DOG in the news headlines
from around the world
 May archives

• May 30, Dog robs gas station
  Norway--A hungry Staffordshire bull terrier with a sweet tooth left his home to make a night raid on a gas station. The Statoil outlet's security cameras recorded the dog's stealthy hunt for his favorite type of chocolate, and a security guard busted the pooch without incident, newspaper Adressavisen reports.
   

• May 29, Dog books fetching huge readership
  Japan--The nation's latest publishing boom is books and magazines about dogs. Books and magazines on dogs occupy the shelves of a bookstore in Tokyo's Nihonbashi district. "With nothing but bad news reports, people are enjoying reading books about dogs," an executive at publishing house concluded.
   

• May 28, Porch Old dog can teach us a lot about friendship
  The Detroit News--Jack is a big, old lug. He's not what we wanted. He's not what we expected. He's not what we went for. So, what went wrong and how did he end up here?
   

• May 28, Mad cow case leads to recall of dog food
  The Associated Press--Washington A U.S. company asked customers Monday to return dog food that might have come from a Canadian cow that tested positive for mad cow disease, the Food and Drug Administration said. Pet Pantry International, of Carson City, Nev., said customers should search for two products:
   

• May 28, Love Me, Love My Dog
  time.com--Americans are taking the notion of dogs' being man's best friend quite literally. In Jon Katz's fine book The New Work of Dogs (Villard), the author explores how in our increasingly fragmented and disconnected society, dogs are often treated as family members and human surrogates. A growing number of people, according to Katz, say they get more support from their dogs than their spouses or parents.
   

• May 28, Dog wash to raise funds for Relay for Life
  FREEPORT -- To a lot of people, the smell of a soaking wet dog isn't a good thing. But to one Freeport Relay for Life team, soggy pups mean money raised for a good cause.
   

• May 28, Dog bites common but can be prevented
  Norwich Bulletin--NORWICH -- Eight-year-old Bryon Harris hears phantom dog chains raking outside his window. Since he and his brother, Miles Aron, 12, were attacked by two pit bulls May 15, he has had trouble sleeping.
   

• May 28, In Second Vote, Board Rejects Dog Park Site
  UK--Norwich— Ten months and two votes later, the Arf Park Inc. is still in search of a place where dogs can play. The Mohegan Park Improvements Advisory Board decided against allowing a dog park at Mohegan Park on Tuesday.
   

• May 28, Don’t take a dog into wolf country
  Idaho--Despite their blood relation, wolves and dogs do not belong together, a pair of wolf experts said earlier this month.
   

• May 26, Visiting pets breed good will
  HERALD NEWS TOTOWA - It's hard to imagine volunteers more eager than Roxie and Bully. By the time the boxer dogs reached the parking lot of the North Jersey Developmental Center on a recent morning, they were already straining at the leash to begin visiting the residents there.
   

• May 26, Pets unfairly blamed for disease spread
  Chinadaily.com--SARS has been a nightmare for not only people but also their pets. Many people have reportedly begun to desert or even kill their pets for fear of catching SARS from the animals. But these knee-jerk reactions have no scientific basis and will only aggravate the situation.
   

• May 26, This dog's in fashion for every season
  Bucks County Courier Times--Maybe as you drove along Route 313 near Thatcher Road, you noticed it, a statue of a white dog heeling next to a mailbox. But this isn't just any dog. It's dressed in a hula skirt or maybe a Santa Claus hat, depending on the season.
   

• May 26, £1,300 dog starved to death
  BBC--A DAD-OF-THREE whose pedigree dog starved to death has been fined £100 and given a six-month conditional discharge.
   

• May 26, Dog row after Algeria rescue
  BBC--The Rapid UK rescuers condemned the quarantine rules British rescuers returning home from earthquake-stricken Algeria have called on the government to relax the quarantine laws for their search dogs.
   

• May 23, Pets will be spayed, neutered, get ID chips before adoption
  SEATTLE POST-EVERETT -- Starting June 2, animals at the Everett Animal Shelter will have identification microchips implanted in them and will be spayed or neutered before they are given for adoption.
   

• May 23, Oxygen masks give pets chance to survive blaze
  Peninsula Humane Society's program will equip all fire departments. BURLINGAME -- Thanks to an innovative new program, area firefighters will no longer have to endure dog breath and cat scratches to save a pet from smoke inhalation.
   

• May 23, DeBary man gets dog back after 3-year battle with animal control
  The Associated Press--A central Florida man got his watchdog back this week, three years after it was seized by animal control officials who said it was vicious because it had bitten four people.
   

• May 23, Demand punishment for dog's death
  St. Petersburg Times--Editor: On March 14, Kay, a 15-month-old Jack Russell terrier was stolen from her owner, Lanny Kress. Lanny got Kay when she was a month old, bottle-fed her and she was his constant companion. She was beaten with a baseball bat and stabbed with a large knife.
   

• May 23, Mystery of dog's long trek solved
  Associated Press--Now we know how Norman, the wayward beagle from Solomon, wound up in Auburn, Ala. An Auburn University student said Thursday that he picked up Norman and took him more than 1,000 miles to Alabama. Norman was reunited with his owners Wednesday in El Dorado.
   

• May 22, Protest targets guide dog school
  MANATEE - 'The majority of the problem is the failure to communicate.' When 17-year-old Annie Sergeant saw Rhapsody on Wednesday she broke down in tears. Three months earlier the Southeastern Guide Dogs school had taken the 4-year-old breeding dog away from Sergeant and the home the dog has known since she was a puppy.
   

• May 22, County to set up dog court
  H&N--They bark. They bite. They get in the neighbor's trash. And, when neighbors get fed up with the problems, they clog the court system.
   

• May 22, Oceanside council unleashes 2 dog park sites
  UNION-TRIBUNE--OCEANSIDE – The City Council has chosen two locations for dog parks where the pets can run free of a leash.
   

• May 21, A dog story to give you paws for thought
  South Carolina--By now everyone has probably heard the story of the beagle named Norman. He's the dog that disappeared from his Solomon, Kan., home in March and somehow turned up last week in Auburn, Ala. -- a journey of 800 miles.
   

• May 21, Dog Owners Fight 'Canine Profiling' By Insurance Companies
  CLEVELAND -- More than 4 million people nationwide are bitten each year by dogs, and 20 of those bitten die. Many Companies Won't Insure Dogs Considered Vicious.
   

• May 21, Lisbon man accused of shooting dog
  Waukesha - Miffed over a neighbor's dog chasing his chickens, a town of Lisbon man allegedly shot the animal with a shotgun.
   

• May 21, ABANDONED DOG NEEDS A CUDDLE
  UK--A Dog needed emergency surgery on a dislocated leg after being dumped in a cardboard box in a country lane. The brown toy poodle-type dog, named Penny by RSPCA carers, was discovered by a motorist in Longhill Lane,
   

• May 21, Dog owners howling about new enforcement policies
  Aspen Times--Hal Clark, a 34-year resident of Twining Flats, told the Pitkin County commissioners yesterday that he’s spent three decades walking four different dogs in Wilton Jaffee Park, usually without a leash and never with any problems.
   

• May 21, Dog fouling a council priority
  UK--IN response to the letter from Alan Menzies (News, May 14) complaining about dog dirt on the pitches at Saughton Park, I would like to assure him that the council is determined to take the strongest possible action against irresponsible dog owners who allow their pets to foul the city’s streets and public parks.
   

• May 21, Train death after attempt to rescue dog
  UK--AN investigation was underway today after a man was hit by a train while trying to rescue his pet dog from a railway line. The accident happened just after 4.30pm last night when the dog ran on to the rails near Cardross Station in Dunbartonshire.
   

• May 21, Lost Dog Found 800 Miles From Home
  Associated Press--SOLOMON, Kan. - A couple whose dog turned up 800 miles from home in Auburn, Ala., won't have to take the more than 20-hour drive to retrieve their wandering beagle.
   

• May 20, Dog injured after being attacked by pit bulls
  In the last two years, two of Patricia Cather's dogs have been attacked by pit bulls running loose in her Rock Island neighborhood.
   

• May 20, Dog Returned To Assisted-Living Center
  Woman Says She Returned Pooch After Watching NewsChannel5
  PARMA, Ohio -- Sunny, a Golden retriever that has lived at the Sunrise Assisted Living Center in Parma for more than three years, disappeared Thursday night.
   

• May 20, No, the magnet was "the Dog Beach."
  Beach barking--A stretch of Brohard Beach across from the Venice airport is set aside for dogs and the people who drive them there. Sarasota County maintains the park.
   

• May 20, Sony's robot dog learns a new trick
  UK--Sony's robot dog - Aibo - has been given new powers with a software program called Aibo Eyes, which allows it to 'beam' digital images to its owner.
   

• May 20, Bremer: Ugly dogs steal the show again at festival
  Lowcountry--Only about a half-dozen dogs pranced themselves around the front of the May River Realty on Calhoun to await the start of the Ugly Dog Contest at 1 p.m. Competition was fierce and it was a tough decision.
   

• May 20, Dog credited with saving Spotsylvania family from fire
  Associated Press--SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. -- Seven people scurried to safety after being alerted to a house fire by a barking dog, Spotsylvania County fire officials said.
   

• POOLS  PETS and Children = Tragedy?
  The Southhampton Press-- When my wife and I bought a new puppy last spring, we were concerned about pool safety. Last year, friends of ours lost a dog in a pool and we didn't want to repeat their tragedy. Of course the fear most people have is of a child drowning. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death among children ages one to four, and studies show that fence ordinances don't help. In fact, a Los Angeles study concluded that fences actually increased the number of toddler drownings! (Apparently, parents develop a false sense of security.)
   

• May 14, Pets at risk for ticks
  Jacksonsun--The wet weather across the South this winter and spring has created ideal conditions for ticks and mosquitoes, putting both you and your pet at risk for potentially debilitating - or even fatal - diseases.
   

• May 14, Dogs Take Their Place in Arsenal Against Chemical Attack
  WASHINGTON,— In the hunt for terrorists who might try to use unconventional weapons on American soil, the federal government is enlisting an old, and very trusted, ally. The Department of Homeland Security says that in a research program kept quiet for months, it has determined, apparently for the first time, that ordinary dogs can be trained to sniff out trace amounts of the nonlethal components of chemical weapons, including sarin and cyanide.
   

• May 14, Pet Stores Criticized For Selling Sick Dogs
  MURRAY, a Newfoundland pup who was rushed to the East End Veterinary Emergency Center with severe pneumonia on May 2, cannot stand up straight on his back paws. "If you owned a deli and had dirty food, they'd shut you down," stated Chris Pulver of Newfoundland Rescue. "But there are no laws that protect these animals."
   

• May 14, PawPrints: With pets, there's a price to be paid
  Zwire.com--We just heard of a report where a local woman called police because a puppy she acquired that day had snapped at her child. Obviously, she didn't do her homework - either in matching the puppy to her lifestyle and/or teaching her child how to act around a dog.
   

• May 14, Dog killers on short leash
  The Examiner--Men avoid jail time. Two men who admitted abusing and killing a family pet were sentenced Monday to three years of probation. Ray Cararajal, 26, of Richmond, Mo., and Johnnie L. Parks Jr., 31, of Independence, pleaded guilty to charges that they tortured and mutilated the animal at Parks' Independence home last August.
   

• May 14, Mohegan Park dog park delayed again
  NORWICH -- The anticipated "arf park" will be delayed yet again. The Mohegan Park Improvements and Development Advisory Board realized last week that its unanimous vote in March to endorse the dog park was void because there wasn't a quorum. Only four of the eight board members attended.
   

• May 14, Dog Park Advocates Back At Square One Finding Location
  A group backing plans for a dog park will have to start over in its effort to obtain a parcel of land in Mohegan Park. On March 18, the Mohegan Park Advisory Board voted to allow the group to use a three-acre parcel behind the parking lot near Spaulding Pond beach in Mohegan Park.
   

• may 13, Dogged digging gets Zac back
  BBC-UK--Puppy power: Zac recovers in the arms of his rescuers. A dog trapped for more than 24 hours below ground in Manchester was found alive thanks to the efforts of firefighters, the RSPCA - and a timely bark.
   

• may 13, Emotional-support pets may be allowed in planes
  By Associated Press. WASHINGTON -- Airline passengers who rely on cats, monkeys or other animals for emotional support may be able to bring the animals into a plane's seating compartment under revised federal guidelines.
   

• may 13, It's a Dog's Life
  Time.com--Personal massages and manicures. Gourmet food and designer duds. Hey, some humans don't live this well. You don't love your dog. Sure, you may take him for walks, pet him and even give him special snacks, but did you buy him a $190 designer shearling coat?
   

• May 12, Dog walkers fail to break record
  UK--ANIMAL lovers failed in their bid to break a world dog-walking record in Edinburgh yesterday. Organisers had hoped that 3,118 pets would take part in the record-breaking attempt. Among those taking part were Danny, the three-year-old Pekinese who scooped the top prize at this year’s Crufts.
   

• May 12, 1st Annual Miss Dog Beauty Pageant:
  Being Dog Gone Pretty Pays Off .Yes, folks it doesn’t get better than this. A beauty pageant for dogs. Fox just keeps spitting out these quality shows. Eric Schotz, the creator of Boot Camp, is the man behind this canine pageant.
   

• May 12, Late fees waived for dog licenses
  Contra Costa Animal Services--Dog owners can buy a license without being forced to pay the $40 late fee they would normally be charged for not having a current and valid dog license, but they must do it by May 31.
   

• May 12, Dog killed in attack
  ST. JOHNS COUNTY, FL - Animal Control officials say that a rotweiler and a pit bull attacked two dogs in a Switzerland neighborhood on Monday morning.
   

• May 10 Does Rover do more than rollover? If so, then the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum is looking for you. Ripley's will hold open auditions for unusual or amazing pets this Sunday, for a chance to be on the TV show, Ripley's Believe It or Not!
   

• 10 may, Dog revived by doctor
  Channelguide--A local vet is being hailed a hero. Doctor John Green is a veterinarian at the Colonie Animal Hospital. He was at home last night when his old neighbor Ellie Smith knocked on his door. The hospital where he worked was already closed for the night.
   

• 10 may, Dog wasn't abandoned after all
  St. Petersburg Times--The pit bullterrier's owner is just moving, Animal Control says.
  ZEPHYRHILLS - When Pasco County Animal Control went out to check on what was thought to be an abandoned pit bullterrier in Jose Diana's rented house on Coleen Avenue on Thursday evening, they found the animal to be well-cared for.

• May 9, Dog noses know drugs
  EVERETT -- Bart was happy to swap 5 grams of marijuana for a red rubber ball. And Zoe turned over 6 grams of black tar heroin in exchange for a soggy, green toy. Thursday morning, the two police dogs nosed through suitcases, woodpiles, tools and boxes in search of cocaine, pot and heroin to trade for their favorite chew toys.
   

• May 9, Waynesville dog groomer faces animal cruelty charges
  Associated Press-WAYNESVILLE, N.C. - Authorities have charged a dog groomer with animal cruelty after discovering six dead dogs and 19 malnourished dogs in her business.
   

• May 9, Grieving dog owner wants pit bulls destroyed
  San Antonio Express-News-- A North Side woman who saw her 9-pound Lhasa apso mauled to death by a pair of pit bulls said Thursday she wants the dogs destroyed. Sylvia Rangel's pet Solice was one of two dogs killed by pit bulls Wednesday that also were blamed for injuring a jogger before dawn. A pit bull named Judas was captured Wednesday by animal
   

• May 9, Dog Jog and Walk will be Saturday at Bacon Creek Park
  Sanatonio--The first Modern Woodman of America Dog Jog and Walk will be Saturday in Bacon Creek Park. Activities will begin at 9 a.m. with registration and check-in near Shelter One for a timed 5k fun run. Medals will be awarded for the first three places in various age groups.
   

May 8, A Dog's Life
theday.com--Tails Of The Sea -- Mystic Seaport Exhibit Looks At Dogs On The Water
“As long as there have been boats, there have been dogs on boats,” says Seaport Director of Exhibits Jonathan Shay.And those generations of dogs represent a kennel's worth of breeds and talents.
 

• May 8, Dog park proposals get mixed reviews
  According to Libby Hargrove, chairperson of the Off-Leash Area Study Committee, the victory goes to the NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard). Hargrove made her comments after Monday's Eden Prairie Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission meeting, a meeting in which plans for city owned/operated off-leash dog parks were given either the thumbs up or thumbs down.
   

• May 8, DOG OF THE YEAR SHOW COMES TO THE RESCUE
  UK--One of the top titles in the canine calendar is up for grabs with the launch of the annual RSPCA Dog of the Year show. Previously the show was held exclusively for crossbreed dogs but this year for the first time it will be for rescue dogs, both crossbreeds and pedigrees.
   

• May 8, Dog Rescue Leaves Shelter in Need of Help
  Venango Twp (KDKA) After rescuing about 20 dogs from a home in Venango Township, the Butler County Humane Society is asking for help finding good homes for the animals.
   

• May 7, 'Canicross' craze hits the UK
  The sport is already popular in Europe. Dog-lovers who end up being dragged around the park by their pets are being encouraged to take up a new sport. Canicross is a mixture of dog-walking and cross-country running in which participants are tied to their dog before taking to the trail.
   

• May 7, Florida dog to come to rescue of fellow four-legged painter
  Associated Press-LONGWOOD - A painting dog has been enlisted to help a fellow four-legged artist, a Virginia potbellied pig suffering from cancer. Q-Boy, a Sheltie from Longwood in Central Florida who has been painting with his paws for about four months, helped create a painting that is currently on the online auction site eBay.
   

• May 7, Blind woman tackles rail giant
  BBC News Online--A blind British woman is fighting for the right to book a special disabled seat with her guide dog on French railways. Verity Smith frequently visits her parents in the south of France, but says taking her dog Kay is a nightmare.
   

• May 7, Man Strips to Shorts to Rescue Dog
  Associated Press-MINNEAPOLIS - This time, a man was a dog's best friend. On Saturday morning a dog swam about 300 yards out into the chilly waters of Lake Harriet. Apparently, it got confused and didn't know where to turn and appeared to be in serious trouble. About a dozen folks standing on shore were talking to the dog's owner, asking whether it was time to get help.
   

• May 7, Haley Howard & Cap Ace 2003 National Cattle Dog Finals
  Oregon--Poise and presence aptly describe the flawless performance of Haley Howard and Cap at the 2003 National Cattle Dog Finals held April 10-13 near Red Bluff, Calif. With perfect scores of 75 each in the qualifying runs, and a perfect 150 in the Finals round, the team from Alturas, Calif., was untouchable.
   

• May 7, Davenport mulls stricter dog laws
  DAVENPORT -- Sandra and Scott Karwath, 1121 E. Denison Ave., Davenport, have several puncture wounds on their hands from fighting off a pit bull Saturday that attacked their dog, Rocky.
   

• May 7, City Council endorses concept of a dog park
  VISTA – The first e-mail Mayor Morris Vance received after taking office came from a voter who wanted something in return for helping him win: a dog park.2 potential areas in Vista reviewed.
   

• May 6, Dog show brings out the best
  HARMONY TWP. -- Anibao Faria's hands cramp up from the amount of time the handler spends prepping Pearl for her moment in the dog show spotlight. The third-ranked bichon in the United States, known in the show circuit as Champion Whitebred's Kissed by a Rose, doesn't look this perfect all the time.
   

• May 6, Dog case - query over dog identity
  New Zeland--Two men accused of dog attack say they believe it was another dog - but judge says he has no doubt. The two men sentenced over a dog attack believe there's another vicious dog in Auckland.
   

• May 6, Dog mothering lion cubs at Baghdad's zoo
  BAGHDAD--The Bible says lions would lay down with lambs, but in the aftermath of the Iraq war several cubs that belonged to Saddam Hussein's eldest son Uday are settling for the company of dogs.
   

• May 6,Group Starts Fund-raising For Proposed Dog Park
  Theday.com--The Southeastern Connecticut Dog Park Association has launched a fund-raising effort for a planned dog park in Copp Park on Route 184.
   

• May 05, Photogenic pets sought for 2004 calendar
  VANCEBURG - Does your dog or cat have "star quality?" Is your pet "just the cutest thing around?" Or maybe you have more pictures of Fido than you do of your children.
   

• May 05, Pets, too, can learn to live with diabetes
  Prompt diagnosis, treatment are best strategy against potentially fatal ailment. The problem with treating pets is that they can't tell you what's wrong. Luckily for veterinarians, sometimes their owners can.
   

• May 5, The dogs have their day
  TINICUM - They were primped and prepped for their strut down the runway. Some were combed and brushed so many times clumps of hair lay on the ground where they stood.
   

• May 5, Man dies trying to save dog
  BBC UK--A holidaymaker died after attempting to rescue his pet dog from a Scottish river, police said. The animal survived but the 41-year-old man died in hospital after he was swept downstream on the River Spey.
   

• May 2, POOLS  PETS and children = Tragedy?
  The Southhampton Press-- When my wife and I bought a new puppy last spring, we were concerned about pool safety. Last year, friends of ours lost a dog in a pool and we didn't want to repeat their tragedy. Of course the fear most people have is of a child drowning. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death among children ages one to four, and studies show that fence ordinances don't help. In fact, a Los Angeles study concluded that fences actually increased the number of toddler drownings! (Apparently, parents develop a false sense of security.)
   

• May 1st, Humane Society Celebrating Guide Dog Day
  Waterford –– To commemorate International Guide Dog Day, which was Wednesday, the Quaker Hill-based Connecticut Humane Society will host an informational booth from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday to show foster families how to raise and train the animals.
   

• May 1st, Cop shoots dog during arrest, angering people at bus stop
  FALL RIVER -- Chaos erupted following a daytime police shooting at a crowded SRTA bus station on Second Street Wednesday when a Fall River officer opened fire on a pit bull.
   

• May 1st, REFUGE FOR PETS EXPANDS
  bristol-- A GROUND-breaking RSPCA scheme to provide temporary shelter for pets belonging to women and families fleeing domestic violence is to expand across the South West. The Petsafe scheme started as a pilot project working with nine women's refuges in Bristol, Somerset and Bath last June.
   

• News archives april 2003