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 Utah’s Salt Lake International Airport after the dog turned up in San Diego, California.

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

The slight creature ran off from Cooper’s Salt Lake 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.

After a couple of months of scouring the neighborhood, posting fliers and diligently checking animal shelters throughout Utah, Cooper all but gave up hope.

Then seven months after the dog disappeared, a call came from the San Diego California Humane Society letting them know 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.

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.”

The Coopers then wondered about what may have happened in the eight long months the dog was gone. It’s their belief that she was stolen.

“I’d love to hear what she has to say about this whole thing,” Sharalyn Cooper said as Fadidle rested her head on Cooper’s shoulder.

“She always used to do this,” Cooper said.

“She knows who her mom is,” Watkins added.

Story by Elaine Furst for Dog Files

It’s a phone app that has dog lovers up in arms. And now some PETA supporters have taken matters into their own hands by hijacking the game.

The dog fighting app for the Android smartphone called “Dog Wars” is a sick game where users can fight their dogs against other virtual dogs. Celebrities like Alicia Silverstone and Michael Vick came out against it.

The game was taken off the market in April, but versions of it are floating around the Internet on unauthorized sites. Now it seems some animal loving hacker has decided to hack the older version of the game and put in a Trojan to embarrass the people who play it.

No, the hack doesn’t ruin your phone or delete the game. Instead, it sends a text to all of your contacts that says, “I take pleasure in hurting small animals, just thought you should know that.”

In addition, on the hacked version where it used to read “BETA” at the top of the app, it now says “PETA.” The hacker also made it so the user’s smartphone will attempt to sign up for PETA’s text messaging service.

While PETA’s name was used, no one thinks the animal rights organization actually hacked the app. It was most likely just a supporter who had fun taunting the people who enjoy the violent game.

Story by Elaine Furst for Dog Files

Qualcomm. You’ve probably heard of them. Chances are pretty solid that you’ve got a bit of Qualcomm in your pocket right now — if you’ve got any recent, popular Android phone in there, that is.

Well now Qualcomm is exploring a totally new market: building rechargeable GPS collars that help you track down your lost dog.

Called the “Tagg”, it’s being built by one of Qualcomm’s new wholly-owned subsidiaries, Snaptracs.

Built to fit onto your dog’s existing collar, the Tagg, which is waterproof, features a “trip” button which will let you temporarily disable the collar, has a rechargeable battery that lasts around 30 days and will send you text to remind you when it’s time to juice up, will upon first usage need to be charged and programmed with your dog’s “Tagg Zones” (the places your dog frequents the most, like your house and the surrounding yard). You can then at any time, use your mobile or a browser-based tool to ping the collar for your dog’s current location.

Whenever your pup roams out of its pre-defined “Tagg Zone”, you will then be sent an e-mail and/or text alerting you that Poochie has decided to go off on an adventure.

Qualcomm says the Tagg’s connectivity will be powered all over Verizon’s network and should launch sometime in September with a price tag of $200 which will include one-year of tracking service.

Story by Elaine Furst for Dog Files

A controversial Android app that takes users into the bloody underground world of dog fighting is back on the market — and getting ready to release an update the game’s developer calls “the biggest yet.”

In the game, players raise and train a virtual dog to become a killer, mauling other dogs in matches and winning virtual cash and “street cred” for each victory.

In April, tens of thousands of animal-rights activists joined forces with football star and reformed dog fighter Michael Vick to decry “Dog Wars,” calling it a celebration of cruelty to animals, drugs, guns and murder. Google agreed, removing “Dog Wars” from its Android Market in late April.

Today however, the dog fighting app is back.

Renamed “KG Dogfighting,” the “Dog Wars” app is being updated with advanced dog training levels; more items to train dogs with, including an array of whips; allowing users to buy and use a variety of drugs; and new guns for trainers to use in shootouts with “F.E.T.A.” — a fictional law enforcement agency.

Some of the real-life training methods the game includes are injecting dogs with steroids, restricting their food or water, and teaching them how to fight by practicing attacks on smaller dogs, called “bait dogs.”

The app developer at Kage Games, who insists on remaining anonymous following numerous threats he and his team have received and who goes by the name “The Pitboss,” claims to be an animal lover who hopes to bring a greater awareness to the horrible reality of dog fighting.

“For those who have questioned our intentions with this app, we have introduced the enforcement agency ‘FETA’ to teach our users there are consequences to dog fighting in real life,” “the Pitboss” said.

Anita Edson, a spokeswoman from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, believes showcasing the realities of this illegal activity, even in a virtual world, simply provides the interest and motivation for it to continue.

“This ‘game’ comes at a time when public outrage and law enforcement concern about dog fighting is at an all-time high. The ASPCA is being called to respond to more reports of blood sports than ever before, which continue to plague communities across the country,” Edson said.

The developers of the dog fighting app however, say they are confident in people’s ability “to distinguish between rudimentary game and the consequences of real life.”

Story by Elaine Furst for Dog Files

Victor Garcia and his three dogs (from left) Tedo, Hobo and Hazel gather together in their front yard.

Although dog owner Victor Garcia thought his two beloved dogs, Hobo and Tedo, were lost forever, microchips brought them both home after they had been missing for four years.

Hobo, a male Dachshund, and Tedo, a brindle Shepherd mix, were playing in the backyard of Garcia’s North Long Beach, California home in April 2007 when they disappeared.

After a year passed, Garcia decided to move on and rescue another dog from the shelter, a female German Shepherd named Hazel, now 4 years old. He said he had finally adjusted to the idea that Hobo and Tedo weren’t coming home.

So last year when the first call came from Long Beach California Animal Care Services that Tedo, 7, had been picked up and identified by microchip, Garcia said he “just about dropped dead” from surprise.

“I barely recognized her when she came home because she had gained a little weight,” Garcia, 58, said. “She didn’t recognize me until she got home and saw her doggy door. That’s when she got excited.”

And when a second call came just last month, Garcia said he nearly fell out of his chair. Hobo, 6, known for his mop of black and brown untidy fur, had been found too.

“It was a total shock both times,” the dog owner said. “My German Shepherd took it all in stride, but when Hobo and Tedo met again they went berserk for about half an hour because they remembered each other.”

Having three dogs wasn’t planned, but as a retiree, Garcia said he’s glad he has enough time to take care of each of them and take the whole pack on long walks around the neighborhood.

“This threw a pleasant monkey wrench into my schedule,” he said. “Just when I was getting used to the two, now the third one comes in… They are my family.”

Garcia, who has been a dog lover his whole life, said he is just glad he spent the money to get the microchips and register the animals so that Animal Care Services could bring them back to him — even if the dogs’ return happened to be a few years later than expected.

“If you plan on keeping your dog, it is worth it to microchip,” he said while scratching two of the pooches behind the ears. “I know a lot of people who love their dogs like I do, and it really is worth it.”

Story by Elaine Furst for Dog Files

Does your child want a dog but not ready for the responsibility of taking of care of one? Then why not download one on your iPhone.

Thanks to podotree you can now download your very own Cube Dog on your iOS devices.

What sets this virtual pet game apart is the ability to customize your dog. From its color to its nose, eyes, ears, feet, body and head – you can make the Cube Dog look any way you want it to.

In addition to being able to play with your Cube Dog in the virtual game world, you can even snap pictures with your camera of the dog in real world locations like your desk, your hand, your bed – anywhere you can think of. The Cube Dog can even be rotated so that it can be seen at any angle.

Definitely an app that will please your own children or the child in you – head over to the Apple App Store to download Cube Dog for free.

Story by Elaine Furst for Dog Files

Alan Davidson, head of public policy for Google, responded, “It would be fairly fact specific. Apps that are unlawful or are directly related to unlawful activity, we do take those down.”

What about an app that teaches someone the ins and outs of dogfighting, including steroid cycles, how to choose a dog that will fight, how to train a dog to strengthen its bite in the ring, and even offers virtual weapons in preparation for police raids? Is that fact-specific enough for you, Google? Because dogfighting is a felony across the U.S. and those details are enough to raise red flags among law enforcement officials and anti-dogfighting campaigners alike.

Paul M. Weber, the head of the Los Angeles Police Department’s officers union, calls KG Dogfighting (formerly known as Dog Wars), an app sold in Google’s Android Market, “sick” and “disgusting.” Weber told the LA Times, “The entire concept is repulsive and sickening, and it is absolutely the wrong message to send to our children … Doing anything short of voluntarily banning the game from its products shows that Google is willing to put profit over public safety.”

Jeff Jenkins, who works within communities as Lead Trainer of The Humane Society of the United States’ End Dogfighting Campaign to change perceptions about dogfighting among at-risk dog owners, also believes this app needs to be taken seriously by Google. “This is very disturbing to me, particularly as I work closely with young men who could quite easily access this game and be influenced.”

Defenders of the app argue that it’s just a game. But the reality is that it glorifies dogfighting and perpetuates stereotypes that affect very real dogs.

And is it really just a game? BSL News, the blog that originally broke the story about the app, received a disturbing email about KG Dogfighting from someone who found their blog when searching for pit bulls for sale and fighting equipment: “I started playing this last month and went to my first real dog fight last night. I graduated from that game and the real thing is WAY BETTER!!!! WHAT A RUSH. So sad that dogs die? They’re just dogs, ppl – things! Stupid things that were bred to fight and die!!!”

These comments reinforce the belief of law enforcement officials and animal advocates that KG dogfighting is more of a how-to than a game, and it needs to be taken down.

Google already has a policy that states “Android Market should not be used for unlawful purposes or for promotion of dangerous and illegal activities.” Davidson’s comments this week confirm that Google will remove apps that pose a danger, so why do budding dogfighters still have access to KG Dogfighting in the Android Market?

Tell Google to take a stand against dogfighting and ban this cruel app.

The controversial Dog Wars app has been renamed KG Dogfighting and is back up on the Android Marketplace.

The site says it was updated Saturday two days after the head of the Los Angeles police union urged Google to permanently pull the virtual dogfighting game app from its phone app marketplace.

In the letter sent Thursday to Google Chief Executive Officer Larry Page, Los Angeles Police Protective League President Paul M. Weber urged Google “to do the right thing and ban this game permanently.”

“The game teaches users how to breed, train, fight, medicate and kill virtual dogs,” Weber wrote on behalf of the union’s 9,900 rank-and-file members. “The entire concept is repulsive and sickening,” Weber said, noting that the app simulates dogfighting, which is a felony offense in all 50 states.

The Dog Wars app for the Android smartphone encourages players to “Raise your dog to beat the best” and allows players to train a virtual pit bull to fight other virtual dogs and build street cred that “puts money in your pocket and lets you earn more in fights.”

The company’s website notes that the game player has a “gun for police raids and can inject the dog with steroids.”

A Google representative said the application was “removed based on a trademark infringement complaint” but did not immediately say whether the app would be sold again if those issues were resolved. Google did not immediately respond to questions about the game’s renaming.

Animal welfare groups, including the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, have echoed the L.A. police group’s sentiments, as has Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who was convicted and imprisoned for dogfighting.

Kage Games, the creators of the Dog Wars application, said this week that the game was meant to educate the public on the evils of animal cruelty.

Story By Elaine Furst For Dog Files

Animal rights organization PETA has released a free iPhone app in response to the polarizing Android app “Dog Wars,” a mobile game featuring simulated dogfights.

PETA’s app promotes activism, encourages donations and awards participation with points and badges.

The app also provides users with “action alerts,” which inform users about PETA’s current petitions and campaigns. For example, the app publicizes PETA’s current campaign calling members to petition Google and ask that the Dog Wars app be removed from the Android Market.

“Dog Wars promotes felony cruelty to animals, plain and simple,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a press release. “PETA’s new app allows iPhone users to employ consumer pressure to prevent dogs from being torn to shreds in dogfights and to nip other violent acts of abuse against animals in the bud.”

Dog Wars has also been condemned by the Humane Society and other activist groups.

Story By Elaine Furst For Dog Files

By Nathan Gonzalez and Kate Jacobs For azcentral.com

There’s a general rule for firefighters: protect life first, then property.

But while residents are often able to escape a potentially deadly fire, many pets aren’t so lucky, said Gilbert Fire Capt. Mike Connor.

“For a lot of people, their family is their pet,” Connor said. “Most of the time what we see are pets left inside homes. The first thing you’ll hear somebody say is, ‘I can’t find my dog.’”

Enter Marie Peck, a Scottsdale woman who started a foundation that aims to have every fire department in the country supplied with equipment that can increase pets’ chances of surviving a fire.

She has donated 10 of her “Fido Bags” to the Gilbert Fire Department. The bags, which run about $275, contain a specialized, elongated oxygen mask better suited for dogs and cats as well as other lifesaving items.

“It just kills me,” Peck said about fire departments’ general lack of equipment that offers a better chance to save pets’ lives. “I really want these bags on the trucks.”

“We see a lot of smoke inhalation injuries,” Connor said. “In the past we have taken human oxygen masks and put it on their snouts, but the masks aren’t made for animals and it’s hard to get a good seal.”

Aside from a specialized mask, the bags contain bandages, splints, burn sheets, thick gloves to handle the animals, restraints, leashes and muzzles.

On Wednesday, 22 firefighters and volunteer members of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Posse watched as Animal Health Services veterinarian Cliff Faver showed how to calm a scared pet and apply an oxygen mask.

“The techniques are not a lot different from what we already do,” Connor said.

Firefighters and posse members were taught how to provide basic life support for animals, including how to effectively perform CPR. That requires putting a dog on its side, bending one of its front legs back and conducting chest compressions where its elbows come to rest.

“We learned some restraint techniques” and some holds, Connor said. “We need to keep eye contact with the animal, try rubbing its forehead and calming the dog down.”

Calming an animal is important to ensure a responder’s safety, Connor said.

“If there’s an animal that’s been hit by a car or burned in a house fire, we need to know how to protect ourselves not to get bit,” he said.

Initial donations of basic medical supplies came from a doctor’s widow through Peck, who started the non-profit Scottsdale-based Fetch Foundation. Other medical supplies were then gathered and Fido Bags were delivered to nine fire departments around the state and in Kanab, Utah.

Chandler and Scottsdale are the next Valley cities to receive the bags, Peck said.

Peck is soliciting tax-deductible donations to help distribute the Fido Bags.

The bags can be embroidered and donated “in memory of” a deceased pet if a sponsor provides a tax-deductible donation of $275.

The bags will be housed at each of Gilbert’s 10 fire stations, Connor said. The town is working to equip the Police Department’s K-9 Unit with them.

“We aren’t going to be doing anything different, we are just going to have better equipment to do it,” Connor said.

Information or to make a donation: www.thefetchfoundation.com.