On Monday TLC had a Kate Gosselin special: You Ask, Kate Answers. This may be why I never bother watching TV, but I digress. On the show she claimed that she had never intended to give them back to the breeder. But yet she did?

Here are the details from USA Today.

They were returned in September amid the fallout of her divorce with Jon Gosselin. Kate said at the time “they’ll come back, but for now I needed a break.” But now, though she didn’t rule out bringing the dogs back, it sounded unlikely, The (Allentown, Pa.) Morning Call reports.

“I had to choose between the dogs and the kids and the kids come first,” said the Jon & Kate Plus 8 turned Kate Plus Eight star.

I cannot believe she said she needed a break, and that the dogs may be back. Seriously, give me a break.  Does she think you can just give your dogs away like their objects, excess baggage, and then you can just take them back at your own convenience?

I said it before and I’ll say it again, this is one selfish narcissistic woman. I think she needs a reality check, life isn’t just about her.

*Picture courtesy By Dr. Billy Ingram, Getty Images

Black went from a stray running the streets to becoming a service dog for the member’s son who has autism.

Black was a stray running the streets. His picture was in the newspaper for adoption at the local pound and I lucked out and was the first there.

He went right up to my son who is on the Autism spectrum. I have been interested in getting and training a service dog for my son and Black seemed a good candidate.

So far Black has settled in and loves all the kids. Having him around calms my son down when he is anxious or upset. Black right away took to him. He is wonderful. The chances of a pound dog to work out this good are almost nill.

Black was sent to us I am sure. He is a true gift from God.

It sounds like this was a match made in heaven.  We wish Black and his new family a long and happy life together.

Since 1993, Project POOCH has provided opportunities for youth in corrections to develop the skills needed to become productive community members while saving the lives of hundreds of unwanted shelter dogs. Kevin, a former Project POOCH youth states: “The sheer number of ways this program helps the participants are immeasurable. We face many obstacles when we get out into the community, such as having a record, trying to get a job and having to actually be a man responsible for bills. Project POOCH gives us the skills to be able to balance all of these things. The dogs provide a source of unconditional love.” Learn more details and what dogs are available for adoption at Project Pooch’s website.

On Saturday, September 26th (6 p.m.-10 p.m.) Project Pooch is holding their 3rd annual Pooch In The Pub fundraiser. Purchase tickets  in advance for $30.00 until September 23, 2009 or at the door for $40.00. Kids 12 years and under are $15.00.

Ticket includes one free drink & delicious hors d’oeuvres. The night includes a silent/oral auction, no host bar, Head & Tails Game, browse the Project POOCH Headquarters/Store and enjoy the evening with emcee Helen Raptis of KATU’s ‘AM Northwest’. The event is taking place at a new larger location, Staver Locomotive.

There are some really amazing items donated for the auction, take look at what’s available on the Project Pooch donation page. The category of prizes range from ‘accessories’ to ‘unforgettable vacation experiences’ and everything in-between. Oregon residents buy your Big Dog Raffle Ticket for a chance to win a one-week vacation in Kona, Hawaii.

If you live anywhere nearby you definitely don’t want to miss Pooch In The Pub, it sounds like a really fun evening. Their goal this year is to raise $60,000, let’s help them get there.

Get all the information about the event at Project Pooch.

* Kiera is begging you to buy a raffle ticket to support Project Pooch.

I posted Sam and Brittney’s story on Monday and if you haven’t read it yet take a minute to do so, they are an amazing duo.

Sam is a very special dog. I am currently [and will be until May of 2010] training him to become a Certified Service Dog, AND Arizona’s first Courthouse Dog. His job will be to sit up in the witness stand with victims, mainly children, who have been terribly abused and traumatized, and will be a comfort to them and can help them to testify.

There are only four or five other Courthouse Dogs in the US, and out of those, Sam will be one of the first that is actually a Service Dog. The others are only Therapy Dogs, and do not have public access…which means they can be, and often are, removed from the courtroom.

All of Sam’s training is being done through The Foundation for Service Dog Support. He truly is special, though, because the rest of the dogs in the program are being trained to become service dogs for individuals with a physical disability, but because of Sam’s phenomenal temperament and personality, he was chosen for this very honorable position.

-Brittney-

Sam was chosen as the winner of the 2009 Community Pet Service Hero award for his work assisting crime victims in the courthouse. He is truly a one-of-a-kind dog, I think you can see why he is the blog’s first Dog Of The Week. We are honored he, along with Brittney, are Dogster members.

In May I posted about Dogster member Brittney (two-legged) and her dog Sam, partners in the Puppy Raising Program. The Foundation for Service Dog Support, a non-profit organization based in Arizona, runs the program. They are a support and resource center for those with service dogs, and those who seek information and training on service dog issues.

The program allows students to earn HS credits, while learning puppy raising, canine obedience and canine safety programming. At the end of three semesters, the teams must successfully pass the FSDS Certification test, and the dogs will then be matched with individuals in the community with disabilities who require service dogs.

Over the summer Brittney has been interning at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and she and Sam were involved in several cases  assisting crime victims. I just received word that Sam was chosen as the 2009 Community Service Pet Hero because of the role he is playing in the courts.

In one case, a small child was too frightened to go to court and testify because she had to face her abuser. The attorney from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office got permission for Brittney to bring Sam to court with her, they accompanied the child into the courtroom. With Sam there, the child felt safe. She testified, and the perpetrator was convicted. The prosecutor said that Sam’s presence there made a difference.

Sam will receive a custom designed medal at a black tie banquet in October. Wow, what an amazing achievement for both Brittney and Sam. Congratulations to this amazing duo.

The extra attention your family pet was enjoying over the summer has abruptly come to an end.  Dogs may experience separation anxiety, boredom, and even start acting out in unusual ways. Bark Busters, the world’s largest dog training company, offers some great tips to help ease the transition.

Now that everyone is gone during the day your dog may experience separation anxiety. In order to avoid this it’s good to start paying less attention to the dog about a week before school. This helps prepare him for the routine change.

Practice leaving the house by going out and coming right back in. This will stop the dog from associating your leaving the house with your departure. The dog will be more relaxed when you do leave.

Your dog can become bored during the day when there is no one around to play with. It’s important to make sure to keep plenty of toys around, and try scattering treats for them to search for.

If your dog starts exhibiting unusual behaviors, such as jumping or biting, it could be due to stress.  It’s important to correct these behaviors immediately using positive training techniques.  If it is something you can’t do on your own Bark Busters offers in-home training.

To read all the great tips stop by the Bark Busters website.

* Brewtus is new to Dogster, stop by his page to say hi.

(L.A. Times) Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, wrote today that Kennedy was “a stalwart ally over the years on a wide range of legislation to protect companion animals, farm animals, animals in research and wildlife,” adding that the senator from Massachusetts was instrumental in the passage of animal welfare legislation including laws that cracked down on dogfighting and cockfighting, protected horses and other farm animals, and sent chimpanzees once used in medical research to sanctuaries.

The two pups closest to his heart were his own Portuguese water dogs, Sunny and Splash. His dogs were the impetus behind his book “My Senator and Me: A Dog’s Eye View of Washington, D.C.,” which introduces young kids to the political process. The book is told through Splash’s viewpoint, making it both a fun and informative read for children.

Even if Sen. Kennedy’s political viewpoint differed from your own, and you didn’t respect him as either a man or politician,  he diligently fought for the rights of animals.  For that, we should be grateful.

*Pic courtesy Steven Senne / Associated Press

Here’s the amazing story from CNN.

If you can’t see the video click here.

]]> http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/08/27/dog-saves-newborn/feed/ 9 http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/07/14/point-this-way/ http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/07/14/point-this-way/#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:31:43 +0000 Horst Hoefinger http://dogblog.dogster.com/?p=18552

Two recent studies, the first by Gabriella Lakatos a researcher in the Department of Ethology at Eotvos University, compared a 2-year-old child’s capacity to understand human pointing gestures with a dog’s.

The results show dogs had zero learning time to figure out the visual communication. The study goes on to claim that due to domestication dogs appear predisposed to read other human visual signals.

For her study on dogs and kids, Lakatos and her colleagues used a combination of finger-, elbow-, leg- and knee-pointing gestures to help dogs locate hidden food and, for children, a favorite toy.

Two-year-olds and dogs understood everything except knee-pointing and when the experimenter’s index finger pointed in a different direction than the protruding arm. For example, they were confused when the individual raised an arm in a certain direction, but used her finger to point the other way.

Human 3-year-olds, on the other hand, aced all of the tests.

Lakatos said that “in human children between the age of two and three years, important changes take place that go beyond the capacities of dogs.” Many of these changes have to do with development of language skills.

“The ability to generalize in children makes the precision of gesturing by the adult less important,” she added. “Children may have a more complex ability to realize the intention behind the pointing gesture.”

When gesturing to a dog or child under 3, it’s therefore best not to fidget or otherwise move in confusing ways.

“Our results show that dogs can understand the pointing gesture if a body part protrudes from the body silhouette,” Lakatos said.

Lakatos does go on to caution pet owners not to think that because there are some similarities between the two that dogs are furry children. Each case which involves similar performance needs to be evaluated on an individual basis.

* In loving memory of Joe, gone too soon.

]]> http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/07/14/point-this-way/feed/ 0 http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/07/01/the-dog-ate-my-passport/ http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/07/01/the-dog-ate-my-passport/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:11:17 +0000 Horst Hoefinger http://dogblog.dogster.com/?p=18024

We seem to be on a theme today, dogs who take the fall.

A Wisconsin teen on a class trip to Peru ran into a little trouble with customs before he even got off the ground.  Just like the story before this, involving the checkbook, the family dog got blamed.

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — A Wisconsin teenager using a classic excuse for evading schoolwork missed a class trip to Peru despite his tale being true: The dog ate his passport.

Officials at Chicago’s O’Hare airport told 17-year-old Jon Meier the chewed-on document was fine, but authorities in Miami rejected it and wouldn’t let him board the southbound aircraft.

His family’s 1-year-old golden retriever, Sunshine, chewed a corner of the document, obscuring some numbers. Meier couldn’t get another passport in time to join the trip with his Spanish class from Eau Claire North High School. The 12-day trip ended Monday.

Meier says he can’t blame anyone, not even Sunshine: “I love her too much.”

Okay, I guess in this case the dog is actually guilty. I’m sure Meier must have been very disappointed not being allowed on the flight, I give him kudos for being such a good sport.

*ADOPTABLE: Beethoven is a 12-year-old golden mix, he’s a  Muttville foster dog, they rescue senior dogs.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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