Love is NOT all you need with dogs; when dogs kill When a dog kills another dog or  pet, owner are often stunned; how could it have happened? The dog was loved. The dog was a sweet puddle of love; its behavior never predicted such aggression. So what are the dynamics which create a killer and what are the triggers for such behavior... [Newsday]

First of all, the obvious: a dog must have the opportunity for aggression. If a dog spends much of its time outdoors without supervision, you've created an opportunity for its misbehavior. If a dog can (and has in the past) get away from its owner, there's another opportunity for problems. A dog under control and supervised is safer than a dog without supervision.

Second, a bored dog can easily find any distraction a trigger. A dog that has regular exercise, training and ideally, a job which is 'socializing', won't be so ready to 'make trouble' and attack

Third, an owner who does not make an effort to understand his/her dog (its behavior, its background and upbringing), and the dog's breed, is ill-equipped to deal with a dog in a crucial moment.  Some breeds were specifically created to fight; some breeds have a history of fighting larger animals, ie. the Akita has battled bears historically.  "Dogs of all kinds are natural predators ... so owners must take precautions. It's like giving license to everyone on Long Island to own a lion... but, a person with the expertise could own a lion without incident."  Even pomeranians have killed children, so size doesn't always predict that an animal is safe around children; breed doesn't always predict a dog's behavior either.

I know owners who take pride in allowing their dog to walk off leash with them around the neighborhood. Yes, it looks cool, but you never know what's just around the next corner. You can't predict what the dog might chase in every instance and what accident it might cause by being off leash. And since a good tired is usually a tired dog, we give our dog mental and physical chores, so he won't have to think about being naughty. He's too busy having fun... Training a dog is key to its mental attitude; but equally important is averting the opportunity for misbehavior.

Lost dog never had a chance with Animal Control TX A disheartening tale of what happens when Animal Control gets out of control: A man's chow sneaked out of his house, got picked up by Animal Control, got tranquilized by Animal Control, died from being tranquilized in hot weather, and got dumped (disposed of ) by Animal Control before getting to the shelter. Yet, somehow, they notified the owner he could pick up his animal the next day; and when the owner shows up for his dog, they discover it's dead and not 'in the computer'. How efficient...   [yahoo.com]

Just in case you didn't know: many animal control officers have a personal dislike of chows.

President Bush walks his dog DC A photo of President Bush having a walk and talk with his dog: from the expression on Bush's face, it looks like they're discussing some important foreign policy. Woof! [ REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang via yahoo.com]

Instant dog meat soup via the microwave Korea Those innovative Korean chefs never give up: if you can't make 'em eat dog meat at the World's Cup, give 'em microwavable dog meat soup: "An association of local dog-meat restaurant owners recently started selling instant dog-meat soup, or "bosingtang,"  in order to make dog-meat stew more available, more popular and inexpensive...

Pet cemetery gives peace IL Burying a pet is a difficult event. The Heidanes Hidden Timbers Pet Cemetery, started by pet loving couple, promises to ease the pain of this sad task and give your dog (or pet) a dignified and beautiful final resting place ...[Herald & Review]

Pugs: not for everyone Because the movie 'Men in Black II' features an intelligent little pug, many people now want one and pet stores can't keep up with the demand. But pugs have special problems: they usually have breathing problems, allergies and need special care. Pugs shed alot, can have hip dysplasia (expensive) and eye problems (expensive); they can't take extreme heat or extreme exercise and they aren't always easy to train...

To clone or not to clone ... the dog CA When a pet dog dies, the choices are: a) get another dog or pet or b) don't get one. Thanks to a $3.7 million funding provided by a dog's grieving owners to a  university's cloning project,  you might just get another option: c) to clone the dog... [Washington Post]

Man jailed for killing his dog DC A Washington DC man, who killed his pit bull with a knife during an argument with his wife, has been sentenced to two years in prison for his crime. DC is among 37 other states in the US which have changed dog abuse to a felony (from misdemeanor status). (The man had also stabbed his dog in prior arguments with his wife)... [Washington DC]