Drake, a Labrador Retriever, didn’t want to go duck hunting on Saturday.  He would much rather been playing fetch at the local park.

To put a stop to this unwanted activity he shot his owner in the buttocks. It worked, duck hunting was canceled.

Marcum was standing in the bay Saturday morning, about to tie up an 11-foot open aluminum boat, when his 3-year-old Labrador, Drake, jumped into the boat and set off the gun, his Father, Henry Marcum, said Sunday. The blast blew a hole in the boat before hitting Marcum.

His son was concerned about the dog, Henry Marcum said. “He’s a good dog. It’s just one of those things. It’s an accident.”

Matthew Marcum is in Portland’s Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center, recovering from injuries to his legs and buttocks. Not much more I can add to this story.

* I didn’t have a picture of so I posted Dogster member River, who I’m pretty sure never shot his owner.

There are a few things that I must clarify before I go on with the story.  First, Bentley is a 50 lb. Boxer and Shar-Pei mix rescue that was adopted a month ago.  Second, the coffee house didn’t have a drive-thru.

It all started when musician owner, Bryan Maher, stopped at the Cool Beanz coffee shop in Long Island to sign up for open mike night. Maher left the car running because it was cold out and he didn’t want his newly adopted pup to freeze.  He figured it would only take a minute, what could happen?

“The next thing I knew, I looked up to see my van coming at me in the window, with Bentley in the driver’s seat grinning at me.”

“Bentley was driving a ‘92 Ford van!” marveled shop owner Patricia McCarthy, 57. “I was astonished, very much so.”

The crash left the shop’s glass front window cracked, some patio furniture busted and the van with minor damage, but neither Maher nor McCarthy was mad at the lovable dog, who was unscathed.

“Aw, Bentley was wagging his tail afterward,” said McCarthy. “He really is a sweet dog.”

Maher still got his booking for the Saturday open mic, and Bentley will be getting a new doggy jacket for Christmas to keep warm.

Here’s a story you don’t see often, junk mail that’s not only a nuisance but dangerous.

Colchester, UK: A HUNGRY hound lost both his bark and his bite when a bizarre accident left his jaws glued together.

Cymbeline, a Scottish terrier, is trained to pick up the post from the doormat and hand it over to his owner Kimberly Fisher, 41.

But the faithful pet came unstuck when a high gloss finish on a fast food menu stuck his jaws closed for more than half an hour.

Cymbeline was taught to pick up the post without damaging it, however this time was different.  Ms Fisher, his owner, said  “It was a big, high gloss paper menu which had turned into a paste - the gum stuck it between his teeth.”

“He was trying very hard to open his mouth. It was funny as well as sad.”

The Roosters fast-food menu, which ironically promises “mouth-watering results” for anyone who tries their chicken, was stuck fast and eventually Ms Fisher was forced to take Cymbeline to the vet.

Luckily after about 40 minutes the vet was able to get the stuff out.

Ben Bennett, the vet who treated Cymbeline, said: “It was really unusual, I’ve never seen anything like it before in 20 years so the chances of it happening again are pretty rare.”

Glad to hear Cymbeline is back to normal, hopefully he’ll be relieved of his post duty.

On October 2nd  I posted Hailed A Hero, Buried A Pauper. It was about a man from Florida helping out after Hurricane Ike, who was killed saving three dogs trapped on a Texas highway.

Robert “Bob” Emery had been living alone, estranged from his family officials had noone to contact about his death.

Without anyone to claim his body, this hero risked being buried in a pauper’s grave.  All of that has changed, his long lost daughter has been located.

The e-mail from a stranger in Clear Lake was to the point, and an improbable end to a Pittsburgh woman’s 13 years of searching for the father she hadn’t spoken to since she was a kid.

“Is your father’s name Robert Emery? The whole city of Houston is looking for any relatives,” read the message.

Alaina Emery was startled as she stared at a computer screen while in the library at paralegal school.

Trembling and swept with emotion, she misunderstood the reason for the question.

“Why is the entire city of Houston looking for him?” she typed back.

The exchange would quickly lead to Alaina, now 25, realizing her long-lost father was Robert “Bob” Emery, the mysterious Hurricane Ike relief worker killed the night of Sept. 27 as he dashed onto the East Freeway to rescue three dogs stranded in the emergency lane hugging the median.

Robert Emery was a man that had many personal issues, he battled a lifelong drug addiction.  A problem that destroyed two marriages and a career as a construction worker.  However, regardless of his issues noone was surprised that he risked his life rescuing the dogs.  It seems that was the type of person he was.

For his daughter this is obviously a bittersweet ending.  In the end, after searching for her dad for many years and never finding him, it was a stranger that found her to let her know what happened to him.

“I am very saddened that I could not find him in life, but somehow he found me in death,” Emery told the Houston Chronicle by phone. “I wanted to hug him, to meet my son.”

We hope now, Robert “Bob” Emery, you can rest in peace.

On Sunday I posted a story about Max, Mad Max And The Convertible, who got loose after the car he was riding in was struck.

Luckily that story had a happy ending, this one doesn’t.  This story, while extreme, does reinforce the importance of making sure your dogs are secure in the car.

A Bronx, NY man who failed to show up in municipal court has had a warrant issued for his arrest.  James Dannenberg, is wanted for charges stemming back to a traffic stop when he was pulled over on suspected drunken driving.

Morris County Sheriff’s Officers stopped Dannenberg on March 27 after spotting his Toyota Camry allegedly swerving on Route 80 westbound near exit 30.

Dannenberg was being handcuffed and placed in a police car when six of his seven dogs jumped out of his car through a broken driver’s side window that was covered with cardboard and a towel.

Four of the dogs were hit and killed immediately, another was killed when officials tried to corral it and the sixth dog was later found dead on the road.

Dannenberg was also charged with careless driving, driving with a revoked license, failure to exhibit all documents, failure to maintain a lane, failure to keep right on a highway, fictitious plates, overdue inspection and obstructed view, in addition to seven counts of animal cruelty and improper transport because his dogs were not properly secured in the car.

Dannenberg is a homeless man who hasn’t been seen since not showing up for court.  If anyone has any information regarding his whereabouts they should contact the local authorities.  This is such a sad story, on so many levels.

Being homeless, I’m assuming Dannenburg could not afford these dogs,  yet he kept them anyway.  This leads me to believe that he truly cared and loved the dogs.  He probably did the best he could for them, but the bottom line is he isn’t fit to take care of himself let alone another living being.

*The handsome boy in the truck above is our very own Dogster member , Pharaoh.

Max, an Airedale Terrier, took off after being in a  car accident while riding with owner Bill Clark.

Three weeks and three days ago, Max ran away when Clark, driving his convertible in Sterling, was struck by another car.

“The dog jumped out the back through the trunk and ran into the woods,” Clark said.

Clark began a three-week search for his beloved terrier.

Although there were numerous sighting of Max he couldn’t be found.  Clark, along with volunteers, searched for him but still turned up Maxless.

That was until Tuesday, when Clark said he came home and found Max sitting in the back yard.

The dog had apparently found his way home from Sterling, about 45 miles away.

“I couldn’t believe that he came home,” Clark said. “All that way.”

Even the experts can’t explain it.

“We don’t really know how they do that. We do know that dogs’ memories are very detailed, very sense-oriented,” said Jim Barry, a dog behavior consultant.

Whatever it was, Clark is just happy to have Max home.

Luckily this story had a happy ending, but it could have turned out very differently.  Remember… not only is it a good idea to buckle up, it’s the law.

I realize it isn’t really a law for dogs,  but it does show the importance of making sure your best friend  is secure when in the car.

A member just made a remark concerning the political posts, stating that “We are for the love of dog”.

I can’t think of a more perfect sentiment about how we feel at Dogster.  So let’s get back to the dogs, shall we?

Snoopy, has finally found a home, and not atop his doghouse. He’s an adorable 6 year old terrier mix who gets around thanks to a special wheelchair.

Due to an accident when he was just a puppy he was brought to a veterinary clinic and never left.  That is, until his new owner Marjan Sipsma adopted him two years ago.  She thought he would be a great playmate for her other four dogs.

Sipsma felt Snoopy deserved to enjoy a quality dog’s life: to be able to walk, run and play. Her research led her to finding a squad cart “wheelchair” for him.

“It’s not available here. I ordered from Malaysia, online from the United States after taking Snoopy’s measurements.

“I also ordered shoes for him as he has a tendency to walk on his knuckles and it would scrape and hurt his forelegs,” she said.

You’ve got to love this lady.  A wheelchair and some snazzy shoes, does it get any better than that?

Wow!  Hector, a Great Dane puppy, was playing in the garden when he got a two foot stick lodged between his neck and stomach.  I guess Hector doesn’t understand the difference between “fetch” and “swallow” just yet.

The accident happened when one year old Hector was running around in the garden of his home in Wheathampstead, Herts. (UK)

“It was a lovely sunny day and he was having a great time, but suddenly he became quite subdued,” said Mrs Panting, 53, a tutor.

“I didn’t worry too much as he ate his supper, but the following morning he wouldn’t touch his breakfast and he was drooling a lot.

Mrs. Panting took Hector to the vet to get him checked out.

Hector’s chest and abdoman were x-rayed and the pictures showed he had swallowed a long straight object, which was an inch wide.

When surgeons passed a video camera down his oesophagus they realised it was a stick, but it was 45cm down his throat and the surgeons were not able to reach it.

The poorly pup, who weighs 153 lbs, was taken to the Royal Veterinary College where they managed to use long forceps to remove the stick.

It cost more than $4000 in vet bills to get Hector stick free.  Mrs. Panting stated “We have kept the stick but we certainly won’t be giving it to Hector to play with again.”  That seems like a very wise decision.

Summertime is the time for outdoor activities and having fun.   However, being outdoors with your dog, or leaving him outside more, does lead to an increased chance that your dog could get hit by a car.

The following are five great tips to keep your dog from becoming another statistic and keep everydog’s summer safe and fun.

1. Summertime can be the time for some nasty weather.  Always check on your fence after a storm to make sure it’s still intact.

Due to the storms, high winds can blow open gates or blow down sections of fences and dogs can escape. The most frequent emergency seen by veterinarians is a dog or cat being hit by a car. There are so many ways to prevent this tragedy. Always check fences and gates after high winds and storms before letting dogs in the yard. If there is a pet door and nobody is home during the day, install a padlock to the gate so it won’t blow open. If the fence is questionable during high winds, lock the pet door until the fence can be secured against high winds or until someone is home to monitor the dogs. Always be prepared for dogs to escape by having them microchipped by a veterinarian or local animal shelter. Microchips last forever and dogs will be returned when they are scanned.

2. Summertime is also the time for  having friends over, bar-b-q’s, and get togethers. This means a lot of traffic coming in and out of the front door.  No not car traffic, people traffic, so it is imperative to teach your dog not to run out the front door.

The best way to persuade your dog not to dash through doors is: do not let your dog make a successful dash through the door. Sounds obvious — but countless dog people and their guests have accidentally let the dog out the door, giving the dog a taste of freedom that can be exhilarating, but fraught with danger. The dog does not realize this, but he could get hit by a car, get in a fight with another animal, get lost and hurt, knock over children, not to mention alienate your neighbors. Even after dogs who get hurt after an escape fail to remember the connection between door-darting and pain when spotting a new chance to dash out the door.

3. Make sure your dog is always leashed, with the proper leash,  when you take your dog for a walk. As I’ve mentioned before Bo was quite a Houdini in his youth, a true master of slipping the leash.  When we got Logan, our Berner, his foster parents sent him along with a Martingale collar, something we had never heard of.  This collar prevents dogs from slipping the leash when they pull back.  Not usually an issue if Fluffy is 10lbs, but when she grows to be over 80lbs and turns into a ‘flight risk’, you’ll come to appreciate it.

Leash laws exist to protect not only your dog from tragic hit-by-car accidents but also to protect and safeguard all humans and other animals out and about in a civilized society. No dog, despite its level of training should be allowed to roam or to walk about freely when not in a fenced in yard, a home or a fenced dog park where dogs are permitted to run.

4. Having your dog spayed or neutered.

Dogs become sexually mature at around six months of age. Like a teenager first feeling the surge of hormones, an intact male dog has a strong, natural drive to seek out females. As you can imagine, it can be difficult to prevent an intact dog from escaping when his motivation to do so is very high.

Have your male dog neutered. Studies show that neutering will decrease sexual roaming in about 90 percent of cases. If an intact male has established a pattern of escaping, he may continue to do so even after he’s neutered, which is even more reason to have him neutered as soon as possible. Have your female dog spayed. If your intact female dog escapes your yard while she’s in heat, she’ll probably get pregnant (and she could be impregnated even if she stays in your yard).

5. Teach your dog to come.

Coming to you when called is one of the more important skills your dog can learn. Although we strive never to put our dogs in unsafe situations, the “come” (or “recall”) command can avert a car-dog collision, a deer chase, or other hazards.

In the event that your dog does get loose it is imperative that he has the proper tags and identification.  There are multiple ID choices and now is the time to decide which one is right for your pet.

Take the time to call your vet and investigate the options NOW. Once your pet is lost it’s too late. Also make sure to have a good clear updated photo of your pet should you ever need it.