In Melbourne, Australia a dog named Leo nearly risked his life to save a box of newborn kittens from a house fire. The family of 4 managed to get out with Leo, but the box of kittens were left inside. Leo rushed back in to stand over the kittens. He paid the price for that act of bravery & succumbed to smoke inhalation. Luckily the firemen revived Leo & the kitten were saved too.
Author Archives: Cynthia
Is Your Dog Your Child?
Posted in General
Are you among that large group of people who treat your dog like a child & an equal member of the family? Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan says that you are doing a disservice by humanizing your dog.
Even though I love dogs, I don’t treat them as human surrogates & I won’t treat anyone elses dog that way either. I’ve been able to lead dogs all my life (even dogs that were not mine) because I have an alpha or leader mentality. Dogs not only respect, but crave that structure.
Read what Cesar says here…
Pit Bulls Banned In Ontario Canada
Posted in General, Responsible Dog Ownership
I saw a video today about pit bulls but decided not to post that one because it was totally biased against pit bulls. I don’t believe in using a broad brush to condemn a breed of dog.
It’s the owners responsibility to train their dog. If a dog attacks someone, blame the owner first & foremost. A dog that attacks someone will usually be put down, but there should be severe punishment for owners who allow their dogs to become so aggressive that they would attack unprovoked in the first place.
Back in 2005, the Ontario government enacted the Dog Owners’ Liability Act which totally banned the breeding, sale and ownership of pit bulls after several incidents in which the dogs attacked people. Lawyers quickly jumped in to challenge the law. Yesterday (Friday) the Court of Appeals upheld the decision to ban the dogs. Read the story here…
Dog Owner Being Sued By Dog Trainer
Posted in Responsible Dog Ownership, Dog Crimes
Is a dog owner responsible when their ill-trained dog bites a trainer? A North Platte, Nebraska dog trainer is suing the owner of a 2 year old Rottweiler for $11,857.90 because the dog bit her in the face…even though she is the owner of R’Dogs Obedience and Agility Center.
The sum is seeking medical and dental expenses that were a result of the bite. Her facial wound required 70 stitches. The trainer also says that the dog’s owner never warned her of the dog’s aggression.
The owner is blaming the trainer. She’s saying that as a dog trainer, she should have known better than to put her face down in front of a dog.
Read the whole story here then you make your own decision…Dog owner being sued
What Kind Of Dog Are You?
Posted in General
I just saw a cute quiz. It asks if you were a dog, what breed would you be. You select answers such as temperament, how you react around people, etc.
And vote on this picture to help Waggin’ Tails Animal Shelter win $10,000 to get more dogs adopted.
Top Dog Names
Posted in General, And The Winner Is
The American Kennel Club once again has brought us the most popular dog names. An AKC survey showed that “Bear” is the top male dog name and “Lady” is the top female dog name. Dog owners seem to be choosing names for their dogs as if they were naming their children. More and more people however (or should I say owners) are childless, so it makes sense I suppose to give your dog a child’s name. So many people treat their dogs as children anyway… but that’s another story for another time.
Most Popular Male Dog Names
1. Bear
2. Blue
3. Max/Maximus/Maxwell
4. Duke
5. Buddy
6. Jack
7. Prince
8. King
9. Bailey
10. Rocky
11. Harley
12. Jake
13. Shadow
14. Lucky
15. Hunter
16. Dakota
17. Lou
18. Midnight
19. Cooper
20. Buster
Most Popular Female Dog Names
1. Lady
2. Belle/Bell/Bella
3. Princess
4. Mae/May
5. Rose
6. Daisy
7. Grace/Gracie
8. Baby
9. Molly
10. Maggie
11. Sadie
12. Ann/Annie
13. Star
14. Lily/Lilly
15. Angel
16. Coco/Cocoa
17. Sophie/Sophia
18. Lucy
19. Abby/Abigail
20. Marie
Let’s see, I have had a Lady, a Prince & Princess, a Duke, & who hasn’t had a King? Plus other dog names not in today’s popular lexicon. How ’bout you?
Florida has its First Cell Phone Sniffing Dog
Posted in General, Smart Dogs
Razor, the 14-month-old Broward County Malinois police dog is about to finish training for her new job. She is the first dog trained to find contraband cell phones in prisons in Florida.
A new law banning cell phones took effect on October 1. Razor will finish her training mid-November. If cell phones are found in inmates cells, they could face up to five additional years tacked onto their sentence and a fine of up to $5000. Where inmates are going to get $5000 is beyond me. Don’t they make like 10 cents an hour?
Razor’s name is actually a take off on the Motorola cell phone, the RAZR. She was purchased for $6500 and was paid for by the Animal Welfare Foundation of Winter Garden, Florida.
Read the whole story here…
Rabies and the Baghdad Dog
Posted in Dog Health
Operation Baghdad Pups, an SPCA group responsible for bringing stray animals back from the war in Iraq has made a major error. They are bringing back animals (dogs and cats) that have not been sufficiently vaccinated and quarantined before they go into new homes in the United States.
A mixed breed Labrador dog named Crusader had to be put down because he had rabies - something that would have been recognized had he gotten vaccinated 30 days before entry into the United States (which is the norm) instead of just a few days prior. Rabies is relatively rare in domestic pets in the United States, however it is very common across the world - especially with so many stray animals.
Because Crusader had rabies and was in close proximity to 25 other animals that were on the flight, those other animals now placed in people’s homes have to have precautionary measures taken to ensure that they do not also have rabies. Those pets now have to be quarantined for six months.
Sometimes in people’s overzealousness to do good, they take shortcuts which end up hurting in the long run.
Dog Saved From “Jaws” of Death
Posted in General, Dog Health
By now you’ve probably heard the story of Jake the rat terrier dog being grabbed by a shark while he was out for his daily swim. His owner dove in to save him. Have you seen the video?
October is Adopt A Dog Month
Did you know that this month (October) is adopt-a-dog month? Well according to the American Humane Society it is! Too many dogs get put into animal shelters and never leave.
As a kid I lived near the dog pound (as we called it then) & every day after school I’d go down & spend time with the dogs. It always hurt my heart when there would be fewer familiar dogs & more strange ones every day. Many people are irresponsible, they do not spay or neuter their dogs and thus the overpopulation of strays.
Ironically, people go to breeders and spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on purebred dogs, when they could have gone to a shelter and gotten the exact same breed for practically the cost of registration. There are breed specific rescue shelters, so any dog that you just had to have is available on the cheap. So go out there and get a pound puppy.
And check out this page for some humorous reasons why you should adopt a shelter dog.
Speaking of Shelter Dogs
Possible future President Barak Obama & the family are getting a dog. And they have decided to adopt a pound puppy. (Doesn’t every President have a dog?)
Best Friends Animal Society which operates the nation’s largest facility for neglected & abused dogs is stepping in to help.
Best Friends created buzz around the Obamas’ search for a dog in mid-July when it launched the web site, ObamaFamilyDog.com. And within 24 hours approximately 20,000 dog lovers had signed a petition urging the Obamas to adopt their dog from a shelter.
The Obamas have decided to adopt versus buy a dog. I believe that all politicians calculate every move they make to paint them in the most positive light. Do you think it was the petition that swayed them or are they just doing the right thing?
