Posts tagged "PetNews"

A dog in Tennessee who chewed up a police car and landed in doggie jail, has been released and is back at home with his family after nearly two weeks in the custody of the local animal control shelter, reports the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The Chattanooga Police Department released astonishing video of Winston, a pit-bull mix, on his vehicle-chomping spree, flattening tires and ripping the fiberglass cover off a police-car fender.

"I try not to watch the video," Winston's chagrined owner, Nancy Emerling, tells Paw Nation. Cited for owning a "potentially dangerous dog," Emerling was ordered to appear in court.

Last month, Winston had initially started chewing the tire of a police car, and, when the officer got out and sprayed the dog with pepper spray, Winston moved on to front bumper. Even a Taser didn't stop him. The tires of a second patrol car, as well as the tires of two cars trying to pass through the area, also succumbed to Winston's powerful jaws.

At the hearing on March 25, Judge Sherry Paty ruled that Winston could go home, but with some restrictions. "Winston has to attend obedience classes, attend and successfully complete the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen course and test, and he has to wear a 'potentially dangerous dog' tag," Emerling tells Paw Nation. In addition, there will be an inspection to ensure that Winston is secured either indoors or outside with proper fencing.

Emerling says she is satisfied with the judge's decision and will comply with all the restrictions, which apply for a six-month period. "After that, if Winston completes all his courses, then it's my best understanding that Winston will no longer have to wear his 'potentially dangerous dog' jewelry and he'll be off probation," says Emerling.

What will happen to Winston then? Will he be given to the police officer whose car was attacked, and who had offered to adopt Winston? "I saw the police officer in court, but I didn't get to talk to him," says Emerling. "We can't do anything for six months, so I can't say what will happen to Winston. Either he will stay here or he might go to the police officer, but I doubt that. But I can say that Winston will be with somebody who cares about him."

When you live in a home with ten pets like Taylor Bentel, you know all about the varying personalities animals can have. The third grader from Fort Pierce, Fla., took those observations and added in a big dash of humor to write a winning poem in this year's American Pet Products Association (APPA) National Children's Pet Poetry Contest.

Taylor was one of six winners chosen in the competition, and each receives a $250 gift certificate for pet products, a byline in a nationally circulated publication, and $1000 scholarship for their classroom to be spent on pet-related education. Taylor was able to appear at the APPA press conference in Orlando, Fla., because it is within driving distance of her hometown. This gave us an opportunity to meet her first hand.

The judges -- who are elementary school teachers and administrators, as well as APPA representatives -- evaluated the submissions on creativity, clarity, voice, and the child's ability to reinforce the message of the positive aspects of pet ownership.

Other winning poems were: "Pet Poem" by Kate from West Chester, Pa.; "The Lesson of Pets" by Mirabelle from Atlanta, Ga.; "Never Sleep Hamsters!" by Jenna in New York, N.Y.; "My Dog, Bear" by Spring in Lincoln, Del.; and "Honey" by Pierce from Sewell, N.J.

Taylor's untitled poem is below, and you can read all the other entries and winners at Pets Add Life (or Pal).

I have a lot of pets
Nine in all.
Some of them short.
Some of them tall.

My guinea pigs squeak.
My bird has a beak.
My dogs like to walk.
Boy, I wish they all could talk.

Some of my pets are goofy.
Some of my pets are doofy.
Some of my pets are poofy.
Some of my pets are even
a little aloof-y.

My guinea pigs chatter.
My bird's getting fatter.
My dogs learned to climb a ladder.
But, our love for each other is
all that matters.

Paw Nation got a chance to sit down with Taylor after she read her poem (and posed with APPA President Bob Vetere for pictures) at a press conference at this year's Global Pet Expo. Taylor talked about her pets, her poem and her plans for the future.

A 23-year-old British man was charged with reckless driving and lost his license after police witnessed the man, Paul Railton, driving his car and walking his dog, a lurcher, alongside the vehicle as he held the dog's leash out of the driver's side window.

Railton pled guilty to "not being in proper control of a vehicle," reports the (U.K.) Guardian. He was fined the equivalent of about $100 and -- due to prior penalty points accumulated on his license -- was banned from driving for six months.

The matter was initially brought to the police's attention by a concerned cyclist, who was riding down a country road and spotted what appeared to be a dog being dragged alongside a car that was traveling at about five miles per hour, reports the Guardian.

Railton's lawyer admits that his client didn't use the best judgment. "He accepts it was a silly thing to do and there was an element of laziness. He does not usually drive in a such a manner," the Guardian reports attorney Paul Donoghue as saying.

But Railton doesn't think there was anything wrong with what he did. "A lot of people exercise their dogs in that manner," Fox 5 News reports Railton as saying.

The president's best friend has often been a pooch -- providing rough and tumble fun and companionship to offset the serious business of running the country. This year, the Newseum in Washington, D.C. explores that relationship, offering a closer look at the lives of the nation's "First Dogs." Cathy Trost, the director of exhibit development for the Newseum, spoke with Paw Nation:

The "First Dogs" exhibit is one of the Newseum's most popular shows. Were you surprised by the interest?
Everyone loves a good animal story. People want to know about our political leaders and the pets that humanize them.

So is the oft-repeated quote true? "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog?"
The quotation is often attributed to President Harry Truman, but he probably didn't say it. In fact, he was given an adorable cocker spaniel as a gift in 1947 and gave it away almost immediately. But of all the White House pets – and there have been hundreds of them – dogs have definitely been the most popular.

How much of a factor has Bo Obama been in the popularity of the exhibit?"
I'm not sure anybody was really ready for "Bo-mania." When President Obama was elected and we heard he had made that pledge to his daughters that a puppy would be coming with them to the White House, we saved a prime spot. And boy, did they deliver one cute dog!

We love our dogs. They soothe us, entertain us, and their devotion and affection brings an enormous amount of joy into our lives. For all that we are appreciative.

Some of us show our appreciation by buying luxury items that range from the frivolous (designer clothes and custom-made collars) to the more practical (organic dog food and orthopedic beds). When our hectic lives mean we have to leave our precious pooches behind, we put them up at fancy dog hotels with socialization hours and individual walks. Many of us avoid that problem entirely by bringing our dogs everywhere we go -- showering them with non-stop affection.

Is all this the least we can do for the pets that bring us so much happiness? Or, at some point does this 21st century lifestyle begin to take something away from the dog's essential animal nature? And are we somehow giving other humans less than they deserve because we are showering all this attention on our pets? These are some of the questions pondered in the New York Magazine article "The Rise of Dog Identity Politics" in which the author John Homans describes some of the conflicts we – and others, including academics, psychiatrists, and dog trainers -- feel about the way many of us choose to parent our pets.

"The dog is more and more an urban species. Even in the suburbs, the dog's unleashed, unfenced, carefree outdoor life is largely at an end. The dogs are in the house, even in the bed. (The doghouse is now mostly for husbands.) There are no rules to this evolving, increasingly intimate arrangement, and it can give rise to a kind of canine identity crisis. Outside of its country context, the dog plays an ever more human role. Which can make things very confusing," says Homans.

What do you think, Paw Nation? By giving our dogs the cushiest, most comfortable lives possible, are we somehow invalidating their essential "dogness?" Do you personally feel that you have ever gone over the line in your devotion and care for your pet?

Tell us what you think by taking our poll and sharing your comments below.

Fido, your old-school name is old news. The same goes for Rover and Spot. Our (two-legged) friends at the Daily Beast say that a new batch of trendy and celeb-inspired monikers are about to be all the rage at the dog park.

In the run up to Westminster, they called on a name expert to predict the popular tags we will be choosing for our new pooches in 2010 and beyond. The name Casey came in at number one as a generally friendly name that's equally appropriate for male and female dogs. Vampire obsessed Twi-hards will be sparkling at the news that heroine Bella is being honored with the number three spot, while fans of the kiddie hit "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" have driven Chloe, its main character's name, to the perfectly respectable number nine position.

Here are the top 10, courtesy of name expert Linda Rosenkrantz for the Daily Beast:

01. Casey
02. Riley
03. Bella
04. Bailey
05. Shadow
06. Coco
07. Pepper
08. Dakota
09. Chloe
10. Oliver

Tell us if you've got a lead on the future. Have you already paid for a collar with one of these names? Or is yours on the Daily Beast's runners up list?

A new study out of Britain is bound to make the fur fly. Researchers claim to have proven that cat owners rule -- and dog owners? Well, they don't drool exactly, they're just not as bright as the cat owners.

In a large-scale study aimed at tracking the type of domesticated animals Brits preffered, The Daily Mail reports that that cat owners were found to be generally smarter than their canine-loving counterparts. The study results showed that those with college degrees (aka the "smarter" folks) were 36 percent more likely to have a cat living in the house than those without degrees. Some speculate this is because the university graduates were more likely to work long hours, and chose cats because they are lower-maintenance than dogs.

But before you dog owners get riled up, you should know that in other recent research you've come out ahead -- cat people were found to be more likely to be neurotic, while dog people were found to have a conscientious and agreeable nature.

The big question is: where does that leave people who own both cats and dogs? Are they in the "smarter" category or the "dumber" group? Kathy Steuber, the owner of a chocolate labradoodle named Finley and two rescued cats named Frady and Phoebe, has an alternate answer – she believes that at times, her pets may be smarter than she is. "I'm outnumbered by my furry friends, and sometimes they do gang up on me!" So on which side of the fence do you fall?

Spikey, the dog who captured national headlines when he was airlifted from a Los Angeles river in a daring helicopter rescue is finally home. The 4-year-old German-shepherd mix was in quarantine for several days before being released and reunited with his owners, the Los Angeles Times reported.

On Friday, Jan. 22, viewers were glued to their television screens when news stations broadcast live coverage of a dog being rescued by the Los Angeles Fire Department from a surging river. The video from Fox 11 News shows firefighter Joe St. Georges, 50, dropping from a helicopter into the river, grabbing the struggling dog and airlifting him to safety -- but not before dangling high above the river for several long, nail-biting moments.

"We got reports of a dog in the Los Angeles River, which is really a concrete-walled flood control channel," Los Angeles Fire Captain Steve Ruda tells Paw Nation. The dog couldn't climb out of the river, which was extra-high due to heavy rains that had been flooding Los Angeles all week.

"The incident commander made a decision to rescue the dog," explains Capt. Ruda. "It was wearing a collar and appeared to belong to somebody. If we did nothing, we were concerned that humans trying to rescue the dog would be harmed." A helicopter swift water rescue team swooped in under high tension wires and lowered firefighter St. Georges into the river. "Joe [St. Georges] was able to capture the dog, put a capture strap around it, and get the dog to safety," Capt. Ruda says.