Opinion: dog attacks are a people problem IA 'Almost every six months, a pit bull attack makes news locally...'  The most recent news carried a horrific account of a pedestrian who had her face ripped to shreds by rampaging pit bulls (the dogs were trained to attack). One solution is to focus on the source of the problem: the irresponsible dog owner and to ask for legislation which punishes bad owners. [Bettendorf News] (The most interesting point of the 'parable of Davenport' is that many people there have pit bulls and regard the breed as charming and friendly. Even horrendous, home-grown stories do not deter people from their love-affair with pit bulls.) Related:  Attack of the Killer Pit Bulls, Shot wounds man in front of market, 19 pit bulls removed from apartment, Davenport woman recounts pit bull attack

From outcast to supercop... to jail LA 'After bulldozing barriers as the first black woman to become a New Orleans homicide detective, after being catapulted into the national spotlight by a near-perfect record of solving cases and rags-to-stardom story, after 21 years of protecting and serving, [former Sgt. Jacklean] Davis left last week to spend the next 30 months behind bars on an extortion conviction...' At the beginning of her career, some cops harrassed her, putting dog feces in her desk, telling callers she didn't work there anymore... she ignored it and did her job.  [Times-Picayune]

Home breeders escape federal regulation MO 'Rejecting arguments from animal rights groups, a federal appeals court ruled last week that residential breeders of dogs and cats are not subject to federal licensing and inspection' (The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit). 'People who sell and breed animals out of their homes fall under the definition of 'retail pet stores' that are exempt from regulation under federal law...' [Springfield News]

Dispatcher disciplined for role in dog shooting TN The fur is still flying over the dog shot in a felony stop by Tennessee Highway Patrol police.  'Tennessee Highway Patrol officials Friday announced the disciplining of a dispatcher for his role in the shooting of their dog... Sen. Steve Cohen and Sen. John Ford, D-Memphis, questioned the honesty of officers involved for portraying the dog as aggressively attacking Hall, who wrote in a report that the dog was growling, barking and "singled me out" for attack. None of that is apparent from the video, Cohen said...' [Knoxville News Sentinel]

Elderly woman rescued by her dog NY  When 82-year-old Joan Maguire slipped and injured her hip, 'her dog, Foxxy stayed by her side keeping her warm and began barking incessantly. A neighbor heard the barking and went out to investigate. He found Maguire and Foxxy and then called for help...' [News 12] (Check out the video of the dog.)

Barking dog alerts man to sliding 800-ton rock OH  'Thanks to a dog named Jake, an 800-ton rock didn’t continue its slow slide down an Athens County hillside to state Route. 33. Jake’s frantic barking led his neighbor, Charles Hawk, to believe the dog had treed a raccoon...' Instead, he saw an 800 ton rock sliding down a hillside... [Dayton Daily News]

ARF: one family's answer to pet overpopulation CA For twelve years, Tony La Russa, Cardinals manager, has managed another passion besides baseball: animal rescue. It all started when he rescued a stray cat over twelve years ago: he learned that it would most likely be euthanized quickly if he turned it over to animal control. In response, La Russa and his wife set up a foundation that would give abandoned pets a chance to find a new home. He also set about educating the public about the wisdom of spaying and neutering pets, in order to avoid cruel endings for animals. La Russa also became an unapologetic vegetarian:  "I don't eat anything with a face or a mother." ... [St Louis Post Dispatch]

Dog slobber law suit dried up: $10,000 award voided VA A judge voided a jury's $10,000 award to a woman in her lawsuit against PetSmart. She alleges drool left on a PetSmart floor caused her to fracture her  knee when she slipped on it. 'A Roanoke jury had awarded $10,000 to a woman who claimed she was hurt in a pet store after slipping on the slobber of a dog who looked like Scooby Doo...' The judge decided no one was really sure where the slobber came from ...  [Roanoke Times]

Groomer: most difficult part of the job: dog owners AU Dog grooming is 'hard work because, day in and day out, you're dealing with one of the most temperamental and neurotic species on the planet ... dog owners...' [The Age]

Phil Ackley's dog, Hannah, had to get her paw x-rayed (she was limping) and her teeth cleaned last week. [Phil Ackley's Radio]

An Alsatian dog went to a telegram office, took out a blank form and wrote: Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. The clerk examined the paper and politely told the dog: There are only nine words here. You could send another Woof for the same price. But, the dog replied: that would make no sense at all. [Laugh Lab found via Connectivity: Spike Hall's RU Log]

The CampinGuys has a poll to find out the ratio of dog to cat bloggers... It all started here... (Hmm.. I think dog owners are too busy walking their dogs... to vote). What if you're both a cat person and a dog person ...

Related: When cat people and dog people marry... everyone can still purrr... (no clause or claws needed) IL 'Even the most fervent dog person has to rethink things after marrying a cat person. It's a common situation when a dog lover marries a cat lover and both are thrown into unfamiliar territory dotted with chew toys and litter boxes...'  Couples share their lives AND their cats and dogs and somehow it all works out... When cat people and dog people marry, the fur doesn't have to fly [KRT Wire] Related: Cat People vs Dog People, Cat People vs Dog People, NY Post: Cat people vs dog people, In cats and dogs, the line is furred (ust when you think you have this cat vs. dog people theory figured out, along comes a cat who sometimes thinks he's a dog [hey, our dog thinks he's a cat most of the time].)

Too funny for words: CBS's Odd Truth  (Check out the photo of  Debra Levy, owner of Yuckos Poop Scoopin service, with her  best seller: fake dog poop.