Singer outraged over alleged animal abuse by pet store chain Singer Pink is hopping mad over the way Petco (a nationwide pet products store) allegedly treats its animals and related problems which it has not remedied as reported by the Humane Society. (The problems were first reported back in June, 2002, by the San Diego Union Tribune : "In a suit filed Tuesday in San Francisco, city attorney Dennis Herrera said inspectors and customers found sick and dead birds, a dead moldy turtle and "cooked" toad at two Petco locations." San Diego Union Tribune Jun 19 2002 2:54PM ET]

"Humane (Society) officers found dying and dead birds, a dead moldy turtle left to rot in a tank with live turtles, dehydrated and lethargic iguanas, and a toad 'cooked to death,' and employees reported that they were ordered to place sick and dying but still living animals in the freezer," she added. [Jason Gelman of Launch.yahoo.music]

Are cat people different from dog people? Possibly... oh brother ... here we go again with the cat vs. dog people debate... Well, that's the speculation marketing people promoting Ten Speed Press' new book: Why Paint Cats: The Ethics of Feline Aesthetics (what if you dog thinks he's a cat?)

"Special markets director Dennis Hayes claims [to see a remarkable] difference between cat people and dog people. "Cat people love cats in general, while dog people are breed-specific," he posited. Admitting that his theory is unscientific, though based on strong anecdotal evidence gathered at pet, gift and book shows, Hayes added, "Cat people have a sense of humor that dog people don't always have. Plus, cat people outspend dog people by a considerable margin." [Publisher's Weekly]

US Customs changes its ways after drug dog's death CA US Customs Service has expressed remorse over a tragic dog death and it promises to implement better safety measures after one of its drug dogs died in transit. "The dog [left inside a vehicle for 2 days] died... , apparently after being left behind when handlers were transporting a group of the drug-detector canines to another location..." [San Antonio Express News]

Insurance companies bite back with dog breed ban US If your dog bites someone, you can just about forget getting insurance for it. "It's not uncommon for an insurance company to exclude a dog from coverage after it bites - even if it's an isolated incident... Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. has a list of breeds that automatically make homeowners ineligible for coverage. The list is based on breed studies and attack statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and includes Rottweilers, Dobermans, pit bulls, Presa Canarios, chows and wolf hybrids..." No exceptions are made for any dog, ever because "it is difficult, if not impossible, for us to determine the true disposition of any individual dog." [Augusta Chronicle] Related: Insurance companies keep breed blacklist Breed banning and holding the owner accountable

(The truth is that ANY dog can bite, given the right circumstances. Dogs who run loose often develop a number of problems, such as territorial or dominant aggression issues and so we have laws passed for specific breeds when it is actually the owner who is most at fault...)

India: vegetarian dog food debuts "Made from rice and vegetables, the dog food has gone on sale in India where about 80 per cent of the population - and a similar number of pet dogs - do not eat meat for religious reasons."  As Jonathan Goldberg said: "It's no news that many Indians have religious objections to eating meat, but who knew that the dogs over there were so pious?" [Daily Telegraph via The Corner]

Utah research on dog brains may lead to better pain killers UT "Utah researchers have made another key discovery in the human enzymes that cause pain -- a finding that could lead to the next generation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)..." A new pain killer, based on blocking cox-3 enzymes, may have a huge effect on pain management. Findings were based in part on analysis of dog brains used in the sample study. [The Salt Lake Tribune]

Bear might have visited residence NM A woman and her dog slept soundly while a bear ransacked her yard, ate her bird seed and rummaged through her trash cans. The only tell-tale evidence was a very large pile of poop left behind: "it must have been a big bear because it was a big pile of poop..." [Santa Fe New Mexican] (If she didn't live so far from the DC area, I'd swear that was my dog's mischief and not the bear's... )

Dog owner dragged to death by his two dogs UK An inquest ruled yesterday that a man died from head injuries while walking his two newfoundland dogs. According to witnesses, he slipped on a wet driveway while trying to control his dogs on leads. A witness testified that "Brian was holding on to the two dogs and they were pulling him as if he was water skiing."  His widow still walks the dogs and hold no blame against them and instead blames the wet conditions which caused his slip... [Shropshire Star]

The man who was killed needed better shoes for wet weather and possibly a better kind of leash designed for walking two dogs at a time: these leashes go by the name of "gentle leader," "haltie," "companion leader," etc.  There are special double leashes designed for the "gentle leader" so you can safely walk two dogs together.

We had a special head halter custom made for our dog by Training Unlimited's Miriam Fields who has written a number of books on dog training and one book on how to train your dog with a head halter. I've also used the "gentle leader" available in Petsmart and Petco and it works well too.

Jury awards $135,000 in dog poisonings OR "A Curry County jury awarded a Brookings family $135,000 for the deaths of their dogs. The lawsuit alleged neighbor Jerry Whitman poisoned four dogs belonging to Joe and Delores Ingwerson and their daughter, Sarah Ege, because their barking disturbed him..." [The Oregonian]

Related: Everywhere, neighbors are venting frustrations on neighbors by taking it out on their dogs. The acts of revenge can be extreme from the man who ate his neighbor's dog to taunting the neighbor's dog to shooting the neighbor's dog to slipping laxative laced food to a dog. Dogs Victims of Malicious Acts  The one step a dog owner can take is to never leave a dog unattended outside (easier said than done).

Dog photo contest by Cyber Canine Got a cool dog? Want to showcase him as a cover model? Here's an easy contest to enter and the deadline is October 15, 2002. Details of the contest at the site. Cyber Canine also contributes to and works with rescue groups.