Archive for August, 2009

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Getting to know the Xoloitzcuintle, Mexico’s ancient (and hairless) dog breed

Monday, August 31st, 2009

“It’s very important to lubricate the ears,” dog breeder and exhibitor Gabriel Mestre says of the Xoloitzcuintle, his breed of choice. (You might know the Xoloitzcuintle, pronounced sholo-squint-lay, by another name: the Mexican hairless.) The Xoloitzcuintle, Mestre explains, doesn’t need to be shampooed like most other dogs — but they do need to be covered in lotion, since their skin is prone to dryness. Small wonder!

Mestre has been involved in the Xoloitzcuintle breed for 15 years, and our colleague Deborah Bonello caught up with him recently as he prepared for and attended an all-breed dog show in Mexico City.

At the show, Mestre exhibited Aztlan, an 8-month-old Xoloitzcuintle, who went on not only to win his breed competition (well, he was the only dog entered) but to place second in the more competitive group judging.

Even in Mexico, Xolos, as they’re sometimes called for short, are rare. But the breed has a long, storied history in Mexico, and ceramics over 3,000 years old have been found bearing their likeness. Interestingly, healing powers were sometimes attributed to Xolos, due, Mestre says, to the warmth their skin seems to exude. (A hairless dog doesn’t really have a higher body temperature than a furry one, but with no barrier between the dog’s skin and a human hand, it certainly feels warmer to the touch when petting one.)

Here in the U.S., they were once an American Kennel Club-accepted breed (exhibited under the name Mexican hairless), but they were dropped from the AKC stud book in the late 1950s. Recently, the AKC moved toward reinstating the breed, allowing Xolos to be exhibited in the Miscellaneous group. (Breeds shown in the Miscellaneous group are ineligible for Best in Show competition.)

A common mistake is to confuse the Xolo with the Chinese crested, a more popular breed in the U.S., but the two are in fact distinct breeds. “Hairless” Chinese cresteds actually do have furry faces, legs and tail tips. Interestingly, both the Xolo and the Chinese crested, breeds known for their “hairlessness,” also come in “coated” varieties that are covered in fur — but where’s the fun in having a hairy hairless dog?

Source

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Genes Determine the Nature of a Dog’s Coat

Friday, August 28th, 2009

How did the dog get its coat? Kipling never pondered that question — he was more concerned with how the leopard got its spots, among other things — but scientists have. And the answer, they report in Science, lies in just three genes.

Edouard Cadieu and Elaine A. Ostrander of the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues looked at the genetic differences within single breeds that have more than one coat type. Purebred dogs are particularly suited for this kind of study, Dr. Ostrander said, because they have been selectively bred to segregate traits — there are long- and short-haired dachshunds, for example.

The researchers then used that information to look at a large dataset of genetic information from about 900 dogs representing 80 breeds. They were able to identify mutations at specific points, or loci, on three genes linked to fur length, curliness and growth pattern (bushy eyebrows, beards and other features that dog breeders refer to as furnishings).

Then they looked at these three loci, on the genes of another 662 dogs representing 108 breeds — from fluffy Old English sheepdogs to short-haired pugs. They found that the presence of the mutations or not, in various combinations, accounted for the variation in coat in 95 percent of the breeds. Only a few breeds, including Afghan hounds, have coats that can’t be explained by these genes.

There’s a certain elegance to the findings, Dr. Ostrander said. “We look at so much of the complexity in the world around us and say, Oh gosh, the underlying genetics must be so complicated,” she said. “But we’re beginning to feel that in fact nature is simple.”

The eventual goal, Dr. Ostrander said, is to use the same kind of sampling and comparison techniques to uncover how genetic variations combine to cause human diseases.

Source

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Genes Determine the Nature of a Dog’s Coat

Friday, August 28th, 2009

How did the dog get its coat? Kipling never pondered that question — he was more concerned with how the leopard got its spots, among other things — but scientists have. And the answer, they report in Science, lies in just three genes.

Edouard Cadieu and Elaine A. Ostrander of the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues looked at the genetic differences within single breeds that have more than one coat type. Purebred dogs are particularly suited for this kind of study, Dr. Ostrander said, because they have been selectively bred to segregate traits — there are long- and short-haired dachshunds, for example.

The researchers then used that information to look at a large dataset of genetic information from about 900 dogs representing 80 breeds. They were able to identify mutations at specific points, or loci, on three genes linked to fur length, curliness and growth pattern (bushy eyebrows, beards and other features that dog breeders refer to as furnishings).

Then they looked at these three loci, on the genes of another 662 dogs representing 108 breeds — from fluffy Old English sheepdogs to short-haired pugs. They found that the presence of the mutations or not, in various combinations, accounted for the variation in coat in 95 percent of the breeds. Only a few breeds, including Afghan hounds, have coats that can’t be explained by these genes.

There’s a certain elegance to the findings, Dr. Ostrander said. “We look at so much of the complexity in the world around us and say, Oh gosh, the underlying genetics must be so complicated,” she said. “But we’re beginning to feel that in fact nature is simple.”

The eventual goal, Dr. Ostrander said, is to use the same kind of sampling and comparison techniques to uncover how genetic variations combine to cause human diseases.

Source

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Can my dog get swine flu?

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

The swine flu (H1N1 virus) is worrying everyone across the country with the outbreak in North America, so it is not surprising that dog owners are wondering if their dogs could be at risk of contracting swine flu as well. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), despite being called swine flu, the virus is being spread by people not animals. Interestingly enough, the AVMA states that “None of the US cases had contact with pigs….and no US pigs have been found to be infected with this flu strain.”

So Where is the Virus Coming From?

That could be a mystery because the major world health organizations (e.g. The Centers for Disease Control) are still trying to investigate the cases to determine where exactly the virus came from. As you may recall, the virus was reported in central Mexico, Texas and California in the spring. It is believed that the virus had the ability to spread and could now be a worldwide issue. If you would like to keep up to date with the situation on the HIN1 flu, visit the CDC web site by clicking here.

Do Dog Owners Need to Worry About Giving the Swine Flu to their Dogs?

Well, according to the AVMA, there is no evidence that pets are susceptible to the swine flu as it appears to be transmitted only from person to person or from human to swine. So for now, it looks like dogs are safe from the swine flu although the AVMA goes on to say that there is not enough information to determine if the H1N1 virus can be transmitted to other animals; therefore, it is advisable to wash your hands after handling animals. The good news is that there have been no reported cases (in 2009) of the swine flu being contracted by eating pork. It is believed that the H1N1 virus is not a food-borne disease.

Source

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Why dog books are so fetching

Monday, August 24th, 2009

When I was in graduate school in Ohio, a colleague called one day and said that two stray dogs had shown up on her front porch. I was instantly skeptical: Two stray dogs? Aren’t stray dogs, by definition, lone wolves? Do stray dogs typically rove in tandem, like Butch and Sundance, Laurel and Hardy, Thelma and Louise?

My friend was in no mood to argue the finer points of canine travel etiquette. She was in a fix: She could only keep one of the dogs. If she couldn’t find a home for the other one, well … Simmering within that ellipsis was the probable fate of the unclaimed pooch.

And thus I acquired Ramsey. Ramsey, the dog of my heart. Ramsey, the dog of a lifetime.

Most people have a dog story just like mine. A dog arrives, makes a little mischief (a chewed-up slipper here, an overturned garbage can there) and before you know it, an existence without the dog seems unthinkable. And yet, of course, the day comes when you must say goodbye. As essayist Thomas Lynch reminds us, “Grief is the tax we pay on our attachments.” Ramsey — a flop-eared, mild-mannered mutt who loved hot dogs and hated thunderstorms and fireworks — is no more, but I will mourn her forever.

I wanted to mention Ramsey so that I’m not accused of being heartless and cold and anti-canine when I say: A lot of dog stories annoy me. Far too many of them are sentimental and silly. They strip dogs of their dignity. They try to make dogs seem human — as if being human is the highest of compliments. It’s not, actually. In my book, it borders on insult.

Dog books are always popular, but this year may mark some kind of tipping point.

Inspired perhaps by the inexplicable success of the mawkish and insipid book and movie “Marley & Me,” a slew of dog books are romping into bookstores even as I type, doubtless knocking things over and leaving muddy paw prints. They include the recent paperback publication of the best-selling Garth Stein novel “The Art of Racing in the Rain” (2008) and a non-fiction book called “One Nation Under Dog: Adventures in the New World of Prozac-Popping Puppies, Dog-Park Politics and Organic Pet Food” ( Henry Holt) by Michael Schaffer, one of those books that tells us what we already know — Americans love their pets! — but does so in a fresh, entertaining way.

In the next month or so, you can choose from “Soul of a Dog: Reflections on the Spirits of the Animals of Bedlam Farm” (Villard) by Jon Katz, “Happy Dog: Caring for Your Dog’s Body, Mind and Spirit” (New American Library) by Billy Rafferty and Jill Cahr, and “A Year of Cats and Dogs” (Permanent Press), a novel by Highland Park resident Margaret Hawkins.

No two dogs, and no two dog books, are alike. I loved “Soul of a Dog,” got some useful tips from “Happy Dog,” and ended up relishing “A Year of Cats and Dogs,” a quirky, sparkling novel that I intend to reread right away.

Conversely, I couldn’t wait to be rid of “The Art of Racing in the Rain.”

I suppose there’s nothing inherently wrong with a story narrated by a dog, but any book featuring the lines, “Sure, I’m stuffed into a dog’s body, but that’s just the shell. It’s what’s inside that’s important. The soul. And my soul is very human,” instantly sets my teeth on edge. No thoughtful dog desires a human soul. Where do some people get the crazy idea, promulgated by novels like this one, that animals yearn to be human? Dogs get along just fine, thanks very much, without being able to speak or use credit cards or surf the Internet.

Katz, on the other hand, respects dogs for what they are: dogs. He grants the same sweet favor to sheep, cows, cats and chickens.

Like his previous books, “Soul of a Dog” is a lyrical yet unsentimental memoir about the bond between people and animals. While exploring the question of whether animals possess souls, Katz recounts daily life on his farm in upstate New York.

You will admire and respect his dog Rose, but not because she’s cute or cuddly — or, heaven forbid, chatty. She’s a working dog. “It’s deep in her bloodlines, the result of generations of service,” Katz writes.

Dogs inspire a protective instinct in us, a heightened sense of responsibility. That helps explain why the outcry against NFL quarterback Michael Vick, onetime proprietor of a dogfighting operation, was so loud and so passionate, and why last week’s news that he has joined the Philadelphia Eagles drew protests, even though Vick served prison time for his transgression and seems contrite.

We seem to need dog books almost as much as we need dogs, and we need dogs a lot.

Ramsey’s name, by the way, came from a favorite childhood book: “Remarkable Ramsey, the Talking Dog” (1967) by Barbara Rinkhoff. This tome marks the single exception to my rule that forbids yammering canines. And its persistence in my memory matches, I am sure, a book in your past featuring a pooch as protagonist, a book that has stuck with you through life’s storms and rainbows.

There’s a simple test to see if a dog book has achieved greatness: Its spirit must live up to the creature it describes, to the dog it tries to make immortal. It must be worthy of my Ramsey, and it must be worthy of yours too.

Source

Julia Keller
CULTURAL CRITIC

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Relationships Between Dogs, Owners Fall Into Three Categories

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Some dogs are revered or pampered, with fancy clothes and loads of affection; others work for a living. David Blouin, a cultural sociologist at Indiana University South Bend, said relationships between dogs and their owners generally fall into three distinct categories, with some bestowing more canine benefits than others.

And while some dogs may live the high life, serving as surrogate children to their humans, their circumstances can change depending on their owner’s life course and experiences.

“I found it interesting that there are different ways to relate to and think about animals and that people are able to switch and latch onto a different way of thinking about and treating animals when other things happen in their lives, like having children,” said Blouin, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

Blouin conducted 28 in-depth interviews with dog owners from a Midwestern county. Dog ownership attitudes fell into three categories:

1) Humanist, where dogs were highly valued and considered close companions, like pseudo people;

2) Protectionists might be vegetarians and they greatly valued animals in general, not just as pets;

3) Dominionists saw animals as separate and less important than people, often using the dogs for hunting and pest control and requiring them to live outdoors.

Blouin said the distinct orientations toward animals were informed by multiple, competing cultural logics as well as personal experiences, demographic characteristics and family structure. Rural dog owners were more likely to leave their pets outside, for example. Empty-nesters seemed to be the most attached to their pets.

“People don’t make this stuff up themselves,” Blouin said. “They learn how animals should be treated. There are different ideas out there and these ideas exist in little packages, which are promoted by different groups, like the Humane Society or kennel clubs.”

Blouin is presenting his findings at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

Source

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Adapted from materials provided by Indiana University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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Who says you need snow to run a dog sled team?

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

Jamaican venture doubles as rescue for island’s many strays

Benji was an hour from death when he caught a lucky break. His long-legged exuberance and friendly face charmed the recruiters from the Chukka Caribbean Adventures Dog Sled team and he was sprung from his cage in the nick of time.

Given that the Jamaican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has to destroy as many as 350 homeless dogs each month, Benji was one lucky mutt. Today, he’s joined the ranks of the Caribbean’s only dog sled adventure team and, like his more than 29 furry colleagues, Benji’s loving every minute.

Dog sledding may not yet be the island’s most popular excursion – more tourists are still signing up for canopy tours, ATV rides and river tubing – but it’s certainly developing a reputation for being the most unusual. Whether you love dogs, or speed, or both, this is the tour of choice.

Given that many families are choosing to take their southern vacations from April-October this year to take advantage of lower costs on flights and accommodations, this could be an ideal way to keep the kids entertained during the hot midday hours when the beaches may be blazing.

Ragtag teams of 15 happily howling dogs – described by their handlers as “purebred Jamaican mutts” – are hitched to specially designed go-cart-style wheeled “sleds” manufactured in Edmonton. While those not chosen for the current excursion yelp their disappointment, the fortunate 15 strain at their leads with anticipation as head musher Devon Anderson – Jamaica’s first musher – and his assistants connect the harnesses.

With passengers firmly seat-belted, Anderson steers the cart through dense green underbrush and along the rugged coastline near Runaway Bay. No one is having more fun than the barking, bounding dogs, but barely five minutes into the run, Anderson stops the sled in its tracks.

“Dogs need water and a snack,” he explains, as the assistants, who’ve preceded the team on an ATV loaded with the necessary provisions, ensure that each dog gets a drink, a handful of kibble and a cool dousing with a bucket of water.

Anderson trained as a musher in Scotland with the International Federation of Sledding Sports , and is part of a growing community of sledders on the island. Over the past several years, Jamaican mushers have competed in such well-known races as the Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race and the IFSS World Championships in Daaquam, Quebec. While they aren’t yet taking home the first-place medals, Jamaican musher Oswald Newton Marshall did place seventh in the 2008 Percy DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race in Whitehorse. The Jamaican dogsled team and the Chukka tour share an unusual patron – music legend Jimmy Buffet. He appears in the “training” film shown to visitors, explaining that he doesn’t know “nothing about racin’ dog sleds but it sure sounds like fun.”

Buffet’s endorsement of the team and the Chukka dogsled tours is simply another whimsical note in this new Caribbean adventure. Though Chukka’s dog sled tour is a money-making venture for Jamaican owner Danny Melville, it’s apparent that the greatest motivation behind it is his love of animals. Melville even donates a portion of the dog sledding related gifts sold in the shop – such as stuffed dogs and T-shirts that read “It’s a lousy view if you aren’t the lead dog” – to the Jamaican SPCA.

The sign above the kennel reads: “Second Chance Stars,” and that’s how the animals are treated. Despite the heat, there is none of the smell you’d expect from a facility that houses more than 30 large animals. Each dog is washed and groomed regularly and every one has its own small house.

“Those dogs live better than I do,” one of the handlers jokes.

Dogs don’t even have to run to be part of the team. In addition to the two teams of 15 that haul the sleds, there is Isabella.

“We tried to train her to run,” explains Anderson, patting the tail-wagging slacker, “but she wouldn’t. We put her in a harness but she just slunk away. If we caught her and hooked her up to the team, she’d sit down. She was having none of it, so we made her a greeter.”

Now, all Isabella has to do to earn her kibble is wriggle up to the busloads of tourists that arrive each day to take part in the Chukka tours and accept the shower of pats and head-scratches that continually come her way.

The unusual tourist attraction is a wonderful reprieve for dogs rescued from the SPCA death row and, while it may not be true that all dogs go to heaven, the ones who end up on the Chukka Tours’ dogsledding team certainly think they have.

Source

Liz Fleming is a St. Catharines-based freelance writer. Her trip was subsidized by Breezes/Grand Lido Braco Hotels.

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Your dog might be your best workout buddy

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

If they want to take the long route home, go for it.

Your vet might be the next one to give you the pitch about about the importance of daily exercise.

A study at Cornell University is trying to determine whether walking the dog helps owners shed and keep off unwanted pounds. An early look at the data shows that the dogs who walk the most steps have a better body condition score, according to researcher Barbour Warren.

Warren and colleagues say they are analyzing the data on the humans now, including attitudes about decisions to walk the dogs or not walk the dogs. Conclusions could be fodder for pamphlets or posters in vet offices. Both canines and humans in the study wore pedometers.

“We’re trying to get people to make small changes in the amount of food they take and the amount of physical activity they take,” says Warren, “and finding out how dog walking might be involved and how typical veterinary practices might be involved in helping more.”

Warren says the study stems from the rise of obesity in the USA and obesity-related illnesses, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and arthritis. More than two-thirds of the people across the nation are overweight and one third are considered obese.

“We became interested in trying to prevent weight gain,” he says. “Dog walking offers two of the key elements for regular physical activity, purpose and companionship. Dogs can provide both of these in spades.”

Other studies have looked at how walking the dog can benefit lifestyle and lead to more physical activity. This new study focuses on walking. Is it a big commitment?

“We’re talking about adding 15 or 20 minutes of walking a day to help prevent weight gain,” says Warren.

But, he adds, the dog might like to take the long route home.

“They certainly love to walk,” he says. “We hope to encourage the owners to walk more. There are huge gains to made here.”

How about you? Do you let your dog take the long way home?

Source

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Once-a-month Pill For Both Fleas And Ticks In Dogs And Cats

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

Scientists in New Jersey are describing discovery and successful tests of the first once-a-month pill for controlling both fleas and ticks in domestic dogs and cats.

Peter Meinke and colleagues at Merck Research Laboratories note the need for better ways of controlling fleas and ticks, driven in part by increases in pet ownership. Estimates suggest that there were 71 million pet dogs and 81 million pet cats in the United States alone in 2007 — up from 61 million and 70 million in 2001.

Although many powders, sprays and other topical agents are on the market, many pet owners prefer the convenience of pills. Products given orally can reach more parts of an animal’s body, do not wash off in rain or bath water, and don’t transfer from pets to people. At least one existing pill fights fleas in pets, but does not appear effective for ticks.

In tests on fleas and ticks in dogs and cats, a single dose of the new pill was 100 percent effective in protecting against both fleas and ticks for a month. There were no signs of toxic effects on the animals. Scientists obtained the flea and tick fighter from a substance first found in a fungus that “has the potential to usher in a new era in the treatment of ecoparasitic [ticks and fleas, for instance] infestations in companion animals.”

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Journal reference:

Meinke et al. Discovery of the Development Candidate N-tert-Butyl Nodulisporamide: A Safe and Efficacious Once Monthly Oral Agent for the Control of Fleas and Ticks on Companion Animals. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2009; 52 (11): 3505 DOI: 10.1021/jm801334v

Source

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The Claim: Some Dogs Look Like Their Owners

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Best friends they may be, but are man and dog so entwined that they tend to take after one another in appearance?

It is one of those eternal, quirky questions, at least for dog owners. But only recently have scientists taken a close look in actual studies.

In 2004, researchers in San Diego found that subjects in a study were able to correctly match pictures of dog owners with their pets more often than not, but only when the dogs were purebreds. Simple traits like hair and size played a smaller role than things like facial expressions.

The same year, a psychologist at the University of South Carolina challenged the findings in a separate study, pointing out flaws in the study designs. When the San Diego researchers countered with a reanalysis that confirmed their initial findings, the debate seemed to be at a standstill.

Earlier this year, a scientist in England joined the fray with a study in which 70 subjects were asked to match pictures of 41 dog owners to one of several breeds. They were able to match successfully more than half the time, far better than chance.

Similar to the San Diego study, the subjects later said they matched mostly by looking for personality traits that they believed the dogs and their owners shared. Scientists suspect that some people look for certain traits or predispositions when choosing a dog that reflect their own personalities.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Some studies argue that dogs can resemble their owners, but the research is debatable.

Source

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