings School Shelter Medicine Director Emily McCobb) are also active in Tufts Paws for People, an animal visitation group at Tufts.

Ms. Diurba owner of Jack, a 5-year-old English pointer-Labrador retriever mix, who was on standby for the study said the enrichment program for beginner or “hesitant” readers started in 2005 at the library. While the study was small, she said it received positive results that children who read with the dogs get higher scores in word recognition and in reading motivation than the children who read to an adult.

“I can see how children are progressing by the degree of difficulty of the book titles they are choosing,” Ms. Diurba said. “At three weeks, something happens in the brain, the comfort level, whatever, and whatever little issues those children are having individually seemed to lessen mightily, go away. It actually ends up going away.”  …story taken from… wwlp.com… read story… http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/massachusetts/MA-study-says-dogs-help-young-readers

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

MANITOWOC — Four-year-old Erin Borchardt knew she was getting a golden retriever puppy through the Make–A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin.

But she didn’t know it was coming Saturday, and she didn’t know a “king” and his “court” would deliver the puppy to her in a gift-wrapped box.

When the doorbell rang early Saturday afternoon, Erin looked out the window to see the “King of Wishes” and his six-person costumed court. Asking for Princess Erin, the king, portrayed by RJ Skrepenski, presented her with a pink box that was moving a little. Inside was a 9-week-old female golden retriever the Borchardt family already had named Charlie.

The newest member of the family licked Erin’s fingers, causing her to giggle, and proceeded to wander throughout the house, probably unsure of what to make of the house full of people, including relatives who had come to witness the event.

Erin, the daughter of Matt and Kathy Borchardt,knew the puppy she had wished for more than a year ago would be arriving sometime soon because she and her family had been treated to a shopping spree, via limousine, on Friday afternoon at PETCO.

But just minutes before the dog arrived, she asked how many more days it was going to be.

“We have a dog already,” she said as her new pet explored her new surroundings.

Positive prognosis

Erin was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on Sept. 23, 2009, and started treatment two days later, Kathy said. The disease is “relatively common,” and even though it was devastating it’s the “best” form of leukemia to have.

“Her treatment will be done at the end of this month,” she said. Story taken from.. htrnews.com … read full story… http://www.htrnews.com/article/20111106/MAN0101/111060460/1358&located=rss

Helloooo there fur-fans. It’s lovely to be here again this week. I haven’t been around for a couple of weeks as I’ve been helping out at home with mum when she came out of hospital. I did my best to make sure I was around to offer support. Recuperating on the bed was the place to be this season fur-fans. I got to sleep with Mum all day for a week and was on my best behaviour. It was a special week, I can tell you. I got to eat extra treats on the bed for being a good girl and not jumping around too much. Not that I would anyway, I’m a lady.

I’m looking forward to getting out and about again though. Summer is here and the beach is just around the corner. I can’t wait to sink my paws into the sand again. As long as somebody cleans me up afterwards of course.

Until next time.

Greetings and salutations fur-pals. I’m here today with news of my latest escapades around the neighbourhood. Indeed I was really around the neighbourhood last week when I managed to slip out the side gate and notch up a couple of streets before I was spotted and chased home again. It was me against the world, fur-pals, and every other dog in the street as I strutted my stuff up the middle of the road and barked at anything that moved. That big brown fur-ball down the road had nothing on me, and as he was behind his fence, and I was on the other side, he was fair game. I said my piece and then said some more, until the demon dog almost jumped over the six foot railing in a fit of pique. Discretion is always the better part of valour, especially in this instance. There were plenty of other places to go anyway.  It’s a pity that the demon dog brought the whole neighbourhood out, or I would still be sniffing some delightful aromas down at the local park.

Until next time…

Australian Animal Protection Society… please help. Adopt a pet today!… http://www.aaps.org.au/

Farmer David Ferwerda may have dug pythons out of warthog holes and escaped elephant herds in Africa, but it was a pregnant Black Angus that would leave him on the operating table.

Ferwerda, a globe-trotting game hunter, credited his loyal Australian cattle dog Hannah with saving his life after the Angus attacked him on March 14.

“She’s an exceptionally good dog. She never takes her eyes off me. If it wasn’t for the dog I would never have gotten out of that barnyard,” he said.

It was a sunny morning when the 77-year-old bachelor went to do chores during calving season at his farm on 5909 East Buss Road. Little did Ferwerda know when he went to fix a leaky stock tank, that an Angus in the early stages of labor was lurking behind the barn door. The pregnant predator struck Ferwerda in the collar bone, knocked him in the manure and started pummeling him with her hooves.

Ferwerda thought he was dead meat.

“I hoped it would be over in a hurry because I didn’t have any chance to get out. I just gave up,” Ferwerda said.

The Angus didn’t break any bones, but put a nasty gash in his head. As he regained consciousness, Ferwerda saw that his mighty cow dog Hannah had backed off the beefy bully. The farmer crawled out on his hands and knees through the manure as the dog watched his back. Ferwerda said cows are scared of cattle dogs because they can bite their noses.

“The cow was pawing the ground, kicking manure and blowing snot. I got out of the barnyard without getting mauled again,” Ferwerda said. “She’s a wonderful little dog.”

Although Ferwerda was covered in bruises and suffering in pain, he was on such an adrenaline high that he thought he could bounce back from his injuries.

“I didn’t think much of it, I seemed to be OK,” he said… story taken from… Washington Examiner.com… read full story… http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2011/10/cattle-dog-saves-his-owner-black-angus

A woman and her child were fast asleep when they woke to the sound of their dog barking.

When the woman got up to check on what was going on, she discovered her home was on fire.

Now firefighters say the family pet may have saved the woman and her child Sunday morning after a fire tore through the attic and the backside of their home near Lawrenceville  – and left them homeless.

Gwinnett County firefighters received the call around 4:20 a.m. about the fire in the 300 block of Shire Way.

When they arrived, they saw heavy fire shooting from the attic and the back side of the two-story wood frame house, Gwinnett County Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said.

“Firefighters made immediate entry to conduct a search and battle the blaze,” Capt. Rutledge said. “The blaze caused significant damage to the exterior rear wall, attic, and roof.”

The mother and child were displaced by the fire, which took firefighters almost 40 minutes to control… story taken from… Examiner.com.. read story… http://www.examiner.com/public-safety-in-atlanta/family-dog-alerts-sleeping-mother-child-to-burning-home

t isn’t only humans who die from breast cancer.

An area veterinarian wants to educate pet owners about a preventable disease in dogs by launching a national awareness campaign.

Dr. Marthina Greer at Lomira Veterinary Village said mammary gland cancer — the veterinary equivalent of breast cancer — is the most common cancer in female dogs.

And it is preventable if pets are spayed when they are young, she said.

Because October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, every pet spayed in Greer’s clinic will go homewearing a pink ribbon bandana that resembles the pink ribbons promoting knowledge of the disease in humans and early detection efforts.

For the next six months, dog owners also are invited to bring their dogs to the Lomira Clinic for a free breast exam.

A set of pink stickers for calendars will accompany pet owners home much like the monthly reminders that accompany flea and tick preventatives.

The stickers are to remind people to perform a monthly breast check on their dogs.

“Since dogs can’t do self exams, we will have to do it for them. We don’t have chemotherapy or radiation for dogs so the best thing someone can do is be aware of what to look for,” Greer said.

Signs of the disease in canines include firm nodules in the tissue around the nipples, lumps, ulcerated skin, swelling and inflammation.

Greer says she sees several cases a week and finds it heartbreaking to see a dog die because owners aren’t educated about preventive care…story taken from… fdlreporter.com.. read story… http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/20111011/FON0101/110110315/Campaign-spotlights-breast-cancer-dogs

Filmmaker Nelson Woss, producer of the movie that captured Heartland Film Festival’s $100,000 jackpot, has been touting his love for Indianapolis all weekend.

He talked about everything from his trip to Fountain Square’s Peppy Grill and late nights in the city to his appreciation of the festival’s mission: encouraging filmmakers whose work expresses hope and respect for the positive values of life… story taken from Indystar.com…read story… http://www.indystar.com/article/20111016/ENTERTAINMENT/110160375/Aussie-movie-top-dog-Heartland-Film-Festival?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|IndyStar.com

During Saturday’s 20th annual Heartland Film Festival awards ceremony, Woss even said he planned to tell his pooch, Koko, star of “Red Dog,” about it.

But when he learned his movie had scored the big prize — the one that comes with more money than the combined top cash awards from the Sundance Film Festival ($20,000), the Tribeca Film Festival ($25,000) and the Toronto International Film Festival ($30,000) — he had even bigger news.

“I’ve really got something to tell the dog now!” Woss said. “Thank you to Indianapolis.”

Other winners included “Crime After Crime,” which was awarded the Best Documentary Feature prize of $25,000, and “Thief,” which earned a $10,000 Vision Award for Best Short Film.

“Each year we have the incredible opportunity at Heartland to celebrate independent filmmakers and recognize them for their significant contribution to the mission of Heartland,” Jeff Sparks, president and CEO of Heartland Truly Moving Pictures, said in a news release. “It’s our great honor to award the top films for creating beautifully made films that demonstrate excellence in filmmaking and best aligning with Heartland’s mission.”

The coveted grand prize is given annually to the film deemed to best carry forward Heartland’s mission to promote positive change in people’s lives through film, Sparks said.

“Red Dog” did that by telling a true story of a canine who, according to the Internet Movie Database, united a disparate local community while roaming the Australian outback in search of his long-lost master.

Puppy mills seem to be big business all across the country and we, sight unseen, do not realize the full extent of this horrifying situation. You may have seen news shots and pictures of a puppy mill. This is a real problem and one that needs our cooperation, awareness and attention to do any little bit we can to put a stop to this horrendous business. All those precious pets need us to be their voices, help and protect them. When you see a picture of a puppy, it immediately tugs at your heart. Puppy mills work at getting to you through adorable puppy pictures without letting you know where and how these pups are raised. Most of you must be aware of the existence of puppy mills or may think that it only happens on TV as seen on “Animal Planet” and other news shows. This is so far from the truth. Puppy mills are in existence everywhere and only we can stop them from this flourishing and horrifying business. Dogs and puppies are living creatures that are treated as a product or commodity to the puppy mill owner. It breaks my heart and yours to think of the conditions these babies have to endure at the hands of abusive owners who can’t find a more honest way to make a living. Your local Rockford area veterinarians athttp://www.petswelcome.com/illinois/rockford/veterinarians.html can help you may a good choice in adopting a dog and not supporting puppy mills.

Puppy mill dogs are everywhere, either in pet stores or advertised in newspapers and on the internet. Trusting the internet to get your next puppy is very risky. You need to be aware of any shady tactics by the person advertising a puppy. If they have several breeds of dogs and are more than happy to ship the puppy out to you, chances are strong they are just in the puppy business for profit, not wanting you to know where and how that puppy has been reared and raised. Choosing a puppy from an internet site carries too many risks. Many puppies are available locally for you to choose from without trusting a “breeder” sight unseen…. story taken from… Examiner.com.. read full story… http://www.examiner.com/pet-care-in-rockford/puppy-mills-need-to-be-stopped-and-you-can-help

Helloooo fur-fans. It’s great to be back once again, and reporting the latest news in my neck of the woods. I haven’t been touring the island as much as I would like to, and my fans are getting restless. Mum has been in hospital and I have been helping out a little around the house. It’s been wonderful to lay in bed with mum until late in the morning and sample some of the treats she has been getting with breakfast in bed. I try to get as close as I can to the food before Dad chases me off. He’s still hung up on that diet word that the vet mentioned last month, so apparently I’m still on rations.

Mum has been feeling sorry for herself ..so I try to be as sympathetic as I can, which can pay dividends in secret treats behind Dad’s back. He’s wondering why I’m not losing any weight. Mum is telling him it is because I haven’t been for a walk for a while as Mum has been confined to the house post-operatively. But we both know better.

I will be looking forward to the summer season, fur-fans, when I get to strut my stuff and my new summer wardrobe on the beach.

Until next time…

Hello fur-pals. Well, I’ve been main dog-about-the-house in recent times as I help mum after she has gotten out of hospital. I’ve been keeping my wet shiny nose pretty clean and I am on my best behaviour.

I’m taking my doggy responsibilities very seriously, and I make sure I am on the bed with mum at the first available opportunity to see if she is alright.  I’ve discovered that getting too excited about my duties and jumping all over mum isn’t met with the desired response, however.

I’m helping Dad with the food preparation and make sure everything tastes alright before it gets to Mum. This is the best job in town as far as I’m concerned, but it’s importance can’t be understated.

Can’t wait til we get to the point of walking around the block again, so I can get back to my seek and find missions once again though…

Until next time..

(NBC) – One in 400 children in the United States suffer from diabetes, and while many of them struggle with figuring out when they need their insulin, the parents of one Long Island boy found the perfect solution: Hero, a diabetic alert dog, a specialized breed of Labrador that can detect when a diabetic is in trouble and find help.

Johnny Pion, 8, is a laid back kid that was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes in 2008.

The disease is a death sentence without insulin, and his blood sugar needs constant monitoring. He can’t even go on play-dates without mom or dad fearing he might need help.

With Hero in her new home, Johnny’s parents may worry a little less.

They found out about diabetic alert dogs at a fundraiser for diabetes. The dogs cost around $20,000 and are not covered by insurance.

Through donations from friends, family and the community, the Pions brought Hero home from Warren Retrievers in Virginia, a specialty breeder of service dogs.

Cherri Campbell, Hero’s trainer, says the dogs can detect the slightest changes in blood sugar by their keen sense of smell.

“Humans have 5 million smell receptors; dogs have 5 billion,” she said.

When the dog detects something’s wrong, she’ll warn Johnny by nudging up against him. If he doesn’t respond, Hero knows to look for mom and dad.

Eventually Hero could contact 911 in an emergency.

On their first night, together Johnny was comfortable sleeping in his own bed and not with his parents.

Night time is critical because blood sugar goes unchecked while sleeping. Now Hero stands guard…. story taken from… wsfa.com… read story…. http://www.wsfa.com/story/15448185/dog-smells-low-blood-sugar

A dog in China is playing the role of surrogate mother to three white tiger cubs after the animals were rejected by their birth mother.  Story taken from… You Tube… see video… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OibeXKd5k3k

BENWOOD – A female mixed English setter dog was rescued Wednesday afternoon as it was trying to jump the median wall of W.Va. 2 in Benwood.

Marshall County Animal Shelter Director Cindy Brautigan said all four of its paws were bleeding. She said a volunteer from the Animal Rescue League saw the dog and stopped her car to try and slow traffic.

A man following also stopped and was able to catch the dog and put it into the woman’s vehicle and she took it to the animal shelter.

“The dog was full of burrs,” Brautigan said. “It was very hungry and very scarred. We are hoping someone comes to claim it. We have been trying to win her trust. We have been feeding it small meals several times a day.”

Because the dog was scared it bit the man who caught her, Brautigan said. She does not know who the man was, who caught the dog, or how severe the bite was.

“We normally hold a dog for five days before we release it,” she said, “but we are going to hold her 10 days before we let her go. We are hoping the owner will call or we will put her up for adoption.”… story taken from… The Intelligencer. Wheeling News-Register… read story… http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/559575/Dog-Rescued-From-Highway.html?nav=510

CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) – An happy ending to the story about the missing family dog, Charlie.

Andrea Johnson’s family was heartbroken after the family’s pet dog Charlie went missing. The 8-month-old pup is actually a service dog for Andrea’s 7-year-old daughter Eva, who has Asbergers disease, a high functioning form of autism.

Andrea made a tearful plea during a 3 News broadcast on Wednesday, September 7, 2011, And later that evening Charlie was found. 3 News received a call from a guy named Larry Guerrero. He found Charlie near a restaurant by the Crosstown Expressway.

Guerrero cares for lost dogs, often finding them new homes. When he saw are report earlier this evening, he says he jumped at the chance of reuniting the family: “It just gets you all over man. It’s a good thing. As long as we do one good thing every day. That’s all we need.”

Johnson says, “oh, I’m so happy she is back home. She is back where she belongs. I can tell she missed us. Even if it was that little short of time.”

As you can imagine, in the future, the Johnson’s say they plan to  keep an especially close eye on Charlie… story taken from… kiii tv.com… read full story and see video… http://www.kiiitv.com/story/15421670/lost-family-dog-found

Good things come in small packages, the saying goes. A 19-year-old Utah man learned the truth of those words when he was awakened in the middle of the night last Friday by paramedics, who led him out of the family house, which was on fire. The emergency personnel had been led in turn had to the young man’s room by the family dog, an heroic toy poodle named Ted.

The fire broke out at around 3 a.m. That was when a passer-by noticed flames and called the fire department. The sleeping teen’s mother and two children exited the house before the firefighters arrived, but the 19-year-old was still inside. West Jordan Fire Battalion Chief Reed Sharman picks up the story’s thread. As he told the Salt Lake Tribune:

Two of our paramedics, Don Chase and Erik Andersen, had gone inside to search the structure, and when they opened the door, there was the dog. When they went to grab the dog, though, he ran downstairs.

He stopped on a landing, looked back at our guys, waited for them to catch up and then ran down to the next landing.

Ultimately, Ted led the emergency responders to a basement couch where the teenager was fast asleep. By this point, the house had begun to fill with smoke, conditions that further underscore Ted’s selflessness and bravery.

The two paramedics carried the young man and dog outside. The man was treated at the scene for minor smoke inhalation and released. The dog was uninjured, though Chief Reed Sharman told reporters he was “grumpy.” You would be, too, if you wanted to let firefighters know a family member was trapped inside the burning house but had no language in common with them.

The fire, meanwhile, was extinguished within 10 minutes. The house had sustained an estimated $30,000 to $40,000 in damage, but the most precious contents were perfectly fine, in no small measure thanks to a determined little dog…. story taken from… Examiner… read full story… http://www.examiner.com/pet-news-in-national/toy-poodle-rescues-owner-from-burning-home

Working with victims of physical, sexual and mental abuse is an area filled with difficultly. It becomes even harder when dealing with children.

For Mary Jo McVeigh, a counselor and child trauma expert, who has worked with children for over 25 years, it was a random interaction between her pet dog and a young client that opened her eyes to a new approach, one which is producing unexpected results.

McVeigh is the founding principal of Cara House, which helps children dealing with trauma. In addition to traditional counselling, the clinic offers special sessions with a loveable spoodle (cross between a poodle and a cocker spaniel) named Toby.

Toby is the canine clinical lead at Cara House and has been helping trauma survivors for five years. He is believed to be the first dog in Sydney to be used to help treat abuse victims.

“I could say it was some very sophisticated approach, but it was completely by accident,” said McVeigh.

“I was walking Toby one day and had to stop by work. A young girl was here [Cara House] and she was struggling with certain relationships, she wouldn’t let anybody near her, but there was an instant connection to Toby.”

Upon realising the effectiveness of animal comfort, McVeigh and her colleague Laura Luchi undertook training in the trauma model of animal assistance therapy.

Since then, Toby has become an integral part of the work done at Cara House.

“The beauty of Toby is the approach is more tactile,” said McVeigh.

“We work through Toby, we say what would Toby be feeling, what would Toby be thinking, how could you help Toby with his barking. This encourages children to take on a caring role for Toby and vice versa.”

McVeigh talked about how difficult it was for a child that has been traumastised by abuse to trust people, especially adults.

According to government agency, the Australian Insitute of Family studies, there were 46,187 claims of child abuse across Australia in the 2009-10 financial year… story taken from… The Age.. read full story… http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/life/puppy-love-aids-abused-children-20110919-1kgwz.html

A FAMILY has been left distraught after its pet dogs were stolen from the garden of a home in Great Bromley.

Two Jack Russell terriers were taken after someone entered the back garden of the property in Harwich Road, Great Bromley.

One of the dogs, called Jack, was later found abandoned, wandering the streets near Colchester

Penny, who is brown and white and aged 18 months, is still missing. She was named because of a tan circle of hair on her right flank.

Investigating Officer, PC Dan Heard, said the owners have young children who are all deeply upset by the incident.

He said: “We would urge anyone who saw people acting suspiciously near the main road going through Great Bromley to get in touch.”

The pets were taken at about 8pm on Thursday….. story taken from the Harwich and Manningtree Standard.. read full story… http://www.harwichandmanningtreestandard.co.uk/news/9259344.Pet_dog_stolen_from_garden/?ref=rss

Hello there old fur-comrades. I’m back again today and feeling pretty good about myself, I can tell you. I’m not feeling any bit older than I was a few weeks ago. In fact, I’m feeling fighting fit and ready for action in the trenches.

I’ve been ‘palmed off’ again by my senior owner..for want of a better phrase, to be strung out to dry at that young snapper, Angus’, place for the last week or so. I’m not really liking it all that much, but I’m once again fighting for my territory and I have set a few boundaries for the young buck to abide by.

I’m making it plain that I’m the boss, and I’m entitled to the benefits of the softest bed, the best lounge, the plumpest pillows and the lions share of the pickings at meal times. I’ve managed to hold my fort pretty well, and all this testiness has put a spring in my step and an arc to my bark. I’m feeling great!

Nothing like a bit of competition to keep you on your toes I say.

Helloooo fur-fans. It’s good to be back today and experiencing the fine weather we are having on the island of late. I’m out and about of course, meeting and greeting my fans on the island and doing the hard yards for the good of doggy-kind.

I’ve a sad tale to tell unfortunately. My visit to the vet last week has resulted on me being rationed in the kitchen. No treats or extras for me, unless I can sneak a few or look sorrowful at the fridge enough times.

The vet informed Mum that I was fat. FAT!..me!…I don’t think so. Mildly plump, a bit wide-bodied, a little roley-poley..but not straight-out fat. I resent the implication. I’m a little overfed and used to my luxurious surroundings fur-fans..but that’s what it is all about isn’t it? Aren’t I here to please myself and all who look upon me? I should jolly well think so.

Until next time…

Greeting fellow fur-pals. I’m back today with commiserations for myself once again. I’m the best at feeling sorry for myself and have earned the name ‘sook’ from Mum and Dad..especially Dad. He thinks I should be more doggy-manly…but Mum spoils me so I play on this for my own benefit.

My trip to the vet was as traumatic as I could make it. I howled before I got on the table. I howled when I was on the table. I howled to be picked up after I got off the table. I howled on the way home to an anonymous person who was kind enough to offer me a pat. I’m good at howling. I’m also good at finding friendly faces and hands in a sea of people in various locations.

I’m still getting over it all. I got on the lounge when I got home and stayed there until the ding of the microwave dinner bell, and then I was the first in line, howling in hunger for all to hear.

I’m sure to be back to my feisty fit fur-ball self in no time.

Check out my new portrait of Jezza through the link on my portfolio at the top of this page or the ‘Latest Portfolio’ thumbnail in the right side bar.

A miniature pinscher who went missing was finally rescued after showing up more than 750 miles from her home.

It had been eight months since Sharalyn Cooper, from Salt Lake City, Utah, last saw two-year-old Fadidle – in which time the tiny dog had managed to travel across two states to San Diego, California.

The loving owner was finally reunited with her pet at Salt Lake International Airport this weekend, after Fadidle was handed in to San Diego Humane Society as a stray.

The animal shelter placed the dog on a stray hold but, thanks to a microchip implanted under her skin, they were able to link her back to her owners in Utah, the Dereset News reported.

‘It’s wonderful,’ said a delighted Mrs Cooper clutching the tiny, quivering dog to her bosom, her eyes streaming with tears of joy. She noted that Fadidle looked a bit skinnier than when she had left.

‘She’s just a little tiny thing. We’re just happy they found her. It was definitely a long wait,’ she added… story taken from … dailymail.co.uk… read full story…. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2028732/Missing-dog-turns-state–750-miles-home-Utah.html

CAMAGUEY, Cuba – Yeti the dog already had a litter of pups to care for when the piglets adopted her as a second mom.

Ever since then, the Cuban farm dog has been pulling double-duty, nursing not just her own young but also the 14 swine.

Farmer Mannorkys Santamaria said the piglets also take milk from their mothers, but when they see Yeti, they run to her for a meal. On a recent day the young porkers followed her around the farm as if she were their real mother.

“No one imposed this on the dog,” Santamaria said. “The piglets discovered this on their own and began nursing with her when they turned 15 days old.”

Santamaria, 35, and his wife Eida Fernandes, 40, raise pigs, chickens, doves and turkeys on their small farm in the eastern province of Camaguey. There are also several mixed-breed dogs who have showed up on the property over the years and stayed.

So far, Yeti is the only one to become an adopted mother to pigs. Fernandes said she doesn’t seem to mind. All but one of Yeti’s biological offspring have been given away, and the one pup remaining nurses alongside the swine.

“When the piglets ventured outside their pen, it seems they smelled the dog’s milk and began screaming at her,” Fernandes said. “In the beginning we didn’t think the dog would let them suckle, but they insisted so much they ended up nursing with her.”… story taken from… The Sacramento Bee… read full story… http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/03/3882705/farm-dog-suckles-piglets-in-cuba.html

DALLAS (AP) — Behind Jim and Bettye Baker‘s Seagoville home sits the kennel for Oak Hill Animal Rescue, the pet organization the Bakers founded to save animals from being euthanized.

Since it opened in 2006, the Bakers said they have found homes for at least 500 dogs.

So when a veterinarian called them about an ailing pit bull pup named Chili, the decision to adopt her was a no-brainer.

When Chili was 8 weeks old, someone threw her over a fence onto concrete, breaking her back and cracking her pelvis. A vet told the Bakers she had suffered neurological damage and would never be able to use her hind legs.

Chili grew to be 42 pounds. Her chest is broad and muscular. The Bakers swear she can smile because when Chili pants, the corners of her mouth curl into a wide grin.

Eventually, Chili learned to get around by using her front legs and dragging the rest of her body. But the dragging took a toll on her tail, which is covered in scar tissue.

When she was a year old, the Bakers discovered Eddie’s Wheels, a Massachusetts-based company that makes lightweight aluminum wheelchairs for pets. A padded saddle in the shape of a figure-eight holds their back legs in place.

The Bakers bought one of the wheelchairs — which cost between $325 and about $1,400 — for Chili, who enjoys running around the backyard.

“She just flies in the thing,” Jim Baker said.

Last year, the Bakers were with Chili at a pet adoption event in North Dallas when a woman approached them.

“This dog needs to go to Baylor,” said the lady, a nurse at Baylor Hospital who was familiar with its Animal-Assisted Therapy Program. According to a study by the Center for Human-Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University, a majority of patients who suffered from acute psychiatric problems showed lower anxiety levels after interacting with therapy dogs.

But not all dogs who try out make the cut for Baylor’s program.

“Just because your dog likes people or is a friendly dog does not mean that they would make a good therapy dog,” said Linda Marler, the program’s director.

Animals accepted at Baylor must pass a 15-minute test during which pans are dropped, and crutches and wheelchairs circle the dog to determine its reaction. There is also a pain tolerance portion to make sure the dog will not bark or bare its teeth if it is hurt.

Chili and Arlo, a disabled dachshund adopted by the Bakers three years ago, have been a big hit with Baylor patients. Of the 86 dogs making rounds at the hospital, they are the only two disabled ones, and this month marks their first anniversary of bringing smiles to patients’ faces.

At a therapy gym inside the Baylor Institute of Rehabilitation, some patients laughed recently when they spotted the canine visitors. Others stared, wide-eyed.

“Patients just absolutely love them,” Jim Baker said. “There’s something about that contact, seeing a dog in a wheelchair who is so happy and thriving.”

Kristen Hill, an occupational therapist at the institute, has seen the dogs repeatedly boost the attitudes of her patients.

“It definitely makes them smile,” Hill said. “They’re able to relate to the dogs” because most patients use wheelchairs themselves.” … story taken from… Chron.com… read full story… http://www.chron.com/news/article/Therapy-dogs-hearten-patients-at-Baylor-Hospital-2155390.php

A Black and Tan Coonhound named ‘Harbor’, aged 8, from Boulder, Colorado, USA, has earned a spot in the upcoming Guinness World Records 2012 Edition for having the Longest Ears on a Living Dog.

Owned by Jennifer Wert, Harbor’s left and right ears measure 12.25 inches and 13.5 inches respectively.

As a puppy Harbor would struggle with his colossal ears; frequently causing him to trip over them and roll down stairs.

Now at the age of 8 the purebred has grown into his ears (only occasionally tripping over!), the only trouble being caused by the attention he receives from members of the public…. story taken from… Guinness World Records… read full story… http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/video-meet-harbor-the-new-dog-with-the-longest-ears-in-the-world/

Greetings fur-pals. I’m back again today with reports of nice days and sunlit waters off my beach this morning. I’ve been down to the beach for a dig and a splash, and I enjoyed myself immensely, although I didn’t enjoy the wash and dry when I arrived home. Why is bath-water and beach-water so different? Maybe because I can get into more trouble at the beach than I can in a big white tub. I managed to chase a few birds, corner a few crabs and upset a couple of picnicing pensioners, all in the space of five minutes.

I also managed to dig a hole large enough to hide in, ensuring a panic and a search and rescue mission was organised before I surfaced.

All in all, I would consider this a good day’s work.

Until next time.

WINDSOR, Ont. — Misty, an almost 12-year-old Labrador retriever suffering from arthritis, has gone from aging hound in pain to joyful puppy after stem cell treatments at the Essex Animal Hospital, just southeast of Windsor.

Robert Meloche, Misty’s owner, considered putting her down earlier this year because his pet was miserable. She couldn’t walk up stairs and she was in pain.

Misty had arthritis in her knees and calcification in her front left paw. A month after paying $2,000 for a stem cell treatment, Misty was a new dog.

“She’s up and running,” he said. “She jumps into the pool. She has no problem going up and down the stairs. She’s prancing.”

Misty became so puppy-like she was sneaking off with shoes to chew. The treasured family dog has become so boisterous that they have to watch her more closely to make sure she doesn’t overdo it.

The Essex Animal Hospital, which has one of the province’s largest rehabilitation units, is now offering stem cell therapy to help pooches heal joints and ligament damage. The procedure, which costs up to $2,500, is done at the clinic.

Stem cells are removed from the canine, mixed with plasma and processed at an on site laboratory. The cells are then injected into the dog in the area in need of healing. The procedure takes about three hours. The procedure works best in conjunction with physical therapy.

“It definitely improves the quality of life,” said Dr. Janet Huntingford, a veterinarian who has owned the clinic since 1986.

Stem cells were first used in thoroughbred horses. The treatments are not commonly available and are only offered at a handful of clinics in the province, she said.

While there are some case reports documenting the results of the treatment, there’s nothing proving its effectiveness except observing how the patients react.

“It’s not the owner saying the dog is a lot better, but has the muscle bulk increased?” Huntingford said. “Has the range of motion increased to 140 degrees? That’s a measurable scientific thing.”

The three dogs that underwent the procedure since it was offered in April do physical therapy like walking on a treadmill in a salt water pool to improve fitness and build muscle without jarring tender ligaments.

After the procedure, Misty had physical therapy twice a week until she built muscle mass and then it tapered off, Meloche said.

The procedure is “cutting edge,” said Cathy Carnevale, the clinic’s manager. “We get dogs coming in on stretchers and after therapy they walk after two or three months…. story taken from… Leader-Post.. read full story… http://www.leaderpost.com/health/Stem+cells+bounce+back+Labrador+step/5330537/story.html

MILLIE the springer spaniel had no idea of the trouble she would cause when she went off exploring.

But her owners, the Marshalls, were left frantic when they realised the five-year-old dog had gone missing from their holiday home at the Solent Breezes Holiday Park in Hook Lane, Warsash.

And when they ran off down the beach looking for their beloved pet, she was nowhere to be found.

Luckily the wandering pooch had been found by a pair of ladies out for a stroll, who knew exactly what to do.

They took her to the Stubbington Ark animal shelter where they checked her over and scanned her and soon found the microchip that contained all her details.

Within hours she was reunited with the grateful family.

Deana Marshall said: ‘Millie pushed her nose through our sliding doors to open them and ran off along the slipway to the beach.

‘I had just come out of the shower so couldn’t run after her.

‘When she goes on the beach, people throw stones for her and she runs to catch them.

‘When I did get on the beach some passers-by told me a couple of ladies had gone up the beach with my dog.

‘Despite looking for Millie and the ladies, they had disappeared.

‘I ran back to the holiday home and alerted the manager.’

The Marshalls, who come from Epsom in Surrey, had been staying at the park in their holiday home for a month over the summer.

Mrs Marshall added: ‘My distress immediately turned to relief on hearing Millie was safe – if it hadn’t been for the microchip, I don’t know what would have happened to her.’

Head of fundraising at the Ark Vanessa Eden said: ‘It’s cases like this that highlight just how important it is to get your dogs, cats and microchipped.

‘So many of the animals we receive here each year never get reunited with their owners and we have no way of finding them.

‘Fortunately, this time there was a happy ending. But if the Marshalls hadn’t microchipped Millie it could have turned out very differently and who knows where Millie could have ended up… story taken from… The News.. portsmouth.co.uk.. read full story… http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/local/east-hampshire/millie_s_microchip_tale_has_a_happy_ending_1_3020386

Does nature warn when a big earthquake is coming? Do animals hear this warning when we don’t? VICKI ANDERSON talks to a scientist who is investigating possible earthquake precursors in the days leading up to the September 4 earthquake.

If your pet goes berserk at an inconvenient time, be inclined to humour it: it might save your life.

That’s the advice from Dr Neil Whitehead who, after the 7.1 earthquake in Darfield on September 4, 2010, researched whether there were real precursors of the event.

A website was set up, and survey categories based on similar previous studies in Kobe, Japan, and Izmit, Turkey, were selected. Kiwis were invited to offer their observations at chchquake.co.nz.

Christchurch people helped with several hundred replies to the internet survey, he says.

“Their detailed time reports allowed statistical tests to be done and establish for the first time that animal responses in particular were real and not just due to selective reporting. Their reporting of earthquake lights was also in unprecedented detail,” Whitehead says.

“The most interesting information was strong statistical evidence that animals, particularly dogs and cats, reacted somehow at varying times before the September 4 quake, this had been only anecdotal for previous earthquakes,” he says.

There was also strong anecdotal evidence of people experiencing a feeling of pressure, or sometimes headaches before the quake and aftershocks.

“There was timing evidence that precursors were not due to foreshocks, and were consistent with electromagnetic radiation, presumably extremely low frequency, otherwise it could not reach the surface from the epicentre.”

Based in Wellington, Whitehead is a research scientist who spent 27 years with Crown Research Institute GNS Science and its predecessors, and four years with the International Atomic Energy Agency (United Nations). He is now an independent consultant. His most recent official post was Visiting Professor at Hiroshima University from 2005-2006.

“I spent nearly a year at Osaka University from 2002 to 2003 with the late geophysicist Professor Ikeya and showed statistically for the first time that some publicly reported precursors were valid, though not helpful for prediction,” Whitehead said.

The 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan, resulted in unusual electronic precursors being reported, which led several researchers to speculate about the possible role of electromagnetic radiation from the ground.

Ikeya embarked on a programme of interdisciplinary research, with many students and several research colleagues, including Whitehead, during the late 90s and up until 2005… story taken from… The Press.. stuff.co.nz… read full story… http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/5559043/Reading-signs-before-a-quake

Hello there old fur-comrades. I’ve been getting some extra attention lately as my senior owner has been under the weather and I’ve been temporarily adopted by a lovely old lady who I think would like to dog-nap me and keep me permanently. I’ve been overfed, over-scratched, and over-pampered..but I’m not over myself, as I could always use a few extra hands on deck to lend a scratch or two to those hard-to-reach places.

Yes, I’ve had it really good old fur-comrades, and I’m a bit reluctant to go back to my heated and fur-lined bed and chicken dinners in the near future. I’m not saying that I don’t miss my senior owner – I do…but I’m going to miss those gourmet feasts and the five-star treatment I’m getting right now.

Maybe I can negotiate a contract of convenience in the near future…

Until next time…

Hellooo fur-fans!  I’ve had a lovely week and the weather has been positively wonderful for those out-and-about activities that I dream about. I’ve been touring the island once again to see all my fans and circulate before the summer festivities begin and the holidays start once again. Have to get my face out there so that people will know me and love me. I try to get out and about as much as I can in the tourist season. It does wonders for my ego to be patted and cooed over at least twice a day by a complete stranger.

I’ve been commandeering the front seat of Mum’s car as we tour the island to say hello to all my friends. I have to say that they are all very pleased to see me, as I haven’t been out as much this year as I would have liked. I’m planning on getting a lovely new doo in the next few weeks to befit my status as front seat navigator and greeter.

Until next time..

Greetings fur-pals. I’m back this evening with news of my impending day out. I’m looking forward to being a guest at poppy’s place. I like it there because I can see everything that goes past, and nothing escapes my keen eye and steely determination. I can patrol up and down the perimeters to my hearts content and nobody minds at all. Poppy is a little deaf and so are most of the senior neighbours..all except one..who is..surprise, surprise…a veterinary clinic. Yes fur-pals….I’ve got it all going on…as many dogs as I can bark at in one day..coming and going, to and fro, in and out of the vets.

And I am there to make sure they don’t come on MY property. That’s right. While I’m here, nothing will cross the fence line. I love it here at Poppy’s place. My status is elevated to chief of property protection and patrol. And I’m not leaving until I have to.

Until next time…

I can’t wait to put my next portrait up on site..and it’s almost finished. Hope you love it as much as I do. Stay tuned…

The dog of a slain US Navy SEAL remained loyal even in death — refusing to walk away from his owner’s casket during the funeral service.

Petty Officer Jon Tumilson, 35, from San Diego, was one of 30 troops killed in Afghanistan when a Chinook helicopter was shot down by Taliban insurgents on August 6.

His funeral was held in Rockford, Iowa, last Friday.

During the service, attended by 1500 people, his Labrador Hawkeye walked up to the casket, heaved a sigh and lay down in front of it for the duration of the memorial.

Tumlinson’s cousin, Lisa Pembleton, photographed the dog resting by the casket.

“Hawkeye was/is his loyal ‘son’… I hadn’t planned on taking any pictures other than with family,” Pembleton wrote in a statement to the military blogHome Post.

“However, from my seat at the funeral, I felt compelled to take one photo to share with family members who couldn’t make it or couldn’t see what I could from the aisle.”…story taken from…. 9 news at ninemsn.com… read story … http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8290197/loyal-dog-refuses-to-leave-soldiers-casket

The fossilized remains of a canine found in the 1970s in southern Siberia’s Altay Mountains (see map) is the earliest well-preserved pet dog, new research shows.

Dogs—the oldest domesticated animals—are common in the fossil record up to 14,000 years ago. But specimens from before about 26,500 years ago are very rare. This is likely due to the onset of the last glacial maximum, when the ice sheets are at their farthest extent during an ice age.

With such a sparse historical record, scientists have been mostly in the dark as to how and when wolves evolved into dogs, a process that could have happened in about 50 to a hundred years.

“That’s why our find is very important—we have a very lucky case,” said study co-author Yaroslav Kuzmin, a scientist at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk.

In the case of the Russian specimen, the animal was just on the cusp of becoming a fully domesticated dog when its breed died out.

(See dog-evolution pictures.)

Dogs Arose at Multiple Sites?

Kuzmin and colleagues recently used radiocarbon dating to examine the skull and jaw of the Russian dog in three independent laboratories. Each lab confirmed the fossil’s age at around 33,000 years old.

Burnt twigs also found at the site, known as Razboinichya Cave, suggest that hunter-gatherers used the space for something, and it’s likely the dog was their pet before its death from unknown causes, Kuzmin said.

Cold temperatures and nonacidic soil in the cave likely kept the dog’s remains from completely decaying, he added.

The team compared the Russian dog fossils with the bones of wild wolves, modern wolves, domesticated dogs, and early doglike canids that lived before 26,500 years ago.

The results showed that the dog—which probably looked like a modern-daySamoyed—most closely resembled fully domesticated dogs from Greenland in size and shape. That’s not to say the two dog types are related, though, since the new study didn’t run DNA analysis… story taken from National Geographic.com.. read full story… http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/08/110819-dogs-wolves-russia-domestication-animals-science-evolution/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ng%2FNews%2FNews_Main+%28National+Geographic+News+-+Main%29#16656

“Dogs can be trained to identify the scent of lung cancer long before symptoms develop,” the Daily Mail has today reported. The newspaper said that “sniffer dogs can be relied upon to find the unique smell of the disease in seven out of 10 sufferers”.

The claim is based on a study that had trained four dogs to detect breath samples from people with lung cancer among those taken from healthy people and people with the lung condition COPD. The researchers determined that when three out of the four dogs agreed on which samples indicated lung cancer then this consensus could correctly detect a cancer sample 72% of the time. The dogs could also correctly rule out cancer in healthy samples 94% of the time.

However, the researchers point out that the dogs may have been detecting the medication used by the cancer patients rather than substances indicating the disease itself. This casts doubt on how well the technique might detect undiagnosed cancer. The accuracy of the test is unlikely to be the same in an unselected group from the general population. Therefore further testing will be needed.

As it stands, it is not possible to say whether dogs will be useful to sniff out early lung cancer in a sample outside of a research setting, such as a random selection from the general population or from high-risk groups. Although a novel idea, researchers must see whether cancer-specific compounds are actually released when a tumour is present, and assess the practicalities of using the technique outside of a research setting… story taken from… Yorkshire Evening Post.. read story… http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/health-news/nhs-choices/can_dogs_sniff_out_lung_cancer_1_3694652

(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

These dogs don’t just fetch.

They turn on light switches, drag laundry baskets, pull wheelchairs and give autistic children the confidence to visit the dentist.

But before Canine Companions for Independence dogs can fulfill their destiny of becoming service animals to people with disabilities, they need the right start in life. At 8 weeks old, the dogs go from a breeder to a carefully screened volunteer “puppy raiser,” said Melanie Dutcher, president of the national organization’s Utah chapter, Wasatch Companions.

“They are in an important developmental phase,” she said. “If handled properly, you get a confident and safe dog.”

Wasatch Companions has about 100 volunteers, and on Friday, one of those volunteers inspired a $10,000 donation from Wells Fargo. The bank presented a check to the organization through its Volunteer Service Award program at a fundraiser golf tournament in Midway.

That volunteer is Riverton resident Barbara Kronenberg, a property manager with Wells Fargo Corporate Property Group. Last October, after a screening that including an hour-long phone interview and home visit, she began raising a black Labrador and golden retriever mix named Balsa.

It’s a fitting tribute to the dog that became the “office princess,” as Kronenberg put it, as she came into work with her temporary owner every day to help her socialization process. Kronenberg has also taken Balsa into grocery stores, restaurants and ballparks.

“Her favorite thing is to visit with kids,” Kronenberg said. Becoming accustomed to different people, places and sounds without fear is essential to becoming a good service dog, she said…. story taken from… The Salt Lake Tribune… read full story… http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52406602-78/dog-balsa-companions-kronenberg.html.csp

A PET dog abandoned at a railway station by an owner who could not afford to care for it has been placed with a loving family thanks to a Maybury rescue centre.

Tyler was facing an uncertain future when he was left tied up at Surbiton station last month with just a bag full of his belongings and a hastily scrawled note.

Anna Read, who works with SOS Dog Rescue in Windsor Way, explained the chain of events that led to Tyler finding a happy home in Woking.

She said: “Tyler found his way to me via a desperate email from a lovely dog groomer.

“She received a call from a person who discovered this dog tied up at a railway station with a bag of his belongings and a handwritten note pleading for help to find him a good home.

“It seems the owner had become homeless and could no longer afford to feed him or care for him properly.”

The handwritten letter, written in broken English, pleaded with onlookers: “Please take my dog, I’m homeless and have nowhere for him or money to feed him. Please help him!”

Anna, who also runs the Guildford dog centre The Dog House, added: “This dog has obviously been very well cared for as he is in fabulous condition, well socialised, has been neutered and vaccinations and parasite control are all up to date.

“I found it extremely emotional to think that his desperate owner felt he had no other choice but to tie his best friend up in a busy location and stand back and hope.”… story taken from… getsurrey.co.uk… read full story… http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2098649_abandoned_dog_finds_new_woking_home

Hello there old fur-comrades. It’s good to be here once again. I’m feeling chipper and ready to run around again. I’ve been a bit under the weather lately, but I’m pleased to report that I’m back on track and running faster than my senior owner to the front gate to check the post.

I’ve been staying with that young snapper, Angus, once again these last few days and we’ve all been cooped up in the house because of the rain. It’s been hazardous, I can tell you, trying to assert my authority once again and rule the roost. I’ve managed to find a nice spot on the lounge to keep out of his way most of the time, but every now and again he jumps me when I leave my position and I have to dig in and defend my territory. I find that making a lot of noise and standing my ground is the best defence. Angus is not the braveheart he thinks he is, and usually backs down a peg or two when in danger of being bitten. Not that I can bite, I have few teeth left these days. But he doesn’t know that.

Until next time…

Helloooo fur-fans. Well, I’m really raving today. Raving about the rain and minimal opportunity to go out and about for my usual meeting and greeting tours of the island. It’s been boring, boring, boring, I can tell you. I’ve had nothing to do but lay around on the beds, the lounge, the sofa, the settee, and my plush lambskin.

I’m not one to get my paws wet, that’s for sure, so it’s been a major effort for Mum to get me down the stairs and into the dreaded drenching that ensues. I try to either make a quick dash for the top of the stairs or the carport. I hide as much as possible on wet days so Mum doesn’t remember that I need to go, and then sneak out the back and go on the veranda. Naughty yes, but necessary to survive the stress of getting my do all wet and smelly. A girl has to do what a girl has to do.

I can’t wait for summer and the new puppy fashion trends that are coming. How exciting!

Until next time…

Well it’s raining again..and raining, and raining. I’m going mad inside the house and have come up with a few ways to keep myself occupied:

• Annoy anyone who looks interested for a game of fetch. I have plenty of soft toys around the house and I can find ALL of them.
• Annoy my fur-ball sister Ruby when she is sleeping, which is most of the time.
• Annoy senior dog Dylan, who is staying with us right now. The grumpier he is, the more fun it is for me.
• Don’t annoy Mum or she will put me outside on the veranda. I have peed in the house one too many times in the last few days.
• Dig a good hidey hole under the blankets in the spare bedroom. It’s a good escape plan to have when I hear a loud voice. It might be me that’s in trouble.
• Hang around the kitchen between bouts of annoying everybody else. I might get lucky and find a tasty morsel on the floor that hasn’t been snaffled by my fat sister.

Until next time…