You're fat and so's your dog  'Get fit with Fido' at Pet Fit, a program that takes advantage of the benefits of having a dog (a companion for walking). [MSNBC Health]

Bees kill dog, injure another AZ A Queen Creek man's dog is dead and another dog was critically injuring following a bee attack. The bees attacked after the man moved a shed in his back yard. He theorized the colony, estimated at 60,000 bees, has become more aggressive due to drought and became enraged at being moved...  [AZ Central News]

Paris: if you dog poops, you'd better scoop or pay a big fine... [Fox News]

Ottawa, Canada: dog owners unleash on leash law "The rules prohibit a person from walking more than two dogs at a time. They ll restrict owners from letting their dogs off the leash on most NCC land. They also forbid the disposal of animal waste in trash cans even if it's in plastic bags." [CBC Ottawa]

Crate training: pros and cons CA Crating a dog is not always beneficial for it, according to some dog behaviorists and trainers. Other trainers say that it's an essential part of training and point to the occasional necessity of crating: flight trips, etc. Crate training is recommended for dogs who chew and destroy household items. In the end, "the individual dog should be the criteria, not the opinion of the vets or people" who think that crate training is a solution for many problems." [Napa News] Related: Veterinarian Urges Crate Training

When we first took our newly adopted dog to beginning dog training, we learned about crate training. We dutifully purchased a large crate and set it up in the living room, in hopes that our dog would use the crate as his private den. He never did. We put treats in the crate, etc., but he showed distinct dislike for his crate. I felt we owed him the advantage of crate training (if there was one). One day, a dog trainer set me straight on the whole thing: He said "If your dog's not a behavior problem, then why worry about crate training? It just isn't required." Indeed... our dog doesn't like crates, we don't crate him and we don't worry about it. I suspect that he may have had his fill of crates before we adopted him.  When we got him, he was shy and reserved: he's quite the social butterfly now...

Woman shoots her dog in suicide call for help A 68-year old woman found a forest fire approaching her cabin in the woods and didn't know that sheriff's deputies would risk everything to save her from her self-appointed suicide...

"... There was no way out, in her view. Her 20-year-old dog, Donny, was crippled and she couldn't carry him to the car."It was an inferno," she said. She called her former husband, and was told to leave. She replied it was impossible. Then she took a .45-caliber Colt handgun and shot the dog... " [Modesto Bee State News]

Stray mongrel becomes top K-9 drug dog UK A homeless dog rescued from a shelter now spends his days sniffing out drugs for Northumbria Police. Bouncer detects drugs by sniffing the air around an item or person and then passively sitting down when he identifies drugs. 'Inspector Terry Davison, of Northumbria Police's dog section, said: "Bouncer really is proof that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover..."  [BBC News]

Cloned-animal food in next year's food chain  MT

"At least two U.S. companies are now cloning prized livestock that are the healthiest, fattest and fastest growing of their herds. By cloning the animals with the best genes, companies aim to trim costs and bolster profits... [However], cloned animals suffer more than naturally bred animals from arthritis, obesity and other health problems. Also, biologists warn of the danger in the lack of genetic variety –  diseases could wipe out entire herds of genetic duplicates." [Montana Forum]

The US Department of Agriculture declares that cloned animal food is probably safe to eat while transgenic foods (genetically altered) may not be. [Montana Forum] (Not in my dog's food, please and why make animals suffer for the bottom line of profit.)