The Poodle (and Dog) Blog

Golden Poodle Awards for May

The Golden Poodle award goes to two Chihuahuas who prove that the little dogs are more than just last year’s fashion statements to be discarded like a pair of shoes.

Apple Pie was just another shelter dog on her way to death when she was selected to be trained as a hearing dog for a partially deaf woman.

After giving birth to two healthy puppies at a shelter, Betty Boop adopted eight other motherless puppies, raising them all to the point where mother and puppies were ready to go into their own homes.

 

 

As much as I hate to do it, the Lizard Brain award goes to Craig Dershowitz, 34, the New York man who has spent $60,000 in attorney fees to get custody of Knuckles the Puggle. After the break up, his ex moved to California with Knuckles.

We all love you, Craig, and we understand your grief. But the law still considers a dog as property, little more than a toaster or blender. Your chances of bringing Knuckles back to New York through legal channels are slim and none.

Knuckles is not your son. He is a dog. You will outlive him by many years and he will not care for you in your twilight years.

You’ve gotten your 15 minutes of fame in the media. You’ve embarrassed your ex-girl friend and strengthened her resolve to keep Knuckles, no matter what you do.

We’ve all lost a beloved dog. It’s time for you to move on.

 

 

The Neanderthal Award goes to Dershowitz’s lawyers. I’m sure you know why.

 

We’re #1

And now we’re not

We don’t know how we got there.
We're not sure what it means.

We noticed some traffic from a site we didn’t  know existed.

But as we were basking in the glow of being
#1 on Technorati’s Living/Pets Blogs,

another site jumped in with a sudden change of almost +800
and knocked everyone down a place.

We’re #2

Go quick before we aren’t there anymore.

 

Dario Franchitti, at the end of the day just a man and his dog—and three Borg-Warner trophies

When you grow up in Indiana as I did and move out of the state, the first Memorial Day weekend comes as a shock. That’s when you realize that to listen to the Indy 500 someone has to turn on an actual radio or TV.

In Indiana it’s in the air. You can walk down any street, enjoy the smells of barbecue and not miss any of the race.

 

On Sunday Dario Franchitti won his third Indy 500 race, joining only six other legendary drivers in the 96 year history.

But he takes his achievements in stride with graciousness and humility.

"I don’t have their talent. I just work hard and I’m lucky to have a great team."

 

He shared the press conference following the race with Bullseye, the mascot of Target, his major sponsor. After a few snuggles and doggie kisses with her, Franchitti said, “When my dog sees these pictures, she’s gonna be pissed.”

Following some introductory barks, Bullseye sat perfectly still during the session as if to say, “How fascinating you are.” The driver was the man of the hour, but he let the dog steal the show.

The race could have been lost on Lap 15 when Franchitti's car was accidentally rear ended during a pit stop. The crew had to readjust the wings. When he returned to the track he was in 28th place. There are only 33 places.

But during the afternoon he continued to move up, finally taking the checkered flag on the final lap after Takuma Sato spun out trying to pass him.

"I don't have any expectations," he said. "I just go out and do the best job I can. I don't go into it thinking, 'I'm going to win this one.' You've got to let the race come to you. That's what I do."

Dario Franchitti, Ashley Judd and their cockapoos, Shug and Buttercup, pose for photos following his third Indy 500 win

Bruschi the Boston Terrier has world’s largest dog eyes

 Boston Terriers have huge eyes anyway, but Bruschi, a 4-year-old BT from Texas, has the largest dog eyes on the planet, according to Guinness World Records.

They each measure 28 millimeters in diameter, about the size of an average watch face.

His owner, 18-year-old Victoria Reed, found Bruschi three years ago while she was working at Operation Kindness, a dog shelter near Arlington, Texas.

Origin of the Boston Terrier

There is a persistent and unverifiable rumor in dogdom that the Boston Terrier originated when 18th century chauffeurs of that city grew resentful of having to ferry their pampered four-legged charges around and pick up after them.

They got together and allowed the dogs to breed indiscriminately, Bulldogs to Terriers to Pit Bulls with some Frenchies allowed into the mix.

The results of these breedings became the foundation for the Boston Terrier.

An unsubstantiated rumor, of course, but kind of funny.

Here is the most famous dog in the world…for now

A little dog in China joined a team of cyclists after one of them gave him some food.

Now he is credited with all sorts of amazing feats of speed and endurance.

Not to rain on any Chinese parades, but the dog is clearly shown hitchhiking a ride with one of the cyclists at about the :40 mark. He's cute as a bug, but not the doggie version of Forrest Gump.

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Remembering

Puppies abandoned in a suitcase find loving homes, but the justice system is strange indeed

Last month six Bulldog mix puppies were found zipped inside a canvas suitcase left in an alley behind a convenience store in Toledo, Ohio.

They were only four weeks old, too young to be separated from their mother who was frantically pacing nearby. Fortunately the pups were found before they suffocated and put into a foster home by the Toledo Area Humane Society.

The Humane Society will take owner surrendered dogs when the owner cannot care for them.

 

The Bulldog is one of the most popular dog breeds. It is not unusual for purebred Bulldog puppies to cost $800 and up.

Because they have been so inbred and overbred, it is also not unusual for veterinarian bills to be that much.

These little guys have the sweet  Bulldog faces but hopefully they won’t have those genetic weaknesses.

 

At any rate 132 people filled out applications for adoption. A lottery was held for the mother and six pups, winners were carefully screened, and seven happy families were thrilled to come in to meet their new family members.

 

The perp, Howard Davis, 56, lived only a couple of blocks from where he abandoned the puppies. He was quickly caught due to keen detective work—and the fact that he had left a tag on the suitcase with his name and contact information. And the fact that the mother dog matches the description of a dog he had licensed. And the fact that an eyewitness claims to have seen him drive off.

None of his lies excuses made sense and eventually he entered a no contest plea to misdemeanor charges of animal abandonment and cruelty. He is expected to be placed on probation for four years.

He also agreed to pay $466 to the Toledo Area Humane Society and to spay and neuter the other dogs he owns.

Wait, what? Other dogs he owns?

The man is too stupid to own a pet rock.

Sheesh.

The Furminator Dual Brush—a product review

I was sent a Furminator Dual Brush to try out.

I asked my daughter, Pam, (Pammybean to her fans) to try it on her dogs, my granddoggies. They have more serious fur issues than my guys. And my daughter is camera-literate.

As someone with two small dogs with an ungainly amount of fur, I need a brush that is small but effective, simple to store and easy to use. I was happy to test this brush to see if it would meet my needs.

The Furminator Dual Brush is a two-sided brush with ½” pin bristles on one side, and nylon bristles on the other. According to Furminator, the pin bristle side “works great on long coated dogs. The flexible bristles and padded base is [sic] very comfortable on the dog’s sensitive skin.” The nylon bristle side is “an excellent all around brush that can be used on dogs of almost every type of coat.” The handle is black rubber and seems shaped for the hand. It comes with a two-piece protective cover.

Test subject #1: Sammy (aka Butter-boy) 

Sammy here loves to be brushed. It’s almost embarrassing to see. The moment I pulled the Furminator out of its package and sat down on the floor, he was my abject slave.

As Furminator predicted in its product description, the dual brush worked very well on Sammy’s short, wiry fur. We started with the pin bristle side. Much of his excess fur was captured, without pulling his fur or making him uncomfortable.

Switching to the nylon bristle side, I found it also picked up quite a lot of fur. But I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to pull the fur off the brush to dispose of it. I own a large, oval-shaped nylon brush I’ve given up using because it’s impossible to clean. Maybe the size or the triangle shape is an improvement.

Test Subject #2: Daisy Fox (aka Trouble)

Aww! Pam! How can you call this sweet-looking Pomeranian mix “Trouble”? Because she has an undercoat, and when it’s shedding season, she leaves gigantic mounds of loose fur all over the house. By the way, shedding season seems to happen any time of the year, summer or winter. See? Trouble.

Anyway, the pin bristles of the Furminator worked as well as can be expected when you’re talking gigantic mounds of loose fur that need to come out. But the nylon bristle side did not work on her long fur and undercoat. 

As I brushed Daisy, Sammy skulked in the background, waiting for his moment to sneak back in for more brushin’. 

What I expected to like:
The ergonomically-correct brush handle was terrific and spoiled me almost immediately. It made it quick and easy to maneuver the brush, without fatigue. Both sides of the brush worked well and the dogs seemed to find them comfortable.

What I was surprised to like:
The nylon bristle side was surprisingly easy to clean.

What could be improved:
Furminator includes a two-piece protective cover. But as hard as I tried, I could not get the cover to snap together.

So, all in all, this is a terrific brush, especially for use on dogs with short or medium-length fur of all types.

 

 

The Curry Comb

This is a tool that can be used between serious brushings on short and medium hair. It removes dust and loose hair and stimulates the production of natural oils in the coat. Comfortable to use and dogs love it.

Pam Martin
Guest Blogger

San Francisco dog judge gives dogs their day in court

San Francisco is known as one of the most dog-friendly cities in the world. In the city of 805,000 the number of dogs is greater than the number of children. And dog owners have serious political clout.

But sometimes dogs can be vicious and in the public interest it is the duty of police officer John Denny to decide the fate of the animal and the owner.

Rather than having multiple judges with multiple prejudices rule on multiple cases, Denny, a 28-year veteran has been assigned all dog hearings. This system assures the dog and the owner that they will be given a fair day in court. Dogs are judged on behavior, not looks.

Up until the year 2001, people in San Francisco rarely reported dog bites and little was done to keep track of vicious dogs. But in 2001, Diane Whipple, a 33-year-old lacrosse coach, was mauled to death in the lobby of her apartment building by two Presa Canarios.

It turned out that the two dogs had terrorized people on 18 different occasions, but no one ever filed a police report. There was obviously a need for a full-time police unit to protect the public and give a fair hearing to the dogs.

Denny investigates about 450 cases a year and holds around 120 hearings. Only about 15 percent of the dogs are deemed “vicious and dangerous.”

Those dogs have to be microchipped and wear a special red flag. They must be leashed and muzzled in public and the owner must submit to surprise inspections. Owners have to post warning signs at their homes and may be required to attend obedience classes.

After the first violation the dog and owner are put on probation for three years. If the owners break one of the rules, their dogs can be destroyed. Fewer than ten dogs a year have had to be destroyed.

Denny loves the chance his job gives him to correct animal and human behavior before it turns violent.

"One reason I became an officer is to bring compassion to the job," he said. "I'm here to put people at ease. People are very upset about the thought of losing their dogs, and 99 percent of the time, we can come up with a solution." More information

Why you shouldn’t leave your dog alone in the car on a hot day or any day

It’s getting to be the time of year when the inside of a car heats up like an oven. Don't let this happen to you. (Turn volume to low)

High tech collars on Search-and-Rescue dogs keep dogs and people safer

Dogs are dogs, even when they are highly trained--and expensive--police dogs.

During a search-and-rescue operation in November by the Illinois State Police and Canine Unit, a dog disappeared. The dog had gotten his 20-foot leash tangled in brush and when the handler got him untangled, the dog—being a dog—was off chasing a deer and was not seen again.

As a result, today 33 Illinois State Police dogs are wearing high-tech collars, according to Sgt. David Yount, Commander of the Canine Unit.

Although the collars are meant to track lost dogs and injured handlers, they soon found that the system has had unexpected benefits.

They were searching for a missing Alzheimer’s patient in need of immediate medical attention. They found that the new GPS collars showed them the topical layout of the land, allowing them to navigate more quickly and efficiently to locate missing persons.

According to Yount:

"It's a remote system that runs off of global positioning satellites. We put it on a harness system, and it's just a small pouch. It's user friendly; (the trooper) doesn't have to do anything other than push a button to activate. The dogs don't even know it's on there. They wear the harnesses anyway, so this just pops right on the top of the harness."

It cost $5,000 to outfit the entire unit. The average cost of a fully trained working dog ranges from $5000-$8000. The money was raised by a group called Friends of Canines.

From The Detroit News