Archive for March, 2008

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Scoopy Doo Day

Monday, March 31st, 2008

Sunday, April 20, 2008
9 a.m. – noon

Project will go rain or shine, but if it snows, it’s a no go. The alternate date in the event of snow is April 27, 2008.

“Everybody and their dog is welcome”
Come and join other dog lovers at the annual “Scoopy Doo Day”, coordinated by The City of Calgary Natural Areas Adopt-A-Park program.

To participate in the clean-up, go to your favourite park listed below:

Bowmont Park – Scenic Bow Rd. & 85 St. N.W.
Edgemont Escarpment – Edenstone Rd. & Edenwold Dr. N.W.
Edworthy Park – west end of Spruce Dr. S.W. (off-leash areas at the 3 parking lots on top)
Nose Hill Park
Brisebois Dr. & John Laurie Blvd. N.W.
Edgemont Boulevard and Shaganappi Trail N.W. (media site)
Evanston – Evanston Rise and Evansbrooke Place N.W.
North Glenmore Park – 37 St. & 66 Ave. S.W.
Oakridge off-leash area – 1 block west of Oakmount Dr. & Oakwood Dr. S.W.
River Park – 14A St. & 50 Ave. S.W.
Southland Park – Deerfoot Tr. & Southland Dr. S.E. (east end Southland Drive, parking lot)
Tom Campbell’s Hill: Child Avenue and Centre Avenue N.E.
(east of parking lot along road)
Winston Heights – in field north east of 16 Moncton Rd. N.E (Old Firehall)
At the park: We supply bags, latex gloves and trowels. There are on-site sanitization stations with paper towels. And you will be entered into a draw for dog-related prizes.

You could win!
Each participant will be entered to win dog-related prizes!

Project will go rain or shine, but if it snows, it’s a no go. The alternate date in the event of snow is April 27, 2007.

Poop – It’s not just a mess!
Exposure to pet feces isn’t merely an esthetic issue. Parasites and bacteria that may be present in a pet’s stool can lead to significant health problems in humans. Toxacara canis (common dog roundworm) eggs in infected dog feces can create illness in children (especially toddlers). Symptoms or conditions can include abdominal pain, flu-like illness and eye problems – including blindness. Giardia (commonly known as beaver fever) from pet feces can infect humans. Bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli and campylobacter can be present in the canine stool, and may be passed to and cause disease in people. These bacteria are most commonly present in the stool of dogs consuming raw-food diets. These are the most common problems, but many other diseases can also be passed on to people via the feces of pets.
Specialist: Dr. Danny Joffe, DVM
Diplomate Board of Veterinary Practitioners
(Companion Animal Specialist)

Come join the Calgary Animal Referral and Emergency Centre at Nose Hill (Edgemont Blvd and Shaganappi Trail N.W. entrance) and help to keep our parks safe and clean.

For more information

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Day in the life of a dog & cat

Monday, March 31st, 2008

DOG DIARY

8:00 am – Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am – A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am – A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am – Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 PM – Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 PM – Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 PM – Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 PM – Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 PM – Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 PM – Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 PM – Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

CAT DIARY

Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.
Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.

In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a ‘good little hunter’ I am.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of ‘allergies.’ I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow — but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.

The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released – and seems to be more than willing to return…

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Volkswagen defends singing dog advertisement

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

The motoring giant Volkswagen has defended a controversial television advertisement which shows a dog cowering and shaking.

The 30-second advertisement features a Jack Russell happily “singing” in the front seat of a car with apparent “Polo confidence”.

It then cuts to shots of the same dog shyly cowering by his owner’s legs, while quietly mumbling the song under its breath.

The RSPCA is investigating the commercial after 286 viewers complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that the dog appeared to have been mistreated.

Others expressed their concern on internet message boards, with one saying: “It made me uncomfortable… I don’t know any way of making a dog shiver like that if it’s living a happy life.”

Volkswagen UK claims no animal was harmed in the making of the advertisement, and says the two dogs used were “highly trained”.

The ASA investigated the complaints but said the commercial did not breach any of its rules.

However, the RSPCA said it remained “very concerned”.

A spokeswoman said: “We have asked how it was filmed and have been told the dog was acting. But we are very disappointed that Volkswagen feel it necessary to portray a dog suffering to sell cars, whether it was genuine or staged.”

She added that the dog should be wearing a harness while it is in the car, and should be travelling in the back of the vehicle.

The car firm, which also received around 60 complaints, has no plans to withdraw the commercial. “The dogs are highly trained. They can do almost anything. They can shake if they are happy or excited – they were not scared,” a spokeswoman said.

“There is a fantasy element to the advert. We would hope that just as when people see the dog singing, they know it’s not real, when they see it shaking, they know it is not really scared.”

Source

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Hide Those Easter Baskets!

Friday, March 21st, 2008

Like most pet owners, you probably know by now that chocolate is toxic to dogs. You would never share chocolate bunnies with your dog. Since Easter is this month, be sure to remind everyone in your family of the danger and ask them to take extra precautions to keep Easter candy out of your dog´s reach. Don´t allow small children to have chocolate candy when the dog is nearby. Remind guests not to share Easter goodies with your friendly little pup, no matter how cute she looks when she begs.

If your dog has the house to himself when you´re away, make sure everyone´s Easter baskets are up high or in a room behind closed doors, where your dog could not possibly reach them. Big dogs might not be able to resist the temptation of a counter full of chocolate candy. Small dogs, who are at highest risk, can climb on a chair to reach a table full of candy or pull on a tablecloth to bring the candy to the floor.

Chocolate toxicity is among the 20 most common poisonings reported by the National Animal Poison Control Center. It´s more common at Easter, Halloween and Christmas when chocolates and candies are sometimes all around the house in open candy dishes, treat bags, baskets, gift bags and shopping bags.

Chocolate contains theobromine, a stimulant related to caffeine, that´s harmless to us but toxic to dogs. It can cause vomiting and diarrhea, restlessness and hyperactivity, excessive thirst and increased urination, a rapid heart rate and excessive panting. Larger amounts can be fatal.

Small dogs have a much higher mortality risk after consuming chocolate than large dogs. One small chocolate rabbit might have little or no affect on a German Shepherd, but the same amount of chocolate could kill a Chihuahua. The severity depends on the dogs’s weight, the type of chocolate and the amount of chocolate consumed. Milk chocolate is harmful, but unsweetened baking chocolate has six to nine times as much theobromine as milk chocolate. Milk chocolate contains 44 mg theobromine per ounce. Semi-sweet chocolate has 150 mg per ounce, and baking chocolate has 390 mg per ounce. The toxic amount of theobromine is about 50 mg. per pound of a dog’s body weight.

- For milk chocolate, about 1 ounce per 1 pound of a dog’s body weight can be lethal.
- For semi-sweet chocolate…. the chocolate in semi-sweet or dark chocolate candy bars and Easter candy, the chocolate coating in a box of “dark chocolates”, or the chocolate in semi-sweet morsels or chocolate chips… about 1/3 ounce per 1 pound of a dog’s body weight can be lethal.
- For the dark unsweetened chocolate used in baking, about 1/10 ounce per 1 pound of a dog’s body weight can be lethal.
- That means that for a 10 pound dog, about 10 ounces of milk chocolate, 3 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, or just one ounce of baking chocolate could be lethal.

If you think your dog may have found and eaten a harmful amount of chocolate, call your veterinarian or take your dog to an emergency animal hospital immediately! Symptoms will usually begin within two hours but sometimes it could also take as long as 24 hours. Delaying treatment could be a fatal mistake. In addition to those symptoms mentioned above – restlessness, hyperactivity, vomiting and diarrhea, excessive thirst, increased urination, a rapid heart rate and excessive panting, more advanced symptoms can include muscle tremors, stiffness, seizures, Cardiac arrhythmia and coma.

Emergency care will vary depending upon the elapsed time since the ingestion. It will also be important to know the kind and quantity of chocolate that was consumed, if possible. Treatment might include induced vomiting and administration of activated charcoal to reduce the absorption of chocolate. It might also include IV fluids, medication to prevent shock, anti-seizure medications and/or cardiac medications to stabilize the heartbeat.

For more precise information about toxic doses, according to a dogs weight and the kind of choclolate consumed…
See Chocolate Toxicity – Toxic Amounts of Chocolate.

Also… Hershey’s Chocolate has a chart that lists the theobromine concentration of their products. – Click Here

Source

Chocolate is not the only harmful thing a dog can find in an Easter basket.

See Caution – Easter Can Be Hazardous to Your Dog for more information.

Posted in Health & Wellness | Comments Off

Pup or Adult dog?

Friday, March 14th, 2008

How Do You Choose?

You have decided to open your heart and your home to a dog. Now you need to decide whether to adopt an adult or a puppy. Each has advantages and disadvantages and the final decision is based on your family’s needs and lifestyle.

Advantages of an Adult

Adult dogs are full-grown when they are adopted. You don’t have to guess how big the dog will get. The trial-and-error learning phase is already over. The adult dog is usually housebroken and sleeps through the night. He doesn’t need so many trips to the vet and has outgrown his impulse to take everything in his mouth and chew on it. An older dog – especially one who has already shared a household or played with other pets – is more likely to meld into the existing hierarchy established by your other dogs and cats.

Advantages of a Puppy

A puppy is a clean slate. You get to teach him and watch him grow. Puppies are adorable and entertaining. When adopting a puppy, you get the advantage of developing a strong lifelong bond. A puppy has the potential to be in your family longer than an adult dog.

Disadvantages of an Adult

Some adult dogs are available for adoption due to behavior problems. In an adult dog, some of these negative behaviors can make a difficult pet. You are unsure of the environment the dog came from. The fact that they yelled at him, gave him confusing commands or didn’t do a good job of keeping him from tearing up the house might be the reason he ended up in the shelter. Or maybe his previous owners spoiled and pampered him, indulging all his doggy desires. Also, it might take the grown-up dog more time to bond with you.

Disadvantages of a Puppy

Even with the best guess, you are not sure of the puppy’s final size and weight. During their early life, puppies can be destructive. Housetraining can be frustrating and training takes time and patience.

After learning about the positive and negative aspects of puppies and adult dogs, step back and take a look at your life. Do you have the time and patience it takes to raise a puppy? If so, you will have a loving pet that you have trained to fit perfectly into your family. If you are willing to adopt an older dog, even with minor flaws, you will have a greatly, devoted companion.

Source

Posted in Health & Wellness | 1 Comment »

Dog walker resuced

Thursday, March 13th, 2008

Dog walker rescued from North Shore cliff

Rescue workers in North Vancouver returned to a familiar location Wednesday afternoon after a woman was trapped trying to rescue her dog from a cliff ledge.

Carrie Whitworth was walking her black Lab Levi on Quarry Rock in Deep Cove when the animal ran down and got stuck on the ledge.

Whitworth tried to rescue Levi by clipping several leashes onto a climber’s bolt attached to the rock face and climbing down to her dog.

But once she reached the ledge she realized she couldn’t get back up, and Levi was getting a little anxious.

“He was getting a little nervous waiting for the help to come, and I was actually starting to get afraid that he was going to go and try to find another way out,” said Whitworth after the rescue.

“I was like, OK, I’ve come this far. I’m not going to grab you. I love you so much but please don’t go. So it was all good timing that the help came when it did,” she said.

Eventually, specially-trained firefighters were lowered to the pair and pulled them to safety.

Two years ago, a boy and his dog were trapped on the same cliff, before they were rescued in a similar fashion.

Source

Posted in Dog News | 1 Comment »

State Says Deaf Student May Take Service Dog to School

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

It seems so archaic to me that there would even have to be a court case for something like this:

More than a year after the East Meadow School District in Nassau County barred a deaf high school student from taking his service dog to school, a state official ruled on Monday that the district had violated the state’s Human Rights Law.

The 21-page ruling by Kumiki Gibson, the commissioner of the Division of Human Rights, found that students with disabilities were entitled to have a service dog with them in school under state law and ordered the East Meadow district to change its policy immediately.

In a phone interview, Commissioner Gibson said the ruling set a precedent for public school districts across the state, though she currently knew of no other district where the issue had been raised. “State law provides for an absolute right to students with disabilities to use a guide, hearing or service dog in school,” she said.

The Division of Human Rights began investigating East Meadow’s policy after learning that John Cave Jr., now 15, had been denied permission to take his dog — a yellow Labrador retriever named Simba — to his classes at W. Tresper Clarke, a combined middle and high school campus with 1,500 students.

Leon J. Campo, the East Meadow schools superintendent, said that the district had reached its decision after concluding that having a dog in school would provide no instructional benefit to the student, and could pose a health risk to students with severe allergies and create safety issues during fire drills and practice lockdowns.

“We are responsible for all the students in our care,” he said. “You really have to think health and safety first, and then you educate.”

Mr. Campo said that the district housed a county program for hearing-impaired students and that none of those students had requested the presence of a service dog.

Carol Melnick, a lawyer for the district, said that the ruling would be appealed in State Supreme Court, automatically staying the order for the change of policy.

John Cave’s mother, Nancy, said that her son, who has cochlear implants, was trained to handle the dog and that air filters could be installed for students with allergies. She said that Simba accompanied her son almost everywhere, alerting him to sounds he cannot hear, like fire alarms or someone calling his name.

In January 2007, the Cave family filed a federal lawsuit against the district over the issue, seeking $150 million in damages for a violation of John Jr.’s civil rights. A federal court later dismissed the case, saying that the family had not pursued all its options with the school district.

Paul J. Margiotta, the family’s lawyer, said on Monday that the family planned to file a state lawsuit against the district within a week, claiming $150 million for violation of civil rights.

Source

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Therapy dogs

Monday, March 10th, 2008

Big heart unleashed

I can still eat, gab and complain, and I do it all,” confided Emma Holmes, 87, scooting her wheelchair behind Annabelle, a luscious English bulldog and the attraction of the day.

Stand back.

Dressed in a sequined pink brimmed hat and feathery boa, the 50-pound pooch provided a breathtaking view, a combination of slink and waddle as she strolled through the Cuyahoga Falls Village Retirement Community, home to about 130 seniors, including the charming Holmes.

“She’s the dearest thing,” said another resident, Anita Plazzo, 80. “It’s the second time I’ve seen her. I’m still fairly new here.”

It’s a regular route for the therapy dog and her mother hen, Cindy Vacco of Kent, Ohio, who’ve been visiting the home for four years to bring doggy kisses and good cheer to folks who sometimes struggle to find them.

Annabelle understands the aches and pains of her senior friends and at 7 is practically a Red Hat lady herself. A victim of puppy-mill breeding, she was purchased in a store and cost Vacco $17,000 in medical intervention, not counting her prescriptions.

“I feel like I own a wing” at the local veterinary hospital, Vacco said. “Do not buy your dogs from a pet store. Go through a breeder or a rescue.”

The endearing bulldog has hip dysplasia, dry eye, seizures and water on the brain, all from irresponsible breeding. Despite their sturdy appearance, bulldogs and other purebreds are predisposed to certain genetic weaknesses even without the problems of bad breeding, a chance not worth taking, Vacco said.

She doesn’t hesitate to lift her goddess pup onto a wheelchair or cart when the dog gets tired to give her hips a rest. That also compensates for her inconvenient height when visiting people in wheelchairs and beds. Annabelle and Vacco are a Therapy Dog International dog/handler team, licensed and insured by the volunteer organization dedicated to regulating, testing and registering dogs to visit hospitals and other institutions.

Dogs with easygoing temperaments are tested and evaluated by certified examiners (see www.tdi-dog.org for information). TDI dogs are unflappable around service equipment, crutches and wheelchairs and barely sniff when an alarm goes off.

Therapy dogs seem to understand the nature of their work and let strangers paw them for pure pleasure. With just a little canine teasing, silent seniors have spoken and sullen ones have brightened up, said Nan DeMoss, activities director at the retirement home.

“Cindy knows the residents by name,” she said, and she hears about it if somehow someone gets missed during a visit. “They bring such happiness to the residents.”

This particular Saturday, Annabelle danced in a circle of wheelchairs demonstrating her amazing tricks. The one that got the loudest aahs of appreciation was flattening out on her round belly to suck up a kibble Vacco held close to the floor. Acts like that are hard to follow.

DeMoss advertised for a therapy dog and started the tradition when the facility opened eight years ago.

“I don’t have any family around and look forward to seeing her,” said Emma Holmes, a Marine in WWII.

Vacco piled the pooch on Holmes’ lap, and they scooted down the hallway for the inevitable goodbye.

“She loves riding on the elevator and sleeps in the car and is dead for the rest of the afternoon,” when they go home, said Vacco.

Seattle Times

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Where’s Fido?

Friday, March 7th, 2008

The sat-nav dog collar that keeps track of Fido wherever he may stray

Dog owners will soon be able to deploy sat-nav technology to track down a missing pet. A high-tech dog collar was previewed yesterday on the first day of the Crufts Show.

The lockable collar, on sale from July, is made of anticut material to deter thieves and sends texts to the owner’s mobile telephone if the dog crosses a preset boundary. The owner can log on to a website where, using the sat-nav technology of the collar, they can pinpoint the pet’s location.

The collar is not cheap at £200, but its makers, Retrieva, insist that it is worth it. Andrew Stuart, the company’s director, said: “Dog theft is out there but it’s not high on the list of police priorities, for obvious reasons. But for owners or families, if a dog gets lost it is a traumatic experience.”

About 23,000 pedigree dogs, including more than 1,160 from abroad, are expected to take part in the annual show, at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The event is recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest dog show.

Organisers say that this year will be the second-largest show in Crufts’s 117 years, with only 27 fewer registered dogs than the largest show in 1991.

Over the next three days dogs will compete in more than 2,000 classes and ultimately for the title of Best in Show, which will be awarded on Sunday.

William Hill has closed betting on which breed would win amid talk of a mystery “superdog”. In only a few hours the odds on the winner coming from the “utility dog” category, which includes bulldogs, miniature poodles and Dalmatians, rather than the more traditionally favoured terrier, hound and working dog classes, were shortened from 13-2 to 1-2 after a flurry of large bets.

Rupert Adams, spokesman for William Hill, said: “There must be an exceptional dog out there that we have not heard about.”

Owners can put their dogs forward for additional competitions, such as the international obedience, agility and heelwork to music competition. Dog dance teams performed yesterday to the strains of theFlashdancetheme.

Some dogs are just there to show off. Scooby the dog posed at the PDSA Pet Fit Club stand yesterday to share her weight loss secrets. She had lost 5.5lb (2.5kg) after the fish and chips, curry, pizzas and ice-cream that her owner used to feed her were cut from her diet.

A PDSA spokeswoman said: “Now she enjoys a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle, which has much improved her quality of life and will no doubt mean she’ll live a lot longer than she would have done if she had remained dangerously overweight.”

About 153,000 visitors are expected to attend Crufts this year. The whole event occupies almost 20 acres, including five halls, two pavilions and the main arena.

Source

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Dog Clones?

Wednesday, March 5th, 2008

American pays $50,000 to clone dead dog

The prospect of having nine lives is no longer the preserve of cats. In a happy mix of science and commerce, man’s best friend can now live again and again – if the owner is besotted and rich enough.

The South Korean stem cells scientists who produced Snuppy, a cloned Afghan hound, have received the world’s first commercial order to clone a dog and are preparing to recreate Booger, a pitbull terrier from California. It is an order they hope will lead to the production of as many as 500 born-again pets each year.

“We received an order from an American woman to clone her dog, Booger,” said Ra Jeong-Chan, chief executive of RNL Bio, the Korean company that will help Seoul National University stem cell scientists create Booger II. “She is disabled and has trouble walking, so Booger was a big help to her and she wants him back.”

The price for cloning a dog is set to be $150,000, but because this is the first order, and because the woman agreed to allow the event to be publicised, she is only being charged $50,000.

An SNU team of scientists produced the world’s first cloned dog, Snuppy, in 2005 but the achievement was overshadowed by the sensational revelation that Hwang Woo-suk, the leader of the team, falsified research suggesting he had created the first human stem cells. However, the subsequent investigation into the production of Snuppy found that the dog was a genuine clone.

Scientists are preparing to send cells from Booger to Korea, where they will be placed into surrogate mother dogs, meaning Booger II may breathe again in October.

Mr Ra said he expected his company to receive orders for specialist dogs such as drug and bomb sniffer dogs, but added that they will be increasing capacity in the hope they can clone 100 “companion dogs” from next year, and eventually 500 dogs annually.

Mr Hwang’s former colleague, Lee Byeong-chun, who remains at SNU but has since admitted to some mistakes in cloning research papers, will provide the technology to copy Booger. Asked about SNU’s past scientific scandals, Mr Lee said: “I don’t care about that.”

But Mr Ra suggested that the move to commercial cloning could help clear up any remaining doubts about Korean science. “I think we need another two years to overcome all the problems,” Mr Ra said.

Source

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