The Dog Files » Breed

Rescue U

Kenn Bell — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:41:56 +0000

A group of college kids spend their Summer vacation rebuilding and rehabilitating an Animal Shelter in Morehead, Kentucky to help give the dogs a better quality of life and help them find loving homes.

I would like to thank Denise Bash of Animal Lifeline And Rescue University and Liz Neuschatz of Petfinder.com Foundation for allowing me to document all the great work they are doing to help animals in need.

Special thanks to Emily Valentine and Bissell Homecare for sponsoring the trip and taking care of us while we were down in Kentucky. We couldn’t ask for better sponsors and they really do care about the animals.

Like the Bissell Facebook Fan Page and also register and they will donate 50 cents to the Petfinder.com Foundation for up to $50,000.00!

Please help spread the word about rescue and adoption by embedding the video on your site, linking to the post and getting the word out to all your friends. Together, we can make a difference!

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Northern Plains Boxer Rescue

Kenn Bell — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 20:21:57 +0000

Peanut and Penny Playing

Meet the pups from a Boxer Rescue in South Dakota, learn all about Boxers and why you should adopt from a rescue.

I would like to thank Cheryl Feight, Becky Caton and Andrea Fischer for giving so freely of their time and effort to help get the word out about boxer rescue and adoption. Please check out their website here: Northern Plains Boxer Rescue.

Please help spread the word about rescue and adoption by embedding the video on your site, linking to the post and getting the word out to all your friends. Together, we can make a difference!

Please Feel Free To Embed This Video On Your Website!

Dog Helps Feed Abandoned Liger Cubs In China

Kenn Bell — Thu, 26 May 2011 12:16:24 +0000

Everyone knows that a dog is man’s best friend, but in China it seems that a dog is also a liger’s best friend.

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

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

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

Cong said staff members at the zoo found a dog who had just given birth to feed the surviving cubs. The dog mom is now nursing not just the liger cubs but her own puppies, as well.

She said the two cubs had trouble at first drinking milk from the dog but are now used to it.

Ligers are very rare and are sometimes bred in zoos by mistake.

Story by Elaine Furst for Dog Files

Landmark Study Reveals Breed-Specific Causes of Death in Dogs

Kenn Bell — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:36:54 +0000

Daniel Promislow (left) is flanked by Silver, a Weimaraner (bottom left) and Frisbee, a mixed breed (center). Dr. Kate Creevy (right) sits with her Border Collie, Makazi.

The results can significantly help prolong your dog’s life.

That is the conclusion of the authors of a new University of Georgia study that provides a rare and comprehensive look at the causes of death in more than 80 canine breeds.

The study, published in the current edition of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, can be used to create breed-specific health maintenance programs and is a starting point for future studies that will explore the genetic underpinnings of disease in dogs.

“If we can anticipate better how things can go wrong for dogs, we can manage their wellness to keep them as healthy as possible,” said study co-author Dr. Kate Creevy, an assistant professor in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine.

Creevy and her co-authors examined data from the Veterinary Medical Database to determine the cause of death for nearly 75,000 dogs over the 20-year period of 1984 through 2004. They classified the deaths by organ system and disease process and further analyzed the data by breed, age and average body mass. Eighty-two breeds are represented in their study, from the Afghan hound to the Yorkshire terrier.

The researchers found that larger breeds are more likely to die of musculoskeletal disease, gastrointestinal disease and, most notably, cancer. Smaller breeds had higher death rates from metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and Cushing’s disease.

Study co-author Daniel Promislow, a genetics professor in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, said the study may help solve one of the great enigmas of canine health. “Normally, if you compare different species of mammals, big ones live longer than little ones — elephants live longer than mice, and sheep are in the middle, for example — and that pattern holds pretty well across hundreds of different species of mammals,” Promislow said. “Within dogs, the opposite occurs; the little dogs live longer.”

Promislow also pointed out that because the building blocks of the dog genome and the human genome are the same, understanding the genetic basis of disease in dogs can also inform human medicine.

“There’s potential to learn a lot about the genetics of disease in general using the dog as a model,” he said.

Story By Elaine Furst For Dog Files

Is A Border Collie The Right Breed For You?

Kenn Bell — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:04:56 +0000

This is a Border Collie. Would you like to adopt one? Watch this video first.

Are you thinking of adopting a Border Collie? Then this video is for you.

Katie from 3LostDogs.com made this informative video to help people in your position make a decision as to whether you should get a Border Collie or not.

And if you’re not thinking of getting a Border Collie? Well, watch the video anyway. You’ll learn a lot!

How Much Would It Cost To Buy The Most Expensive Dog In The World?

Kenn Bell — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:18:27 +0000

This is one pricey, but beautiful doggie!

The Red Tibetan Mastiff Is The Most Expensive Dog In The World.

His breed has been owned by such luminaries as Queen Victoria, King George IV and Genghis Khan – who supposedly took 30,000 of the dogs with his army in his bid to conquer Western Europe.

This guy;s name is Big Splash, a Red Tibetan Mastiff and thanks to a coal baron from the north of China, he is now the most expensive dog in the world.

Big Splash, or Hong Dong in Chinese, was purchased for a whopping 10 million Chinese yuan, or over 1.5 Million Dollars. Or to be exact, $1,525,595.00.

And it’s lucky his new master is a multi-millionaire, because the hefty price tag doesn’t factor in Big Splash’s diet – enough chicken and beef spiced up with Chinese delicacies such as sea cucumber and abalone to fill a growing 180lb dog.

His owner will also need a big house as adult Tibetan Mastiffs have been known to weigh as much as 286lb, or more than 20 stone – the same as a sizeable rugby player. However the typical weight for a fully grown Tibetan Mastiff is around 13 stone.

But according to breeder Lu Liang, Big Splash is a ‘perfect specimen’ and the extravagant price for the 11-month-old is completely justified
?He said: ‘We have spent a lot of money raising this dog, and we have the salaries of plenty of staff to pay’ – adding that the new owner could charge almost £10,000 a time for Big Splash to breed with a female.

The high price paid for the dog is a sign that the red Tibetan mastiff has become a status symbol in China, replacing jewelry and cars as a way for the super-rich to show off their wealth.

Not only is red considered a lucky color, but Tibetan mastiffs are thought to be holy animals, blessing their owners’ health and security.

Tibetans also believe the dogs have the souls of monks and nuns who were not good enough to be reincarnated as humans or into Shambhala, the heavenly realm.

Currently, there are only around 300 Tibetan mastiffs in the UK.

By Elaine Furst For Dog Files

American Kennel Club Welcomes Three New Breeds

Kenn Bell — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:33:36 +0000

From The AKC

The American Kennel Club (AKC) expanded its registered breeds on January 1, to welcome the Entlebucher Mountain Dog, the Norwegian Lundehund and the Xoloitzcuintli –growing AKC’s family to 170 breeds.

“The AKC is delighted to introduce these three distinct breeds to the public,” said AKC Spokesperson Gina DiNardo. “Each loveable breed has a unique and diverse history and is a wonderful addition to the AKC.”

The Entlebucher Mountain Dog (above) was bred to move cows from pasture to pasture in the Swiss Alps. The breed is medium-sized and prized for its agreeable nature, trainability, and devotion. Entles are an active, high energy and physical breed with above average exercise requirements, so they are best suited for active families and not the casual dog owner.

The Norwegian Lundehund (above) is known for having six toes on each foot and the ability to tip its head backward until it touches its backbone. These unique characteristics enabled the Norwegian Lundehund to climb steep, rocky cliffs and navigate crevices where the Puffins, a bird they were bred to hunt, nested. Lundehunds make loyal and playful companions, but can be wary of strangers if not socialized.

The Xoloitzcuintli (above) pronounced show-low-etz-queent-lee, is one of the world’s rarest breeds and is still considered a “healer” in remote Mexican and Central American Villages today. The breed comes in three sizes: toy, miniature and standard; and two varieties: hairless and coated, which makes the Xolo ideal for those looking for a dog with more variety. They serve as an excellent companion for families due to their attentive and calm nature and require moderate exercise and grooming.

What Are The Top Ten Dog Breeds In The USA?

Kenn Bell — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:55:56 +0000

The American Kennel Club has announced the ten top dog breeds in the USA. Here’s the list.

1. Labrador Retriever

2. German Shepherd Dog

3. Yorkshire Terrier

4. Beagle

5. Golden Retriever

6. Bulldog

7. Boxers

8. Dachshunds

9. Poodles

10. Shih Tzu

“Where Dogs Come From” InfoGraphic

Kenn Bell — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 18:16:01 +0000

This incredible InfoGraphic is from Wiredâ€™s September 2010 issue. The design collective Always With Honor made the graphic for Wired.

Click twice on the image to see it at its biggest.

Clooney, Irish Setter, Captures Best In Show At 2010 National Dog Show

Kenn Bell — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:57:55 +0000

By Linda Cole

In Thursdayâ€™s National Dog Show competition, a Boxer named Scarlett had impressive credentials, but it was Clooney, an Irish Setter, who won Best in Show.
Clooney and his handler, Peter Kubacz, summed up the day’s events with an interview at the end of the dog show.

When Kubacz was asked if Clooney knew he was the top dog, Clooney nodded yes with the enthusiasm of a true winner.

Clooney was one of more than 2,000 dogs representing 179 different breeds that took to the ring on Thanksgiving Day to compete in The National Dog Show presented by Purina.

Hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, the show is one of the oldest benched conformation dog shows in the country and has been held annually since 1933.

A conformation dog show shows off breeding stock and a benched show allows those attending to mingle with the dogs behind the scenes.

To pick the winning dog, the judge has to know the breed standard of each dog.

Six new dog breeds were among the breeds showcased in this year’s National Dog Show.

New breeds are recognized by the American Kennel Club when the breed has a good following spread across the country with a parent club to oversee them.

The six new breeds introduced this year were the Boykin Spaniel in the sporting group, the Cane Corso and the

Leonberger in the working group, the Bluetick Coonhound and Redbone Coonhound in the hound group and the Icelandic Sheepdog in the herding group.

To read the full story, click here.