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09/01/09
Christie Keith, of the SF Gate, wrote an interesting article on the myths and misconceptions of two well-known breeds. She discusses why people avoid adopting both greyhounds and pit bulls because of all the misleading information that’s out there.
Pit bulls and pit bull mixes are in shelters in overwhelming numbers. They are the most common dog to be killed because no one will adopt them.
People now view them as “killer dogs” because of all the negative stories in the news, preventing potential adopters from seeing the dog in front of them. Couple that with new breed specific legislation (BSL) and the likelihood of these dogs getting adopted is almost nil.
There’s no more maligned type of dog than the vast and diverse group of dogs known, rightly or wrongly, as “pit bulls.” I say “type of dog” rather than breed because the pit bull is not a single breed of dog, but a group of breeds and mixed breeds favored by dog fighters for their toughness, scrappiness, muscular bodies and willingness to fight with other dogs.
So, just who is the real pit bull? Read the rest of this entry »
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06/01/09
Sometimes it’s all about perserverance (any dog will tell you that) and if you look up the word tenacious in the dictionary you’d see today’s contest winner listed there by name. Huntington (Thinking ’bout Rosie 24/7) has been a regular (and prodigious) competitor in this caption contest but until today, victory has slipped through her paws. Well, not any longer. Today’s clear winner and the 50 Zealies go to you, my friend.
 Don't even think about it!
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05/26/09
When I asked for suggestions about this contest several weeks ago many folks indicated they liked the challenge of the double-quote contest when more than one animal was featured. Your wish is my command, Dogsters. Here you go. Let me know what both dogs are thinking and the best quotes will earn their writer a grand prize of 50 Zealies next Monday, June 1st when the winner is announced.
 beach Buddies
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04/02/09
A few Dogsters sent me a message letting me know about an amazing dog that resides at the Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary. This story is guaranteed to make you smile.
Jasmine, the Dog
In 2003, police in Warwickshire , England , opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. It had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had clearly been abused.
In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a Greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing haven for animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in need.
Geoffand and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims; to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved.
They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.
But Jasmine had other ideas. No one remembers now how it began, but she started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn’t matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit , or any other lost or hurting animal. Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and where possible deliver a welcoming lick.
Read the rest of this entry »
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11/07/08
Great news coming from Massachusetts, on November 4th a ban was passed on dog racing. A huge victory considering in 2000 a similar ban was defeated.
The Massachusetts ban on dog racing has been a long time coming-in 2000, a similar ballot measure was narrowly defeated, and attempts to get the question included on the 2006 ballot were unsuccessful.
With the ban’s passage this week (57 percent to 43 percent), commercial dog racing will be phased out in Massachusetts by 2010. There are two dog tracks in the state-each of which is believed to currently house about 1,000 greyhounds.
Because the phase-out will occur over a period of 14 months, greyhound advocacy groups such as Grey2K USA are confident that they will be able to find homes for any racing dogs who become available for adoption.
This is fantastic news, it’s about time. It once again goes to show that as dog lovers we need to stand together and make our voice heard. We will not be ignored, the people have spoken. Thanks Dogsters!
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08/08/08
 It’s time for the Beijing Olympics folks. Of course, if you’ve spent more than ten seconds on any NBC channel, you already know that.
The Olympics are a time when childhood dreams turn into reality for thousands of athletes, and a chance for a few of them to have their faces on a Wheaties box. I know I’ll be watching, along with the ‘kids’, as the drama unfolds.
Since we’re dog lovers here, I’ll take this opportunity to highlight some Olympic caliber records you aren’t likely to see challenged during the 3,600 hours of NBC’s coverage.
- In 2004, citizens of St. Joseph, Illinois witnessed Olympian hopeful Tigger recording the largest ear wingspan (27.25″ not counting the head) ever documented. He thanks Bugs Bunny for inspiring him to forgo social norms and grow his ears so long.
- On the night of October 7th, 2006, Cinderella May broke the canine high jump record with a leap of 5′ 8″ (172.7cm). It has yet to be determined where the greyhound learned to do the Fosbury Flop.
- Quebec City, Canada was the sight of one of the most amazing achievements in canine and automobile history. Here, on September 1st 2004, a border-collie named Striker managed to record the fastest time ever in the ‘rolling down a non-electric car window’ category. His 11.34 second performance broke the mythical 11.5 barrier most experts thought would never be broken.
- Jimmy Connors never did it, neither did Andre Agassi or even Chris Evert, but a golden retriever named Augie didn’t have any problem achieving it. What was it? The world record for the most tennis balls held in the mouth. On July 6th in 2003, in Dallas, TX Augie managed to open two cans of tennis balls and stick five of the six balls into his mouth all at one time. Now that’s a dog that could use a DogPause Bowl.
Although those records are impressive, I know there must be some fuzzy muzzle record holders in this audience. For instance, Copper holds the ten second record for most tail wags across a person’s face. I have the red lashes on my noggin’ to prove it.
So tell me, do you have a record holder who shares your house with you? If so, what’s the record?
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07/16/08
I want to thank Dogster member Susan Marie and her pal Coffee for bringing us the following message.
Local Greyhound adoption groups are stepping up to the plate to try to assist a sudden huge influx of dogs who are retiring en mass. Some of the dogs will be moved to other tracks out of state, but the vast majority need homes now!
I have been so touched by the Dogster community coming together to makelife better for so many animals, I thought perhaps I could put out a plea to all the Dogster doggies.
If someone is in the Denver/Boulder area, perhaps they could consider fostering. Or of course, we always need monetary donations.
To find out more, visit www.coloradogreyhoundadoption.org. If you want to help a 45 mile per hour couch potato find a forever couch…er…home.
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