Superbowl!

Hey, be careful with the pooches during the Superbowl. Dogs can escape, be poisoned, abused, or otherwise harmed. Keep an eye on them!

Some Dog Bites Are Justified...

A Boston terrier stopped a rape attempt by biting a Florida woman's attacker... a 46-year-old woman allowed a man inside her apartment after he said he was a repairman. Once inside, however, the man attacked her. Her female dog then bit the man on the shoulder, and he fled the apartment.

Criminal Animal Neglect?

The Humane Society of Northwest Indiana is investigating... a woman in Gary who wanted them to pick up her dead dog, who had frozen to death on Thursday night. Clayton found the snow-covered dog curled up in the fetal position inside its dog house -- less than 10 feet from the back of the house -- and it was chained to a tree. The dog house wasn't much more than a wire crate covered on all sides with thin paneling boards... The temperatures on Jan. 15 was minus 11 degrees, with a wind chill of minus 28. "There were no visible signs of food or water," Clayton said. "You could see its hip bones sticking out"...

This is sickening to me.

Pet Insurance

I am a believer in pet insurance. After spending way too much on medical bills over the years, i have realized it is better to be insured than to take your chances.

Here is a review of a variety of pet insurance plans.

Dying To Save Your Dog?

Compare these two stories..

1. A Plainsboro woman died Saturday morning after falling through thin ice and into freezing water while trying to rescue her dog, police said.

2. A man waded into icy water to save his dog after it became trapped in a lake in Greater Manchester. Marc Greenhalgh, 25, was out walking in Alkrington Woods, Middleton, on New Year's Day when his cocker spaniel Jarvis ran onto the ice to chase ducks. When the ice broke, Jarvis was having difficulty climbing out so his owner plunged into the water to save him. The fire service said Mr Greenhalgh could easily have died and urged people to keep away from icy waters.

Is there any clearer set of examples why it is important to train your dog to be RELIABLE when told to Come? Or Stay? Dogs need to be trained to do a variety of specific commands in order to be manageable in dangerous situations. People die when their dogs get loose, whether it is an icy situation like this, or in busy traffic, or on a hiking trail. Don't let this happen to you or your dog!

New Puppy?

So, did you get a puppy for the holidays? Or are you getting one soon?

I'd love to hear about it!

How is it going? Any surprises? Difficulties? Successes? What are your training plans?

Chinook? State Dog?

Seventh-graders from Bedford are the driving force behind a bill to declare the Chinook the New Hampshire state dog.

I am not excited about this development. The Chinook is still a pretty primative breed, and most of these types of dogs don't make great pets. Further, with a very limited gene pool, there is a great potential for genetic defects. It is also a sled pulling dog. The sled pulling versions of the Husky, the real things in the Arctic, aren't the same types of dogs as those you see in the dog shows. I haven't met or worked with a Chinook. I could be wrong. But, I'm probably right on this one... it is a specialty breed that isn't right for most pet owners. When a new breed comes along, the tendency is to oversell the dog, and not be realistic about what the dog is really like... and then they end up abandoned in shelters.

Seventh graders aren't the best resource for making suggestions on what dog to own or not own. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with promoting or creating new breeds.

Real Life Ace Ventura?

Loki, a highly-trained Fort Worth police dog, is back home after he chewed a hole in his handler's fence and ran away New Year's Eve, apparently spooked by fireworks. So police called Laura Davis and Kat Manning, who own a company called Dog-Gone Detectives that specializes in finding lost pets. They arrived at the scene with Godiva, a labrador with a sensitive nose. It took her just 15 minutes to find Loki, in a wooded area a few blocks away.

Cool! Very Cool!

Failure To Groom? Go To Jail

THIS neglected Yorkshire terrier had such a matted coat that it was impossible to tell one end of the dog from the other. His owner, who treated her pet - called Stumpy - appallingly for at least six months was jailed for 12 weeks and banned from keeping animals for life. Inspectors found the dog had been subjected to severe neglect, resulting in it having head tremors and such poor coordination that it was unable to fend for itself. Even after two weeks of hospital and veterinary care, Stumpy had to be put down to end his suffering. "The dog's coat was so badly matted that it was almost impossible to tell one end from the other. "Stumpy had been neglected over a lengthy period and was in a very bad way when we found him."

I saw something similar to this a couple of years ago. The groomer warned them that she would turn them into animal control if she found out that they ever neglected the dog like that again. This poor dog smelled horrible, a lot of dust came out from the coat, there were sores starting to form on the skin of the dog. Poop was matted so bad at the back end of the dog it was having trouble defecating. And it took the groomer hours to clean the dog up. In the end, the dog was pretty much shaved mostly bald because there was no way to get out all the mats. This kind of thing is cruel. The owner was too senile to own a dog, and it was the family who brought the dog in for grooming.

New Puppy?

So... you got a new puppy for Christmas?

Having some problems, eh? House training? Biting? Chewing? Jumping?

Are these problems becoming a nuisance for you? Getting aggravated? Maybe even a bit worried?

Time to hire a dog trainer!

Is This Dog Cruelty?

Prince Edward has been placed under fire by various British animal welfare organizations, after he was photographed raising a stick at two dogs on a recent hunting excavation.A Buckingham Palace spokesman denied Prince Edward actually inflicted any harm on the dogs. "I can confirm there were two dogs fighting over a pheasant. Prince Edward did separate them but no harm was done to either dog," the spokesman said. "He broke up the fight with the dogs and pictures show him waving his stick around. We cannot confirm, however, whether he struck the dog."

I watched the video. He didn't beat the dogs. I believe his story that he was stopping something happening between the dogs. This story is prompted by is wacky animal rights nuts going ballistic in order to get in the news.

Don't Use Sticks For Fetch?

Don't throw a stick for Spot - he might injure himself. Really. It seems that there is a previously unremarked-upon and sizeable pack of man's best friend who do themselves a mischief in any given year as a result of the old stick-throwing game. Many injuries are minor, we are told by Professor Dan Brockman of the Royal Veterinary College, but others run the gamut from acute to chronic to life-threatening - to do with the pointiness and dirtiness of many sticks and the ease with which one of these spear-like missiles can pierce a doggy hide - often made worse, presumably, by the embarrassment of the owner at having to admit how their shaggy mutt's injury was sustained.

I never use sticks as toys for this very reason.

Okayyyy... Step Away From The Dog

The Pinellas County Sheriff's office says they arrested a Dunedin man for beating his dog, then reportedly threatened to shoot his neighbor who saw him harm the animal.

Wow. Super dangerous situation.

Merry Christmas!!!

If you got a Christmas puppy, search this blog for a lot of free dog training tips. Also, go to my web page, SamTheDogTrainer.com for more specific advice. Just remember:

* The pup doesn't know anything. YOU have to teach them everything, step by step. They don't know their names, any commands, the word "No", leave it, drop it, don't know where to pee and poop, won't come when called, can't walk on a leash... they don't know anything. All of that has to be taught.
* No rough stuff! No spanking, swatting with a newspaper, yelling, shoving the pup's face in it's poop... none of that stuff! It doesn't work, and it wrecks the dog... and it is cruel.
* Get help! Don't be a cheapskate! Hire a trainer!
* Study the breed(s) in your dog.
* Go buy a dog first aid book, read it from cover to cover, and make up a first aid kit for your dog.
* First objectives: House training, puppy manners and early socialization.
* With a good trainer... start obedience no later than 4 months old.
* Supervise, supervise, supervise... kids, strangers, and the pup!

Shoot To Kill?

A directive that allows Ferris police officers to shoot dangerous feral dogs is drawing criticism from animal welfare advocates. The policy handed down by City Manager David Chavez last week allows officers to use shotguns to kill the potentially violent dogs. As more owners dump their dogs or let them loose in the Ellis County town, the population increases and the threat becomes greater, said Mr. Chavez. "A lot of people come here in the country and let them go because for some reason they don't want to keep them any longer," he said. "They think they're doing something humane, but they forget these dogs don't have any food." Instead, they breed and form packs that roam the town for food.

Three cruelties for the price of one. First cruelty: shooting dogs with a shotgun. You kill birds with shotguns. You kill larger animals with a rifle, otherwise they might just be wounded and run off and die a slow miserable death. Second cruelty: letting a dog go to let it fend for itself in the wild. Third cruelty: letting feral dogs run loose. Feral dog packs are dangerous to other animals and people, and dogs can pass on rabies to people. There's got to be a better way, eh?

Starve A Dog...

Do Not Pass Go... Do Not Collect $200... Go To Jail...

A woman has been found guilty of deliberately starving a pit bull. A jury convicted Lakisha Smith, 36, December 15 for animal cruelty. Police said they found the dog dead in the backyard of Smith's home.

I just don't get it. Why would someone do this kind of thing?

Hmmmm... Guilty or Not Guilty, That Is The Question

An assistant Los Angeles County fire chief who allegedly beat a neighbor's 6-month-old dog so severely it had to be euthanized said Monday he was acting in self-defense. Glynn D. Johnson and his attorney, John E. Sweeney, said the incident was being unfairly characterized by the media and protesters as an unprovoked attack on a timid puppy. "The dog had my thumb in a viselike grip in his jaws when it became necessary to defend myself," Johnson said in the lawyer's office, where enlarged photos of his stitched-up thumb were displayed for reporters. Johnson, 54, of Riverside, is accused of beating the shepherd mix with his fist and a 12-pound rock Nov. 3. The injured dog was taken by its owner to a veterinarian, where it was euthanized. Johnson was charged last week by Riverside County prosecutors with felony animal cruelty and other counts and freed on $10,000 bail. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Two sides to this story, from my experience.

I encountered a vicious 12 week old Australian Shepherd pup many years ago. The dog was a born fear biter. The dog was dangerous even at that age. Breeders will tell you, if they've been breeding dogs long enough, that sometimes a pup will be born that isn't right in the head. And the breeder will cull the pup (meaning put the pup to death). The article says the pup was "timid", usually meaning fearful. A true fear biter can't be fixed. The dog is mentally ill, and no amount of training, love, or behavior modification will change that. A dog that bites will often not let go, and dogs have incredibly strong jaws, even as puppies.

Then again, I have met wackos that would provoke dogs. They would tease, or even harm a puppy, to the point that even a very mild mannered pup will eventually become a biter. Saw this once with an Italian Greyhound. Mild mannered dog that was treated way too roughly, and the dog eventually became a serious biter. The dog needed some serious work, a lot of patience and love, and we could have gotten the dog over it. The owners refused to spend the money and let us get the dog out of this predicament. Ham handed, home brewed training is just as bad as outright abuse.

So, what happened here? You can't tell from the article, so we really don't know. There are more clues, however... A second article states: "A Woodcrest man accused of savagely beating a dog that strayed onto his property is a dedicated firefighter and animal lover who simply tried to defend himself when the dog attacked, his lawyer said Monday."

Again, from experience...

Some people get manic when dogs enter their yards. They get aggressive to the dog to run it off, or to punish it for pooping in their yard, or such like.

Or, some dogs, when loose from their homes, feel very afraid when a stranger corners them and tries to catch them. The second article states: "Karley turned on Johnson as he tried to return her to her yard, biting him on the right thumb so severely that she nearly severed it, Sweeney said. He said Johnson, who is right-handed, defended himself as best he could with his free hand." Did he grab the dog? And how did he do it? Regardless, the type of bite and the location of the bite leads me to believe it was a fear bite... but was it provoked or not?

Again, we can't tell from these stories if the man is guilty or not. So, unless there is more evidence showing abuse leading up to the bite, I'd acquit the guy.

What do you do in these circumstances? First, try to get the owners to get their own dog. Second, if that fails, and you are going to try and get the dog yourself, use a leash or rope to lasso the dog. Don't grab the dog. Third, once a dog locks its jaw on your body, it is probably not going to let go... and then you have to defend yourself. That's the cruel truth.

Here is a clearer example of the kind of detail that would lead me to convict someone of animal abuse: "A Sandy man will serve jail time for strangling and beating two dogs, killing one of them. William McKnight, 29, was sentenced Monday in 3rd District Court to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine for two misdemeanor counts of aggravated cruelty to an animal. According to the charges, McKnight told a separate witness "that he had tortured (the woman's) dogs by grabbing their necks and throwing them against the walls and floor."

Financial Crisis Is Causing People To Abandon Their Dogs

The increase in requests for re-homing is attributed to the financial crisis. Owners either have to move to dog-unfriendly accommodation or can no longer afford to care for the animal after losing their job. "Moving as a result of the credit crunch is the number one factor for giving up a dog," explains Moore. "People also ring up to say they can't afford to look after their dog anymore, because they've been made redundant." On top of overcrowding, animal rescue charities face another problem; they rely on charity donations and are likely to suffer in those terms. "The expected increase in unemployment and decrease of disposable income is going to affect the donations," says Moore. Another concern for dog charities is that animals are given as Christmas presents. Unfortunately some of these dogs turn up at the re-homing center in the New Year as unwanted gifts.

The current worldwide financial crisis is the fault of government meddling with the free markets. This would have never happened if we hadn't created these ridiculous incentives to create no-money-down, no income verification, sub-prime loans. Whose brilliant idea was that? Banking is banking. We messed with the system, and gave lenders incentives and mandates to toss out good banking practices, and now look where that has gotten us. A mess. This is why you see articles here condemning government over-regulation, because it always ends up destroying things in the end.

Even on the simplest levels, these past wrongs are affecting everyone: It is trickling down to even to our dogs.

Texas Dog Breed Ban Coming?

A Dallas lawmaker has asked the state attorney general to issue an opinion on whether local officials have the authority to pass laws banning or regulating certain canine breeds — such as pit bulls and Rottweilers — in a move that could set the tone for a showdown in the Legislature.

Time to take action! Fight this thing. There are a number of pro-dog links at the side bar of this blog. Contact them and volunteer to help stop this.

Puppy Mills vs Hobby Breeders

Liz Walker was among hundreds of people who showed up at the East Valley Animal Shelter to bid for one of 10 purebred puppies seized last month at Los Angeles International Airport from a puppy mill operating out of South Korea. The puppies - five Maltese and five Yorkshire terriers - are the only survivors among 30 puppies seized after the long flight. Accompanied by falsified health certificates, the 30 puppies were found dehydrated and suffering from illnesses, officials said. Most had to be euthanized.

It is interesting that the worst breeding offenders are puppy mill operators... but the laws that are then passed to deal with them affect the best breeders... the hobbyists. Regulations are piled on to prevent the good breeders from staying in the business, and the worst breeders just keep pumping out dogs. You don't see the committed hobbyists pumping out 3o dogs, shipping them to who knows where, falsifying records, and causing the deaths of numerous puppies, do you? Nope.