Deadly disease confirmed at Martha's Vineyard. MA "State public health officials yesterday [Thursday] confirmed this year's third case of pneumonic tularemia, a rare, deadly disease normally passed to humans when they are bitten by a dog tick that carries the bacteria." In the pneumonic form, inhaling airborne particles contaminated with the virulent bacteria (possibly from contaminated soil) may be the transmission path. Because the disease kills 60 percent of untreated victims, pneumonic tularemia remains a top bioterrorist agent.

Twenty-two (22) cases of tularemia occured on the Island since 2000, 17 of which were  pneumonic, the rarer form of the disease; normally, one or two cases occur statewide per year. Scientists will collect dog ticks and trap animals as part of an ongoing investigation... [Vineyard Gazette]

Doggie day care: for some a necessary splurge CO Doggie day care is becoming as commonplace as childcare centers... [Colorado Springs Gazette]

Dogs herd bears in grizzly country Canada "Two Karelian bear dogs, Kuma and Mica, are learning to teach problem bears when and where they're not welcome. In terms of time and animals, it's a tremendous savings.  The five-year pilot project is one of only a handful of such programs in the world. Its goal is to reduce "human-caused mortality"—bears getting killed by people... [National Geographic]

Update: why pitbulls killed woman still a mystery TX Animal behaviorists have determined that we will never know why a woman's pitbulls turned on and killed her... "It's plausible that this started out as a simple accident. This woman did have a seizure disorder ... By nature, many breeds of dogs, and pit bull dogs are included, have a very high predatory drive..." Maybe she tripped, fell on one and it snapped at her...   [Houston Chronicle]

In yesterday's news: Woman killed by 4 pit bulls she raised 

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We need at least three sponsors by July 20 for participation in the Blogathon2002; otherwise, we are disqualified. Don't let that happen. Want to help?  You (Dog News readers) can make a collective difference. Help ... pledge now!

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Man decapitates pet bird, beats dog to death NE "Police believed a man upset with his ex-girlfriend beat her dog to death and cut the head off a pet bird. The pets were found Wednesday morning. Oreo, the dog, had been beaten with a golf club. The bird, a parrot, was found decapitated on the floor..."  [Journal Star] (Why isn't this is a felony in Nebraska. Police are looking for the man because they don't want it to 'escalate any further.' )

In Ohio, another dog with the same name, Oreo, got shot for trespassing by a hunter. "I was irritated, so I shot the dog," Drake testified. He said he was hunting deer when the dog frightened them." ... "The buzzards will take care of it," Drake said when asked during his testimony why he didn't contact anyone about the shooting." He was acquitted of any wrong doing by a jury. [Cleveland.com]