This just in from Amber in The Dogster Force Group

Hello my friends! One of the kitties on Catster started a virtual Spay & Neuter Walk. Right now the kitties are beating us out, so can you guys please join, and pass this on?

All you have to do is add the words spay & neuter to the tag of any one of your pictures - and your in!

Thanks! Amber

Ever said that to yourself? I have and in talking to Top Dog Ted we came up with the idea of magnetic bumper stickers that say things Dogsters want to say on their cars, trucks and whatever. We need to know what you want to say and here are some things just to get you started.

“No One Knows You’re a Dog Online”
“Dogster Force”
“For the Love of Dog”
“I’m a Dogster”
“My Dog is on Dogster”

So what would Dogster bumper magnets would you like? Bark back to me with your ideas!

Its been a while since I posted a tearjerker. Well. get ready this is one MASSIVE tearkjerker! I don’t care if you love pit bulls or not, this one will get you!

Ken Foster, author of The Dogs Who Found Me and a true dogster sent me this link after our interview. By The Way, its another good one so keep checking back to read Ken’s interview. Also, that’ s NOT a picture of Ken at the top of this post.

This is a slide show put together by a Pit Bull rescue group in CA that took in Pits from New Orleans after Katrina. The slide show is just beautiful and very moving. Make sure the sound is on:

Villalobos Rescue Center Katrina Video

I’m telling you now BEFORE you click on the link to get out the tissues! Consider yourself warned!

For more information on this group’s work check out their website.

If you like what you’re seeing on the Dogster Blog, share it! Share our link on YOUR site or blog so others can see you’re tuned in to the Dogster Blog. After all, sharing the fun adds to the fun for everybody!

Here’s the REALLY short review of Cesar’s Way — Get it! Read it! Live it! IF and this is the BIG IF, you’re a Cesar fan.

I admit going into Cesar’s Way that I am a Cesar Milan fan. But that said, I was prepared for the book to be less than interesting or even useful. I am not a great fan of semi-ghosted biographies and Cesar’s Way had that look. Having been around dogs and other animals for over thirty years I wondered what I would learn. After all, I’ve dealt with “red zone” dogs (I’ve even single-handedly been in the midst of and/or broken up a couple of fights between 80+ pound males). But I have learned a great deal watching “The Dog Whisperer” work his magic on the National Geographic Channel (NGC) so when I saw the book in the airport I grabbed it. Am I ever glad I did!

I was on my way to a convention to talk about Haint and writing and all that other stuff writers do at conventions. I knew I would have a good time but what I didn’t know was that I was going to be forced to interact with a human in the “red zone.” Fortunately I had read Cesar’s Way and was able to use some of the same techniques he advocates with this human who, if he had been a dog, might have bitten me and been sent to the humane shelter or even Cesar for rehabilitation. It all worked out because as one of the other authors said, “I practiced calm, assertive energy.”

Now why am I telling you this story in a book review? It’s because Cesar’s Way is MUCH more than just a dog-training book. It’s more than an autobiography of a man who started on a farm in Mexico and through life’s twists and turns became the face of dog psychology for many Americans, including famous Americans such as Oprah. It’s a book about how we accept and meet life and the world around us; most especially dogs. Cesar chronicles his inner growth from his childhood on a loving but dirt-poor farm in rural Mexico, through his life in Mexico City and his illegal entry into the States. From the first cleaning job in a dog bathing business on through the serendipitous events which took him to his present life as the dog whisperer.

This is an almost painfully honest walk though Cesar’s life. But he does it so we understand how and why he sees dogs as he does. The background of Cesar’s humanity makes it easier to grasp his canine connections.

And yes, Cesar does outline his methodology but you can’t use it unless you learn to monitor yourself and how your behavior affects others around you, even “red zone” humans who have no idea what you’re doing. The book has more about the hours of exercise Cesar employs in rehabilitation and the failures of the humans that cost their dogs their freedom.

So what’s the verdict? If you like the Cesar Milan you see on NGC, you’ll love the book. If you’re not wild about Cesar, you might want to skip the book because there will be no big surprizes here. Its Cesar Milan and dogs, plain and simple. And I suspect that’s exactly how he wants it.

If you live in Wheeling and you have a dog that someone has deemed “dangerous/vicious” you may soon be getting a visit from the city police. It’s that city’s newest way to target certain breeds of dogs for city-led harassment. According to an article in the Intelligencer & Wheeling News-Register:

City Manager Robert Herron last week said he was preparing to compile a list of addresses where breeds or mixed breeds of dogs deemed “dangerous/vicious” by city council may be located. He said two or three people had called the city to report such addresses. Upon completion of the list, a city police officer will visit the addresses and inform the owners they must register their dogs with the city.

“We want to make sure those who don’t know about (the ordinance) have a chance to register their dog,” Herron said. “They need to come in within a day or so.‿

And WHY do they want this information?

An ordinance approved Jan. 17 by city council required residents with certain breeds and mixed breeds of dogs to register their animals between April 1-15. Dogs targeted by the city’s ordinance include pit bull terriers, canary dogs, American bulldogs or a dog that is mixed with any of those breeds. Also, a dog of any breed that is found to be dangerous or vicious through a city-led investigation will have to be registered.

Owners of such breeds, mixed or otherwise, or other dogs found to be dangerous or vicious are required to show proof of liability insurance of at least $100,000. However, homeowners or renters insurance policies with liability amounts equal to or greater than $100,000 also will suffice.

Is the next step to raise the taxes on these breeds? What about deny them insurance all together? Sounds to me like this is the start of a round ‘em up kind of breed specific legislation (bsl) that starts small and has bigger things in mind. Dogsters in the Wheeling area, let the rest of us know how it goes.

What is in the water in Bartow County in Georgia? Obviously our rescuing friends aren’t drinking it but some of their local officials are. The following information just came in through the Dogster Force, one of our great groups fighting puppy mills. Seems that a notorious puppy miller died and left 204 dogs, which have since been rescued by some good “hoomans.” Now the local judge in charge of the case has decided that it makes some kind of sense (don’t ask me, I think he’s drinking the funky water) to auction this rescued dogs off to the highest bidders starting at $100. And, oh, did I mention the dogs have NOT been spayed or neutered? That’s right, while the rest of the world is trying to put an end to puppy mills, this legal yahoo is adding to the problem.

Southern Comfort Maltese Rescue needs help ASAP…and we admire what they are trying to do, and we are going to help them to get the word out about a horrible situation happening on in Bartow County, Georgia THIS COMING SATURDAY.

If you are a Maltese Mom or Dad, or if you know a Maltese…or if you know a Maltese lover….read up. This is most urgent.

It seems that a backyard breeder passed away in Ga. Their 204 small breed dogs were taken to a local shelter. There are Maltese, Yorkies, Chihuahua, Poms, Pekes and possibly Dachshunds.

A judge, yes an educated human being, has decided in all of his infinite wisdom, that the best way for them to decide who will get these dogs…dogs that have been in RESCUE AT A SHELTER….is to auction them off to the highest bidder in the shelter parking lot. Yes, you read this correctly.

These are unaltered dogs, and the puppy millers will be out in force. Many of them are older dogs. Some of these Maltese are pregnant and some are in horrible shape. Sadly, we already know about this, don’t we?

The minimum bid will be $100.00.

There are 40 some odd Maltese that have been safe in rescue..and now they are faced with being returned to a milling situation. GOD FORBID.

Southern Comfort Maltese Rescue,. which is located in Tennessee, needs help to get these dogs out of the puppy milling system, and back into rescue where they should be!

THIS is how to help them if you can. They need funds to buy Maltese, and funds to vet them. Southern Comfort Maltese Rescue, www.scmradoption.com. We are a 501c3 organization so all donations are tax deductible. There is a Paypal link on our website, and we are trying to get a notice put up there ASAP about this. We will also send a digital picture to each donor of the animal that they help save.

Donation Information for Southern Comfort Maltese Rescue
http://www.scmradoption.com/donate.htm

Let us know what happens Saturday. We’ll all keep our paws crossed for you as you work to keep these little guys from being sold back into puppy mills.

That’s right dogster, April 24th through 30th is National Pooper Scooper Week as reported on the DoggieNews site.

It was designated by aPaws, (Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists), a trade organization of doggie poop picker-uppers. These people make a living visiting your backyard and picking up the poop.

aPaws provides a directory of pooper-scooper companies in different states who can help any dog owner who may be looking for a workable solution to keeping their yards cleared of dog poop.

Armed with spade or rake in hand they go about every week cleaning up those mounds of “calling cards” our dogs leave on the ground. Reasonable rates range from $10.00 or more for once-a-week clean-up services. Some offer cat box clean-up for women who are pregnant and under strict orders from their doctors to reduce the risk of exposure to toxoplasmosis, while others provide dog-walking, pet-sitting, and geese poop clean-up.

My question is, what should the celebration cake look like? And I assume that’s in chocolate…

If you love looking at dogs (and who as a Dogster doesn’t) then you’ll want to check out Theo’s Dog Photo Contest. Every month ten dogs of varying breeds are chosen to compete and anybody can vote on the winner. This month, Dogster’s own Audrey is in competition. If any other Dogsters are in this month’s contest, let me know and I’ll share it with our Dogster community.

Get this picture — You’re walking by a pub or bar in Australia and outside the patrons are lined up being sniffed by dogs. Okay, as Dogsters we’re used to being sniffed by dogs but bar owners in Australia are saying their patrons aren’t happy about it. In a story relayed by Yahoo News, a representative of the bar owners in one area of the Great Downunder complains about the use of the dogs to keep drugs out of the night spots.

The Gold Coast Licenced Venues Association says the use of drug sniffer dogs outside pubs and clubs is bad for business.

The response comes after a police crackdown in south-east Queensland.

Association spokesman Jim Bell says he supports any moves to get drugs out of clubs but there are consequences.

“It’s an incredibly bad image especially here on the coast or even in Brisbane or anywhere,” he said.

“If you’re a tourist somewhere and you’re walking past a club you’re going to and you see the police out the front with the dogs and by the way they’re lined up against the wall and they’re sniffing all of the patrons well you’re not going to go to that club.”

Gosh, all that sniffing just sounds like any visit to my house.