International visitors from a dog forum are discussing a Dog News article about the second oldest dog, Cindy, who we decided was the happiest and possibly the cutest dog on the earth.

Animal News Central Animal News Central "reporting the world of news about animals" has graciously linked to Dog News. "The hope of all of those who work for Animal News Center is that their efforts will help to make more individuals concerned about animal welfare, and take action to promote it." Wow, that's the whole idea behind Dog News too.

This no-nonsense animal news site sports a clean web style and includes sections on Pet News, Wildlife News, Farm News, and (egads) Lab News. News articles range from the deadly serious, "Second Hand Smoke Found to Cause Cancer in Cats",  to the sublimely ridiculous, "Thai Government Bans Pet Cockroaches."  Animal News Central is not funded by outside interests, so you don't have the conflict of interest that constrain a journalists' choice of articles and you don't have all those advertisements getting in the way. Way to go, Animal News.... what a great resource for animal lovers... (ps. We love the ASPCA: that's where we found our dog, Dao, the sweet chow.)

Dog falls over 100 feet, survives without a scratch UK Holly, the spaniel, owes her good fortune to the concerted efforts of "three fire appliances, a line rescue team, a cliff rescue team and two officers, " and a total of 19 people who rescued her, "after she plunged half way down the 300ft cliff at Capel Le Ferne, near Folkestone in Kent..." [BBC News]

Salon takes on cat people, dog people and the books they write Laura Miller writes funny reviews of cat and dog books, and attempts to pierce the veil of difference between cat people and dog people: "If writing about cats is always in danger of sliding into narcissistic preciosity, the peril in dog writing is bathos. No one, it seems, can write very much about dogs without getting into man's inhumanity to animal..."  [Salon.com]

It seems that both dog and cat people are equally annoying in Miller's view. Unfortunately, not all dogs are like dogs; some dogs are more like cats and some cats are more like dogs. Our chow is really half cat; he's particular about everything, but not in a snooty way. He's quiet like a cat, so quiet that I have to check to see where he is; he mer-ows like a cat (barking is so passe for him) or he trills like a bird when he's excited. He's too smart for training; well, he puts up with it, but boredom sets in quickly. He's content in himself, unlike some dogs who require outside reinforcement of their own inner happiness. He's not a political animal at all: if he finds someone boring, he'll turn his back on them. There are lots of dogs that don't fit the 'dog' mold.

As for cats, I once knew a cat that followed me around like I was the pied piper. It wasn't my cat; it was a neighbor's cat that spent its life outdoors (because his owner made him stay outside). That cat talked a lot, in mer-rows and wanted companionship and a social life more than any dog I ever knew.  The distinction between cat people and dog people is really a furry one, as Christian Andreae would say.

Unravelling the mystery: the origin of dogs? CA  "Until a few decades ago there was a scientific debate about the origin of dogs: ... It is now established that the wolf (Canis lupus) is the only ancestor, and that dogs have been around for at least 14,000 years." But just how that happened has been debated for years. A new theory seems to hold promise: "that dogs were not domesticated from wolves as we know them today, but from an ancestral wolf that, unlike its wild cousin, adapted to an emerging habitat niche -- early human settlements..." [San Francisco Examiner]

Profile of a twenty-something dog fanatic NY 'Diamond, you might say, is a dog person in the same way that Imelda Marcos is a shoe person. She takes Lucky to a pet psychiatrist.... She spends thousands of dollars each year on Lucky for grooming and birthday parties. She takes Lucky on trips abroad.... "It's a whole cult," Diamond said of her obsession, "especially in New York." ' [Forward]

Puppy Breath is a blog about a puppy name Roxy. Of course, all puppies become dogs, but would you read a blog called 'Dog breath?' Puppy Breath's motto of "Happiness is a warm puppy" sets the tone for this blog, which is an amusing journal of photos and warm memories and Roxie's many friends which include cats. Don't miss Memphis Friends.... [found via Ciscley via blogdex via pipetree's cool Weblog neighborhood (of all things!)] Related: over 2000 dog blogs at Libdex!

Pet to amazing service dog in 8 1/2 months When Mae Ann Martin found herself disabled due to knee injuries, she applied for a service dog: the waiting list was 5 years long. "The service dog agency suggested she acquire a dog and have it trained herself. Lucky for Martin, she already owned Rinny." With training, her dog learned to pick up keys, fetch and help her maintain her balance and reclaim her normalcy. [Mohave Valley News]