Theory: dogs saved mankind from fierce hyenas  Siberia 'Could it be that the human migration into the Americas was held up by the hyena, forcing them to remain far south of the land bridge that would have taken them to a new world?...  Modern hyenas are fearless towards humans, and they have been known to drag a human hunter from a tent in Africa and crush his bones like toothpicks.' Ancient hyenas were much larger and even fiercer... An ancient dog skull (the oldest) found in Siberia was the clue which sparked the tantalizing theory that man domesticated dogs to ward off ravenous hyenas.  'Once we get the dog, then we get people in the new world almost immediately'?... [ABC News]

Model is a real dog  and beautiful too...  Shania, black lab, is the featured subject of Jim Grossman's mind-blowing photographic exhibit at the Anne Reed Gallery.   'A photograph of Shania jumping over a fence inspired the whole project. What followed were, in some cases, shear lunacy and in others, gorgeous portraits of a dog’s life.' Some of the photos are featured online... [Idaho Mountain Express]

Hair samples reveal dogs came from east asian wolves  ...or did they? Sweden 'From chihuahuas to Saint Bernards, all modern dogs originate from a small number of female wolves living in East Asia some 15,000 years ago, Swedish scientists said on Thursday.' From the genetic analysis of 500 breed's hair samples, some scientists say it is probable that all dogs descended from asian wolves. [ABC News]

Other scientists disagree... The origin of dogs has more scientists doubting the 'notion of man taming the savage wolf, securing a steady hunting companion and night watchman...' Guess what? Man didn't create the dog from wolves... no, the breeds we know probably came from a more cooperative and  friendlier ancestor to begin with... 'With the National Human Genome Research Institute's recent announcement of plans to decipher the complete set of genes, or genome, of the dog, researchers are hoping to clear up some lingering questions about the origin of the family mutt...' Scientists dogged by dog's origin [USA Today] October 1, 2002

 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] August 27, 2002  Related: Wolf Park The controversy continues....

Court rules SPCA officer tortured dog  MD A court ruled that an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) officer was to blame for a dog who died just two hours after being kicked, dragged two blocks and pepper sprayed during an animal capture. Another officer testified that he witnessed 'dragging the captured dog with the snare pole. The dog was lying on its side and being dragged. The dog did not appear too aggressive in any way. I observed (the officer) stop .... and yank the pole while stepping on the dog's head and then spray the dog with pepper spray.' The dog's owners received $2,500 in compensation from the court verdict. [Cecil Whig] Related: Man who axed dog receives $750 fine [News.com.au],  Dog killer walks free

Town pays family $5,000 settlement over dog's death 'Trigger, a mixed breed, was mistakenly killed and cremated by the Brookhaven Animal Shelter more than a year ago. The town, which admitted responsibility for the mistake from the beginning, recognized the need to compensate the family.' The shelter changed its record keeping system and hired more staff in an effort to prevent another tragic mix-up. [Newsday via Romenesko's Obscure Store]

Herding dogs ... and sheep, chihuahuas, rottweillers, german shepards NV Herding dog trainer works them all... 'All you hear is the whisper of delicate sheep hooves on soft dirt as they move together ...'  The life of a professional herding dog trainer is both rewarding and demanding...  Moore trains herding dogs, with a little help from Mister [Reno Gazette Journal]

The shrink ...er... the German postal worker delivers mail: German postal workers psychoanalyse dogs  UK ... but don't put your dog on the psychoanalysis couch yet... when the postal worker arrives, remove your dog instead.  Last year, 1,800 german postal workers got bitten by pet dogs...  Dog therapists intend to 'train German postal workers to understand the warning signs of a dog about to bite and how to avoid getting bitten. ... animal experts will teach them how to judge a dog's mood.' In the U.S., many of the bites that were reported by 3,138 letter carriers last year came from dogs whose owners said would not bite. [Ananova] Related: Dog Bite Prevention, Postal worker loses nose to dog, Dog attacks on postal workers are not a joke, Funny Cartoon

Princess Anne's in the dog house and her dog's life on the line convicted of negligence dog attack ...  London  'Princess Anne pleaded guilty Thursday to allowing her "placid, playful" English bull terrier to run loose and attack two children. She is the first member of the royal family in modern times to be convicted of a criminal offense...'  [ABC News]
Related: Royal dog's life is on the line Melbourne [Harold Sun]
An embarrassing occasion for Anne [ITV]

Howl like a dog at Microsoft for critical security flaw: Alarming alerts like this one are good reasons to consider an additional standalone firewall that has a different OS. (I use Smoothwall: a beta test of version 2.0 is available.) Microsoft Bulletin MS02-65 describes which versions are affected.... [PC World via Madville.com]