Sammy is a very talented boy, he can paint, and his paintings have sold for $1,700.  That’s a lot of dog biscuits. The best thing about this talented pup is he’s  part of Shore Service Dogs. They are a wonderful organization that train service dogs and use rescues dogs whenever they can, giving them a second chance at life.

To help raise money for Shore Service Dogs some of the pups are trained to paint.  Don’t worry, everything they use is non-toxic and the dogs seem to really enjoy it. Watch Sammy in action and you’ll see what I mean.

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If you can’t see the video click here.

Pictured on top is Kayne, another talented Shore Service Dog.

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This week’s Dog Of The Week is Black,  a one-year-old standard poodle. He’s been on Dogster since May 31st, 2009.

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.

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Since this is a dog blog, a couple of times a month our boy Bo (woof!) thought it would be nice to get the news through a dog’s eyes.

Bo invites everyone to read a chapter from his upcoming book BAD TO THE BONE due out late September. It’s a funny memoir about the crazy adventures we have shared together over the last 14 plus years, told through Bo’s eyes.

Okay Bo, take it from here….

I recently read a survey that most dogs don’t like vets. I was shocked to hear those results.

I mean, what’s not to like? The camouflage? The ability to relieve themselves on a battlefield? It certainly can’t be the yummy c-rations.

Then I realized the survey was talking about veterinarians, not veterans. That made me feel better.

Well, since I’ve stumbled upon the subject, let me just send a quick thank you for all the members of the armed forces. Without their sacrifice, the freedoms we enjoy in this country would most assuredly be replaced by the chains of totalitarianism.

I know that all dogs know this and are eager to provide support. Check out the study the Dept of Defense has on tap to figure out just how great of animals we are, courtesy of the Kansas City Star.

Can a canine companion soothe the volatile emotions of a soldier haunted by post-traumatic stress disorder?

It may sound far-fetched, but the Department of Defense wants to find out.

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If you’ve ever been to a PetSmart store you know you can bring your “well-behaved” dog in, of course we all know the meaning of that is very subjective. What’s inappropriate to some is sometimes thought of as cute by the dog owner.

Since PetSmart is a pet supermarket it’s one thing to allow dogs, what if you were walking in your local grocery store and you saw someone with their dog, not a service dog, would it bother you? What about if the dog went to the bathroom in the store?

In Portland’s Pearl District this is happening, it’s become dog owners versus non-dog owners. Dogs are now  frequently seen in grocery stores and in the last year the food safety division of Oregon’s Agriculture Department has received over 600 complaints about this issue.

The New York Times has the details on what’s happening in Portland.

“Usually they’ll hold off and not make a complaint until they’ve seen a dog urinate in the grocery store or jump up and try to swipe a pack of meat,” said Vance Bybee, the head of the food safety division. “Or they’ve seen dogs pooping in the aisle, that sort of thing.” Read the rest of this entry »

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We have the first pick for our new Dog Of The Week feature, and I don’t think the winner will come as any surprise. It’s no other than…drumroll please…Sam, the 2009 Community Service Pet Hero.

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.

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