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DOG SWIMS FOR CHARITY
BURTON ON TRENT
ENGLAND
August 28, 2008

Three-legged Reggie swims for charity
A POOCH who lost an ear and a leg has completed a sponsored swim to raise hundreds of pounds for cancer patients.

Six-year-old Lakeland terrier Reggie lost his ear and leg at just 10 weeks old after a fight with his siblings but he has never let it stop him living life to the full.

The courageous canine, who is cared for by Dave and Lyn Peach, from Horninglow, goes swimming every other Saturday at the Ashbourne Canine Hydrotherapy Unit.

The swimathon has raised more than £400 for the Do it 4 Di team, which raises money for the Breast Care Clinic at Burton's Queen's Hospital, in Belvedere Road.

The Do it 4 Di cancer charity was set up after former breast cancer sufferer Di Crump, along with friends Maureen Nicholson and Pam Milton, decided to give something back to the hospital that helped her fight the illness.

Ms Crump said: "It was wonderful that he did it as he hurt his back the previous weekend but he recovered well.

"Thank you to Lyn and Dave Peach because it is fantastic that they have donated the money to the Do it 4 Di team.

"Maureen and Pam would also like to pass on their thanks."

The charity's forthcoming fund-raisers include a Hallowe'en party on Friday, October 31, and a ladies' pampering evening on Thursday, November 27, both at the Henhurst Club, in Henhurst Hill.

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Asian don't hate dogs - they're just rational about them
Why we can safely reject the notion that dogs may not like ethnic minorities Sathnam Sanghera
North London, I can report, having moved there recently, is fantastic. Whereas my journey home to Brixton used to involve dodging police cordons and crack-addicted prostitutes offering fellatio, the only obstacles in NW3 are deli workers dishing out free focaccia. There's only one problem: Jessie.

Jessie is a Border collie. My housemate's dog. And the problem with dogs is that they bark, dribble, insist on being walked, smell, eat the Rufus Wainwright albums you order through the post and try to copulate with everything, even if it's 100 times or a tenth of their own size. Not even Calum Best does that.

And after two months, Jessie and I remain distant. He still barks whenever I enter the house and in return, except for the times I'm tripping over him, I ignore him. However, this arrangement was disrupted the other week when a production company suggested that I present a short documentary for Channel 4 on the question: Why do Asians Hate Dogs?

The cultural angle hadn't really struck me before. I'd put my aversion to canines down to having been bitten by a doberman as a child. But it's true. I don't know a single Asian family with a pet pooch and while Americans spent $15.2 billion (£8.2 billion) feeding their pets in 2007, the equivalent figure for India is, apparently, just $29 million. What's going on?

To find out I spent a morning with Stan Rawlinson, a self-proclaimed “dog behaviourist”, and a whole day entertaining Jessie. The experience was illuminating, but before I proffer a hypothesis for why Asians are incapable of extending their enthusiasm for private number plates to dogs, let us eliminate some theories, the first of which is: religion.

It is, of course, true that Islam has traditionally renounced dogs as impure. But - and here's a concept people seem to increasingly struggle with - not all Asians are Muslim. Animals are actually revered by Hindus and Sikhs.

It has also been suggested that the Asian aversion to dogs is down to the 25 million stray dogs marauding the sub-continent. We are, it is argued, hardwired not to get close, to avoid becoming one of 35,000 people who die of rabies in India every year.

Again, there is probably an element of truth to this, but I recently visited Ecuador, which has a similar problem with strays, but the people there are almost as keen on dogs as pets as they are on military coups. If the theory had (four) legs, then surely this wouldn't be the case.

We can also, I think, safely reject the explanation put forward by Stan Rawlinson, the dog expert, who argues that Asians may hate dogs because dogs may not like ethnic minorities. He put it to me that, because dogs don't see colour in the way human beings do, they cannot understand expressions on darker faces. Leaving aside the science of what dogs do and don't see, and the odd implication that not being able to register a facial expression leads to hatred, in my experience it's not the hostility of dogs that's off-putting, but their overbearing affection.

Indeed, unlike most Border collies, the issue is not black and white, and one of the first things I would stress is that Asians do not, necessarily, “hate” dogs. Admittedly, when I took Jessie for a walk through Southall, the Asian area of West London, and asked passers-by if they wanted to play with him, the reactions, with the exception of one woman who announced she had a pooch of her own called “Tony Singh”, were extreme. If I'd suggested eating a live pigeon, I doubt the yelps would have been more piercing.

But fear of the unknown is not the same thing as loathing - and I would suggest that it is not that Asians hate dogs, but that they are rational about them, whereas the British are demented about their dogs.

And while this irrationality comes in various forms, the most common is the absurd notion that dogs are clean animals.

When I set off with Jessie in a taxi to Southall, my English housemate, who is sane in all other respects, warned: “He gets travel sick - but don't worry, it's not as bad as human sick.” Well, having cleared up after him, I can report that dog vomit is actually worse. To argue otherwise is lunacy, and the Asian aversion to it entirely sane.

It is also entirely sane not to enjoy being slobbered over by a mutt. Many a Brit dog owner will let their pet lick their face in the sentimental belief that Fido is expressing affection. But as Rawlinson pointed out, dogs actually do this in the hope that the recipient will regurgitate their breakfast. It is behaviour they exhibit as puppies with their parents, when they are incapable of digesting raw meat, and, once again, I would argue it is rational that my people aren't enthusiastic about it.

But, having spent some serious time with Jessie, and developed something resembling a bond with him, there is, I think, something else that drives a wedge between canines and Asians. It seems to me that the essential appeal of dogs is that they are relentlessly loyal and proffer extremes of emotion: they are either extremely pleased that you are taking them for a walk, or hugely disappointed that you are not. And frankly, given the neediness and emotional hysteria of the average Asian extended family, that's the last thing we need.

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S. Annville man guides dogs to help others



Ernie Heisey talks to Cocoa, an 8-month-old chocolate Lab he is raising to eventually become a seeing-eye dog. Cocoa is wearing a vest that identifies him as a seeing-eye-dog-in-training.

ANNVILLE — Ernie Heisey hardly goes anywhere without his dog, Cocoa.
Whether it’s a restaurant, church or just for a walk, the 8-month-old chocolate Labrador retriever is by his side.

But in a few months, Heisey will return his faithful companion to the dog’s original owner.

The 74-year-old South Annville Township resident is raising Cocoa to eventually be a seeing-eye dog. Cocoa will live with Heisey for the first 12 to 15 months of the puppy’s life.

Cocoa is the third dog Heisey has helped raise for Leader Dogs for the Blind, an organization based in Rochester, Mich., that provides dog guides to people who are blind and visually impaired.

Heisey’s main mission is to socialize the dogs.

“I train them for obedience as you would any dog,” he said. “I take them as many places as I can — restaurants, church, meetings. I try to get him used to everything that he will be doing when he becomes a guide for a blind person ... so that it’s not a surprise when a blind person finally gets them.”

Heisey doesn’t do any of the what he calls “harness training,” the actual guide-dog training. They do that at Leader Dogs headquarters when Heisey returns the dogs.

“There are things that I’m not supposed to do because you have to try to put yourself in the position of a person that’s blind, such as, obviously, no food off the table whatsoever. No human food at all,” he said. “No animal bones at all, because a blind person couldn’t tell if they’re chewing or choking.”

Heisey also teaches the dogs things like normal obedience, such as how to walk on a leash, sit and stay. When he and his wife, Betty, go into a restaurant, they don’t like other people to acknowledge the dog or talk to the dog while giving their order or eating.

When going to restaurants, Heisey always calls ahead to make sure it’s OK to bring the dog.

“Everybody seems to be receptive to the idea,” he said.

Each dog has a tag from Leader Dog verifying it is a guide dog in training, and Heisey also has a vest for the dogs identifying them as such.

People often tell Heisey they wouldn’t be able to give the dog up after raising it for a year. But, he said, he doesn’t have a problem.

“You’re training the dog to be something much better than what it is, and that’s enough for me,” he said. “The dog’s never mine. The dog belongs to Leader Dog. They only loan it to me.”

When the dogs return to Leader Dogs for the Blind, they are thoroughly evaluated for medical soundness and personality traits. Dogs that pass this evaluation are trained one-on-one for the next four months by a professional instructor.

The instructor then carefully matches each Leader Dog with an individual who is legally blind. The team trains together at Leader Dogs for the Blind for a month before leaving the facility.

Heisey said he gets satisfaction out of raising the dogs, even though he has to pay for most of the costs associated with raising them.

“All the expenses are mine — the costs going out (to Michigan) to get the dog, to take the dog back, veterinarians, food,” he said. “Anything I spend is my cost. I don’t get any financial help.”

Heisey worked for 29 years as a welder for Cleaver Brooks before the plant closed and now works part-time in the supply section at Hershey Medical Center.

He and his wife have three grown children.

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Chisel is no threat: dog owner



Inconsistencies and short-comings in New Zealand's dog control legislation have been highlighted in a dispute over the "menacing" classification of a Te Kowhai dog.

A Waikato District Council subcommittee has adjourned its hearing into an objection from Antony Brinkworth to the council's classification of his seven-year-old purebred american staffordshire terrier, Chisel, as menacing.

If the classification is upheld, Chisel, a non-aggressive family pet, will have to be de-sexed, micro-chipped and muzzled in public, under 2006 amendments to the Dog Control Act. Mr Brinkworth hopes to use the dog, raised from a pup, for breeding.

While american staffordshire terriers are an internationally recognised breed, for New Zealand's legislative purposes they are considered to be american pit bull terriers, which means they are automatically classed as menacing.

Council animal control manager Nicole Collins told the hearing she did not dispute the fact Chisel was of good temperament or purebred, but under government legislation the council had no choice but to classify "according to schedule".

Mr Brinkworth said "amstaffs" such as Chisel were a show dog, and completely harmless. "It is very unfair that you can classify a dog on its breed, and not its history," he said. "If we did this with people it would be called racism."

Mr Brinkworth tabled a list of 19 councils which did not categorise the breed as pit bulls.

Hearings sub-committee councillors Dynes Fulton and Graeme Tait have reserved their decision.

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Man accused of mistreating dogs

Maxie Lambirth is in the Marion County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

The dogs were removed from the home and taken to animal care and control.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - IMPD officers made a gruesome discovery on Tuesday when they arrived at the home of a west side man. At the home they found 10 dogs living in filthy conditions and suffering from malnutrition.

The dogs were removed from the home and taken to animal care and control.

"It was pretty bad. Two of the animals that were seized from the property had severe imbedded collars. It was like someone got a knife and sliced the whole neck of the animal. It was split open," said IMPD Lt. Jerry Bippus.

Authorities said the animals were emaciated. Their ribs were showing and all of them had severe fly bites to the ears. The discovery was made Tuesday night at the home of 53-year-old Maxie Lambirth. Authorities said Lambirth kept the dogs tied to thick, heavy chains. The chains were heavy enough to be used to tow cars.

"They were scared. They cowered down. They wouldn't move. They thought I was going to hit them and we were just trying to remove them from the chains and help them out," said Lt. Bippus.

Police arrested Lambirth. He's in the Marion County Jail on a $10,000 bond. The dogs are recouping at animal care and control.

Authorities said what Lambirth did was unacceptable.

"I know I'll be pushing for him to not get these animals back due to the conditions they were living in," said Lt. Bippus.

Some of Lambirth's neighbors called what he's accused of absolutely disgusting.

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Paris Hilton and Britney Spears blamed for mini-dog craze

Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton and Britney Spears have fuelled a craze for handbag dogs - with chihuahuas now the ultimate "fashion accessory".

Paris is often pictured cuddling her chihuahua, Tinkerbell, Britney once owned three of the tiny mutts, and Geri Halliwell took her shih-tzu Harry to see Tony Blair at Chequers.

Sainsbury's reported yesterday that the number of chihuahuas it insures has leapt 417 per cent since 2006. While the overall number of pint-sized pedigree breeds it insures has shot up 41.3 per cent.

Neal Devine, the store's pet insurance manager, said: "The publicity around celebrities like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears and their small pedigree pets has fuelled the demand for handbag dogs."

He added: "A pet should never be seen as an accessory. People should not be guided by fashion trends when buying a pet."

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Police warn 'status' dog owners

Staffies are a typical status dog to some

PROBLEMS with so called 'status dogs' in Newhaven have forced police to come up with a novel way of dealing with them.
PC Matt Holt said officers had received many complaints about certain breeds of dogs, including Staffordshire bull terriers and bull mastiffs, being allowed off the lead to run riot in the town centre.

As a result Newhaven police have done some research and found owners could face prosecution under the 1988 Road Traffic Act for not keeping their dogs under control.

Section 27 (1) of the Act says it is an offence to permit a dog not to be on a lead on a designated road.

PC Holt said: 'We have had a number of complaints about status dogs being off the lead and wandering into shops. We did some digging and found this part of the Road Traffic Act.

'In the first instance, owners will get letters warning them of the Act. If they persist, then we will look to taking it further.'

The RSPCA has expressed concerns about status dogs which are increasingly seen as a badge of honour – some end up in organised dog fights while others are used to intimidate people.

Tim Wass, the charity's chief officer, said: 'There is widespread recognition that the agencies on the front line need to work better together in order to deal with irresponsible dog owners who use dogs as weapons or let them run amok.'

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Credit crunch blamed for rise in abandoned dogs

The number of abandoned dogs in Northamptonshire is rising as the credit crunch bites, according to a county kennels.
So far this year, Forest Lodge Kennels, in Quinton, has taken in 902 strays, compared with 1,316 throughout the whole of 2007.

The kennels has gone over its limit following the increase, which saw 143 dogs handed over last month, up 21 on the same month last year

Barbara Austin, who runs the centre with her husband, said the situation had become "horrendous" and believed the prospect of a recession would lead to more unwanted dogs.

Some owners were abandoning their dogs and denying any knowledge of them, she said.

Mrs Austin said: "It could be the credit crunch with people being unable to afford them or it could be that they have had to move home and can't take the dogs with them.

"It could also be that people have taken on a dog on a whim without realising what's involved.

"When we have called the owners of abandoned dogs which have been tagged you can't get through and if you do they claim to know nothing about the dog or say they have given it away."

But she added: "I do have sympathy with people having financial problems. It's difficult. You get people that would give their last penny for a dog, but if you have got four children and you have lost your job and might lose your house, you have got to prioritise."

She said there have been a large number of Staffordshire bull terriers taken in.

The abandoned dogs section of the kennels takes a maximum of 40 but there are currently 47 dogs.

Mrs Austin said: "We will have to just muddle through. We can use the overspill blocks which is what we use for out of hours."

The kennels only puts down dogs with bad temperaments or illness.

Mrs Austin called for dogs to be officially registered and to have licences, which she said would help put an end to so many people abandoning their pets.

The full article contains 351 words and appears in Northampton Chron & Echo newspaper.

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A DOGS DINNER
PARSIPPANY
USA
August 20, 2008

Gladstone Tavern dishes beef stew servings to 'your dog'
About 200 people, with 100 K9s, come to dinner -- a big hike over 2007

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GLADSTONE -- Stephannie Siegel of Mendham held her energetic black-and-white Boston terrier named Brady in her arms until a waiter presented the dog's beef stew.

The waiter put the soup bowl on the Gladstone Tavern porch, and Siegel placed Brady next to it.

Brady smelled the dish, circled it and then began eating the stew with tiny, aggressive bites.

"He likes it," Siegel said.

Siegel and Brady were among approximately 200 people and 100 dogs with reservations for the second annual Bring Your Dog to Dinner Day at Gladstone Tavern -- a sharp increase in reservations from the previous year.

Sales of the beef stew will be donated to St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, as will the $10 per dog donation charges, Gladstone Tavern management said.

The stew was described on the menu as, "Lean beef braised with vegetables until fork tender," under the heading, "For Man's Best Friend."

The price was $5.

Chef/Owner Tom Carlin said he seasoned the beef stew in veal stock and let it simmer for two hours as he would for humans.

"He'll probably never have dog food again after having gourmet beef stew," Siegel said.

She also went with her husband, Harvey, and son, Josh.

They had crab and steak.

Stephannie Siegel said they often dine at the tavern, saw advertisements for Bring Your Dog to Dinner Day while they were there and decided to bring Brady so he could meet people and other dogs.

Canine reservations quadrupled from last year to this year, according to tavern manager Dave Donlon.

He took a 2 p.m. seating with his 6-month-old Yorkiepoo, a Yorkshire terrier and miniature poodle mix, named Daisy.

Also dining with him were his wife, Kerry, and daughter, Monika.

The dogs were not allowed inside the tavern, but they dined on the front porch, on the terrace in back and on tables in the grass.

At times, one dog would bark and the other dogs would chime in.

Owners took pictures of their dogs.

"People that love dogs love to bring them," service manager Rich McCurdy said. "It's a great way to get the community together."

He said he had never heard of owners bringing their dogs to dinner in his 25 years in the restaurant industry until he started working at the tavern about a month ago.

Carlin, who adopted his mixed-breed dog Roxy from a shelter, said some of his patrons would ask if they could bring their dogs when they were eating outside.

He surmised that if he had a day when pets and their owners were invited, he could expect the day to be well-attended.

Pat Licetti of Bridgewater brought her black, mixed-breed dog, Nico.

"He likes to go places, so I wanted to bring him," she said.

Her friend, Vicki Peterson, said, "I think it's great. ... Otherwise you always have to leave your dog at home."

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Council seek help for abandoned dogs



Councillor Peter Murphy, Claire Palmer of Tejaycey, Dawn Sadler of Fenland District Council and Vanessa Castillo-Roman of Tejaycey walk four of the dogs looking for a new home.

THEY might be known to most as man's best friends, but every summer hundreds of dogs are found astray on the streets of Fenland.

Up to 15 dogs are being abandoned every week and, with not as many dogs finding homes, Fenland District Council's contract kennels is struggling to cope with the epidemic.

The council has now launched an appeal to find dog lovers, who can offer these pooches a loving new home.

Councillor Peter Murphy meets one of Tejaycey’s smaller residents. 2943BP88
Councillor Peter Murphy, the council's portfolio holder with responsibility for stray dogs, said: "There are some lovely dogs currently being looked after at our contract kennels and I would urge anyone who has the time and the room to look after one of these animals to consider giving one of them a home."

Under the Environmental Protection Act, the council has a duty to collect and detain all stray dogs. It also has the power to re-home the dogs if they remain unclaimed after seven days in the kennels.

However, a dog may be put to sleep if ill-health or poor temperament makes it unsuitable to re-home.

Genuinely lost dogs could also be returned to their owners, but many do not have a collar with their addresses on or micro-chip identification under the skin.

In July alone more than 30 abandoned dogs, many with no form of identification, were picked up as strays by the council's dog warden.

The contract kennels is currently looking after more than 40 dogs and is struggling to find homes for them before more stray dogs are brought in.

Tejaycey Boarding Kennels, in Wisbech, the council's contract kennels, is currently home to all sorts of dogs including Staffordshire Bull Terriers, a spaniel and a German shepherd.

Claire Palmer, of Tejaycey, said: "I have been here for six years and this is the worst year I have ever known for finding stray dogs.

"We have only got space here for a few more dogs, so we urgently need to find some of these dogs a new home."

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August 18, 2008

London greyhound landmark gone to the dogs

For 75 years, sleek greyhounds have chased the mechanical 'hare' round the sandy track at Walthamstow Stadium in east London, roared on by hopeful punters standing just a few steps away.

But a proud tradition has been snuffed out. On Saturday, the stadium closed its doors, almost certainly never to open again.

In the late 1940s, Britain boasted 77 greyhound racing tracks and 50 million mainly working-class punters would stream into the stadiums each year.

Walthamstow, deep in the densely populated East End, is one of the best known -- and even gave a young David Beckham his first pay packet collecting beer glasses at the track.

But changing leisure habits and the rise of online betting have caused a near terminal decline in greyhound racing and just 30 tracks remain in Britain.

The stadium was packed with 5,000 spectators on Thursday in a cruel reminder of what used to be, but most were only there for a last, and sometimes first, look.

Dave Carter, 61, who works for a greyhound trainer, has seen Walthamstow in better days.

"I've been coming down here since the '60s, two or three times a week," he said.

"If all these people were here every night there would never have been a problem. But on a normal Thursday down here you might get no more than 200 in.

"To be honest, I'd say greyhound racing is dying everywhere.

"I used to work with a trainer in Sydney and when I went back to Australia recently there was only a tiny crowd there too. It's very sad."

A night "at the dogs" is a unique occasion. Admission costs no more than six pounds (7.5 euros, 11 dollars) and there is little of the sartorial finery associated with horse racing -- most people wear jeans as they munch hot dogs and drink beer.

The action is up close, with the dogs thundering after the prey they will never catch just the other side of a fence.

The trackside bookmakers, or bookies, mainly elderly men in shiny but still smart suits, signal to their colleagues with a series of hand gestures that are incomprehensible to all but the aficionados.

The names of the greyhounds -- Droopys Marylou and Sherbourne Ellie were just two of the dogs running on Thursday -- are also reminiscent of a bygone era.

Walthamstow has played host to the stars over the years. The Kray brothers, infamous London gangsters of the 1960s, were regulars in their heyday and Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt was a more recent visitor.

David Beckham grew up not far away and long before football brought him his millions he used to earn pocket money at the track.

He said he was sad to see it close.

"It's a real shame to see it go as it means so much to the area," Beckham told reporters from his home in California.

"Even though I haven't lived in the East End for many years, I have great memories of Walthamstow and I know many people will miss it, including me."

Andrew Neofitou, who was enjoying a last night out at what locals affectionately call the 'Stow, remembers Beckham well.

"David was what we call a 'pot boy'," the 37-year-old recalls. "He was a quiet lad. I used to lock him in the lift for a laugh."

Andrew's friend Steve Tatam, also 37, used to run along the roof of one of the stands at the stadium after climbing up from his parent's garden which backed onto the venue.

He said: "I'm getting really quite emotional about the track, but they won't be able to save it. It's gone, I think. In a year's time it'll all be houses and flats here.

"I'm a window fitter, so my only hope now is that I get the contract to fit out the houses!"

The stadium's owners have sold the land to a housing association -- a builder of low-cost housing -- for a rumoured 22 million pounds.

A spirited campaign to save the track has been launched, backed by a multi-millionaire businessman who wants to buy it from its new owners.

For the moment, the housing association insists it will go ahead with its plans and most neutral observers believe the efforts to save the track are doomed.

One element of the stadium that will be staying is its whitewashed front, complete with pink and green neon lettering, which has protected architectural status.

But the future for many of the dogs seemed to be spelled out by a forlorn advertising hoarding in the track's infield. It reads: "Greyhounds make Great Pets."

OWNERS WAIT FOR NEWS
PHILADELPHIA
USA
August 17, 2008

Devastated pet owners hope for news

Julieann Derham brought her bulldog, Amelia, to live with her at the Riverwalk at Millennium apartments last week, she said through tears yesterday .
She hasn't seen Amelia since leaving for work Wednesday, before an eight-alarm fire devastated the Conshohocken complex.

"She's my baby," Derham, 25, said. "She's so sweet, and she wouldn't hurt anything," she sobbed, talking with SCPA workers at the Spring Mill Fire Company.

Earlier yesterday, near an SPCA table at the Riverwalk complex, a woman dropped to the pavement, crying.

"My cat is dead," she said between sobs to her male companion, who crouched facing her and massaged her shoulders.

The day after the fire left 375 people displaced, dozens of owners scoured the grounds for any information about their pets. With only minor human injuries and no fatalities, the major loss of life appears to have been that of many cats and dogs.

The apartments had a welcoming attitude that attracted pet owners, said Donnie Bielak, 24, who was reunited with his tabby yesterday morning.

"It's very pet-friendly," he said. "Almost everybody there had a pet."

Representatives of the SPCA were at the fire scene until midnight and returned yesterday to gather information from pet owners. As of yesterday afternoon SCPA workers had recovered four cats and one ferret. The Montgomery County Animal Response Team had also gathered three cats.

The SPCA county shelter will house any animals that are found. For information about them, call 610-825-0111.

Experts are unsure how many pets are lost to fires each year, as many owners don't report pet deaths and disappearances.

"It's almost impossible to track," said Cindy Otto, an associate professor of critical care at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. "The big thing is, be prepared to evacuate. It's something that needs to be in place before any disaster happens."

Families should keep carriers to transport pets and make sure their animals are clearly marked, preferrably with microchips, Otto said.

Brad Helcoski, 31, came close to leaving his rat terrier, Reilly, in its crate when he heard the fire alarm on his way out to the gym.

But when Helcoski saw ash in the sky and firefighters on the ground outside his building, he turned back.

"I ran up the fire escape and grabbed my dog and my phone," he said. "That was it."

Perhaps no one felt more fortunate than Bielak and his girlfriend, Natalie Walchuk, both 24, who were among the first to get their pet back.

After the meeting, they heard that rescuers had found two orange cats yesterday morning. Walking over to an SPCA tent, they recognized their hamper and, inside, Nutmeg.

"That's your cat? You're so lucky, you're so lucky," said someone in the crowd that had gathered around the 7-year-old tabby as though it were a celebrity.

"We're so grateful," Bielak said.

They had tried to go into their building to rescue the cat, but firefighters had turned them away, he said. "We're pretty sure we lost all our possessions," Bielak said. "But it doesn't matter because Nutmeg is OK."

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2 Taliban militants bitten by US coalition dogs

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. coalition dogs bit two fleeing suspected Taliban militants during an operation in eastern Afghanistan in which a total of eight insurgents were detained, the coalition said Friday.

The raid Thursday in the Muslim country's Paktika province targeted a Taliban sub-commander wanted for kidnapping, killing Afghan soldiers and involvement in roadside attacks, it said.

During the operation, "two militants attempted to flee and were pursued by coalition military working dogs," the coalition said in a statement. "Both militants received dog-bite injuries, one of which required treatment on scene by coalition medical personnel."

1st Lt. Nathan Perry, a coalition spokesman, would not say what kind of dogs were used in the raid, but said the troops will "use dogs when we need to." Perry did not know if the targeted Taliban sub-commander was among those detained and the statement did not specify.

In Islamic tradition, dogs are shunned as unclean and dangerous.

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Dognappers strike



SOME of the puppies feeding from their mother
THE OWNERS of a litter of newborn pedigree pups stolen during a car wash burglary are offering £1,000 for their safe return.

William James, manager of Strawberry Bubbles in Pembroke Road, Hornsey, discovered his family's six prized Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies had been taken when he got to work on Saturday morning.

William James with the pining parents of the puppies, Sky and Blue. He is offering a £1,000 reward for the safe return of the pups.
The rare pups - which are the offspring of Mr James' daughters' dogs Sky and Blue - are just two weeks old and each weighs less than 2lbs.

The family fears the young and helpless pups will soon die if not given the round-the-clock care required.

Mr James said: "I know that they are not in safe hands. They need their mum's warmth and milk. Otherwise they need special milk from the vet. It's going to be so difficult for them. By now they could already easily be dead."

He added: "Our daughters have been in tears. They saw them being born and everything, one by one. They mean a lot, and we are so distraught."

The burglary happened in the early hours of Saturday morning at the car wash, where the pups were unexpectedly born and being looked after.

They would normally stay with the mother for 12 weeks.

As Mr James' partner Elaine Boriel, 29, was moving house to Chafford Hundreds, Essex, the dogs were being looked after at the car wash.

The intruder or intruders entered through a ground-floor window, sneaking past a sleeping employee who was looking after the litter, Mr James revealed. A PS3 games console and cash was also stolen.

But Mr James ruled out an "inside job", saying "everybody" in the area knew the dogs and had seen her pregnant.

The litter is distinctive, with blue eyes and four of them boasting "blue" coats - grey-silver in colour.

Another is white and the last, called Lucky Fishbone, is light brown.

He is the only one with a name, having been brought back to life with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by a car wash worker after the mother, sat on him.

The reward is being offered only for information that leads to the safe return of all the pups, said Mr James.

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More than 360 animals found at filthy Mo. property
More than 360 domestic and farm animals, many of them emaciated, injured and suffering from mange and parasites, were rescued Tuesday from a filthy southwest Missouri property where they were hoarded and bred, authorities said.

The owner of the property was charged with child endangerment because six children, ages 1 to 11, also had been living in what authorities described as an unbelievable scene: 12 to 15 house trailers stacked to the ceilings with junk, trash and debris, crawling with cockroaches. The only water source was a bunch of garden hoses strung together.

"These homes are not fit for anyone to live in," human or animal, Polk County Sheriff Steve Bruce said.

The 363 animals include more than 70 dogs and more than three dozen cats, plus donkeys, rabbits, ducks, chickens, and exotic fish. The Humane Society of Missouri and Polk County also found 12 to 15 dead rabbits, dogs, cats, and poultry.

Authorities descended upon the property with warrants after the family who owns the land failed to heed warnings last month to begin providing proper care, said Tim Rickey, the Humane Society's director of rescues and investigations.

In the days since those warnings, many of the animals had been released from their cages, prompting neighbors to complain. Authorities took a closer look and found that children also were on the 80-acre rural property near Pleasant Hope in southwest Missouri. Child-welfare workers removed the children were about a week ago, Bruce said.

Property owner Virginia Gambriel, 61, was arrested and charged Tuesday with two counts of felony child endangerment over living conditions Bruce described as the worst he's seen in 16 years of public service.

More charges are expected, against Gambriel and others, Bruce said. Gambriel is being held on $7,500 bond, and doesn't yet have an attorney, he said.

Three families lived on the property, authorities said, but the total number of residents wasn't clear. The property, littered with 15 to 20 abandoned vehicles, was "in the brush in the middle of nowhere on a dead-end road" that deputies rarely visited, Bruce said.

"We've known for a while they were a little strange, that they didn't want interference from the outside world, but unless we're down there on a call, it's not part of our routine patrol," Bruce said.

The local Humane Society called the rescue the largest it ever had undertaken and said the people were "clearly hoarders" who were raising and breeding rabbits and dogs, but not necessarily for sale.

The creatures were half friendly, half shy and almost all of them afraid. Many of the animals were running loose, Rickey said.

Investigators said the animals had lived in filthy, deplorable conditions without adequate food, water and shelter. Many are underweight and suffering from poor skin and coat conditions and other maladies.

Bruce said Gambriel told him most of the dogs were abandoned strays she picked up and brought home.

A custody hearing for the animals was set for Sept. 2 in Bolivar.

The horses and farm animals will be treated at the Humane Society's Longmeadow Rescue Ranch in Union, while others will be taken to the St. Louis headquarters.

They will not be available immediately for adoption, but donations of money, bedding, food, cages, and toys are needed, along with volunteers, the Society said.

St. Louis psychotherapist Alec Pollard said hoarding is a serious psychiatric disorder that impairs judgment.

Pollard said typically an animal hoarder goes to court, evokes the judge's pity, and walks away with a warning but no mandated treatment.

"Jail is inappropriate for these folks, but to go untreated is not the answer either," he said.

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Dogs seized, suspected in eight attacks



Owner questioned by police and released;
A man has been questioned by police and his four pit bull dogs are being held in Surrey following a rash of dog-pack attacks on Vancouver Island and in Metro Vancouver.

RCMP said they questioned the dog owner and subsequently released him. The dogs, three adult pit bulls and one puppy, were turned over to animal control officers. The matter is under investigation and negligence charges are being considered.

News reports identify the man as Hal Harris, who lives in his van.

Four dogs were seized from their owner in Vancouver on Monday. The dogs are suspected of attacking people and other dogs in at least eight incidents.
Global TV

Police acted after a man in Surrey was attacked by a pack of pit bulls while walking his dog Sunday. The man was bitten, and his dog was injured.

A Metro Vancouver resident called police after spotting a van that matched the description of a vehicle linked to the Surrey attack.

Don Brown, chief bylaw officer for the Capital Regional District, said his office has been in touch with animal control officers in Surrey and learned that lawyers there are working to obtain an order to have the dogs put down.

Brown said charges are being considered against Harris for an incident in North Saanich. The dogs are believed to be responsible for at least eight pit bull pack attacks in Nanaimo, North Saanich and Surrey.

"We are obviously relieved that they have finally got these dogs," he said.

Brown said it has been difficult for animal control officers to confront the owner of the dogs believed responsible for the attacks since he and his dogs always seem to flee the scene. "In almost every case, he has rounded up his dogs and beetled off," Brown said.

It's believed the dog owner might have family and friends with other dogs, since some reports have him in control of seven, eight even 10 or 12 dogs, he said. But "if you are being attacked, it probably looks like 10 or 12 dogs," Brown said.

David Voss of Sidney wonders why the CRD and RCMP didn't move more forcefully last month when pit bulls attacked Sofi, his miniature American Eskimo dog in North Saanich.

Voss said Sofi was so badly mauled a police officer shot her on the spot following the July 7 attack in woods near the Victoria International Airport.

When Voss asked if anything was going to happen to the pit bulls or their owner, he was told "no." The pit bulls were all on a leash while Sofi was running free.

Voss said the leash excuse for not taking action against the pit bulls was silly.

After the July attack, the owner of the pit bulls was taken to hospital, where his injuries required 50 stitches.

His dogs, Voss said, were left behind in a van, where they lunged barking and snarling at the windows when his neighbour went to check on them.

But Sidney police and the CRD were given a false name and address. By the time the man's identity was determined, through his licence plate, he had left town.

Victoria SPCA animal protection officer Erika Paul said walking a group of dogs, especially pit bulls, always calls for special care.

"A pack of dogs is a pack of dogs," Paul said.

No one should try to break up a pack attack. Even if it means sacrificing your own pet, it's safer to back away because the dogs might turn on you. "You need to know what you are doing to break up a pack attack," Paul said.

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Man and dog bite farmer



This is how Hennie Steyn looked after he was allegedly attacked by Johannes Strydom and his dog.

Pretoria - Johannes Petrus Strydom, who is being accused by several people of ordering his dog to bite them, has apparently also bitten a person himself.

Hennie Steyn, 50, a game farmer from Thabazimbi in Limpopo, claims Strydom bit him on the hand on June 20 2008, and his dog, a Staffordshire bull terrier, bit him on the face and the back of his leg.

Strydom apparently also attacked Steyn's wife Sue, 49, and the dog also got hold of her leg and bit her.

"I nearly bled to death,"

"Strydom assaulted us without any provocation after he caught some of my game. He got his dog to maul me and then sped off with the last of the buck that he caught without paying. He assaulted me while the dog bit me.

"When I pushed him (Strydom) away, he bit me on the hand and then his dog bit me."

'Yes, I did nearly beat him to death'

Strydom said he had hit Steyn because he was a racist. "Yes, I did nearly beat him to death," he said on Sunday.

Steyn said during the attack, Strydom's exact words to his dog were: "Sa, vat hom. (Sa, take him)"

He said Strydom wanted to hit his wife on the face, but she tried to block him with her hands.

"He then hit her repeatedly on her hands. She had a terrible bruise on her hand and the dog bit her once on her back leg."

Steyn said after Strydom had assaulted him and his wife, a friend who had caught game with Strydom, took him to task for hitting a woman. "But then he assaulted his friend too." According to Strydom, the man was an employee.

Legal action

Steyn laid charges of theft and assault with the intention of causing grievous bodily harm at Thabazimbi police station.

"I am still awaiting feedback from the police."

Steyn has also sued Strydom for R100 000 for pain and suffering and R118 000 for the antelope he had sped away with.

Steyn's child was not bitten by the dog as was reported in Beeld on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Strydom allegedly set his dog on three petrol attendants at a Pretoria fuel station. The dog bit one man and a second was injured when he tried to run from the dog.

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DJ the terrier is a skydiving daredevil

A terrier, named DJ, has his first skydiving jump under his belt collar.

MEET DJ, the daredevil parachuting pooch who fell 1220m and lived to chase his tail another day.

The Gold Coast Bulletin reports the 20-month-old tenterfield terrier joins an elite group of skydiving animals around the world after completing two tandem jumps with his owner Archie Jamieson, who is the manager of the Gold Coast Skydive Centre.

DJ landed safely on all fours when the pair dived into the All Saints Anglican School fete at Merrimac on Saturday.

The weekend’s jump followed a practice skydive on Thursday, which Mr Jamieson said was a complete success despite the fact the pair had never jumped together before.

“We did the first jump at Kirra just to see if he liked it. Because if he didn’t, I wouldn’t pursue it,” he said.

Mr Jamieson had a harness made especially for DJ so that he was attached to his chest.

“It’s exactly the same as a tandem skydive with people,” he said.

“He’s attached to me and he can’t get out of it.”

This will not be the last time DJ dives from great heights, with Mr Jamieson planning to make his four-legged friend a big star.

“It will be purely for skydiving displays,” he said.

“Eventually, what I want to get him is a sponsor and that way they can cover the cost of display jumps.”

The extent of the daredevil jumping around my house is when Archie & Lydia jump from the bed to the floor without touching the step-up cushion at the end of the bed!

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KILLED WITH A SCREWDRIVER NEWCASTLE
ENGLAND
August 10, 2008

Morpeth man killed dog with a screwdriver



CRUEL Ian Glass plunged a screwdriver into his terrified pet dog’s neck after kicking the cowering animal around his house.

The dog died in agony from a series of injuries that included eight smashed teeth.

Glass, 59, who has borderline learning difficulties and suffers from depression, admitted causing the cross-bred dog, called Rex, unnecessary suffering when he appeared before magistrates in Bedlington.

Magistrates were told Glass launched the deadly attack after he became a target for torment by youngsters living near his home in Second Avenue, Stobhill, Morpeth. He had also stopped taking his antidepressant medicine, said Michelle Lamond, defending.

In the days before he attacked the dog Glass had been subjected to verbal abuse, and his garden shed had been burgled and tools stolen, Ms Lamond added.

Magistrates called for pre-sentence reports and adjourned the case until next month.

Judith Curry, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said Glass had carried Rex into a vet’s surgery in Morpeth on December 17 last year and announced that he had killed his dog.

When the dead animal was examined a vet found that it had eight broken or missing teeth, which the vet said had been caused by kicks or blows with a blunt instrument.

But the dog had died as a result of bleeding from a puncture wound to its neck.

When Glass was questioned about the dog’s death, he said he had felt as if he was inside a pressure cooker and added that the dog had done nothing to deserve what he did to it.

Glass tried to get help for the animal, but Rex died in a taxi on the way to the vet’s.

Shortly after the dog’s death, it was said, Glass was himself taken to a general hospital before being sent to a psychiatric hospital to stabilise his own mental state.

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TERRIER BADLY MAULED BY DOG IN A VICIOUS ATTACK

A 10-year-old was left "traumatised" after the terrier she was walking was viciously attacked by another dog.

Courteney Mortlock, of Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes, was walking Simba, the family's Yorkshire terrier, when they were set upon by a dog resembling either a Staffordshire or pit bull terrier.

Simba was badly bitten in the attack - and remains in a serious condition - while Courteney was knocked to the ground and grazed her knee.

A witness, who did not wish to be named, described the scene near the Rhythm and Booze shop on Grimsby Road, on Friday lunchtime, as "absolutely horrendous".

It comes a month after a dog was mauled to death by a Staffordshire bull terrier while out walking with his owners through Immingham's Spring Street field.

A witness to the latest attack said: "A dog threw the Yorkshire terrier all over the place and wouldn't let it go.

"There was blood everywhere and the little girl was hysterical.

"People were desperately trying to get the dog off, but it wasn't working - it was a complete free-for-all.

"Lots of people were trying to help and somebody was kicking the dog off."

The dog was not on a lead and no owner was seen.

Courteney's mum, Mandy (41), said her daughter is unlikely to walk Simba again.

She said: "She was in real shock and left totally traumatised.

"She kept thinking it was her fault and she won't walk him now.

"Simba is still being sick and shaking, and is in shock.

"We took him to Cleethorpes vets and he has had to have lots of injections."

Courteney said: "It was really scary and I panicked.

"The dog came across the road and I tried to pick Simba up.

"I fell over and hurt myself, but I'm a bit scared to go out with him again.

"I just want to thank everybody who helped."

Since the attack Simba's condition has deteriorated and Mrs Mortlock is concerned for his life.

She said: "At the minute I think it is touch and go because he is struggling to breathe."

A Humberside Police spokeswoman said: "All dog owners are reminded of their responsibility to keep their pets under control at all times and, when in public places, to ensure they are tethered."

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Dog-cloner denies she was Mormon sex kidnapper Joyce McKinney



Bernann McKinney (top) has denied she was previously known as Joyce McKinney, who was accused of sexual assault and kidnap
Leo Lewis and Ben Quinn
The woman who had her pet dog cloned by South Korean scientists flatly denied early today that she was a bail abscondee accused of sexually assaulting and kidnapping a male Mormon missionary more than 30 years ago in Surrey.

Rumours have been circulating about the true identity of Bernann McKinney, who this week appeared in Seoul with her five cloned pit bull puppies. She and her dogs have featured in publications around the world since the ground-breaking procedure.

Ms McKinney, who said that she lived in Hollywood, California, denied that she was actually Joyce McKinney, who was charged at Epsom Magistrates’ Court in 1977 with false imprisonment.

The story of Joyce McKinney is nothing if it is not larger than life. She was accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting the 17-stone Kirk Anderson, a Mormon missionary, who had become the object of her passionate affections.

Woman says she 'loved Mormon'
'I loved Kirk so much I would have skied down Mount Everest in the nude with a carnation up my nose'

Mormon missionary forced to have intercourse, court told

With the help of a friend she is alleged to have kidnapped him and chained him to a bed in a remote cottage. After apparently failing to persuade him to marry her and father her children she then seems to have forced him to have sex with her. He finally escaped and she was arrested.

During a subsequent court appearance Joyce McKinney, is reputed to have said: “I loved him so much that I would ski naked down Mount Everest with a carnation up my nose if he asked me to.”

During another court hearing her counsel said of Mr Anderson: “Methinks the Mormon doth protest too much . . . you have seen the size of Mr Anderson and you have seen the size of my client.”

After three months on remand in Holloway Prison she was released on bail because of failing mental health. She then fled the country using a false passport. True to fashion or the hyperbole of a remarkable story She seems to have disguised herself as a nun for several months and disappeared into the Appalachian Mountains.

She was tracked down and appeared topless in glamour magazines before the authorities caught up with her. Britain never attempted to extradite her to stand trial.

This morning from Seoul as she prepared for a television interview Bernann McKinney flatly denied that she was the mysterious Joyce McKinney. “That’s garbage, that’s rot,” she said. “If that is what you want to talk about then I don’t want to talk to you. If you print that rot I will sue you.”

During the 1977-78 court case it was claimed that Joyce McKinney had, with the help of her friend, confronted Mr Anderson on the steps of Ewell’s Church of the Latter Day Saints and frogmarched him to a car where he was subdued with chloroform. They then appear to have driven him 200 miles to a rented 17th century cottage in Okehampton, Devon.

To add further mystery and zing to the whole story, Mr Anderson was said to have been wearing a Mormon chastity belt at the time. Joyce McKinney is also said to have read him religious texts and played him romantic tapes before sexually stimulating him. In her defence, she claimed that it was a bondage game played with his full consent. Legend has it that after he eventually promised to marry her she loosened his chains and he then escaped.

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Dogs injured during horse theft

Esther Nash-Smith with one of her injured dogs.

RUTHLESS thieves battered two guard dogs into submission before rounding up and stealing five horses from a Twineham stables.

Distraught owner Esther Nash-Smith, whose horses are 'her life', said a substantial reward was now being offered for their return.

She discovered the three mares and two foals missing and the sickening attack on her German Shepherds at her yard at Smiths Meadow the morning after.

She said it appeared that the horse rustlers used a 6ft fencing stake to beat the dogs around their heads and used bolt-cutters to break a chain and padlock on the gate.

They then switched off the electric fencing and lured the horses out of the fields on Sunday July 30.

Her horse box used by the thieves to transport the horses was later found abandoned by police in Haxted in Surrey.

The five horses were: one traditional Blagdon mare, one filly foal, one black thoroughbred mare, one coloured colt foal, one chestnut arab mare.

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Mayor’s dogs, family victims of insane War on Drugs



A police SWAT team raided the home of the mayor of Berwyn Heights, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC, last week. The SWAT team shot and killed his two dogs after the Mayor, Cheye Calvo, brought in a 32-pound package of marijuana that had been delivered to his doorstep, according to The Washington Post.

“My government blew through my doors and killed my dogs,” Calvo said. “They thought we were drug dealers, and we were treated as such. I don’t think they really ever considered that we weren’t.”

Calvo described a chaotic scene, in which he — wearing only underwear and socks — and his mother-in-law were handcuffed and interrogated for hours. They were surrounded by the dogs’ carcasses and pools of the dogs’ blood, Calvo said. Calvo said that he did not know how the drugs wound up on his doorstep.

He works part time as the mayor and serves as director of expansion for the SEED Foundation, a well-known national nonprofit group that runs urban public boarding schools.

Police shot the Mayor’s 7-year-old black Labrador retriever, Payton, near the front door and then his 4-year-old dog, Chase, also a black Lab, as the dog ran into a back room.

Most of the citizens in Berwyn Heights were shocked to hear the news. The community of 3,000 is rallying around its mayor and forever fearing its abusive government and their ridiculous War on Drugs.

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WORK INSIDE OR OUT
USA
August 5, 2008

Dogs, handlers earn their keep inside, outside Vacaville prison

CANINE OFFICER John Johnson and Shelby demonstrate their skills at California State Prison, Solano.

Sometimes, the simplest gesture can have great significance. That's why a mere sniff, scratch or growl offered by either of two special dogs at California State Prison, Solano, is taken so very seriously.

For the past 20 years, CSP Solano has been one of just three facilities in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation system to have a canine team. The Soledad and Salinas Valley facilities each also has two handlers and two dogs.

The team at CSP is considered vital to day-to-day operations and the community as a whole, said Correctional Officer Jonathan Whitfield, who partners with 3-year-old Dutch shepherd Blue Zen.

A 22-year-veteran with eight years as a canine officer, Whitfield is on his second canine partner and has worked with Blue Zen for about two years.

John Johnson, a 20-year corrections veteran, is new to canine duty, with just five months under his belt. His partner is 4-year-old Shelby.

The teams patrol every day, scouring every section of the institution for narcotics-related contraband. The dogs' keen sense of smell can pick up a mere whiff of myriad drugs, Whitfield said, and they'll bark or scratch like mad to let officers know what they've found.

A brief demonstration revealed that Blue Zen and Shelby are quick-alerters with very different ways of doing things.

"She'll go over the (6 foot) fence," said Whitfield of Shelby, who alerted on a cotton ball smeared with the scent of marijuana. "Blue will go

The teams also lends aid on probation and parole sweeps and assists local law enforcement agencies when called upon. Next comes a hefty amount of work in programs such as DARE, educational events, community events and more.

"We're called 'Have dog, will travel,'" joked Whitfield, adding that they're literally always on call.

At day's end, the service dogs go home with their handlers and spend time being ... well, dogs.

Blue Zen likes to swim in Whitfield's pool, "lay around and catch flies," Whitfield added.

Shelby, meanwhile, enjoys romping in Johnson's yard. "She's very playful," Johnson said. "She gets along with my wife and son very well."

The dogs deserve the rest, the officers said, because they're "on" all the time and train at least three times a week.

And their impact, the handlers said, is deeply felt.

"It's a deterrent," Whitfield said. "We'll walk through a building or on a tier and you'll hear toilets flushing. ... You know it's dope being flushed."

Johnson agreed, emphasizing the satisfaction of a job that allows him "to keep the prison as safe as possible and combat drug use" at the same time.

Both men attributed the team's success to the prison administration and fellow staff. The unit's job, the men said, is to merely find the presence of drugs. Other officers have to actually find them and, without the support of the warden and assistant warden, there would be no resources to do so.

"We're all a big team," Johnson said. "A family, really."

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Vet struck off after owner finds pet dead

A MERSEYSIDE vet who said he “took his eye off the ball” because a dog owner “got on his nerves” has been struck off.

Les Higgott was removed from the veterinary register at a hearing of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)

The Wallasey vet’s conduct was described as “almost as far distant from the standards properly to be expected of a competent veterinarian as it is possible to conceive”.

The RCVS committee heard that while treating Patricia Cook’s dog Fliss in June last year, her pet was kept in a urine-soaked, faeces-encrusted box.

When she complained, Higgott told her: “I’ve never certified a cause of death as dog s*** and wee.”

The committee heard how on one occasion when Mrs Cook visited the Poulton Road practice, Higgott refused to let her in, saying: “For f***’s sake, you were only here yesterday.”

When she went to the back of the premises to check on Fliss, she found she was dead.

Mrs Cook told Higgott, but he argued she was mistaken, until he checked the body.

The hearing found Higgott guilty of “disgraceful conduct in a professional respect”.

In a written verdict, the committee said: “The circumstances prevailing in this case resulted in the dog Fliss suffering in conditions of absolute squalor.

“The committee was of the view that the respondent’s conduct was likely to undermine public confidence in the veterinary profession and did bring the profession into disrepute.

“It is for those reasons, and not without a heavy heart, the committee concluded the only proper sanction to impose in this case is the ultimate sanction of removal of the respondent’s name from the register.

“It is aware of the very significant, if not devastating, effect this will have upon the respondent’s ability to sell his practice and of the other financial consequences that may follow.”

Higgott had denied a string of charges relating to his record-keeping, professional development, and treatment of Fliss and Mrs Cook.

The RCVS acknowledged it had heard descriptions of “a generous and caring man, who had sought to care for animals all of his working life and often did not charge for work that he undertook for clients”.

‘A good vet and real gentleman’

DESPITE the evidence against him, Les Higgott received massive backing from people using his practice, including a petition on his behalf.

His supporters included the mayor of Wirral, Cllr Adrian Jones, who gave evidence that Higgott regularly waived fees for clients.

He also said his removal from his practice would have a severely detrimental effect on a deprived area.

Other people contacted terrierworld.co.uk
[see letters to terrierworld]
to voice their support for Higgott.

Cath Hollywood, 56, said: “Les is important here because not only is he a good vet, he is an affordable vet.

“He has cared for my dogs excellently. He is a good vet and a real gentleman.”

Yvonne Tomlinson said: “We have known Les for 25 years. Our first meeting was when our cat was hit by a bus and his hip was broken.

“Les rebuilt his hip and put a pin and plate in. The cat was then six weeks old - he lasted 15 years.

“Other vets told us to have him put down.”

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DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION
NEW ZEALAND
August 3, 2008

Busta barking mad after storms



PETRIFIED POOCH: Fox terrier Busta Cleary is on anti-depressants and terrified of bad weather after last year's tornadoes in Taranaki.

tHe has been on anti-depressants since last year's tornadoes left him shell-shocked - but nothing seems to be helping six-year-old fox terrier Busta Cleary recover from his fear of storms.

When rain drums on the tin roof of his New Plymouth home, or thunder and lightning strike, Busta - usually a confident and lively dog - turns to custard.

His owners have borne the brunt of Busta's blubbering, winding up in bed with a hairy, hyperventilating, dribbling, shivering wee mess until well after the weather has cleared.

Busta's mum Heidy Cleary said Busta didn't bat an eyelid over anything blustery before last July but they were now paying $50 a month to keep him on Chlomacalm, a canine version of Prozac.

"He was never a scaredy-cat before, he didn't give a stuff," Mrs Cleary said.

"The hardest thing is he is really petrified. All you want to do is give him a big cuddle and say, `It's alright'. But you're not allowed to do that."

While Busta whines and sweats, the rest of the family have to pretend there is nothing wrong.

Otherwise Busta may think he is being rewarded for his "naughty" behaviour.

There are CDs designed to train dogs who have irrational fears and Mrs Cleary and her family will look in to them once the Chlomacalm has kicked in.

For now, however, poor Busta has to get through the turbulent winter - fingers crossed the drugs will soon have him back to his old tricks.

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Suspected Boulder Creek dog torturer arrested

A man suspected of abusing or neglecting more than three dozen dogs at his home in Boulder Creek (Santa Cruz County) where dogs' heads were found was arrested Thursday on animal-cruelty charges, authorities said.

Robert Brunette, 45, was arrested as he was walking near Los Gatos High School about 6:25 a.m., authorities said. There was no sign of his car or personal effects nearby, and Brunette has no apparent connection to the school, said Sgt. Randy Rimple of the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police.

"He looked just kind of neutral," Rimple said. "He was just kind of blank."

Brunette made no statements and was picked up by Santa Cruz County sheriff's deputies shortly before noon.

Sheriff's officials had called Los Gatos police to report that Brunette was in their town, Rimple said. It was not immediately known how the sheriff's office knew where he was.

Brunette faces numerous felony and misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty, said Santa Cruz County animal services coordinator Tricia Geisreiter.

On Saturday, animal control officers found and rescued 38 dogs - including puppies a few days old - from Brunette's property on Hartman Creek Road. His home was littered with crates that contained feces and urine, she said.

A search of the property uncovered a decapitated dog's head, five canine skulls and a dead dog next to a lawn chair on a deck atop the home, Geisreiter said.

When authorities returned to the home Tuesday, they found two dog paws and a sixth dog skull, raising the possibility that Brunette had returned to his property to deposit the items.

Two more live dogs were found Tuesday and are being treated along with the 38 others. An additional eight dogs are believed to be somewhere on the 3-acre property.

Sheriff's deputies and animal control officers raided the home a day after Brunette refused to grant access to authorities investigating reports of animals crying in pain, Geisreiter said.

When officers returned Saturday with a search warrant, Brunette ran away, authorities said.

The dogs that are being treated by the county include cane corsos, also known as Italian mastiffs, rottweilers and Labrador retrievers. Brunette had been selling dogs in the Bay Area, authorities said.

The dogs are not yet adoptable, Geisreiter said. Some are scared of humans and are unsocial, and animal control officers hope to nurse them back to health before deciding whether to put them up for adoption.

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Long-lost dog returns to Rosyth family after 15 months!


REUNITED: James with Spud.

A LONG-LOST dog has made an amazing homecoming to his Rosyth family – 15 months after going walkabout.

James Paul (51), of Hilton Road, couldn’t believe it when his family hound, Spud, started barking to get into the house last week.

The last James had seen of the labrador/Staffordshire bull terrier cross was when he was playing in the back garden last April.

But it seems that, wherever Spud disappeared to, there was no place like home and he decided to come back.

“He’s been well looked after and well fed,” said bus driver James, who has owned the pooch for 13 years.

“I can’t say for sure where he’s been but he seems happy.”

James, along with wife Moira (49), son Steven (25) and daughter Sara (23), had been left devastated when Spud vanished.

The family feared the worst for his life and even kept his lead as a memento of their missing pet.

“He’d run away before and either came back within an hour or twice we had to pay to get him out of the kennels,” continued grandad James.

“This time we thought he was gone for good.

“To turn up on the doorstep 15 months after going missing is unbelievable.”

Describing the first few moments of the prodigal pet’s return, James told the Press, “I was still in my bed and my daughter shouted through, ‘Spud’s back’, and then he jumped on top of me.

“It was like he had never been away. He’s got a new dog bone and my wife’s going to get him a new bed. I’m chuffed to have him back.”

And James reckons Spud must have a homing device to rival a GPS system that was able to guide him home from his secret holiday location.

“I think he must have been a distance away because a lot of people around here know him,” he said.

“If he was nearby, somebody would have said to us that they had seen him.

“He might have been in Inverkeithing or somewhere in the area but he’s not been near us.”

The trip, however long or short it may have been, has obviously taken its toll on Spud though.

“He still looks pretty knackered,” James said. “He’s a lot slower than he used to be.

“I used to take him for big long walks but now he can only go about half a mile. He just lies and sleeps a lot.

“He won’t be going back out there again (the back garden), he’ll be on the lead from now on,” James laughed. “He’s had his last chance!”

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On Tuesday 19th August The BBC Showed An Hour Long Documentary 'Pedigree Dogs Exposed'
It Was An in-depth investigation into the health of pedigree dogs, revealing the surprising historical reasons that have contributed to problems in some breeds.
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE KENNEL CLUB HAS RESPONDED
TO THIS PROGRAM Read His Statement
This Program Has By Its Very Nature Caused Outrage Among Breeders And Pet Owners Alike, But For Very
Different Reasons. Watch Videos
What Are Your Thoughts On The Program, Do You Think That The Program Makers Were Acting In A Responsible
Manner In Bringing These Facts To The Dog Lovers Of This Country?
How Do You Think That The Chairman Of The Kennel Club
Handled The Probing Questions From The Journalist?
Email Your Thoughts To: terrierworld Emails Will Be
Published In The Letters To Terrier World Section
(Confidentiality If Preferred)

BLIND DOG
USA
August 28, 2008

Blind dog finds home with Kentucky family

From left, Libby, Michael and Eric Canter meet their new dog, Prince Keller.

A dog from Bell Buckle had a change of luck last week when a family from Lexington, Ky., welcomed him into its home.
But this wasn't any ordinary dog, or adoption.

"We've had a lot of adoptions take place but this one really touched my heart," said Brenda Goodrich, of Bedford County Animal Control. "He didn't have to be put down just because he was blind."

The 1- or 2-year-old terrier, a stray from Bell Buckle, came into the hands of BCAC July 14. Goodrich asked Dr. Andrea Anderson, of the Shelbyville Animal Hospital, to take a look at the brown and white terrier that had touched her heart.

"I had never asked Dr. Anderson to do this before," said Goodrich. "She said that he has been blind since birth."

The otherwise healthy dog had been at BCAC for almost a month, however, and time was running out.

In the meantime, Libby Canter, a legal assistant in Lexington, Ky., received an e-mail at work from Birchwood Farm, a pet rescue farm in Georgetown, Ky., about the blind terrier in Shelbyville.

"They received word from (BCAC) and sent out e-mails to everyone," said Canter, whose law firm was included in the e-mail blast.

Canter read the e-mail to her husband and son, who agreed that they couldn't let the terrier, whose time was running out, be put down. They decided it was time for a new addition to the family, which already included a 2-year-old Jack Russell/rat terrier mix named Sophia.

The Canters adopted the terrier and named it Keller, after renowned author and lecturer Helen Keller, the first deaf and blind person to graduate from college.

"We cannot imagine how anyone can put down an animal," Canter said. "These animals just want love. Keller is an attention hog just like Sophia. He follows her around and when we take walks you can't tell that he is blind."

Hawgs for the Dawgs

Because more than 10 million animals enter local shelters across the country each year, October has been named "Adopt a Shelter Dog Month," to draw attention to the country's pet population problem.

In honor of this, and in conjunction with Bedford County Humane Association and Shelbyville Animal Control, BCAC is holding a poker run ride, "Hawgs for the Dawgs," Oct. 4, with an Oct. 11 rain date.

This approximately 80-mile ride begins at the BCAC parking lot on Lane Parkway and ends at Bedford County Courthouse. Registration is from 8 to 9:45 a.m. and bikes will leave at approximately 10 a.m. The cost is $20 (plus $5 for an extra rider) and proceeds benefit a spay/neuter committee, sanctioned by BCAC, the Humane Association and Shelbyville Animal Control.

Following the ride, a lunch, open to non-riders, will be held on the square. Volunteers are needed and donations are being accepted.

"We are close to making the dream come true for a spay and neuter clinic," Goodrich wrote in an e-mail.

This clinic will benefit stray and abandoned cats and dogs, as well as elderly and low-income families.

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While people are away, dogs play at day camps



Guinness Popp, 5 and Molson Popp, 3, spend their days like most preschoolers from upscale Oakland County families -- coddled by camp counselors, in supervised play with age-appropriate toys, swimming, naps and nutritious snacks. Amy Popp plunks down several hundred dollars a month for their care.

By the way, they're dogs, specifically pudgy, adorable pugs with some basset hound thrown in (Guinness has, on occasion, been mistaken for a pot-bellied pig).

The Popp pups and their doggy day camp experience at the newly opened Camp Bow Wow in Commerce Township are part of a national trend, and one that appears to be growing, even in Michigan's dicey economy.

The Commerce Township camp opened in late July and is the second Bow Wow facility for owners Ann and Bob Roth; they also operate Camp Bow Wow in Troy, where as many as 40 or 50 dogs come to play each day.

On Monday, the Commerce camp had 20 dogs. There are four other Bow Wow franchises in the state, and one is scheduled to open in Brighton later this year. The Roths charge $25 a day, but package deals are available. They charge $40 per night for overnight stays.

"We have a lot of dual-income families, with people working longer hours in this economy," said Ann Roth, as 15-year-old Nick, a long-haired dachshund, followed her about the main office. He is a "special needs" dog because of his age so he's been given the run of the office. "People love their dogs, and they see them as part of the family and want to treat them that way."

Roth, a former software designer, said customers who are putting off having children sometimes see their pets as temporary substitutes and are willing to spend extra money for their comfort.

Amy Popp, 31, lives in Warren but works in Novi as a marketing expert, and she worries that her four-legged children will be bored or lonely without her. She admits the camps might sound overly indulgent. She also uses a webcam the camp provides to keep an eye on her dogs during the day, when she is at her desk.

"Before I got my first dog, I would have said, 'Are you kidding me?' " she said. But in the three years she has been using Camp Bow Wow, first in Troy and now in Commerce, "I have never second-guessed my decision. They will be coming here as long as they are able."

Pet day camps were scarce five years ago but have turned into a booming industry nationwide. And with 70 million pet dogs in the nation, that number could grow.

"It's a recent phenomenon, and it's grown so quickly that we're just beginning to track it," said Joe Lyman, chief executive officer of Pet Care Services Association, formerly known as the American Boarding Kennel Association in Colorado Springs, Colo. The recent name change came about because even the term "kennel" has gone out of fashion. More pet owners seek lodging that comes with more amenities.

At Pet Ritz Lakeshore Resort in Roseville, dogs are housed in luxury suites with classical music playing and flat-screen televisions.

"This is a place for people who just love their dogs to death," said Pet Ritz owner James Coates. "Even people who might not have a lot of money will spend money on their dogs."

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Jailhouse dogs provide therapy while they are trained
Inmates and dogs school each other in special program offered at the Stockade



Palm Beach County Stockade inmates train dogs for a year which then go to Canine Companion. One of the dogs, a black lab name Tash went to Jared Main, a 9 year old with cerebral palsy in Coconut Creek. Main plays with Tash at home. (Sun Sentinel/Carline Jean / August 15, 2008)

Puppies that will one day work as service dogs for disabled people spend the first year of their training in jail.

The Palm Beach County Jail inmates give the puppies basic training and in return, learn responsibility and caring.

"Working with an animal like that brings out the best in people," Sheriff's Col. Michael Gauger said.

The inmates cuddle the puppies, attend to their yelps, brush their teeth, bathe and train them.

Dogs Photo Sheriff's officials say it's therapeutic for the inmates. The yellow and black Labradors live in the dormitory cells and the inmates look after the dogs like parents.

"The same way I train him, he trains me for when I go back into life," said Frank Alexander, 38, who is doing time on drug charges. The father of four said the dog he's working with, Conrad III, has taught him the parenting skill of patience.

The inmates, at the Stockade west of West Palm Beach, have been training the puppies for Canine Companions for Independence since 2005.

A California breeder sends the Labradors to the jail when they are 8 weeks old.

Training dogs behind bars is part of a growing trend around the country, having inmates socialize and train them.The dogs, in turn, bring renewed hope to the incarcerated.

"She gives me a lot of confidence," said Jessica Daniels, 25, convicted of burglary. She gushed as she watched Yanna perform during a training session. "You have to earn a dog's respect like you have to earn a child's respect. It raises your self-worth. It proves you can accomplish something."

Mentors from Canine Companions teach the inmates, who must have no history of violence, how to train the dogs. The puppies spend about a year in the jail learning basic commands like "heel," when to bark, and other house manners.

Mentors go to the jail once a week to monitor the training. The dogs graduate from the jail to a two-week course with professional trainers at Canine Companions' Southeast Regional Center in Orlando. That prepares them to be service dog companions to people with autism, cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities. The dogs, which are donated, are trained to open drawers, turn on lights and pick up items for their owners. Canine Companions has 24 dogs being trained in Florida at the Stockade and two state prisons in Panama City and Quincy.

The Stockade inmates have a history of drug abuse and do their time in a yearlong military style program. The day begins at 5 a.m. with exercise under the command of fatigues-wearing drill instructor Sgt. Robert Harris. The inmatesalso attend therapy sessions and multidenominational religious services.

The idea to incorporate the Labradors, which sleep in cages in the cells, came from Palm Beach County Public Defender Carey Haughwout, whose mother had a service dog that was partially trained in a prison.

"I saw firsthand what a wonderful assistance it was to her," Haughwout said, "and how important it became to the quality of her life."

Tash, one of the first two Labradors trained in the jail, returned to South Florida last year. He's the sidekick of Jared Main, 9, of Coconut Creek, who has cerebral palsy.

"Jared is never alone," said his mother, Amy Main. "When his friends come up and play, Tash is right there. When his friends are not there, Tash is right there."

Tash makes Jared want to walk more.

"Who doesn't want to walk their dog?" Main said.

She likes that dogs such as Tash not only help her son, but also people in jail who are trying to improve their lives.

"They had gone astray," she said, "and they ended up in a bad situation turned into this positive."

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Murder conviction reinstated in S.F. dog mauling



A judge reinstated a San Francisco attorney's murder conviction Friday for her dog's fatal mauling of her neighbor in an apartment building hallway in 2001 and ordered her jailed immediately while she awaits a prison sentence of 15 years to life.

Marjorie Knoller, 53, sat quietly in the courtroom while Superior Court Judge Charlotte Woolard discounted her testimony at her 2002 trial and said Knoller had known her dog was potentially lethal when she took the animal out of her apartment without a muzzle.

The 140-pound Presa Canario, Bane, bolted away from Knoller and attacked Diane Whipple, 33, who bled to death from at least 77 wounds. The dog's 100-pound mate, Hera, charged out of Knoller's apartment and may have joined in the attack.

Knoller "knew her conduct endangered life" and thus was guilty of murder, not merely manslaughter, Woolard said in rejecting a defense request for a new trial. Prosecutors had appealed a decision by the trial judge, who is now retired, to reduce the jury's second-degree murder verdict to involuntary manslaughter.

Woolard scheduled sentencing for Sept. 22. Knoller had been sentenced to four years for manslaughter and was paroled in January 2004, with time off for good behavior. She has been living in Florida, where she takes care of her elderly mother, her lawyer said.

The ruling brought smiles and tears from a group of Whipple's friends in the courtroom. Her former partner, Sharon Smith, said afterward that she was grateful for the decision, frustrated that it had taken so long, and wanted Knoller "to be treated like any other criminal who's committed murder."

Knoller's lawyer, Dennis Riordan, promised an extensive appeal in both state and federal court. He said Woolard's ruling "stretched the definition of murder" to reach a result "that may be popular, perhaps, in San Francisco" but is on shaky legal ground.

Whipple, the women's lacrosse coach at St. Mary's College in Moraga, was attacked in a sixth-floor hallway of the Pacific Heights apartment building Jan. 26, 2001. Knoller had been walking Bane on the roof of the building and had returned with him to the corridor when he broke away and jumped at Whipple.

Woolard, at Friday's hearing, recounted descriptions by neighbors, who heard Whipple's screams turn to whimpers before police found her trying to crawl back to her apartment. Knoller emerged from her apartment shortly afterward, bearing some scratches, and didn't ask anyone about Whipple, the judge said, citing trial testimony.

A jury in Los Angeles, where the trial was moved because of extensive publicity in the Bay Area, convicted Knoller of second-degree murder in 2002. The panel found her then-husband and law partner, Robert Noel, guilty of involuntary manslaughter for leaving the dogs with his wife while knowing she couldn't control them. He was paroled in September 2003.

Trial judge believed her
But Superior Court Judge James Warren reduced Knoller's conviction to involuntary manslaughter, saying he believed her when she testified she had no idea Bane might kill someone.

Knoller's case wound up back in Superior Court after the state Supreme Court ruled last year that Warren had used the wrong legal standard in reducing Knoller's conviction. The court said prosecutors seeking a murder conviction in a mauling case don't have to prove the owner knew the dog was likely to kill, only that the owner was aware the animal was potentially lethal and exposed others to the danger.

The court returned the case to Superior Court to decide whether to reinstate Knoller's murder conviction and 15-to-life sentence, or order a new trial on the murder charge.

Warren willing to take case
Warren was willing to come out of retirement to handle the case, but the court's presiding judge assigned it to Woolard - a decision that Knoller's lawyer opposed and said he would raise in her appeal.

Riordan argued that Woolard was bound by Warren's finding that Knoller hadn't known the dog could kill someone. That means she wasn't guilty of murder even under the state Supreme Court's new standard, Riordan said.

He noted that Warren had heard Knoller testify in person, while Woolard was merely reviewing the written record.

Deputy Attorney General Amy Haddix countered that the jury's murder verdict was amply supported by evidence that Knoller had been warned the dogs were dangerous, had seen them repeatedly attack and threaten other dogs and people, and had taken no steps to protect Whipple. Woolard agreed in a ruling that took her nearly a half hour to read from the bench.

When Knoller and Noel took custody of the dogs in 2000 from prison inmates at Pelican Bay, the judge said, a veterinarian warned them in a letter that the animals were huge, untrained and "a liability in any household."

Woolard cited trial testimony about 30 incidents in which one or both Presa Canarios lunged at, chased or bit other dogs and people, with one or both owners looking on and seemingly unable to control the animals. She noted that Knoller had appeared on ABC-TV's "Good Morning America" shortly after the fatal attack, accused witnesses of fabricating, and suggested Whipple was to blame for her own death.

Despite Warren's conclusion that Knoller hadn't known Bane could kill, Woolard said, the evidence showed that she had known that both dogs "singularly or together were capable of killing a person and, if not properly restrained, would kill a person."

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City knew about vicious dogs that killed Staten Island man



A total of 8 calls were placed to 911 about the pit bulls that attacked 90-year-old Henry Piortrowski in his back yards. Piotrowski died from his injuries and will be laid to rest today.
It was an open secret that the two pit bulls that savaged a 90-year-old man last month had been running wild, menacing people and other dogs alike. Neighbors called 911 eight times in the weeks leading to the fatal attack, but little was done, law enforcement sources said.

Henry Piotrowski of Port Richmond will be buried this morning, but questions remain about how the animals were allowed to run riot despite the repeated complaints.

"The first time we called, they (the police) never even showed up," said Frank Webb, 51, who has lived next door to Piotrowski's John Street home for 25 years.

Piotrowski, a World War II veteran and retired crane operator, was in his backyard at around 11 a.m. July 1 when he was "eaten alive" by Popeye and Brutus, according to a witness. Doctors had to amputate his leg, and he died of his injuries Sunday in Richmond University Medical Center.

The animals were put down after the attack.

DIFFERENT STORIES

Assistant Police Chief Michael Collins said in a brief statement that the department takes all calls for service seriously, but residents who were chased by the dogs in the weeks leading to the attack tell a different story.

When police did show up, residents said, most often a marked radio car would drive up the dead-end street looking for the animals, which were by that time long gone.

"They just drive up and turn around and leave," said Ismael Bonano, 20, who told of having been chased by the dogs.

The majority of neighbors' 911 complaints came in June.

Twice complaints were made with the city's 311 line -- one in late June about the animals running wild, and another around the same time complaining that 911 didn't take a dangerous animal call seriously.

"It's inexcusable. This is a tragedy that did not have to happen," said City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Queens), who has been a longtime foe of pit bull ownership in the city. "The city has no system in place to protect us from dangerous dogs. It's not their priority and they haven't made it their priority."

Vallone and others, like City Councilman Michael McMahon (D-North Shore), want a ban on new pit bull ownership in the city, something that failed in 1989 and is unlikely to be reconsidered anytime soon.

At the least, a "dangerous dog" board should be convened to devise ways of making the city more responsive to complaints, Vallone said.

The police and Animal Care and Control respond to emergency calls, while the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene investigates dog-bite cases, responds to unsecured animal complaints and makes sure animals are licensed. The Health Department can levy fines against owners who habitually let their dogs run wild. Fines can escalate to $2,000, but the process can take weeks, proceeding from an initial written warning.

Dog owners James McNair, 28, and Kim DiPrima, 37, have been indicted on charges of second-degree assault, and could face manslaughter or more serious charges now that Piotrowski has died of his injuries. A man who answered the door at DiPrima's Newark Avenue apartment declined to comment.

Police did respond to the apartment at lest once to warn the owners to keep the dogs locked up. Residents who called 911 said officers told them that their hands were tied, that police would have to witness the dogs acting aggressively to take more substantive action.

A spokesman for District Attorney Dan Donovan said that prosecutors will present new evidence to the same grand jury that indicted the pair. That evidence will include a ruling from the medical examiner confirming that Piotrowski died of "multiple complications of animal bites."

Webb, the neighbor, said he called 911 three times since the beginning of June after encountering the dogs roaming wild, and each time their behavior was more aggressive.

The dogs went from being chased away with a word to growling and, finally, in one instance just before the attack, they "ran right up to the window and were jumping and snapping" after he yelled at them to leave his yard.

The police response did not escalate, he said.

"I don't buy the argument that these were just dog complaints," Webb said. "For the past decade, people have been getting chewed up by pit bulls. When (dispatchers) hear 'pit bull,' that should ring a bell."

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Dogs have a sense of right and wrong



Dogs have become more intelligent, and even learnt a sense of right and wrong, through spending time with humans, a study shows.

Although still controversial, recent research is beginning to support the view that an owner is perfectly correct when they pat their pet and coo "who's a clever boy then?"

Because of the way owners have selected smarter and more empathic dogs down the generations, these pets now appear to have a limited "theory of mind", the capacity that enables us to understand the desires, motivations and intentions of others, New Scientist reports today.

A decade ago, most scientists would dismiss the claims of dog owners that their precious pets could experience pain, excitement and other "human emotions" as sentimental claptrap that anthropomorphises the abilities of animals.

Now that dismissive view has been challenged by studies presented a few weeks ago at the first Canine Science Forum in Budapest, Hungary, which back the idea that the 10,000 years that the descendants of grey wolves have spent evolving alongside humans have had a remarkable effect on dog cognition.

In a remarkable experiment to probe canine cognition, Prof Ludwig Huber and colleagues at the University of Vienna put dogs through a classic experiment done with children in which an instructor demonstrates to a toddler how to turn off a light using her forehead, once with her hands clearly visible and once when wrapped in a shawl, so that she can't use them.

When invited to turn the light off for themselves, toddlers who were shown the first version use their heads, but those shown the second use their hands.

The standard interpretation is that the first group conclude that there must be a good but non-obvious reason for using the forehead method, as otherwise the instructor would have used her hands. Dogs do the same thing in Prof Huber's experiments, where they had to pull a lever to obtain a reward, lending support to the idea that dogs have a rudimentary "theory of mind."

They possess a moral compass too, in order to negotiate the complex social world of people, adds Prof Marc Bekoff from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

He argues that the fact that rough-and-tumble dog play rarely escalates into full-blown fighting shows that the animals abide by rules and expect others to do the same. In other words, they know right from wrong.

Dr Friederike Range from the University of Vienna, Austria, has found in experiments where one pooch was given a treat and another denied it that dogs possess a sense of fairness too, though she stresses that the data are not yet published.

"Dogs show some aversion to inequity," she says. "I prefer not to call it a sense of fairness, but others might."

Barking is rare among feral dogs, suggesting that it evolved during domestication to allow dogs to communicate with us, says Prof Péter Pongrácz from Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. His team has even found a way to use a computer program to understand what dogs are trying to tell us, and can disern whether a pet is barking at a ball, or wants to play with greater accuracy than their owners.

Akiko Takaoka from Kyoto University, Japan, played dogs recordings of unfamiliar voices - both male and female - with each voice followed by a photo of a human face on a screen. If the gender of the face did not match that of the voice, the dogs stared longer, a sign that the image did not match their expectations and yet more evidence that they have been honed to communicate with people.

Meanwhile, Dr Juliane Kaminski at the University of Cambridge has examined how dogs can use human gestures such as pointing and gazing to find hidden food or toys and concludes that dogs do understand that we are trying to tell them something. "Domestication seems to have shaped dogs in a way which enables them to use these gestures from as early as six weeks," she tells New Scientist.

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BEST BEHAVED FRIEND
ENGLAND
August 23, 2008

Trevor Grove: why a dog is a man's best behaved friend



A report concluded that dogs know right from wrong. Dalmatian-lover Trevor Grove laps it up

Does your dog know the difference between good and bad?
My Dalmatian was bitten on the face by a West Highland terrier yesterday. He scarcely flinched. There we were, striding across Hampstead Heath, when a furry white missile launched itself from behind a bench and clamped its teeth on to Jasper's upper lip.

It hung there like a climber on a rock face. Jasper benignly impersonated the rock face, wagging his tail patiently until the creature let go, then remained quite still while it raced around attacking his tail, ears and other extremities.

The little Westie was plainly a puppy, not much bigger than a guinea pig and full of fearless exuberance. Still, Jasper's tolerance would have seemed remarkable to anyone unfamiliar with dogs.

Is this primeval instinct a canine trait going back to wolfish ancestors? Or is it a sign that dogs actually have a sense of right and wrong, as scientists have been claiming this week at a canine symposium in Budapest?

Professor Marc Bekoff, from the University of Colorado, for example, argues that 10,000 years of selective breeding by man has inculcated in dogs a strong understanding of good and bad behaviour. He says that the rarity of dog-play escalating into full-blown fighting shows that dogs abide by rules and expect others to do the same.

I'm sure Prof Bekoff is broadly right, so far as it applies to domesticated dogs. The semi-wild scavengers of India or South America may not be quite so morally advanced, but wherever man's best friend lives cheek by jowl with humans, it would indeed be strange if he hadn't picked