Over the July Fourth weekend my wife and I were visiting friends in Wilmington, NC.  They took us out boating and we were amazed at the number of boaters who had dogs with them.  A large percentage of them had doggie lifejackets, but not all.  Which leads me to the point, not all dogs are swimmers.

There are certain things we assume dogs know by instinct. Then there’s swimming. It seems so integral to being a dog that we’ve even named a stroke after them, the dog-paddle - so you’d assume that’s another thing that every dog is born knowing how to do.

To keep your best friend safe this summer you may need to sign up for Swimming 101.

Some dogs have to be taught to swim, Diamond said, and others, like bulldogs, take to the water like submarines take to the Cross Bronx Expressway. For the former, there is hope. For the latter, there are those bright orange canine flotation devices.

Is there anything cuter then a dog in a bright orange life-jacket?

Among those that can’t swim at all or swim only with great difficulty are basset hounds, bulldogs, dachshunds, pugs, corgis, Scottish and Boston terriers and greyhounds.

When you teach a dog to swim you use a lot of the same rules as you would when teaching a child.  You never want to leave a dog unattended, even one that can swim.  Dogs that can swim may jump in a pool and not be able to get out, resulting in drowning.  Here is a checklist from Wendy Diamond,  founder and editorial director of Animal Fair magazine, of things to do to get ready for Swimming  101:

* Avoid excessive noise
“Take them to an area that’s not so crazy and hectic,” she advised. Like children, dogs can become frightened and confused if there’s a lot of noise and activity around them. The object is to keep them calm and focused on the swimming lesson.

* Use encouragement
As when teaching a child, keep your voice upbeat and positive, she said. “Using treats and toys to encourage your dog to enter the water also works quite well,” she said.

* Never throw them in
Just as you shouldn’t throw a child in the water and expect it to swim to safety, you shouldn’t do that with a dog, Diamond said. “Don’t force the dog. If they don’t want to do it, don’t force them to do it.” Instead, she told Celeste, “Slowly put them in the water and get their paws used to it.”

* Support their weight until they paddle
Even if the dog is wearing a life vest, Diamond said, support its midsection and hindquarters in the water until they start paddling and feel comfortable.

* Show them how to get out
Getting a dog in the pool is only half the battle. Diamond reminded pet owners that they also need to be shown where the steps are in the pool so they can easily get out.

* Keep an eye on them
Even in the water, dogs can wander off. Dogs that swim naturally and well can jump in the ocean and keep swimming until they’re lost, Diamond said. “You want to make sure, like children, that you watch where they’re going,” she said.

If you’re anywhere near Buda, Texas this weekend here’s something fun! Its time again for the annual Wiener Dog Races and like every other sport in Texas, these folks take it very seriously. Okay, seriously with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

And for those of us who can’t make it to Buda this weekend, check out last year’s events with a funny, yet touching DVD titled Lord of the Wiens: A Dachumentary.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to Mark for barking in about really big toys for you and your dog to share — dog-powered scooters and trikes! How cool is this?!?!?

check out this new Dog Powered TRIKE!
-it gives the rider precision steering control, with great braking
-total stability,
-the ability to help by pedalling, or by hand cranking !
-and the thrill of dog mushing/pulling !

And here’s more from the site:

Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to Africasia.com for this article.

South Africans race dogs in snowy Sweden

Lifting a large Siberian Husky out of its cage, South Africa’s national dog racing champ excitedly describes what it has been like training for her first competition on snow at this weekend’s world sled dog racing championship in Sweden.

Read the rest of this entry »

Is this a trend across the US and the world?

Thanks to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal for this article.

Dog racing injuries increase
More greyhounds broke legs at Dairyland racetrack in 2007
By DON WALKER

Posted: Feb. 24, 2008
Seventy-six greyhounds broke their legs racing last year at Dairyland Greyhound Park, an 18.7% increase over the year before, state records show.

Photo/Gary Porter

A broken leg, or hock, is considered to be one of the most serious injuries a greyhound can suffer at a track.

In all, a total of 462 injuries were reported at the track last year, a 19% increase from 2006.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to Annie for barking in this excellent article from the OCRegister.com.

Soccer links father, son, border collies
By ANNIE BURRIS
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

HUNTINGTON BEACH – Terror grips Mark Lukas as he stands on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico.

He looks out into the cold, foggy water.

He is looking for his son.

Mark had sensed something was wrong hours earlier when his son was late to a dinner party at the family’s home in Brooksville, Fla. Zak Lukas, 16, was the class clown, the rebellious athlete and everyone’s best friend. Mark hoped his son had blown off the party.

Zak, a soccer star, had gone jet skiing with teammate Jason Lewis in the gulf, 20 minutes away from their home.

Mark had sped to the usual places the boys went to ski.

On his fourth stop, he found Zak’s truck.

Then he saw his son’s ski trailer.

Then he called 911.

Standing on the Gulf’s edge, Mark feels powerless as the coast guard arrives. They refuse to fly over the water to search for the boys because of the winter fog. They decide to send a boat out in the morning.

It is Dec. 7, 2002. The coast guards tell him there is nothing more they can do.

The next morning, a fisherman finds the boys nine miles away from shore.

Mark’s son and his teammate had died of hypothermia.

A cord had been sucked into the jet ski rendering it useless — a death sentence in the freezing Florida waters.

Mark cannot cope with the nightmare unfolding in front of him.

“It was a shock,” he said “It motivated me to change.”

Six months later he left his 20-year marriage and quit the cleaning business he had owned for 19 years. He lost touch with is adult daughter.

Now, five years later, he’s moved to Huntington Beach to seek a new life.

And he’s found it in what may sound like the strangest place, the strangest relationship.

He found it in his dogs.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to the LA Times for this article.

Warming trend hits sled dog race

Alaska’s Iditarod will permanently move its official start north for better snow conditions.
From the Associated Press
January 9, 2008

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — Modern challenges are catching up with the world’s most famous sled dog race.

Citing rapid urban growth and a warming climate, officials with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race said Wednesday they were implementing permanent logistical changes that in recent years have become the norm for the March event.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to AFP for this article.

Grande Odyssee sled dog race kicks off in French Alps

AVORIAZ, France (AFP) — Crowds gathered in the French ski resort of Avoriaz Sunday to watch 21 sled dog teams and their mushers kick off “La Grande Odyssee 2008″, a two-week race through the French and Swiss Alps.

Read the rest of this entry »

What fun! Did any Dogsters participate?

Thanks to TheStarOnline for this article.

Protection dogs show their capabilities at sport carnival

By CHARLES FERNANDEZ

IT WAS time well spent for dog lovers who showed up at the dog sport carnival held at the SRJK (C) Serdang Baru 1 grounds in Jalan Sekolah, Seri Kembangan over a recent weekend.

Organised by the Selangor Working Dog Club, the event featured a dog training community showcasing the capabilities of the canines and the teamwork between the dogs and their handlers in the Schutzhund trials.

Read the rest of this entry »

Oh those Huskies! It gets cold and they just HAVE to get together and pull something! Dogster Nika barked in to invite us all to join her and the rest of the Husky pack in Pennsylvania for some fun.

Here comes Butters Claus!
Here comes Butters Claus!
Right down HERSHEYPARK Lane!
Cartmen and Kenny and all his humans
are pulling on the leash.
Tags are clinking, huskies wooing;
All is merry and bright.
Hang your harness and say your prayers,
‘Cause Butters Claus comes Saturday night.

Read the rest of this entry »