Dive into Mark has a cute beagle for adoption Beagles don't shed (I think) and they are sweet. If I followed Mark's instructions, this website would be much easier to navigate and have a better design. Take note: Mark has a dog already: now that's smart.

A true fish story: angler catches pit bull at sea NJ  "I thought it was a piece of wood and then I realized it was moving," Blauvelt told the Asbury Park Press. "I said, 'I think I see a dog,' and my dad looked at me like I was crazy. But my brother said, 'It is a dog.'  The dog, a pit bull named Rok-C was in the sea at least 25 minutes before its rescue. The dog's owner was scuba diving when her dog fell overboard.... lucky dog [New Haven Register]

Tiny Chihuahua nurses bulldog puppy back to health Wales A family with friendly chihuahuas adopt a sickly bulldog puppy.  "The tiny Chihuahua, Mitzy, came to the rescue by nursing the bulldog runt through its first days, after it had been rejected by its mother and knocked about by its boisterous siblings." Don't miss the photo of the puppy, its sibling chihuahua and adoptive chihuahua mother: priceless. [Shropshire Star News]

Coulee Kennel Club Dog Show  WI Possibly 1,000 dogs will compete in conformation and obedience events Saturday and Sunday at the Coulee Kennel Club Dog Show. "For the second straight year, the club will offer spectators a guided tour of the show. The club also will have 'Meet the Breed' seminars, so families considering a dog can get a better idea of the type that might fit their lifestyle." [Lacrosse Tribune]

Dog chefs of America Hmmm... a new web site about how to cook healthy food for your dog  replete with cartoons of presumably healthy dogs (including Yogi, the Sharpei). This site was found via Tangent Org, an organization dedicated to finding helpful sites on the net. Not a moment too soon ... here's hoping our dog never eats lint again...

Wanted: Malamute homes AK  "A rescue kennel in Haines, Alaska is faced with a big task: trying to find homes for 20 malamutes. Homes are still needed for most of the adult dogs. Some are a larger version of the malamute, called the Alaska giant malamute, which grows up to 150 pounds. The dogs normally fetch $850, but the kennel is selling them for $75 each." Anyone interested in adopting one of the dogs, donating money or helping with their care should call Haines Animal Rescue Kennel at 1-907-766-3334. [Anchorage Daily News]

Did sinkholes eat two dogs? FL ' "The night [two] sinkholes appeared was the same night the puppies, Dixie and Delilah, turned up missing," owner Heather Smith said Monday as she peered across a tree-covered area where the holes had been filled with dirt. "It is our belief that two dogs fell into that pit -- that sinkhole," said police Chief Ed Nathanson.' [Orlando Sentinel]

Dog's fate often violent agony KY 'Dicky Farrar's job as Gallatin County dog warden was OK except for one odious task: dispatching problem canines with a bullet to the head."That's how it was always done," said Farrar. "It doesn't bother me doing it, but I don't like doing it."' And unadopted strays also ended up dispatched by a single bullet. "In order for a gunshot to be humane, it has to be very accurate. That was not the case in Henry County, where animals were being left to suffer slow, agonizing deaths. A video showed wounded dogs being thrown on top of a pile of other carcasses."

In response to the revelation, Gallatin County resident Pam Barnett and another resident, Sandy Brown, started a Humane Society. With funding and donated land, they hope to educate people about dog care, and spay dogs and cats so they won't be euthanized later. Both have vowed to stop the dispatch of dogs by gunshot. [The Kentucky Post]

Man smashes car windows of dog attack witness NY "A 2-year-old English bull terrier - which attacked a 19- month-old child on the beach in Amagansett earlier this month - will be put to death after a judge ruled Friday it was a dangerous animal." The dog had a documented history of attacks spanning the previous two years. Even though witnesses to the most recent attack didn't testify, the dog's owner decided to smash their car windows out early Sunday morning. He was caught and faces a felony charge... [Newsday.com]

Human food for dogs bad idea If your dog is anything like our dog, his idea of delicious food is just about anything  people eat. It's easy to break down and give the dog a scrap or two; don't do it. Here's why: "Table Food (as well as canned or moist dog food) can lead to and promote dental disease, including gingivitis, periodontal disease and tooth decay. In addition, table food typically leads to obesity, and may be a contributing factor to renal (kidney) disease, cardiac (heart) disease, hepatic (liver) disease, degenerative joint disease (arthritis), and gastro-intestinal disease (including gastritis, enteritis, pancreatitis, etc.)" [The Holland Sentinel]

It's impossible to balance a dog's nutritional needs once you add people food into the equation. Unfortunately, our dog loses control of his appetite if he gets even a scrap of people food. He'll eat just about anything after that. He will then clean his dog food bowl and start scavenging the house  for anything that remotely might be food. He'll even eat lint. (embarrassing: Is there a connection between the American diet, its taste and obesity?; our dog would definitely be obese if we allowed him to eat people food).

If your dog barks, don't yell at it Doh. If your dog barks, the worst thing you can do is yell at it. 'Never yell, advises dog-trainer Kathy de Natale. It reinforces the behaviour because "the dog thinks you're barking, too." ' [Globe and Mail]

Our dog has keen hearing. If he doesn't obey a command, a second command whispered softly but firmly in one or two words does the trick. Sometimes our dog pretends not to hear us because he just wants to see what he can get away with. I discovered this with a little experiment. One day, when he was at the farthest reach of the yard, instead of calling him to come in from the back yard, I whispered : "Frosty Paw" (a dog ice cream);  I was positive that he wouldn't hear me. Somehow he did. He immediately scurried in, ears up, sat at attention, and licked his lips. He got his Frosty Paw but I told him, "the jig is up, now we know you can hear us and we know you also listen to what we say." There's just no point in screaming at your dog if he can hear your quietest whisper.

Police officer murdered over complaint about dog MI Even though officers were told that the steelworker had threatened: 'I'm going to kill you -- and whoever comes to my property I'm going to kill them,'  nobody thought he would shoot an officer over a dispute about his dog running off leash. Apparently, the man meant it... [Detroit Free Press]

Conflicting testimony in Maryland police dog case MD "The trial of two Prince George's County police officers, charged with beating a burglary suspect with a baton and releasing a police dog on him without justification, began yesterday with defense attorneys punching holes in the dog bite victim's credibility...." The dog bite victim contradicted himself at least four times during crucial testimony...[Washington Post]