Dog back with owners 9 years on

Associated Press
Nine years after vanishing from outside her Australian family’s home, Muffy the dog was found alive and well this month in another backyard — 1,200 miles away — officials said today.

Inspectors with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were investigating a possible animal cruelty case at a home in the southern city of Melbourne two weeks ago when they found the fluffy white mutt sleeping outside on a scrap of cardboard, Victoria state RSPCA spokesman Tim Pilgrim said.

A microchip in Muffy’s neck identified her owners, and, after a few days of searching for a current phone number, officials tracked down Natalie Lampard, who hadn’t seen Muffy since the pooch disappeared from her backyard in the eastern city of Brisbane nine years ago.

The owners of the Melbourne house where Muffy was discovered said they found the dog about a year ago wandering along a street, Pilgrim said. But where had Muffy spent the previous eight years? And how did she get all the way to Melbourne — about 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) from Brisbane?

“Nobody knows,” Pilgrim said. “The mystery continues for old Muffy.”

PET AIRWAYS

TRAVEL FOR YOUR BEST FRIEND

Anyone who’s experienced the stress of air travel with their pet has thought there’s got to be a better way. Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel thought they could do better, and the result is Pet Airways, which starts flying pets around the country in July 2009.

From drop off to pick up every aspect of the pet’s comfort has been thought through, with pre- and post-flight walks, comfortable waiting areas, and boarding on either side if necessary. The animals are walked (or carried) onto the plane where they board the main cabin, escorted by pet attendants. The interior of Pet Airways’ planes have been converted to carry 50 pets and the attendants—not pet owners. Kennels in all sizes are mounted to vertical rows, and each pet travels in comfort and safety inside the cabin, not underneath.

The airline hopes to grow to 25 cities in the next few years, but will start out with service to Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles, initially once a week. Pet Airways chose a well known and admired turboprop, the Beechcraft 1900 for its fleet, which will be operated by Suburban Air Freight, an Omaha-based carrier. The journey will take a bit longer than most of us are used to as it will stop every few hours to refuel, but the benefit is bathroom breaks for the pets.

The service isn’t perfect—the airports are probably not the ones you’ll be flying to, and the initial service is limited—but for those who want the best for their pets and can’t afford to charter a plane, it’s a great start. Launch pricing is only $149 each way—comparable with freight fees on most passenger airlines.

Visit www.petairways.com

Michelle Obama: White House Dog Coming Soon!

from people.com

The whole world, it seems, wants to know: What kind of dog are the Obamas getting and, for goodness sake, when?

Speaking to PEOPLE at the White House recently, Michelle Obama leaned in and confided: “You’re getting some scoops here.”

So, when? In April, Mrs. Obama says – after she and the President take daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, on a vacation for spring break.

Here’s a sample of a typical family conversation on the matter: “So Sasha says, ‘April 1st.’ I said, ‘April.’ She says, ‘April 1st.’ It’s, like, April!,” Mrs. Obama recalls. “Got to do it after spring break. You can’t get a new dog and then go away for a week.”

And what kind of dog will soon be frolicking on the South Lawn? Mrs. Obama says she thinks she is going to look for a rescue Portuguese Water dog who is “old enough” and a “match” for the family dynamic.

“Temperamentally they’re supposed to be pretty good,” she says of the breed that Sen. Ted Kennedy has also lobbied for (he has two Water dogs of his own). “From the size perspective, they’re sort of middle of the road – it’s not small, but it’s not a huge dog. And the folks that we know who own them have raved about them. So that’s where we’re leaning.”

The Name Game
The only thing still up in the air is the name. And Mom’s not feeling it with some of the names her girls have come up with.

“Oh, the names are really bad. I don’t even want to mention it, because there are names floating around and they’re bad,” Mrs. Obama says with a laugh. “You listen and you go – like, I think, Frank was one of them. Frank! Moose was another one of them. Moose. I said, well, what if the dog isn’t a moose? Moose. I’m like, no, come on, let’s work with the names a little bit.”

Asked if she can believe the public interest in her family dog search, Mrs. Obama shakes her head. “Okay, that’s surprising,” she says. “One of the things I didn’t anticipate is the level of the excitement about the dog. I knew my kids were excited. They’ve been excited for years. They’ve even calmed down, because they feel like, ‘They said we’re going to get one, so let’s just shut up about it.’ ”

Diplomatically, and careful not to insult enthusiastic dog-lovers, she adds: “It’s all great and gracious attention. People are just being as helpful as you can imagine. So I know that we will find the perfect breed. And we’ll find people who are caring folks who will help us find the dog of our dreams.”

“Old Dog” Stump Wows Westminster

CBS News:

America has a new top dog! The winner of the highly-anticipated best in show prize at the 2009 Westminster Dog Show was crowned, and as CBS News correspondent Kelly Wallace reports, the champion made history.

Seven canines competed for the premier prize at the country’s oldest dog show. Final contestants included a Scottish deerhound named Tiger Woods, a Puli known for its dreadlocks and a Scottish terrier who might have been battling a case of the nerves.

But there could be only one champion.

“I love them all, tonight the Sussex,” said best in show judge Sari Tietjen.

A 10-year-old Sussex spaniel named Stump, a crowd favorite, won best in show — the oldest winner in Westminster’s 133-year history. Stump only came out of retirement last week and almost died in 2004 from a medical condition.

“He hasn’t slowed down a bit,” handler Scott Sommer said. “I thought it would be fun.”
“He showed his heart out,” Tietjen said. “He was everything you want.”

The previous oldest winner at Westminster was an 8-year-old Papillon in 1999, and Stump was the first of his breed to capture the silver bowl.

Stump now goes on the stump — taking the place of last year’s winner, the beagle named Uno — as the country’s number one dog.

One of Stump’s first stops was the set of The Early Show, where co-anchors Julie Chen and Harry Smith talked to handler Scott Sommer and David Frei, co-host of the Westminster Dog Show broadcast.

Some highlights:

Stump’s illness in 2004 - “He had a bacterial infection that took them 19 days to figure out. And now he’s good,” Sommer said.

Stump’s winning attributes - “He’s a great specimen of his breed,” Frei noted. “As a Sussex, they should be long, low and level and he’s very long — you can see from pictures. He has this beautiful head piece. A dog of substance. He has to push his way through the underbrush as a flushing spaniel.”

Sussex spaniels - “Somewhat of a rare breed. Been near extinction a couple of times and had to be repopulated in this country. They are from the U.K.,” Frei noted. “And it takes dedicated people that understand the breed and the challenges with this breed. They are not for everybody. However this is a friendly, happy dog and probably this morning at the Sussex Club of America, the phone is ringing off the hook.”

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show History

The first Westminster show was held in 1877. The show originated as a show for gun dogs, primarily setters and pointers, initiated by a group of hunting men who met regularly at the Westminster Hotel at Irving Place and Sixteenth Street in Manhattan. They decided to create a kennel club called the Westminster Kennel Club specifically for the purpose of holding a dog show. The prizes for these first shows included such items as pearl handled pistols, of use to the hunters and terriermen who worked these dogs in the field. Since that time dog shows have drifted away from a focus on working dogs to a focus on the appearance of the dog alone.

The first show took place in May 1877 at Gilmore’s Gardens (the Hippodrome) on the site now occupied by the New York Life Building, which also contains the AKC headquarters. The first show drew over 1200 dogs and proved so popular that its originally scheduled three days became four. It remained 3 or 4 days until 1941, when it changed to its current two-day format. Gilmore’s Gardens at the time was an old railroad depot, which two years later became the first Madison Square Garden.

Dog breeds listed for the first show include the Long-haired Saint Bernard, the Esquimaux Dog, and the Siberian Bloodhound; most dogs had simple names such as Duke, Rover, Mungo, Nellie, and Rex, compared to today’s fancier and longer dog names (although among today’s call names there still number many Dukes, Nellies, Rexes and the like).

The advent of Westminster predates the creation of the AKC, so breed standards were still rough and hard to find. The Westminster Kennel Club was the first club admitted to the AKC after AKC’s founding in 1884.

In 1905, with an entry of over 1700 dogs, Westminster surpassed even Crufts to become the largest all-breed dog show in the world.

WINNING BREEDS
As of the 132nd Westminster Show (February 2008), Best in Show has been won by the Terrier Group 44 out of the 100 times that the prize has been awarded since 1907, more than twice as many wins as any other group, even though only 27 of the 157 (or 17%) officially recognized AKC breeds are terriers. Only one Herding Group dog, a German Shepherd named Ch. Covy Tucker Hill’s Manhattan has won best in show.
The 2007 winner of Best in Show was Ch. Felicity’s Diamond Jim, aka “James”, an English Springer Spaniel (Sporting Group), and the 2008 Best In Show was a Beagle (Hound Group) named Ch. K-Run’s Park Me In First, aka “Uno” - the first time a beagle has won best in show.

* Terrier Group: 44
* Sporting Group: 19
* Working Group: 15
* Non-Sporting Group: 10
* Toy Group: 9
* Hound Group: 4
* Herding Group: 1

The oldest dog to win Best in Show was a Sussex Spaniel named Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee (aka Stump), at 10 years of age in 2009.
The youngest dog to win was a Rough Collie named Ch. Land Loyalty of Bellhaven, at 9 months old in 1929.
One dog, a Smooth Fox Terrier named Ch. Warren Remedy won Best in Show three times (1907-1909), and six other dogs have won twice.
Dogs (males) have won best in show 67 times to 35 for bitches (females).

Dalmatian gives a birth to 18 puppies

From Scotsman news:
A Dalmatian belonging to a family in Leicestershire has given birth to a rare litter of 18 puppies - just more than a year after it produced 16.
Three-year-old Button gave birth by Caesarian section on December 23, stunning her owners Nicola and Adam Morley and their three sons.

Mrs Morley, from Melton Mowbray, said: “It was a big shock. They are all doing well but we’re only going to keep one of the puppies.

“It’s a lot of work looking after them all.”

The family had not yet named the puppy they intended to keep, she added.
The couple told the Leicester Mercury that they and their older son, Michael, 17, were working on a 24-hour rota helping the exhausted mother feed and tend to its giant litter.

Dog and Fox Trapped

BBC News, December 26th 2008

Jack Russell dog and fox trapped in water pipe

Firefighters have been trying to rescue a Jack Russell dog and a fox trapped inside an underground water pipe, which is is about 10 inches wide.

The animals became trapped in a pipe located in Queens Park South Drive, Charminster in Bournemouth, on Boxing Day evening.

Dorset Fire and Rescue crews were using a swan catcher and chimney rods to try to free the animals.

Specialist animal rescue crews from Poole are also in attendance.

It is not yet known how they became trapped.

Bark in 22 Languages

Prevent Fido from overseas embarrassment with this handy “woof” sheet:

Albanian - ham, ham
Chinese, Mandarin - wang, wang
Croatian - vau, vau
Czech - haf, haf
Danish - vov, vov
Dutch - waf, waf; woef, woef
Finnish - hau, hau; vuh, vuh
French - ouah, ouah; ouaf, ouaf
German - wuff, wuff; wau, wau
Greek - ghav, ghav
Hungarian - vau, vau
Irish - amh-amh
Italian - bau, bau
Japanese - wan, wan
Norwegian - voff, voff
Polish - hau, hau
Portuguese - au, au
Romanian - ham, ham or hau, hau
Russian - gav, gav
Serbian - av, av
Spanish - guau-guau; jau, jau
Swedish - voff, voff; vov, vovloop loop
Turkish - hav, hav

Pet Supply Vending

Hey Buddy! is a brightly colored, pet friendly, convenient, easily accessible pet supply vending machine.

Hey Buddy! is the only vending machine out there for pets.
It offers a variety of pet products.
It can be placed in various locations, such as dog parks, apartment complexes, hotels, RV parks, rest stops, veterinary clinics, and high-rises.

Hey Buddy! is your one-stop doggie product shop, in a convenient location.

Visit www.heybuddyvending.com

Worlds Smallest Dog

Not even a match for a pop can in size, Heaven Sent Brandy is the world’s smallest dog — in length, that is. But we don’t care how this little gem made her claim to fame, the diminutive Chihuahua is just too cute not to cover.

The pint-sized pooch — a mere 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) in length from tail to nose — was awarded the record for world’s smallest dog in length by Guinness World Records on January 31 2005. Weighing only 2 pounds, Brandy still holds on to her crown, as she hasn’t grown a fraction since she won her title nearly 3 years ago.

With legs the size of lollipops, the 4 year old canine’s lungs are so small she can’t even bark.