Posts tagged "death"

Miss Ellie, the World's Ugliest Dog 2009, passed away at the ripe old age of 17, reports USA Today's Paw Print Post.

The Chinese crested hairless might not have looked like a million bucks, but she had a heart of pure gold. The odd-looking pup was a big time fundraiser for the Sevier County Humane Society in Sevierville, Tenn., raising over $100,000 for the organization. In fact, she even had her own day: November 12 is "Miss Ellie Day" in her hometown of Pigeon Forge, Tenn., AOL News reports.

Other claims to fame include a few starring roles at Pigeon Forge's Comedy Barn and an appearance on Animal Planet's "Dogs 101," according to Paw Print Post. As the winner of Animal Planet's 2009 World's Ugliest Dog Competition, Miss Ellie had been scheduled to compete in the 2010 competition next month.

Our hearts go out to Miss Ellie's owner, Dawn Goehring, who brought Miss Ellie to live with her and 13 other rescue dogs when the pooch was 7 years old. Coping with the death of a beloved pet is difficult, but we hope it helps Goehring to know that people the world over are mourning the loss of Miss Ellie along with her.

It also looks like people will be remembering Miss Ellie for some time to come. The Mountain Press reports that Goehring plans to raise money to build a new animal shelter in Miss Ellie's honor.

More Pet News

It seems so logical. Dog is man's best friend, diamonds are a girl's best friend, so combine the two and you have DNA2Diamonds.

DNA2Diamonds is a service that extracts "the unique DNA carbon from a lock of hair (or cremated ashes)" to build a personalized diamond that's said to be identical to a traditional earth-mined stone. Hey, in these days of recycling it makes sense to bring your beloved pet to life within a precious stone, albeit it's a bit creepy like owners who stuff their deceased pets.

To be fair, DNA2Diamonds mostly caters to couples who want to create diamonds out of their partner's living locks.

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Losing a loved one is never easy. In fact, it's not uncommon among pet owners to see the remains of their cat or dog (or... other beloved friend) cremated and kept in an urn for good housekeeping. But the idea of taking those ashes and spilling them from an urn into a pillow? Frankly, that gives us the heebie-jeebies.

The Soft-Hearted Pillow is just that: an alternative to the "solid, stationary urn, positioned on a shelf, forever still" (well, when you put it that way...). Indeed, in those hard times, the wish to hug your furry friend just one more time is a painful part of the mourning process, but the prospect of embracing a pillow and feeling the ashes -- kept inside a pouch hidden within the pillow itself -- is, how you say, creepy times a thousand.

The Soft-Hearted Pillow is made from micro fleece fabrics and comes in three colors with a braided trim and "option for personalization," meaning that when a guest asks why the pillow on which they're sleeping reads "Mrs. Twinkletoes," they may just trade the dead cat for mere floor board.

Rest in peace, kitty, just as we do on you.

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According to a new (scary) report from the Environmental Protection Agency, topical and on-spot flea and tick medications injured 44,000 pets last year.

The study looked at EPA-registered pet products, commonly found at drug stores or on supermarket shelves in 2008. Sprays, collars, and shampoos – anything topical or on-spot to treat ticks and fleas - were included.

Most of the potential incident reports involved spot-on treatments, like the ones sold in tubes or vials and used on a specific part of your pet's body. Reactions included rashes, seizures, and, in some cases, death.

To play it safe, you may want to skip the grocery aisle for your flea and tick products. "Stick with a product you're getting from a veterinarian," advises Dr. Matthew Cooper. Side effects caused by over-the-counter medications don't come as a surprise to veterinarians, who often urge pet owners to stick with doctor-recommended products.

To see if you've been using one of the EPA-products in question, look at the EPA Registration Number on the label and check its web site. The seven products, which pet owners can identify using the label, accounted for about 80 percent of the incidents, the agency said.

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