Blogathon 2002 for charity  "Make a difference through blogging. Blogathon is an event for charity that lasts 24 hours. Each participant finds sponsors who can either donate a flat amount for the entire event, or an amount per hour." (source: blogger.com) 

Small dog set on fire at UPS baseball field WA "Someone soaked a small dog in lighter fluid and set it on fire late Thursday at a University of Puget Sound baseball field." The dog was dead when found; police have no suspects. [The News Tribune]

World's second oldest dog's secret: tea UK "It may sound barking mad, but Alan Ridehalgh has kept the same Jack Russell dog for almost a quarter of a century! And the devoted owner today revealed the secret of his beloved Cindy's long life -- four cups of tea a day. Cindy is 168 in human terms. She's only five years younger than the world's oldest dog, which lived in Australia..." Cindy is possibly the most appealing dog on the earth too; must see photo of Cindy having a spot of tea with her owner... [This is Lancashire]

Protection dog turns on owner OH When Margaret Jones bought Reese, a German Shepard, for $1,800, she thought she was getting a good protection dog. When it attacked her on her couch while she was watching TV, she had no warning and it was her other dog, a 125 pound Rottweiler with a couch potato personality, that rescued her from probable death. Her injuries included mutilated eyelids, lip, cheek and nose, as well as severe bites on the arm. ' "The doctor told me that dog wasn't trying to bite me - it was trying to kill me," Jones said.' Police are suspicious of the dog's training and investigating the dog's trainer... [The Plain Dealer]

Kroger and Milk-Bone Donate Police Dogs and Canine Assistance Dogs OH Canine Assistants, a nonprofit which gives service dogs to the disabled, received six  dogs from the combined efforts of Kroger and Milk-Bone. In addition, "Kroger and Milk-Bone also teamed up to sponsor the donation of dogs for five local law enforcement canine units through the Milk-Bone Police Dog program. The two companies also came through with Kevlar vest (protective vests for K-9 dogs)... [PRNewswire]

Study tracks how pets improve mental health Canada "The Chimo Project is the first of its kind in Canada to track how dogs, cats and other companion animals help therapists relieve people from depression." Dennis Anderson [the founder of the study] knows the healing power of a pet firsthand. "At the age of six or seven, feeling unloved and worthless, he considered suicide. He would have harmed himself had it not been for the affection of his pet dog, Sally..." [Edmonton Journal]

Dog beats death, swims ocean to find owner London When two year old black labrador, Brett, fell overboard at sea (10 miles from shore), his owner spent four heartbreaking hours searching for him. "The dog paddled for [at least] 10 miles, dodging ferries, oil tankers and yachts to reach land..." [Reuters]

Unsung heroes help find lost dog While his owners, Denise and Chris Brandt, unpacked for a camping vacation, Brett, a sheltie, ran off into the woods and remained lost in the Chippewa Falls area for 11 days. "Area residents helped the Brandts recover him. The search stretched over 11 days, and involved dozens of people, who went out of their way to look for a dog they had never seen, for out-of-towners they had just met..." [The Chippewa Herald]

Did Bones, the bulldog, run over (er.. roll over) on a homeless man? FL "A bulldog accused by his owner of rolling onto a gas pedal and running over a homeless man Saturday could be released from his cell at the Marion County Animal Control Center today." It turns out Bones can almost talk (according to his former owner). In the meantime, his current owner is jailed and charged with attempted murder... [Star Banner]

Shadow takes bite out crime MN "Woodbury's newest cop is proving that police work is for the dogs." Shadow, a German Shepard donated to the force's K-9 program, "was taught to track human scent, apprehend suspects, perform article searches and perform area searches for suspects. Shadow also went through obedience and agility training as well..." He has opened up more possibilities and responsibilities for his handler, Jason Posel. The dog is a proven a crime deterrent as well. [Woodbury Bulletin]