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Thursday, March 06, 2003
Not dog related but fun:
Bulldog that attacked boy 'was a giant baby' MI The family dog that turned on a child on Tuesday had no history of violence and played with the children often. No one could foresee the day it would  turn on its own family... except the American Bulldog Rescue, which characterizes the breed as 'dominant and one that requires many hours of obedience training and socialization.' Roosevelt Rawls, the child's father, purchased 'the purebred American bulldog, he said, because he thought it was less aggressive.'
'Twelve-year-old Tabitha Rawls stood in her yard Tuesday night, covered in blood, screaming, "He's killing my brother, he's killing my brother!" Inside the home, her 8-year-old brother Roosevelt III was locked by his arm in the teeth of the family's 125-pound American bulldog...'  [Jackson Citizen Patriot] 

A harrowing account of the attack and the family's survival unfolds; it's difficult to relay these incidents, but necessary because knowledge is power.  If Dog News only reported the 'happy' stories, the lessons taught by these sad stories would not get passed on... ) Related: Dogs kill four-year-old boy (statistics on fatalities and likelihood of canine attacks. Dogs with training are far less likely to attack.)

Your dog's too fat UK 'Obesity is the number one health problem for dogs in Britain, according to a study, just as the renowned Crufts dog show starts. The second-biggest health danger was traffic and disc problems were third...' [Yahoo News!] (... dog is too fat... can't waddle out of traffic quick enough... squashed by car... sustains disc injury... )

Dogs of war ready for invasion of Iraq UK 'Britain's forces in Kuwait have been showing off the "soft" side of the military, including the dogs from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.' Deployed dogs are now on duty patrolling camps and might be used to guard future prisoners of war. Soon more dogs with training in explosives detection will be shipped to Kuwait:

Buster, a 5-year-old springer spaniel,  is one of those dogs. 'A veteran of British Army missions in Kosovo where he sniffed out hidden explosives, the springer spaniel is now poised to take part in a possible invasion of Iraq...' [New Zealand News]

Want to boost your wifi connection signal? Dog food cans do the trick...  UK Dog food tins do not rust and they make excellent antennas which can boost a signal up to five miles. So says David Taylor, an IT manager with Derbyshire-based IT consultancy and training company Equation who uses dog food cans to boost an 802.11 wireless signal to cover his company. [VNUNet]

Iditarod mushers plan surprise strategies in bid for winning edge AK Robert Sorlie, a Norwegian contender in the famous Iditarod sled dog race, has focused on getting an early lead, resting his sled dog team less than recommended and running them longer. Sorlie's wife cautions: 'Cool down... They ain't halfway. Anything can happen...' Indeed, his gamble may pay off or it may just backfire:

'Most mushers believe teams need to rest about an hour for every hour they run to maintain their endurance. Dogs have shown themselves physiologically capable of going with less rest, but more than one team pushed too hard has rebelled. Dogs asked to do more than they think they can do will mutiny. Over the years, some mushers have been forced to sit for hours, even days, waiting on a tired team to regather itself and decide it can go on...'  [Anchorage Daily News]

Take the popquiz: Can you identify which excerpt by Esquire writer Tom Junod refer to his Feb. 27 tribute to the late Fred Rogers, and which are from his July 2002 Esquire tribute to his late dog, Marco? [New York Observer]

Pet behaviour expert invents mood swing 'wagometer' UK 'A dog expert, [Dr. Roger Mugford of a Animal Behavior clinic in the UK],  has invented a device which can tell an animal's exact mood by measuring the wag of its tail...The device - dubbed the wagometer - goes on the dog's back with sensors attached to its tail.'  [Ananova.com Quirkies]

That's great, but what about all the American Kennel Club Show dogs who've had their tales wacked off to meet the Show's  four-inch tail-length requirement? Dr. Mugford staunchly warns that tail docking impairs a dog's ability to communicate. The excuse the tail dockers routinely make is that a dog's tail can get him shot by hunters and so, must be 'wacked off.' Huh? Isn't tail docking an injury? ...