Latest scam targets pet owners A new twist on an old scam may cause unwary pet owners even more grief over missing pets... [Daily Nonpareil]

SPANA On Standby For Iraq The Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad, (SPANA) wants to provide emergency veterinary treatment and supplies to animals suffering as a result of the war in Iraq. 'SPANA was the first animal charity to establish a facility in Kosovo during the conflict in 1999. Since then, working with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), SPANA has built a refuge for sick and injured animals in the capital city, Pristina.' [UKPets.co.uk UK Pet Industry News]

Play it safe with dogs [Coshocton Tribune, OH] A must read for parents who want to ensure a safe environment when children and dogs play together.

It's Spring, over 80 degrees, and a perfect day for playing with the dog in the park.  Today, we  took our dog to Wheaton Regional Park so he could walk the cool forest-like trails. We didn't get far. As we passed the playground, crowded with children and adults, a swarm of children, their parents in tow, approached. Our dog likes children; he basically just  lays down and lets them pet and clutch him. I'm amazed and alarmed by the nonchalent way parents push their children over to our dog. Little tiny fingers, itty bitty faces: our dog is laid-back, and friendly, but I'm not going to leave anything to chance.

I always get down on my knees to supervise and keep those tiny fingers away from his eyes and mouth. One boy grabs a stick bigger than himself and heads toward us, intent on playing 'whack the dog.'  I maneuvered between him and our dog, placing the dog behind me, and asked him to drop it.  It's easy to see why children and dogs need careful supervision when playing together.

By now, our dog was drooling and overheated; we gave him some cold water and skipped the nature walk; walking a chow during summer weather means taking it out early, before sunrise, when the air's still chilly, or late in the day, after the sun goes down...

New clothes stab bugs with molecular daggers 'Killer clothes' kill bacteria and pathogens... clothing for the post 9-11 dog and its human companion

'Tiny molecular daggers that latch onto fibres stab and destroy microbes have been created, meaning "killer clothes" may soon be available. Anti-fungal socks could take on athlete's foot while, on a more serious note, military uniforms could kill anthrax.' [New Scientist] (what a boon to pet owners; we need this in our carpets, dog leashes, dog beds. Vacuuming, mopping and dusting  just doesn't cut it when you have a dog that likes to roll in dirt and scruff up grass. ) [New Scientist]

Search Pet-Abuse Database Online OH The Pet-Abuse Database is searchable by geographic location, abuser, and by type of abuse. The database may help citizens, shelters and breeders to identify documented abusers and disqualify them from adoptions. The abuse classifications include bestiality, beating, burning, drowning, fighting, hoarding, mutilation, neglect, abandonment, etc. [Columbus Dog Connection]

A search on the US resulted in: "There are 930 cases listed with the AARDAS project, in the country of US. Cases are displayed 35 per page. The results are displayed by date in descending order by default. Click on the table headers to sort your results by that heading. A camera icon signifies that there are case photos associated with the case - to view the photos, simply click on the icon..."

An article in the Marion Star illustrates why such a database is needed: Woman sentenced in animal cruelty case A 'hoarder' was prosecuted for her horrific neglect of over 100 animals in her care; 'her days of raising dogs in inhumane conditions and attempting to sell them to pet stores are over.' Sadly, hoarders often move away to other states, set up shop and start again in the same pattern of hoarding and neglect. With a database to consult, pet shops nationwide could help stop known hoarders from continuing their trade. [Marion Star] (To adopt any of these rescued animals (105 dogs, 3 birds, 1 cat) contact the Columbus Dog Connection in Ohio. 

SARS likely a mutant strain of human and animal viruses Canada Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) continues to spread throughout Asia and causing fear worldwide that it will mushroom into a pandemic. 'Canadian scientists say it appears to be a mutant strain of coronavirus with bits of human, cow and mouse virus scrambled into its genetic code.' Fortunately, they are pretty sure that the virus does not spread by air. Instead, the virus is likely transmitted by contact with droplets (from sneezing or body fluids). Scientists also conjecture that the virus may have 'jumped' across species, a phenomena which occasionally occurs with devastating consequences... [National Post Online]

Suspended sentence for man who tossed dog to its death VA A man who killed a two-year-old Pekinese doesn't have to serve jail time...

'A mentally retarded dog walker has been sentenced to a suspended 90-day jail sentence for tossing a couple's lapdog to its death from a ninth-floor balcony. The prosecutor told the judge that even though the man may be disabled, he's not stupid - noting that Kramer had staged the scene so it would look like the dog committed suicide...' [WJLA TV]

Related: Fedayeen ... trained like attack dogs Iraq [MSNBC]

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Woman awarded $800,000 verdict over 'Dracula' bite attack VA Insurance companies may want to add some people to its dangerous (and therefore uninsurable) breed ban list. [NY Post]

 Is Brutus, the dog, capable of ghost detection? PA  A man seeking to capture ghosts on film had no luck until he brought Brutus, an American Bulldog, along for a ghost tour. 'Whenever Brutus was around, Dubil was able to capture ghosts, or "orbs" of light, in his photos by snapping pictures when the dog started acting strange, stopping for no apparent reason, barking, or sniffing...' [The Sentinel] Related: Psychic Shortcomings [The Wolff Files - ABC News]

Man who roamed with dog falls, dies in Somerset forest  PA David Faidley's best friends were dogs and his best friend, a german shepherd named Seargent, stayed with him long after he died from a fall on a treacherous mountain trail. "The dog was there with him, lying on top of him... He stayed with him the whole time. When help came, he didn't want to leave..." [Post Gazette]

Man faces prison sentence for hammer multilation of dog FL 'A 40-year-old Pasco County man is facing a possible prison sentence after pleading guilty to a hammer attack last year on his girlfriend's dog, [Buster].' His attorneys have asked for leniency because he may have a psychological disorder. "I'm not irresponsible... I just had a few beers"

'Authorities say still don't know why Colbert attacked the dog. Buster was found under a tree two days after he was attacked, malnourished and barely alive. The dog, then 10 months old, had a deep gash on his head, a broken jaw, and a left eye so severely damaged that it had to be removed...' [Journal Online]

Man in Illegal Castration Case on Trial MI '...he learned the skill from his grandparents. He performed his first surgery on a dog and then on the dog's owner and three of the owner's friends in Australia.' His clients sought him out on the internet and he didn't charge a fee... [The Telegraph]

Iraq war's feathered and four-legged soldiers 'Without animals, war as we know it would have been impossible.'

Chickens, dogs, seals and dolphins are working for coalition forces and the US in the Iraq war. 'Chickens defy death in cages atop American military Humvees to detect a possible Iraqi chemical attack. Well, some don't exactly defy death. Most expired after a short stint in the Iraqi desert - flu is suspected - and pigeons have taken their place. Dogs - long used in warfare for scouting, relaying messages and rescuing injured soldiers - are sniffing out bombs in Iraq. And dolphins Makai and Tacoma are helping to clear mines.' [Independent Online]

Related: Editorial: The Use of Animals in Operation Iraqi Freedom [ANC Network]; Amazing Animals ... from UPI [UPI Science News]