Has anybody read the book, “Stanley and Sophie” by Kate Jennings? I haven’t read it yet, but apparently it is the memoirs of the author’s two terriers, being raised in post-9/11 New York City.
Category Archives: Dog News
Second Chances for Jailbirds and Jail Dogs
Innovative prison program teaches dogs and men
At Wakulla Correctional Institute in Florida, an inmate reaches into his pocket and finds a dog biscuit for Pooh, a Husky-Labrador Retriever-Chow mix. Pooh gobbles the treat too enthusiastically and the inmate pushes him gently and firmly to the floor to calm him. Settled down, Pooh licks his hand.
Not too long ago, things looked bleak for Pooh. He was big and unruly and no one wanted to adopt him. Then Pooh got lucky and became part of a new program, Paws in Prison. Working with “dog whisperer” Jay King, inmates are taught how to train a dog, giving them useful skills and providing pound pooches a second chance.
The dogs move in with the inmates for two months, sleeping in kennels pushed right up against the bunks. King teaches them that it isn’t rocket science to train a dog–to teach them stability you have to be stable. He teaches them to train with kindness and treats, never harshness or punishment.
The end goal is to give the prisoners valuable skills that they can use outside prison (some dream of one day opening their own dog training schools), and to rehabilitate otherwise un-adoptable dogs to help them find forever homes.
Top Ten Tuesday: Least Destructive Dogs
Last week’s Top Ten Tuesday post was about the most destructive dogs, based on a survey of 3,000 customers of UK pet insurance carrier Esure. This week, we bring you the opposite – the breeds found least destructive by the same survey.
Each of these breeds were responsible for less than $2 worth of damage. I’m sorry, but in my humble opinion, any dog who can’t do more than $2 worth of damage can’t really be a dog!
King Charles Spaniel
Border Terrier
Cocker Spaniel
Old English Sheepdog
Highland Terrier
Corgi
Poodle
Pointer
Saint Bernard
Pug
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
We’d do anything for our dogs… well, maybe not murder
In a bizarre story, a man in Australia has been charged with killing his wife–because she wouldn’t let him cuddle the dog!
Anthony Sherna lived in a remote area of Australia with his wife Suzanne and their Jack Russell Terrier Hubble. They had few friends, no nearby neighbors, and they pretty much relied on each other for their social life. He made it a habit to cuddle and rock his dog to sleep at night while he listened to the radio. Until one day last February when his wife started shouting at him for paying too much attention to the dog.
Apparently her shouting upset the dog so much he was shaking badly and couldn’t be comforted for some time (at the best of times, it took 15 minutes to get the JRT to bed). Anthony was so angry that he snapped, grabbed a dressing gown cord and wrapped it around his wife’s neck. As if this story wasn’t strange enough already, Anthony then took Hubble to a pet spa so that he wouldn’t have to confront his wife’s remains!
So the wife is dead, the husband is in custody–but the dog at least is alive and well.
Profits going to the dogs
The Wag, Inc., purveyor of fine leather goods for dogs, recently announced its campaign to raise funds for two dog-related charities: National Service Dogs in Canada and the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation in the US. For every item sold via their internet site, The Wag will donate two dollars to each of the charities.
Dog DNA Scoop
A suburb of Tel Aviv recently announced that it is getting serious about cracking down on those who don’t clean up after their dogs. It seems they will hire people to scoop up any remaining poop, then test its DNA to identify the offenders.
Top Ten Tuesday: Most Destructive Dogs
UK pet insurance provider Esure recently surveyed 3,000 dog owners, finding that up to 66% of pet owners end up filing claims for damage done to their homes by their dogs. The biggest issues were soiled carpets, scratched floors, and chewed door frames, followed closely by clothing and furniture damage.
Owners reported that most damage occured, as you might expect, while their dogs were just puppies, but some have had problems during the whole lifetime of their dogs.
Mars Pet Food Recall
Another batch of tainted dog food. See the below press release from Mars. A complete list of recalled brands is on their website at http://www.petcare.mars.com/.
And thanks to PoetLady for pointing this out!
Dog to take witness stand
Believed to be a world first, a dog named Scooby will appear as a witness in a French murder trial. Scooby is believed to have been with his owner, a 59-year-old woman, when she was found hanging from the ceiling in her Paris apartment. As such, he is the only “witness” to her death, which police believe was a suicide. Her family demanded a murder trial.
Scooby was brought to the witness stand in a preliminary hearing to see how he would react to a suspect, and apparently he barked furiously. It is hoped he will be able to collar whoever committed the crime. But not everyone agrees Scooby’s testimony will be all that useful. One lawyer said “Human evidence is unreliable enough, let alone canine evidence.”
Dogs and Ike
With Hurricane Ike approaching the Gulf Coast, doggies.com presents this guide to animal care during a disaster.
As Texans anticipate Hurricane Ike, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert said every family with pets should have an evacuation plan that includes them.
“Typically for a family, the first thing on their mind would be their kids,” said Dr. Linda Willis-Williams, AgriLife Extension director for Harris County. “But the pet is part of the family as well, so preparation for that pet is critical.”
Willis-Williams said three areas of preparation are essential: identification, supplies and means of transportation. “It’s hard to say exactly what the situation will be like during an evacuation for a disaster, so the key is to have all the pet’s paperwork prepared,” she said.
Continue reading Dogs and Ike