by Kenn Bell
October 19, 2010 in Holidays, Lifestyle News, News
I thought this was very cool! Pumpkin-carving stencils of your favorite dog breeds including the Beagle, the Pomeranian, the Lab and many, many more.
Download them at the Better Homes And Gardens website and have a Howling Halloween!
by Melody Chen
October 19, 2010 in Dog Safety, Endangerment, Law Enforcement, Legal News, News
By William Petroski for desmoinesregister.com
Animal advocacy groups nationally are joining with Iowa dog lovers and anti-gambling activists to launch a statewide campaign aimed at shutting down the state’s dwindling greyhound racing industry.
The issue surfaced during the last session of the Legislature, and activists said this week they are planning a full-fledged effort during next year’s session to make dog racing illegal.
State Rep. Mary Mascher, an Iowa City Democrat, said Wednesday she strongly supports the campaign and will introduce legislation in January to permanently halt greyhound racing, which she describes as an inhumane, dying industry. The bill would affect tracks in Council Bluffs and Dubuque.
“This issue is not going to go away until we get rid of dog racing in Iowa. It is inevitable. Whether it happens this coming session or another year or two down the road, it is going to happen,” Mascher said.
Only a handful of patrons attend greyhound races, which are subsidized with millions of dollars in profits from racetrack slot machines. That’s money that could be better used by Iowa community foundations, she added.
Bob Hardison of Onawa, president of the Iowa Greyhound Association, which supports the dog racing industry, said his organization will fight the shutdown campaign. Greyhound racing supports more than 1,300 jobs in Iowa with more than 350 owners and 70 farms in 30 Iowa counties. The industry generates millions of dollars annually for rural Iowa that is spent on farm supplies, veterinary services and other expenses, he added.
To read the rest click here.
by Melody Chen
October 19, 2010 in Health & Science News, Lifestyle News, News
If your dog gets upset when you walk out of the door, it’s probably a pessimist.
Scientists have shown that for every dog who believes its water bowl is half full, another is convinced the bowl is half empty.
Those who are naturally optimistic are sure their owners will return, while the pessimists assume they have been abandoned.
While the discovery that dogs have all-too-human personalities won’t surprise owners, the researchers say it sheds light on why some animals are happy to be left, while others suffer separation anxiety.
Professor Mike Mendl, of the animal welfare and behaviour research group at Bristol University who led the study, said: “We can use findings from human psychology research to develop ways of measuring animal emotion. We know happy people are more likely to judge an ambiguous situation positively.
“Our study shows that this applies similarly to dogs – that a ‘glass-half-full’ dog is less likely to be anxious when left alone than one with a more ‘pessimistic’ nature.â€
The team studied 24 dogs at two animal shelters. Each was first assessed to see whether it suffered separation anxiety – behaviour such as barking or scratching at the door when left alone.
Each dog was then trained to expect that when a bowl was placed at one location in a room it would contain food, but when it was put in another it would be empty. Once the dogs had learned that only some bowls contained a meal, the researchers placed bowls in “neutral†locations in the room.
Dogs that bounded up to the bowls expecting food were classified as optimists. But those who didn’t bother were deemed pessimists. Animals who suffered separation anxiety were far more likely to be pessimists, the researchers say in the journal Current Biology.
“Around half of dogs in the UK may at some point perform separation-related behaviours – toileting, barking and destroying objects around the home,†said Professor Mendl.
“Our study suggests that dogs showing these types of behaviour also appear to make more pessimistic judgments generally.†– Daily Mail
by Melody Chen
October 18, 2010 in Animal Control, News, World
When the Tonge family’s pet Yorkshire Terrier puppy, called Mimi, escaped through a garden gate they were devastated – until a dog warden appeared with her a few hours later.
But their delight soon turned to disbelief when told they would have to pay £60 as the council’s free dog warden service ends at 5pm. After this time a private out-of-hours contractor takes over.
When the family said did not have the money Mimi was placed into kennels, increasing the cost to £85, and they were warned she could be given to another family if they do not pay up.
Married mum-of-two Melanie Tonge, 39, a married mother-of-two from Westnoughton, near Bolton, Greater Manchester, said: “It feels like my dog is being held to ransom.
“I just couldn’t get the money together. Now Mimi has been taken to the kennels.
“The shelter has told us unless we can pay the costs she will be re-homed. I just don’t understand it. I am so upset.”
The family claim they are facing financial hardship.
Mrs Tonge said: “We cannot find that sort of money – we either pay our council tax or pay to get her back.
“I am so upset. The dog escaped because a friend left the gate open.
“As soon as she escaped we were frantic and l went looking for her.
“She is microchipped and we look after her and she does not roam the streets.”
She has told her children, Caroline, aged five, and John, aged three, that Mimi is being looked after by somebody else.
A Bolton Council spokeswoman said the authority operates an ‘in house’ dog warden service for the collection of stray dogs during daylight hours.
If a stray dog is collected, the dog is returned free of charge if it is the first “offence”.
But during weekends and evenings, all Greater Manchester authorities use a company called Animal Wardens, who return the animal to the owner after a fee of £60 has been paid.
A Bolton Council spokesman said: “This fee is paid direct to the company and the council is not involved in payment of this fee.
“If the owner’s details are not known, or they refuse to pay, then the stray dog is kennelled at Leigh Dog’s Home.
“The owner must then pay an £85 fee, which remains at this price for seven days, after which the dog becomes the property of the home.
“In this case, Mrs Tonge’s dog was picked up at about 5pm by Animal Wardens, who asked her to pay the £60 fee and she refused, so the dog was transferred to the Leigh Dog~s Home.
“She can still retrieve her dog by paying the £85 fee within the next seven days.
“The dog’s home offered to only charge her £25 as a goodwill gesture if she picked the dog up that evening, which she also refused.” Mrs Tonge denies having been made this offer.
by Melody Chen
October 18, 2010 in Heroics, Law Enforcement, News, Working Dogs
By Max Zimbert for glendalenewspress.com
NORTHEAST GLENDALE, California — A police pursuit ended with some laughs Saturday in Verdugo Park.
The second annual Glendale K-9s in the Park fundraiser featured a mock police foot chase through Verdugo Park, complete with helicopter flyovers and sprinting German shepherds.
The reenactment was part of a slew of events to raise money for the Police Department’s K-9 unit, which is operated through community donations, organizers said.
“This is the day for us,” said Robert Wynkoop, an officer with the Glendale police K-9 unit. “This is when we raise all of our funding.”
He said it was about double the size of last year’s event, with more vendors, pets and people. The event is the unit’s only fundraiser, but community donations can be made throughout the year through the Glendale Police Foundation and the K-9 Club, Wynkoop said.
Organizers said the event was poised to raise more than last year’s haul of $30,000. Donations provide for the purchase of dogs, food, training, equipment and the necessities for the unit that specializes in four-legged abilities like drug sniffing and intimidation.
Buying and training one police dog can cost $25,000, Wynkoop said.
But the event doubled as a family affair, with moon bounces, face painting and barbecues. Present were scores of pet vendors and animal shelters, as well as city employees who administered close to two dozen pet licenses, officials said.
“A lot of it is sharing stories and learning about other pets,” said Marlin Miller, the mobile outreach coordinator with the Pasadena Humane Society and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “It’s about making connections.”
The K-9 unit features four dogs of varying ages, and Wynkoop said the department’s seeking to replace two or three dogs that are approaching well-earned retirement.
Wynkoop said his German shepherd, Marlin, began police work soon after he turned 18 months, and has been on the job for the last few years.
“We want to make the community aware that we have these dogs, and they’re not vicious; they’re well-trained,” he said. “We want the community to come out, enjoy the day and come back next year.”
Glendale resident Paul Black was studying at Glendale Community College when he saw a migration of families and dogs walking up to the park.
“Out of curiosity, we’re going to see what it is,” he said. “And bring our dog.”
For 5-year-old Emilio and his father Santiago Yniguez, the day was an opportunity for father and son time, Santiago Yniguez said.
“He loves dogs,” he said. “He saw this and got very excited to see the different dogs and the demonstrations.”
Throughout the five-hour event, K-9 officers demonstrated the various dog training. They showcased their dogs’ speed, agility and obedience.
In one demonstration, Sam, a K-9 German shepherd, galloped toward a suspect until his handler, Officer Shawn Sholtis, shouted the call-off command.
Like a boomerang, Sam made a U-turn and stood by his master’s side before another sprint and maneuver.
“This is the only event like this,” Wynkoop said. “It gives you an idea of the variety of things we can do.”
by Melody Chen
October 18, 2010 in Agility, Entertainment, News, Sports
By Lee Hermiston from press-citizen.com
Sean McCarthy took his 3-year-old dog, Jordan, down to St. Louis last weekend just hoping for a chance to compete in the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge National Finals.
He left with a world record.
“We actually went down for the competition, and we weren’t even in it,” said McCarthy, 38, of Riverside. “They have a last-chance qualifier the day before the finals. We weren’t sure we’d even make it.”
During the open qualifying round for the dog diving competition, Jordan, a chocolate Labrador, launched herself 30 feet, six inches into the 19,000-gallon pool, nearly breaking the world record of 31 feet and easily qualifying for the finals.
Jordan squared off against six dogs, with each dog getting three attempts. After the first round, Jordan was in third place, and the dog in first place had just set a new world record with a jump of 31 feet, one inch. On the second jump, Jordan flew 30 feet, four inches, enough to move her into second place. On the third and final jump, she sailed 31 feet, two inches to set a new record.
“It was incredible,” McCarthy said.
Incredible is right, especially considering that just a few years ago, McCarthy, who owns five Culligan Water stores in Iowa, had no idea that such a competition even existed.
McCarthy said his foray into dog diving began when Jordan was a puppy. McCarthy recalls first thinking something was different about Jordan when he would take her to the dog park in Iowa City. While other dogs would walk into the pond, Jordan always leapt.
It was about that time that McCarthy saw a dog diving segment on the Late Show with David Letterman.
“I thought she could be pretty good at this,” he said.
McCarthy did some research and found a dog diving team in Des Moines. He later checked out a demonstration they hosted in Cedar Rapids and the rest, he said, is history.
Since then, Jordan has won two national championships in the speed retrieve competition, in which the dog runs off a 20-foot dock into a 40-foot pool to retrieve a toy suspended on the other side. Jordan will be competing for her third national championship Friday through Oct. 17 in Dubuque.
McCarthy said competing is more of a hobby than a means of earning a living, noting what he and Jordan earn rarely covers the travel expenses. But, he said, it gives him and his wife a chance to travel the country with their other two dogs and meet other people involved in the sport.
“There’s nothing better than having fun with the dogs,” he said.
by Kenn Bell
by Melody Chen
