This week’s photo contest champ is Patti Gondeck for her short, sweet and witty quip. See her winning caption below and be sure to check in tomorrow for the next contest.
Our new Daily Dog and Cat Tip writer, the author of the amazing books The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, wanted to make sure we knew about the amazing 2,400 mile walk of Luke Robinson and his dogs Hudson and Murphy, known as 2 Dogs, 2,000 Miles. Luke is true salt of the earth, a real person simply and passionately dedicating years of his life to our canine companions. He’s not doing it for fame, notoriety or something to do. Heck, I dare you to find Luke’s first and last name in the same place on the site. It’s not about him at all. He’s doing it for dogs, and all of humanity.
After losing his beloved Malcom to canine cancer in 2004, Luke Robinson decided it’s time we stop trying simply to cure canine cancers, but to learn why they are happening.
There are many cancer foundations which work towards finding a cure, and while we applaud their efforts, we want to know what’s causing it. The funds raised from the walk will finance the first ever nationwide epidemiological canine cancer study.
They are currently in Little Rock, AR on their walk from Austin, TX to Boston, MA. On their blog you can follow along on the whole trip, which is much much more than a solitary walk. They are stopping at every pet, shelter and rescue event along the way to help raise awareness and both for canine cancer and the local organizations. And every step of the way they are sharing the stories of loss with other pet owners. Finally, after each day Luke and the dogs are sleeping under the roofs of starngers who every day come forward to help the pack in their great journey.
Thanks to the Dogster member who sent in this plea for support. If you live in Pennsylvania, please act now. If you don’t but know people who do, please alert them.
House Bill 2525 is now out of Committee and is on its way to the House floor for vote. This is the puppy mill law, and it is CRITICAL that you call your PA state Representative (not federal). Calling carries more weight than email.
If you don’t know your representative, go to this site and (top right corner) enter your 5-digit zip code plus the 4-digit extension. Ask them to support HB 2525.
This is the bill we’ve been waiting for to help reduce the number of dogs in puppy mills and end suffering.
Photo Courtesy of The HSUS
Additionally, ask your Representative to support HB 2532 (the de-barking and birthing bill). The puppy millers stick steel pipes down dogs’ throats to destroy their vocal cords so they don’t have to hear the dogs barking, and it keeps them quiet so the public isn’t aware of where these mills are located. This bill “should” end this action. I say “should” only because we should expect that some will continue this horrible practice. Currently puppy millers are also cutting open the stomachs of dogs during birthing without anesthesia.
From The Humane Society:
The HSUS Commends the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee for Passing Important Anti-Cruelty Legislation
HARRISBURG, Pa. (June 24, 2008)
The Humane Society of the United States commends the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee for approving a bill addressing some of the cruelest practices employed by puppy mills today.
The legislation now advances to the full House of Representatives. Introduced by Rep. Thomas Caltagirone (D-Berks), HB 2532 seeks to outlaw abusive practices employed by breeders in Pennsylvania’s puppy mills, including debarking, performing surgery on pregnant dogs to remove the puppies, and tail docking.
Under current law, it is completely legal for commercial breeders in Pennsylvania to perform surgical births by slicing open the stomachs of pregnant dogs, removing the puppies, and sewing the dogs back up. There is not any requirement that the breeders have any veterinary training, use anesthesia, or conduct the operations in sterile conditions. Breeders may also perform painful debarking by ramming a metal pipe or other object down a dog’s throat to rupture the vocal cords and render the dog mute, again without anesthesia and while the dog is fully conscious.
The provisions of HB 2532 are common sense to anyone. Only licensed veterinarians should be authorized to perform surgery on these dogs, says Sarah Speed, The HSUS’ Pennsylvania state director. “For too long, commercial breeders have abused the laxity in the law to maximize profit at the expense of the well-being of the dogs and the unwitting consumer.”
HB 2532 will also close a loophole in the law that allows commercial breeders to escape prosecution for animal cruelty. Under the current law, only a Humane Society Police Officer has the ability to cite a breeder for animal cruelty. In counties where there is no such officer, a breeder may escape citation. Currently there are three counties in Pennsylvania that do not have a Humane Society Police Officer. HB 2532 will close this loophole by allowing Dog Law Wardens in the counties without officers to issue citations for animal cruelty within the limited scope of performance of their inspection duties.
The Humane Society of the United States is working in conjunction with The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Pennsylvania Legislative Animal Network to pursue this important legislative effort in Pennsylvania.
Thanks to our friends at The Humane Society for barking this in.
We thought Dogsters might want to know about the rescue happening now of nearly 700 dogs from a puppy mill in Tennessee. You can see more about the rescue on the blog of Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States—the group leading the operation. Yesterday Wayne posted a first-hand report from the leader of the rescue team, along with a really moving video from the scene.
And for Dogsters who want to fight back against puppy mills, The HSUS has posted five ways to take action.
Day One Video (Click the arrow in the lower left-hand corner to play.)
Big woofs to canine guest blogger Nika, a Dogster member who believes that crate training can be beneficial for dogs and reduce stress.
My name is Nika, and I am a ten-year-old Siberian Husky. I won’t bore you with all the details of my puppyhood and crating issues. However, I’d like to share with you my take on crate training.
Bottom line is, crating can be cruel. It is often forced on dogs in extreme situations when the last thing the dog needs to deal with is learning to like a crate. I know… you humans are already saying I would never do that! I would never force my dog to into a crate if they didn’t want to go in, and I certainly wouldn’t do it if they were already under stress.
Well, I am here to tell you that there is a good chance a situation will occur in your dog’s lifetime when they will need to be crated.
When? Here is the short list: visiting the vet’s office, recovering from surgery, flying on a plane, staying in a hotel or motel. I won’t even get into how the use of a crate could have kept so many dogs from ending up at the local shelter.
I am loose in the house during the day, but that doesn’t mean I am not crate-trained. I often get refresher courses and have seen many dogs even at the age of ten like me learn to like crates! So please don’t ever give up on the crate training! I know a lot of folks think crates are cruel, but one thing I return to is if your dog ever in his or her lifetime needs to stay at the vet’s or wants to travel, being okay with a crate make those times so much easier on the dog.
Want to know how being happy in a crate helped me out? Well…
- I get to travel more often. I can’t stay in a hotel/motel without a crate. Because if the humans go out to eat, housekeeping could still come in and let me escape!
- I go to places with my humans and volunteer at events, and the crate is my place to go when I have had enough.
- I had masses removed from my liver. Imagine how much worse my stay at the vet would have been if I really hated my crate… in a dreaded vet’s office and forced into a crate.
-Recovery from liver surgery includes extreme risk of internal bleeding. Guess where I had to stay for my recovery. Yup, a crate! Without a crate I would have been able to jump on the couch and pull out my stitches. I could have bled to death.
- Recently we had an owner who contacted us because they have to move overseas and want the dog to come with them, but they never crate trained the dog. Now the poor dog is going to have a very stressful ride in a crate on an airplane or, even worse, will have to find a new owner.
So you humans may hate crates, but guess what? Sometimes they are necessary, and today is a better day to learn to accept them rather than a day when you really need one. There is a good chance your dog will have to go in one in the future!
Next week, I’ll post tips on how to teach dogs to like their crates.
This post comes from Dogster member and friend Randi Sachs. She’s the guardian of one of our favorite dogs, Ripley. Ripley, come visit Dogster HQ again soon!
A few weeks ago we were at the vet for a routine visit, and I decided to take the plunge on this new doggie DNA test that can identify up to 134 breeds in a mixed-breed’s ancestry after analyzing a blood sample.
What it boils down to is that Ripley is considered to be a multi-generational “Outbred” dog. They could find barely any trace of any pedigreed breeds in her blood work, which means that she is the result of many generations of mutts breeding with each other.
End result, Ripley is truly one of a kind… and she is not a Lab mix at all! She’s a super-mutt who possibly gets her intelligence and focus from her German Shepherd ancestry way back when.
Has your dog had a DNA test? What were the results?
This video features some practical, simple ways to keep your pet from getting overheated. A new one to me—and a great idea—is rubbing aloe vera gel or Vitamin E oil on a dog’s foot pads before hitting the hot pavement. And chicken broth ice cubes = genius!
Dr. Eric Barchas, our resident vet, also has some great suggestions over at the Vet Blog.
How do you keep your pooch all chilled out? Post a comment and let us know!
Cameron Woo, today’s guest blogger, is publisher of Bark, a must-read magazine for dog lovers.
People Have the Power
by Patti Smith
Listen. I believe everything we dream
Can come to pass through our union
We can turn the world around
We can turn the earth’s revolution
We have the power
People have the power
After more than ten years of publishing Bark magazine—the “voice of modern dog culture”—if I’ve learned anything at all it’s that every dog has his/her day. And that day has arrived (hallelujah) for dog people. It seems every strategist from Wall Street to Madison Avenue is acknowledging the newest demographic to mark a territory—people who love dogs.
Part of my job at Bark is selling advertising space in the magazine. Lately, the quest for reader demographics has been turned up several notches. Ad agencies representing companies large and small have been asking: How much do your readers earn? What kind of car do they drive? Do they vacation with their dogs? Buy organic? The interest is palpable. In a world where information is king, dog people are what they refer to as “impassioned enthusiasts” with a strong psychographic (attributes relating to personality, attitude, values and lifestyle). In short, we love dogs—and that makes us highly desirable.
You’ve probably seen those eye-opening stats in articles about the burgeoning pet industry—75 million dogs, a third of American households owning a pet dog, $30 billion spent annually. Yes, that’s you! Someone cares about you and your dog! Or, how your love of dog influences your spending and the social choices you make. Cue up those commercials with the adorable rescue dogs and their pet food, and the one featuring a lost dog and a credit card. These are aimed straight at the heart of dog people in a none-too-subtle effort to seize your sympathies and make that all powerful brand-consumer connection.
So, now that we have accepted our card-carrying membership in this new social group, what’s next? How about using this newfound power to make a difference? I’m reminded of the bumper sticker created by a few off-leash advocacy group: “I have a dog, and I vote.” Yes, it’s time to get involved and to let your opinions be known. Worthy causes abound. Not enough off-leash areas for dogs? The local shelter threatened by budget cuts? Is that anti-puppy mill legislation being stone-walled by special interests? Well, there’s good news, as a dog lover, you are part of a special interest group 100 million strong! That’s some special interest!
So, like it or not dog people, you belong to a community and a greater cause. You have responsibilities. Embrace them and learn to love it. As they say in my hometown, the Republic of Berkeley, everything is political. Shop wisely. Vote responsibly. Exercise your freedom of speech (hey you, pick up!). And help us take a giant leap forward for all dog-kind.
The Dogster Dog Blog is committed to tracking every story related to all foods recalls. You can count on us to keep you completely in the nose of every detail.
We're pet-lovers like you who want to keep you up-to-dog about everything canine. From news to expert advice to fun stuff, we sniff out the best squirrels of doggie happenings for you. The blog is brought to you by Dogster, Inc, makers of the hydrant-famous Dogster and the unnecessarily-feared Catster.
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