Another heroic pair of pit bulls

Buster, the four year old chihuahua was enjoying some free playtime in his suburban backyard in Littleton, CO. It seemed like a perfectly care-free day. Until it wasn't.  A coyote came into the yard and snatched up Buster and was dragging him away!  Two pit bulls that lived in the neighborhood heard the commotion and did not waste any time coin to the rescue. They stared down the coyote until he realized he was outnumbered and left the injured chihuahua.  These protectors laid down in the brush with Buster and licked his until his owner, Jodi Robinette arrived a few moments later.

Buster did suffer severe injuries, but is expected to recover. His vet, Dr. Bregitzer told PeoplePets.com They were "guardian angels for her dog, disguised as pit bulls."

Did you know that heroic Coloradan pit bulls could not move to Denver in their own home state?  Yep.  Pit bulls--regardless of past behavior--are victims of a blanket breed ban in the Denver jurisdiction.  Maggie Marton over at OhMyDogBlog wants you to do something about it.  Check out her site to learn more about the campaign to End Breed Specific Legislation, and follow the #endBSL conversation on Twitter.  Maggie's precious bully Emmet, the inspiration behind the campaign, is pictured here.

Lucky teaches humans a lesson on littering

Sit.
Stay.
Shake.
Roll over.
Pick up that garbage and put it in the trash.

Ok, that last one is new.  William Keating trained his dog lucky to pick up all kinds of trash on command and place it in the proper receptacle.  William only had to show Lucky a few times, and he caught right on.  You may ask--"But what if he finds  a broken glass bottle? It wouldn't be safe for him to pick it up!"  Well, Lucky has been trained for just that situation: if he locates glass, he barks twice, and William inspects it to make sure there are no sharp edges, then lets lucky go on to finish the job.

Lucky and William are out around Gloucester, England for several hours a day doing more than their part to keep the neighborhood clean.  Lucky is now quite popular for his work in the area.  William is humble about their contribution, as he tells SWNS.com: "There’s so much litter in the world that maybe it doesn’t make a huge difference but it cheers people up to see Lucky doing his bit in the local area."

I think that Lucky is doing a lot more than just picking up trash.  He is showing all the onlookers that it is easy to do and you can feel good just for doing the right thing--so maybe they will think twice about littering next time.  But seriously, do they even need to think once about it?!

Check out more pictures of Lucky in action here.

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Oscar's unexpected leap

Oscar was out having a jolly time at Old Harry Rocks in southern England, until the earth seemed to fall out from under him.  While on a walk, Oscar got a little carried away, and did not stop when the person accompanying him, Laura Gardener, commanded. That can be dangerous under normal circumstances,  but really scary when there are 150 foot cliffs surrounding you!

That's right--Oscar took a plunge down a 150 foot cliff.  Amazingly, he landed at the bottom with little more than a serious startle.  The next challenge was getting him back up.  Gardener called the coastguard, but there was a canoeist who witnessed the whole thing already on his way over to rescue Oscar.  Oscar is pictured here trotting along, hopefully somewhere safer. You can check out a picture of the cliff at Old Harry Rocks here.  Oscar is resting safely at home with a sore leg, but is expected to recover just fine.

Steve Williams, coastguard watchman told the DailyMail "We always advise pet owners to keep their dogs on their leads near cliffs as the animals do get excited and can fall over the edge."  Sounds like reasonable advise to me.  Do you rememeber Polly, who survived a 300 foot plunge?

Lookout puppies land in the States

Rufus was no ordinary street puppies in Afghanistan.  He and his buddies, Sasha and Target, had taking a liking to the American soldiers and were not going to let anything happen to them.  When a suicide bomber was approaching a base where 50 soldiers were sleeping--they made racket.  Some soldiers didn't understand what the pups were saying so they tried to quiet them down.  But Rufus, Sasha, and Target did not give up.  They ended up spooking the bomber who set off his bomb before he was able to enter the building and do more damage.  Rufus and Target did suffer injuries, and Sasha didn't make it.  But that is not the end of this amazing story.

Sgt. Chris Duke was wounded in the blast, but had no doubt that he would have died if not for the lookout puppies.  When Duke returned to the base after being treated, he and Rufus became buddies, and Rufus even helped him when he was feeling homesick from his pregnant wife.  When he was headed home to the States in March, it broke his heart to have to leave his little four legged hero and buddy behind.  With the help of the nonprofit organization Robert's Cause and some savvy social networking, arrangements were made to bring Rufus to the States to live with Sgt. Duke and his family.  Rufus flew through Manhattan and caught a connecting flight to his new home in Georgia.  Target was on the same flight, but is headed to her new home in Phoenix to live with the Army medic who she connected with during the same blast.

NY Post ran this story along with another picture of Rufus all grown up.

Craigslist's best "missed connection" ever

You can find just about anything on Craigslist these days.  You could even reunite with a dog that you had to give up years ago--though maybe not on the "missed connections" section.  That is just what happened to Sandra Castillo and her dog, Milady.  Four years ago Sandra suffered from severe health problems and a six month hospitalization associated with her pregnancy and was forced to re-home her two dogs.  She was able to stay in touch with one of the new owners, but lost contact with Milady's new owner.  She would occasionally post messages on Craigslist looking to connect with them.  She never received a response.  Until a few weeks ago.

Sandra made a last ditch effort and decided to make one more post on Craigslist.  It turns out that the local rescue group, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), had recently sent out an email to supporters detailing the case of a cocker spaniel named Milady who was in terrible shape and desperately needed some TLC. Milady showed up with fur matted so bad around her ears that it was completely sealed and infected, and her nails were severely overgrown.  As you can see in the picture here--despite her painful mats, Milady still had a smile on her face (click here to see Milady post-shaving).  According to Jean Weber, the MSPCA’s director of animal protection, “Her personality is amazing and she has taught many of us about the benefits of perseverance.”  Sounds like she learned something from Saundra, who did not give up when she felt like Milady disappeared. Within just 20 minutes of her last Craigslist post, Sandra found her dog again.  Sandra was approved to re-adopt Milady, and the two have been reunited.

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Cool treats for the dog days of summer

There are fringe benefits to enduring the sweltering summer heat: dog ice cream!  The British have come up with an innovative delivery system: an ice cream truck just for dogs!  The truck will be out in London area parks all summer serving up their two signature flavors: Dog Eat Hog World--a pork and chicken sorbet served in a dog biscuit cone, and Canine Cookie Crunch-- which is full of chucks of dog biscuits and served in a biscuit cone.

You will know when the K99 ice cream truck is coming--instead of the traditional ice cream truck music, it plays the theme from Scooby Doo.

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Big hearts for Gulf Coast dogs

Shelters along the Gulf Coast have been inundated with animals from families that can no longer afford to care for them. St. Bernard Parish Shelter took in 170 animals in June alone.  NBC Nightly News did a story about the shelter, and now they are inundated with calls from new families! Even the 130 pound Benny now has a 10-person waiting list!  Read more about the available animals, or donate to a new program that will help other animals stay in their homes, visit the St. Bernard Parish Shelter website.  

You can watch the original story with some adorable footage of dogs in need, which caused hundreds to spring to action to help out.  Last night, NBC Nightly News did a follow up story about all the people around the country with big hearts reaching out to the animals in need.  The follow up story, part of their Making a Difference series, is below: 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Hot car dangers for dogs

A comfortable 82 degree summer day can quickly turn into a 109 degree oven in a closed car.  An even cooler 72 degree summer day can turn into a 116 degree oven over the course of an hour, and keeping the windows cracked only slows the heat up marginally.  While it is great to take your dog along for fun summer trips, you should avoid trips would require your dog to sit in the hot car for even a few minutes.  Heat stroke can begin in as few as 10 minutes at those temperatures.  The folks at MyDogIsCool.com have some more resources for understanding the dangers hot cars for dogs.

ABC's What Would You Do did a little experiment to see how strangers would respond to a hot dog in a car.  It seemed that some firefighters even let the culprit off the hook, but some dog loving women and a teenage boy recognized the life threatening situation and called 911.  In the experiment, the dog was not in any danger--in fact, she was an actor!  They had a hidden A/C unit running in the car and a trainer hiding on the floor commanding the dog to bark and pant.   Hopefully the televised experiment will show people the dangers of hot cars, and know that it is ok to call the police if you witness this happening.  Here is the video from the segment on the show:

A laser focus on his forever home

After just a month with his new family, three year old Laser got spooked by some fireworks and slipped out of his leash.  The family was on vacation nearly 50 miles from their Canada home and spent days canvassing the area and hanging up flyers.  Sadly they had to go home without there four legged family member.

Laser had finally found his forever home, and he determined to make sure he didn't lose it again. The LePage family kept receiving tips from people who saw Laser on the move, and 6 weeks after the scary fireworks display, a good samaritan dropped him off at the shelter just over a mile from their home.  Laser had found his way nearly the whole 50 miles on his own!  This is especially amazing since he had only been with the family for a short time and probably didn't know the area so well--but he was determined to hold onto his new pack.  The happy family has since been reunited and I bet Laser will be sticking close by his two young human siblings. Check out more one this amazing story, a map of his trek, across Canada and a family picture on CBC.ca.

Speaking of awesome Canadians, have you visited my friends over at Fido & Wino lately?

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A pit bull, a bassinet, and a happy ending

Pit bull are still the quintessential American family dog, despite the bad rap they get because of the criminals that abuse them.  Thor is the latest example of the incredi-dog.  Thor's family home was on fire and his people would not wake up--he tried barking and prodding them, but they were fast asleep.  In the meantime, Thor knew that their family's new baby human needed to get out of the house fast.  He sprung into action, and returned to the parents to bark at them again, only this time "He had my infant, my 3-month-old little girl, bassinet and all, grabbed by the ruffles and drug to the front door, ready to go," according to father Kemper Hunter.  He continued, "He's a hero, he saved our lives."

The family had just moved into their new home a week earlier, and lost everything in the fire.  It could have been worse if it wasn't for Thor, Hunter added--"Thank God for him, because if it wasn't for him, everything else is replaceable, but if it wasn't for him I think we'd still be laying in that bed if my dog hadn't been as heroic as he was."

This happy family is lucky they all survived and are still together.  Can you believe they would have to give up their family hero if they wanted to move to Denver or any other jurisdiction that has senseless breed bans?  Maggie Marton over at OhMyDogBlog.com is working hard to change that with the #endBSL campaign.  Visit her site to find out how you can help! Check out my previous post about the campaign here.

[Photo of Thor courtesy of WSBT-TV]

Three-legged dogs aid robot research

I have written before about how animals fitted for the latest prosthetics are helping to inform science on human prosthetics.  Generally I find the resilience of three legged, two legged, or otherwise special needs dogs to be inspiring.  But three legged dogs helping robot research?! Thats a new one!  But it is true--A team of researchers led by Martin Groß at the University of Jena in Germany are working to understand the mobility adaptations that three-legged dogs make in order to design robots that can overcome an "injury." Dogs can help because they can demonstrate how to compensate differently based on the loss of a front or rear limb.

According to Science Daily's great synopsis of the research, "Adjusting to missing a fore-limb is more difficult for the dog to deal with than for a hind-limb, according to the researchers. If a fore-limb is missing, the remaining limbs must undergo careful adaptation to co-ordinate with each other, a process known as 'gait compensation.' With a hind-leg amputation, the scientists found that the fore-limbs continue to act as they would normally in a four-legged dog, showing little or no compensation strategy. The scientists think the reason for the difference is due to the higher loading of the fore-limbs in comparison to the hind-limbs, because of the distribution of body weight." Very interesting stuff!

Wags to my very special three-legged buddy Spencer, who first sent me a tip on this cool new research.  He missing a fore leg, and is pictured here demonstrating how missing a leg does not mean he ever has to miss out on the fun--especially at the beach!

Friends will stick with you through the tough times

If you are a dog that has been mistreated, it is good to have a buddy like Brains.  Or so they call her at Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control that is temporary home to the pair--Brains and Brawn.  The dogs were first spotted making their way through traffic--but 30-pound Brawn was dragging a 20-pound chain that had been tied around his neck. When Brawn would slow down, it looked like Brains would encourage him to keep going.  Somehow, he escaped from the cruel environment he was living in, and this sweet girl was helping lead him to a better life.  

Dianne Sauve tells WPBF.com, "The female appeared to be leading this poor other dog who apparently is a friend of hers -- you can tell they're friends -- leading him away from wherever they came from."

I sure hope these friends can find a forever home together.  Only they know what really happened that day, but they got through it together. 

Seven years of blogging!

Today is my one year anniversary of being a blogging dog--That is seven years of blogging in my world!  Nearly 350 stories later, I am still in business.  It has been quite an exciting year. I have made some great friends online and off--even traveling to BlogPaws, the first ever conference for pet bloggers!

My very first story was Commuter dogs --about the dogs of Moscow riding the train and working in packs to avoid missing a stop.  I later did a follow up story on the Strays of Moscow.

In case you are new here, you can read up on my top stories of the past year:

The biggest dog EVER--about Giant George, the 245 pound great dane.

The dog lady's Chain of Hope--the story of Kate Quigley, who travels the roads of Kansas City helping out dogs that need her.

Give this dog a JOB!--about my buddy Baxter, a working dog who is STILL in need of a home.

Lend a paw and Be the Change--about my buddy Ricochet who leads by example by paying it forward. (Ricochet is also pictured above with her buddies--that girl knows how to party. Thanks for the sharing the pic of seven dogs celebrating for my seven dog-year anniversary!)

Prosthetic paw has Sully running again--about how new technologies are changing the lives of dogs with disabilities.

Search and Rescue dogs in Haiti--about the hard working dogs to lending a paw to help find people trapped after the devastating earthquake.

Glamour Pets--Glamour magazine's April fool's joke was a hit among pet people.

Are dogs Republican or Democrats?--profiling famous dog lovers on both sides of the aisle.

Rescue overload--when to know when you have taken on too much.

I want to send a BIG WAG out to all of my loyal readers--without your support, feedback, comments, and clicks, I would have given up a long time ago.  But here I am, looking forward to the next seven years!

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What is fostering all about?

I got a rough start on the streets of North Carolina, but I was lucky enough to land in a foster home on my way to finding my forever home.  Having a foster home meant that I could live in a home instead of a shelter, where I could get used to things like people, doorbells, stairs, peeing outside, peanut butter, toys, and all the other comforts of a real home.  

Some dogs could use foster homes because they really need the TLC that would come with living full time with a caring person.  Cash strapped shelters with dozens, or even hundreds of dogs, just don't have the resources that some dogs need.  Alvin, for example, was not looking so great when he landed a temporary home with Jane, a volunteer with Waggytime Rescue in New York CIty.  Jane knew there was a great dog under the dirty matted coat, and she wanted to help Alvin shine.  Posted here are the before and after pictures of Alvin-look at that smile and bright eyes, a face full of expression, that you just couldn't see before. I bet feeling clean and cared for has a lot to do with the smile you see in that picture.  Jane really has done a fantastic job helping Alvin put his best paw forward as he looks for his forever home.  You can see more pictures of Alvin here on his petfinder page. According to his profile, "He loves sitting on laps, flopping over on a comfy couch and "dancing" for chicken treats."  Seems like life has really turned around for ALvin since landing in foster care.  And YES, he is still looking for you!

If you are thinking about fostering, you should know that there are all kinds of dogs out there that could use your help.  Some need some help coming out of their shell, some need a bath, and some just need a warm place to crash on their way to their forever home.  I love my home now, but I know that if it were not for the several foster parents I had through Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, I would not have the good life I have now.  

Viagra for Ingrid

Ingrid (pictured here) is a cheery pit bull terrier that landed in the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Shelter two years ago with a severe heart condition and a variety of other ailments.  The good folks at Little Shelter were going to do whatever it took to get this sweet girl back in good health, even if it meant giving her Viagra. Wait, WHAT?

Yes, vets say that Viagra increases the blood flow and keeps Ingrid's heart healthy.  Viagra, at $10/day, is not a cheap medication for any cash-strapped shelter.  Little shelter is now asking for charitable folks to come forward with some spare pills from their last prescription.  According to LA Times Unleashed, "One woman donated her husband's stash to the dog because she suspected he was having an affair." Hey, whatever works.  According to the NY Daily News, Ingrid came to their shelter two years ago, and they launched a very successful Viagra collection, but that supply has been almost completely depleted.

Ingrid is still looking for a home that can support her Viagra needs.  With a daily little blue pill, she is expected to live a long normal life.  Contact Little Shelter in Long Island if you have some spare pills, or room for a sweet bully.  NY Daily News has another beautiful picture of her here.

While the treatment isn't yet mainstream for dogs, who'd have thought that female dogs like Ingrid would get their paws on Viagra before human women? FDA is currently considering extending Viagra availability to women, in fact, the Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee meets today to discuss the "little pink pill."

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Homeless man saves dumped dog

James Beavers is a homeless veteran living in an abandoned car wash.  It sounds like life had let him down in more than one way, but James still has compassion.  After being startled by a car speeding away, he heard a dog wimpering. He searched the area and found the dog in the worst possible place for a dog: in a abandoned vat of disposed motor oil.  He found some rope to pull the dog out of the mess, but still needed help making sure the German Shepherd mix, who had recently had puppies, got cleaned up.  He went to a nearby pay phone to call his friend Sheila Zachar, who has taken to animal rescue since retiring.

Covered in toxic goop and stagnant water, the dog needed to get emergency care.  Luckily she was saved by James before too much of the oil had been ingested, so most of the care she needed was some extra vigorous cleaning.  The incident was reported on the local news, and a family desperately looking for their dog came forward--Harley had been stolen from their front yard.  The Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County has given the family some tips on  safeguarding their dog from danger from neighborhood menaces, and has also taken Harley's five puppies.  They will spay and neuter them, and then work on finding homes for them.  No word on if anyone is helping to find a home for the real hero of the story: James Beavers.

Paper: eat with caution

Toby doesn't just fetch the paper... sometimes he eats it!  Aside for generally inconveniencing his people  so that they have to find their news elsewhere, this hadn't been a huge problem.  One day his owner Gill Bird came home and Toby wouldn't even pick up the chip she tossed to him for a snack.  Then she noticed he was drooling and blowing bubbles from his mouth.

Upon further inspection, she discovered that Toby's mouth was basically glued shut from the paper he was chowing on.  She couldn't even part his jaws herself, and had to take Toby to the vet.  Once there, he had to be sedated while the nurse and doctor scraped the paper-turned-glue from his mouth.  The vet described it as a "very unusual case." I'd say so!  Toby was home by the end of the day and back to normal.  He is pictured here flossing with the bills.  Metro.co.uk has another picture of Toby's jaws caked together.

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Not "just a dog"

I would never call my person "just a person."  She is MY person, and she is a special and irreplaceable part of my life.  But plenty of people refer to me and my four legged friends as "just a dog." I feel bad for those people because they only think that because they have never had the chance to share their life with a dog.  My friends over at Life with Dogs have put together this beautiful video to explain this phenomenon it to others.  They explain that some of a human's happiest and saddest moments can occur with or because of "just a dog." Sometimes "just a dog" will provide the comfort that no one else could give.  Of the other beautiful things in your life, would you say "just a promise" "just a friend" or "just a sunrise"?  We would never say that about our own person or anyone else's person.  My cousin Lily is pictured here. Her smiling face, giant tongue and sweet sweet temperament make her so much more than "just a dog" to my grandparents.


My person has since downloaded this song from iTunes: Lissie /Everywhere I go

Safe Summer Swimming

As we head into the heat of the summer, you might be thinking about taking your dog swimming.  If you are like me, I have never BEEN swimming, and my person doesn't even know if I can.  FIDOfriendly has some tips on making it fun and safe.  Notably--don't just throw your dog in the water because some dogs don't actually know how to swim.  Check their website for a full list of DON'Ts, but here is their list of DOs:

• Let your dog escape once they go in.
• Let your dog decide they are done for the day.
• Try using toys/food as a bribe to get in, BUT be sure to REWARD (more treats/play) AFTER the dog gets in even if they pop out.
• Use really, really tasty treats or your dog favorite toy.
• Start with a shallow pool and clear water with no waves or spray.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that you need to make it safe and fun, but if your dog just isn't interested in swimming, that is ok.  

My cousin Madison LOVES to swim, and she is pictured here having the time of her life in the Wenatchee River in Washington State. Madison has some joint problems, so regular swimming is a great way for her to get some exercise without putting extra pressure on her knees and hips.  Plus, she thinks it is fun, which is the most important part.  

Scoop has gone to the Cats

I admit it, I have gotten caught up in the thrill of participating in Adopt a Shelter Cat month.  Last week, I told you about my good friend Pimp from YourDailyCute, but I have another buddy to tell you about: Romeo the Cat--pictured here. In addition to his hilarious daily campaign to make sure his BREAKFAST is served on time by his staff, Romeo uses his platform to raise money and awareness for cats in need.  Please check out his fun blog!

I have a special place in my heart for Homeward Trails Animal Rescue--they are the ones that saved me from an overcrowded shelter and kept me in foster care for SIX months before I found my person. You know what? They help cats too!  Right now they have several cats on their hands that were slated to be euthanized for treatable medical conditions.  They are working hard to get these kitties fixed up so they can be adopted, but that costs money.  You can donate to support their work here.  You can even sponsor one of these cats in need (just list their name in the notes section of your donation):  

• Sushi is diabetic and needs some dental attention.
• Tiffany has a heart murmur and needs to visit a specialist.
• Einstein a beautiful senior cat--dumped at 17--and is suffering from an ulcerated eye that will require a specialist.  

Romeo knows all about this journey.  When he was in a shelter, he was deaf, but after he was picked up by The Forgotten Persian Rescue and Friends he had a series of surgeries, he can hear just fine now.  He does have a permanently folded ear, but I think that makes him extra cute.  Romeo has gone on to be a successful blogger, with the support of his very capable staff member, Caroline Golon, who is the founder of BlogPaws!