Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Sadie the Scottish Terrier Wins Best of Show at Westminster!
February 16th, 2010 | Author: xan
Sadie, the gorgeous black Scottish Terrier has won the Best of Show at Westminster! Here’s a look at Super Sadie:
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Let’s All Vote for the New Guy: The Pyrenean Shepherd
February 15th, 2010 | Author: xan
Westminster dog show opened today. I have never, ever, ever picked the winner. Not even picked the winner of the breed or category or anything. But I love it anyway. I’m torn this year between Westminster and the Olympics but Bob Kostas’s new hair color is throwing me off so I’ve decided to stick with the dogs. Fave newly recognized by AKC dog of the year: The Pyrenean Shepherd. Check this dog out!
Picture from Canine Coalition
Get more info on the Pyrenean Shepherd here at Canine Coalition
Iraq Vets Receive Service Dogs Trained by Prisoners
February 10th, 2010 | Author: xan
Iraq war vet receives service dog from Puppies Behind Bars program
Four Veterans of the war in Iraq recently participated in a two-week Team Training course. The veterans suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) as a result of their military service in Iraq. The group consisted of one woman and three men who are from different states.
The dogs are trained by inmates that reside in medium to maximum security prisons in New York State. Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) oversees this program known as the “Dog Tags” program. Inmates receive puppies as young as eight weeks of age and teach them eighty plus Service Dog commands over their 16-18 month stay. When the dogs have attained a certain level of training, they will move on to Colorado where they are matched with wounded Veterans from across the country as a Service Dog. PBB also trains “Explosive Detection Canines” (EDC’s), some of which end up in Iraq and Afghanistan, saving many lives there as well as in the United States.
The Service Dogs are provided free of charge to the veteran. All expenses, including lodging and transportation are covered by Puppies Behind Bars “Dog Tags” program and its donors.
In addition to the usual Service Dog tasks of retrieving, opening doors, and turning on lights, these special dogs have learned how to look both ways before entering a dark room, how to “watch my back” and dial 911 in an emergency, as well as to stop people approaching too closely and protecting the handler’s personal space.
The Team Training for the veterans consists of learning Service Dog handling skills, learning the dogs “language”, canine health, handling stress, and public access issues to name a few. Citizens in Berthoud, Loveland, Denver and Ft. Collins saw the veterans in the community applying their newly learned skills as a Service Dog team.
To donate to PBB or find out more information about the program, please go to the website at: www.puppiesbehindbars.com
Garlic for Dogs: Friend or Foe?
February 9th, 2010 | Author: xan
Garlic has been much-maligned lately as a toxin to dogs. In fact, this Examiner maligned garlic just a few weeks ago in a list of common household pet poisons.
Then Debbie M left a comment on my page that got me wondering how reliable my information was. Debbie asked, “if garlic is toxic to dogs then why are there garlic products on the market to either control bug bites or aid in digestion?”
Ah. Excellent question. I remember a popular doggy supplement from a few years back that was supposed to prevent fleas and mosquito bites – the main ingredients were yeast and garlic.
So I did a little more sniffing around (get it? sniffing? garlic?) and found a very interesting article by a very reputable doctor, Lisa Newman, world renowned pioneer in the field of natural pet care and author of nine books. According to Doc Lisa, garlic is getting a bum rap because of its relatives. Specifically, garlic’s cousin, the onion. Both onions and garlic contain thiosulphate, a compound known to trigger Heinz factor anemia (where circulating red blood cells burst – very bad). The thing is, onions have a MUCH higher concentration of thiosulphate than garlic. With onions, the thiosulphate level is so high that a single serving can cause this fatal reaction. Garlic’s thiosulphate level is barely traceable and isn’t stored in the body so it doesn’t build up.
Newman tells us the current clamor of garlic-bashing is just mass hysteria and the 51,174 sites on the internet that are freaking out about garlic being toxic are way off base. She is backed up by more than 400,000 sites proclaiming garlic’s benefits – most of which are from reputable vets.
“For centuries, humans have been using garlic for themselves and administering it to their animal companions as well. Garlic is known for its incredible anti-parasitic and anti-septic properties. It has been used by hundreds of thousands of pet owners with no reported negative side-effects, except its effect on the pet’s breath.” Newman explains. And indeed, when we look at the list of poisoning incidents most commonly treated by vets (a list compiled by pet health insurance companies), garlic is nowhere to be seen.
Wendy Wallner, DVM, says, “Onions are only one of the substances which can cause Heinz factor anemia. Others such as Tylenol and benzocaine topical ointments can also cause it.” The latter is often used on allergy-suffering pets because it numbs the itching. But it is absorbed into the bloodstream and then stays there, building up to dangerous levels. Many cases of Heinz factor anemia that were blamed on garlic were more likely caused by these other products.
So, according to science, garlic is okay and can even be beneficial to dogs in proper doses. But onions, Tylenol and benzocaine ointments are a no-no.
For the original article written by Dr. Lisa Newman, see Garlic, The Facts.
Amazing “Tails” of Pet Survival
February 9th, 2010 | Author: xan
Here are five amazing stories of animals who survived and even thrived against all odds.
#1) Mickey the Boston terrier somehow traveled 1,100 miles away from his Kansas City, MO home. He disappeared from his back yard but four years later his humans got a call from an animal shelter in Billings, MT saying they had traced him through his microchip information. Mickey was in good shape other than some minor damage to his teeth and his apparent memory lapse of his own name. Forgetful or not, Mickey’s folks were thrilled to have him home.
#2) Tinker Bell the Chihuahua weighed a measly six pounds, meaning that 70-mph gust of wind that swept her off her feet didn’t have a hard time of it. Little Tink flew without the aid of any pixie dust and ended up about a mile away from her humans. A pet psychic was enlisted and pointed them in exactly the right direction – they found her two days later, dirty and quite hungry, but very happy to see her folks.
#3) A certain African gray parrot must have been a member of the “Bird Scouts” (or is that the “Boid Scouts”?) because he was definitely prepared. When he escaped from his cage, he was found, spent a night at a police station and then finally transferred to a vet near his home in Tokyo. Throughout the ordeal he was completely silent but once he reached the vet’s office he promptly announced his name and address. Turns out his humans had spent two years preparing him for just such an event and he performed flawlessly.
#4) Myra Amado heard crying sounds in her backyard but she couldn’t figure out where the sound was coming from. Several days later, she checked a hidden area near her shed and saw a teeny orange kitten’s head peeking at her of of a PVC pipe. The 6-week-old critter was stuck inside the pipe so tightly that it took firefighters two hours and a dollop of vegetable oil to extricate her. Her rescuers named her Piper and quickly took her to a vet who took care of her broken paw and dehydration.
#5) Flushpuppy: There’s a reason 4-year-olds shouldn’t be left unsupervised with teeny puppies. Here’s just one of them. Daniel Blair of Middlesex, England thought his muddy little one-week-old pup needed a bath. So he gave him one. In the toilet. You can guess where this is going. Yes, he flushed the itty bitty Cocker Spaniel down the loo. Amazingly, when a drainage company sent a camera down the pipes, they found the little pup alive. He was out and safe and sound in about four hours. Daniel showed great remorse and promised never to flush a creature down the toilet ever again. No guarantees about his sister’s toys.
Don’t Fall for Pet Movers Internationale Scam
February 9th, 2010 | Author: xan
A scam involving pets is becoming more and more pervasive, claiming victims across the country in towns as far flung as D.C. and Kerrville, TX. It starts off with a too-good-to-be-true offer of an adorable pedigreed puppy for a ridiculously low price and it comes from outside the U.S. Usually this offer is made by an individual in an online post such as eBay. There will be a great sob story for why they can’t keep the puppy. They claim they are selling it for a very low price because they want the dog to be able to find a new home quickly.
After you’ve wire them the money, they send you all the shipping details – saying the puppy will be shipped using a highly reputable international pet moving company. The name of the moving company varies but it’s generally along the lines of Pet Movers Internationale, based in Cameroon, and they claim to take care of all the following:
* Prearrange all necessary flights, ensuring a direct connection when possible.
* Make sure that all necessary shots are current and that all paperwork is in place.
* Pick up your pet at the airport and deliver them to your house.
* Meet them at the destination airport and deliver them to your home.
* Handle them with care during flight.
The shipping info is accompanied by a note such as this: “Welcome to International Pet Moving service Washington Branch, the relocating pets best friend since 1977. We are working in the collaboration with the Continental and Delta airways. We are professional pet movers responsible for the relocation of pets to their new families. When your contract is with us, you are assigned a PERSONAL PET MOVE COUNSELOR who will work with you to arrange the fastest, most direct flight for your pet. We work with your relocation schedule to ensure as smooth a move as possible.”
But then instead of receiving a cherished new puppy, the only thing to arrive will be more and more requests for money. First they request special shipping fees, then they’ll request $120 for a new crate, as the puppy arrived in a crate inadequate for the flight, then it’s up to $900 for insurance and the list goes on. You are requested to make all of these payments via Wal-Mart money-gram. If the payment doesn’t arrive that day, you are also billed daily for the care and feeding of your alleged puppy, which you imagine to be sitting in a crate on a sweltering tarmac somewhere, waiting for you to come to the rescue.
Some people have been bilked for thousands of dollars with this scam. Efron Reveles of Kerrville, TX, believed he was getting a wonderful Great Dane puppy but more than $1,400 later he has realized sadly that she’s not coming.
Service Dog I photographed to be on Oprah Show
April 6th, 2009 | Author: xan
A few months ago I was asked to photograph Sgt. Allen Hill with his new service dog Frankie, a lovely yellow lab who had been trained in a program called Puppies Behind Bars then transferred to Loveland for her introductory training with Hill. The PBB program, Sgt. Hill and Frankie are being featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show sometime this spring (date TBD)!
Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart recipient, Sgt. Alan Hill, has been home from Iraq for almost a year now but still lives in a war zone in his mind. Hill is coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and has often been unable to function in his normal day to day life. Migraines have kept him in bed for as many as eight straight days. He is plagued with nightmares and “daymares” as he calls them; simple activities like going to the grocery store may reduce him to a puddle of anxiety.
According to a recent Rand Corporation survey, hundreds of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are dealing with PTSD. A plethora of treatments exist, including various forms of psychotherapy, group therapy, medications and EMDR, a form of hypnotherapy. Two weeks ago, Sgt. Hill braved a flight to Loveland, CO to become the tenth person to try a new type of therapy: a service dog.
Eight days later Hill is engaging in photo shoots and talking to reporters from Denver’s 9News with confidence. The remarkable progress is all thanks to his new best friend, a little blonde service dog named Frankie. “She does what she has to do to bring me back,” says Hill. At one point in the interview, Hill becomes emotional talking about his future so he pauses the conversation and calls Frankie to him for support. Almost instantly, he relaxes and is able to continue.
Frankie serves as a physical barrier between Hill and the interviewer, assuring that his personal space is never invaded. She also licks his face and offers a paw when she feels his anxiety level rising, thereby halting a panic attack before it can escalate.
Janet Bayless, one of the trainers who teaches the recipients how to work with their dogs, says the dogs are a safe zone because they’re non-judgmental. “When they begin to feel stress, we let that anxiety go down their arms, into their hands; they pet their dogs, the anxiety and those feelings go into the dog and the dogs just shake it off,” she explains. The effect on the human is nothing less than magic. Having a calm, faithful companion by their side is a vital ingredient that PTSD victims like Hill need to recover their confidence and their lives.
The idea of the Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) program is simple but life-altering for everyone involved. PBB teaches prison inmates to train puppies to become service dogs for the disabled and explosive detection canines for law enforcement.
Prisoners go through rigorous training to earn their way into the PBB program and are then assigned their own puppy whom they train to perform a minimum of 75 commands. Commands range in difficulty from basics like “sit” and “stay” to advanced commands like “phone 911″ or “get help” and the dogs are expected to analyze situations and make potentially life-saving decisions on their own. They are trained to open and close doors, pick up items off the shelf and put in grocery basket, basically to do anything a disabled person might need them to do.
Inmates who qualify to teach the puppies are considered heroes in the system and their fellow prisoners treat them with great respect. Even better, they begin to treat themselves with greater respect, appreciating the difficulty of their task and taking pride in having an ability few others possess.
Jasmine, an inmate at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, sums it up this way, “I might’ve did something before where I hurt somebody and now I’m doing something that is gonna help somebody so it makes you feel really good. Because there is a lot of personal growth in this program, I believe when I go home I actually can succeed in something.”
Billy from Mid-Orange Correctional Facility confirms Jasmine’s assessment, “I come here from max security after twenty years. I was really rigid. and now I just thank God I’m able to look back at that and see, ‘Man I was an ugly person.’ I’m a team player now; the dogs have really helped me become more compassionate. I’m looking forward to going home and doing the right thing.”
Sgt. Hill, who was paired with Frankie to manage Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, knows that her trainers did the right thing. “I am so very grateful to have Frankie so I have a chance of getting back to normal with my family.” His wife, Gina, agrees while she watches her husband playfully roll on the floor with their new family member, tickling her and being smothered in puppy kisses.
Great Dane Blood Drive in Littleton
March 24th, 2009 | Author: xan
I just found out that dogs can donate blood. I guess that makes sense, where else would the blood come from when a dog gets a transfusion? Duh. But I never thought about it – did you? Say no so I don’t feel so stupid.
I found out because the Great Dane Assistance League, Inc., is holding a Great Danes Giving Blood Drive on Saturday, March 28, at 9 am at the Animal ER in Littleton, CO (see address below). GDALI is a Denver organization dedicated to the welfare of the coolest breed of dog in the world (I’ve had five, I’m somewhat biased). They take in abandoned, abused and owner-surrendered Danes and help them find loving, permanent homes.
GDALI has a plethora of exciting events scheduled, including several PetsMart Dane Days, a day at Elitch Gardens and their annual picnic. See the full schedule with dates and details here.
If you’ve ever considered bringing one of these magnificent dogs into your family, you should check out any of GDALI’s events. Meet some Danes, get to know their amazingly gentle, dopey personalities, fall in love, adopt. I know from experience, once you go Dane, you’re never the same.
Info: Animal ER is located at 221 West County Line Road, Littleton. Phone: 720-903-9667. Blood drive starts at 9 am, March 28th. Adopt a Dane or donate to GDALI here.
Watch a Masai Giraffe Being Born
March 23rd, 2009 | Author: xan
Wanna see a baby giraffe being born? This video is really sweet. It’s kinda gooey of course, but you also get a rare opportunity to watch a Masai Giraffe baby take it’s first precious, wobbly steps.
Nikki Smith, the Safari West giraffe handler, explains that they are encouraged by their parents to hop right up and start walking as soon as possible because if they were born in the wild predators would be lurking nearby.
I know, I know, this is not a dog story, but OMG it’s cute. Watch Here: Birth of Masai Giraffe
Humane Society US announces photo contest winners
March 19th, 2009 | Author: xan
Winning photo by Lanmana of Idaho
Oh! You have GOT to look at these photos from the Humane Society of the US’s Spay Day pet photo contest! As a professional (and might I add, award-winning) pet photographer, I was blown away. These photos are just amazing. Check out the Top 11 winners here. More than 45,000 pet photos were submitted and judged by a panel of celebrity hot shots.
The judges — Matt Grant (TV’s “The Bachelor”), Tamar Geller (author and dog trainer), Patrick McDonnell (“MUTTS” cartoonist), and Christopher Ameruoso (professional photographer) — were looking for entrants with a winning combination of an eye-catching photo and a creative written response that gave insight into their pet’s personality.
I try to accomplish the exact same thing through my photography and I have to say, these folks hit it right on the cold, wet nose! I’d love for you to see my photos too — just click to visit the Doghouse Studios Gallery.
The Top 11 finalists all received prizes, including a shopping spree to Humane Domain, the online store featuring products and gifts for pet lovers. Check out their collection of spay and neuter t-shirts – they’re an easy way to promote the fight to end pet homelessness, and you’ll look great doing it!