Officials at Chicago’s O’Hare airport told 17-year-old Jon Meier the chewed-on document was fine, but authorities in Miami rejected it and wouldn’t let him board the southbound aircraft.

His family’s 1-year-old golden retriever, Sunshine, chewed a corner of the document, obscuring some numbers. Meier couldn’t get another passport in time to join the trip with his Spanish class from Eau Claire North High School. The 12-day trip ended Monday.

Meier says he can’t blame anyone, not even Sunshine: “I love her too much.”

AYLESBURY, England (Reuters) - Dogs are being trained in Britain as potential life-savers to warn diabetic owners when their blood sugar levels fall to dangerously low levels.

Man’s best friend already has been shown capable of sniffing out certain cancer cells, and dogs have long been put to work in the hunt for illegal drugs and explosives.

Their new front-line role in diabetes care follows recent evidence suggesting a dog’s hyper-sensitive nose can detect tiny changes that occur when a person is about to have a hypoglycemic attack.

A survey last December by researchers at Queen’s University Belfast found 65 percent of 212 people with insulin-dependent diabetes reported that when they had a hypoglycemic episode their pets had reacted by whining, barking, licking or some other display.

At the Cancer and Bio-Detection Dogs research centre in Aylesbury, southern England, animal trainers are putting that finding into practice and honing dogs’ innate skills.

The charity has 17 rescue dogs at various stages of training that will be paired up with diabetic owners, many of them children.

“Dogs have been trained to detect certain odours down to parts per trillion, so we are talking tiny, tiny amounts. Their world is really very different to ours,” Chief Executive Claire Guest told Reuters TV.

The centre was started five years ago by orthopaedic surgeon Dr John Hunt, who wanted to investigate curious anecdotes about dogs pestering their owners repeatedly on parts of their body that were later found to be cancerous.

At around the same time, the first hard evidence was being gathered by researchers down the road at Amersham Hospital that dogs could identify bladder cancer from chemicals in urine.

The move into diabetes followed the case of Paul Jackson, who told Guest and her team about his dog Tinker who warns him when his sugar levels get too low and he is in danger of collapsing.

“It’s generally licking my face, panting beside me. It depends how far I have gone before he realises,” Jackson said.

Tinker has now been trained by the Aylesbury centre and is a fully qualified Diabetic Hypo-Alert dog, complete with red jacket to announce himself as a working assistance animal.

The centre is continuing work to perfect dogs’ ability in spotting signs of cancer. But while dog-lover Guest says it would be nice to have a dog in every doctor’s office to screen for disease, ultimately that is not practical.

Instead, she hopes the research will lead to the invention of an electronic nose that will mimic a dog’s.

“At the moment electronic noses are not as advanced as the dogs’, they are about 15 years behind. But the work that we are doing and what we are finding out will help scientists advance quickly so that they can use electronic noses to do the same thing,” she said.

(Additional reporting by Ben Hirschler)

LOS ANGELES (CBS)

A dog made famous for its heroics in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks has succesfully been cloned by BioArts, a California-based company.

Trakr, a German Sheppard rescue dog from Nova Scotia, helped rescue victims at Ground Zero eight years ago. The dog actually pulled the last remaining survivor from the rubble itself, and his owner, James Symington, believes that was merely one example of Trakr’s abilities.

“His heroic work at Ground Zero was just a culmination of his amazing career,” Symington said.

But in 2008, as Trakr aged, he became ravaged by multiple diseases. Symington then saw an advertisement for a contest sponspored by BioArts and decided to submit Trakr’s story to the company. The contest’s prize: cloning one lucky dog free of charge to its owner.

CEO Louis Hawthorne believes Trakr’s past accomplishments made him the winner.

“We expected that the winner would be an exceptional pet,” Hawthorne said. “Maybe he would have rescued Timmy from a well. But we didn’t think it would be anything of the historical significance that Trakr played. That blew us away.”

BioArts originally intended to make one clone of the German Sheppard, but then decided to re-think the process.

“At some point in the process we woke up and said, ‘hey, wait a second. Why stop at one? Let’s make a whole set,’” Hawthorne said.

Scientists extracted DNA from Trakr and inserted it into the cells of surrogates. This meant that, Sunday, Symington came face to face with five genetically identical puppies.

“It was worth the wait,” Symington said.

He added that the meeting was bittersweet, as Trakr passed away two months ago. But Symington is happy the dog’s memory can live on in the five pups, also known as Trustt, Solace, Valor, Prodigy and Deja-Vu.

“Trakr was so much a part of my life, and, you know, he was more than just my partner,” Symington said. “He was my best friend and my lifelong companion. Seeing and having his legacy live on in these puppies is a tremendous gift.”

For centuries, humans have imagined they are the only animals with morals. But humans are not alone in the moral arena, a new breed of behavior experts says.

Natural historian Jake Page said some scientists are acknowledging what pet owners have told their canines all along: “Good dog.”

Dogs are full of natural goodness and have rich emotional lives, said animal behaviorist Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

A dog’s code of ethics is on display daily in parks, backyards and family rooms.

“We’re not trying to elevate animals,” Bekoff said. “We’re not trying to reduce humans. We’re not saying we’re better or worse or the same. We’re saying we’re not alone in having a nuanced moral system.”

Page, author of “Do Dogs Smile?,” said biology no longer dismisses dogs and other animals as “furry automatons” driven by instinct and food.

“People like Bekoff have figured out how to measure these things,” Page said. “It’s a whole new ballgame for studying dog personalities and emotions.”

Bekoff, co-author of “Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals,” spent thousands of hours observing coyotes, wolves and dogs. He analyzed videotapes frame by frame. The work convinced him these animals possess empathy and compassion, the emotions upon which moral sense is built.

While much the same can be said of monkeys, wolves, elephants, dolphins, whales and other social animals, dogs are special cases; they share in human lives, he said.

“Dogs know they are dependent. They learn to read us,” Bekoff said. “Dogs develop this great sense of trust. We’re tightly linked, and there is something spiritual about that unity.”

This intimacy and mutual influence prompted Harvard University to open a Canine Cognition Lab, where researchers attempt to gain insight into the psychology of humans and dogs.

“I’m convinced many animals can distinguish right from wrong,” Bekoff said.

He said looking for the roots of morality in animals is a difficult scientific undertaking. It begins with looking for emotions central to morality, such as empathy: understanding of another’s situation, feelings and motives.

In humans, emotions are centered in specific brain structures and are affected by chemicals called neurotransmitters. Mammals possess the same brain structures, affected by the same chemicals as humans.

“Dogs apparently laugh,” Page said. The same brain structures show the same activity in laughing humans and in dogs that are enjoying themselves. A dog’s laugh is a rhythmic pant.

Play is necessary for healthy brain development in animals and is seen in many mammalian, and some avian, species, Bekoff said.

Play hones cognitive skills and later helps in hunting and mating. And play would not be possible without cooperation and trust.

“Virtue is its own reward,” Bekoff said. “Fairer is fitter.”

To prevent any misunderstanding, a dog will signal to another dog that the imminent jostling, nipping and chasing are “just play” rather than aggression, he said.

The game is initiated with the “play bow.” A dog, wolf or coyote will crouch on its forelimbs while keeping its rear upright.

Any hard-biting cheats find themselves excluded from games.

“Dogs are thinking animals,” Bekoff said. “They seek the outcomes they want. They avoid the ones they don’t. They solve problems. They have expectations. They have hopes.”

Critics skeptical about some research trends in animal thinking, emotion and morality downplay the evidence as often anecdotal and anthropomorphic, that is attributing human motivation or characteristics to animals.

Bekoff countered that thousands of anecdotes equal data. And anthropomorphism, he said, is a misleading label for what is a shared evolutionary history.

Humans and dogs share most of their genes and a great deal of physiology and behavior. Bekoff sees that shared heritage extending into the spiritual realm.

“If we have souls, our animals have souls. If we have free choice, they have it,” Bekoff said. “If we can’t know this for sure, let’s give them the benefit of a doubt.”

Bear Market Can’t Dog Pet Industry’s Numbers: Earning reports are dismal in this recessed economy, but the pet industry seems to be cruising right along. Retailers say purchases are steady, although shifted, and may even climb to record numbers in 2009.

NEW YORK — The economy might be tanking, but experts say the pet industry is not likely to go down the tubes with it — for now, at least.

PetsSmart Inc., of Phoenix, saw sales grow 8.5 percent during 2008, and 2.3 percent during the first quarter of 2009.

PetSmart opened 112 new stores and 45 new PetHotels during 2008, though it was also forced to close eight stores.

While Senior Vice President Chip Molloy noted that the company continues to “remain cautious about the economic climate” and to not anticipate more than “low-single digit sales comps” this year, the company generally expressed an optimistic attitude, given its recent performance.

“Despite the macro-economic pressures, I am proud to announce that PetSmart was still able to deliver on both sales and earnings per share growth for the quarter,” said company chairman Phil Francis last Wednesday in a statement releasing the chain’s 2008 fourth quarter net income as $78.4 million, or $.62 per share.

The results are a $3 million increase from PetSmart’s 2007 fourth quarter net income of $75.4 million, or $.59 per share.

Other pet-focused companies and private store owners are also likely to benefit from the industry’s semi-impervious standing, says Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Products Association.

APPA estimated that in 2009, Americans will spend an approximate $45.4 billion on their pets — a $2.2 billion increase from what pet owners shelled out in 2008.

It released these findings at the Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Fla., an annual pet industry showcase event held from Feb. 12-14.

“I hate to use the word ‘recession proof,’ but the industry has certainly shown resistance in its performance up until this point,” Vetere said.

“People are cutting back on a lot of areas, but are not cutting back on their pets. They are postponing those vacations or downgrading their cars just to make sure that Fido and Fluffy are well taken care of.”

Given the constant influx of negative news on the economy, it can be hard to believe that the pet industry is faring as well as it is, Vetere concedes.

Yet he cites an increasing number of empty-nest baby boomers, in addition to society’s overall humanization of pets, as contributing factors behind the trend.

“Baby boomers have had their children leave home and move on, and they are looking for something else to care for,” Vetere said. “Lo and behold, there’s Spike. He never talks back and doesn’t take the car out late at night, and it’s like, ‘I love you, Spike.’ This is a new child to hover over.”

Especially in stressful times, focusing on pets can make people feel more at ease, Vetere says of why people care about their pets now more than ever before.

“People find animals comforting,” he said. “It’s a very compelling drive right now.”

The hollow sound of an empty piggy bank is perhaps less comforting than a purring cat, or a blissfully snoring dog.

Yet as Rick Hutchens, owner of Whole Earth Pet Supply in Lady Lake, Fla., explains, the two worlds don’t always coincide.

“We don’t get a lot of, ‘Oh I can’t buy treats this week because my stocks went down.’ We just don’t hear that,” he said.

Although customers may not readily disclose information about their stock portfolio in the check-out line, it doesn’t negate the worry of mounting expenses.

After all, pet products aren’t getting any cheaper — pet food prices alone climbed 13.5 percent during the last quarter of 2008, Barclays Capital analyst Michael Lasser reported to Reuters.

While animals still have to eat, rising prices remain troublesome for cash conscientious pet owners, according to Barry Berman, founder of NextPet, a coalition of 480 pet stores across the country.

“Prices of premium pet food have continued to go up and that worked when the economy was confident and strong,” Berman told ZT Pet News. “There is anxiety, though, that customers won’t pay 20 to 30 percent more for the same thing that they did a year ago.

“There is a challenge to hold on to a customer when you are selling a higher priced product in a weaker economy.”

Nevertheless, APPA predicts that in 2009, pet owners will spend the most — a record breaking $17.4 billion — on food. In 2008, people contributed $16.8 billion to feed their pets.

Following food, pet supplies will be at the forefront of pet owners’ minds, APPA forecasts. People are expected to spend $10.2 billion on products this year, a slight increase from last year’s $10 billion.

Vet care takes third place in the projected spending bracket for 2009. Pet owners are expected to fork over $12.2 billion to maintain their animals’ health, as opposed to the $11.1 billion they spent in 2008.

“Food is food,” Vetere explained of pet owners’ reported first priority. “You have to feed your pet and people are becoming increasingly conscious of how they are going to feed their pets. They want them to have the best food.”

“Any human trend, like with organic, green products, you can expect to see that with pets, too. People want their pets to live a healthier and longer life.”

Part of PetSmart’s recent financial success could be attributed to selling higher-priced brands of pet food, said analysts quoted by The Associated Press.

Smaller pet product stores, like Hutchens’, have also found success in marketing higher-priced natural food and health products.

While the natural, organic “concept is fairly new in the area,” Hutchens said, the retirement community of Lady Lake appears to have embraced it. Whole Earth Pet Supply has been open for a little longer a year, and continues to increase its revenue.

“Things have been going great,” Hutchens said. “They really are very good.”

Hutchens operates within an online network of around 900 pet store owners, he says; only a few have complained of crippled sales.

“In most areas, retailers are doing pretty well,” Berman agreed. “We don’t have the exact data, but we talk to the store owners and would say that in most parts of the country dog and cat food and supplies have been strong in the past six months.”

The small animal and fish market, on the other hand, have been “a little bit soft,” Berman said.

Particular areas — like Michigan, Florida and California, for example — appear harder hit, Berman also said.

In Philadelphia, a pet boutique called “In the Dog House,” is now learning the hard way that “cutesy” products are also quickly on their way out the doggy door.

The store has reported the same sales as last year, but as co-owner Jenna Williams says, “there just isn’t the same growth. There isn’t a decline, either.”

Keeping in line with APPA’s findings, In the Dog House has found most success in selling “practical stuff,” according to Williams, like food, treats and toys, versus more frivolous items, like sweaters and T-shirts.

At the same time, In the Dog House continues to retain its clientele, as well as appeal to newcomers.

“Our customers are still increasing,” Williams said. “There are more people coming in. The average amount a customer spends is lower, but the interest hasn’t declined.”

It’s a factor of love, which industry experts hope will continue to see the pet market through the country’s troubled times.