Wire-bottom cages, no vet care and no human interaction–this was the way of life for more than 1,000 dogs living in a West Virginia-based puppy mill.

Authorities rescued the dogs–most of them dachshunds, mini-poodles and Chihuahuas–from unfit their unfit living conditions just a few days ago.

Many of the dogs were underfed and most appeared to have had no grooming or veterinary care.

In the coming days, once the dogs have been checked out by a veterinarian, they will be dispersed to rescue groups across the country.

Souce: Bestfriends.org, The Associated Press

In rural region of Argentina, a newborn baby was abandoned by its 14-year-old mother in a field. Amazingly, a dog, who was herself a mother, dragged the baby more than 50 meters to the location of her puppies.

According to doctors, the baby would have most likely died if the dog had not rescued it.

The baby was found with only a few scrapes and bruises.

Source: cnn.com

Basically, when the dog chews on the ball, a sort of vacuum effect takes place and the dog’s tongue gets sucked into a hole that exists in the ball.

In the case of the blog I read, the dog who was chewing on the ball got his tongue sucked into it so tightly, that it had to be removed from the ball by a vet.

Unbelievably, because of the tight suction and the small size of the hole in the ball, the poor dog had to have his tongue removed.

Within the last couple of days, thanks to a large outcry of the potential dangers of this product,  the Four Paws company has stopped shipment of the pimple ball. The company says the ball was supposed to have two holes in it to prevent suction from taking place, but the second hole is not completely open.

According to Four Paws, existing owners of the pimple ball can locate this second, smaller hole, hold it up to the light, and poke a sharp object through the hole to make sure it is completely open.

The ball will be removed from all stores until it is redesigned to alleviate suction.

If you know a dog owner who might have this toy, let them know about the safety risk as soon as possible.

One other thing to mention: Four Paws said they will help the owner of Chai, dog who lost his tongue while playing with the ball, with his medical expenses (currently more than $5,000).

*Other companies make a similar dog toy also called the “Pimple Ball.”

As far as I know, these other balls are safe and do not suffer from the same design problem as the ball made by Four Paws Inc.

For those who want a dog, but can’t have one because they don’t have the time or money to care of one, there may be a solution: Why not share custody of a K9 with your neighbor?

More and more neighbors are sharing ownership of dogs–they split veterinary and food bills and have regular days  in which the dog lives with each family. The households agree on rules to follow with the dog–walking schedules, not feeding the dog table scraps–in order to help keep a common structure in place for the dog.

Critics believe that such arrangements can be harmful to a dog’s social development, since they cannot properly bond with their “pack.”

Source: The Wall Street Journal

K9 Commentary:

I’m all for getting one more dog out of the shelter and into a home, but I wonder if “splitting” a dog between two households–two different packs, essentially– is a good idea for the long-term mental health of a dog.

Another thing: What happens if one of the neighbors moves away? Who takes the dog?

Soon enough, we may start seeing made-for-TV movies on Animal Planet about messy dog custody cases.

There’s an interesting new study that’s recently been published in the journal Biology Letters: Human yawns appear to be contagious to dogs.Of the 29 dogs in the experiment, 21 of them yawned after watching the researcher yawn. In another portion of the experiment, researchers opened their mouths instead of yawning–none of the dogs yawned during this test.

Source: Los Angeles Times

K9 Commentary:

I tried yawning in front of my dog Casper to see if he’d yawn back, and he just licked my mouth.

Oh well, guess he’d be one of the eight dogs that didn’t yawn in the experiment.

The cloning was performed by RNL-Bio, which is located in Seoul, South Korea. While this was not the first time a dog has been successfully cloned (this first took place in 2005), these puppies mark the beginning of a worldwide commercial cloning service that is now being offered by RNL-Bio.

The company plans on charging up to $150,000 for its cloning services, but only charged Booger’s owner $50,000 because she is the first customer and helped with publicity.

RNL-Bio plans on cloning about 300 dogs per year.

Source: Associated Press

Now, instead of shutting its doors, the shelter has pledged to step up its efforts to improve regulations, policies, and conditions amid public scrutiny over the shelter’s kill rate.

The 2008-2009 plan for Lane County Animal Services includes developing a written euthanasia policy, fully utilizing foster/rescue programs, improving shelter environment, and promoting volunteer support.

While they have been widely applauded for their plan, some animal advocates believe the shelter needs to develop a “no-kill” strategy. However, county board members say such efforts would require more funding than is currently available.

Source: The Register-Guard

What do Rachael Ray and Cesar “Dog Whisperer” Millan have in common?

They’re both launching their own lines of premium dog food.

Millan’s food, which will be sold at Petco is made with “wholesome, organic ingredients” and doesn’t have any artificial ingredients. The cost: A hefty 14 bucks for a 5 lb bag.

Rachael Ray’s food line, called Nutrish, is based on some of her favorite recipes for her pitbull Isaboo. No word on how much her food will cost, but it will be carried by stores such as Wal-Mart, Safeway, and Target.

K9 Commentary:

There’s no doubt that dog products are a huge industry these days…so it was only a matter of time before we started seeing celebrities plastering their names on everything from dog food bags to dog odor remover (seriously, Petco sells Dog Whisperer Patio and Yard Odor Remover).

I guess it’s one thing if the products are new, original and actually offer some sort of benefit to dogs and their owners, but when you have to pay $14 for a 5 lb bag of dog food, it seems like nothing more than an obvious attempt to take advantage of a celeb’s popularity.

“Oh hey! The Dog Whisperer makes food now! I love that guy!”

“Sweet! Rachael Ray makes 30-minute meals for dogs!”

Just make sure you read the ingredients lists on the back of these bags before you buy.

In the aftermath of the May 12 earthquake in China that killed and injured thousands of people, Chinese police and soldiers have been shooting stray dogs in an attempt to stop the spread of any diseases they may carry.

Chen Yunlian, a 60-year-old former businesswoman, has rescued 100 dogs from suffering this fate. She has been rescuing dogs for 11 years and has started her own private animal shelter in that time, with mostly her own money.

After the 7.9 magnitude quake, Chen ventured into the hardest-hit areas looking for any animals needing rescue. She still receives calls from people reporting strays from the quake.

There are currently 900 dogs and 100 cats in Chen’s shelter, which is close to capacity. Animal shelters are extremely rare in China, and huge numbers of stray animals roam the streets throughout the region.

Source: msnbc.com

Animal welfare groups have been circulating petitions urging Obama to adopt a dog, rather than purchase one from a breeder or pet store.

President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States Wayne Pacelle verified that Barack Obama will adopt a dog.

The Obamas said in a recent TV interview that they will wait to adopt a dog until after the election, win or lose.

Source: journalpress.com