Berkeley Dog and Cat Hospital: where clients are treated like people CA Imagine a veterinary hospital that's open 24 hours a day and remains friendly and courteous to dogs, cats and their paying companions. The Berkeley Dog and Cat Hospital is a pet lover's dream come true... 

'In 1978, Berkeley Dog and Cat established a Special Veterinary Services department. Today, in addition to four general practitioners -- Jennifer McBride and Ken Harkewitz plus Shriro and Benjamin -- the hospital employs 11 veterinary specialists covering everything from cardiology and oncology to dentistry and acupuncture. It offers a 24-hour ambulance service that will transport a pet if its owner is too distraught to drive...' [Contra Costa Times]

Putting on the dog... literally TX Dog fur clothes from willing dogs (who live to shed more fur) becomes fashionable art.

"Chow, Samoyed, Irish wolfhound, collie and golden retriever make really nice yarn..." [Texas/Southwest] (Our dog sheds a bucket of the softest, cotton-like hair each week and it's our privilege to vacuum, comb, brush it up... from the car, our clothes, the house... hmmm... chow chow coat... )

Fur coats, from dogs, cats, banned in US, but not in UK UK Examples of the sick fur trade: As many as 42 Alsatians are skinned alive to make just one fur coat and rugs from golden retrievers killed in the same heartless manner are legally sold in the UK, but not in the US. Dogs and cats are skinned alive in China and other countries by cruel fur traders because coats stay in better condition when the animal is freshly killed....  [ThePeople.com]

Kennel cough virus delays dog races  CT East Coast dog tracks have cancelled some dog races in an effort to contain the outbreak of kennel cough virus among racing greyhounds. Dog tracks in Alabama, Florida, Connecticut and Rhode Island have all been forced to cancel and delay dog races this Spring. [Hartford Courant]

Puppy store owners charged with felony cruelty CA A hundred or more puppies may soon go up for adoption, after being seized from a puppy store where sick and dying dogs with parvovirus were sold to duped customers. The dogs are well cared for now... [KCRAchannel.com]

Woman, daughter and dog in mystery-shrouded deaths PA A 90-year-old woman, her 58-year-old daughter and their pet dog lay dead for 5 1/2 weeks inside their suburban home as neighbors and mail delivery persons ignored their disappearance from the outside world. While the mystery of their disappearance may lie in their reclusiveness, the mystery of their deaths remains unsolved...

"There are no signs of foul play... It doesn't appear to be a murder-suicide. It wasn't carbon monoxide. ... It doesn't appear they had frozen to death. The pipes weren't frozen..." [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]