Swimming spaniel bridges troubled waters UK A trained gundog saved the day by swimming across a deep channel and fetching supplies on demand...  [Ananova]

Cockroach, not dogs or animals, may be SARS link China Chinese scientists believe they've found the transmission link for the mysterious illness, Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome: the cockroach [Times Online]

Google Directory: Top dog sites Google has organized its Web directory so you can list sites by 'Google Page Rank' order or by alphabetic order. Google's web directory definitely adds value to the Open Directory Project. (However, it's easier to use Google to search for a subject than to use a web directory, simply because the web is growing so fast that human indexing cannot compete with the powers of computerized googling. Web directories will become more useful when they are also powered by a search engine like Google; otherwise they may go the way of the 'card catalog' in libraries.) Related: Elwyn Jenkins: Microdoc News 

Today's Research Buzz provides a catalog list of listserv discussions, searchable by keyword and online status! voila: Dog discussion listservs online

Vets trained to spot animal symptoms of biological/chemical attacks 'A network of thousands of veterinarians recruited by county and state health departments nationwide is mobilized to detect common bioweapons: anthrax, plague and tularemia, which can pass from animals to people...' Less deadly scourges, while not a threat to people, may pose a terrible threat to the economy if unleashed:

'Classical swine fever, foot-and-mouth, and avian influenza, while posing little or no danger to humans, could cripple the nation's $200 billion livestock and poultry industries. Using them in an act of "agroterrorism," experts say, would not be difficult...' [Aberdeen American News]

Dogs of War: Inside the U.S. Military's Canine Corps German Shepherd dogs and Belgian Malinois dogs bring more than a small measure of security  mind to troops who must detect and disarm booby-trapped explosives.

'On average, these four-footed soldiers are 98 percent accurate in their detection abilities, and depending on the task and climate, can work up to 12 hours a day... For decades, veteran dogs deemed too old to serve (ten years and older) were euthanized. Now that's starting to change, thanks to a law passed in 2000, which allows retired military dogs to be adopted by handlers, law enforcement agencies, or individuals capable of caring for them. '  [National Geographic News: Animals & Nature]

Dog track owner pushing bill gave $539,000 to politicians AL [Birmingham News]

Man guilty of assaulting officer after telling pit bull to get him A man faces a stiff jail sentence in the 'charge of assault with a weapon – the pit bull – assault causing bodily harm...' [The Kingston Whig Standard] In a separate incident, Pit bull takes bite out of crime fighter [Ottawa Sun]

Woman finds finger while walking dog MN [Star Tribune] (when snow banks finally melt, strange objects emerge... )

Man's Best Friend Comforts Mourning Family CA [KERO]

Elite canines prepare to fight bombers UK  The war on terror has increased the demand for bomb detection dogs, and trainers work feverishly to keep up. In the UK, dogs may soon go 'covert'; according to 'police sources', soon detectives with sniffer dogs may disguise themselves as vagrants with dogs... Despite their dominance in sniffing out bombs and drugs, dogs may soon face stiff competition from specially bred wasps which excel at detecting specific odors...

'While sniffer dogs can take around six months to train, the humble Bracon wasp can be trained in less than an hour, with electronic sensors letting the wasp-handler know the insect has found its target. In the U.S., another researcher is working on hybrid robots that fuse living insect antennae with tiny robotic cars -- antennae still work even when removed from the insect. The results, using antennae taken from wasps and moths, are showing promising results...' [Tiscali News]

DNA-based vaccine triples survival for dogs with melanoma NY 'For nine dogs that naturally developed canine malignant melanoma, treatment with a new DNA-based vaccine more than tripled their median survival from an expected 90 days to an average of 389 days.' Human trials of the vaccine have begun.  [Eureka Alert] Related: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Dog contests...

• Do you look like your dog? Enter the do you look like your dog contest. You might get featured in a dog book (something to aim for if you can't get listed in Dan Gilmor's upcoming book... )
• Does your dog have stinky breath... enter the worst dog breath in the nation contest. (you might as well win something for it... )

Saddam's torture techniques included death by dog mauling IRAQ Saddam dispatched one of his own relatives to death by hungry dogs...

According to an Iraqi defector, Saddam dealt horrible fates  to even '... one of Saddam's own relatives, Dr. Rahji al Tikriti, who had escaped to Amman, Jordan, in a blatant show of defiance against the Baath Party regime. Sadam sent word: "if you come back to Iraq, you'll be fine, we'll forgive you... As soon as he arrived back in Baghdad Dr. Rahji was taken to jail. He was starved for a few days. Then, while Saddam was meeting with his cabinet, he said, 'I would like you to come out and let's look at this courtyard.'" Dr. Rahji, meanwhile, had been dragged from his jail cell, stripped naked and marched to the center of the courtyard - in full view of the gathering. "Four or five Doberman Pinschers who hadn't eaten for a while - [Saddam] actually had them go and eat this gentleman alive..." [Newsmax.com] (an old story labeled by some as propaganda resurfaces with more corroborations... )

Police seek sniffer dog recruit UK If your young dog is 'a bit of a handful', needing constant attention, and is fixated on toys and balls, it may just qualify for a police dog career...

'Police in Northamptonshire are looking for a new recruit to help them sniff out drugs. The successful candidate would be from a working stock background, possibly a Labrador or Springer Spaniel. It should be 12 to 18 months old and be outgoing and playful and fixated on toys or balls...' [BBC News] (Dogs from Aberdeen Dog Training Academy need not apply... )

Jake, the dog, swallows 7-inch knife and lives UK 'Jake, a 12-week-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross, was taken to the vet when he began vomiting and was reluctant to curl up. X-rays showed why ... the kitchen knife was running through his body, with its tip lodged his throat...' [Evening Times] (Incredible photos illustrate the story.)

Deaf pensioner to walk 232 miles for charity fundraiser UK 'Three years ago, Antony Sabin, 79, and Branson walked from their home in Great Rollright, near Chipping Norton, to Devon, and raised £5,600 for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.'  This year he plans to raise £10,000 ($15,555 US) and walk 232 miles...  [This is Oxfordshire]

Woman sends dog to catch and hold burglar NJ 'A city woman who spotted a foot coming in her window told police she sent her dog after the burglary suspect, and the dog held the man in custody until police arrived. Police found him,[ uninjured,]  lying on the ground in the building's backyard with the dog standing over him...' [Jersey Journal]

Study proves dogs improve patients' spirits and pain management AZ An innovative study by a fourteen-year-old boy, who had undergone grueling medical treatments for most of his life, has shown that therapy dogs help cancer patients' spirits and pain management:

 "I proved that dogs do make a difference, that children after a painful procedure will experience less pain and anxiety with a dog..." Jeff Luttrell [Arizona Republic]

Federal charges brought against bomb-sniffing dog trainer VA  [ABC 7]

 Puppy dogs of war lift spirits of troops in Iraq Marines adopt two very lucky puppies caught in the Iraq war. Nas and Mary Jane, the two puppies, have become unofficial mascots and therapy dogs for the Marines who rescued them after their mother died of starvation.

"It helps your morale. It gives you something to play with at night when you are on watch, instead of smoking a cigarette. You can play with a dog.." [Atlanta Journal Constitution]