The Media Hypes Bad Dog News

Most dog bites aren't serious and can be avoided.

Sensational cases draw headlines, but canine aggression is preventable with a little common sense

Excellent article.

Even though I am 100% against unprovoked dog bites… the whole dog bite issue is sensationalized and used against dogs and dog owners.

Deputy Shoots Dog

Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds has been getting an earful after one of his deputies gunned down a dog that reportedly was chasing a deer north of Park City.

Was this really necessary?

Pets Are Big Business

The pet industry has grown from $17 billion in sales in 1994 to a projected $35.9 billion for 2005, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

Lavish spending on pets has made the industry 55% larger than the toy industry, which brings in $20 billion a year, and a third bigger than the candy industry at $24 billion in annual revenues, according to association figures.

Chocolate Is Poisonous To Dogs

The most dangerous variety of chocolate in the average household is Baker's chocolate, with 390 mg of theobromine per ounce. Semisweet chocolate used in Tollhouse cookies has 150 mg per ounce, and milk chocolate contains 44 mg per ounce.

Two one-ounce squares of Bakers' chocolate is toxic to a 20-pound dog. It would take 2-3 candy bars to poison a 10-pound dog. A mere two ounces of Baker's chocolate could put a 15-pound dog at great risk.

You have to be particularly careful with a pet that is prone to epilepsy or other health problems because theobromine can trigger seizures in dogs with a pre-existing condition.

You can recognize that your dog has eaten a toxic dose of chocolate from the symptoms. Within the first few hours the evidence includes vomiting, diarrhea or hyperactivity. As time passes and there's increased absorption of the toxic substance, you'll see an increase in the dog's heart rate, which can cause arrhythmia, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination or excessive panting.

Think Twice Before Breeding Or Buying Dogs For Christmas

And while shelter officials are eager to send animals to good homes, they’re asking residents to think twice before adopting this year.

“There will be a handful of people who don’t give it much thought beyond, ‘Wouldn’t a puppy look cute under the Christmas tree?’” said Marli Drum, superintendent of Columbia Animal Services. “Some of those animals will end up back here at the shelter.”

And some will be euthanized. Each year, the Columbia shelter adopts out nearly 2,000 animals. But about 10,000 are euthanized because their owners request it or potential adoptees are too old, sick, aggressive or shy to be adopted.

Known as “cage crazy” in shelter circles, some healthy animals become aggressive or intensely shy when kept in cages at shelters for extended periods of time.

And when that happens, the chances of the animal being adopted plummets, Drum said, and euthanization is likely.

Shelters Already Filling Up With Unwanted Pets

THESE adorable puppies have already been abandoned - and it's not even Christmas Day yet.

Dogs Trust Ballymena Rehoming Centre is over-run with the dumped puppies.

The centre normally cares for between 40 and 50 dogs at any one time, but it is currently looking after 35 puppies - around 80% of the centre's residents.

Manager Mary Carney said: "It is really unusual to have so many puppies here at one time, especially so close to Christmas.

"There are many reasons why dogs will come to us; sadly some of these puppies will have been bred for sale as Christmas presents and those that are not sold will just be discarded like rubbish.

Paris Hilton Gets 2 More Dogs

It seems Paris Hilton has added to her collection of pets, after she was recently spotted on the streets of LA with two cute, pint-sized pooches.

Whatever happened to the rest of her pet dogs? It appears there’s no end to excess when you grow up rich, and become famous being a pig.

Dogs need a home and a master. They aren’t a fashion accessory.

Seven Safety Rules For Your Dog At Christmas

Keep Your Dog Safe & Happy This Holiday Season By Following These Seven Simple Rules.

Great article. You should read it.

Keep Pets Off Christmas Wish List

ANIMAL welfare campaigners today urged people not to give animals as gifts over the festive period.

The Scottish SPCA has launched its seasonal campaign requesting the public not to give puppies, kittens or other young animals as Christmas presents.

It says many of them become next year's victims of neglect, cruelty or abandonment and dog and cat homes are overwhelmed with unwanted animals by January.

I think that you shouldn’t ever get a dog as a present for someone else, unless that dog is also going to be your pet.

I don’t think that you should buy dogs for holiday presents because you can’t think of anything better to get someone.

I think that dog ownership entails a great deal of responsibility, and the person receiving the pet should have expressed a serious interest and consent to getting a pet from you. And if you get them a pet, they should be the one to deal directly with the breeder to finalize the details.

And I don’t think breeders should sell dogs as presents. They should deal directly with the person who will own and care for the pet.

Animal Hoarders

Frederick County animal control officers are evaluating whether to press criminal charges against a Mount Airy woman after finding 184 dead cats and a dead dog in her house, along with 117 living cats and three living dogs, officials said yesterday.

Six animal control officers and a sheriff's deputy were required Friday to handle the situation, which is believed to be the largest case of animal hoarding in the county, said Harold L. Domer Jr., director of the animal control division. He announced the animal seizure Monday night.

Animal hoarding is a serious crime… and an indication that someone has a serious psychological disorder. I know of an elderly lady who is a hoarder. She didn’t hoard animals, but she did hoard garbage. After several years of litigation, she lost her home through a condemnation action and court order, and most of her life savings. It took 4 huge dumpsters to empty all the garbage out of her home.

I remember, nearly 20 years ago, when she would tell me to “be careful” because people were roaming the neighborhood, breaking into houses, and stealing socks and underwear. The woman is bipolar and really can’t help it.

Heart Disease In Dogs

Many pet owners may be interested to learn that another thing that we share with our pets is that they also get heart diseases, (although not always the same kind of problems commonly seen in people). According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, of the dogs in the United States examined annually by a veterinarian, approximately 3.2 million have some form of acquired heart disease and may be in heart failure. And pet owners may be surprised to learn that, like human medicine, there are specialists available to treat heart problems in their dogs and cats.

When a pet is diagnosed with a heart problem by their regular veterinarian, they can take their pet to a board-certified veterinary cardiologist.

This is an extremely interesting article. Be sure to read it all.

Government Program Pays You To Get A Dog

England's National Health Service may balk at paying for expensive new drugs for the chronically ill but there is money for some of these patients to purchase a dog via a prescription.

No kidding - it's "pets not pills" in this novel approach that started near London late this summer with a worthy goal of keeping people healthier and best utilizing limited health care dollars.

At least one health authority has adopted a scheme that allows the long-term sick to buy a dog, in the hope that it will keep them out of the hospital, and save money.

With the growing knowledge that pets don't just make us feel good but are good for us, the premise of these English "pet prescriptions" is that a dog provides an incentive for people to exercise and be social, deters depression while increasing the feeling of general well-being, decreases doctor visits, shortens hospital stays, and greatly reduces prescription drug usage.

Under the plan, general practitioners in Lewisham, southeast of London, will give patients who are regularly hospitalized grants of up to 1,000 pounds (about $1,750 USD at current exchange rates) to spend on buying a pet, pet food and veterinary bills.

Dog Walking Volunteers Needed

A WEST Cumbrian charity is calling on volunteers to enter into the spirit of the season of good will.

The Workington-based Retired Greyhound Trust (RGT) needs helpers to walk dogs over the festive season.

The national charity is dedicated to finding homes for former racing greyhounds.

Horrible Animal Cruelty: Chained Out Dog Found Frozen To The Ground

Police in Dayton have arrested a man after finding a dog dead at his home and another animal partially frozen. The discovery was made Tuesday night in the 300 block of Geyer Street.

On Tuesday night, a neighbor flagged down a Dayton officer because he was concerned about the dogs on Geyer Street.

Officers questioned the man at the home. Jerry Welsh said he had checked on his dogs earlier in the day and said they were fine.

Authorities said when officers went to check on the dogs they found a puppy dead in its doghouse. Police also found another dog partially frozen to the ground.

Police said the partially frozen dog was tied to a chain, attached to a pole. Officers took the dog to a veterinarian, where they are trying to save the animal.

This is unspeakable animal cruelty.

This is why I wrote an article at www.SamTheDogTrainer.com on how to build a proper indoor-outdoor kennel. It is inhumane to chain a dog outside as a way of housing a dog.

New Dog Park Proposed

The multiuse park calls for a dog park, a combined soccer, lacrosse and baseball field, a walking track, a sport court, restrooms and a concession facility.

More and more cities are turning “unofficial” dog parks into designated dog parks. This is a good trend. It promotes dog and people safety. Dog owners are tired of being issued tickets for letting their dogs run free, when they have no other designated areas where they can exercise their dogs legally.

Man Kills Dog With Firework

A TEENAGER is to appear in court charged in connection with an incident where a dog was blown up by a firework.

The 19-year-old from Linthwaite answered bail at Huddersfield police station yesterday where he was formally charged.

A firework was allegedly strapped to Yorkshire terrier Emmie and ignited

This isn't a "teenager". This is an ADULT MAN, and he should be tried as an adult and charged with a serious crime.

Police Officer Shoots Police K9 To Death

An officer shot a police dog to death Tuesday when it attacked him as authorities searched for a burglary suspect, police said.

I support the police and the use of police K9’s. This was the result of poor training or negligent deployment of the dog. Mistakes happen, too. But, these guys are supposed to be professionals.

Dog Survives Car Crash

A dog not only survived a deadly car crash near Kamloops, but also two and a half weeks of wandering in a rural area in sub-zero temperatures.

I am extra careful how I drive when I have my dog in my car. I think of his welfare, and how he could be killed in an accident.

Puppy Smugglers From Mexico Bring Diseased Dogs To The US

Puppy smugglers continue flooding the market with animals from Mexico, many of which die or pose health hazards to unsuspecting buyers, according to a recent survey.

Animal welfare agency inspectors found 517 puppies, many concealed in vehicles and destined for swap meets across Southern California, during the two-week survey earlier this month at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry.

The puppy smuggling phenomenon, first noticed about two years ago, troubles animal welfare groups, because many of the puppies suffer from parvovirus, distemper, scabies and other hard-to-detect ailments.

The animals — often mixed-breed poodles and other toy breeds — are usually sold to bargain-seeking buyers at swap meets or through classified advertising.

There are several lessons to be learned from this article:

1.) Illegal immigration across the US / Mexico border is harming our dogs. Gangs bring pit fighting operations back and forth across the border, resulting in vicious dogs being let loose in our streets. This has a direct impact on the whole breed ban issue, since these dogs are often implicated in attacks on innocent people. In addition, you can’t have diseased animals being brought here. We already have a looming catastrophe with the dog flu. If a more virulent form comes here from Mexico, then we could lose many of our dogs. And we don’t want the substandard genetics of these dogs being put into the gene pool of our other pet dogs, passing along genetic diseases that cost owners thousands of dollars and lots of heartache. THIS IS ANOTHER GOOD REASON WHY WE NEED SERIOUS BORDER AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT!

2.) Lazy buyers buy poorly bred dogs. Lazy sluggards perpetuate the puppy mill business across the world. “Though they appear healthy, they often die within a week. "It's really hard on people," said Lt. Daniel DeSousa of the San Diego County Department of Animal Services. "We get calls from people saying, 'I spent $2,000, and the puppy died in my kids' arms.'”

3.) You should only buy a purebred puppy from a reputable breeder. I have an article at my business web page on how to buy a dog and choose a breeder. You should visit my web page at www.SamTheDogTrainer.com and learn how to get a well bred dog. You should NOT be buying a dog at a swap meet, you idiot! What kind of dog do you think you’ll be getting at some kind of flea market?

4.) Note how genetics plays a big factor in temperament and health. Well bred dogs wouldn’t warrant an article like this.

5.) Note the inhumane conditions these dogs are subjected to by these criminals: “The animals are believed to come from puppy mills in Tijuana and other Mexican cities. Many dogs are less than 6 months old and have not been vaccinated for rabies and other diseases. To get them across the border, smugglers often stuff the dogs in packing crates or hide them in spare-tire wheel wells. The puppies are heard whimpering inside trunks or underneath seats.”

Euthanasia

I was told I did the "right" thing.

I took my 13-year-old golden retriever, Dijon, to the veterinarian for a lethal injection. It astonishes me how something so "right" can be so gut-wrenchingly difficult. Not to mention the self-doubt and questions it raises.

What right do I have to decide to end her life, rather than let her die a natural death? Is it too soon? Does she have any idea the person she trusted most, me, is complicit in her death?

Euthanasia is always a tough decision. If you own enough pets, you’ll be put in this situation. There is a point where you have to choose between keeping your dog alive and suffering or putting them down. Modern medicine allows us to prolong our dog’s lives well beyond what would happen in nature. So, since we can keep a dog artificially alive, we also have to use artificial methods to put them to death when they have gone beyond the point where they can enjoy any kind of normal life.