Posted on Jul 15, 2008 By Julia Szabo
If you're planning a long-distance drive with your large dog, and Spot has a habit of forcing his way up to the front of your car while you're driving it - not to be encouraged, as it can be extremely hazardous - it's time to brush up on some good manners training so your upcoming car trip with your dog goes without a hitch.
To encourage good motor manners, FetchDog friend Andrew Yori requires that his dog traveling companions sit before jumping up to his Pontiac Aztek - and repeats the request before letting the dogs jump out.
Yori's handsome white pit bull, a talented athlete named Wallace, is the winner of the 2007 Purina Incredible Dog Challenge, as reported here. Recently, Wallace welcomed a new dog friend to his pack: Hector, one of the pits rescued from Michael Vick's dogfighting operation. Like his packmate Wallace, Hector "loves to go for rides in the car," Yori reports.
If you find yourself too pressed for time to do much training with your dog, it's easy to turn car rides with your dog into fun, easy dog-training sessions. "Even a short drive can be a dog-training opportunity," Yori explains. "I like to take advantage of every training opportunity, because it helps us bond more. This way, my dogs are connected with me, rather than just doing their own thing in the car."
And there's no need to pack extra treats for these training sessions; as Yori explains, "the car is the treat!"
Early this morning, this blogger made an appearance on "Morning Living," the fabulous show on the Sirius Radio channel helmed by FetchDog Friend Martha Stewart, basking in the radiant glow of hip, happening host Kim Fernandez (Kim's co-host, Betsy Karetnick, was off on vacation).
Kim is a serious dog lover, with three rescued dogs of her own, so topics discussed included simple ways to promote longevity in dogs with healthy dog food and dog treats, as well as the critical importance of brushing dogs' teeth every single day with dog toothpaste that tastes good to your dog (and smells good to you).
Then we moved on to the subject of bathing dogs, and how a portable outdoor dog tub makes this chore easier on both your dog and your back. In the event your dog is skunked, we discussed the awesome deodorizing power of all-natural Omega Zapp shampoo.
If one were to guess at the dog counterpart for champion Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, one might guess an athletic breed that feels totally at home in the water - a Labrador Retriever, say, or a Portuguese Water Dog.
But Phelps, who won eight gold medals at the Beijing games and has generated global discussion about his extraordinary physique, prefers a dog breed not renowned for athleticism: the Bulldog.
Herman, Phelps' Bulldog, appeared with the swimmer in a sweet TV spot. In it, Phelps explains that he and his dog are actually a well-matched pair of couch hounds: "We have the same exact personality," Phelps says. "When I'm out of the pool, I'm lazy - I just want to sit down on the couch and watch TV and do nothing, and he'll come up on the couch and watch TV with me."
As reported in the San Diego Union-Tribune, a San Diego police offer was charged Friday in the death of his K9 partner, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois named Forrest. Officer Paul Hubka, a 22-year veteran of the San Diego police department, left the dog in the police cruiser with the windows rolled up on a day when temperatures exceeded 100 degrees.The attorney representing Hubka in an unrelated labor lawsuit said the officer had worked a double shift and was exhausted when he got home, forgetting the dog was in the car.
In a tragic trend, as reported in Nose to the Ground last month, Police officer Sara Movahedi left her K9 partner Sam Diesel, a German Shepherd dog, in the patrol car with the air conditioner running. Unbeknownst to the officer, the car's recently-installed new air compressor had failed, shutting down the air conditioner. Three and a half hours later, Movahedi returned to discover Sam Diesel's lifeless body in the back.
Last summer, police Sgt. Tom Lovejoy of suburban Phoenix left his police dog in a patrol car for 13 hours. The dog died, but the officer was ultimately acquitted of animal cruelty on Friday. Lovejoy testified that after working an overnight shift, he parked his police SUV in his driveway and went inside, forgetting his K9 partner, another Belgian Malinois, was inside, sleeping in the back.
The San Diego police department has announced that it plans to buy heat-alert systems for its fleet of 53 police dog cars similar to those used in other cities, such as Phoenix, Dallas, and Las Vegas, where temperatures reach dangerous highs. When the back seat of the patrol car reaches a certain temperature, the system will automatically lower the car's windows, switch on the air conditioning, and sound an alarm. The technology will cost about $36,000 total.
In the meantime, overtired police officers - and any motorist traveling with a dog in the car - would be well advised to make a habit of always checking the car interior thoroughly for sleeping dogs, and removing any animal from the vehicle before locking up.
Uno the Beagle who became the first of his breed to win the coveted Best in Show title at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, has successfully made the transition from pampered show dog to hard-working therapy dog.
This summer, Uno completed a six-week Delta Society Pet Partners training course at the New York headquarters of the ASPCA, America's first humane organization. Uno's charm won over his teacher, just as it won him the heart of American dog lovers on the night of his historic Westminster win.
"From the moment Uno entered the training area, I felt he would be an excellent therapy pet," says ASPCA Therapy Dog Trainer Michele Siegel. "Not because he's so adorable to look at, but because of his relaxed body language, his bright, alert eyes and his ability to acclimate immediately to new surroundings."
Uno was accompanied during training sessions by David Frei, the Westminster commentator who is a big supporter of animal-assisted therapy programs. Now that the 15-inch Beagle's therapy dog status is official, Uno will serve as celebrity spokesdog for Angel on a Leash, the Westminster Kennel Club charity that Frei founded.
"Uno's historic win at Westminster confirmed his role as America's best dog, but now that he's a certified therapy dog, he is much more than a pretty face," Frei said. "He has the ability to comfort and love those who are in serious need, and that goes beyond breeding."
I may be stuck in the city on a book deadline, but that doesn't mean my dogs can't enjoy a weekend in the countryside, complete with extended romps in the woods. Of course, when my long-haired dogs return with sticky burrs lodged in their thick fur, I get all the work of country living, and none of the fun.
Tiki, my Chow Chow mix, just came back with a particularly bad case of burrs; his normally majestic plume tail was completely covered in them, down to the skin. I wound up spending literally hours using my fingers to slowly, gently remove these nasties from my poor dog's coat and tail before serious matting could set in.
On her web site Weavingthedream.com, master weaver Paula Chaffee Scardamalia offers excellent advice for removing burrs, gleaned from years of experience detangling not only the yarns she works with, but the coat of her beloved Collie, Duncan, who "will stand or sit with dog-saintly forbearance while we remove burrs, because we have learned the secret."
Here's the secret: "To not pull the burr away from the dog, but to pull the dog hair away from the burr. By holding onto the burr and gently pulling the hair away from the burr strand by strand, the snarl comes undone and the burr releases its grip. Pulling on a burr just entangles it in the hair even more and makes a dog growly."
Here's another secret: Give your dog tasty dog treats every few minutes during this intense grooming session, and follow up the ordeal with a thorough Furminator grooming tool session.
As the final countdown to the Democratic National Convention begins, the Internet is bustling with packs of dogs and dog people offering their support for presidential candidate Barack Obama. Although an AP-Yahoo News poll recently revealed that dog owners favor Republican candidate John McCain over Obama 42 percent to 37 percent, the Democrat is top dog with his canine constituents.
The web site ObamaDog.com features photographs of a Boxer named Lily with quotations from Lily's favorite candidate, while Puppies4Obama.com features the results of a dog photo contest that FetchDog's "Nose to the Ground" blog first reported on back in December of last year. The bi-pawtisan site TheDogVote.com sums up the matter thusly: "The fate of our nation lies in their paws."
The distinctive spelling of the candidate's name has given rise to a popular - make that paw-pular - political slogan: "BARK FOR BARACK." Already, dog-watchers in Denver and political animals around the country have spotted this catchy slogan on dog T-shirts and bandannas. Other timely slogans include "BARK OBAMA," "BARacK FOR PRESIDENT," and "DOGGIE DEMOCRAT."
A scientific study conducted at London's Birkbeck College shows that dogs find human yawns contagious. Don't yawn now - yawning is common in many species of animal, but catching a yawn is big news. It means the animal who catches a yawn has a rudimentary capacity for empathy.
A yawn triggered by seeing others yawning has previously been shown to occur only in humans and chimpanzees. Now scientists have proof of what dog lovers have suspected for centuries: dogs have the capacity for empathy. For those requiring more proof, observe any therapy dog in action.
The study was published in the journal Biology Letters; the authors said the dog subjects' yawning behavior showed they are skilled at reading human social cues.
For more proof of that canine skill, ask a professional dog trainer.
Dognapping is on the rise, according to the American Kennel Club, which noted three times as many dog thefts in 2008 as the year before - and the year isn't over yet. The organization tracked 30 thefts, as opposed to only 10 in 2007.
The disturbing rise in pet thefts may be chalked up to the current weak economy. Some people steal dogs so they can collect reward money from distraught owners and breeders; others do it because it's an easy way to acquire a dog without spending money they don't have.
In most states, the value of the dog determines whether pet theft is a felony or a misdemeanor. In Ohio, for instance, it's a misdemeanor if the value of the dog is less than $500, but stealing a dog worth more than $1,000 from a home is considered felony grand theft. But since the true value of a beloved dog cannot be quantified, dog owners are advised to keep a watchful eye on their pets at all times.
As reported here in February, Californian Bernann McKunney was so grief-stricken at the death of her beloved Pit Bull, unfortunately named Booger, that she arranged with a South Korean firm to have him cloned. (Read the FetchDog Nose to the Ground blog post on dog cloning.)
Yesterday, newswires around the world were alight with details on the birth, in Korea, of a litter of 5-week-old black puppies, all of whose names include the word Booger.
"It's a miracle for me because I was able to smile again, laugh again and just feel alive again," McKinney said at a news conference in the South Korean capital of Seoul. The total cost to McKinney was $50,000, which amounts to ten grand per puppy. The fee for adopting a Pit Bull from an animal shelter or rescue group - any of whom can move a person to smile, laugh, and feel alive - is about $100.
Because California is especially hard hit by the mortgage foreclosure crisis, shelters all over the state are filled to capacity with sweet Pit Bulls in need of loving homes. Animal advocates across the country hope that people in search of a dog with legendary loyalty will go to their local animal shelter first.
As reported in the New York Post, the ASPCA's Humane Law Enforcement division - the famous cops of Animal Planet's "Animal Precinct" - have an arrest in the case of an abandoned puppy left to die on a New York City sidewalk.
On July 25, HLE arrested Russell H. Hobbs of the Bronx for the crime of abandoning his Pit Bull puppy. Earlier in the month, on July 3, Hobbs brought Lucy to the ASPCA Bergh Memorial Hospital, where the dog was diagnosed with canine parvovirus. The disease is fatal if untreated.
Unable to afford veterinary care for the dog, Hobbs was advised to complete an application for financial support, but he declined. Despite being warned that his dog would die, he took her, tied her to a nearby basement doorknob, and left the scene. After four days of treatment in the intensive care unit of the ASPCA's hospital, Lucy died.
Hobbs had two earlier felony convictions for armed robbery and grand larceny. He was found guilty the first time and pleaded guilty the second time, when he was also charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child.
The actual birth dates of most shelter and rescue dogs are unknown, but every dog deserves a birthday - and a birthday party with plenty of spectacular dog toys and dog treats - maybe even a whole treat jar full.
So North Shore Animal League America (www.animalleague.org), the world's largest no-kill shelter, has graciously designated today "DOGust the First," a universal birthday for shelter and rescue dogs everywhere.
To celebrate, the League's headquarters in Port Washington, New York, will be the venue for today's festive universal birthday party. The host is Beth Ostrosky, who is engaged to marry Sirius Radio star Howard Stern in October.
Those who can't make it to the event can express birthday wishes for their own rescued or adopted dog with a specially-designed "Happy DOGust the First" e-card greeting. There are three colorful e-cards to choose from, and all can be sent directly from North Shore's web site.
Lulu and Lolly are a pair of pampered Malteses who made the journey from an animal shelter to a life of first-class luxury. Transcending their humble beginnings as "trendy" purebreds whose first owners abandoned them after their novelty wore off, the rescued Malteses are now lending a paw to help their fellow rescue dogs in need.
With the goal of glamorizing dog rescue so more people will adopt a pre-owned purebred, the dogs' owner, political consultant Cynthia Miller of Austin, Texas, a Harvard grad, has created a web site (www.luluandlolly.com) that promotes a series of products, including a 2009 wall calendar showcasing the two well-traveled Malteses engaging in fun vacation activities: snowboarding, sunbathing, river rafting, and skydiving.
Already, the dogs and their calendar have gotten coverage in Ladies Home Journal.
The story of "Lulu and Lolly's Road Trip" goes that the fluffy, frequent-flying, traveling dogs "borrowed" their owner's credit cards to embark on these adventures, which culminate in a Manhattan shopping spree. The calendar goes on sale in stores and on Amazon.com later this year.
Inside/Out, (www.theinsideandout.com) whose tagline is "Journeys for your inner self in the outdoors," is renowned for developing "Humanitourism" trips that combine altruism with guided adventure travel, with the goal of promoting longer-term relationships between communities and travelers. The company has just announced an "assistance adventure trip" to Greece in October 2008 to work on aid projects related to dog rescue and the inhumane conditions that exist for dogs in that country.
Greece struggles with an animal welfare crisis that is largely unknown to the rest of the world. The situation, and rescuers attempting to remedy it, received exposure in the global media just prior to the 2004 Olympics, when Athens' stray-dog population was systematically poisoned in an effort to make the city more photogenic to the anticipated influx of visitors.
Participants in Inside/Out's trip will assist animal welfare advocates and dog rescue in Greece who are trying to help the country's overwhelming population of unwanted dogs, who are routinely abandoned, killed, and cruelly mistreated. Aid activities will include providing hands-on assistance in the improvement of animal shelter facilities in Patras, located on the gulf of the Peloponnese, as well as education, care, and feeding programs in Ioannina, located in the mountains of the central mainland, the Zagoria region. After Ioannina, travelers will embark on a more conventionally vacation-like eco-adventure tour of Greek's mountainous region, complete with trekking, sea kayaking, and sightseeing.
The trip is recognized and supported in its mission by Camp Bow Wow, (www.campbowwowusa.com), the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation (www.bowwowbuddies.com) and the Achaic Animal Welfare Society, a no-kill shelter in the port city of Patras, northwest of Athens.
For those who are unable to participate yet still want to help the dogs of Greece, Inside/Out offers tips on donating funds or supplies for the project (click here for ways to help the dog rescue efforts), as well as how to write letters of protest to the Greek government. And for those interested in traveling to Canada to adopt a rescued Greek dog , visit the Tails from Greece Rescue web site (www.garcanada.com).
Dog art expert and FetchDog friend William Secord has loaned seven dog paintings, plus a bronze dog sculpture and several walking sticks with dog-head handles, to the formal living room of the Hamptons Cottages and Gardens Idea House, a decorator show house in Sagaponack, New York.
The room's elegant decor was created by talented interior designer Mark Epstein, who calls his Beagle Molly Epstein "my muse." Fittingly, in addition to the fine art on loan from the Secord Gallery, there's a framed color photograph of Molly Epstein sitting on a table between a pair comfortable reading chairs.
The goal of the show house, which is open to the public through August 24, is to raise funds for the Peconic Land Trust; viewing hours are 10 am to 5 pm, Thursday through Sunday.
As reported by Associated Press, celebrity chef Rachael Ray has founded a non-profit organization called Rachael's Rescue to help at-risk animals. The group's first beneficiary will be a terrier mix named Spirit.
Spirit made headlines earlier this month when a man was caught on videotape beating the dog at the U.S.-Mexico border. The dog suffered multiple fractures, and Rachael's Rescue has offered to cover the dog's medical costs.
Ray has also launched a charity-driven line of dog foods called Rachael Ray Nutrish, based on recipes she created for her Pit Bull, Isaboo. Perhaps taking a cue from popular online charity-shopping outlets, such as the FetchDog charity shops, Ray is dedicating all proceeds from sales of Rachael Ray Nutrish to Rachael's Rescue.
As previously reported, an elderly New Yorker's death in her apartment left her two beloved dogs traumatized and without a home (read more about the homeless dogs). The pair faced an uncertain future at a crowded municipal animal shelter until the lady's neighbor stepped up to foster one of the dogs.
Tyson, the larger of the late Georgette Pittman's dogs - at 80 pounds, he's as gentle as he is gigantic - was being fostered by fitness trainer Rima Bien until a good home is found - and happily, one was found on Friday.
The smaller dog, a female named Pippin, was rescued at the eleventh hour and accepted into the adoption program of North Shore Animal League America, which has dedicated a page of its web site to this sweet dog, complete with a description of her sad plight.
When Pippin - a pretty Pit Bull mix - arrived at North Shore, she had a painful skin infection, triggered by the stress of seeing her owner die. Now Pippin is healthy and prettier than ever; to make her happy again, contact North Shore about adopting her (the number to call is 516-883-7900).
With the home foreclosure crisis forcing many pet owners to relinquish beloved dogs (read about the effects of the foreclosure crisis on dog owners), overburdened animal shelters across the country are hoping that more dog lovers will open their homes and volunteer their time as foster caregivers to dogs in need.
A new TV commercial for Verizon Wireless has drawn the ire of dog lovers. In the spot, a young man climbs over a fence into a junkyard to try to get to an LG cellular phone, awakening two sleeping Pit Bulls guarding the yard. As the guy gets close enough to touch the phone, he just misses the dogs, who reach the end of their heavy chains, stopping short of catching him with their bared fangs.
The commercial exploits the stereotype of the Pit Bull as a snarling, vicious monster in chains. But no dog should ever be chained, and the rescue of the 50 Pits kept by convicted dogfighter Michael Vick proved the "vicious" stereotype dead wrong. One of the former Vick dogs, Leo, a.k.a. "Dr. Leo," now visits hospitals in California, spreading love to patients as a therapy dog.
Best Friends Animal Society, the Utah sanctuary that is sheltering and rehabbing the former Vick dogs, is circulating an online petition. Angry Verizon subscribers are switching their BlackBerrys to other providers in protest. Yet despite the Humane Society of the United States asking Verizon to pull the ad, the company refuses, as reported in Advertising Age.
"These are fictional ads, designed to be over-the-top, to break through the clutter and get our message across," said Verizon Wireless spokesperson Brenda Raney.
Leave a dog in a parked car in summer, you run a very real risk that the dog will die. It can happen to any dog in any car - even a cherished police dog in an air-conditioned patrol car.
In Mulberry, Florida, K-9 officer Sam Diesel, the partner of Police Officer Sara Movahedi, died in the patrol car when Movahedi left the German Shepherd there with the air conditioner running. Three and a half hours later, she discovered Diesel's lifeless body in the back of her newly assigned 2004 Ford Crown Victoria.
The patrol car's recently-installed new air compressor had failed, shutting down the air conditioner. The car had not yet been equipped with a special heat sensor that would have alerted the officer's pager when the vehicle began to overheat.
"The city, the department, and the handler have taken a tremendous hit," Police Chief Lawrence Cavallaro told the local newspaper.
Dogs Die in Hot Cars is the name of a Scottish band - the name came from a RSPCA campaign to advise dog owners not to leave pets in hot cars - but it's also a sad and too-frequent phenomenon that increases in frequency all over the world in the summer months, when people irresponsibly leave pets in parked vehicles without air conditioning.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, even with the car windows cracked open on a cool 70-degree day, the temperature in a parked car can climb as high as 120 degrees in minutes, resulting in potentially fatal canine heat stroke for any creature trapped inside.
For safety's sake, dogs should be left at home in hot weather. The only time it's safe to leave a dog in a parked car is in the winter - but even then, only for short periods, and certainly not in freezing temperature as the opposite temperature extreme can result in hypothermia, warns the ASPCA.
A recent survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturing Association indicates that approximately 80 percent of dog owners don't restrain pets (with dog seat belts or portable dog crates) when traveling with dogs in vehicles. Like humans, dogs sustain injuries when unrestrained, and can also cause injuries to other passengers.
In Michigan, legislation is under review that would prohibit driving while holding an animal in one's lap, and in Minnesota, legislators are considering requiring pets to be secured, like with a dog safety harness, to prevent them from jumping or being thrown from a vehicle.
As if preventing accidents and promoting pet car safety weren't incentive enough to restrain dogs while driving, California is about to offer financial incentive: California motorists who let their dogs climb into their lap while operating a vehicle could soon face a fine, Associated Press reports.
Seeking to ban drivers from holding pets on their laps, Assemblyman Bill Maze introduced a bill that would fine lenient lapdog-loving drivers $35 if caught driving with a dog on their lap. The bill passed the Assembly on a 44-11 vote in May and is headed to the Senate.
Pointing out that dogs can be a distraction that put motorists and their passengers at risk, Maze said seeing a woman drive with three dogs on her lap prompted him to introduce the bill.
Need incentive for keeping your car's interior as spot-free as it is dog-friendly and dog-safe? After the engine, the interior is the most second important consideration when trying to re-sell the vehicle. Here are some tips for protecting the car interior from your traveling dog.
Install a backseat car barrier to prevent dogs - especially large breeds - from barreling up to the front, where they can distract the chauffeur. Turn the cargo area into an inviting doggie den with a cushy travel dog bed.
Provide water with a dog travel bowl designed to eliminate spillage, so after your road trip, you won't find the interior spotted with stains composed of water and slobber.
Does your dog love to romp through mud? Bring along convenient paw wipes so your car interior won't be paw-printed. If your dog passenger is big into water sports, be ready to dry off his coat with a quick-dry dog towel before he re-enters the car.
If, at any point on your journey, anything else should happen to stain the interior, whether liquid or solid, arm yourself by bringing along a handy bottle of pet stain and odor extractor plus a few rolls of absorbent paper towels. And if you think you might cross paths with a skunk on your trip, be prepared with an effective deodorizing skunk shampoo to beat the stink, so it won't foul up the car interior.
The tremendous popularity of CBS's hit show Greatest American Dog has inspired a new competition, a dog-centric version of American Idol whose goal is to discover dormant dog talent.
Bideawee, (www.bideawee.org) one of the country's oldest humane organizations, has announced Star Pet 2008, a national, online pet talent search for the best dog and cat star in America. The grand prize winners, one dog and one cat, will receive representation by celebrity dog trainer and author Bash Dibra, who promises to secure television, stage, print, or film roles for the prizewinning pets.
Also involved in the contest's creation is NYSAVE, (www.nysave.org) a charitable organization that provides funding for the emergency veterinary care of companion animals when their owners are unable to pay the costs of treatment. NYSAVE is a pet project of The Daily Show host and best-selling author Jon Stewart, whose wife is a former veterinary technician; the Stewarts are proud owners of a rescued pit bull.
Three dog semi-finalists and three cat semi-finalists will be announced on October 13; the six semi-finalists will receive a three-day, two-night stay in a New York City hotel plus round-trip airfare. As on Greatest American Dog, the animals will compete for the grand prize by demonstrating their special talents before a panel of celebrity judges at a luncheon in New York City on November 10.
Dog owners can enter canine contestants by submitting photos and a video at StarPet (www.starpet2008.com).
According to AP, dog meat has been struck from the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants, i.e. restaurants catering to spectators of and participants in the Olympic Games, and Beijing tourism officials are telling other outlets to discourage consumers from ordering dishes made from dogs.
Dog meat is known in Chinese as "xiangrou," or "fragrant meat." It is generally considered taboo in Western culture, where pet dogs are cherished as family members.
Beijing is not the first Olympic host city to ban dog meat; it was also banned in South Korea during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, by order of a law prohibiting the sale of "foods deemed unsightly." After the Olympics, however, that law was not strictly enforced.
Travelers who love dogs and would prefer not to witness the slaughter and sale of dogs for food are careful when planning trips to Asia, when they don't refrain from traveling there altogether. Other Asian countries where dog meat is eaten include Vietnam, the Philippines, and Laos.
If you're planning a long-distance drive with your large dog, and Spot has a habit of forcing his way up to the front of your car while you're driving it - not to be encouraged, as it can be extremely hazardous - it's time to brush up on some good manners training so your upcoming car trip with your dog goes without a hitch.
To encourage good motor manners, FetchDog friend Andrew Yori requires that his dog traveling companions sit before jumping up to his Pontiac Aztek - and repeats the request before letting the dogs jump out.
Yori's handsome white pit bull, a talented athlete named Wallace, is the winner of the 2007 Purina Incredible Dog Challenge, as reported here. Recently, Wallace welcomed a new dog friend to his pack: Hector, one of the pits rescued from Michael Vick's dogfighting operation. Like his packmate Wallace, Hector "loves to go for rides in the car," Yori reports.
If you find yourself too pressed for time to do much training with your dog, it's easy to turn car rides with your dog into fun, easy dog-training sessions. "Even a short drive can be a dog-training opportunity," Yori explains. "I like to take advantage of every training opportunity, because it helps us bond more. This way, my dogs are connected with me, rather than just doing their own thing in the car."
And there's no need to pack extra treats for these training sessions; as Yori explains, "the car is the treat!"
According to London's Daily Mail, a study published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science has found that smaller dog breeds are more genetically predisposed toward aggressive behavior than large dog breeds - including several widely feared ones.
The study revealed that the Dachshund topped the list for aggression, with one in five "wiener dogs" having bitten or tried to bite a stranger. The Jack Russell terrier also ranked high for this undesirable trait.
Among the study's other surprising discoveries, the Pit Bull, Rottweiler, and Rhodesian Ridgeback rated average or below average for hostility toward strangers. That's great news for dog rescue groups dedicated to Pits and Rotties, which often have a hard time re-homing these commonly misunderstood breeds.
The Golden Retriever, Basset hound, Labrador, Siberian husky, and Greyhound also ranked low on the list for aggression. Canine behavior consultant Jacquie Bunn told the Daily Mail, "Aggressive behavior is much more prevalent in small dogs than in large and it's something behaviorists and trainers have known for years."
Meanwhile, AP reported that an Illinois woman had her right big toe gnawed off by her year-old miniature Dachshund, Roscoe. Linda Floyd, 56, has no feeling in her toes because of nerve damage from diabetes. Her toe had been bandaged because of a healing hangnail, and she discovered the toe was missing after waking from a nap; it could not be reattached. In a tearful interview, Floyd told the Alton Telegraph that Roscoe the dog was euthanized because of safety concerns.
Did anyone ever stop to wonder if Rin Tin Tin the famous German Shepherd or Lassie the famous Collie believed their own press, trotting off the set each day thinking they actually were the heroic dog characters they played onscreen?
Obviously, the creative team behind Bolt, Disney's next computer-animated blockbuster, did. The movie is about about a dog actor (voiced by John Travolta) who believes he has real superpowers because he's the star of TV's most popular action series. The first official trailer (see below) is one of the many treats in store for audiences going to theaters to see the Disney Pixar masterpiece WALL-E.
A white dog of indeterminate breed sporting a thunderbolt etched in his coat, Bolt joins the estimable animated ranks of such Disney dog deities as Tramp, Pongo, and Nikki.
Walking and window-shopping along Madison Avenue, New York City natives and visitors alike are bound to be enchanted by the display at Daum, which is dominated by three charming dog-head figures made of black lead crystal.
The fanciful figures take the form of a Labrador named Gaspard, a French Bulldog named Charles, and a Greyhound named Andrew. Not quite life-size but pretty impressive nonetheless, these dapper dogs all wear circa-1800s men's wing collars and ties.
Makers of French crystal since 1878, Daum is renowned for master craftsmanship as breathtaking as the price tag on each hand-made dog Dandy: upwards of $8,000. For those interested in immortalizing their own Lab, Frenchie, Greyhound, or any other favorite dog breed, it's interesting to note that a life-size bronze bust custom-sculpted by American artist Jennifer Weinik - the canine art equivalent of couture - carries a lower price tag.
As reported in the New York Post, U.S. Airways eliminated free snacks in coach class on all its domestic flights starting June 1. The airline will, however, continue to offer complimentary soft drinks.
Besides leaving travelers hungry (especially if they forget to bring along their own nuts, pretzels, and/or chips), this also means that dog lovers bringing four-footed best friends along for the trip can expect to pay more for the privilege, because in addition to increasing charges for oversized bags, U.S. Airways will also up the fee for transporting dogs.
Intrepid travelers, undeterred by the extra cost of traveling with dogs, will want to read FetchDog's expert advice on the subject of flying Fido, and invest in a safe, secure, airline-approved dog carrier.
And while you're at it, remember to provide dog treats and an easy-to-pack dog water bowl for your canine co-passenger.
Yesterday's "Ideas & Trends" column in the Week in Review section
of The New York Times expounded on the late Leona Helmsley's bequest to her beloved dog, a female
Maltese named Trouble. Helmsley's provision of $12 million for Trouble in her will,
and gift of nearly $8 billion in a charitable trust solely for the care and
welfare of dogs, has ignited lively debate among her immediate family and the
general public.
The article quotes psychoanalyst and FetchDog friend Joel Gavriele-Gold, author of When Pets
Come Between Partners, pointing out that
"There are whole segments of the population that prefer being in the
company of dogs than people, and I'm not sure that's such a negative
thing."
As reported in the April issue of the Journal of Social and Personal
Relationships, a study conducted at Ohio's Wright State University by psychologist Lawrence A.
Kurdek found that students who were most strongly attached to their dogs did
not show high levels of anxiety or avoidance - "characteristics that some
therapists would expect to see in people with unusually fierce bonds to
animals," the Times noted.
Commenting on the data, Dr. Gavriele-Gold told the Times, "Humans tend to
be very disappointing - notice our divorce rate. Dogs are not hurtful and
humans are. People are inconsistent and dogs are fairly consistent." He
added that he's seen patients who, betrayed and wounded in childhood, have
turned to dogs for the uncritical support and love they never received.
"If you grew up in an atmosphere where you were abused, you're not going
to have a high regard for people," he explained.
In April, Dr. Gavriele-Gold offered his expert insight on the psychology of men
and dog coats in the Pets column of the New York Post.
According to Pets911, July 4th is the #1 day of the year for lost pet reports. Dogs especially get easily scared by the noise from fireworks celebrations, and tend to bolt from sheer fright - and go missing.
If you plan on attending an Independence Day fireworks display with your dog, please take extra precaution by making sure Spot is wearing a collar, ideally a star-spangled dog collar, with a clearly legible pet ID tag attached, especially if he or she is not yet microchipped. If the tag is not legible, make a new ID tag. This way, in the event Spot should go missing as a result of fireworks phobia, you have a chance of finding him again.
This Friday, sudden, loud noises will sound from sea to shining sea - there's no avoiding it. So if your dog has previously showed signs that he's fearful of sudden, loud noises - whether it's thunder, lightning, or a vacuum cleaner - by all means consider leaving him indoors on this national day of celebration, with the air conditioning on and all doors and windows shut tight.
Dog lovers are concerned that Get Smart star Anne Hathaway, who smartly dumped boyfriend Raffaello Follieri shortly before he was arrested on fraud charges, appears to have left her best friend behind in the split.
According to the New York Post, the dog, a chocolate lab named Esmeralda, is staying in a Trump Tower penthouse with Follieri's mother, who is visiting New York from Italy for cancer treatment. "Could Anne Hathaway please come get her dog?" asked an unnamed friend of Follieri.
As reported in Us Follieri had spent misappropriated funds on dog walking services; now that duty has fallen to his mother. A source told the Post, "I feel bad for the dog. She's a beautiful, sweet dog who probably greeted the FBI agents with her tail wagging."
Not long ago, Hathaway credited the dog for helping her shed her perky image to land the star-making role of novelist Jane Austen in Becoming Jane. It was an audition she'd had to beg for, and the night before her second interview, Hathaway told People, "My dog decided to eat the hotel slipper, so she was up the whole night vomiting. I slept maybe an hour... When I arrived at the interview, I was tired and wasn't in a very good mood. I guess [the director] realized that I wasn't the bright, happy, smiley, untroubled girl from The Princess Diaries. He offered me the role after that."
The Los Angeles Times had one word to say about Hathaway's leaving her dog behind: "Grrr."
I may be stuck in the city on a book deadline, but that doesn't mean my dogs can't enjoy a weekend in the countryside, complete with extended romps in the woods. Of course, when my long-haired dogs return with sticky burrs lodged in their thick fur, I get all the work of country living, and none of the fun. 
Dog art expert and FetchDog friend 
