My Friendly Pets

In one of the worst cases of animal abuse, as stated by U.S. Humane Society officials, 400 dogs were taken from a puppy mill today including 3 newborn puppies. This occured in Benton County, located in Kennewick, Washington.

According to Benton County Sheriff, Larry Taylor, “The conditions were not only shocking, but also heartbreaking to veteran deputies.” A 66 year old woman named Ella Stewart was arrested on May 12th after officers went to a neighbor’s home on an unrelated call. The animals couldn’t be moved at that time due to the inability of placement for the animals. It took time to get a vet and animal rescue organizations to help with this effort. All of the dogs will need medical treatment. They have now been placed in emergency kennels at the Benton County Fairgrounds.

Some of the dogs were living in boxes, shopping carts and cages that were caked with urine and feces. Many of the dogs were malnourished and had urine burns and overgrown nails. What can possess a person to subject animals to these horrible conditions? If convicted, it is said that Stewart would only get 90 days in jail and a $1000 fine for these crimes. How can that be possible. The suffering that these animals had to endure would have been horrible. Many had probably never seen daylight and I’m sure they were not given the proper shots that all dogs are supposed to have. So for the people that may have eventually adopted or bought any of these dogs, even if they were well enough to go would probably have to spend thousands of dollars to get these dogs healthy!!!

Keep these poor animals in your thoughts and prayers!!!

So, many people really hate this aspect of dog ownership…c’mon, you know what it is!!! No one likes to pick up poop after their dog. We have pooper scoopers; we put it in little baggies; we shovel and throw it over our fences. It definitely is not a fun part of pet ownership. It is the nasty part.

Well, in Linden, Michigan, Curt Fournier and his fiancee, Victoria Januszewski didn’t like the job of handling their dogs poop any more than you or I. So after two years of research, they came up with an invention known as the Powerloo, which is a flushable toilet,that sits outside, just below ground level and taps into sewer lines.

Simply put, Fournier says the following, “Vicki and I were getting tired of cleaning up the mess left by our two dogs and thought that being able to flush it down a toilet in the backyard would make things easier.” The company, GreenDog, LLC. started by both Fournier and Januszewski will launch this product next month and expects to make about 500 of them in the first year.

This serves as an eco-friendly device because dog waste that is carried around, thrown in water areas can contaminate water sources and infect humans and other animals. It is also better than the alternative of picking up the poop and putting in a bag or other holder and carrying it inside to your toilet.

So, how much does the unit cost? Well, it may be a bit pricey to flush your poop at about $1000 for the Powerloo, but I know plenty of dog owners who would think that it is a cheap price to dispose of the poo without any of the mess!!!

I have highlighted the role of dogs as companions in many entries and even spoke about the many dogs that servicemen have befriended and brought home from Iraq. However, I felt on this Memorial Day, it would be proper to honor those dogs who have served all branches of the military and many of whom have lost their lives doing so.

The first dogs used in military service was in World War I. In World War II, the dogs walked combat patrols and could sniff out the enemy at about 1000 yards, which was long before the U.S. soldiers would be aware of them. Abiout 1500 dogs were used in the Korean conflict, primarily for guard duty and in Vietnam, more than 4000 dogs were used to counter the enemy and officially 281 of those dogs were killed in action.

Today, many of the military dogs are still used for guard duty. However, their duties have expanded as well to include mine sniffing, enemy location and tending to the wounded. Dogs are a vital part of the military forces in our fight against terrorism. Simply having a dog by a soldier’s side is a strong deterent to an enemy fighter. Somehow a growling and snarling dog is more scary and intimidating than a soldier who is armed.

Most training for these military service dogs is completed at the Defense Department’s Military Working Dog Program that is housed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. There are approximately 2300 military working dogs currently serving. Most of the dogs today are being trained as sentries and bomb sniffers. The numbers are growing based on the need to increase and win our fight against terror. Prior to 9/11/2001, only about 200 dogs per year were being trained. Since 9/11, about 500+ dogs per year are being trained.

So when you say your moment of silence today for the those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, say a little extra prayer for their 4 legged counter parts. They deserve it.!!!

There have been a couple of interesting dog stories that I wanted to share with you. First, a dog in Chicago recently ran away when he was playing with his handler in their back yard. It seems the skies were getting stormy over Chicago and a thunderstorm was overhead. Some large claps of thunder bellowed over head and the German Shepard named Bear was gone in a flash, jumping over a wooden fence to flee from the impending noise. Now dogs frightened of thunder is not uncommon. However, the interesting part of this story is that Bear is a police dog with the Chicago Police Department. Bear was missing for three days until we was spotted by a citizen who called police. When the dog saw the police cruiser, he recognized the car and hopped right in. When microchipped later, it was determined that this was actually Bear. My curiosity regarding this story is about the sound thunder makes. If Bear is so frightened of thunder, how does he react to gunfire? Wouldn’t this be the same type of sound?

The next story is about a dog named Dancer who now answers to Fern. Dancer disappeared from owner, Alison Murphy about 8 years ago from Austin, Texas. The other day Murphy got a call from the Humane Society. It appears that Dancer showed up in a neighborhood and a musician who lived there brought the dog to the Humane Society to determine if the dog had a microchip. The dog did and that’s when Murphy was called. The dog was definitely Dancer, but no longer answered to that name. She only answered to Fern. We don’t know where Dancer/Fern has been for 8 years and why she suddenly appeared. We only know that she is home at last.

Well, here it is a holiday weekend and I bet you wouldn’t think I would have much to tell, but on this Saturday I thought I’d offer you a few little tidbits of doggie data and info!!!

Earlier this month in Jasper, Florida, the sixteen month old pit bull owned by Michael and Deana Stewart gave birth to 20 puppies…that’s right, 20!!! That litter is only second to the record setting 24 pup litter according to the Guiness World Record.

The dad dog, also owned by the Stewarts is a thirteen month old king corso. The Stewarts have 2 boys as well and state, “I’ve got two boys and the dogs are just perfect with them. They do real well, so we figured what we would do is have puppies off of them because they’re beautiful.”

Deana has had to provide round the clock care for the pups as Dixie, the mom, can’t do it all alone. With the help of her family, they have bottle fed and cleaned the pups!! This week the puppies just started opening their eyes and moving around. Within a few short weeks, the Stewart house will be in full puppy chaos. So what are the Stewarts going to do with all of those dogs? Although Michael says he would love to keep them all, it would be unrealistic to do so. He has no problem with having the dogs adopted out, as long as they go to good homes.

In December of last year, a three year old Dalmation in England, named button gave birth to 18 puppies. These are adorable as well..but we hear Button is quite tired!!!

Many people think that Americans are the people that most loves their pets, cats or dogs. However, Australia is also known for their love of pets. According to PetNet, a website promoting responsible pet ownership, Australia has one of the highest number of pet owners in the world. Some 80 percent of Australians currently keep a pet or have had a pet at some stage in their life.

Out of this love for pets, comes a new website that touts the luxuries for the Aussies that love their pets!! The online pet luxury store called www.petpalace.com/au was started about eight weeks ago and if it is any indication of future business, these past eight weeks show that the future will definitely be bright. According to marketing director, Diane Costa, “We’ve been inundated. People are looking for ways to make themselves feel good that doesn’t cost very much and our items don’t cost a lot.” But they do promise to pamper your pet.

Plush dog beds are available in various colors and fabrics. There are doggie socks with no slip soles as well as a pink camouflage dog floating device.

So how did Costa come up with this money making idea? She was cleaning out her closets of doggie things, put them online and they sold for A$2000. The items went quickly that got Costa believing that there must be a market for these items. She was right. However, she believed that her market would be people without children or empty nesters, when in actuality, her clientele are people from all backgrounds, ages and economic groups.

It is never a bad time to pamper your dog…take a look a the website above and enjoy!!!

I don’t know how many times I have said that the entry being written with Michael Vick in it will be the last. I just can’t stand giving the man a voice through my entries. However, then I realize that if I don’t keep talking about what he did, many would forget. He could even play pro-football again, and if so, many may choose to ignore the horrible crimes for which he was accused and convicted.

Michael Vick was convicted of running a dog fighting ring and many of the dogs from his Bad Newz Kennels suffered greatly. Some had to be euthanized because of the severity of their injuries.

Well, Michael Vick is out of jail as of today and will be returning to Hampton, Virginia to serve out the two months of his sentence in home confinement. He has severe financial problems and will begin working a $10.00 an hour construction job. A far cry from the millions he made with the NFL. He will have a tougher time in the court of public opinion where many are still angry about Vick’s active participation in these activities and the killing of several dogs by his own hands.

The Humane Society of the United States said Vick met its president recently in prison and wants to work on a program aimed at eradicating dogfighting among urban teens. According to Vick, he has seen the error of his ways and is truly remorseful about the crimes he has committed and the suffering he has caused to many animals. However, I have to wonder, is he saying that because he truly believes it, or is it what he thinks we all want to hear? Time will tell. In the meantime, the picture above is one of Vick’s victims that is now in the process of being rehabilitated and loved!!!

Just when you think you have seen it all in regards to reality shows, a new one pops up that you can’t believe. Well, if it involved dogs, you know you’d find it here.

Zak George is a dog trainer who has gained immense popularity showing training moves for dogs via YouTube. As a result Animal Planet has signed George up for a new reality show titled, “Fetch Me A Beer”. The show is supposed to show dogs that have been trained in extreme or difficult behaviors. According to George, the show will premiere in October and will show the trainer teaching dogs tricks such as riding a bike and helping a human land a date.

The show is scheduled for 20 episodes with 8 having already been taped. Taping has taken place in both Miami and Boston. Max is the border collie seen above and his owners, Grace and Michael Ham of Brookline, Ma. answered a casting call with Max and he was immediately signed up. The trick they have Max doing, which they say took a great deal of work was to jump off his owner’s back in order to catch a Frisbee in mid air. Later this month, the crew will tape Brumby the Australian Shepherd completing his training with George on learning to bowl with his owner. Yes, bowl.

I really feel kind of wierd about this show. When do we stop making dogs do these tricks simply for our enjoyment? Does the dog enjoy it? Are we simply exploiting the dog because we can? These are all very interesting questions. I didn’t see any type of reference to prizes that could be won based on the dogs performance, but I bet there is something in it for the owner!!! I don’t know if I want to even “stay tuned” for this one!!!!

For those of you who are fans of Oprah, and who isn’t, there was a great show on last week that featured guest, Glenn Close. No, she wasn’t there touting a new movie, or dishing Hollywood dirt. She was talking about a cause that is near and dear to her heart. In a video clip, Close takes us to Fishkill Correctional Facility, which is located about 80 miles north of New York City (and close to me). Here there is a new program in place, called Puppies Behind Bars, where inmates are given 8-week-old puppies and taught to train them to become service dogs for the disabled, including wounded soldiers. The puppies and prisoners are together 24 hours a day. The puppies sleep in crates in the inmates’ cells. Obviously the benefit for those who are disabled or return from war in Iraq permanently injured is phenomenal. These dogs provide a lifeline for these soldiers. But, the other benefit is that those who are being punished for their crimes are actually giving back to society in ways that they never thought possible and the inmates are thriving from it.

According to Michael, an inmate in the program who is incarcerated for robbery in the first degree, this program has meant the world to him. He says, “I’m going to make my family and those around me proud of me again. Joining this program, it helped me to give myself a sense of pride again. To know that by nurturing and raising these dogs to their fullest potential, that I could give back.” The puppies give also. They give many of these inmates something they have never had and that is unconditional love. There are some indepth clips that truly resonate the meaning of this program and I would encourage all to take a look at it. This is what wwe call a “win-win” situation!!!

Check out Glenn Close as she speaks about the program, by clicking here!

Lori Stevens is a savior for many veterans. Why? She provides them with the assistance they need through specially trained dogs that help them through their injuries and become a companion for life. She loves dogs and always has. When she gets a new dog, she like most of us, falls in love with that dog. However, in 18 short months she gives that dog away. And to whom does she give those dogs? As part of the Patriot Paws program, Lori trains these dogs to go to soldiers who have been injured in war. For some soldiers that means having a dog who can now see for them, since they have lost their sight. Or it can be a dog who helps them do everyday things since they no longer have mobility due to the loss of legs or feet. It could be a soldier who has lost arms and can’t turn on their own lights or find it hard to retrieve their prostetics, if it falls or is in another room. In other words, these dogs help these men and women live as close to normal lives as possible.

Patriot Paws, out of Texas has a primary goal to supply disabled veterans with service dogs that will improve the quality of the lives of those who have sacrificed so much for our country. In their mission statement, they say the following:
“Patriot Paws is passionate, committed, and obligated in our goal to train service dogs that will enhance the lives of disabled veterans who have given so much for our nation, and to provide a service for other Americans with mobile disabilities. We are committed to build partnerships with community and state organizations which will allow us to give back to our community while enhancing the lives of all individuals involved.”

That is an incredible goal and one that needs help. It takes about $20,000 to train and prepare these dogs. Lori, founder of this organization has helped more people than humbly she would admit. Currently, there are 18 service personnel on her waiting list and she works one day at a time to make this all happen. Lori, job well done. Check out the website for Patriot Paws, by clicking here

Orrin Tilevitz is an avid bird watcher. However, he has other uses of his binoculars and video cameras. He films unleased dogs that are running loose in parks in New York City, primarily Prospect Park and posts videos of the dogs on his anti-dog blog. What would make someone so “anti-dog” that they would spend the time, effort and energy to tape the dogs and their owners and post them online?

I love dogs and truly believe in their freedom to run. However, dog owners have to realize that not all people feel as we do. In areas of great population, such as major cities, letting dogs run unleashed can be dangerous to others as well as the dog. Having a leash on the dog gives the owner control to keep the dog out of bad situations.

The war between the bird watches and dog owners is well known in New York City and has become even more heated in recent times due to a new ordinance that says that limits the times that a dog can be unleashed in Prospect Park to before 9:00 am and after 9:00 pm. Tilevits is insuring that dog owners adhere to those times and strongly supports the efforts of the city who added two patrol officers to “hound” city residents who don’t pick up the poop of their pooch or leaves them unleashed. This doggie blitz has been going on since March and to date there have been 860 violations.

Tilevitz vows to go on with his quest. As he is armed with his video camera, binoculars and pepper spray, beware; and put your dog on a leash!!!

I know you have not heard nearly enough about the Bo, the First Dog!! You know who I am talking about….the Portuguese Water Dog that has been recently received by the Presidential family as a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts.

We’ve talked about Bo, his transition to the White House, his training and even his brother Solo!!! There has been a children’s book written about him and questions about Bo are consistently asked when the First Lady goes out to speak!!!

So what more could there be about Bo for the public? Well, the Ty Inc, has now developed and manufactured a Ty Beanie Baby named Bo that looks very close to the real dog!!! The beanie dog was released April 16th. It is slowly being sent out to various stores and is extremely well received. Learning Express, an educational toy store received fewer than a dozen of the stuffed dogs and they sold out very quickly!!!

According to Ty Warner, chief executive officer of Ty Inc, “We are very proud of the First Family and wanted to join in celebrating their choice of a family pet.” The stuffed replica is selling for the bargain price of $4.99 in most stores. However, on E-Bay the Bo Beanie Baby was auctioned off for anywhere between $5.00 and $139.95 yesterday. Warner said that a portion of the profits that result from the sale of “Bo” will be donated to local animal shelters. That would be a great benefit that could result from the ultimate example of commercialism!!! Not that I think it is bad. In fact, in this economy, having something that is affordable and sells quickly is probably just what the country needs!!!

I had done an entry on canines and cancer a while back. I wanted to followup that entry with information about a vaccine developed by researchers at both Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Animal Medical Center of New York City. This vaccine has shown tremendous progress and results in treating canine melanoma, a common yet deadly form of cancer in dogs. The more I read about the treatment, the more information there seemed to be about the Animal Medical Center, so I decided to look at this facility a bit closer.

The Animal Medical Center in New York City is a nonprofit veterinary center that has been a national leader in animal care since 1910. As an academic veterinary hospital, The AMC promotes the health and well-being of companion animals through advanced treatment, research and education. The staff of this facility has over 90 veterinarians and and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Center is a teaching hospital and utilizes this opportunity to train veterinarian leaders of the future. The Center works closely with many other hospitals in their research for treatments that could work both on animals and humans.

In fact, the vaccine for melanoma that is now being used in dogs with a very good success rate could someday be used to treat humans with the same condition. When originally tested, about 40% of the dogs showed a positive outcomes as a result of the vaccine. About 12.5% of the dogs had their cancerous tumors disappear totally!!!

On one of the main pages on the website for the Animal Medical Center, they are strong in saying the following about their work and research, “The Animal Medical Center does not induce disease for research and does not maintain any laboratory animals for research.”

It is clear to see that this is a facility that truly cares about the animals that are treated there and the health and well being of all animals!!! Job well done!!!

Its Mother’s Day, so the best thing to talk about today are mom dogs and their pups. There are many interesting facts about pregnant dogs of which I was not aware.

First of all, there are different gestation periods for dogs based upon their breed. However puppies are usually delivered in 58-64 days after conception. Unlike humans, there is no blood or urine test that can detect pregnancy in your dog. The true test is taking your dog to the vet to actually determine if the dog is pregnant.

In fact, there are few physical changes in the dog until the last weeks of pregnancy. Prior to that point, there may appear to be little weight gain and development or enlargement of the breasts may not take place until 2-3 weeks prior to delivery.

However, there are behavioral changes during pregnancy that should be noted. Your dog may seem anxious and restless and may also seek to be alone at times. This is just her way of dealing with the physical and hormonal changes in her body. Because of the irritability, your dog may not be good around young children.

In addition to insuring your dog is being cared for during this delicate time, it is important to note good nutrition for your dog. Your dog should have a well-balanced and nutritious diet during this period. Include lots of high protein supplements like eggs, meat and liver in all the meals. Many people feed their dog only once or twice a day. However, when the dog is pregnant it is better to feed the dog several small meals. Also, the intake of fluid should be increased!!!

More about dogs who are “moms to be” in the future…until then…enjoy Mother’s Day!!!

I saw information about this story and I kept trying to avoid it because it is sad and disturbing, but I guess only when we tell about the disturbing facts can we try and hope that it doesn’t continue to happen.

In a fishing village in Malaysia, there were many stray dogs that ran wild. Because the dogs would defecate in the streets and bite small childrent, the villagers realized that the stray dogs were more than justg a nusance. People in the village rounded up the dogs and took them to an uninhabited island, believing that the dogs could live there and feed off the vegitation and wild animals that roamed the small island. However, this obviously was not the case. As people from the SPCA went to the island to check on the dogs, what they found was horrible. They saw several dogs standing over the half eaten carcass of another dog, trying to eat as much as they can. In the distance the whimpering of another dog could be heard as several dogs began to bite and attack the weak canine. Most of the dogs looked emaciated and were probably desperate for any type of food they could get, even if it meant eating another dog.

Some of the dogs, it is believed, tried to swim back to the island from were they came, but no one quite knows how many were actually successful. SPCA believe that there are about 200 dogs left, which they are trying to rescue. They have requested that the villagers no longer dump these dogs and that they will try and assist in relocating the dogs and providing sterilization procedures so that they dogs don’t keep reproducing. A very sad story indeed.