Would you pay $120 for a translator that says 'you tick me off!' Japanese toy maker Takara is betting that its dog language translator, Bowlingual, will sell like hotcakes in US stores this August. The US has six times as many dog owners (67 million) as Japan, where Bowlingual sales reached 300,000 this past year.

Bowlingual consists of a 3-inch long wireless microphone that attaches to a dog collar and transmits sounds to a palm-sized console that is linked to a database. The console classifies each woof, yip or whine into six emotional categories -- happiness, sadness, frustration, anger, assertion and desire -- and displays common phrases, such as "You're ticking me off," to fit the dog's emotional state. [Forbes] (Hmmm... it would definitely be fun to reprogram someone else's dog language translator with choice phrases... )

If dogs could talk, it would take a lot of the fun out of owning one --  Andrew A. Rooney

Related: Prediction: blogs by dogs to debut 2nd quarter 2003 If  Dave Winer can blog by audblog notes, why not dogs?

Permalink:    Please comment   
OneFootPrint Translations | Lingvo news | Bowlingual | Ananova - Dog language device proves a hit | Ananova - Dog language device proves a hit | Dog language interpreter launched - theage.com.au | Print Article: Dog language interpreter launched | Techdirt:Sales Of Dog Language Interpreter Through The Woof | Index | Asia Business Intelligence | Learning The New Language of Dog | CNN.com - What's Fido saying? ' Bowlingual ' will translate -

British women turn to dogs for love UK A survey by the Blue Cross discovers that 'twice as many women as men report relying more on their pet for affection than on a spouse, partner, friend or relatives...'

• When asked who they relied on most for affection from a choice of spouse/partner, friend/relative and pet, 14% of women said that they rely most on their pet for affection, compared to just 6% of men relying mostly on their pet for affection. 
• When given the choice of who they would miss most if they went on holiday without their pet, partner, a friend or a relative a fifth of single women said they would miss their pet the most. This compared to just 9% for men. 
• 42% of women said they would expect their pet to come to their rescue if they were in distress. 
• People most likely to let their pets sleep on their beds at night are single and separated, women, aged between 25 and 34 and cat owners. 
• 45% of single people let their pets sleep on their beds at night with them compared to just 24% of married people. [Blue Cross via UK Pets]

Permalink:    Please comment   
OKCtherapydogs | PawsTherapyPets | FAQpage3 | NEWS | NATIONWIDE THERAPY DOG GROUP LISTING AND MORE - AT THE LAND OF | Therapy Dog Associations and Programs | Sacramento Valley Weimaraner Club - Activities, Therapy Dogs | Therapy Dog Links | Therapy Dog Associations and Programs

Beautiful dog portraits Julia of Inner Voice Graphics has assembled an impressive gallery of dog portraits [Tater Brain via RssSearch]

'You think having a baby is tough?' (how about Maxine, a naughty dog?) Doug Hennessee recounts the pets he has known...

'She [Maxine] is a dog with both faults and charms, but we love her.  Having a dog, especially this dog, was a lot harder than having Linus.  Honest...' [Pipeline]

Permalink:    Please comment   
PuppySites.Com - Art and Gifts | PuppySites.Com - Art | Pet portraits in pastel by Julia Morton - links of interest | The Directory Of Dog Web Sites - Dog Shopping - Artwork & | The Directory Of Dog Web Sites - Dog Shopping - Artwork & | The Directory Of Dog Web Sites - Dog Shopping - Artwork & | Dog -O-Mania - The biggest dogs related search engine & resource: | Pastel gallery of dog portraits - Stonebraker Art | G & B's SIGNS, Pyrography, Cabinet Art , and Pyroart and Carved | Whippet art and dog portraits by jenn

Dog maulings of children: a wakeup call Canada The recent spate of dog maulings in Canada has incited a call for responsible dog ownership and resulted in laws with stiffer penalities for those whose negligence allows maulings to occur. The photos accompanying this article shows small children with horrific scars. Children pictured without scars are the ones who died... [Canada.com]

Permalink:    Please comment   
Dogbites Bibliography | Special Report | DOG BITE LAW - DOG BITE STATISTICS | Dog Bite Statistics . Contact the law offices of Edgar Snyder & | Dog Bites. Contact the law offices of Edgar Snyder & Associates, | Dog Bite Links | DOG OWNERSHIP LAWS FAIL TO CURTAIL FATAL ATTACKS | Dog Bite Statistics | Open Directory - Recreation: Pets: Dogs : Issues: Dangerous

Want a tough talking, fearless Fido?  get a Dachshund Denmark A study published by Danish animal scientists in April's Preventative Veterinary Medicine concludes that breed, owner and environment all play a role in dog behavior. Some of the study's results surprised researchers: urban dogs were consistently more aggressive than their rural counterparts (maybe it's all that espresso coffee). Reassuringly, owner and dog obedience training consistently overcame shortcomings in dog-on-dog aggression and in so-called breed shortcomings.

'Labrador retrievers were used as a sort of gold standard to compare the other dogs too. Compared to labs, the dogs with greater odds of trying to boss other dogs around were Belgian sheepdogs, Dachshunds, Dalmatians, German shepherds, Hovawarts, Pinschers, Rottweilers, scent dogs and Spitz dogs... A chow ...is generally less aggressive than a lab, "but then you can find some very cream puffy Rottweilers and German Shepherds." '  [Discovery Channel] (Our chow chow is a cream puff; he's happiest playing with puppies in the small dogs' pen at doggie day care.)

Related: Animal Planet's Dog Breed Directory (Note: The Animal Planet Directory's description of the 'chow chow' does not bear any resemblance to our chow: Our chow is silly, playful, demonstrative, friendly (to the point of pulling us over to strangers so he can meet them); pliable, trainable and a cream puff with other dogs. He would never make a good guard dog because he prefers not to bark at all and he'd enjoy getting petted by a burglar. Contrast this with the Breed Directory: 'It [the chow] is not very demonstrative, even with its family, and is somewhat suspicious of strangers. It is independent and stubborn. It can be aggressive toward other dogs but is generally good with other household pets. It is serious and protective, devoted to its family.' Dogs can vary widely in temperment, even within the same litter.

Permalink:    Please comment   
Dog Owner's Guide: Summary Topic List | Dog Owner's Guide: John Fisher on canine behavior | Dog Owner's Guide: "Canine aggression | Factors Associated With Aggression In Dogs | Are You Liable for Your Dog's Behavior ? | My Doghouse, Your Doghouse: Dog Behavior Questions & Answers | A Behavioral View on Dog Aggression | Yelpline Dog Behavior Tips -- Animal Planet -- Yelpline, dog tips | Dog behavior and training: Dog information from iVillage.com

Straining at the leash: dog run a bone of contention among urban dwellers NY Dog runs are supposed to create a kind of paradise for dogs, where they can run freely, safely, unencumbered by leashes and human shortcomings. One such run at Tompkins Square Park, in a neighborhood of Alphabet City, nicknamed  'Assault, Battery, Crime and Death', has erupted in a culture clash of yuppies 'with breedist dogs' versus the less gentrified citizens of the area. The dog park quickly became a focus of controversy and heated debate:

'Carol Vinzant, the elected "co-mayor" of the large dog run has been called upon to enforce rules and mediate heated disputes. One involved a longtime resident whose dog used to attack other smaller dogs; when confronted, the woman complained that the problem was the new people, "the yuppies," whose dogs deserved getting roughed up because they wore sweaters...' .[New York Times] (We visited a local dog run in Maryland last weekend: the dogs seemed happy and playful, dispersed throughout a muddy field, until we started walking toward the entrance. Then they quickly coalesced into a barking group of four-legged maniacs at the gate. The sign at the gate warned 'enter at your own risk' along with a bunch of other rules and disclaimers, designed to dissuade the faint-hearted from entering.)

Permalink:    Please comment   
RestonDogs: Dog Park Rules in Fairfax County | Open Directory - Recreation: Pets: Dogs : Dog Parks | American Dog Trainers Network -- Dog Runs and Dog Parks | Dog Park Rules | Dr. Paul's Dog Park - Coral Springs, Florida | Pleasant Ridge Dog Run Rules | FCPA - Off-leash Dog Area | Janine Jordan Park for Dogs , Off-leash Dog Park , Vacaville, CA | Janine Jordan Park for Dogs , Off-leash Dog Park , Vacaville, CA -

Snow dogs save avalance victims UT  'A large avalanche can release the equivalent of 20 football fields filled with 10 feet of snow and travel up to 200 miles per hour. People found within 15 minutes have a 92 percent chance of living. That drops down to 30 percent at 35 minutes...' Enter the snow dog, who gives avalanche victims more than a slim chance to survive...

They say if you give a certified avalanche dog a football field, she can find a person buried in snow up to 12 feet in 30 minutes. Give five people probes and it take 15 hours to cover the same area...' [CBS News]

Permalink:    Please comment   
1SRG Articles | Introduction to Avalanche Rescue Dogs | Avalanche Rescue - Avalanches - Forces of Nature | Avalanche Rescue - Avalanches - Forces of Nature | Introduction to Avalanche Rescue Dogs | Newton's Apple: Teacher's Guides | Newton's Apple: Teacher's Guides | OUTDOORS: Dogs help avalanche rescue teams | CBS News | Snow Dogs Save Avalanche Victims | January 22, 2003 14 | Avalanche Dogs