Bo the first dog has been immortalized as a Beanie Baby. Ty Inc. introduced the stuffed animal on April 16, two days after Bo the Portuguese Water Dog made his White House debut. Bo the Beanie Baby has been a big hit and sold out in every store he’s been introduced in.
Toy “Bo” retails for $4.95 in selected stores, but there have been online auctions where he went for as much as $140. A portion of the proceeds will go to local animal shelters.
See Beanie Baby “Bo” here…
Last week was “National Dog Bite Prevention” week. Every year, 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs and too many neglect to pay attention to the warning signs that a dog is about to bite.
Read them here…
Camp Lejeune’s Marine Corp’s military base in Raleigh, NC has banned dogs including pit bulls and Rottweilers from military housing. About a year ago a three year old boy was bitten to death by a visiting Pit Bull. Twelve other states, several cities and towns that have adopted bans on specific breeds deemed dangerous.
The ban means no one is allowed to own them and vidtors are not allowed to bring them in. Read more about it here…
An Australian family thought they had lost their dog forever when she fell off their boat. But 4 months later, their Australian cattle dog Sophie Tucker, was found. After the dog fell overboard, she swam 5 miles to an island & survived by catching & eating the wild goats on the island. Park rangers thought she was a wild dog & captured her. The family saw a local news story & went to see if the dog was theirs. Sophie had become wild but when the family called her name, she became the sweet girl she’d always been & starting crying & whimpering to go home.
See Sophie here…
President Obama promised his girls a dog if he won the presidency. We’d heard about how the selection was narrowed down to non hypo-allergenic breeds. A Portuguese Water Dog was the choice.
The Obama’s had decided to adopt a dog from a shelter, however Senator Edward Kennedy (who has Portuguese water dogs of his own), surprised the President & family a Portie puppy this weekend. The 6 month old puppy had a “meet & greet” but isn’t quite ready to come home just yet. He has been trained so he’ll have nice manners when he moves in. The dog was given the name, “Bo” after the guitar player Bo Diddley.
Since the Obamas didn’t actually adopt from a shelter, they will be donating money to the D.C. Humane Society.
Bo is actually a rescue of sorts. He was in another home but it didn’t work out. So he gets a second chance with the Obamas.
With the economy taking a downturn many people are having to make the choice between putting food on the table and keeping their dog. And in most cases the dog is the loser. An organization in Portland, OR has started a food bank for dogs. F.I.D.O (Friends Involved in Dog Outreach) is a volunteer organization that started in 2005.
Clackamas County dog owners facing financial difficulties can get one month’s supply of dog food for up to 4 dogs. FIDO asks that owners be prepared to show proof of residency, and they ask that all dogs be spayed or neutered. Owners whose dogs are not spayed or neutered will not be turned away, but they will be given information on low-cost spay/neuter programs, microchipping, and rabies vaccine clinics.
Along those same lines…
Many formerly wealthy dog owners are giving up the pooch after losing their jobs. It’s a trend being seen all over the country and moreso in areas of large unemployment. Areas where people routinely used their expensive pure-bred dogs to display their wealth - cities like New York or Los Angeles are seeing an increase in those pure-bred dogs showing up at breed specific shelters. It’s especially sad that these people choose to give up their dogs because in many cases they still have money…the dog was just a status symbol for them.
Kelley Davis of North Carolina put out $400 on her bed, which she intended to deposit in the bank. When she went to get the money, it was gone. When she took her Swiss mountain dog Augie out to do his business, she found bits of hundred & 20 dollars bills in his stool. She scooped it up & washed the bills off with a garden hose. She hopes the bank will still take them.
Pet Airways, the first pet airline in the U.S. has started flying. Pets can fly in coach instead of cargo. Only pets can fly and human passengers will be banned, although a human flight attendant chaperone will be on the flight to look after the pets. Pet owners will be able to track their pets arrival online and pick them up at the gate.
An Australian social networking site designed especially for dogs is becoming a big hit. Dogtree helps dogs and their owners find local buddies to play with and walk with. This is a great idea, especially if you are gone for much of the day. If you knew your pup could stay with a doggie friend he likes you wouldn’t feel the guilt of leaving your buddy.
To find canine friends, owners can put in their zip code (more advanced search options are also available, such as breed and size). Once done the result is a list of other suitable dog members in their area. Once they find some that seem like a good match (owners post pictures of their dogs), dog owners can invite them through the site for a playdate or meeting. There is a classified section that has many “Playmates Wanted” ads.
This trend would be a great way to find play mates for your dog during the time you’re away all day. It could definitely stop excessive barking caused by leaving your dog alone all day.
If you are dealing with excessive barking, click here to stop dog barking once and for all.
Unleashed, a 50,000 square foot indoor dog park in Dallas, TX that will offer a café and grooming services, is opening its facilities to all breeds but one: pit bulls. It boils down to insurance.
Insurance companies are reluctant to insure “bully” breeds like Pits due to their reputation. But any dog is now checked for its temperament before it is allowed to join. Pit bulls are still welcome in the grooming and supply centers at the facility - just not the park area.
Speaking of pit bulls and insurance
The House rejected a bill to make owners of dangerous dogs in New Mexico get liability insurance. The bill would have made it mandatory for owners of dogs deemed dangerous to obtain $100,000 of liability insurance to cover any injuries their dogs may cause to other people or pets. The bill was drafted to send a message to irresponsible dog owners. The legislation would have updated a law enacted in 2005.
