Fear of SARS: Beijiing residents riot, throw pets out, club dogs to death The social impact of SARS goes far beyond the masks many Beijing residents have donned in hope of warding off the mysterious virus which has killed hundreds in China:

"In some districts of the capital, another confrontation has been brewing as state media and pet owners have reported police clubbing to death the dogs of confirmed and suspected SARS patients... Following media reports suggesting that animals could transmit SARS to humans, some fearful residents abandoned their pets on the streets. Others have fled with their pets to areas with more lenient policies. Pet owners were outraged by one Beijing newspaper's report of a resident who threw his ailing dog from a sixth-story apartment window. As neighbors looked on, he then buried the wounded animal alive in the building's communal lawn..." [Mercury News]

Mind Body Spirit: Listening to Fido, A Different Kind of A.I. "Increasingly, eager pet owners are exploring the possibility that our pets' thoughts can be as accessible as our own--and that their knowledge can form a bridge that transforms our lives..." Yes, we're suckers for the Pet Psychic...  [Village Voice, NY]

Pets at work: pros and cons MD June 20 is 'Take your Dog to Work Day' and for some employees, a day of allergic reactions. For others, it's a day like any other because they bring their pets to work every day... [Baltimore Sun]

Pampered poodle has his own bathroom, $800 commissioned painting [Romenesko's Obscure Store]

Nominated for BAD dog of the day: Handspring's Treo 90 Fleeced and ripped off, that's how I felt, when I tried to get support for a brand spanking new Treo 90 Palm knock-off. First I dialed the non-free number and asked tech support for help. "That'll be $19.95, your credit card please... " "Excuse me, but I JUST bought this Treo and the box says I have 90 days of phone tech support." "We changed that a couple days ago. If you go to our website, you'll find that the warranty can be changed at any time at our discretion and we decided to void the support warranty..." So, there you go... Not only that, but their instructions don't work at all for moving data from a Palm III to a Treo 90. Handspring discontinued the Treo, so they don't care if I was stupid enough to buy it...

Saddam, the fleecer, hid wealth in dog kennels Iraq As the strong-arm dictator of Iraq, Saddam squirrelled away billions of dollars, and apparently, he intended to spend it elsewhere, after the war with coalition forces. Just before the war, he moved over $1 billion out of Iraq, but he left behind hidden stashes, in the most bizarre places:

"One clue as to the size of Saddam's laundered legacy was found two weeks ago — $780 million in makeshift vaults in a palace compound and $112 million in dog kennels on the grounds.  The cash was in $100 bills, and in the dog kennels there were 200 aluminum boxes with $4 million in each box, all sealed with tags that read Bank of Jordan..." [Seattle Times]

Residents plan discrimination suit: Pigs just as good as dogs WI A pot-bellied pig named "Pie Gee" may just get his day in court if a new ordinance banning pigs in a residential community is upheld...

"The issue comes down to can a potbellied pig meet the standards we set for dogs... I haven’t heard an argument that a pig doesn’t fit the standard for a dog. I think the fair thing is to change the ordinance." [West Bend News]

Related: Florida dog artist fills in for ailing pot-bellied pig painter FL [St. Petersburg Times]

Carmichael Dog Wiggles Out Of Jury Duty CA [KCRA Channel] Chocolate lab Lucy Marie Gordon's owners finally convinced Sacramento County Records that she's a dog...

Pet fat camp for your fat dog UK You're too fat, your dog's too fat... so the necessity for a pet fat camp has arrived (People can go elsewhere). After a mandatory fat camp stay, Georgina, the dog, managed to peel off some serious pounds : "She's not looking like a barrel anymore and has got her dog figure back, she's looking like a right lady..." [This is Lancashire]

Have dog can travel JP Finally, a car maker caters to dog crazy people like us. The 'Vamos Hobio Travel Dog' car by Honda Japan promises to make your pet travels more care-free:

"Its distinctive pet-friendly features include: Slobber-proof and wipeable door linings for easy removal of dog hair and saliva; tough wipe-clean floor mats for easy removal of you guessed it and other stains. There are also optional fibre mats treated to fight bacteria, odors, and mites. Meanwhile, Fido-san also gets his own rear heater to warm the rear seats efficiently in cold weather. The Hobio owner also gets a tote bag for walking the dog, though you'll have to supply your own bags for poop scooping..." [Stuff, New Zealand]

Too bad the Travel Dog is not yet available in the U.S. Our Honda Element test drive proved too uncomfortable for our dog... so we just bought a Honda CRV instead and in part, because we could seat belt the dog... Our dog doesn't jump very well (due to two total hip replacements), so he gets into the CRV via a ramp through the rear cargo door and then hops over a folded down seat to his very own seat, complete with doggy seat belt and a view to drool for. The higher rear seating allows him a global view and the air conditioning keeps him comfortable. He actually grinned from ear to ear on his first car ride. We encased the rear seat with a canvas cover for SUVs seats (available at PetSmart) and we purchased heavy duty rubber floor mats for muddy paw prints. A cargo liner also protects the rear storage area.