The Poodle (and Dog) Blog

Japan gives Akita puppy to Putin to strengthen relations

As we have seen before, here, here, here, here, and here, the way to Vladimir Putin’s heart is through animals, especially dogs. While some may see him as a ruthless leader, at The Poodle (and dog) blog, we know at heart he is a Poodle cuddler.

To show their gratitude for Russia’s assistance after last year’s earthquake and to pave the way for further economic ties, a Japanese official sent Yuma, a three-month-old Akita, as a present to Putin.

Norihisa Satake, governor of the Akita prefecture where the breed originated, sent the dog saying:

I hope that this gift will make a contribution to the deepening of mutual understanding and the further development of relations between Japan and Russia…despite the fact that there are a number of unresolved issues between the two countries.

Diplomacy by dog. Don’t you love it?

Yuma was originally scheduled to be shipped in cargo, but airline officials quickly upgraded her to first class for reasons that should be readily apparent and she was given VIP treatment on her arrival in Moscow. She was a good puppy and got along with everyone.

Ever gracious, Putin expressed gratitude to the governor at a meeting with Japanese Foreign minister and offered his own gift in return.

"I was told that he is a cat person. I will in return send him a Siberian cat, a bigger one,” Putin said.

Uh…bigger than…what?

July Golden Poodle awards

The Golden Poodle award goes to two dogs who are happily at work doing what they love to do.

Melanie the Bloodhound has tracked down a bunch of bad guys and Pooh the seeing eye Poodle took charge of a dangerous situation and saved her owner’s life.

 

This is the first time that the Lizard Brain award and the Neanderthal award have gone to members of the same household.

But Andrea Armintrout and Emmanuel Tadeo are so richly deserving.

 

Caught on tape: Thief stuffs puppy down his pants and leaves the store

In Long Island a man is caught on store surveillance tape stealing a puppy.

Two men entered the pet store. While one distracted the clerk with questions, the other casually headed to the cash register and tried to get it open. When that didn’t work he went all impromptu, grabbed a two-pound Pomeranian, stuffed it into his jeans, and walked out of the store.

The puppy is valued at $1000. It's safe to say he won’t get that much at the pawn shop or from his drug dealer.

“From Ashes to Answers”—Statue honors arson dogs

A seven-foot-high, 450-pound bronze statue of a firefighter with his arson dog has been dedicated in Washington, D.C. after making a cross country tour.

The monument called “From Ashes to Answers” depicts a firefighter and a dog trained to help in arson investigations.

It was created by a 22-year-old firefighter, Austin Weishel of Loveland, Colorado. He is the youngest artist ever to have a monument erected in Washington.

Arson dogs pour through the charred remains of burned out buildings to identify accelerants which may have been used to start fires.

To become certified for the work, the dogs and their handlers undergo many weeks of training and must pass yearly testing.

Poodles are not known for being arson dogs. Do I need to spell out the reasons?

Pooh the seeing eye Poodle saves her owner’s life

A blind woman in Alabama owes her life to Pooh, her three-year-old guide dog.

Nancy Jones hadn’t realized that there was a gas leak in her home when she started feeling dizzy. The next thing she knew Pooh had jumped six feet in the air to get her leash down off the wall and was insisting that Jones put it on her.

“…then she literally dragged me out the door,” Jones said.

An open pilot light was found in the home, the aftermath of a gas leak.The leak was bad enough that the home started filling with natural gas and could have exploded, according to the firefighters who responded.

Story and video

One reason Guide Dogs are so expensive, the Summa Cum Laude of trained working dogs, is that they are taught more than social skills and blind obedience.

A guide dog is also taught Intelligent Disobedience. That is, they are taught to recognize when their owners might be in danger and to have the confidence and intelligence to take control of the situation.

Learning Intelligent Disobedience takes months of special training and many dogs can’t master it. The dog must be strong, confident, intelligent and assertive.

More and more Poodles are being trained as Guide Dogs as people realize that they are more than just fluff.

CFL light bulbs may cause skin damage, researchers say

I have wanted to write about CFL’s for a number of years but I didn’t want to sound like a stubborn reactionary who doesn’t like being told what to do, especially in my own home.

While I will admit this is true, I have definite questions about CFL’s and this recent study just adds to my concern.

Although they are more expensive than incandescent bulbs, the ones I used didn’t last as long, didn’t give as much light, and I was not sure if I should put everyone in hazmat suits, including the dogs and cat, if we broke one.

And… the ones I bought were made in China, the country that sent us the contaminated dog food.

I have a lot of klutzy genes and I can’t count the number of incandescent and florescent bulbs those who share my genes and I have broken over the years.

When I research them I get a lot of different answers about how to dispose of them and what to do if they break. And, of course, I have a great concern about how broken bulbs affect pets who live close to the floor. So far nothing reassures me.

Even though we were all supposed to start using them at the beginning of the year, the deadline for enforcing has been extended through part of this year. I have to wonder how much research was done before these were imposed on us.

I have stockpiled enough of Thomas Edison’s bulbs that I am not concerned for myself, at least for a few years. I am just passing this study along. Maybe some of you can reassure me that CFL's are as safe as Tom’s bulbs.

New research funded by the National Science Foundation has scientists warning consumers about the potentially harmful effects energy-saving CFL light bulbs can have on skin.

The warning comes based on a study conducted by Stony Brook University and New York State Stem Cell Science — published in the June issue of Photochemistry and Photobiology — which looked at whether and how the invisible UV rays CFL bulbs emit affect the skin.

Based on the research, scientists concluded that CFL light bulbs can be harmful to healthy skin cells.

“Our study revealed that the response of healthy skin cells to UV emitted from CFL bulbs is consistent with damage from ultraviolet radiation,” said lead researcher Miriam Rafailovich, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Stony Brook University, in New York, in a statement. “Skin cell damage was further enhanced when low dosages of TiO2 nanoparticles were introduced to the skin cells prior to exposure.”

… Despite their large energy savings, consumers should be careful when using compact fluorescent light bulbs,” said Rafailovich. “Our research shows that it is best to avoid using them at close distances and that they are safest when placed behind an additional glass cover.” Read more

Am I just being paranoid?

Melanie the Bloodhound busts a bank robber

Following a bank robbery in Cook County, Illinois, where the robber escaped on foot, Sheriff’s deputies went door-to-door, a helicopter searched from the air and Melanie the Bloodhound searched the ground.

She tracked the robber’s scent to an apartment complex about a block-and-a-half from the bank, put her paws on the door, led deputies down a long hallway, put her paws up on another door, went up a stairway and put her paws up on the door of apartment 205.

Inside they found a hat and sunglasses in plain sight that had been used by the robber. A man inside identified the surveillance photo as his roommate.

He was quickly taken into custody in a vehicle outside the building.

Melanie is a rock star. She has helped capture 20 to 30 suspects – including an escaped inmate in a portable toilet and a burglary suspect hiding in a crawlspace.

Not everyone should rescue or even own a dog

I'm taking a slightly different approach today as i join Bloggers Unite for Dog Rescue, co-sponsored by Be the Change for Animals and Dog Rescue Success 

With all of the clamor for the public to adopt a shelter dog, (and I’ve been clamoring as much as anyone) we should look closely at what might be involved.

It should be a serious decision, not an impulse.

Sadly, many dogs in shelters—certainly not all—are there because of behavior problems. Many were not properly socialized as puppies and will need serious and loving training.

(Depending on the source) 20-30% of dogs turned over to shelters are dogs that were adopted from shelters originally. Unfortunately, most of these dogs are doomed as two time losers when they are returned. The behaviors that landed them there in the first place are behaviors that the new adopters were not prepared to handle and, in fact, may have made them worse by harsh punishment or neglect.

Shelter personnel can be a big help in matching dogs to the homes, experiences, and lifestyles of humans.

But there are some humans who just should not have a dog.

These are people who

• Are not prepared for a 365 day commitment for 10-15 years of a dog’s life
• Seldom take advice from anyone about anything
• Expect to be informed when Timmy falls into a well
• Think a dog should be grateful for a home and won't mind living neglected out in the yard
• Are permanently grossed out by dogs eating their own vomit
• Just want a big scary dog to protect their stuff
• Think that surfing TV channels is the only exercise needed by man or beast
• Wouldn’t consider an older dog because puppies are so cute
• Are not willing to keep expensive items out of reach or to accept responsibility when the items get chewed
• Expect a puppy to know the difference between carpet and grass
• Don’t think dog fur enhances clothing or furniture
• Follow every fad 
• Are totally self involved
• Have no plans for their lives or living conditions past a few weeks or months
• Have no concept of costs involved in having a dog
• Are shocked to learn that there is a fee to adopt a dog from the shelter
• HAVE ANY ANGER MANAGEMENT ISSUES

I’ve heard stories about some shelters and rescues that make it difficult for people to adopt dogs. Some applications ask for details of the home, past experiences with dogs, and a detailed plan for ownership. For the most part they are trying to find a good match so their shelter doesn't become a revolving door for the dogs.

While some shelters may seem to be unduly intrusive, most of them will work with qualified applicants to make sure the dog that most suits them will find a loving home and the humans are prepared for Life with a Dog.

A dog is forever, not until.

Woman finds her long lost dog—you will never guess where

This is one of those incredible stories of being in the right place at the right time that convinces us that there must be a dog angel bringing order into the universe.

B.J. Ross, a 36-year-old mother of two young children in Altoona, Pennsylvania, came home to find that Bigsby, her 15-year-old Cocker Spaniel had died.

She was particularly upset because on July 8th her other Cocker Spaniel, Samson, went missing and was never found.

She and her mother drove to a nearby humane society to have Bigsby cremated. While they were there Ross’ mother overheard John Aurandt explain that he was surrendering a Cocker Spaniel that he and his son had found a year before because the dog couldn’t get along with his other dog. They had tried to find the owner, but thinking the dog was a stray, had taken him home.

When she told her daughter what she had heard, she immediately identified the dog as Samson.

If either Aurandt or Ross had been a few minutes earlier or later, they would have missed each other. If Ross had not brought her mother with her, she would not have been aware that Aurandt was there.

“I passed Samson earlier when we came in and didn’t even notice. I was so distraught,” Ross said.

After Ross showed shelter staff photos of Samson, they let her take the dog home.

Ross said Samson has not left her side since his return and her two young children are over the moon that he’s back. Though she admits she’s still deep in mourning for Bigsby, she said her reunion with Samson has been nothing short of a modern-day miracle.

Is it just a coincidence that Samson was surrendered on the very day that Bigsby died, or did Bigsby somehow send Samson back to the Ross family?

From the Altoona Mirror

This isn’t the kind of story I normally write about

Or ever have
Or ever will again
I may not even publish it, but I can't get it up and it won't go away.

You can see the video from the local news broadcast here.

Police in Georgia were called to a gated condo of Emmanuel Alfredo Tadeo, 27, and Andrea Armintrout, 40, in June to investigate a domestic violence complaint. During an argument Tadeo beat Armintrout, blaming her for his disappointments in life.

Then he went looking for her Pomeranian dog. According to Police Capt. Steve Rose:

He kicked and stomped the dog. She grabbed the dog from him and he grabbed it back and took the dog outside. When he came back in he said he had snapped the dog's neck. He then took the dog by the back legs and actually started hitting her with the dog. When the officers got there the dog was dead.

Police arrested Tadeo and charged him with animal cruelty, domestic violence and battery. This week a grand jury upgraded the battery charge to aggravated assault, which is a felony. He remains in jail.

But wait. The story gets more disturbing.

Armintrout is in jail too, charged with obstruction for not cooperating and hindering the investigation.

There was a time when police had to fold their tents and leave when battered women refused to press charges. Laws have been changed.

Prosecutors are able to reconstruct a domestic violence crime and no longer need to have the cooperation of the victim. But why would any woman choose to go to jail and not cooperate for her own safety and for the safety of the rest of us?

As Police Captain Rose said:

This guy had no regard for anyone. It's really disturbing that a human being can act in such a way. This is just a very selfish man who does not care about anything.

I have been in [law enforcement] for 36 years and this is a first. You wonder how we ever got to the top of the food chain with people like this among us.

What is wrong with some women?