Vote for the first dog

So the Obama family's first order of business is to find a family dog.....the AKC site has set up a link where you can vote on the type of dog you think they should consider. It does seem that the President-elect is leaning toward a dog from a shelter.....good choice, says I, who came to live with my family via a shelter. presidentialpup.com

The Search in on...."the first dog"

Now that Barack Obama has won the election, the search for the first dog has commenced. Dogs in need of homes will be waiting to see if they are the lucky chosen one. If given the chance, I am sure dogs would love to be able to "run" for this coveted position. Thus far, it seems that the President-elect wants to limit the dog choices to those who are less likely to stimulate the allegies of one of his daughters....I guess that means that Poodles and all the variations of that breed will be in the running.....Goldendoodle, Labradoodle...don't know how many of these breeds are commonly found at shelters and as I have said before, I think the first family would be wise to set a national example by adopting from a shelter....but who am I. I am just a mixed breed that sheds living in the suburbs.....

R.I.P. Bobo

A Yorkie from Colorado died yesterday from burns inflicted by his owner. His owner, Tanya Martin, is being held in a detention center in Colorado. Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital stated that they were able to control Bobo's pain, however, the injuries were too extensive to save him.

Technology

I thought this was a fascinating use of technology with an animal. Kimani, above, is an elephant in Kenya, who has a reputation for rampaging local farm during the harvest. He lives in the Ol Pejeta conservancy, however, on occassion he likes to cross the boundaries of the area. So, a SIM card has been placed in a collar that Kimani now wears. When Kimani nears the edges of the conservancy, a text message is sent to the park rangers so that they can encourage Kimani back into the park. Via this system, the lives of the elephants and the local farmers can be spared. Clever.

New Legislation in PA

Pennsylvania has passed a new law that targets the larger puppy mills. This law will require that dogs with commercial breeders will need to have dogs examined at least twice a year by a vet, be held in larger cages and be given time to exercise. Pennsylvania has quite the reputation as a puppy mill state. Some other states are trying to create legislation that will protect dog born to commercial breeders.

I find it unfortunate that in this day of age of "free range" chickens, that larger cages for dogs needs to be legislated. Where are the "free range" dogs? Again, I would encourage anyone who is interested in a dog to go to the local pound.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouqhGjQs74M

The movie "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" has just come out. I am sure it is somewhat amusing as, personally, it is difficult for me to think of them as dogs. However, something that has been pointed out in the news recently is that when there are releases of dog movies, there is a sudden increase in demand for that kind of dog. Chihuahua are often bred in puppy mills. I would encourage anyone interested in a dog, go to a rescue shelter. Put the puppy mills out of business. That is what the above "you tube" video suggests as well...thanks....

A friend's dogs

So a friend of my owner posted her dogs on her Facebook page....they were listed under family. I don't think my owner has pictures of me on her Facebook. What is that about? I am a part of the family. Hopefully she will read this and will post a picture of me on her page...maybe she will even get a good photo of me with the kids.....

Puppy Mills

This week People magazine has an article about Bill Smith who rescues dogs from puppy mills. It seems that many of the puppy mills are operated by the Amish in Pennsylvania as selling puppies is big business. Mr. Smith founded an organization called Main Line Animal Rescue (www.mlar.org) which over the years has rescued approximately 8,000 dogs, 25% of those from the Amish puppy mills.
The dogs in puppy mills are often kept in cages, thus their strength and health suffers. Once a dog is no longer productive, it is shot.
This puppy mill industry is one more reason I support going to the local shelter. If people would stop buying puppies from mills, people who run them would be out of business.

Swimming is one of the greatest things to do...right up there with chasing a ball.....but I think swimming is better.....such freedom, so fun.

2 legged Dog

Faith, the two legged, upright walking/hopping dog was in People Magazine this week. Talented dog.

I, a four-legged animal, was pleased with the new toy I got this week....a Korg Frisbee. What fun. I think I must have chased frisbees in my earlier life.

another day of catch...

Waiting for the cat...

Some new humans moved in next door about 10 days ago....they brought a feline with them. This particular feline keeps trespassing into our yard. It creeps into our garage, stands on top of the recycling bins and licks empty cans. It killed a rabbit in the garden....I am waiting for my chance to meet with this feline. I don't think it will be spending anytime in our yard after I have had a few moments with it....

Canine helps Vet

Tyler Wilson with his canine pal and assistant, Antoine. Tyler was shot in May of 2005 in Afghanistan while serving with the Army's 173rd Airborne. The injury left him paralyzed from the waist down. Antoine, a Goldendoodle (that would be a mix of a Golden Retriever with a Poodle. I must be a border labinois), started his training at 8 weeks. He has been with Tyler for the last couple of weeks. Antoine is high-energy and loves to play, but follows commands well.

Just prior to picking up Antoine, Tyler competed in the 2008 National Veteran Wheelchair Games in Omaha, Nebraska and medaled in all five of his events. It sounds like Antoine and Tyler will be a perfect pair...they both seem to know how to serve and they know how to play.

Intruders

We had some intruders today....here are my owners hanging out with these intruders....traitors....

Feeling cheated....

So I read today that there are dogs out there who are getting massages at Canine Massage of the Rockies. I am hoping that if I post this message that my owners will read it and realize that they have deprived me of this luxury and I am a bit annoyed by this fact. Not that they aren't willing to give me a massage on occasion, but a professional massage sounds much better. 

Also of interest is the America's Fastest Chihuahuas competition which took place yesterday in San Diego.....Tiger, above, won again. Let me just say, I, again, am feeling a bit cheated. I would not mind engaging in this competition with these little dogs. I bet I could make them run a lot faster.....

The First Dog

So word in the dog world is that Barack Obama has said that he will get a dog for his kids if he gets into the White House. The big debate is what sort of dog should he get.....one from a breeder or one rescued from a shelter. I am sure by now everyone knows where I stand on that topic. A dog from a shelter is a much better choice. That is where I came from and things have turned out well. I am not perfect, but neither are my humans and that is what makes us family....acceptance of each other's flaws and imperfections. This is a family of democrats and I was adopted from a Boulder, Colorado shelter, a town full of democrats. I would argue that a good democrat would adopt a dog from a shelter because democrats address social issues.....homeless dogs is a social issue......

Pulling the human into the game...

So this morning my owner came home from a long shift. I was waiting anxiously for her as she walked in the door. I got down in my usual "I am ready to play" stance....shoulders low, my tail and butt in the air. She looks at me with eyes of exhaustion....but that doesn't stop me. I was racing around. I barked a couple of times. She met my demands. We went outside to play....she threw the ball for a while. Then she went inside.....long shift, afterall. But I was able to get into the house....stuck my nose in the crack in the sliding door so I could get inside. Gave it one last attempt to pull her into playing catch again. Didn't work this time.....

Lazy Days

There are days when not much happens....I chase a ball for a while; I sit in the sun; I move to the shade to take a nap; I chew on a bone; chase the ball a few more times; wait for a squirrel to come into the yard. It's not a boring day, it's not an exciting day, but it's a good day.

Back to school

All  the kids in my house went back to school today. It makes for a much quieter house....it also means that I don't get quite as many treats and I don't play catch as often during the day.  There are positives and negatives with everything in life. 

Playing Catch

Catch is certainly one of the greatest games ever created by Dog.....I can keep a human entertained for hours with this game.

Dognapping Tail

Yesterday I went for a walk with my owners. We encountered a white, small, scotty type dog. I have already mentioned how I am barely tolerant of other dogs. This dog was no exception....it kept yipping in my face. I was doing everything in my power to discourage this dog, but my owner had a vice grip on my leash. The dog followed us a way down the street. My owners looked at the dog's collar and noted that it seemed to be lost based on the address on the his collar. Much to my surprise and clearly against my better judgement, they took one of their belts to use a leash to bring the dog to my house. My owner called the scotty's owner, but there was no answer. He left a message in his deep, somewhat sinister voice, "We have your dog. We found it in Willow Park." So we brought this yippie little dog home. Soon there was a great deal of laughter. It seems that on second examination, the address that was on the collar was actually the vet's address. There was a second address on the collar...the address of the owner's.....the scotty had been in his own front yard when he was lassoed by a belt.....my owner immediately returned the dog to its yard....I had my house back to myself.

Cash, the loyal dog

Cash, a German sheperd, stood vigil for six weeks by his owner, Jake Baysinger, after Jake had committed suicide. Cash was found in a field by a rancher who was checking in on his cattle. Cash survived the six weeks by eating mice, however, Cash was noted to be dehydrated.  Jake was reported missing on June 28th. He is survived by his wife and two year old son, Lane. I am sure that Cash was glad to be home with his family again. 

View of the World

this would be my view of the world today.....rain....I don't like rain.

What is a life worth?

Recently I have been doing an exceptional amount of reading. I know that this seems like out of the ordinary behavior for a dog, but the reading program at the local library inspired me (the kids I live with enrolled). 

Yesterday in the Wall Street Journal there was an editorial with the headline "How far Would You go to Keep your Dog Alive?" The owner of Booger was willing to spend $50,000 to bring her dog back from the dead. So I pose the question, how much would you spend? And how much is it worth to spend? Does one consider quality of life? And who gets to define that, the dog or the human who is spending the money? 

The mother of the kids I live with works in health care. She frequently engages in cerebral, philosophical discussions about healthcare and the costs in the human world. I can't get all of what she says and she doesn't always make sense. However, from what I can gather, it is humans who are driving the cost of care not the health problems themselves. In the dog world, if there are no humans, a dog gets sick, it dies. Now, that has changed due to human intervention. It would be my opinion, that the same is true in the human world. 

In this article, a reader is quoted as saying that to add six months or 12 months to his dog's life for $18,000 was worth it because he didn't have anywhere else he had to spend his money, except to perhaps spend it on things he didn't need like a bigger t.v. I don't disagree that one could feel one has done the right thing, but did anyone ask the dog? I just wonder how the dog felt. This particular dog had colon cancer, an impacted colon and pneumonia.....I wonder how the dog was feeling the last few months of his life? Could the dog go for a walk or chase a ball or roll in the grass or even eat? Just wondering.....

Pork bone

Last night was not one of my better nights. My owners had given me a huge pork bone to chew on and last night I paid for it....well, so did they as it is their carpet that reaped the benefits of my weak intestinal tract. I have done this before so I am not sure why they haven't learned not to give me such things as I can't resist them. And I sure feel lousy afterwards. So the carpet in their newly finished basement has now been appropriately marked....more than once. 

David Rosenfelt

Noted a photo the other day in the newspaper of a man surrounded by relatives of mine. David Rosenfelt has published another mystery in his series about attorney, Andy Carpenter. In Rosenfelt's books there is always a golden retriever ...Rosenfelt and his wife also have a dog rescue, the Tara Foundation, which was named after their former golden retriever, Tara. Since 1995, David and his wife have rescued over 4,000 dogs from potential euthanasia. At any given time, David shares his space with 22 to 42 dogs who are in various stages of old age....perhaps a senior center of sorts for aging canines. Rosenfelt states that he has supplied his local vet with a steady income and much of Rosenfelt's day, if not spent writing, is spent making sure that man's best friends get the care they need.....here's to David Rosenfelt. 

Scandal around owner of Booger....

It seems that Ms. McKinney, who had her dog, Booger, cloned, may have quite the disturbing past. Apparently she is the alleged kidnapper of a  male, whom she held hostage, many years ago. Thus, I would argue, that perhaps this woman was/is slightly off and therefore the reason that she cloned her dog. Foolish of her to have made such a public appearance all in the name of cloning if she did indeed kidnap this young man. She may not be spending much time with her cloned puppies if she is, instead, spending time in the clink.....

Fat Cat

Cat lovers will be pleased to know that "Prince Chunk" of New Jersey, a 44 lbs. all white cat who has been at the Camden County animal shelter, has been adopted. It seems that over 500 people applied to adopt this monster feline, but no one was interested in adopting the many other cats at the shelter. That is unfortunate. Although, I don't care for cats, I would not wish that anyone would have to live at a shelter. I will say, that there may be many dogs who may feel that they have gone to heaven when they see "Prince Chunk." I bet that cat can't move very fast!!

"Booger" the Pit Bull

In yesterday's Denver Post there was an article about a woman who had the DNA of her beloved late pit bull, Booger, cloned. She said that this dog had saved her life during a dog attack. She spent a mere $50,000 to have Booger recreated. 

As a dog, it would be nice to know that I was loved enough that someone might want to clone me. But I am not sure that it makes sense....there were, after all, many dogs still at the pound on the day I left the humane society. From what I hear, they run a pretty full house on a regular basis. And a donation of $50,000 to a animal shelter could provide a lot of care for a bunch of dogs or even cats, as much as I hate to say it. Plus, I can not understand why she would name her dog Booger.....and why would she want to clone more Boogers.....

Story of a soldier and a dog

This story was posted a few months ago by a dog lover,  Lt. G, but is now Capt. G.....I would recommend this story to anyone who has ever had a dog....or for any dog who has ever had a human.....(click on the title above to connect to blog)

note from a late fellow canine

Today I received the following from a chocolate lab who died a few years ago. 

It all started

yesterday when I read in the Wall Street Journal that people were leasing dogs. Not sure that I think that is a good thing. But the interesting part is that some of these dogs were given email addresses and were receiving mail. I thought to myself, I am a competent writer; I could have my own blog with discussion about dogs,  the life of dogs, politics and dogs, cloning and dogs....whatever.....I am sure I have something to say on many topics other than chasing balls and squirrels, although those are highlights of my day......Nakota