Animal rescue kennel owner arrested for alleged animal abuse and mass graves Mass graves, animals allowed to starve to death, sick animals allowed to languish and die at the Banks Animal Rescue Kennel (Bark)... these are some of the investigated allegations which led to the arrest of  owner Annette Callicutt Banks on charges of alleged animal cruelty (plus illegal possession of phenobarbital). 'Pet owners who take animals to rescue kennels need to investigate those facilities before surrendering animals.'  Animal rescue kennel owner arrested [Lexington Dispatch]

Dr. P's virtual library of info about dog training is possibly the most comprehensive dog training and behavior site on the web. This is a noncommercial site sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Dr. Plonsky, a psychology professor who specializes in animal learning and behavior, is passionately interested in dog training. This site includes photo collections of working dogs, different types of obedience training (clicker, competetive, electronic collars), assistance dog, protection dog, sporting dog, police and military dog training material... more than any site we've seen in a long time.... Dr. P's Dog Training and Behavior [the-straight-poop.com]

Kitty Litter Cake ... a kid friendly cake creation for your kid to play with, eat (yes, it's delicious and edible) and gross out their friends.... Kids Kusine (where's the dog poop cake?) [megarad technologies]

A pet can change your life Last night on The Daily Show (Jon Stewart) I listened to John McCain give the time-honored advice that if you need a friend in Washington, DC, go buy a dog... (expressing his feelings about the elections and the politics of campaigning). There are plenty of reasons to get a pet, whether or not you're in Washington and AskMen.com details five reasons for getting a dog or cat: 

'Are you feeling a little stressed lately? Do you feel isolated from the outside world because it seems as though no one understands what you're going through? If so, you may want to try out a new therapeutic treatment: Owning a pet. It's no secret that some of us have voids in our lives that can't be filled by other people, at least not as often as we'd like. For many, our lifestyles may depend, whether we realize it or not, on a support system that helps balance out our physical, emotional and mental states. And believe it or not, the right pet can do this for you without asking for much in return -- just the basic necessities. Soon enough, you'll start to see the positive changes it can make in your life.' [AskMen.com]

Five good reasons to get a pet
A pet will provide round the clock love and affection without asking for much in return... 
A pet can serve to keep your mind off of the constant strain in your life...
It allows you to nurture and take pride in its growth and health...
It allows you to open up:  'A pet will not judge or disagree with you. It's only there to listen... '
It gives you a reason to work out:   'A dog enables you to walk and run considerably more, thus healing your mind and body at the same time...' A pet can change your life

Move over Robodog ... here come the Bio bugs: one-half pound tech toy insects ... calculator cockroaches, predator bugs, destroyer bugs 'Bot battlers and cyber pet owners are finding all sorts of bugs -- the good, biomechanical kind, not those found in software -- as the holiday shopping season approaches. Leading the way are Hasbro's (NYSE: HAS) Biomechanical Integrated Organisms, or BIO Bugs. The various colored, one-foot tech insects come with a remote control/transmitter and guide, but the US$40 bugs can also use their "nervous network" technology  minds to figure out the lay of the kitchen floor by themselves, according to Hasbro. The half-pound digital insects react to outside stimuli, such as human feet or other BIO bugs, but are based on analog transistor and capacitor technology."Their brains are digital, but they think they're analog.' Robotech bug toys... to swarm for the holidays [E-Commerce Times]

And what can these bugs do that would be worth the purchase price?  Well, how about fight with your family pet... or  protect its young (wonder what that means), scamper fast... or make angry sounds (16 different emotions expressed as sounds). oh joy...  'The red "Predator," the most aggressive of the bugs, 'may even attack its own species...' '

Those busy snipers... another slaying may be linked AZ John Mohammad and  John Malvo may have killed a hapless golfer practicing his shots on a golf course in Arizona. 'Accused snipers John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, visited Muhammad's sister in Tucson in mid-March, about the same time that Jerry R. Taylor, 60, was fatally shot with a rifle while practicing chip shots at the Fred Enke Golf Course, police said. The course is about 2 miles from where Muhammad's sister lived...'  Police brought in a sniffer dog to see if they can find shell casings or ammunition fragments... [USA Today]

Our dog has a new trick... one he taught himself   Our dog is feeling frisky these days and wants to visit everyone who comes down the street. Problem is... he's inside, not outside... for the past two weeks he has been jumping in an easy chair and then wiggling his body so the chair slides over to the front window. Once it's in place and he has it facing the front window, he jumps to the window sill, peers out and whines whenever he sees anything vaguely interesting.... for a dog, that means squirrel, any person, all cats, dogs, and birds. Speaking of squirrels, check out this funny site where the truth about the dangers of squirrels is laid bare.... The danger of squirrels (site was up yesterday, temporarily down now ... )

Weezie, the pitt bull, saves family from armed intruders  'Weezie the pit bull came to the rescue early Tuesday morning when two men knocked down the door of Melissa Willis' residence and forced their way in with weapons. 'The glass broke and that's what woke me up,' Willis recalled. 'By the time I got to the doorway I saw two white men in toboggans with two guns right in my face.' Ten seconds later Weezie was standing between Willis, the two men and the two guns... ' Weezie kept the burglars at bay and allowed her family to escape behind her protective gaze.  'I know he (the intruder) would have taken me and put the gun to my head,' Willis said. 'There's no doubt in my mind. Weezie kept the guys from not focusing on us but focusing on him. I think he saved my life...' Pitbull credited with saving family from intruders [Chillicothe Gazette] [photo by< Martin S. Lerman/Gazette]

Pet doberman kills his owner; cause unknown WI 'A 55-year-old man mauled and killed by his pet Doberman pinscher acquired the 5-year-old dog about two months ago from a humane society, a police detective said Monday. What caused the dog to attack Daniel Christopher, who lived alone, remained a mystery, said Randy Swanson of the Plover Police Department...' Man owned dog for two months before attack [AP Press]

Books of dog ... a visual odyssey ... 'The internet ... it's not just for cats anymore...' The Book of Dogs is a visual treat for anyone worn out by talk and excess words... Dog lovers and even cat lovers will feel revived after visiting the... Book of Dogs [Binary by Accident]

Does anyone know the age of the world's oldest cat? Joe Jennett's cat is 21 years old....  [jennett radio]

Hannah's funny photo portrait...  'This picture of Hannah has almost nothing to do with her "look" or personality (I hardly recognize it as my own dog), but really, it was too funny not to post ' [Phil Ackley's Radio Thingamabob] (poke around Phil's weblog... funny gags abound and the photographs are stunning... ]