Blog ID: 904 Posted by LucyPal on Friday Feb 29, 2008 11:57 PM EST

Robotic Dogs to Replace Therapy Dogs?

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Dogs appear to have some competition in the service animal sector these days.  A new study has found that robotic dogs can actually do as much good to ease loneliness as a real dog. 

 

This study held by Saint Louis University followed the efforts of the ever friendly ‘Sparky’ and a robotic dog named ‘AIBO’ in a local nursing home.  Sparky is a trained therapy dog and regularly visits the residents of nursing homes to help keep them company, help them form bonds and help keep their spirits up. 

 

Sparky does a good job, but the study found that his job may soon be replaced by technology.  Saint Louis University researchers divided 38 nursing home residents into three groups at a trio of long-term care facilities.  One group had weekly 30-minute one on one visits with Sparky, while another group got similar visits with AIBO and a third control group didn’t get any visits.  The residents answered several questions at the beginning of the study period and after 8 weeks of visits. 

 

Apparently both groups of residents, who got visits with dogs, live and metallic became attached and even talked with the animals.  It just took the residents a little while to warm up to the robotic dog at first.  However as Dr. William Banks, author of the study said, "AIBO is charismatic if you start to interact with him…He's an engaging sort of guy."  A robotic dog can be a good alternative for those living alone and unable to care for a pet. 

 

There is a little controversy surrounding the study, Sara Kiesler a professor of computer science and human-computer interaction at the Carnegie Mellon University and is not involved in the study, felt the results were encouraging but not entirely convincing. 

 

She felt that there could be a problem in trying to infer that it was the robotic dog that reduced loneliness and not the person that brought the dog every week.  Another study could help clear up that potential sticking point.

 

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ghza9p088meOKG8gaw6kFvtidy9AD8V47BA02

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 903 Posted by LucyPal on Thursday Feb 28, 2008 11:06 PM EST

Scrub Python Eats Australian Family Dog

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You hear a lot of jokes about that iconic film line, ‘A Dingo ate my Baby’ from the distraught Australian mother in A Cry in the Dark.  Yet, scary things are happening in urban Australia as people start expanding outward in their perpetual growth. 

 

Daniel Peric and his wife are both very concerned about the dangers of the local wildlife after their two small children watched a large Scrub Python swallow the family dog whole.  Peric’s children aged 5 and 7 years old saw the python attack their dog in the backyard.  It had been stalking the dog for days before the event occurred and had even been seen four days earlier curled up in the dog’s bed on the veranda. 

 

The family attempted to save the dog and stop the reptile by throwing plastic chairs at the snake as it slowly engulfed their pet, but to no avail.  The Perics called in help in the form of Stuart Douglas, owner of the Australian Venom Zoo in Kuranda.  By the time he arrived only the dog’s hind legs and tail were visible. 

 

According to Douglas, Daniel Peric and his wife have cause to be concerned.  “A snake of that size is quite capable of killing a small child,” Douglas said.

 

This isn’t the only family pet to be caught by the snake either.  A few weeks beforehand a cat got gobbled up by the snake and then on Sunday a family owned guinea pig fell victim.  To be honest I’m not sure why the family let their guinea pig roam around in the yard.  Seems like they would have called out the Amphibian and Reptile guy as soon as the cat fell victim. 

 

Peric stated, “When it happens once, you think it's a one-off, but last night I thought ‘this is serious'…We have ducted air-conditioning. Call it paranoia, but my big fear is that a snake will get in there.”

 

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3448618.ece

 

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 899 Posted by LucyPal on Wednesday Feb 27, 2008 11:40 PM EST

New Pet Sterilization Law Passed in Los Angeles

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Looks like Bob Barker’s plea to the Los Angeles city council won out for pro-spay and neuter fans.  Several weeks ago, I wrote how Bob Barker was continuing his work after ‘The Price is Right’ by helping in the campaign to get a new city ordinance passed requiring that almost all pet cats and dogs be spayed or neutered.  Well, he’s succeeded. 

 

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed the law into existence for the city of Los Angeles last Tuesday.  It is considered one of the nation’s toughest laws on pet sterilization and is expected to save thousands of cats and dogs from ending up on the streets or from being euthanized by local overcrowded shelters.  This law could also potentially save millions of taxpayers’ dollars too.

 

The law simply requires that pet owners get their cats or dogs spayed or neutered by the time they are four months old.  Some animals are exempt from the spay/neuter ordinance including show animals, guide dogs, animals owned by professional breeders and police animals. 

 

The average Joe has got to get out there and have his beloved Fido or Fifi snipped by the vet.  This is a law they are also planning on enforcing. 

 

First-time offenders will receive information on subsidized sterilization for pet owners who can’t afford the full cost, as well as be given an addition 60 days to complete the task.  If they fail to get their pet spayed or neutered they could be fined $100 and ordered to serve eight hours of community service.  Failing to comply after that or with another pet results in a $500 fine or 40 hours of community service.  I’m assuming if you have further offenses after that, animal control just takes your pet away from you.

 

Pet owners living in L.A. look out for the law if you haven’t gotten that dog or cat fixed yet.

 

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jgRWYTXz-GJFcPxxDs8ZMAUc613wD8V2BEM00

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 896 Posted by LucyPal on Tuesday Feb 26, 2008 8:26 PM EST

Read Animal Poems to Your Kids at Bedtime

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Animal poetry is a wonderful way to pass the time, especially if you have children.  Instead of a good bedtime story tonight, try sitting down with a few of these short but sweet animal poems from different well known poets.

 

This one below is by Rudyard Kipling, the famous author of the Jungle Book and lots of other tales about or from India.

 

The Beasts are Very Wise 

-         Rudyard Kipling

 The beasts are very wise,Their mouths are clean of lies,They talk one to the other,Bullock to bullock brothersResting after their labors,Each in stall with his neighbors,But man with goad and whip,Breaks up their fellowship,Shouts in their silky earsFilling their soul with fears.When he has plowed the land,He says: "they understand."But the beasts in stall together,Freed from the yoke and tether,Say as the torn flank smoke:

"Nay, 'twas the whip that spoke."

 

Those beasts are indeed wise.  Animals tend to be a popular subject for poets as they are creatures that can each be described in unique ways with words, many times without even mentioning the name of the animal the poet is writing about.  Read the poem below by Alfred Lord Tennyson and see if you can figure out what animal he’s writing about without seeing the title of the poem.

 

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;Close to the sun in lonely lands,Ringed with the azure world, he stands. The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;He watches from his mountain walls,

And like a thunderbolt he falls.

   

This short poem above is entitled, ‘The Eagle’.  To read it and others try heading to; http://www.familypets.net/theeagle.htm where you can read all kinds of animal poems, quotes and even proverbs to entertain the kids at bedtime.

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 894 Posted by LucyPal on Monday Feb 25, 2008 10:30 PM EST

Cats Being Bad? Try these Steps

Add this blog entry to your favorites! Cats are often fun and adorable pets, even if they tend to act aloof sometimes.  Yet, many cat owners will also know that cats can be incredibly finicky!  They can change their behavior or begin acting badly, even going so far as spraying everything or refusing to go in their litter box.  If your normally well behaved cat suddenly takes up one of these highly annoying practices, you may have done something to precipitate it or there may be something wrong with your cat.

Deborah Wood of The Seattle Times suggests three methods to try in order to find out what exactly is going on with your beloved pet cat in her article, ‘Cat Behaving Badly? Try These 3 Steps to Understand Your Pet’.  Below is an excerpt from this highly beneficial article.

Step one: A complete physical
"The first step is always your primary veterinarian," said Jacqui Neilson, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist who operates the Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland. If the problem is physical, it needs a physical solution — which might be as simple as antibiotics.

Step two: Look for simple solutions
Once a physical problem is ruled out, owners must get some education. Common mistakes can be remedied, usually fixing the problem. Here are a few mistakes:

Placing the kitty litter box in a scary place. For example, many cats don't want to use a box near a thumping dryer.
Using kitty litter the cat doesn't like. Some cats don't like scented litter. Others prefer clumping litter.
Other common problems are not cleaning the box often enough, not having enough boxes (there should be one litter box for each cat — plus one) or using a covered litter box.
?

Sometimes cat-on-cat problems start when a new cat is introduced too quickly. The solution is to reintroduce the cats the right way. That means confining the new cat in a room and gradually letting the cats get acquainted.

Steps one and two are both usually going to take car e of most of your problems.  If you have to move onto Step three check out the Seattle Times article.  Although, I can tell you now that you’ll end up forking out some serious dough for the third step.  If you really have problems with what your cat is doing and just can’t get it fixed, this can help you avoid a heartbreaking trip to the pound.

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 893 Posted by LucyPal on Sunday Feb 24, 2008 10:10 PM EST

Ferrets Being Banned Across U.S.

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Lovers of Ferrets will be surprised to learn that their beloved pets are quickly being banned by municipalities all over the country.  Yep, places like New York, Salt Lake City and even states like California and Hawaii are banning the ownership of Ferrets.

 

This is occurring because these areas believe that Ferrets will escape and quickly decimate the local flora and fauna.  However, Norine Barnes, President of the Greater Chicago Ferret Association states, ‘It's because they believe they're wild animals and they believe they'll decimate the wildlife. These are neutered and spayed animals.”

 

The Greater Chicago Ferret Association has about 275 members and runs a shelter for ferrets in Chicago, where owning them as pets is still legal. 

 

One pet owner living in New York, Michelle V. is a 24-year-old graphic artist and owner of three ferrets, who requested anonymity because she is breaking the law.   She’s stated, ‘"I do and I don't. If somebody's, like, overly interested, it just makes me a little wary," that someone might complain to the board of health, she said. "I don't care if I get slapped with a fine, but I fear they'll be taken away and put to sleep."

 

Ferrets have been domesticated for more than 2,000 years and were even mentioned in the satire, “The Achaeans” by Aristophanes around 450 B.C.  Yet, there still appears to be confusion between true wild ferrets and the European Stoat that most people actually own and call pet ‘ferrets’.  There are wild ferrets living in many parts of the country, but they are different from traditional pet ferrets.

 

These little critters are truly thieves as their Latin name, Mustela putorius furo, implies.  Furo meaning thief in Latin. However, they do seem to be loving and entertaining pets.  Of the some 6 million people in the United States that own small animals, only about 8 percent own Ferrets.

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 890 Posted by LucyPal on Saturday Feb 23, 2008 9:50 PM EST

Tiger Wanders Out of Cage in Honolulu Zoo

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Boy, those big cats just keep showing up in the news.  I’m not sure what’s going on here, but it sure seems like a lot of big cats are escaping from Zoos around the country lately.  First it was a Siberian tiger that escaped in San Francisco and attacked some teenagers, now it’s a tiger that just walks right on out of its cage in Honolulu.

 

At the Honolulu Zoo in Hawaii, the zoo’s 245 pound Sumatran tiger, Berani, was found wandering around in an unsecured area just before the zoo opened Thursday morning.  It appears that a zoo keeper accidentally left two gates to Berani’s enclosure unlocked after the cage had been cleaned, thus allowing the tiger to escape from its enclosure.  A volunteer saw the tiger walk past and quickly moved to secure a gate so that the tiger wouldn’t wander into a public area.  Zoo workers were able to coax the eight year old tiger back into its cage without incident. 

 

There are officials reviewing the procedures for keeping the tiger in its cage.  Yet, it appears that bigger fish are about to jump into this mess as PETA has expressed some concern over the near escape in light of the recent Siberian tiger escape which resulted in the deaths of the tiger and a teenager.

 

The City Services director, Sidney A. Quintal stated that the near escape was completely unintentional and the zoo makes every effort to follow guidelines concerning the health and welfare of their animals.  However, PETA, an animal rights group, states that this mistake should be investigated by the USDA as the escape of the tiger violated the Animal Welfare Act, which requires that all wild animals be handled safely and their enclosures are to be secure at all times.

 

Source: http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/?p=1383

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 888 Posted by LucyPal on Friday Feb 22, 2008 12:21 PM EST

Dog From Iraq Finds Home with a US Soldier

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A tale from Iraq that’s filled with hope and help is what you need today!  Marine Major Brian Dennis is a fighter pilot currently deployed in Iraq to take part in a military team building infrastructure that trains Iraqi forces to take over control of their country’s borders.  Dennis, 36, had volunteered for the assignment.  He’d seen the country from the air as a pilot, and now wanted to see the land from the ground.  What he didn’t realize though, was just how much he’d see and learn from the ground.

 

Dennis came to learn about the symbiotic relationship that local Iraqis had with desert dogs and strays living near border towns.  He wrote home in an email, ‘The dogs get to eat the Iraqi scraps and have a home in the middle of the desert…The Iraqis get an incredible early warning system; these dogs hear anything approaching from miles away and go nuts and scramble to defend their territory.’

 

The Major came to befriend one of the local strays, a gray and white male German Shepard-border collie mix while on patrol in the Anbar province.  Dennis and his unit began feeding the dog bits of their food when he greeted them on routine patrol stops along border communities.  He named the dog ‘Nubs’ after learning that someone had cut off his ears believing it would make the dog more aggressive and alert.  Nubs routinely chased the unit’s Humvees when they left their border stops in an effort to keep up.

 

In late December, Dennis found Nubs near death in freezing temperatures.  Nubs had been stabbed with a screwdriver.  Dennis carefully rubbed antibiotic crème on the wound and then had Nubs spend the night in his sleeping gear to keep him warm. 

 

Dennis stated in an email, ‘"I really expected when I woke up for watch he would be dead…Somehow he made it through the night."

 

But Dennis couldn’t keep his furry pal.  A few days later his squad headed back to its command post just about 65 miles away.  He couldn’t take Nubs with him and watched him as he tried once more to follow the Humvees as they drove away.

 

Miraculously, 2 days later Dennis looked up from working on a Humvee and saw the dog staring at him.  ‘Somehow that crazy damned dog tracked us," he wrote Jan. 9^th 2008 to his family.  Yet, Dennis still wasn’t allowed to keep a pet, since the military prohibits pets in war zones.  Dennis had four days to get the dog off base or have him euthanized. 

 

For Dennis the decision was easy, he’d send the dog home to the states to stay with family.  His family and friends raised the $3,500 necessary to get Nubs home.  A colleague in San Diego has agreed to care for the dog and have it trained until Dennis returns from Iraq in March. 

 

Dennis’ Mom, Marsha Cargo stated, "I just can't believe it. Out there in the middle of nowhere these two find each other."

 

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jjY_7zlwEKHtQWvcpCwPD8LXnU0AD8UVD8DG0

 

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 886 Posted by LucyPal on Thursday Feb 21, 2008 10:23 PM EST

More Fun Dog Facts

Add this blog entry to your favorites! Dogs are man’s best friend, but you don’t have to know a lot about them to figure that out.  Facts are just fun stuff, but they’ll also give you some extra in-depth knowledge about our furry friends.  You may just find that you are a little bit closer to your dog after learning some essential facts about him or her.   I found some great facts at Dog Facts: The Key Dog Facts.com http://www.dogfacts.org/dog-facts.htm  Did you know that dogs evolved from wolves as recently as 17,000 years ago?  Learn more about the history of dogs and other interesting pieces of information about dog history below:  

Dogs were first domesticated from wolves at least 17,000 years ago, but perhaps as early as 150,000 years ago based upon recent genetic fossil and DNA evidence. In this time, the dog has developed into hundreds of breeds with a great degree of variation. For example, heights at the withers range from just a few inches (such as the Chihuahua) to roughly three feet (such as the Irish Wolfhound), and colors range from white to black, with reds, grays, and browns occurring in a tremendous variation of patterns.

Dogs are highly social animals and this similarity in their overall behavioral pattern accounts for their trainability, playfulness, and ability to fit into human households and social situations. This similarity has earned dogs a unique position in the realm of interspecies relationships. The loyalty and devotion that dogs demonstrate as part of their natural instincts as pack animals closely mimics the human idea of love and friendship, leading many dog owners to view their pets as full fledged family members. Dogs seem to view their human companions as members of their pack, and make few, if any, distinctions between their owners and fellow canines. Dogs fill a variety of roles in society and are often trained as working dogs. Dogs that do not have traditional jobs, a wide range of dog sports provide the opportunity to exhibit their natural dog skills.

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 883 Posted by LucyPal on Wednesday Feb 20, 2008 4:16 PM EST

Cloning Pets Could Infringe on Patents?

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Remember how I mentioned that a company in Korea is planning on creating the world’s first commercially cloned dog?  Well, this move on the part of RNL Bio has prompted a Texas based patent-licensing firm to move into legal action.  The patent firm, Start Licensing, is based in Austin, Texas and claims that RNL Bio is using techniques that breach its patents.  Patent’s which are held for the Roslin Institute, a British company that cloned Dolly the Sheep.  A world wide patent fight over commercial cloning is starting up!  Boy, it’s amazing how small the world has gotten these days.

 

Start Licensing claims that it ‘manages and licenses a broad portfolio of intellectual property rights related to animal reproductive technologies.’  The company insists that it holds patents for fundamental nuclear transfer cloning technology developed at the Roslin Institute and that all non-human animal cloning applications are subject to its patents.

 

The company has nine patents registered in Korea regarding animal cloning and three of them seem to be related to the commercial cloning planned by RNL Bio.  However, the firm states that it isn’t exactly sure how RNL Bio is infringing on its patents and how they are planning to fix the problem.  Well, certainly, this is after all very tiny science.  It’s hard to get a good look at!

 

An anonymous official working with RNL Bio stated, “We haven't had any communications with Start Licensing. We are not taking the claim very seriously… The Seoul National University team has its own patents filed in Korea and we believe there is no problem in cloning dogs using those patents.'

 

Well, it looks like there may be an uproar in the making over who gets the right to create commercially cloned pets.  The pet owner, who has waited a few years to get her dog cloned, may end up waiting a few more just for things to settle down.

 

Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2008/02/133_19300.html

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 882 Posted by LucyPal on Tuesday Feb 19, 2008 9:21 PM EST

41 Animals Found Crammed into Traveling Caravan

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There are cases of animal hoarding and cases of animals suffering as the result of their owners becoming homeless, but this is a strange case of both happening at once, in Britain way back in May 2007.  This occurred in the town of Hutton-le-Hole, North Yorkshire to be precise. 

 

The local RSPCA inspector, Mark Gent found 41 pets crammed into a couple’s traveling caravan, which was only 7 feet by 12 feet long.  There were multiple cats in cages, stacked on top of each other.  Dogs paired up in wired cages crammed against one another and up to 27 cats roaming free inside the caravan. 

 

The couple, William Cannon, 47, and Angela Edwards, 50, were no where to be found.  They had left the animals in the caravan and moved on.  A crime watch appeal was posted and the couple was sited in another town called Todmorden living in a tent, where they were arrested. 

 

Magistrates jailed the pair for 16 weeks and banned them for life from owning any more pets with a 10 year ban on filing an appeal to lift that lifetime ban. 

 Legal representation for William Cannon stated that the man didn’t intentionally mean to be cruel to the animals, he just couldn’t cope with the situation.  John Mewis, who served as legal representation for Angela Edwards stated, "She accepts she should have taken them to the RSPCA but she didn't have the heart." 

When the animals were taken into the veterinarian 12 of the cats had to be put down, their health conditions were so severe.  Many of the cats were underfed, flea ridden and had dermatitis, scars and wounds.  They also had breathing difficulties and conjunctivitis.  The dogs in the caravan, of which there were seven, had poor teeth, ear infections, hair loss and lack of muscle tone from not being able to move around.

 

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/feb/19/animalwelfare?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 878 Posted by LucyPal on Monday Feb 18, 2008 10:37 PM EST

Dogs and the People that Give them CPR

Add this blog entry to your favorites! Do you know how to give your pet pooch CPR?  Yes, that’s mouth to snout resuscitation that can be oh so vital to saving your pet’s life.  Well, if you don’t and you find yourself actually wanting to learn this technique along with other first aid skills aimed towards animals, you’ll have to check with your local human society about animal First Aid classes.  

The Atlanta Humane Society (www.atlantahumane.org) is currently offering classes to people learn these skills for just $59.  They include everything from CPR, to splinting a broken leg to dental and senior pet care.  If you live in the area and are interested, call 404-974-2899.  

Mailey Mclaughlin is the training and behavior coordinator at the Atlanta Humane Society stated, “The first rule is to protect the pet, people and yourself…You won't be able to help the pet if you need first aid yourself because he bit you."  This is in reference to the part of the class that also shows people how to protect themselves as they move to give first aid to their pets by applying an improvised muzzle.
 
Mclaughlin also said, “"I get the occasional business person, like a pet sitter or a groomer, but usually, it's just people who want to know what to do if their own pet has a problem.” Since many of the folks who come in are really just pet owners who are scared of losing their beloved best friends.  

"I liked the class," said Debora Slotten of Decatur. "We have three small dogs and they're getting older. One has a heart condition and another has dental problems. We spend thousands of dollars at the emergency vets all the time, and we just wanted to see if there are things we could do on our own."

So, if you are looking to learn a little more about taking care of your pet, mouth to muzzle CPR or not, you might want to look into these classes.

Source: http://www.ajc.com/pets/content/pets/stories/2008/02/18/dogclass_0218.html

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 872 Posted by LucyPal on Sunday Feb 17, 2008 8:10 PM EST

Adopting a Talkative Beagle May Sound Fun...

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Adopting a Beagle may seem like a great idea to you, especially after that cute little Beagle named, Uno won the Best in Show at Westminster.  They are compact, lovable and definitely adorable pets.  However, Beagles can also be a little much for some people and families. 

 

Christine Tartaro of Galloway, N.J. told the Associated Press that, ‘sometimes something sets them off and all the people have to stop talking.  We all think that’s cute,’ in reference to the joyful howling that Beagles love making.  As you can imagine Beagles will get louder when in large numbers, as usually happens at Beagle lover gatherings such as the ones that Tartaro attends. 

 

She, is one of those special breeds of people that find the talkative nature of Beagles appealing and cute.  It’s not often easy to deal with a barking Beagle at 2 o’clock in the morning, though.  Penny Angle’s Beagle rescue of Ventnor, N.J. takes in more than 300 abandoned Beagles a year partly because they are too much for their owners to handle. 

 

Beagles are often loud.  They are also stubborn and headstrong.  They were bred for hunting and will go after new and exciting scents with relentless vigor.  Be prepared to hold onto that dog leash for dear life when you take a Beagle for a walk.  This trait also makes them likely to pull a Houdini on you. 

 

Tartaro warns, “Even if you have a fenced yard, some [Beagles] will even dig under a fence and [just] go.”  If you aren’t out in the back yard watching them like a hawk that beloved pet Beagle can just dig out from under that backyard fence and take off on you. 

 

It can be highly rewarding living with a Beagle or other kind of hound dog.  You just need to make sure you can stand up to the high energy, barky and head strong nature of these huntin’ dogs.

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 867 Posted by LucyPal on Saturday Feb 16, 2008 10:19 PM EST

Hotel Pennsylvania Creates Special Retreat for Westminster Dogs

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The Westminster Dog Show 2008 just ended a few weeks ago and most of you will already know that Uno the Beagle won and became Best in Show!  However, do you know where all the doggies in the show end up staying during their visit to New York? 

 

The pooches of many breeds stay in the lap of luxury at the Hotel Pennsylvania.  Yes, the hotel opens up for these high class pampered pets once a year and go all out in welcoming the dogs and their trainers.

 

The Hotel Pennsylvania creates ‘Doggie Concierge’ positions to help the dogs and their human companions get what they need and find their way around.  In addition they have a bathing and grooming area set up so the dogs can get ready for the show.  The hotel also has a fabulous pet psychic on hand to help people get in touch with their pampered pooches.  Plus, the psychic can help keep up the moral of those show dogs who may be acting up, as they are getting ready to go on with the show. 

 

The hotel does quite a lot every year just to get ready for this onslaught of dogs.  It has gotten the art of caring for these show canines down pat.  They’ve converted the special function space on the lower level into what is possibly the world’s largest spa for doggies.  It also includes a sawdust walking area with fake red fire hydrants to help the doggies relieve themselves in comfort.  In addition, the hotel greets the dogs as they check in every February, with ‘sound healthy’ piano playing in the lobby. 

 

Boy, it pays to be beautiful!  I suppose it’s all good though, since those show dogs must work super hard during the rest of the year to remain well trained, sleek and well groomed.   Play the video for special clips of the Hotel Pennsylvania’s preparations.

 

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 864 Posted by LucyPal on Friday Feb 15, 2008 5:53 PM EST

Woman Pays $150,000 to Have Pet Cloned

Add this blog entry to your favorites! A California woman wants her dog back, from the dead!  She’s about to pay $150,000 to have her dead pit bull cloned in the world’s first commercial pet cloning project.  The dog was named ‘Booger’ and died a year and a half ago.  Part of his ear was kept in cold storage and South Korean scientists are going to work to create an exact copy of him.

The company that’s going to work on this first commercial pet project is RNL Bio, based in Seoul.  The work will be carried out by a team of Seoul National University (SNU) scientists are excited abut the chance to prove the marketability of pet cloning.  This team is being led by professor Lee Byeong-chun, who was a key member of the research team headed up by Hwang Woo-suk, a now disgraced stem cell scientist.  Woo-suk had publicized false breakthroughs in human cloning last year.  However that SNU team has been successful in creating the world’s first dog clone, an Afghan Hound called, ‘Snuppy’.

The woman who wants her dog cloned, Bernann McKunney, was very close to Booger, especially after he saved her from another attacking dog.  

The marketing director for RNL Bio, Cho Seong-Ryul, said the company’s success rate for dog cloning is very high, with one out of every four surrogate mothers producing cloned puppies.  No other scientists have succeeded in cloning dogs.  

Seong-Ryul stated, ‘“This will mark the first time that a dog is being cloned in a commercial contract.  The cost for cloning a dog may come down to less than $50,000 as cloning is becoming an industry.”

So, it could end up being a franchise industry like in the movie, ‘The Sixth Day’ where Arnold Schwarzenegger decides not to get his daughter’s dog cloned.  Would you get your pets cloned?

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3378490.ece

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 861 Posted by LucyPal on Thursday Feb 14, 2008 9:10 PM EST

Animal Testing Could Soon Be Over

Add this blog entry to your favorites! Those who are against animal testing will be excited to learn that three national agencies have signed a memorandum to develop and use other methods besides animal testing to determine if new products are harmful to humans.  This is a major milestone in the animal rights movement and the testing procedures of companies across the country.  

These three agencies, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have signed what they call a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ or an agreement to pursue and encourage or require companies to use other forms of testing besides animal testing.

Martin Stephens of the Human Society of the United States stated, ‘We believe this is the beginning of the end for animal testing. We think the (conversion) process will take about 10 years.’

After that ten years it is believed that we will be testing new products and chemicals on ourselves, in a manner of speaking.  The agencies hope that they’ll be able to use a testing method that involves the growth of human cells in test tubes and computer driven testing machines.  Scientists will be able to look at the affects of new chemicals directly on human tissue in a lab.  This is a  process that could also potentially shorten the amount of time it takes for new products and chemicals to reach the marketplace.

The process also uses much less space and funding, if it’s decided that this will work.  In the first phase of testing which could be finished within the year, thousands of chemicals can be tested at one time under a method using a 3 by 5 inch glass tray that contains 1,536 wells.  Inside these wells are samples of human tissue.  The chemicals are added to the wells and after a while a laser is shown on each well to count how many human cells are left.  This allows them to log how toxic a substance may be based on how the cells react.  

Comparatively, it’s taken the EPA 30 years to fully test 2,500 potentially toxic compounds.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2008-02-14-animal-tests_N.htm

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 854 Posted by LucyPal on Wednesday Feb 13, 2008 5:07 PM EST

Larger Companies offering Pet Insurance

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I’ve written abut the benefits of pet insurance for your pets before.  It’s an excellent safety net for families with a beloved pet, but no extra cash set aside for emergencies should Fido need a surgery.  Now, pet insurance doesn’t even have to be an extra item to stick in your budget.   Many companies are offering it to their employees as part of their insurance packages. 

 

Larger companies like Home Depot, Disney, Comcast, Del Monte Foods and even Sprint Nextel all offer pet insurance as part of their employee benefits packages.  Woohoo!  Now you can take as good a care of your pet’s health as you do with your own.  Of course, that includes lots of walkies and dentabones for the both of you!

 

Pet insurance doesn’t usually cover all of the major expenses the way people insurance can, but it is a big help.  These larger companies offering the pet insurance aren’t usually paying for the benefit, but they do provide you the option of getting it under their group coverage plan so you can usually get a 5 to 10% discount on the cost.  Plus, the money spent for the pet insurance is automatically taken out of your paycheck along with other health insurance and benefits you sign up for.  So, you don’t have to worry about keeping up with the payments since the process will be automatic.

 

On the downside, pet insurance costs can increase, as much as 50% as your pet ages.  Also if your pets are chronically ill or have a pre existing condition they may not be approved for coverage in the first place.  Since not all employers carry pet insurance you can still find it on your own.  Look for companies like, Veterinary Pet Insurance, PetCare, Pets Best and PetHealth for more information.

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 851 Posted by LucyPal on Tuesday Feb 12, 2008 10:05 PM EST

Five Cats Rescued from a Fire

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To help lighten up this blog, which has gotten a bit depressing of late I’ve found a bit of animal rescue news.   In Aurora, Colorado firefighters rescued five cats from some residences after a fire broke out at a duplex last Tuesday morning. 

 

The five cats belonged to one resident at the duplex, who had to be forcibly removed from the burning property.  The owner was so concerned about the welfare of the five cats that they had refused to leave the premises.  Luckily the firefighters were able to get the person out of the property so they could battle the fire. 

 

One account states that when the firefighters entered the property the smoke above their heads ignited, actually melting the plastic on one of the firefighter’s helmets.  However, they were able to get the fire under control within a relatively short timeframe of only 30 seconds. 

 Once they got the fire down, the firefighters were able to start looking for the cats.  Aurora Fire Battalion 1 Chief Marty LaRusso stated, ‘"Because the occupants were so shaken up over the cats, and we'd made sure all the people were out, we sent people in looking for the cats.  We had five cats to herd on this call." Four of the cats came out of the fire quickly.  However the last cat, a kitty named, Sugar, took a little looking to find.  One of the firefighters from Engine number 8 stated that his cat often hides under the couch.  The firefighters lifted up the couch and there was Sugar! All five cats made it out of the burned property alive and safe.  Sugar had the most damage with singed whiskers and being quite scared, but that’s about it.  These cats were quite lucky, as well as their human counterparts.  The duplex however is estimated to have about $50,000 in damage. Source: http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=86253

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 848 Posted by LucyPal on Monday Feb 11, 2008 12:14 PM EST

Feeding Feral Felines

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Every morning a cadre of kittens and cats parades by our back porch.  Actually, the more like hang out on our porch waiting, waiting for scraps of food.  It’s bad, I know, and I do give in and feed them, but I’m not the only one.  Many others in our neighbourhood give the cats food and some even shelter them overnight for as long as they’ll stay before slipping off into the morning mist again. 

When I was younger, I can remember my older relatives back in the rural countryside putting out scraps of good for their local cats.  Those were the days when they needed cats to keep the rats, mice and snakes, oh my, under control.  Otherwise, they’d get into the cellars and make quite a dark surprise for anyone going after a batch of potatoes. 

Where I live, we don’t have much call for protection from vermin, unless you count gigantic spiders, but it’s nice to have the cats around.  However, is it really good for the cats? 

I’ve watched the cute kittens in our neighbourhood grow into defensive, feral cats that will not let you get close to them, not matter how much you try to rescue them.  Are they adoptable?  Well, you’ll have to catch them first to find out. 

Life in the wild is harsh, especially for a cat that’s partially domesticated.  They survive on the fringes of human civilization, taking scraps, finding shelter in garages, sewers, abandoned buildings and the occasional house, but can’t abide themselves to stay indoors.  They’ll be attacked by dogs and other creatures, run over by cars and succumb to disease.  It’s not a long life in the wild. 

Some programs are working on a catch and release plan to ensure no future generations of cats have to grow up feral.  They’ll catch the cats and have them spayed or neutered, then release them when they heal.  The programs may not be able to get homes for these now wild cats in the urban jungle, but they are working towards the future.

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 846 Posted by LucyPal on Sunday Feb 10, 2008 11:29 PM EST

More Animal Tales: Seagulls

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Here’s an intriguing tale about Seagulls that’s based on a true story.  I found this great tale and several others at American Folklore.net.  This site is filled with animal tales, myths and other kinds of stories that make good reading for the kids. 

 

The Gulls
retold by
S. E. SchlosserIn the year of our Lord 1848, vast swarms of crickets descended upon our settlement. Twas a judgment upon us, yea certain, for how else could you explain the desecration of our crops, the dimming hope of survival for the coming winter? We tried rude methods to destroy the insects: some attempted to burn the crickets, some tried to drown or bury them. But alas, nothing, not even our prayers for deliverance, seemed able to stop the massive destruction of the crickets.

Then, when we had lost all hope, the morning sky was filled with the hoarse cry of gulls and the sound of wings. Before our eyes, thousands of gulls descended over the Great Salt Lake and commenced a great feasting upon the crickets. Twas a miracle of God. Every day the gulls came to eat the crickets until there were no more crickets left. Our crops were saved and we survived the following winter.

Strangely this is based on a real account of an actual plague of crickets.  This story is used to explain why the California Seagull is the state bird of Utah, because the gulls helped these first settlers in the area.  Hopefully, another plague of crickets won’t invade Utah for a long while to come, but if it does the gulls will probably take care of them.

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 844 Posted by LucyPal on Saturday Feb 9, 2008 11:41 PM EST

English Bulldog Scam in Local Papers

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Here’s a pet scam to watch out for folks.  Some scammers are placing ads in your local papers for English Bulldog puppies at way below market value.  These ads typically state that the dogs are puppies, one has stated that the puppies are 11 weeks old, and they are being sold for $400.  A purebred bulldog typically runs you between $1500 to $2000.  The ad may also contain an international phone number for you to call for more information and an email.  

Mary Huntington and her husband were looking for an English Bulldog, in fact they’ve spent months looking, and when they saw the ad they thought their pet had been found.  Mary called her friend Charla Bennett for advice, as she is an avid animal enthusiast and volunteers down at the Wilmington, Delaware, “Faithful Friends” animal shelter.  Bennett told her friend that this was way under market value for English Bulldogs.  However, they were both curious and decided to try and contact the person behind the ad about their pet.  

Turns out the international phone number wasn’t even the correct one.   "We contacted the number; it was wrong. We were forced to send them an email," says Bennett.

"I got an email back saying they couldn't take care of their baby because they were on a Christian mission in South Africa," says Huntington.

They sent more emails in addition asking about temperament, shipping fees and paperwork, but didn’t get a good response.  Every email reply after that said, ‘"Western Union the $400 in advance and they'll ship her to our local airport.  (No answer to your questions?) Nope,” said Huntington.

The two friend did some research and found that international shipping is very expensive and can take more than 24 hours to process.  This classified ad promised next day delivery of the puppy.  In addition, Huntington said that a dog shouldn’t be shipped under a certain age and 11 weeks, as mentioned in the ad, was way to young!  They opted not to take advantage of the offer and even contacted the local paper to have the newspaper pull the ad.  However, this ad or similar ones could reappear anywhere, so always ask lots of questions and make sure to do your research.

Source: http://www.myfoxphilly.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5730008&version=5&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

 

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 841 Posted by LucyPal on Friday Feb 8, 2008 10:40 PM EST

200 Ferrets, Dead and Alive, Removed from Ferret Rescue Facility

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In a strange case of good intentions gone awry a woman in Virginia Beach, Virginia has been charged with one count of animal cruelty after animal control officers found 200 ferrets, about 102 were alive, the other 92 were dead and frozen.  The bizarre discovery is the result of a one woman ferret rescue shelter that got behind in the care and maintenance of it’s rescued animals.

 

The woman, Elaine Carole McCraig, was charged Wednesday, January 30^th after authorities removed the animals.

 

McCraig runs Ferret Rescue of Tidewater Inc. by herself and funds most of the care and maintenance of the animals on her own.  She reported that she had become sick, developing diabetes, severe tendonitis and heart problems.  During her illness, which has lasted about a year so far, she fell behind in her work. 

 

McCraig had quit a job as a veterinarian technician and nurse to care for the ferrets, which many humane societies refuse to take.  Many quickly find that ferrets are high maintenance and active animals that require a lot of care and attention.  In addition, they also quickly find that shelters won’t take their hyper ferrets.  Plus, these animals can’t be released into the wild because they are domesticated and can’t fend for themselves. 

 A good intentioned McCraig stated in a telephone interview, “The biggest mistake I've made is that I haven't asked my friends for help…I hated to call anyone else. I was sure I was going to feel better."She explained the ferret carcasses by saying that people in the surrounding area brought her their dead animals so she could have them properly cremated.  She stored them in freezers because they are cheaper to cremate in bulk.In total, authorities found 100 ferrets, a dog, a bird, and three cats living on McCraig’s property.  Most of the animals appeared to be suffering from dehydration and malnutrition.  In her freezer they found ferrets, a rat, cat and otter. 

Source: http://hamptonroads.com/2008/01/beach-woman-home-full-ferrets-charged-animal-cruelty

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Leave your own comments by clicking here. Blog ID: 837 Posted by LucyPal on Thursday Feb 7, 2008 2:08 PM EST

Celebrate the Chinese New Year Today!