Dogs Do The Darnedest Things

In Oklahoma, a dog got his owners car impounded. How? The pit bull dog was in the car when his owner was washing it at a do-it-yourself car wash. Somehow the dog put the car in reverse, the car backed out of the car wash bay, rolled onto a highway and then looped around before coming to a stop at an automated car wash lane. When the police officer arrived, the dog’s owner car was impounded not for what the dog did, but because the owner could not show proof of insurance. He was allowed to walk home with his dog in tow.

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

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill Saturday that would have banned drivers from holding a pet in their lap while driving. He said the bill was not important enough to pass… it wasn’t high enough priority.

I think that having a pet in your lap while you’re driving around (particularly a small pet) is especially dangerous. Rush Limbaugh the conservative radio talk show host says the bill is stupid and has dubbed it the “Paris Hilton bill” due to her love of pets – dogs in particular.

I say if it’s against the law to talk on your cell phone while you’re driving, or not put your child in a child safety seat, then dog’s should not be allowed to roam free in your vehicle. They are just as much a distraction as a cell phone, as a child, or as someone putting on makeup or texting while they’re driving.

Gov. Arnold recently passed the state budget after over 80 days of stonewalling and he threatened to only pass certain bills. He held true to his word by vetoing 95 bills and signing 114.

Here’s a sad story… a three-day-old baby girl in Youngstown, Ohio was killed by the family’s seven year old dog. It was ruled an accident because the dog apparently thought the baby was a squeaky toy or stuffed animal – which it was used to playing with.

The family left the baby in a baby bed in another room and the Siberian Husky took the baby from the bed and shook it to death, it seems. When the father told the dog to put the baby down, it did, just as it did with all its toys.

When the ambulance arrived the baby still was alive but died en route to the hospital. Ironically the same hospital where she was born three days before.

This goes to show how critically important it is to train your dogs… especially when a new baby is being introduced into the household.

I watched a new reality type show last night on the National Geographic channel (right after Cesar Milan’s “Dog Whisperer”). The show was called “Dogtown” & it’s about the “Best Friends Animal Sanctuary” (the largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the nation) & the dogs who they rescue from neglectful &/or abusive situations.

Last night’s episode (which I think was a rerun) was about the pit bulls from former football star Michael Vick’s dog fighting ring. One dog in particular was heart-breaking. Cherry was so terrified of people that he cowered in a corner when they came near his pen & he wouldn’t walk – he would lay prone on the ground instead.

A trainer finally broke the ice with Cherry & he learned to trust the trainer. Now, 9 months later, Cherry has turned into a friendly, playful pup that takes walks, plays with toys and doesn’t even mind cats. And now he’s ready to move to a foster home.

It just goes to show that even terribly abused dogs are so forgiving & can learn to trust people again – even though they were their abusers.