Debarking surgery bad for dogs KS  'Deborah Diehl Nelson, D.V.M. and owner of Blue Hills Animal Hospital, Manhattan, said the [controversial vocal cord cutting] surgery is risky, and dog owners should try to find an alternative approach to the problem...'  Better alternatives include activities to keep dogs engaged in learning and retraining... Debarking surgery bad for dogs [Kansas State Collegian] Related: How to shut the dog up and get some peace

Day of Dead Dogs at Doggie Pause CO  ' Hispanics celebrate Day of the Dead today, a time set aside to honor departed loved ones. And at Doggie Pause, an Englewood dog day care center, they're celebrating Day of the Dead Dogs.'Patrons of the doggy day care business brought in pictures and collars of departed dogs they've loved. And the shrine includes traditional Day of the Dead elements: earth, wind, water and fire --  a dish of soft dirt: the better in which to dig; wind, represented by tissue-paper cutouts of dogs;  a candle, representing fire; and a dog's filled water bowl... Deceased dogs honored at shrine in Englewood [Rocky Mountain News]

Dog shoots hunter in foot SD  Dog Accused Of Shooting Man [AP press]

Healer indicted in patient's death 'A man seeking help for a persistent rash died after a nontraditional healer injected him with an unknown substance, police said. The healer and her assistant were charged with manslaughter...' A clue to the (sic) healer's practices: a dog regularly slept on the dirty treatment table used for patient injections... Nontraditional healer arrested [ABC news]

Sniffer dogs on anthrax case CA 'A three-member team of bloodhounds from California -- considered by the FBI to be the best in the country at what they do -- were each given the scent extracted from anthrax letters posted last year and each, independently, then led handlers to the Maryland apartment of the same man -- Steven Hatfill...'  Hatfill denies any involvement in the anthrax murders and even says he has never worked with anthrax. Bloodhounds lead to anthrax suspect [ABC News]