An online poll released by DogCatRadio.com, shows more women would rather have a pet than a husband.

Of the 103,900 votes cast in a period of seven days, an overwhelming 78% voted for a furry rather than a hairy companion. The poll has a sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

While it's been said that a dog is "Man's best friend", the radio station says that 87% of its listeners are women between the ages of 23-49.

"Life's too short to commit to someone you will need to know over time," says Nancy Keller, 29. "I'd rather have a pet and simply date. Less stress on everyone involved."

In a somewhat related subject, we published the results of a survey which showed that 51% of the respondents blame their spouse for disturbing their sleep, while only 38% blamed their pet.

Veterinary Pet Insurance released its annual top 10 list of reasons why dog owners take their dogs to the veterinarian.

The list was compiled from actual claims filed with America's largest pet insurer:

1. Skin allergies (2)
2. Ear infections (1)
3. Stomach upsets (3)
4. Bladder infections (5)
5. Benign tumors (4)
6. Osteoarthritis
7. Sprains (7)
8. Eye infections (8)
9. Enteritis
10. Hypothyroidism

(parentheses) denotes last year's ranking.

Osteoarthritis, enteritis (diarrhea), and hypothyroidism were more common in dogs than they were the previous year. The company explains that America's aging dog population is to explain for the rise in such conditions.

Read the whole report here.

Find last year's report here.

A recent press release from Verizon Yellow Pages points out that veterinarians still get a lot business from ads placed in the phone book:

According to a 2005 Knowledge Networks/SRI study, the "Veterinarian" yellow pages heading is the 14th-most frequently referenced yellow pages heading, generating more than 172 million look-ups annually.

This perhaps tells us that pet ownership in the USA is still very popular, and that locality-based searching is still the domain of paper directories.

Verizon's press release was meant to inform pet-related businesses that advertising in the Yellow Pages is the way to go.

There's a new book coming out in October for people who'd like to cook meals they can share with themselves and their dogs.

Entitled, "The Dog Ate It: Cooking for Yourself and Your Four-Legged Friends", author Linda West Eckhardt, a James Beard Award-winner, shares recipes for dogs and owners alike. Try stuff like "Chow Bella Burgers" or "Growly Good Granola", or some dog-friendly salads.

The book also provides a list of Doggie Diet Dos and Don'ts, and what foods to have on hand so you can invent your own canine-friendly recipes.

Happy Tail Ale is a new non-alcoholic beer for dogs recently launched in the USA.

It's also non-carbonated, and pasteurized.

Made with choice malted barley and filtered water, the new brew comes in a beef flavor, and is fortified with Vitamin E and glucosamine.

As the story goes, it started with a family and their dog Kodi. While out on camping trips, the family noticed that Kodi would knock a beer over and then lick it up from the dirt. So for Kodi's second birthday, the family bought him some non-alcoholic beer. Then they decided to make a special brew just for Kodi. And that's how it started.

You can get a 12-pack from PETCO for $19.99
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Dubbed, "The Strock", it's a combination strap and sock designed to prevent dogs from licking and gnawing on their leg injuries.

The new product, an invention of Lyn Townsend, a former IBM employee, was meant to provide doggies with a more comfortable solution to the "lamp shade". It started when her Bichon-Maltese mix hurt his paw and started licking it. So she came up with the design for The Strock, and when other people saw it, they wanted it also.

Since then, Lyn has featured The Strock on ABC's "American Inventor", and started a company around it, Best Buddy Pet Products Inc. Her dog's veterinarian suggested making it waterproof, so she went "back to the drawing board" and made it so.

And now you can buy them online! Prices range from $9.99 to $17.50.

This probably would've worked great when Max ripped his dew claw a couple years ago. I put an elastic bandage with tape over his paw, and called him "Gimpy" for a few weeks.

Karen Copeland, ESQ, is offering a speaking presentation on how New York City tenants can keep their pets despite the landlord having a "no pet" clause.

In her overview, Ms. Copeland states there are two types of defenses to keeping an animal in a NYC rental, cooperative, or condominium housing.

• New York City Pet Law - which says if you have a pet and the landlord fails to commence an action within three months of gaining knowledge of the pet, any " no pet clause" in the lease is deemed waived.



• Fair Housing Act - which gives a tenant with any mental or physical impairment the right to a reasonable accommodation which can include non-enforcement of a rule such as a "no pet" clause.

NYC renters may also be subject to complaints of nuisance if they can be proven to be a "substantial interference with the comfort and safety of other tenants.

Date: Saturday, Aug. 12
Time: 1 - 4 PM
Location: 242 E. 53 Street, New York, NY

For more information, contact Anna Dove with the New York Companion Bird Club, at (212) 987-8299.

Eric's Dog Blog is a blog that describes the operations of various animal rescue groups in New Orleans, LA.

He describes himself as the owner of three dogs, who's helping rescue thousands of animals left behind after Katrina.

In additon to his thoughts and opinions on animal welfare, he posts success stories and disaster stories from animal rescues all over the damaged areas.

NBC10 of Philadelphia reports that a two-year old Golden Retriever named Brinkley is a write-in candidate for Alaska's next Governor.

Brinkley and his owner have already sold $4,000 worth of "Brinkley for Governor" t-shirts.

If elected, he'll be the first Governor to have his poop hand-picked.

When Florida's Governor, Jeb Bush, signed into law a bill that paves the way for dog to join their owners at the State's restaurants, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker said he wants his city to become the first.

The law doesn't allow dogs into restaurants, rather, it gives local governments the freedom to make such laws. However, the law restricts dogs from eating inside the restaurant; they can only dine in outdoor areas.

The law also requires each restaurant to obtain a permit.

Adrian Martinez, the founder of DogCatRadio.com, is getting married August 26th, 2006 in Las Vegas, NV and is having his dog of 15 years (a black Labrador named Panza), serve as the best man.

The guest list includes family, friends, a few celebrities and lots of pets.

Martinez made news when he launched the first radio station for pets and their owners a year ago. His bride is Jane Harris, whom he met while she was working for him as the morning DJ.

The wedding ceremony will be broadcast live to 6 1/2 million listeners on DogCatRadio, and they'll be filming it for an upcoming "dogumentary" entitled, "The Purr-fect Wedding".

Veterinarian, David W. LaVigne DVM has written a new book called, "Captain Doctor Dave's Wilderness Veterinary Companion for Cruisers and Other Outbackers".

It's targeted to dog owners who like to take their furry friends aboard boats and RVs.

In addition to offering dog health information, it takes it to the next level by providing suggestions on how to proceed when professional veterinary care is unavailable. The guide includes recommended drugs and supplies to have on-hand, dosage information and cautions.

So if you take "Mitzi" along with you on camping trips, you'll know how to give her immediate care should something happen to her.

The author, Dr. LaVigne, has practiced veterinary medicine for over 25 years and is licensed and federally accredited to practice in Maryland and Michigan. Graduating from Michigan State University, he's owned a veterinary practice in Michigan, managed a hospital in Maryland, and is now a USCG licensed master living aboard a sailboat with wife Annie.

Sam brings up a good point about obedience training.

If you were to die, and your dog(s) were taken into a rescue organization, or animal shelter, they'll stand a better chance of being adopted if you had taken the time to train them as obedient, well behaved dogs.

When they said it's a "dog eat dog world out there", did they mean it in more ways than one?

Rendering is perhaps a conveniently ambiguous term for converting animal carcasses into other useful products. Often billed as the "world's oldest recycling business", it finds ways to use the animal parts that most people would not eat. Things like bath soap and lipstick are made from rendered animal carcasses, as well as animal feed.

What happens to dog carcasses after being euthanized at animal shelters? They're sold to rendering facilities, and "rendered" into other products, primarily fish food. In some places, they're simply incinerated. For the most part, it doesn't sound like dogs and cats are turned into lipstick, that's from farm animals like cows and pigs.

An article originally published by the Los Angeles Business Journal noted environmental laws actually prevent dog and cat remnants from entering the U.S. feed market...

Because of environmental laws, dog and cat remains cannot be mixed with other beef byproducts. Most states, including some parts of California, incinerate dead animals, according to Franco.

But that doesn't mean it can't enter the feed market in other countries.

The article goes on to say that the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control had a contract with West Coast Rendering, where the County provided the company with dead dogs and cats at a price of $1.00 per carcass. In 2003, the County earned $80,000 from animals euthanized at its shelters.

West Coast Rendering turns the dogs and cats into food to feed fish and shrimp, and is sold primarily in Asian countries. Perhaps if you were to travel to China, you might eat shrimp that fed on the remains of pit bulls. But then again, if you travel to China, you might end up eating pit bull anyways.

Is it safe to say that dog and cat food sold in the USA is free of rendered dog and cats?

I can't answer that with any certainty. The rendering industry seems to keep things fairly hush about their business, for obvious reasons. However, Dr. Wendell O. Belfield, a veterinarian, wrote an article about the rendering industry, and had this to say...

Worse yet, since rendering facilities are not government-controlled, any animal carcasses can be rendered, including those of cats and dogs. Eckhouse quotes Eileen Layne of the California Veterinary Medical Association: "When you read pet-food labels and it says meat or bone meal, that's what it is -- cooked and converted animals, including some dogs and cats."

Keep in mind that Belfield sells a product called "Mega C Plus" billed as a supplement to prevent dogs from getting food borne diseases, and advertises this product in his article.

If you're still concerned that your pooch might be eating rendered dogs, consider there's worse stuff you're consuming right now. You know the fertilizer used to grow vegetables? Yup, made from human feces collected from sewage facilites. Here it is. The next time the wind blows dust from the farm fields, you better hold your breath!

Proctor & Gamble, the giant manufacturer of cleaning products (among other products) has an interesting press release about the challenges hoteliers face trying to accomodate customers that bring pets.

With pet travel on the rise, hotels are are under competitive pressure to accomodate pets. The press release featured two hotels, Hampton Inn Eastgate in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, Colorado.

Among the challenges noted in the press release...

"We've had dogs that haven't been kenneled and have chewed through bedspreads, torn holes in the carpet, scratched the door and destroyed a box spring mattress."

"We've had to replace the duvet covers, sheets and terry products in our guest rooms. We've also had housekeeping go to clean a room, open the door and have a dog escape into the hotel."

"We had guests staying with us once who kept their parrot in their room. The cage wasn't properly latched, and when housekeeping entered the room to clean it, the bird got loose into the hotel. We ended up chasing the parrot around the hotel for about an hour before we finally caught it with a pillow case."

"Dog hair gets all over the place, so we often have to vacuum repeatedly. If a dog urinates in the room, the carpet usually has to be shampooed several times to get the smell out. We use an enzyme-based cleaner to get all the way down to the pad, but the smell stays for a while. We will usually keep a room out of order until we can completely remove the smell."

Companies that produce cleaning products and cleaning equipment stands to profit from the increase of pet friendly hotels, perhaps as evidenced by P&G's press release. The release goes on to add...

"As the number of travelers with pets continues to rise, it becomes even more essential for hoteliers to have quality, high-performing cleaning programs in place," said Craig Monsell of the P&G Pro Line Lodging Program, an on-premise laundry and in-room cleaning program that is designed to increase guest satisfaction.

Perhaps proving that an increase in pet ownership is good for business, and keeps people working.

UrbanHound, a website that provides dog owners with information about dog stuff in New York, now provides versions of its popular guide for San Francisco and Chicago.

Dog owners in these cities may be wondering where the nearest dog park is, which breeds are right for an apartment, or which pet stores sell holistic supplies. This kind of information is what UrbanHound focuses on.