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Thursday, March 13, 2003
Radio-fences for dogs Canada Some dogs are just too crafty to be penned in by a radio-fence. I know of two beagles who patiently chewed each other's collar off and then went on the lam, leaving their tattered prison duds behind. Another dog figured out how to beat the radio-fence, by running as fast as he could until he was out of its range and influence. In theory, radio-fences sound good; however, just don't expect them to work if your dogs are escape geniuses. [Canada.com] Related: Radio Fences 

Petsmart blames looming war with Iraq for sales downturn Caroline Baum ridicules Petsmart's excuses that a potential war with Iraq caused its profits to fall 17 percent in last year's fourth quarter...

'Come again? We are cutting back on our pet pampering because the looming war with Iraq will, what? Trigger anti-war pet protests that destabilize the local dog population and cause mass riots and destruction of pet infrastructure? Make Fido turn up his nose at kibble and refuse to play tug?..'  [Bloomberg News] (Hmmm... we spoil and pamper our dog more than ever, as most pet owners do. You'd think we lived at Petsmart, the Disneyland for dogs... )

  • Dog groomer reported to police after a bad haircut NE 'Shadow has been so traumatised by his trim that he won't come when he's called...' [Ananova Quirkies] (Our dog was once shaved waaay too close; a groomer nicked him and tried to fix the damage by shaving him down some more. He wore sun lotion for a month and he was a little unhappy about losing most of his hair. We found another groomer, one who understands that dogs don't like the skinned look (unless they are  hairless chihuahuas.)

 Police consider prosecution in child's death from three rottweilers Canada As police gather evidence in the horrific slaying of a child ripped apart by family dogs, questions regarding the dogs' behavior still remain unanswered. The family remains grief-stricken and investigators who handled the case were traumatized...

'Research into dog attacks shows that all kinds of dogs have been involved in maulings and killings, including such family favourites as beagles and retrievers.... even a tiny Yorkshire terrier was once involved in a fatal attack...' [Atlantic News] One golden rule remains constant: never leave a small child (or children) unsupervised with a dog, period. (even Pomeranians have attacked and killed children... )

Protect your dog from mosquito bites: With Spring only two weeks away, the dreaded carriers of the West Nile Virus will return with a vengeance to most parts of the U.S. A new flea, tick and mosquito repellant available for dogs, K-9 Advantix, purports to banish the threee most common parasites known to carry dreaded diseases, including West Nile. [Yahoo Biz News]

(We just purchased some K-9 Advantix for our dog; the cost is nearly identical to Frontline Plus, our dog's current flea and tick treatment medicine. I don't know how well Advantix works, but I think it's worth a try; our dog suffered many mosquito attacks last summer. They wouldn't leave any of us alone. My ankles and our dog's face became their landing zone. He fought back by bug-zapping them. He'd bite the mosquitoes right out of the air and swallow them with a smack of his lips:  smack, smack, smack... )

Moves to outlaw docking of dogs' tails Australia Tail docking may soon become outlawed in Australia, a move supported by  the RSPCA and the Australian Veterinary Association; breeders complain, saying it's also done for medical reasons. George Ness, an Australian Terriers breeder in Brisbane says he docks his dogs' tails to protect them from his mishandling:

'In most cases it is done for the animal's protection, because it is the way that the dogs are handled, and the tail is usually docked to the width of a man's hand, or thereabouts, and if the tail is not docked and the tail goes over, or is too long, there's no way you can grab hold of the tail; if you do, you're going to damage the tails.'  [ABC Regional Online]

(say what? How about not grabbing and lifting  dogs by their tails in the first place... The practice, if outlawed, may pave the way to ban breeders who violate the 'tail docking' ban.)

Beware the ghost dog!  photo! and more ... How fast are greyhounds? Alwin Hawkins photographs greyhounds racing... and documents a visit to a dog park [Code the Web Socket by Alwin Hawkins]

 Jerry Halstead of the Jer Zone dreams about his literate dog, Zeke, who sometimes follows Jerry around and waits patiently (in real life) for Jerry at the library. [Jer Zone]

Pet dog savages toddler Wales A dalmation purchased by a family, after seeing '101 Dalmations', ripped apart a baby girl's face...

'I want people getting a dog to be aware and check out the temperament of the [adopted] animal carefully. I wouldn't want any other child to suffer like my grand-daughter...' [Western Wales] Related: How to choose the right dog [Canada.com]

Freed Elizabeth Smart's abductor shot dogs TX Revelations revealed by step-children who survived 'Emmanuel's' abuse get weirder by the minute. The fact that Brian Mitchell, Smart's crazed kidnapper, abused animals typifies the connection between domestic violence, child abuse and animal cruelty. [Statesman.com] (another reason to curb animal abuse)

Listen to 'Dog Fancy', 'Cat Fancy' or even the 'The New York Times' on the web: NC Nonprofit WFSS Public Radio Station, the  "talking newspaper and magazine," provides news and print media in audio format:

'We breakdown the barriers of communication and isolation,' said Betsy Stuart, RRS director. 'We help the hearing impaired keep in touch with their community.' The mission of non-profit RRS is to improve the quality of life for the vision and print impaired by providing print materials in an audio format. [Up & Coming Magazine] (The station needs funding and volunteers.)