The veterinarian treating Zorro says Lance Mackey's sled dog will make a full recovery from injuries suffered when he was hit by a snowmobile.

But Zorro's racing days are probably over said the vet, Kobi Johnson. Johnson said Monday's MRI and an examination by a neurological specialist at The Animal Emergency Clinic in Tacoma found no need for emergency surgery, according to the Associated Press.

Zorro was flown to Washington Sunday Friday after he was hit on the trail during the All Alaska Sweepstakes race. The 9-year-old faces weeks of recovery for four broken ribs and severe bruising,

To read the AP report, click here.

Meanwhile, the snowmobile operator has taken responsibility for the accident. Mackey issued a plea Saturday for the driver to come forward. That happened Sunday, he said.

Mackey declined to name the individual but said the person was "absolutely devastated by what happened." Mackey said he expects the person to make reparations. He also said alcohol was involved.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Humane Society of Utah is offering a $3,000 reward to whoever turns in the jerk who threw a boxer named "Seven" off an overpass and into interstate highway traffic.

And the Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah has kicked in an additional $5,000.

On Wednesday, drivers reported someone throwing the dog from the overpass above Interstate 15 in Salt Lake City, the Utah Highway Patrol said. A passerby retrieved the dog and took it to a veterinarian.

Seven suffered a broken jaw and internal injuries, and a fund has been established to help with his veterinary bills as well.

The dog, since reunited with its owner, apparently escaped or was lured from his fenced yard.

The Humane Society is urging anyone with information to call the society's cruelty investigator.

For information about the society and how to make a donation, click here.

To read the Salt Lake Tribune's account, click here.

For a video news report, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Lance Mackey's dog Zorro -- injured when the Iditarod champion's sled was rear-ended by a snowmobile during the All Alaska Sweepstakes race -- was flown from Anchorage to Seattle on Sunday for a test on his spine.

There, the dog, unable to walk or stand up, was to see a specialist and get an MRI.

Tonya Mackey, Lance's wife, said there was a 50-50 chance that the dog will never walk again.

Mackey was in third place around midnight Friday and closing in on the finish line when two snowmobiles came up fast behind his team, according to the Associated Press. Mackey said he shone his headlamp right in the face of the snowmobiler, but he kept coming.

Mackey jumped to the side. He found his sled 30 feet up the trail. The snowmobiles' runners had impaled his sled bag, where he was carrying Zorro. Several dogs received less serious injuries.

Mackey finished third in the 408-mile All Alaska Sweepstakes, and didn't discover the nine-year-old dog was injured until the race was over.

Mackey is the only musher to record back-to-back wins in the 1,100-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race and the 1,150-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.  Zorro is his foundation stud dog. According to Lance Mackey's web site, the dog has three broken ribs, internal bleeding and spinal injuries and "is not able to stand or use his back legs."

You can read a full Associated Press account here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

With potential $2,000 fines for bringing your dog on the beach and out and out battles in city parks between those who own dogs and those who don’t, Vancouver, B.C., has never been considered one of your most dog-friendly towns.

But a Vancouver developer has gone to a lot of trouble, and spent a lot of money, to improve that reputation.

A company called Amacon is building what it says is Canada's first condo dog run in its new downtown development, the Beasley Residences – a 2,000 square-foot, mulch-lined dog run on the eight floor of the 33-story condo complex.

The landscaped dog run at the $150-million complex will include benches for owners, a waste receptacle, a dog wash and grooming station, the Globe and Mail reports.

The idea came from an elementary-school principal who says it took him a year to find a downtown condo that would meet his needs as well as those of Buddy and Dixie, his Boston terriers. He passed his idea on to a friend who was the sales and marketing manager for Amacon, the newspaper reports, and the “wooftop deck” was born.

“More and more, people seem to have dogs - yet developers are never really catering to the dogs that mean so much to so many people," marketing director Nic Jensen told the newspaper. To see the full story, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Nothing -- not even a treat -- gets Ace as excited as a kitty cat, but most of those he has met have been behind glass.

Today, as we walked down Light Street in Federal Hill -- after a stop for lunch, a visit to the new Doggie Style pet boutique, and some shopping at the hardware store (also dog-friendly) that bears his name, Ace encountered this friendly feline, perched atop a giant cushion in the window of a home.

Usually, upon spotting a cat in a window, Ace will jump up and lean on the rowhouse it's in for a better look, upon which most cats either arch their backs and hiss, or run off.

This one, though, was at street level, and the cat was up for some play. It pawed the window, rolled over and stretched languorously on its cushion -- not the least bit frightened by the big dog head looking in.

Maybe it was high on catnip, mellowed out on sunshine, or groggy from listening to too much classical music -- or perhaps just bored with that non-moving, gold-crown-wearing black frog that shares the window.

But this I know for sure. Every time Ace passes that window from now on, whether there is a cat in it or not, he's going to get excited and look for it. He never forgets a window.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

We begin today -- a lazy Sunday -- with a selection from Brahms, Intermezzo in E.

Click here to let it load, minimize your music player, call your dog into the room (if he’s not already there, staring at you, like mine is) and then continue reading.

Are we a full service multimedia outlet here at Mutts, or what?

What you and the dog are listening to is from Through a Dog's Ear: Using Sound to Improve the Health & Behavior of Your Canine Companion (Sounds True, $18.95), a book and starter CD that offers sounds to soothe and please your pooch – even though they might put you to sleep.

Judging from the samples on throughadogsear.com, nine out of 10 dogs must prefer classical music – specifically, that with a slow, steady, simple beat. This Brahms number was the liveliest of those sampled on the web site.

Veterinary neurologist Susan Wagner, who co-wrote the book with Joshua Leeds, an expert in psychoacoustics, contends the world is getting too loud and chaotic for dogs (and likely many people as well), what with leaf blowers, blaring TVs and cell phones – and they say that could be leading to an increase in canine physical and psychological problems.

As Newsday columnist Denise Flaim reports here, the authors say "intentional" music – generally slow tempo classical solos – can benefit them by causing heart rates to drop, brain waves to calm and stress levels to plummet.

Flaim also discusses a 2002 study by animal behaviorist Deborah Wells that found dogs in animal shelters exposed to classical music spent more time resting than any other group and barked less. Heavy metal, meanwhile, agitated the dogs. Human voices and pop music had no effect at all – because they are so common.

Wagner says clinical trials showed that 70 percent of dogs in kennels and 85 percent of those in households exposed to such modified music showed reduced stress behavior, including thunderstorm trembling, excitement with visitors and separation anxiety.

How big a role individual tastes might play hasn’t been researched (and to me, blanket statements on what music dogs will like seem a little presumptuous).

My dog Ace, for instance, is partial to Alison Krauss and Emmylou Harris, but he also likes the more rough-around-the-edges sound of Wilco, including the theme song to his movie, available here ("What Light" is used in the closing montage, at the end of part 7.)

How about your dog? What are his or her musical tastes? Send us a comment and let us know.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

A veteran race dog on the team of Iditarod champion Lance Mackey was seriously injured in the All-Alaska Sweepstakes when a snowmobile ran into Mackey’s team Friday.

After the race, Mackey broke down in tears Saturday telling how his dog, Zorro, was injured as the animal rode in the sled's basket.

Mackey was in third place in the Sweepstakes – which carries the riches prize in Alaska sled dog racing -- when two snowmobiles came up from behind around midnight Friday just 20 miles from the finish line.

By midday Saturday, Zorro was on a commercial flight to Pet Emergency, a veterinarian facility in Anchorage, for medical treatment. Zorro had broken ribs and perhaps internal injuries.

"If he lives, I don't think he is going to want to race to Nome again," Mackey said. Several other dogs had injuries, but they were not life threatening, Mackey said.

The 9-year-old injured dog was a star in the teams that won Alaska's two major long-distance races the last two years. Last year, Zorro became ill at White Mountain near the end of the Iditarod and did not get to finish the race.

Zorro is also the kennel's stud dog. If he dies, Mackey said, his future in sled dog racing is uncertain.

Mitch Seavey, of Seward, won the 408 race from Nome to tiny Candle and claimed the $100,000 top prize.

To read the Associated Press coverage, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

A rattlesnake rancher named Bayou Bob got locked up last week for selling rattlesnake vodka.

But it wasn't the rattler in each bottle that caused the problem.

Bayou Bob Popplewell, 63, surrendered to authorities Monday and spent ten minutes in jail after the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission accused him of selling alcohol without a license and possessing alcohol with intent to sell. If convicted, he faces up to a year in jail and $1,000 in fines.

Bayou Bob has raised rattlesnakes and turtles at Bayou Bob's Brazos River Rattlesnake Ranch for more than two decades in Santo, about 60 miles west of Fort Worth.

Recently he started marketing vodka with a rattlesnake inside as an "ancient Asian elixir," a "healing tonic," in his words, an "almost spiritual thing." He said he has customers of Asian descent who believe the concoction has medicinal properties.

Popplewell, 63, said he uses the cheapest vodka he can find as a preservative for the snakes. The end result is a super sweet mixed drink that Popplewell compared to cough syrup. Investigators confiscated 429 bottles of snake vodka and one bottle of snake tequila. 

For the Associated Press story, click here.

(Photo by Associated Press)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is free – the normal park entrance fee will be waived for those attending the event.

The day will include raffles, veterinary services including rabies vaccinations, heartworm checks, micro-chipping and nail clipping; pet portraits, vendors, rescue organizations, games and food. Best of all, it takes place just a short walk from the dog beach at Quiet Waters.

All proceeds benefit MAGDRL, a nonprofit organization that was organized in 1979 to provide rescue and care for abandoned, neglected and abused Great Danes and Great Dane mixes.

You can get more information about the event and the organization here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

We knew our reporting on "Huggable Urns" reminded us of something.

So we ventured into the dusty vault of old John stories and found the one that was trying to resurface -- in my mind if nowhere else.

It's from 2003, and is about a woman named Laraine Harford, who had finally found the Tasmanian Devil cookie jar she had been searching for -- with the intention of spending eternity inside of it.

It was Harford -- an offbeat sort, much like Alexandra Lachini, the maker of huggable urns and seeker of Oprah we reported on yesterday -- who asked one of my favorite questions, and one I think about often: "What is normal, anyway?"

Originally printed in The Sun Nov. 10, 2003, under the headline "That's All, Folks," it began this way:

When the Tasmanian Devil arrived, the first thing Laraine Harford did was carry him to the kitchen. She gingerly removed the cartoon character cookie jar from its box, pulled off his head and began carefully pouring tap water inside, one measuring cup at a time.

At 20 cups, she stopped. Big enough, she thought. She smiled with satisfaction. Her two-year quest was over. Harford poured the water out, let Taz air dry and put him back in his carton. She swathed that with bubble wrap, placed the bundle in a clear plastic bin filled with chunks of shipping foam and snapped the top firmly in place, sliding the bin under the table that holds her African violets.

There, she hopes it will stay, unused, for a good long time. For Taz - the relentless Looney Tunes character that consumed everything in his path - is no simple souvenir to Harford, no collectible to be sold at a profit later, no kitschy container in which to keep her cookies.

Taz is her final resting place.

Read the whole story here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

(Photos courtesy of huggableurns.com)

It was not the first thing the ashes of her dead father told her to do -- the first thing they said was, "Get me out of the closet" -- but during the extended conversation Alexandra Lachini says she had with her father's cremains, he at one point asked her to throw him off the balcony.

So she did.

Her father's cremated remains were in a plastic pouch at the time, which she hurled off the balcony to the pavement below. It was all his idea, she says -- he wanted to make sure it was a sturdy bag -- and she was carrying out his post-mortem wishes.

This was about midway into the creation of what would become Hold Me Urns Inc., makers of Huggable Urns, the company Lachini started on the advice of her dead father that makes pillows and stuffed animals in which the cremated remains of humans and pets can be stored and cuddled for eternity.

Lachini, as we reported yesterday, made a huggable urn for Oprah after her dog Gracie died last year -- and is still trying to get the media mogul and talk show host to accept it. Her efforts intensified after she read of the more recent death of Oprah's dog Sophie.

Lachini started the project after her father passed away in 1998. She spent the last two months of his life by his bedside. After he died, Lachini said, her father started to communicate with her. The first thing he said was, "Get me out of the closet."

On her next visit to her mother's house, Lachini asked the whereabouts of her father's ashes -- given to the family after his death in an "ugly plastic container." Sure enough, they were in a basement closet.

"He didn't like that," Lachini said. "He told me to take the ashes home with me, and for the following year, he taught me all about the energy of the ashes. He had me put my hands in the ashes. He had me take out eight little pieces of bone that didn't get fully crushed and carry them with me. Then he had me put the ashes in my purse. 'Carry me around,' he said, 'take me with you.'"

She thought she was helping him, but she was also helping herself. "It really helps with the initial shock. In that situation, you need something to hold. It's like when your boyfriend breaks up with you and you go and grab his old shirt and wear it around. Babies grab their little blanket. It's a natural instinct for us."

Now, Lachini is selling the concept on the Internet -- stuffed animals with zip-up backs and, inside, sealable plastic pouches inside in which you can store the ashes of a husband, wife, father, mother, cat or dog.

She eventually returned her fathers remains to her mother (at his request), and they are now kept sometimes in a stuffed bear, sometimes in a specially made pillow. Her mother, she said, "slept with them, and held them," and her Dad told her, 'See how your mom is healing?'"

Lachini, 54, who lives in Redding, Calif., says most of her orders have been from people who want to keep their pets' remains in a cuddly toy. She's filling one now for a woman in Japan, who wants two stuffed animals in which to hold her deceased husband's ashes -- one for each of her daughters.

She has high hopes for the company, though she knows some view the idea as creepy. It's nothing of the sort, she says. In fact, it's almost "normal" -- a way to ensure that the person who, in life, you just wanted to hug to death can also be hugged afterwards.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

For months now, Alexandra Lachini has been trying to reach Oprah Winfrey to pass on a gift she made for the talk show host after the death of her golden retriever Gracie last summer.

It's a "huggable urn," a stuffed animal with a zipper in the back and sealable plastic pouch inside in which the cremated remains of a pet or person can be kept and cuddled.

Lachini and friends made the "urn" and accompanying memorial quilt after Oprah's dog died last May after choking to death on a small ball.

Last week, Oprah lost another dog, her cocker spaniel Sophie, who died of kidney failure.

That's made Lachini, who sells the stuffed animal urns online, all the more determined to get the gift to the media mogul.

She left a comment on our original report, and called me to find out how to reach Oprah. I told her Oprah and I weren't that close, but I would put something on the blog in hopes that the message would get through.

Lachini got the idea for huggable urns after her father communicated with her from the dead -- but that's another story, and we'll tell it tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Oprah, if you see this, call Alexandra, or at least email her at contact@huggableurns.com. 

(Photo courtesy of huggableurns.com)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The Costa Mesa City Council in Orange County, Calif., has taken a piece of parkland designated for additional tennis courts and directed that it instead be used to expand TeWinkle Park's "large dog" area.

First off, we say a big paws up to the council.

Second off, we say ... TeWinkle Park?

TeWinkle, it turns out, is the only park in Costa Mesa where dogs can play, socialize and, well, TeWinkle while off the leash.

That the "Bark Park" there, with its big dog area and its little dog area (also to be expanded, the council decided) could prevail over tennis in health-conscious sunny southern California, is another sign that, across America, dogs are coming a little closer to getting their day.

The council voted unanimously to direct the Parks and Recreation Commission to consider changes to the TeWinkle Park Master Plan, a change necessitated by the rapid growth of the dog park, which easily draws 1,000 people on a weekend day. 

TeWinkle Park, by the way, is named after Charles W. TeWinkle, Costa Mesa's first mayor.

To read the story in the Costa Mesa Daily Pilot, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Some of Maryland’s animal shelter’s euthanize animals without first anesthetizing them – all because of a loophole in state law.

A bill providing shelters access to anesthetic drugs was approved by the House of Delegates last week, and the Humane Society of the United States is urging the Senate to quickly approve the measure before the legislative session ends April 7.

Introduced by Del. Jon Cardin, the bill would close a loophole in state law that denies Maryland animal shelters the ability to sedate animals before they are euthanized.

Current Maryland law grants permits to animal shelters to obtain, possess and administer the drug used to euthanize animals. However, the law does not authorize shelters to obtain the anesthetic drugs needed prior to euthanizing certain animals, such as those who are dangerous or loose in the field, according to HSUS.

Until 2006, the Drug Enforcement Administration granted licenses to shelters to use sedating drugs, but when it learned a state law prohibited it, it rescinded those licenses. That left Maryland shelters with no choice but to euthanize some animals without first anesthetizing them, HSUS says, leading to horrific accounts of animal suffering and risks to shelter staff and public safety.

"It's a shame that we live in a world where adoptable animals are euthanized, but it's absolutely unconscionable that a legal technicality means shelters in Maryland can't do so humanely and safely," said Del. Cardin. "This is a common sense and common decency measure and I hope my colleagues in the Senate move as swiftly as the House of Delegates in approving it."

Posted by John Woestendiek at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

In a stunning reversal of more than 100 years of formality, pomposity and being generally uptight, the American Kennel Club announced yesterday that it will allow owners to rename their dogs -- under certain conditions.

This opens the door for a dog with a show name of something like "Ch Farnsworthy's Fabulous Felicia of Framington" to be renamed, and compete under, something like ... Max, or Bud, or Biff, or Scrappy.

Imagine the horror of dog show purists when a highly coiffed poodle trots down the runway at the next Westminster dog show -- announced not under her former fancy five word name, but instead as "Daisy," or "Fat Ethel," or "Miss Booty."

The change in AKC rules allows owners of AKC registered dogs to change the official name of their pet provided the pet was born in the U.S., has never been bred, and has not won any awards at an AKC event.

“We have a lot of interest from AKC registered dog owners looking to rename their dogs,” said David Roberts, AKC’s Assistant Vice President of Registration. “In most cases, the dog is a beloved pet and the owner would like to pick a name that has special value to them."

Any name change must comply with all AKC requirements, and it costs owners $25.

The American Kennel Club -- though we sometimes make fun of it here for its adherence to "purity" and "standards" when all dogs are actually mutts and resulted from mixing breeds -- has many excellent programs that do good things for dogs.

A non-profit organization, it was founded in 1884, maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States. The AKC, according to its mission statement, is dedicated to upholding the "integrity of its registry," promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for "type and function" (as opposed to the fun of it.)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Oprah Winfrey’s cocker spaniel, Sophie, has died of kidney failure. She was 13.

"Everyone here is really sad," a spokesperson for Harpo Productions told Celebrity Dog Watcher. "Sophie was truly part of the Harpo family as well as Oprah's."

Winfrey had talked about Sophie's illness in the December issue of ”O” magazine, revealing she and her boyfriend Stedman Graham were "preparing for the inevitable."

The couple has another cocker spaniel named Solomon. Their golden retriever, Gracie, died less than a year ago, when she choked to death on a small ball last May.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
        

Attendance has picked up at a Zen Buddhist temple in southern Japan since Conan, a chihuahua belonging to the priest, has taken to joining him in prayer.

Mimicking his master, priest Joei Yoshikuni, the 1 1/2-year-old black-and-white Chihuahua joins in the daily prayers at Shuri Kannondo temple in Naha, sitting up on his hind legs and putting his front paws together before the altar, according to an Associated Press story you can read here.

"I think he saw me doing it all the time and got the idea to do it, too," Yoshikuni said.

It took Conan only a few days to learn the motions, and now he is the talk of the town.

"Word has spread, and we are getting a lot more tourists," Yoshikuni said Monday.

Yoshikuni said Conan generally goes through his prayer routine at the before his morning and evening meals.

(AP Photo by Itsuo Inouye)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Trying to stop Iditarod dog deaths -- as opposed to trying to stop the Iditarod -- is the work of Dr. Randall J. Basaraba, the lead author of a study published last month that offers the first detailed analysis of the 23 dog deaths in the race from 1994 to 2006.

The study, published in The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, found that 23 dogs died in the race in that period, an average of 1.77 dogs per race.

Three dogs died in Alaska this year during the taxing 1,100-mile journey from Anchorage to Nome  --  a 3-year-old female named Lorne, who was struck by a snowmobile; another who succumbed to symptoms of pneumonia and a third still being investigated.

Three dogs died last year as well.

Despite that, Basaraba and others -- according to this story in the New York times -- say that their research has improved mortality rates, especially considering the increasing number of entrants. This year, a record 96 teams of 16 dogs started the race.

(AP Photo by Al Grillo)

“I’m very confident in the system that has been put in to place to assure the animals get the best care that is possible,” said Basaraba an associate professor of pathology at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “I have no reservations about the integrity of the race.”

Unlike in the early days of the Iditarod, when few records were kept and dogs died more often, researchers are bringing a new level of transparency and scrutiny to the way the 40- to 45-pound huskies function — and sometimes fail, according to the New York Times article.

At least one dog has died every year since the first Iditarod, in 1973, the article says. Animal-rights groups denounce the race, which requires dogs to pull sleds weighing 250 pounds or more across mountain passes, frozen lakes and tundra in biting winds and temperatures that can dip below minus 50, a journey that can take 9 to 18 days.

“The death toll continues to mount,” Lisa Wathne, a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, told the Times. “This is a grueling event that is cruel and inappropriate to the dogs, who obviously don’t have a choice in the matter.”

Wayne Pacelle, the president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, said his organization used to send people to monitor the race but had not focused on it as much in recent years.

In addition to deaths in the race, Pacelle said he is concerned about culling and overbreeding ... The number of animals dying in the race is dwarfed, I’m sure, by the number of animals that may be shunted aside in one way or another."

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Here’s one more good reason NOT to dock your dog’s tail: It might make them more aggressive, according to scientists at the University of Victoria in Vancouver, Canada.

The scientists used a lifelike robotic dog with a motorized rear end and detachable tails – one short, one long -- to observe how 492 real dogs reacted to it, according to the European science journal Behaviour.

They discovered dogs approach a dog with a docked tail more cautiously than one with a full wagging tail – not surprising since the tail is one of a dog’s main tools for communicating – and that, said University of Victoria biologist Tom Reimchen, could make a dog with a docked tail more aggressive.

"Think of it this way," he said in an interview with the Times Colonist in Vancouver (Read the full story here.) "What type of teenager would you get if everyone approached him saying, 'I don't trust you'? What type of personality would emerge from that? It could be the same in dogs."

Because it’s traditional, and a kennel club standard, breeders of Dobermans, Rottweilers, Weimaraners and other breeds often cut off a dogs tail when it is a few days old. The scientists say the cosmetic surgery may affect the rest of the dog’s life.

"Our research does show a possible connection between losing that signal and losing the ability to communicate with a potential increase in aggression," the scientists said. A dog that lacks the ability to express its intentions with its tail may have to resort to other methods, such as growling, lunging or even biting. On top of that, they said, a dog treated as if it were something to beware of, may become a dog to beware of.

(Perhaps the Canadian research also helps explain the behavior of a certain president, one country to the south.) 

Britain, several European nations and Australia have banned or limited tail docking and ear cropping. In the U.S., a handful of states have considered such legislation.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Pudgie, the Shih-Tzu who Baltimore Sun columnist Kevin Cowherd loved to grumble about -- from the cost of his vet bills, to his gourmet (i.e. expensive) tastes -- died last week.

He was 16.

Cowherd estimates he'd written about Pudgie about once a year in his column since the family got him to help son Sean overcome a fear of animals.

Pudgie succeeded at that, and much more -- even though Cowherd's references to the dog over the years were cloaked in crustiness. Most often, Pudgie appeared in columns about the lengths humans go to to keep their animals happy.

"The truth was," Cowherd writes in today's paper, "everyone in the family loved the little guy, and I would have happily pulled out the VISA card every time he sneezed or eyed a can of top-shelf chow if it gave him more time on this earth." To read Cowherd's full column, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It is known not as Fido, but as "The Most Advanced Quadruped Robot on Earth," or "BigDog," for short, and in this video by its creator, Boston Dynamics, the dog-like, gasoline-powered, Pentagon-funded robot shows just what it can do.

BigDog walks, runs, climbs on rough terrain and carries heavy loads.

It also whines annoyingly, a result of the gasoline engine that drives a hydraulic actuation system. My only other criticism: It really needs a head -- maybe something resembling Dick Cheney -- to make it a little more endearing.

BigDog's legs are articulated like an animal’s, and have compliant elements that absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to the next. BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule, and weighs 235 pounds.

An on-board computer controls locomotion, and a variety of sensors keep it balanced, steer, navigate, and regulate energetics as conditions vary.

It has trotted at 3.3 mph, climbed a 35-degree slope, carried a 120-pound load and easily traverses snow, ice and rocks.

Boston Dynamics, an MIT spinoff, received $10 million in funding from the Pentagon to produce the robot.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Marine Maj. Brian Dennis returned from Iraq Saturday and was reunited with Nubs, the street mutt he and his fellow soldiers rescued and, with help from friends and family, had shipped back to the United States.

The two-year-old dog greeted Dennis at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station Saturday.

It was the first time the two were together since Dennis' family and close friends helped raise $3,500 to fly the dog to San Diego about a month ago.

Dennis, 36, of St. Pete Beach, Fla., had spotted the mongrel dog while on patrol in Anbar province and later nursed the animal back to health after finding him stabbed with a screwdriver.

He named the dog Nubs after learning someone cut the ears off believing it would make the dog more aggressive and alert.

For a full account of the reunion, with video, check out the San Diego Tribune's report here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Every year, the American Kennel Club honors five of America's top dogs for their achievements in the areas of companionship, search and rescue, law enforcement, therapy and service.

The winners of the Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE) are chosen from nominations made by the public.

Last year's winners included Rumor, a 4-year-old Rottweiler adopted by a teenager who had been raised in foster homes in San Francisco -- leading to a relationship in which both flourished.

And Penni, a 10-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi who spends her time comforting others as a therapy dog at local nursing homes, hospitals and a school for the deaf.

And Holly, a Shetland Sheepdog in Utah who grew up a sickly pup, nurtured by a 14-year-old girl. Three years later, when the girl was diagnosed with epilepsy, the family found Holly had the ability to predict seizures, helping her get to a safe place before one happened.

And Ranger, a Labrador Retriever who works as a search and rescue dog for the Shreveport, La., Fire Department and searched 2,800 collapsed homes after Hurricane Katrina.

A fifth ACE went to the members of the Baton Rouge Police Department's K9 Division (Ace, Bandit, Buster, Jake, Philos, Relic, Rosco, Rowdy, Stone, Zain), who helped keep order in Baton Rouge when its population, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, doubled overnight.

To see all winners and complete descriptions of their achievements click here.

The AKC is now accepting nominations for the 2008 awards. Each of the five honorees receives a cash award of $1,000, an engraved sterling-silver collar medallion and an all-expenses-paid trip for dog and owner to Long Beach, Calif., to be honored at the seventh annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in December 2008. Submissions must include a non-returnable, original photograph of the dog, a 500-word-or-less description of how the dog has demonstrated excellence, and the dogs name, breed and sex.

There is one more rule -- and, of course, we at Mutts don't think much of it: To be considered, dogs must be an AKC recognized breed.

(Photos courtesy of American Kennel Club)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In case you're confused -- and that would be understandable, at this point -- Mount Vernon Place is open to the public this weekend.

The most recent news story is here.

So walk the dog -- and appreciate your golden opportunity. Enjoy spring. Happy Easter.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Halifax Humane Society in Florida called a DeLand couple last week and told them their lost dog, Charlie, had been found – after seven years.

Paula Davidson and Tim Olson said they were shocked but grateful to receive the call about the golden retriever who jumped a backyard fence and disappeared in 2001.

They credited the microchip they had implanted in Charlie 14 years ago.

Olson got Charlie in 1994 while he was working as a professor at Dartmouth College, and he grew up in the math department there before Olson moved to Florida.

Charlie was picked up as a stray in Daytona Beach, according to humane society officials, who said they were happy to be able to arrange the reunion.

The couple thinks Charlie probably lived with an adoptive owner after he ran off.

In his prime when he left, Charlie, now 14, returned as an old man -- blind and deaf, but still spry, his owners report. To read the full story, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

You can call it sweet, or you can call it creepy, and you can definitely call it frugal -- a couple in England have had his and hers sweaters knitted out of the hair of their dogs.

To Beth and Brian Willis, of Newcastle, it ensures that -- though their pets are long gone -- they will always be close to them, not to mention staying warm and dry.

The first jumper was knitted in 1990 by Mrs. Willis, 71, using shed hair from Kara, the couple's white Samoyed, who was still alive at the time. Kara died 12 years ago, but the sweater made from her hair is still going strong, reports Mrs. Willis, 71.

Mr. Willis, 73, wears a sweater fashioned from the sheddings of their next dog, a Swedish Lapphund called Penny who died six years ago, every Saturday when he goes into town for shopping.

"I've always got a sweat on by the time I get from the bus to the shops," he says.

To see the couple in their doggy jumpers (that's British for sweater), and read the Daily Mail article, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

It was another tough day on the golden fence beat.

First, the art student and his school decide, in the face of mounting public criticism, to open up the fence/artwork that effectively closed off access to Mount Vernon Place.

Then, as he is in the process of doing so -- removing one section of fence from that surrounding each of the park's four squares -- the artist, Lee B. Freeman, gets spit on by a critic of his chain link expression.

To top it off, high winds that pushed through the city Thursday afternoon threaten to blow down the fencing that remains -- apparently it was weakened by the removal of the sections -- and Freeman and officials of the Maryland Institute College of Art decide, for safety reasons, to seal the park back up.

After a couple of hours of being opened, the park was closed again. You can read the story here.

School officials said they expected the fence to be opened again today.

(Photo by Chiaki Kawajiri/Baltimore Sun)

The first person I bumped into when I arrived at the park Thursday was Matt Fisher, the professional dog walker we interviewed earlier by phone about the difficulties that closing of the park posed for dog owners and dog walkers.

Matt was on duty, walking a French mastiff named Boris, but -- even though the fence was opened by then -- he said he decided not to enter.

"I feel like I shouldn't go into the park until the fence comes down," he said. "It defeats the whole purpose of the project. As annoying as it is to be locked out of the park, if I go in now I won't really get the full experience the artist intends, and I'll never know whether or not it's good art."

My favorite comment of the day came from Jann Rosen-Queralt, one of two MICA professors whose classes are involved in the project. She was at the site with students, supervising the installation of another of the 10 pieces that will eventually make up the continuing exhibit. (Though the fence is scheduled to come down on March 29, the exhibit continues until late May.)

Asked by reporters where they might find Freeman, she suggested that they not bother the artist right yet, as he was taking some time to reflect and gather his thoughts on all that had happened since his artwork went up, sealing the park off from the public.

"I think right now we need to give Lee some space," she said.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

This just in: The golden fence that has blocked off access to Mount Vernon Place as part of an art exhibit will be opened this afternoon.

A Maryland Institute College of Art official confirmed the opening today, saying all four squares that are now inaccessible will be unlocked by the artist Lee B. Freeman, who would also be issuing a statement.

Stay tuned.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Bodhi, the yellow lab that for more than a decade greeted visitors to western Maryland's Savage River Lodge, passed away Monday.

We wrote about Bodhi here earlier this month, in honor of his 13th birthday.

"He has slowed down due to arthritis in the legs, but his spirit is still bright and he's otherwise in good health," Jan Russell, who owns and operates the lodge with her husband Mike Dreisbach, told us then.

A peaceful and friendly creature, Bodhi gained fame as a "lodge dog," with his own line of beer, dog biscuits, human candy, business cards and a calendar.

Last year, he was the subject of a book by Maryland photographer Middleton Evans, published by Ravenwood Press.

Bodhi's name came from the Buddhist term for "enlightened being."

Posted by John Woestendiek at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Lots of people feel pulled to Mount Vernon Place.

The park is a National Historic Landmark District, one of the few grassy spots in downtown Baltimore that remains almost like it was 200 years ago. For young city-dwelling parents, it's a place to get some fresh air with their child. For downtown workers, it's a place to enjoy a quiet lunch. For newlyweds, it's a perfect setting for the after-wedding photographs. For homeless people it's a place to hang out -- at least until dusk, when police regularly roust them.

But, as Matt Fisher can attest, you haven't been pulled to Mount Vernon Place until you've been pulled there by a Basset Hound.

(Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum)

Matt, a professional dog walker for Walk the Dog Baltimore, leashed up his first Mount Vernon client of the day Monday (a Basset named Buddy) and -- as is the routine -- was pulled to the park by a dog eager to do his business.

When they arrived, the stared for a while at the gold chain link fence that has sealed off the park, then went looking elsewhere for a place for Buddy's constitutional, settling on a nearby tree well.

"Dogs really like their routine," Matt said. "They like going in the same spot every day. Everybody has their comfort zone."

It was until he got home and got on the computer that Matt learned the fence that obstructed them was a work of art -- part one of an exhibit sponsored by the Maryland Institute College of Art and the Walters Art Museum called "Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square." The exhibit will continue to late May, though the fence will remain up only through March 29.

(City council member William H. Cole IV has asked the city Department of Recreation and Parks, which approved the project, to open up one of the four squares that make up Mount Vernon Place.)

Without access to the park, dog waste is more likely to end up in tree wells and sidewalks, Matt said, where some owners may be less likely to pick it up than they are at the park. (Some residents have even suggested that dog owners might be foregoing picking up their dogs' waste as a protest against the fence.)

Mount Vernon Place has long served as a de facto dog park -- a place where dogs and their owners meet and socialize. And, though there are a few other grassy spots nearby -- click here for the options -- "it's pretty much the only place to go," said Matt, who walks about 20 dogs a day, half of them in Mount Vernon.

Baltimore has only one official dog park, the Canton Dog Park, where dogs can roam off leash. A group in Locust Point is trying to start a second one -- in Latrobe Park.

Dog owners, as the Sun's story today points out, have been among the most vocal critics of the fence, one point of which artist Lee Freeman says is to increase public appreciation for the park.

Dog owners and many other residents say they appreciated it just fine before he came along.

It's a controversy that's going to continue -- and here's my advice for the doggie crowd (of which, though I reside in another neighborhood, I'm a member). Make your point civilly. Be a good citizen and pick up your dog's waste. Don't act like you own the world.

Leave that to the artists.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Keeping dogs  as pets -- as opposed to eating them for dinner -- is catching on in China.

Even though Beijing still has more than 120 restaurants serving dog meat, recent media reports say that many are closing as the city tries to change its image before it hosts the Olympic Games in August.

(Photo by Associated Press)

Meanwhile, spending on pet food and pet care in China is expected to climb 15 percent this year, and the old belief that pets are a bourgeois indulgence held during the rule of Mao Zedong no longer has currency in the booming economy of the world's most populous country, Reuters reports.

That's the good news. The bad news is that, among the affluent in China dogs are increasingly becoming fashion items, outfitted in designer clothing, or, as shown in the AP photo above, being dyed unnatural colors.

"In Beijing, there's a huge market with pitiful dogs waiting in cages to be sold as meat, and literally a few yards away standard poodles dyed in all colors of the rainbow," Jill Robinson, CEO of Animals Asia Foundation, a Hong-Kong based animal welfare charity, told Reuters.

There were nearly 11 billion pets in China in 2007, according to Euromonitor International, up from 10.8 billion in 2006, but the bulk of those are birds, fish and reptiles. China estimates it has 150 million pet dogs.

But experts say the industry's potential in China is enormous as incomes rise and more of the country's  "DINK" couples - double income, no kids - see pets as less needy child-substitutes while they balance careers with family life.

To see the full Reuters report, click here.  

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Sgt. Bill Campbell returned from Iraq with some horrifying memories -- so horrifying that he was unable to leave his house.

Campbell says his post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms -- anxiety, depression, nightmares, hallucinations, memory loss and exaggerated startle response -- made everyday life virtually unbearable, until he met Pax, a 17-month-old yellow Labrador, specially trained to help him cope with PTSD.

(AP Photo/Dave Delozier KUSA TV)

Pax does everything from reminding him to take his medication to coaxing him out of his house. "Pax forces me to go out," Campbell told ABCNEWS.com. "He has to go for walks."

Pax was donated to Campbell by the New York-based nonprofit organization Puppies Behind Bars, which has provided service dogs to individuals with disabilities since 1997, but just recently expanded their program to include war veterans.

Campbell, 46, returned in 2005 from from Iraq, where he had been hit with shrapnel in his hand and head, causing nerve damage and traumatic brain injury.

Pax is the first dog to be deployed by Puppies Behind Bar's new initiative "Dog Tags: Service Dogs for Those Who've Served Us." He knows more than 50 different commands. He warns Campbell of strangers or possible dangers, clears crowded areas and provides a reality check when Campbell gets lost in hallucinations or nightmares.

To read the ABC report, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

An Arizona animal shelter that rescued hundreds of Chihuahuas from a filthy mobile home last week says nearly all have been adopted.

Nearly 800 small dogs, mostly Chihuahuas, and 36 parrots were found in a large mobile home northwest of Tucson. All that were old enough and healthy enough to leave the shelter were adopted by Monday, the Associated Press reported.

Hundreds of people showed up at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona last Thursday after news reports about the case in hopes of adopting the dogs, and -- after some shoving matches -- the sheriff's department was called in to clear the crowd out, spokeswoman Jenny Rose said.

The shelter reopened the next day, and 500 people lined up to get the dogs, which included terriers, Pomeranians, Chinese cresteds and Lhasa apsos. Rose said calls came in from Germany, Australia and across the nation.

The hoarded animals belonged to an elderly couple who felt no one else could give them a good home. No charges have been filed against the couple. Some of the animals were missing paws — either from having been attacked by animals or getting caught in fencing outside, Rose said. To read the full Associated Press account, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In the name of art -- specifically, a 22-year-old MICA student's class project -- Mount Vernon Place has been surrounded with a gold chain link fence that prohibits public access to the park, and will until March 29.

It's inconvenient -- if not unsightly -- for residents, subtracts one more place from the list where homeless people can hang out, and, worst of all, leaves Mount Vernon's dogs with no place to go, in both meanings of the word.

Here's what I saw yesterday on my way home from work: A man and his boxer approach the park. The dog walks right up to the fence, stares at it, then turns his head back to his master. Master then looks at the dog and shrugs. They walk away.

(Sun Photo by Algerina Perna)

The art project, according to those behind it, is supposed to make the public appreciate the park more by denying it access for two weeks.

The fence was erected by artist Lee Freeman (shown above), a senior at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and it's the first phase of Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square, an outdoor exhibition collaboration between MICA and the Walters Art Museum. More alleged art -- I'm no expert, but Sun art critic Glen McNatt wasn't too impressed with phase one -- will be placed inside the fence, then the fence will come down March 29, while the exhibit will remain until late May.

Meanwhile, dog owners will continue scratching their heads and searching about for some grass -- a rare commodity in paved-over downtown Baltimore.

I'd like to cordially invite Mount Vernon dog owners to Federal Hill Park and Riverside Park, where Ace and I hang out, during the interim. I offer you full use of the facilities.

Closer to home, Tom Berger, owner of the Pretentious Pooch, the doggie boutique on Cathedral Street, offered three alternatives for Mount Vernonites: Seton Hill Park on the 600 block of North Paca Street, the grassy strip across from Mercy Hospital on St. Paul Street, and the grassy area between the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and the train station. The latter, Berger points out, is owned by MICA.

There's also a small grassy area in front of the Baltimore Sun building on Calvert Street, but you didn't hear that here.

If you'd like to leave a comment on what you think of the Mount Vernon Place fence, feel free to drop it here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The British media reports today that the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra has been credited with saving the life of a 3-year-old border collie with heart problems.

The dog, named Talisker, had developed heart problems after suffering from a lung infection and would lose consciousness when he got excited because his blood could not pump fast enough, the Sun reported, and the Telegraph re-reported.

Vets warned Talisker would die from the condition but suggested as a last resort that his owner give the dog Viagra, as the pill improves blood flow to the heart.

Lesley Strong, a former pub landlady, of Yardley Hastings, Northants, said she was "shocked" by the vet's advice but the little blue pills had given Talisker a "new lease of life." She gave the dog the medicine in his food.

The Telegraph presented the story with the kind of British decorum you might expect, under the headline, "Viagra cures dog's heart condition."

The Sun (again this is London's, not Baltimore's) had a little more fun with it.

To see it, and Talisker, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

He's not a candidate anymore -- and probably will never be again -- but we couldn't resist weighing in on the likenesses between Eliot Spitzer and the Spitz.

So, as an encore to  our popular feature, "If the Candidates Were Dogs," which looked at what breed -- in terms of appearance and temperament -- the presidential candidates most resembled, here's our take on the former New York governor.

Spitzer, a married man, left office last week amid reports that he patronized Ashley Dupre, a high-priced call girl who worked for the Emperor's Club, a New York escort service.

As with our earlier series, the information below comes virtually verbatim from kennel club and breed organization descriptions of the Shiba Inu, the breed we have chosen as most representative of the former governor. The Spitz is not a breed, per se, but a type of dog that includes, among other breeds, the Shiba Inu.

Description: With well-developed cheek and almond-shaped eyes, the friendly and extroverted Shiba Inu projects a confident, erect and sturdy appearance. Shiba Inu's name means, literally, "Little Dog."

Behavior: In some ways, the Shiba Inu is said to be very catlike, and sometimes even makes a sound resembling "Meow." In some ways he is all dog -- such as his need for constant human companionship. This is not a dog to be left alone for long periods.

He has a fiery, strong-willed personality, and fox-like cunning. He can behave very territorially. Energetic and agile, he has a high activity level, needs lots of exercise and should have a large, fenced yard.

According to a web site devoted to the breed, "the Shiba enters the world knowing he is a superior being. Whether with intrepid boldness, squinty-eyed cuteness or calm dignity, he is king... If a Shiba could only utter one word, it would probably be 'mine.' 'Macho stud muffin' has been used to describe the male Shiba. The body may look 'muffin,' but the mind is all 'macho stud.' The Shiba takes the spirited boldness part of his temperament quite seriously. Early socialization and neutering are mandatory for the young puppy."

(Photos by Associated Press)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Maryland SPCA's March for the Animals is still more than a month away, but the time to start planning is now, especially if you're planning to participate as a "pack."

This year's march, the SPCA's 13th, is April 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. Last year, nearly 6,000 people and their pets took part in the 1.5-mile walk, raising $330,000 -- the most successful march to date.

Walkers can take part as individuals or enter in "packs." The deadline for registering a "pack" -- four to 25 people participating as an organized group -- is March 28. Packs must raise a minimum of $40 per person and $500 per pack. In exchange they get choose a team name that will be printed on their March for Animals T-shirt, get a team photo taken at the march, and, if they raise the most money, win the Top Pack prize of "Governor's Box" seats at Camden Yards for an Orioles-Nationals game. Individual walkers who bring in $30 or more will receive water, a goody bag and an SPCA dog bandana. Those who bring in $40 or more get all that and a T-shirt.

The event will also feature, a canine agility course, lookalike and costume contests, a pet communicator, training experts, low-price micro-chipping, vendors, live music and food of the dog and human varieties. Walkers can find pledge sheets at the Enoch Pratt Library, Starbucks and Giant Food stores. Or you can click here and print one out. For more information on registration and the event, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

CBS News ran an interesting report Friday night about a boy who could talk, but apparently just chose not to -- until he met a dog named Boo.

Marc Oliveri didn't talk in school -- it's called "selective mutism," something I've been accused of myself -- and he didn't talk at home, either. For six years.

Then, one day last December, the first-grader came home looking, according to his mom, like he was about to burst.

"Boo," was the first word out of his mouth -- the name of a dog that had been visiting his special-needs class through the Delta Therapy dog program. He went on to tell his mother all about the dog and the visit -- and he has been talking ever since.

(To watch this video, you must first let a commercial load and play. Then again, you could practice some selective mutism on it and turn the volume back up when the report comes on.)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

What do Oprah Winfrey's cocker spaniels, Geoffrey Beene's dachsunds, Malcolm Forbes' terrier and mastiff, George and Barbara Bush's spaniel Millie, and CBS newsman Bob Schieffer's beagle all have in common?

They've all been painted by Baltimore portraitist Christine Merrill, who was profiled last month in a Wall Street Journal article. (You can read it here.)

Merrill took up art at age 2, when her mother placed a pencil in her hand. She immediately started drawing animals, according to her web site, christinemerrill.com. She painted her first dog portrait at age 5 -- a likeness of Snoopy that still hangs on a wall in her studio.

Since 1975, Merrill, the daughter of a newspaper editor and an artist, has specialized in painting dogs for clients across America as well as in Europe and Japan. Her work is represented by the William Secord Gallery in New York City, where she has had eight one-person exhibitions.

While she paints mostly purebreds, Merrill has done some mutts as well, and she notes that she loves doing them "because they're originals. They're like designer dogs," she said. According to the article, Merrill's fees range from $3,000 for a 3-by-4-inch head study to $45,000 for a large canvas featuring multiple dogs. Merrill and her husband have three dogs of their own -- a Chihuahua, a Pomeranian and a Norwegian elkhound.

(Photo courtesy of William Secord Gallery, New York)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

While Googling "dogs" the other day -- and I admit to occasionally Googling dogs -- I came across this image, one of a canine that has made the Internet rounds under the guise of being the "world's strongest dog."

At first glance, you might think someone's been having fun manipulating photos. But this dog, unlike the Internet myth that sometimes goes along with her -- that she works for the Russian army -- is real.

She's a whippet named Wendy, born with a genetic defect that resulted in her being "double-muscled" and twice the weight of the normally sleek breed, according to hoax-slayer.com, a web site that specializes in debunking Internet myths, as it does here with Wendy.

The genetic defect first showed up among litters of champion racing whippets, and the extra beefy pups -- called "bully whippets" -- were often put down.

A study on Wendy and similar dogs by the National Institutes of Health on the phenomenon -- a mutation of the myostatin gene -- reported that whippets with two mutated copies of the gene become "double-muscled," like Wendy. Whippets with one defective copy of the gene have increased muscle mass that can enhance racing performance in the breed.

With that, breeders and racers, originally intent on purging the mutation, decided it could work to their advantage, according to a New York Times story last summer.

It's all a little distasteful to me -- both dog racing in general and the practice of toying with a dog's DNA as if adjusting a carburetor before a NASCAR race. We don't need new breeds of superdogs. Dogs are super just as they are.

As for Wendy, although she sometimes frightens visitors she runs up to, her owner reports she is not a bully at all and lives a happy and peaceful life on a ranch in Canada, mingling with the horses and sleeping, well, pretty much wherever she wants to.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

"C'mon girls," reads the label to Ace's newest dog toy, "we all know one ... a smooth-talkin', sweet-smellin', two-timin' jerk ..."

Since you can't sic your dog on him -- on account of the creep's gone -- here's the next best thing: "The Ex," a floppy stuffed man with a "chick magnet" bracelet on his wrist and a "little black book" protruding from his back pocket.

He's even customizable, with a place to write his name on the back of his shirt, and a series of check boxes on the front to designate whether he was an ex boyfriend, husband, or other.

"Say bye-bye to your frustration as your dog gives 'em what he deserves. Ah, sweet revenge."

It comes from Fat Cat Inc., a company that specializes in "toys that make people and pets laugh."

Were I a prissy sort, I would question whether toys such as this (and the Michael Vick Chew Toy) are entirely healthy. For one, do we want dogs chewing on human forms? For another, is it really right to use your dog, a pure and forgiving creature, to act out your uniquely human and impure feelings of vengeance.

What the heck. Why not? (You may continue gnawing.)

Fat Cat Inc. was conceived by a husband and wife who had a silly family tradition of creating handmade toys for other family members' cats. Then it evolved into a competition. Then it became a company (which recently joined forces with Bamboo, Inc.)

Some of its other dog toys include a stuffed veterinarian (allowing your dog to get even for all the probing, poking and injecting he's suffered through), a floppy mailman and a floppy referee (again, so the owner can have the vicarious thrill of seeing his dog go after referee after a particularly bad call).

Maybe there's a tiny streak of meanness and questionable taste in the product line, but it's all in good fun, and -- as they are triple-stitched -- they are pretty sturdy toys.

Ace has played with "The Ex" -- the company sent us one -- for a month now, and Buster, a visiting Boston Terrier (shown above) gave him a good bashing around as well. Not only does "The Ex" still have his squeaker, which Ace usually manages to remove from any toy within minutes, but all its floppy arms and legs are still attached.

The company, which has also come out with a floppy Hillary, floppy Bush and floppy Schwarzenegger, says it strives for "maximum floppability ... floppy parts that whack your dog's head as it's shaken about. Dogs consider this a very good thing."

Fat Cat toys can be found in local pet stores, and can be ordered online through fatcatinc.com and bamboopet.com.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

First they take away our cigarettes, well, at least the privilege of smoking them in bars and restaurants.

Then local governments decide to tackle trans fats, taking away our God-given right to clog our arteries with foods fried in unnatural cooking oils.

Now, it appears, not even your lynx is safe -- or any other "wild" animal you might be harboring in Baltimore County. Baltimore County officials, concerned about a Siberian lynx named Puddy that is part of the menagerie Dan Vitilio oversees at his Eagle's Nest ranch in Kingsville, will consider on Monday a bill that -- while aimed specifically at Vitilio -- requires all non-research organizations, including zoos, to have permits for their wild animals.

Vitilio has already failed to get a permit, sued about it and lost, in part because his ranch -- with more than 200 species -- is not officially a zoo. While he's requested recognition as a zoo, he has not heard back from the county. If the proposed bill passes, it won't matter if the ranch is a zoo or not, and the county will have the right to order him to get rid of Puddy.

Read the full Baltimore Sun story about Puddy, who tips the scales at 48 pounds here.

And, because we don't know when an opportunity to say this will come along again, here are five more lynx links:

Big Cat Rescue
San Diego Zoo
Feline Conservation Federation
Zooville
Defenders of Wildlife

Posted by John Woestendiek at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

In the 1970s, the jingle for Tooheys beer -- "I feel like a Tooheys or two" -- became a classic in Australia.

This more modern-day commercial for Tooheys New, co-starring a dog, merits that status as well -- if only for the smooth, dry delivery of its closing line.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Has the Iditarod – Alaska’s 1,100-mile endurance test – endured too long?

Three more dog deaths this year have rekindled the debate over the sled dog race, last year’s running of which saw three dogs die, as well, and one musher get disqualified for beating his dogs after two refused to get up and continue running.

Some animal rights groups, like PETA, are flat-out against the race; others, like the Humane Society of the United States, say competitive mushing is fine, but the Iditarod, in its current form is too long and rigorous and needs to be modified.

The Iditarod commemorates a 674-mile run by 20 teams of mushers and sled dogs to relay diphtheria serum to the epidemic-stricken town of Nome in 1925. Dogs helped save man. Is it time to return the favor? Should the “last great race” have its last great race, or at least be shortened?

Opinions run strong on both sides. Here’s a sampling of it, and some places where – in addition to our own Mutts comments section, of course – you can post your own. Each link should take you to a forum where the Iditarod is being discussed.

PETA

Sled Dog Action Coalition

Commondreams.org

Sean Hannity Show

Community.dog.com

cruisecritic.com

Animal Liberation Front

Posted by John Woestendiek at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

The group trying to bring a dog park to Latrobe Park in Locust Point is holding another fund-raiser -- tonight at No Idea Tavern, 1649 Hanover Street.

Tonight's "Yappy Hour" is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m., and will include raffles to raise money for the dog park, which would be the second one in the city.

The Canton Dog Park is now the only place in the city where dogs can legally play unleashed.

The Friends of Latrobe Park group, which under city rules is responsible for funding, building and maintaining the area, is trying to raise $60,000 so that work on the park could start in a few months. Its members also meet the first Saturday of the month to clean the park.

According to the organization's website, it's glad to accept any last-minute donations for tonight's raffle -- dog-related or not.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Ellen DeGeneres, comedian and talk show host, has added another facet to her resume: Dog food maker.

DeGeneres recently purchased a large interest in Halo, a well known natural pet food company, and will be producing her own brand of pet food -- so natural, she told Parade magazine, that even humans can eat it.

“I can’t tell you how honored I am to be a part of a company that believes in treating your pets as well as you treat yourself,” said DeGeneres. “Everything about Halo is great. I’ve been using all of their products long before I decided to invest in the company. I attribute my shiny coat to their all-natural supplements... And if you forget to go to the grocery store, you can actually split a can with your dog. If you’re going with the lamb, I’d recommend a nice Pinot.”

“This is a defining moment in the history of Halo,” said company President Alan Kerzner. “After more than a year of discussions, we’re delighted to have Ellen join our family, especially at this time of exciting growth.”

Hmmm. He's not quite as funny as she is.

Ellen has been a long-time friend of dogs, and she seems to have recovered from her meltdown back in October after she was accused of breaking the rules when she gave Iggy, a dog she had adopted from a rescue organization, to her hairdresser because it was overly rambunctious.

Halo, meanwhile, is a company poised to grow. In February, it introduced its first line of dry dog and cat food, and expanded its line of canned food.

Halo was founded in 1986 by Andi Brown after her cat “Spot” was plagued by digestive problems, skin irritations and excessive shedding -- all of which, she found, were a result of nutrients lacking in his diet. She created "Spot's Stew” made from all natural ingredients and Spot was soon cured of his ailments, according to Halo's website, Halopets.com.

(Photos by Associated Press)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Lance Mackey won his second consecutive Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Wednesday morning – a race marred by the death of three dogs, injuries to several others, and the crash of a small plane carrying three Iditarod volunteers.

According to an Associated Press report, three volunteers were being flown to known to Nome for treatment of non-life threatening injuries sustained when their Cessna 180 crashed.

State police said the plane went down Tuesday about 16 miles outside of White Mountain, a checkpoint 77 miles from the Nome finish line. The cause of the crash was unknown.

On Tuesday, a third sled dog died, according to the Iditarod Trail Committee – a four-year-old named Cargo, on the team of veteran musher Ed Iten.

Earlier in the race, a snowmobiler hit and killed a dog on the team of Minnesota musher Jennifer Frekking, and a dog on the team of John Stetson died from symptoms of pneumonia.

Mackey, a 37-year-old throat cancer survivor, crossed the finish line of the 1100-mile race at 2:46 a.m. Wednesday, with 11 of his dogs.

"I don't know exactly how to explain it. I'm just blessed with an incredible dog team."

In its 36th running, the Iditarod commemorates a run by sled dogs in 1925 to deliver lifesaving diphtheria serum to Nome. For much of the race Mackey struggled with dogs stricken with diarrhea and slowed by unseasonably warm weather that marked much of the trail. Mackey's dogs also quarreled on the trail. He had to drop Hobo, who was badly injured in an “ongoing rivalry” with Larry. Some of his dogs were coughing and one was in heat, another Associated Press report said.

The modern-day Iditarod trail crosses frozen rivers, dense woods and two mountain ranges, then goes along the dangerous sea ice up the Bering Sea shore.

Mushers compete for a piece of an $875,000 purse, to be paid out among the top 30 finishers to reach Nome. Mackey gets $69,000 and a new truck worth $45,000 for winning. 

(Photo by Associated Press)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Jennifer Frekking, the Minnesota musher who saw one of her Iditarod sled dog team killed and another injured when they were struck by a snowmobile, is staying in the race.

Frekking's dog was the second that has died in this year's race. The first death was that of rookie musher John Stetson, who pulled out of the race after one of his dogs died from apparent pneumonia.

Here's the message posted on Frekking's website Monday after her 3-year old dog Lorne was killed and another, Aries, injured:

After a good rest and reflection, we decided as long as the rest of the dogs were healthy and ready to go, we would continue to Nome. Aries spent the night here at the school getting IV fluids and pain meds. He was flown out this morning for further care. He has been a really good boy through all this. He has a lot of soft tissue damage beneath his left shoulder, but he has been stable and calm the whole time. Hopefully, he will be able to recover fully.

Jen and Blake

Posted by John Woestendiek at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The mayor of Alice, Texas agreed to take care of her next-door neighbors’ sick Shih Tzu -- a very nice thing to do.

A little later, when her neighbors got back to town, she told them that the dog, named Puddles, had died, which was not a very nice thing to do, especially considering the dog was still alive.

Grace Saenz-Lopez, who resigned as mayor amid the controversy, now stands accused of tampering with evidence and fabricating a police report saying the dog was missing -- when actually it was living under a new name, Panchito, 14 miles away at the home of her twin sister, Graciela Garcia.

The felony charges -- sister Graciela is accused of concealing evidence -- could put the 64-year-old twins behind bars for as long as 10 years.

The dog's original owners, Rudy Gutierrez and Shelly Cavasos, have demanded its return, and a hearing is scheduled for April 24. Until then, a judge has ruled, the dog will stay with the sisters.

Mr. Gutierrez, 39, a handyman, says his children are heartbroken; the ex-mayor says the dognapping was, in effect, a rescue: the dog was flea-infested and poorly cared for, she says.

To read the full tale, as recounted by the New York Times, click here.

(AP Photo)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A second dog in this year's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has died, according to the Anchorage Daily News -- a 3-year-old named Lorne.

Race officials say the dog died of injuries Sunday night caused when a snowmobiler ran into the team of Jennifer Freking of Finland, Minn.

The accident occurred on the Yukon River near Koyukuk.

A 7-year-old male in the team of rookie musher John Stetson of Duluth, Minn., died of pneumonia earlier leading Stetson to remove his team from the race.

For the latest Associated Press update on the race, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Global Pet Expo 2008, held last month in San Diego, attracted more than 750 companies touting their products -- and the new cat toy, Fling-ama-String (demonstrated in the video above), was among those chosen best in show.

Each year at the expo, sponsored by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) and Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA), awards are presented for the best new product.

Fling-ama-String is basically a length of string attached to a battery-powered conveyor belt. It's $24.95 and is sold here.

Moody Pet is also the maker of the Hummunga Tongue, a ball with a giant rubber tongue attached -- so that when your dog picks up the ball ... well, just watch the video at the bottom of this entry and see.

At the end of the show, pet companies donated enough pet products and food to fill four trucks, which delivered the goods to the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA. The APPMA said the estimated value of the donated products is over $200,000.

Tongues were also wagging about new figures released from the APPMA during the expo, which revealed total pet spending in 2007 was $41.2 billion, close to double the $21 billion Americans spent a little over a decade ago in 1996.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF) has released its 2007 Humane Scorecard, which assesses the voting records of U.S. senators and representatives on major animal welfare policies.

Only one member of Maryland's congressional delegation scored the top "100+" rating -- Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Kensington.

The scorecard, which is published annually, covers the first session of the 110th Congress.

"Animal protection is more than ever being treated like the serious moral issue it is on Capitol Hill, and lawmakers are debating policies that have enormous implications for animals," said Michael Markarian, HSLF president.

Last year, Congress passed measures dealing with animal fighting, chimpanzee sanctuaries, pet food safety, the Canadian seal hunt, and a war dog memorial. It provided record levels of funding for enforcement of animal welfare laws. 

Eight senators and 24 Representatives scored 100+ (pluses are awarded to those with perfect voting records who have also sponsored animal welfare legislation).

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A group of Johns Hopkins University students raised about $750 Saturday night by dressing up and auctioning themselves -- or at least a date with them and a shelter dog -- to the highest bidder.

Hopkins PAWS, or Pet and Animal Welfare Society, raised the money for BARCS, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, where many members of the student group work as volunteers -- at least in part, as Corban Tillemann-Dick (left) put it, "because we miss our dogs back home."

(Corban, who went for $40 in the auction, borrowed two of his sister's dogs for use in the event. That's him to the left in a photograph taken by Hopkins student Conor Kevit.)

Hopkins PAWS was formed last year by Ashley Kennedy, the junior psychology major who was behind the first annual Doggie Date Auction.

Shelter dogs didn't attend the event, but they will attend the dates, which also come with a picnic lunch. Only a handful of dogs were present, including mine, Ace, who at the request of one of the students, became part of the event we were there to watch.

Ace being a sizable mutt, Heather Ehrlich thought he would go well with the dominatrix outfit in which she was attired. She strolled the aisles, whip in one hand, Ace on a leash in the other, stirring up a frenzied bidding war that topped out at an event-high of $80 and earned them the honors of "Best in Show."

Ace seemed glad to play along and strut his stuff, and lending his services to the event seemed the right thing to do -- and not just because the woman making the request had a whip.

Two and a half years ago, as we documented in our series about his roots (find it here, or in the rail on the right-hand side of his page), Ace was a resident of BARCS. And students much like these were among those who, as volunteers, probably made his life a little better there.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

A dog in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race died on Saturday -- a 7-year-old male named Zaster, the Associated Press reported.

It was the first dog death in this year's race.

Rookie musher John Stetson left the ailing dog with officials at the Ophir checkpoint early Friday. A necropsy determined aspiration pneumonia as the likely cause of death, according to race officials, who said more tests will be conducted.

Stetson was 60th in the standings. He has since pulled out of the race.

Defending champion Lance Mackey was the first musher out of the Nulato checkpoint Saturday in the 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, leaving with a team he said was not running at top form.

"I'm not sure they're going to have what it takes," Mackey said of his 14-dog team before leaving Nulato to head to Kaltag, 42 miles away. "But I'm not giving up. A lot can happen between now and Nome." Mackey said his own dogs were finally responding to medicine for lingering diarrhea.

The Sled Dog Action Coalition says that -- though the race officials have never been forthcoming with statistics -- an estimated 134 dogs have died in the race since it began.

For the latest AP account of the race, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Petlane.com, an online purveyor of pet products, is featuring political dog biscuits on its web site – elephant-shaped treats (in a red bag) for Republican pooches, donkey-shaped ones (in a blue bag) for Democratic dogs.

How do you know which your dog is?

Petlane CEO and founder Lane Nemeth came up with these eight "unmistakable signs."

REPUBLICAN PETS:

1. Bark at passing neighbors and traffic; home security is very important to them.

2. Ears perk up when Fox News comes on.

3. Big spenders at the local pet store.

4. Strongly believe pet matrimony should only occur between two cats or two dogs.

5. Believe in the 2nd amendment right to bare teeth and claws.

6. Are for electric border fences around the yard.

7. Want national ID tags for all pets.

8. Advocate for the pet tracking chip - you can never have too much surveillance.

DEMOCRAT PETS:

1. Want universal veterinary care for all.

2. Want their treats for free.

3. Socialize with all breeds at the dog park.

4. Prefer their owner uses biodegradable poop bags.

5. Are very concerned with the rising cost of pet food.

6. Have the young puppy and kitten vote locked.

7. Want to end the war of dogs vs. cats once and for all.

8. Think of Ralph Nader as the dog catcher.

If your dog falls somewhere in the middle, don’t worry: The low-fat peanut butter and honey biscuits can also be ordered in bipartisan cases – six $8.99 bags of each.

The biscuits are made by Capitol Dog Bakery, which donates $1 of each sale to the Washington Humane Society.

(Photo courtesy of petlane.com)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

<-------- Ace of Cakes

          Ace of dogs ----->

Yesterday, via the comments section on this blog, a note was left that was intended not for me, or my dog Ace, but for the Ace of Cakes, the Food Network TV show featuring Baltimore baker Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes.

"I would like to know how to get you guys to make a cake for my mom's birthday in August," a girl named Kisha wrote.

 "For the past 5 years every year on her birthday someone in our family dies. She watches your show all the time and loves it so if you guys can help me to do this for her I would love it. Thank you, Kisha."

Sorry, Kisha, wrong Ace. But fear not, I have forwarded your note to Charm City Cakes.

Apparently Kisha did a Google search on Ace of Cakes, then clicked on one of my blog entries, titled Ace of Cakes, which recounted how Ace had lapped off the icing from one side of my 54th birthday cake.

Kisha, it appears, went straight to the comment button and sent in her request without reading the entry, which I don't think is all that uncommon when one gets in Internet hurry-up-and-find-it mode.

So Kisha gets a C for reading, but an A for being a thoughtful daughter. It is after all only March, and she's already trying to plan her mother's August birthday.

Here's hoping Kisha gets her cake, and her mother has a happy birthday.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I met Bodhi in 2004, and he was well on his way to becoming famous even then. I was in western Maryland to do a travel story about a father-son fishing trip -- one that included some beginning instruction in fly-fishing at the Savage River Lodge.

We met the lodge owners' yellow, almost white, lab Bodhi -- whose name comes from the Buddhist term for "enlightened being" -- as soon as we checked in.

And we quickly learned this was no ordinary dog -- he had his own line of beer, dog biscuits, human candy, business cards and calendar. More important, he was a friendly and low-key sort who -- to dog lovers at least -- gave the lodge a homey feel.

Bodhi's book, a collection of 275 photographs by Maryland photographer Middleton Evans, published by Ravenwood Press, came out last year, and we feature it today because it's Bodhi's 13th birthday.

"He has slowed down due to arthritis in the legs, but his spirit is still bright and he's otherwise in good health," said Jan Russell, who owns and operates the lodge with her husband Mike Dreisbach.

While Bodhi's brew is no longer made, his 2008 calendar (the fifth) is out, and the lodge still features Bodhi's dog biscuits and "Bodhi Paws" (chocolate and caramel candy for humans). 

FATHER-SON FLY FISHING (By John Woestendiek, Baltimore Sun, 2004)

First off, no, you are not trying to catch flies. They call it "fly-fishing" because you are using them for bait. Well, not real flies. They're little fake bugs that guys with patience and magnifying glasses sit around for hours making out of ... I'm not sure what. Thread or hair or something. 

The CD player and cell phone were silent for the moment. Lunch was thawing out on the dashboard -- ham and cheese sandwiches I slapped together and froze the night before. Winding along a quiet mountain highway, it seemed the perfect time to explain the finer points of fly-fishing to my 12-year-old son.The fact that I don't know much about fly-fishing was not about to stop me.

For I am Dad. 

Now, you don't cast like you do with a regular rod and reel. You use a long, skinny rod and you whip it back and forth in the air to let line out. Then you gently land the fly in the water. The fish -- trout, I think -- sees it, thinks it's a bug, and bites. 

We were on our way to a lodge in Western Maryland -- not exclusively a fishing lodge, but, according to its owner, "about as close as you are going to come in this part of the country."

We have fished before, my son and I, in lakes and oceans and once on a "camping" trip where, after a rigorous day of catching no fish, we slept -- or tried to -- in the back of my pickup truck on a leaky air mattress. Neither of us, we learned then, excelled at fishing, roughing it or building campfires. 

(This wood must be a little wet. Tear a few more pages out of the car owner's manual and maybe we can get it going.) 

This trip, though, was a first, on two levels.

For one thing, we were going to try, after a lesson, to fly-fish -- fly-fishing being to regular fishing what Lenny Bruce is to Jerry Lewis, what brie is to Velveeta. It's thinking man's fishing. Fly fishermen pride themselves, sometimes to the point of snobbery, in matching wits with a fish and coming out on top.

For another thing, we were staying at a lodge, in a cabin, and, as if that weren't rugged and manly enough, Savage River Lodge -- 42 acres surrounded by state forest, with a river running through it and, should it warm up enough for them to come out of hibernation, bears traipsing around it.

"Does it have electricity?" my son asked. Yes.

"Does it have toilets?" Yes.

"Does it have TV?" No.

"Really?" Really.

"Will there be stuff to do?" Sure, lots of stuff.

"Like what?"

As usual, Joe had a million questions, and I had about four answers -- fewer yet when it came to fly-fishing.

Ten years have passed since I read A River Runs Through It, Norman Maclean's timeless fly-fishing memoir, and the only time I fly-fished was 35 years ago, when my father, who had never fly-fished, signed us up for a lesson during a Rocky Mountain vacation.

We caught no fish, and at 15 -- while I deemed it preferable to the stomach-emptying deep-sea fishing "adventure" my father had taken me on earlier -- I failed to develop an appreciation for fly-fishing. It seemed like an awful lot of motion with very few results.

Perhaps now, I realized as we snaked through the mountains of Garrett County, frozen ham sandwiches sliding to and fro on the dashboard, I was destined to repeat my father's mistakes. Perhaps I was about to force fly-fishing on one too young to appreciate it. Perhaps, too, I was overcompensating for being a long-distance Dad, trying to, all at once, thrill my son, bond with him and instill some good old-fashioned values.

Fishing is just one of those things, like throwing a baseball, that dads and sons are supposed to do. George H.W. Bush took George W. Andy took Opie. I don't know about the Bushes, but Andy did some of his best parenting at the fishing hole, always returning with a full string of fish to boot.

Meeting the river

On first impression, the Savage River does not look savage at all -- not even slightly rowdy.

Crossing the small bridge over it on the way to the lodge, we looked down to see a gently flowing stream.

As it turns out, the Savage River, while it roars wildly in places, most likely is not named for its fury, for the Indians who once occupied these parts or for the fierce winter winds that whip through the area. 

Most locals believe it was named after John Savage, a surveyor who -- long before the invention of cell phones and individually wrapped cheese slices -- came close to being the catch of the day.

Stranded in 1736 at the confluence of what are now known as the Potomac and Savage rivers, the starving crew of which he was part (apparently unable to survive on their fishing skills) made a desperate decision: to eat the "most useless person among them," Virginia land commissioner William Byrd later wrote.

Ailing and going blind, Savage either volunteered or was chosen -- accounts vary -- and he was spared only when a rescue party showed up at the last minute. As the story goes, the river and mountains were named after him as a tribute to the sacrifice he almost made. 

Unlike Savage's party, we used Mapquest, and we easily found our destination, less than three hours from Baltimore. Up the forest-lined driveway, still surrounded by melting April snow, we spotted the lodge -- a 10,000-square-foot structure, all dark wood, stone and glass, with a canoe hanging from the rafters on the porch.

The first to greet us was Bodhi, the lodge dog.

Bodhi, a white lab whose name comes from the Buddhist term for "enlightened being," belongs to the lodge's owners, and is its official mascot. He has his own calendar (a different photo of him every month), his own business card, his own dog biscuits (prepared at the lodge and made available to visiting canines), and his own beer (one of the lodge's two microbrews is named after him).

On Saturdays, he hosts "Yappy Hour," during which visiting pets may enjoy biscuits, water and running around his pen.

Keys in hand (attached to a flashlight to help navigate the woods at night), we headed to our cabin, just up the hill from the lodge -- one of 18 nestled on a wooded ridge.

What we walked into was my dream house: Wood, wood and more wood. Far from a bare-bones fishing lodge, it was loaded with luxuries and rustic charm.

Downstairs is one large room, carpeted, with ceiling fans and a gas-burning wood stove that is controlled with a thermostat. The furniture is tasteful, overstuffed and nearly new. The sofa opens up into a queen-sized bed. While there is no kitchen, there is a small, hidden refrigerator and a "warm beverage center" featuring a coffee maker, electric teakettle and a selection of teas and hot chocolate.

Thick slabs of wood and wrought iron form the stairway to a loft above, where the down-comforter-covered bed is so fluffy and inviting it almost makes you wish for a rainy day.

As I admire the bed in the loft, Joe puts in his dibs -- and I take the sleeper sofa, which has the advantage of being closer to the fireplace.

Downstairs, a fishing creel hanging from the wall is stuffed with literature about nearby attractions -- they include Deep Creek Lake and Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in Pennsylvania -- and things to do at the lodge: cross-country skiing and snowshoeing (the most popular activities), canoeing and kayaking, ramp and morel hunts, cooking lessons and wine tastings. The lodge can also arrange whitewater rafting, horseback riding and hunting trips.

The fishing was something of an afterthought for the lodge. By catering to anglers -- both fly-fishing veterans and newcomers to the sport -- the lodge found it could avoid what would otherwise be a post-winter lull. 

"Fly-fishing is more popular in the West," said Mike Dreisbach, an avid fly fisherman and co-owner of the lodge. "Around here, there's a limited population of people who want to do it. But we're real aggressively going after them." 

In that regard, Savage River Lodge is not alone. More ski resorts, bed-and-breakfasts and country inns are contracting with outfitters and guides in hopes of drawing anglers to their properties.

With a recent resurgence of interest nationwide, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation says fishing is now more popular than golf and tennis combined.

"Recent shifts in American values have solidified its position as the country's favorite recreational pastime," said Bruce Matthews, foundation president. "There's simply no better way to connect with family, friends and the natural world than spending time on the water."

While growing more popular, fishing has gone more upscale, particularly fly-fishing. Some resorts that cater to anglers now offer golf, massages, facials, even afternoon tea.

Savage River Lodge hasn't gone that far yet, though massages can be arranged.

The lodge is owned by Dreisbach and his wife, Jan Russell, who met at a business seminar in 1990. He was a labor mediator. She managed spas and resorts. After they married, they decided to open their own retreat and began scouting locations.

They bought a 42-acre piece of land surrounded by a 700-acre section of Savage River State Forest.

Eight years later, in 2000, they opened the lodge -- less than four miles from Interstate 68, but seemingly in the middle of the wilderness.

"Some guests come up the driveway looking for the guy playing banjo in Deliverance," Dreisbach said, "but then they are pleasantly surprised." 

The chef at the lodge's gourmet restaurant was trained at the Culinary Institute of America. The lodge has been recognized by international travel guides, and last year won an award of excellence from Wine Spectator magazine.

The centerpiece of the lodge is a huge, two-side fieldstone fireplace, and after strolling the wraparound porch, watching deer graze and checking out the bar (S'moretini's anyone?), Joe and I settled down in front of the fireplace for a chess game. Then another and another.

After dinner, we didn't last long. Whether it was the mountain air, the big meal or just the cozy comfort of the cabin, Joe fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the overstuffed pillow. I wasn't far behind.

The art of fly-fishing 

In keeping with the lodge's casual attitude, we were late to our fly-fishing lesson with Dreisbach, who sat at a table in the lodge conference room with an array of what appeared to be bread crumbs spread out before him.

Putting on my glasses, I saw they were flies, handcrafted (most often out of deer, elk or antelope hair) by someone with nimble fingers, sharp eyesight and a lot of patience.

Patience, Dreisbach said, is one of the keys to fly-fishing. 

"Fishing requires patience, but fly-fishing takes a different kind of patience. You've got to learn how to read the river. You've got to know something about the fish world, the bug world, the river world. It takes an active patience versus more of a brain-dead patience."

While not a fly-fishing snob, he admits there are those who look down on their bait fishing counterparts, calling them "worm-draggers."

Dreisbach briefed us on types of flies -- dry ones and wet ones -- and talked about the importance of "reading the river" -- not just what's going on below and on the surface of the water, but what bugs are present, and what stages of life they are in.

Dreisbach is one of several certified fly-fishing teachers at the lodge, which has its own fly-fishing shop and offers one- and two-day clinics. It also offers guide service, wading and float trips.

After about 30 minutes of classroom instruction, Dreisbach -- warning us not to get our hopes up -- suggested we head to the river. "Most people, the first time they go, it's tough to catch fish," he said.

Near his bridge over the Savage River, he rigged two rods with everything but the flies. Then we followed him -- not to the river, but to an open pasture nearby.

There, he showed us how to cast, using a motion he says is not unlike the "tomahawk chop" Atlanta Braves baseball fans use to cheer on their team.

By moving your arm back and forth -- from the 2 o'clock to 10 o'clock position -- and incorporating some wrist action, one should be able to release plenty of line before dropping the fly into the water, or in this case into the grass.

"You want to make a good presentation," he said. "You want to put it right where you think that fish is looking, right where he'll see it floating down the river."

We weren't just hearing a whipping sound, we were whipping ourselves in the cheek with our lines, which, even without the hooks in place, wasn't a pleasant feeling.

For about 30 minutes, that's all we did -- cast in the pasture, as our tutor suggested refinements aimed at keeping our lines, upon presentation, from piling up in circles on the ground like so much spilled spaghetti.

Finally, Dreisbach walked to the river and along the bank. He was reading it. And what the river seemed to be saying was "No fish today."

With the river still too cold to wade in, he cast from the bank, his line extending farther over the river with each motion, the fly coming close to the water but not hitting it until he softly landed it there.

He tried several times, but the only action in the river were the splashes resulting from my son throwing rocks -- not exactly conducive to catching fish, Dreisbach explained to him.

After about five minutes, Dreisbach packed it in, but said we were welcome to keep practicing our casting.

I'd whipped my arm back and forth enough for one day, and between that and a 2.5-mile nature hike in the morning, I was ready to call it a day and head for the cabin's oversized bathtub.

Dreisbach had recommended the hike, saying it's always smart, especially with children, to plan another activity in case the fish aren't biting. 

Nature hike

Ron Boyer and Liz McDowell, a husband and wife who run Elk Ridge NatureWorks, led the tour, pointing out lichens and mosses and ferns, holes left in a fallen pignut hickory tree by yellow-bellied sapsuckers, wildlife tracks and droppings, a beaver dam and a salamander in Mud Lick Creek. Tree frogs, while heard, were not spotted. No bears showed up, but we did see the gnawed stump of a tree, felled by a beaver.

A couple of times during the trek, Joe took issue with their fungi identification, citing as his source The Great Mushroom Encyclopedia. 

"It has every single type of fungus known to man," he told the nature experts.

But, as it turned out, some fungi -- like fish -- are known by more than one name, and in the end Joe pronounced the hike cool, especially the dead man's fingers, a fungus protruding eerily out of the soil at the base of a tree.

At the end of the hike, McDowell promised to e-mail photos and a list of all the species encountered to the hikers, who included two other lodge guests -- a pair of sisters who came to get away from it all. 

"I like places that don't have too much glitz," said Kathy Heefner, a teacher from Annapolis. "We just wanted to get away -- no TV, no phones, just time to read and hike and shift to low gear. It helps you reconnect with the important things and remind yourself that, you know what, you don't have to move this fast."

More casting 

On our second morning, we woke as we did on the first -- to the sounds of woodpeckers banging on treetops. We ate our breakfast -- muffins and a mason jar of orange juice, delivered in a basket left at the front door.

In no hurry to leave, I sat in a rocking chair on the porch, reading through the guest book, as Joe shot his bow and arrow behind the cabin.

"A beautiful setting to look back on time spent together and to create new memories," wrote a couple celebrating their 23rd wedding anniversary. 

"What a place to be in love," read another. "Mountain air, incredible sunset over the mountain ... many walks in the woods (one with a bottle of wine and a blanket), breakfast in bed, bubble baths by candlelight. ... Put us down as same time next year."

After checking out and bidding Bodhi farewell, we decided to drive south along the river -- a route recommended by Dreisbach with plenty of views and fishing opportunities.

Along the river, signs stipulated what kind of fishing is allowed: There were "catch and return" areas, "trophy trout" areas, "delayed harvest" areas and "put and take" areas -- each with different rules on whether you can keep fish, and the type of bait you can use. Next time, I thought to myself, I'll bring a lawyer along.

A few miles down the road, though, we came upon BJ's, a country store that sells fishing gear and licenses. We snagged some snacks and a moment of Jim Minogur's time.

Standing behind the cash register, Minogur simplified things for us, telling us where we were -- in the 5-mile-long stretch of river north of Savage Creek Reservoir -- that bait fishing is permitted, and that you could keep what you caught.

He sold me some hooks, worms and a fishing license ($10.50, plus $5 more for a trout stamp; children under 16 don't need them) and suggested we fish the "holes," pockets of nearly still water, and recommended we cut the worms in half before putting them on the hook. Joe said he wouldn't be doing either, and he urged Minogur to put the worms in a separate bag from the Twizzlers. 

Down the road, we pulled over along the river and, after about 30 minutes of unknotting fishing line, I managed to get my two old rods and reels working.

Though worm-averse, Joe is an excellent caster, and he had learned a lesson from the day before. Not a single rock was tossed in the water. 

Within 20 minutes, I felt a tug. Reeling in, I noticed that the resistance stopped, and I figured I was caught in the rocks. Then came another tug, and another, powerful enough to turn my flimsy rod into an arc.

I reeled in a handsome trout -- a native brook trout, maybe 14 inches long. Possibly closer to 10; OK, let's say about eight. My son held the rod -- careful to keep his distance from the fish -- while I ran for the camera.

Five minutes after I returned the first fish to the water, I had a second one on my line, a rainbow trout. I handed my rod to my son and he reeled it in while I went back for the camera.

This was a new record for us: two fish. I was dying for him to catch one, but after another 30 minutes, it seemed our good fortune had ended.

Waiting vainly for a bite, I sensed his disappointment growing, and it occurred to me I should be saying something reassuring. As we packed up, I wondered: What would Andy say?

Andy would have caught a whole slew of fish by now, while simultaneously solving several of his son's and Mayberry's problems.

This is the best I could come up with, unoriginal as it is: If you always caught fish, they wouldn't call it fishing. They'd call it catching.

So Joe caught no fish. So we didn't get to fly-fish. So we didn't see bears. So I had worm juice on my hand.

On the other hand, the cabin was perfect, the weather warmed up, we saw a salamander and a beaver-gnawed tree, I slept like I was floating on clouds. Better yet, no one was injured, nauseated or being deemed useless and nominated for lunch.

Joe and I had some time together. It took some twists and turns, with fast segments and slow ones, clear parts and murky ones, exciting stretches and placid ones. That is life, that is the river -- so perfectly imperfect. The trick is to go with the flow.

Of course, I didn't say any of that. It just went through my head, as did the thought that I should give my father a call.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Doggie Style, a Philadelphia pet store with three downtown shops, has come to Federal Hill, and will open sometime this week.

The shop is being run by Scott Goldfarb, son of Ira Goldfarb, whose family owns the Philadelphia stores.

It will be open seven days a week, and plans to add grooming services in a month or so. Goldfarb says the store will feature an extensive line of pet food, treats, toys, beds and accessories. It will have much the same merchandise as the Philadelphia shops, but with more emphasis on aquatic items for pets because of Baltimore's proximity to water.

Goldfarb said, based on the number of people trying to get in and "sneak a peek" before the shop even opens, he expects interest is high.

Goldfarb, 25, says his dog Swoop, a chihuahua-corgi mix, will be hanging out most days at the store, where pets are welcome.

As for the name of the shop, Goldfarb said it does grab attention. "When the alarm guy came to set things up, he said, 'Phew, I wasn't sure what kind of place we were going to," Goldfarb said. "It's just a dog store."

The chain of stores also has a web site: doggiestyle2.com. Be sure, especially if children are around, to include the 2.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Dates with 10 "steaming hot Hopkins undergrads," and their canine wards from Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), will be auctioned off to the highest bidders Saturday night at a fund-raiser on the Baltimore campus.

"Hopkins' first ever Doggy Date Auction" is being put on by the Hopkins Pet and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), an organization formed last year to improve the quality of life of unwanted animals in Baltimore through volunteer work at local shelters.

An afternoon date with the participating students (who include Lauren Jones, left and Alvaro Donoso, right), and their canine escorts (on loan from BARCS) isn't all the winning bidders get. They'll also receive a gourmet picnic basket to share with their human-hound combo at a mutually agreed upon time and place.

The auction takes place Saturday from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Glass Pavilion on the Johns Hopkins University campus. Tickets are $4 at the door. Shelter dogs won't be at the auction, but guests are welcome to bring dogs

Hopkins student and PAWS founder Ashley Kennedy describes the event as "an evening of beautiful people, lovable puppies, free food and good laughs" (courtesy of performers from the Buttered Niblets). "PAWS is offering 10 steaming hot Hopkins undergrads, along with their canine sidekicks, as the merchandise for Hopkins’ first ever Doggy Date Auction."

Facebook members can learn more about the event, and see more photos of the humans and dogs up for bids, by going to Facebook.com, and searching "doggy date auction."

The duos to be auctioned fall into eight classes: toys, terriers, working, sporting, non-sporting, miscellaneous, hounds and herders. The person-pup duo that commands the highest price will also be awarded “Best in Show” for the event.

PAWS describes its mission as helping to raise funds for the care and medical treatment of homeless animals, and drawing public attention to animal neglect and abuse.

I'm guessing that -- like Pin-Ups for Pit Bulls -- they're going to accomplish at least that last part.

(Photos courtesy of Hopkins PAWS) 

Posted by John Woestendiek at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

After protests from animal rights groups, authorities in the main city of Indian-Kashmir have canceled plans to poison nearly 100,000 stray dogs as part of an anti-rabies program, an official said yesterday.

According to an Associated Press report, local officials will work on a plan to sterilize the strays in cooperation with animal welfare groups and a team from the federal environment ministry.

About 500 dogs had already been killed by Friday, according to Dr. Riyaz Ahmad, the Srinagar health officer who first revealed the plan to poison the city's nearly 100,000 stray dogs with strychnine.

India has the world's highest rabies fatality rate and has struggled with ways to control the millions of stray dogs that live on its streets.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

                 "I have only seven days left!"

Every nine seconds a homeless dog in America gets euthanized -- and since October the web site DogsInDanger.com has been putting a heartstring-tugging face on that alarming statistic.

Criticized by some, praised by others, Dogs in Danger posts photos and information on dogs that are scheduled to be euthanized at participating shelters, complete with a countdown to their execution.

It's a little too real for some people, and critics say the web site is using guilt to get people to adopt animals, leading sometimes to hasty and unsuccessful adoptions. The web site's creator, New Yorker Alex Aliksanyan says that's better than the alternative, and points out that 3,628 animals have been "saved" since it began. Aliksanyan says he makes no money from the site.

The web site has a memorial tribute page for each dog that doesn't get saved, each with an opportunity to contribute to Dogs in Danger in that dog's name.

Only a small percentage of shelters across America -- about 335 in all -- are participating in the web site, which has been criticized for taking shelter estimates of how much time dogs in shelter have left and carving it, if not in stone, at least on the Internet.

The web site has no entries from Maryland, Delaware or Pennsylvania.

An estimated 3 to 4 million dogs are euthanized a year in the U.S., and most big city shelters are now at least working toward becoming no-kill, including Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) and the Maryland SPCA.

But smaller, rural shelters, like the one Petey (pictured above in a shelter photograph) is in at Saint Clairsville, Ohio, and the one mentioned in this TV station report from New Mexico, say because of their tiny budgets aggressive tactics such as those Dogs in Danger uses are necessary.

What's your opinion?

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The world’s largest dog show opened today in Birmingham, England, with about 23,000 dogs vying for the big best-in-show trophy, awarded last year to a Tibetan Terrier named Willy.

The Kennel Club of the United Kingdom says it expects the four-day show to be the second largest since it was founded in 1891 by entrepreneur Charles Cruft. Its largest was the centennial show in 1991. The best in show title will be awarded Sunday.

The hotel chain Travelodge expects more than 300 dogs to stay at its hotels around Birmingham, and it is providing special pooch beds, in various sizes, according to this BBC report.

"Crufts is a big occasion in the dog calendar and we want to acknowledge the importance of this event," said Leigh McCarron, sleep director (now that sounds like a cushy job) for Travelodge.

(Photo by Associated Press)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

New York City has turned to dogs for help in combating a bedbug infestation.

According to an article in the New York Daily News, bedbug infestation complaints have risen from 537 in 2004 to 6,889 last fiscal year, and dogs like Radar the beagle are being used to sniff out the blood-sucking bugs in city apartments and hotel rooms.

"We are inundated with requests from hotels and apartment owners," Carl Massicott, of Advanced K9 Detectives, told the newspaper.

Though he has six dogs working steadily and two more in training, “it's difficult to keep up with the demand," he said.

Massicott wouldn’t name any of the hotels where his dogs are being used because of confidentiality contracts, but he said his clients include many “top-end hotels."

He said his dogs, some of which are adopted from shelters, can check out a room in less than two minutes and that they signify that they have located bedbugs by barking or swatting their paws. He rewards them with treats. "A dog's nose is cutting-edge technology," Massicott said.

Photo by Associated Press

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Uno, the beagle who won Westminster, was honored in Chicago today by Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, who proclaimed March 5 as “Uno the Beagle Day” across Illinois.

"It's a special honor to have an Illinois born and bred dog to have this honor," Quinn said at a news conference Wednesday in Chicago. "Uno is an ambassador for our state and our country."

Uno, though he calls South Carolina home now, won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in February, becoming the first beagle to do win the honor in the show's 132-year history. His co-owner and breeder, Kathy Weichert, lives in Belleville, Ill., where Uno was born.

To read the Chicago Tribune story, click here.

Photo by Tom Van Dyke/Chicago Tribune

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Back in December, we introduced you to FlexPetz, a company that rents dogs to people who want to spend some quality time with a pooch without actually owning one.

Registered in Delaware, the company at the time had established rent-a-pooch operations in New York, Los Angeles and San Diego, and planned to open new locations in Washington, Boston, Chicago, Tokyo and London.

But legislators in Massachusetts have introduced a bill to prohibit the practice, and at least one critic is comparing the concept to "a four-legged escort service. It devalues all parties. It promotes the whole concept of no commitment."

That's what Ray McSoley, owner of Animal Behavior Associates in Westwood, told the Worcester Telegram, which published an article about the backlash today.

Two state legislators, with the backing of a dozen more, filed proposed legislation Feb. 21 that would ban pet rentals in the state.

FlexPetz was founded last year by Marlena Cervantes, 30, of Big Sky, Mont., and rented its first pets in her native San Diego, where Cervantes once worked as a behavior specialist with autistic children, using dogs to teach them to learn how to interact with others.

The results were so good, and parents so pleased, that she came up with the concept of dog rentals -- and using dogs in shelters and day care centers for the business. All of the animals, and all of the clients, are screened, she says, and dogs in the program often end up getting adopted.

“I know what kind of bond there is with a dog. You don’t rent out members of your family,”  Rep. Paul K. Frost, a sponsor of the bill to ban pet rentals, told the Telegram. “ ... This is breaking new ground. Concerns are valid. The legislation deserves a public hearing. Let’s give the company a chance to show the benefits of this business, and let’s give a voice to those who have concerns."

Posted by John Woestendiek at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Secca, a female harbor seal rehabilitated by the National Aquarium in Baltimore after she was found stranded and dehydrated in Ocean City two days into the New Year, was returned to the ocean Monday.

She was found on the beach Jan. 2 -- emaciated, dehydrated and with lacerations and an injury to a front flipper. At the aquarium, she recovered from her wounds and gained 30 pounds on a diet of herring and capelin.

Members of the Aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue Program (MARP) named the seal Secca, which means “dry” in Italian, because of her preference for lounging dry on the deck instead of getting wet in the rehabilitation pool.

“Secca thrived while in rehabilitation, and we have every reason to believe that she will have a successful reintroduction back into her natural environment,” said MARP coordinator Jennifer Dittmar. “We strive to return these stranded animals to the ocean as soon as they are ready, and to minimize contact while they are in our care, in order to avoid them coming to associate humans with food.”

Secca was fitted with a satellite tag provided by the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, which will transmit information about her location and speed, and you can follow her progress by viewing a satellite map of her travels on the Aquarium’s website at http://www.aqua.org/tracksecca. Information will be gathered until the adhesive fails and the tag falls off.

Aquarium staff, volunteers and an enthusiastic crowd on the beach at 40th street in Ocean City, watched as Secca was released.

Secca is the 80th animal rehabilitated and returned to their natural habitat by MARP since the program was established in 1991. The animals rescued by MARP include dolphins, porpoises, whales, sea turtles, manatees and seals.

(Photos by Pat Venturino, Venture Photos, courtesy of National Aquarium)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Not that I'd ever recommend such an event, but if ever there were a Cat-ditarod, I'd put my money (not that I recommend gambling, either) on Jimmy, an 8-year old feline from northwest Montana, who recently trekked 180 miles through some pretty rugged terrain to get back home.

According to a story that originally appeared in the weekly Valley Journal and was later picked up by the Missoulian, the cat originally lived with Maxine DeSaussure in Pablo, Mont.

When Maxine died, her daughter Traci Paile brought Jimmy back to her home in Babb, 180 miles northeast and up near the Canadian border.

Always an independent sort, Jimmy soon disappeared.

Forty-five days had passed when Vaile got a call from the new resident of Maxine's former home -- 180 miles away, across the Continental Divide and on the other side of Glacier National Park -- who said Jimmy had just come up the driveway and crawled under the house.

After some discussion, it was decided to let the cat stay in Pablo. The new resident of the home agreed to feed him; and Vaile figured, after the determination that cat had shown, that it was not Babb at all, but Pablo, where Jimmy wanted to be.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Britain's most famous veterinary research college regularly pays for and receives body parts from healthy greyhounds that have been euthanized by private veterinarians, the Times of London reported yesterday.

The newspaper's investigation goes a long way in resolving the British mystery of what happens to the thousands of greyhounds that retire from racing there each year.

An undercover Times reporter posing as a greyhound owner found that staff at the Greyhound Clinic in Essex agreed to kill greyhounds for £30 each even though he told them the dogs had “nothing wrong with them.” Clinic officials told the reporter that blood and lymph glands would be removed from the dogs and provided to the veterinary college for research.

The Royal Veterinary College admitted that it had a number of similar financial agreements with other clinics to provide specimens.

Alistair McLean, chief executive of the National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC), the industry’s governing body, said he was “flabbergasted” by the trade in body parts. “This is completely and utterly unacceptable,” he said. “It is quite scandalous.”

To read the full story, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Thanks to two kennel clubs in Pennsylvania, all 23 state police dog teams in the state will be supplied with canine first-aid kits.

The Kennel Clubs of Lancaster and Delaware County joined to donate $2,500 -- money raised from dog-show entrance fees -- for the kits, which include items such as dog-sized splints for broken legs and tools to pull glass out of paws.

Representatives of the state police will accept the kits at a presentation March 15 at the Celtic Classic Dog Show, a four-day event in the Toyota Arena of the York Expo Center, according to an article in the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal.

The Delaware County Kennel Club has also donated 14 K9 bulletproof vests to law enforcement agencies and K9 oxygen masks to fire companies in Delaware County.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A record field of 96 mushers took off from Willow, Alaska today in the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, an 1,150-mile endurance test that ends in Nome.

The teams made their ceremonial ride through Anchorage yesterday, where wind chills were around zero.

This year's $875,000 purse will be shared among the top 30 finishers. There are six past winners in the race this year, including last year's winner, and throat cancer survivor, Lance Mackey.

I was in Nome many years ago -- back before the Internet was invented -- for the race's finish. So I can assure you that, nowadays, there is a much warmer and better way -- at least in terms of seeing the action --  to watch the race.

For $19.95, one can go to Iditarod.com and sign up as an "Iditarod Insider," gaining access to exclusive footage of the race, incuding live streaming video of the start and finish. Proceeds go to the Iditarod Trail Committee.

It's almost worth that much to see the breathtaking scenery alone. For a taste of what it's all about, and to see the official (free) 18-minute preview video of the 2008 Iditarod, click here. (For best results, let it load before viewing.)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 6:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

One of the most followed and commented-on stories out west last week was the saga of Rolo – a German shepherd sentenced to death who won a reprieve Wednesday after a legal appeal and internet campaign waged on his behalf.

A judge ruled that Rolo, who received the death sentence after biting a neighbor, can return to his owner, Laura Hagan, on the condition she continue providing him with intense professional training.

I'm sure my new friends in Australia would have preferred the death penalty remain intact -- and maybe one be imposed for the owner as well -- but we say hooray for giving Rolo a conditional, and well-monitored second chance.

Hagan's 90-day sentence will be suspended if the dog stays out of trouble for a year, the judge ruled.

Ten of Hagan's neighbors testified at a sentencing hearing that the dog, who had bitten a neighbor last July, was was aggressive and that they had concerns about the safety of themselves and their children.

Rolo's case is not the kind of things newspapers typically write about -- dog bites man, we learn in journalism school, is not news; man bites dog is. But the reaction to dangerous dog cases, and nuisance dog cases -- from both sides -- runs deep and strong, as comments from my new friends in Australia, some of whom have gotten to the point where they want to rid the entire world of dogs, indicate.

Rolo had bitten neighbor Kathy Hardin after she screamed and picked up her baby when she saw the dog running toward her. 

A municipal judge in Arvada ordered Rolo destroyed after the incident, but Hagan appealed and started a "Save Rolo" campaign on the internet. (The photo above is from that web site.)

Dog lovers attending the trial were jubilant with the ruling. Laura and Rolo appeared on NBC’s Today show Friday morning.

A Denver Post story about the ruling, and an archive with earlier stories about the case can be found here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

OK, maybe they weren't exactly separated at birth, but Owen Wilson will portray John Grogan in the upcoming movie version of Grogan's bestselling book, Marley & Me.

Wilson, going back to work for the first time since his suicide attempt last summer, will begin shooting March 10. The movie is scheduled for a Christmas release.

Jennifer Aniston co-stars in the movie about a couple that adopts a dog as a trial run for parenthood.

Grogan, a former Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, told People Magazine, "I'm thrilled they're starting production on this. It's been a long time coming and I really couldn't be happier. ... I read the script and I like it. I think it's really true to the book."

The author is happy with the choice of Wilson, too. "We don't look anything alike, but I think his personality will be a great fit to my own. And my wife, Jenny, is thrilled with being played by Jennifer Aniston, and so am I. What's not to like, right?"

More information about the dog, the book, the sequels and the author are available at Marleyandme.com.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Uno the beagle, better known nowadays as “America’s Dog,” interrupted his celebrity tour for a quick “therapy” stop in Peoria, Ill., this week, cheering up a 91-year-old woman who has been feeling down.

(In a way, I submit, Aibo never could.)

Westminster’s best-in-show stopped at the home of Rosemary Kramm – a visit arranged by Kramm’s home health nurse, Leah Santini, who breeds beagles, knows one of Uno’s co-owners, and wanted to perk up her depressed client.

"Oh! Look at that!" Kramm, was quoted as saying in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article. “Oh, I can't believe it! I can die now. I can leave this planet."

The visit, of course, was intended to postpone that eventuality. Nurse Santini had seen the way Kramm had brightened up while watching Uno on television during the dog show. She contacted Uno co-owner Kathy Weichert, who agreed to make the three hour trip with Uno.

Since Uno’s win, the beagle has been booked solid with TV appearances and other engagements, including an upcoming trip to Chicago where Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn will proclaim it “Uno Day” in Illinois.

This past Wednesday, however, was Rosemary Kramm Day (you can read the Post-Dispatch story here) -- and we award a wag of the tail to Santini and Uno’s owners and handlers for making it so.

Top that, Aibo.

(Photo by Associated Press)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)