Pet-shop owners selling dogs and cats that have not been "sexually sterilized" would pay a $15 fee to support a fund to spay and neuter dogs and cats under legislation the Senate approved Thursday.

Bedford Republican Sen. Sheila Roberge said it's only fair to charge these shop owners that contribute to the number of offspring that end up in animal shelters.

An old photo, but still a good one.

Out in the West Texas town of El Paso
I fell in love with a Mexican girl

Off to my right I see five mounted cowboys
Off to my left ride a dozen or more

Something is dreadfully wrong, for I feel
A deep burning pain in my side

Cradled by two loving arms that I'll die for
One little kiss, then Felina good-bye

What makes the case unusual is an injury the retriever's owner suffered in the struggle to break up the dogs: She ruptured a breast implant. Now the woman and her husband want to find Richard Scott and make him pay for replacing the implant. And although it's well beyond the scope of the court, they want Herndon's help. In fact, they're demanding it.

"We don't really care what you do with [the dog]," the husband shouts, stepping up to the dais that serves as the judge's bench and slamming down a folder like a cheap TV barrister. "I gotta take care of my medical bills!"

"We try to do it in neighborhoods where we have received calls and concerns in, however it could be a simple random check individually or neighborhood wide as well," according to Sgt. Kevin M. Kilgore, Chief of Animal Control. "We try to not stress the animal when we conduct these visits. Instead, we seek to educate the owner and be more efficient by not spending sometimes lengthy time capturing the animal, processing the paperwork, and then impounding the animal."

An eyewitness reported seeing the 34-year-old bite the dog and kick it repeatedly at a shopping mall on Feb. 8, a spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Police said.

Officers arrested the suspect on Feb. 10 and charged him with animal cruelty and breach of the peace, the spokeswoman said.

This was taken somewhere in Laos.

The judges endured three rounds of smelling dog breath, with the first round consisting of sniffing nearly two dozen dogs' breath. In the second round, judges sent the dogs to enter the "Bad Breath Zone," or the "Baddest Breath Zone." Finally, judges crowned "Ladybug," a 13 1/2 year-old Greyhound, as Omaha's "Top Dog" of the "Doggie Bad Breath Contest."

For having the worst breath, "Ladybug" received a year's supply of Sergeant's DentaFresh® products. The first and second runners up received a gift basket containing DentaFresh and other Sergeant's products.

"With my practice of working with aromatherapy, I'm one of only a few people in the area that actually has clean sinuses," says Jeanne Barzydlo, Instructor at the Universal College of Healing Arts. "I can tell a good smell from a bad smell and Ladybug's breath is worse than bad, it's right up there with raw sewage."

Written in the voice of Lilly, an English Toy Spaniel, the guides include relevant information for preparing to take your dog on a European trip, such as obtaining necessary health certificates, packing, and preparing for departure. Also provided is valuable location-specific information, such as dog-friendly restaurants and hotels, the name of a local veterinarian, and navigating public transportation.

Lillystravels "go beyond a walk in the park" guidebooks are the only guides currently available for traveling with dogs to Europe. Juli Feinberg, president of Lillystravels, dispels the common misconception that dogs must be quarantined in European countries. "Although England, Ireland, Scotland, and Sweden do currently require quarantines," she said, "other European countries do not."

Rocking your baby to sleep in a mechanical swing can trigger a deadly attack on the child by the family dog, a coroner warns.

At least two such deaths have been documented in Maryland over a four-year period, Dr. Albert Y. Chu of the state's medical examiner's office said Wednesday at a meeting in New Orleans of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

The back-and-forth motion may activate the dog's instinct to chase prey, he said.

Dr. Marianne DiPadua of University Foggia in Italy said she is not convinced that the rocking movement sets off the dog. "It's true movement can trigger an attack," she said. But she noted that dogs have also attacked babies in cribs or beds.

Blanco Veterinary Clinic has seen its share of dogs bitten by rattlesnakes. So they accepted an offer from a California-based company to start giving the rattlesnake vaccine.

Dogs must have two boosters over two months to build up their immunity. The shot also decreases a victim's chance of needing costly anti-venom treatment.

Another exception occurs in those states that have a "one bite rule" on their books. In those states, the dog owner is not liable for the dog's first bite, unless the dog owner himself caused the bite through negligent, reckless or intentional conduct. If there's a second bite, the dog owner is liable no matter what. About one-third of the states have this rule.

§3342. (a) The owner of any dog is liable for the damages suffered by any person who is bitten by the dog while in a public place or lawfully in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner's knowledge of such viciousness. A person is lawfully upon the private property of such owner within the meaning of this section when he is on such property in the performance of any duty imposed upon him by the laws of this state or by the laws or postal regulations of the United States, or when he is on such property upon the invitation, express or implied, of the owner.

§3342.5 (d) Nothing in this section shall authorize the bringing of an action pursuant to subdivision (b) based on a bite or bites inflicted upon a trespasser, or by a dog used in military or police work if the bite or bites occurred while the dog was actually performing in that capacity.

I've seen this pic before in other places, and now its on Flickr. Great shot! (The photo that is)

Dogs were licking the backs of the warty pests and becoming addicted to the hallucinogenic poison, a NT vet said yesterday. Megan Pickering, a vet in Katherine, said she had treated a number of dogs affected by the deadly toad poison.

"We have had quite a number of cases of dogs that are getting addicted to the toxin," Ms Pickering said. "There seems to be dogs that are licking the toxin to get high.

Tom Colvin, of the Animal Rescue League, said he knows dog fighting is happening. He said he has received plenty of phone calls about it, and has seen animals that have been forced into a dog-fighting ring.

Colvin said he does not think that the general public knows the extent of how much dog fighting goes on Iowa.

The miniature television camera and radio transmitter can be fitted on a lightweight head harness on Northumbria Police's highly-trained dogs' heads.

It means they can search buildings and relay the information back to officers.

Currently, a person may consume dog meat in Hawaii if it is from the person's own dog and it has been killed in a humane fashion. It is illegal, however, to steal someone else's dog and a violation of animal control laws to seize a stray dog and not surrender it to an animal control officer. Yet, there is no law specifically prohibiting the sale, purchase, or other distribution of stray or stolen dogs or cats for human consumption, whether humanely slaughtered or not.

The legislature further finds that, while the killing and sale of dogs for food is not a common practice in Hawaii, the Honolulu police department and the Hawaiian Humane Society have recently received reports of the illegal seizure and gruesome slaughter of dogs for meat. There have also been reports on Oahu of people selling stolen or stray dogs for consumption. The purpose of this Act is to prohibit the killing and sale, purchase, or other distribution of stray or stolen dogs or cats for human consumption.

State Rep. Alex Sonson says the proposed measure is a reaction to hearsay and would harm the image of Filipinos, Koreans and other Asian ethnic groups who make up the majority of the state's population.

"It perpetuates this myth that every Filipino is eating it," Sonson said. "But they're not."

Frank Wu, dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, believes the issue of eating dog is stressed "to caricature and condemn particular populations," namely Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese and other Asians. Wu wrote about dog-eating in his book "Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White."

Some germs could be transmitted from pet to owner. Cats can carry Pasteurella multocida, which can cause sinus infections in humans. dogs might be infected with Bordetella bronchoseptica (kennel cough), which could pose a problem, especially for immune-compromised patients. Such patients might also be susceptible to strep and staph infections carried by pets.

He told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington DC: "Dog shelters have to kill hundreds of dogs if they cannot find them homes, so they have a high incentive for trying to work out how well-matched a dog would be to a new owner."

Definitely a cute little fuzzy.

Gosling and his colleagues have determined that dogs and hyenas have clear personality traits that can be measured like they are in humans. The researchers have studied characteristics such as fearfulness and anxiety, curiosity, and sociability.

"Personality is not just unique to humans," Gosling said.

Personality measurements have implications for animal welfare, for example when dogs are matched with owners or selected for various types of work. This information should also allow researchers to explore the various biological, genetic and environmental causes for an individual animal's temperament.

Max is a nerdy little skinny boy with long bony legs. He has big dreams, and likes to draw spaceships, and hopes that someday he'll become an astronaut. But he has a problem with being scared. He's frightened by girls, and intimidated by other boys. He still likes to cuddle up with Mommy even though he's a teenager. He gets perfect grades in school. He doesn't have too many friends, because he likes to hide in his room and read sci-fi books.

Mia is a social butterfly. She likes to flirt, and show off her stuff. She likes it when boys chase after her, but never lets them get a piece. She complains about her hair, because it's so naturally curly and full bodied, that it just won't stay in place. She's secretly in love in Tommy, and is trying to find out if he wears boxers or briefs. She's still hoping Tommy will ask her to the dance, but has already accepted an offer from Joey, just in case Tommy doesn't ask.

Perhaps this photo has been around the Internet for awhile, but it's the first time I've seen it. Cute.

Ashok Kumar and Surendra Babu, owners of a kennel and who specialise in South Indian breeds, say they are unable to meet the demand for Rajapalayam dogs, also known as Paleiyakarans or Poligars. "Every month we get orders for 50 pairs, each costing Rs 4,500, from Indians and Westerners. But we are unable to meet the demand. We can supply only 20 pairs" they told a reporter.

The problem is limited to Purina's La Encrucijada plant, its only facility in Venezuela. None of the food was sold in the United States. The recall includes about 10 brands; all the products are dry pet foods.

Nestle Purina PetCare discovered the problem after veterinarians contacted the food maker and complained of sick animals. The company launched an internal investigation and confirmed the problem on Feb. 3.

Animal fighting, although illegal in virtually every state, is still prevalent throughout the country, fueled in part by a subculture naively fascinated with the illicit and thuggish nature of dogfighting. As the 109th Congress gets underway, we are determined to get the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act enacted, and we need your help more than ever.

1. Laws are useless unless enforceable. We already have laws in the states against dog fighting and animal cruelty, what more will federal legislation do? The reason why dog fighting continues on, is because our law enforcement departments don't have enough resources to go after fighting rings.



2. This legislation does nothing to address the lack of resources our law enforcement officers face. This legislation only has teeth where dog fight organizers get convicted. How are we supposed to convict these guys if we don't have the resources to catch them in the first place?



3. Any matter regarding personal property is a state issue. Like it or not, dogs are property. The federal government has no business involving itself with matters of property. Let the states address this.

Toss'n and turn'n. Sealy asked men and women who's more disturbing to your sleep: pets or partners. Overall 51% say it's their partner who's the disturbance, while 38% feel it's their pet. May we suggest a king-size mattress?

Gender Gap. Men apparently need a lot of space from both, pet and partners, 14% were unable to decide who is most annoying. However, women were much more decisive, 55% said their partner was far more annoying than their pet. Studies have shown that women have a harder time sleeping than men ... wonder whose fault that is????

Solitary slumbers. Of all polled pet owners, 33% stood firm that there is no room in bed for man's best friend or their feisty felines. These respondents said they NEVER allow their pets in bed with them.

The black & white photo makes it look like this dog is capable of changing its hair coloring to fool would-be-predators.

"Anyone who's living in those kind of conditions needs psychological evaluation, because no one would choose to live in a feces-filled home," said Judy Ladebauche, Metro Health animal control director.

"In their own way, they do love them (the animals). And it's a sad situation," she said.

Nashville Humane Association's executive director, Mary Pat Boatfield, said she would support the psychological evaluation provision. "In their mind, they're the hero," Boatfield said. "They're the rescuer."

"Pet cloning companies offer false hope of never having to let go of a pet and are causing harm to animals in the process," the AAVS concluded in a report released yesterday, "Pet Cloning: Separating Facts From Fluff."

I couldn't help seeing the irony in this, of greyhounds behind bars. Is this what happens to "lame greyhounds"?

2. On a signal from the president, Liberty, a golden retriever, would rush into the Oval Office and break up meetings that had gone on too long. Such informality was in marked contrast to the 'imperial' presidency of the previous president.

Appearance is important to Shawna Johnson. She had testicular implants put into her dog, Toby, when he was neutered, "I wanted, I wanted the appearance of a natural, intact dog."

Dr. Jack Mannix performed Toby's procedure. He admits there may not be a medical benefit, but says there is a plus, "If you're more proud of your dog as you walk him and because he looks more normal to you, then I think it's a psychological benefit to the animal."

"We've even Neuticled a prairie dog in Kansas, two water buffalo in Colorado and a colony of rats in Louisiana," Miller said. "The first monkey is in two weeks and we're excited to help even monkey's 'look and feel' the same." .

Carlee, with a brown face and white-and-liver spotting, now will retire to Castle Rock, Colo., with her ninth best in show title overall. Officially named Ch. Kan-Point's VJK Autumn Roses, the sporting group winner wound up a champion in the nation's most prestigious canine event.

Carlee became the second German shorthaired pointer to win at Westminster, and was a direct descendant of the other winner in 1974.

Made from a strain of seaweed in the Ascophyllum nodosum family, ProDen PlaqueOff Animal granules are formulated to be added to a pet's food; the taste appeals to most dogs and cats. With daily use, the supplement is effective against bad breath, tartar and plaque within a few weeks.

Following a successful launch in Sweden, ProDen PlaqueOff Animal expanded into parts of Europe and was well received in the United Kingdom. The product is now available to U.S. pet owners; Shimko added it will soon be available through veterinarians, pet stores and other outlets as well.

1. Each day I run a search on Flickr, for "dog"


2. I look at the photos that were uploaded for that day.


3. I pick out a photo I like, and blog it.

Sometimes the tail tells the tale.

I am on the Board of Directors at Critter Holler Animal Rescue Inc. in Yellville, Ar. The rescue is non-profit and no kill. We are in a situation where everything for the dogs is coming out of our own pockets. We are haveing a problem with community support. The owners of the rescue have decided that if the situation does not improve then it will not be possible to continue with the rescue. Can you help get the word out about this crisis? Please Visit.

The plates cost $25 in addition to standard license fees. By state law $10 of the fee goes to the bureau of motor vehicles. $15 will go to the Ohio Pet Fund. Proceeds from the sale of the plate will be used for the spaying and neutering of dogs and cats to curb Ohio's pet overpopulation. Funds will also be used for education that supports the benefits of sterilization.

Sonia Wilde, 29, will walk down the aisle in Stockport, Greater Manchester with the Collie cross, Lucy Brown, at her side.

The three-year-old will even be dressed in a pink frilly dress and bonnet for the service at St Matthew's Church.