Free To Roam Yet No Longer A Stray

Photo Resource: The Bark

Some of you may remember Rusty, the stray dog who eluded capture for three years. Well, now that he's recovered from his heartworm treatment, he will be going to a new home. It's located in Utah and is called Dogtown at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Many of you may know about Best Friends since many of Michael Vick's pit bulls were sent there instead of being euthanized. Since Rusty did not feel comfortable around humans the way dogs should, they decided to send him to Dogtown. Although he is never vicious around humans, he's more himself around other dogs.

Dogtown only accepts less than 1 percent of the 2,000 applications it receives each month. This will be a fresh start for Rusty in a place where he can be safe and not worry about living life on the run.

Read More About It

All Dogs Go To Heaven; Rusty's going to Utah
Rusty The Vagabond Dog

Let's Discuss!

Have you known a dog like Rusty? Have you heard about Dogtown?

Get Ready For Black Friday!

Hi Friends!

Here's wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving. Hope everyone is having a fantastic holiday wherever you are.

Black Friday is the biggest day for retailers around the world. It is the first day of the holiday shopping season and with Christmas exactly a month away, that isn't very much time. Today, I received so many Black Friday ads with my paper, it was put in a separate bag.

As pet owners, there will be many special deals out there for our pets. These also can be a great gift idea for your pet-loving friend. Without further adieu, here's my...

Black Friday Deal Roundup

PetSmart

Greenies Canine Dental Chews
These are great for yourself or as a gift for the holidays.

Original price: $32.99 USD
Black Friday Price: $24.99 USD

Drinkwell Pet Fountain available through Petsmart.

Original price: $49.99 USD
Black Friday Price: $19.99 USD

Fancy Feast Cat Food

For those of you who have cats as well as dogs, this is an excellent deal on canned food:

Original price: $.56 per can
Black Friday Price: $.40 per can

All Pet Collars will be 50% off

Menard's

Cuddlee Critters are great for dogs (like Homer) who love to tear a dog toy to shreds. They have a squeaker but no stuffing, so a dog owner will not have to worry about having their dog ingest all of that stuffing. Best known for their hardware products Menard's will be selling Cuddlee Critters at a phenomenal discount:

Original Price: $10.00 USD

Black Friday Price: $1.99 USD

Note: Not available online.

Amazon

Pet Photography 101: Tips for taking better photos of your dog or cat Available through Amazon (which I am an affiliate of).

Original price: $14.95 USD
Black Friday Price: $7.47 USD

Get It Here!

Woof Hoofs

Woof Hoofs is having a special sale for their one-year anniversary. You can buy any pair for 20% off their dog boots. Promotion Code: baxter This special also includes free shipping. You can get this through the website only. Don't miss out on their celebration!

Pet Beds

This is the one item that you will find on sale anywhere. Popular stores include:
Macy's
Kohl's
Bass Pro Shops
Ace Hardware

Let's Discuss!

Will you raid the sales or stay away on Black Friday?

What Could Be Better Than Puppies?

Hi Folks!

I recently found out that there are over 70,000 puppies and kittens born each year. Many of these puppies are born into puppy mills. All of them deserve a good home. In the spirit of animal adoption, let's take a better look at puppies.

Pyrenean Mountain Dog Photo: Agnes Carter Million

Photo: Jason Smith

American Staffordshire Puppy Photo: Jan de Wild

Puppy With A Flower Photo: Dreamstime

On A Clear Summer Day

Taking A Snooze Photo: Valery Kirsanov

Behind The Wheel - Photo: Arno Nasshan

Cute Red Head - Photo: Enna Van Duinen

Time For A Bone - Photo: Hugy

On The Beach - Photo: Laura Frankel

Basset Hound Puppy Relaxing - Photo: Jorge Alejandro Preciado Oseguera

Hope you all have a fantastic day.

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Fun Friday Photos
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Home For The Holidays
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Sometimes They Can Get Along

Chihuahuas, The New Breed Of Police Dogs

Momo —Japan's Newest Police Dog Photo by: Reuter's

The Newest Rage In Japan

Everyone knows that police dogs are strong, confident, aware and have a great sense of smell. There are small dogs out there who think they're a big dog and do not get intimidated by anyone. A famous breed like this would be a Chihuahua. This morning, I was listening to the radio, and they had mentioned that Japan had a brand new Chihuahua named Momo (Japanese for peach).

This 7-year-old pooch was one of 32 dogs who passed the search and rescue test in under five minutes by finding a person merely by sniffing her cap. Weighing only 6.6 pounds (3 kg) she is planned to be used in situations when German Shepherds can't fit into smaller spots. She'll also be deployed in earthquake search and rescue missions.

Not The First Chihuahua To Serve and Protect

There's a chihuhua/rat terrier mix in Ohio who's officially the world's smallest police dog, as she's been added to the Guiness Book Of World Records. Her name is Midge. Working with her partner, Brutus she helps to keep drugs off the street in the small town outside of Cleveland. Starting out at only three months old, she was trained by Sheriff Dan McClelland of Geauga County, Ohio since 2006.

Photo: WKYC.Com

Since then, she's blossomed into a full-fledged narcotics dogs. In her downtime, she isn't used for crowd support because of her size. She moonlights as a social dog for the townspeople Too. You can see what's she's been up to, in this Channel 8 News video below:



More and more, dogs are finding new ways to be indispensable to their owners. I can't wait to see what will happen next.

Let's Discuss!

Do you have a police dog in your hometown that isn't the usual dog? What do you think about small dogs working as police dogs?

Read More About It!

Meet Japan's Newest Police Dog - Reuters
Mini Chihuahua,Latest Geagua County K-9
Dallas News Report About Midge

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Two Great Dog Photo Contests

Good Morning! As a dog owner, one of the best things I love about my dogs is getting the perfect shot with my camera. Purina Petcentric understands this and is having a special contest to celebrate that fact.

In accordance with The National Dog Show will be broadcast on NBC on Thanksgiving Day (November 25) at 12:00 P.M. EST. John O'Hurley—who's best known as Mr. Peterman from Seinfeld— will be the host.In accordance with this show, Purina will be having a special contest where five winners will win a Flip 4GB Camcorder Camera and compete for the Best in Show photo.

There is a limit of one entry per household, however, you can enter the one photo that you will be using in more than one category. Also, the photo size limit is 1 MB. All entries must be received by 11:59:59 a.m. CT on December 30, 2010 to be eligible for consideration. The subject in the photo must be owned by the person entering the contest.

The five contest winners will be chosen by total votes through the website. 40% of the votes will count towards the category winners. You can see and vote on the photos at the Petcentric website. Purina will donate a dollar for every entry (up to 50,000) to adoptapet.com.
.

The Categories

Here are the categories to which a person can submit their favorite pet photo:

• Best Athlete
• Best Expression
• Best Troublemaker
• Most Lovable
• Best John O'Hurley Look-Alike (pictured right)

Photo: Ken Lund

The Grand Prize

The best in show contest winner will receive a trip for two to Aruba. This will be decided by the judges. How do they decide? 50% is how well it fits with the category theme, 25% is based on composition and the other 25% is based on originality/creativity.

A Contest For November

In addition to The Dog Show Contest, Petcentric is having a special contest that is just for the month of November called It's Game Time! The object of this contest is to capture your dog's athletic side whether they're catching their favorite ball or being the best cheerleader ever. One lucky winner will receive a 4GB Flip Camcorder and a Nikon Coolpix Camera. This contest ends on November 30th.

Let's Discuss!

Have you entered your pets in any photo contests lately? Are you planning to watch The National Dog Show this year? I will be watching the show and if I can find the right photo, then I will probably give the contest a shot too.

Learn More

If you would like to read more about these exciting contests or learn about The National Dog Show, you can check out these links:

Petcentric Website
The National Dog Show

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How Could Someone Do That To Pookie?

It never ceases to amaze me how people can be so cruel to animals. This was especially so on Veteran's day in Greensville, South Carolina —a day where we recognize the armed forces who serve our country—where someone set fire to a sweet 14 year-old dog called Pookie, whose only desire was to serve his family with love. He was the type of dog to keep to himself and didn't hurt anyone. All he did is mind his own business sitting outside in his doghouse while watching the owner's house.

Yet some pathetic shell of a human being set this dog (a collie-chow mix) on fire in his doghouse, his head pinned under a cinder block. The dog was badly burned but rescued in time. He will need surgery to repair the severe damage to his head and face. Both of his corneas have been damaged, so there is a possibility he will go blind because of the scarring. He will have a long, slow recovery ahead of him, thanks to this spineless coward. He's improved steadily and is not as skittish today as he was yesterday.

To date, there has been no suspect implicated in this heinous crime. The only lead the police have is that a person saw a tall, thin man hanging around the doghouse moments before the fire started. I only hope there was a witness out there to bring this poor dog the justice that he deserves.

Good News

The good news to come out of Pookie's plight is the overwhelming support of the public to help donate money to cover the surgery costs. He will also be adopted out to a good home, since his owner, Mable Ramey can no longer afford to keep him. At least, he will spend his golden years being treated like a king.

If you would like to pictures of how this dog is doing, you will want to check out the WYFF Website . If you would like to make a donation, please call Animal Care Services in Greenville at 864-467-3954. I didn't post the pictures due to the fact that they are very graphic.

Let's Discuss!

Have you heard this news story? What are your thoughts that you would like to share?

Cute Dogs Daily

I always get excited when I come across a new dog-friendly website. This is the case for Cute Dogs Daily. The goal of the website is to submit cute photos or videos of your dog. What's even better is that they are having a Cutest Dog of 2010 Contest. You submit a picture of your dog. The owner of the winning dog will receive a $75 gift card to PetSmart. If you have that perfect photo of your dog, it's something to consider.

Here's an adorable video of a pug puppy looking at itself in the mirror that you can see on the website or right here...

Let's Discuss!

What's your favorite website to see cute dogs or animals?

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Giving His Readers A Say

There's a new author in town who's changing the way books are sold. Bo Hoefinger, a lovable Golden Retriever/Chow-chow mix from Georgia who's the author behind this bright idea.

How This Works

This was first done by the rock band Radiohead when they released their album a few years ago. The author thought it would be a great idea to do it with a book so he incorporated this feature into his website.

In order to get the word out, the author is offering a "Pay What You Want" option if you buy the book on the Bad To The Bone Memoir website, you can pay whatever price you want to get the book. This is a brilliant marketing promotion! An important detail is the more you pay, the more animal rescue groups will benefit since Bo will be donating the profits of the book sales to them. Personally, I hope to be able to review this after school slows down a little.

Let's Discuss!

Have you read this memoir? What are your thoughts? Have you ever done a pay as you go offer?

Learn More About It

If you would like to learn more about this innovative offer, please see the following links:

Author Says Pay What You Want
Bad To The Bone Memoir Website
Buy From Amazon (my affiliate link)

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Ted, My 8th Podcast

Hello Everyone!

I can't believe how much time has gone by since my last podcast. This time I'm continuing by doing another dog poem. This one is short and sweet. It was written by Maxine Anna Buck.

Enjoy. Here is the link to the my podcast blog.

Podcast 8

Riding In Tandem From Superfetch

Some of you may love to ride your bike with your dog. Recently, I came across this video from the tv show Superfetch. It shows Sam and her Australian Kelpie dog Ruiz riding on a tandem bicycle together. I've never seen anything like it and thought this would be a great thing to share on a Friday.

For all of you who love to bike, you may want to visit biking.com through this link here.

Let's Discuss!

Do you ever watch Superfetch? What is the most fascinating thing you've seen dog and owner do in tandem.

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Dangerous Dog Bans

I was looking at the news this morning and came across an article where Cesar Millan can't bring his pit bull Junior  to Toronto, Ontario because of a dangerous dog ban. Nevermind that Junior is a pit bull mix who has basically been an ambassador whose calming presence help comfort many aggressive dogs.

Junior and Daddy from Cesar Millan's Website

While I think that there are dangerous dogs out there, I think it's unfair to lump them all into one group because of a few bad dogs who probably didn't have an owner, or was doing what they thought their irresponsible owner wanted.

Dangerous Dogs: Myth or Reality?

Many dogs such as Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canario, or even Doberman Pinschers are considered dangerous by lawmakers. The irony is that bad owners have made these dogs dangerous. If an owner gets a dog with aggressive tendencies, they must have the patience to help reel in that aggressive streak. Instead, many of them will try to fight them in dog fights, beat them up as an outlet for their frustration or simply turn them into mean dogs so they won't feel intimidated.

Who suffers? It's not the owners, but the dog. There are dogs out there with behavior issues that can be threatening to humans. They may be strays who've had to fend for themselves or dogs who have been severely abused. It's so hard to believe that a certain breed of dog is dangerous though. Everything has its exceptions.

Not everyone likes dogs. Still, as long as certain dogs are raised by responsible owners and act like good citizens, why not exclude them from these bans? Better yet, instead of targeting a specific breed, why not judge every situation individually?

Personally, the more I read about places creating dangerous dog bans, the more I think they are perpetuating the myth instead of getting to the heart of the matter. When you create laws that are based on fear, there is little possibility to change the situation for the better.

Let's Discuss!

What are your feelings on dangerous dog bans?

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