Petco sued over dead and sick animals San Francisco Gross: "In a suit filed Tuesday in San Francisco, city attorney Dennis Herrera said inspectors and customers found sick and dead birds, a dead moldy turtle and "cooked" toad at  two Petco locations." San Diego Union Tribune Jun 19 2002 2:54PM ET [Moreover - Animal news]

and credit card bills and lint... Our chow chow has a very diverse appetite and he's normally quite picky about what he eats. For example, in our back yard, he has carefully sought out and devoured all the Verbana flowers growing in several large pots, placed (unluckily) on our patio. He must have thought they were appetizers, artfully arranged for his noshing... [more]

Jiggs, the bulldog, attends Marine bootcamp Japan The beloved mascot, an English bulldog sporting a bulleyes spot on his face, is exhausted already...

Pitbulls: the controversy continues Ottawa, CA A retired firefighter and dog owner, Charles Mahoney, cannot forget the day when two pitbulls systematically ripped his labrador apart. Like other dog owners, he has come to terms with his loss. But he also believes that it is the selective breeding of dogs by "genetic tinkering that created dogs as dangerous as loaded guns without safety catches. Pitbulls, as an example, through selective breeding, were designed for the dogfight pit. They are powerful, and when in attack mode, impervious to pain..."

Bloodhounds to track Abu Sayyaf Philippines When thousands of soldiers have failed to find the Abu Sayyaf gunmen who kidnapped and killed their American and Filipina hostages, the military has turned to a 'K-9 company' of bloodhounds to seek out the men in the tropical jungle...

Security dog led doublelife as thief Yugoslavia A mischievous dog, whose job it was to safeguard a factory, was caught on-camera, squirrelling balls of copper wire away and then burying them in the factory's yard. "The guards had been told by management they would lose their jobs if the crook was not caught, but every morning another ball of wire was missing. To their amazement, after installing a CCTV system, they found the guard dog was taking time off from patrol to go into the storeroom and take balls of wire..." [from anova.com]

Seal saves drowning dog UK An aging German shephard-labrador mix was saved from drowning by a  'guardian angel' seal. Witnesses were stunned to see the seal lift the drowning dog's head up and then nudge the dog to shore...

Crossbred dingo dogs threaten Australian farms Australia  "Packs of vicious "super dogs" are raiding Australian farms leaving a trail of livestock carnage each year and farmers warn it is only a matter of time before the wolf-like beasts attack a person. Australia has long battled its native wild dog the dingo, but now domestic hunting dogs have bred with dingoes to produce a larger, more powerful and more aggressive feral dog." This 'superdog' is a combination of Dingo crossbred with either Rottweillers or mastiffs...

Prosecutors criticize judge's voiding of murder conviction San Francisco The overturned murder conviction of Margerie Knoller, whose vicious dog mauled a neighbor to death, has stunned prosecutors wondering what to do next. Many call the conviction a denial of justice...

Take your dog to work day Tennessee On Friday, Take Your Dog to Work Day, sponsored by Pet Sitters International, and  a fund-raiser for The Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley, will encourage employees to bring their dogs to work. "Dogs-at-work promoters say the idea is a good one any day of the year. According to Web sites such as www.dogfriendly.com and www.thepoop.com, dogs have a soothing effect on humans. The mere presence of a canine cuddly can lower blood pressure and relieve stress, say dogfriendly and thepoop..."

Legislators drop dangerous dog breed list from House Bill Delaware "Five dog breeds will be dropped from proposed legislation that would more strictly regulate dangerous dogs in Delaware.House Speaker Terry Spence, R-Stratford, the lead sponsor of House Bill 571, said Tuesday he will introduce today a substitute version that removes a blanket label of dangerous for pit bulls, Rottweilers, Japanese Tosas, Fila Brasilerios and Presa Canarios..." The change in the bill is so that responsible owners will not be penalized by the bill.

Animal Aid: adopted adult dogs are appreciative Older dogs have less chance of being adopted, once they make it to a shelter; yet, older dogs come with some great advantages for the dog owner... The Advocate Jun 18 2002 [Moreover - Animal news]

The biggest days for dog emergencies According to the Veterinary Practice News, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the Fourth of July are the big three for pet emergencies, especially for dogs. No doubt about it in my mind. Summer, in general, is the emergency season. Families and pets are outside doing family stuff. Dogs run loose and get into garbage, get into dog fights, and get hit by cars...."

Tips for these days include: current id tags on your dog(s) at all times and keeping your dog indoors during fireworks...