Sacramento, California - Californians who see an animal trapped in a hot car can now break a window to set them free without fear of prosecution under a bill signed over the weekend by Gov. Jerry Brown. Rescuers can break into the car as long as there is no other way to free the animal, for instance if the animal appears to be in peril, the car is locked and law enforcement is not arriving quickly enough. The rescuer must stay at the scene until law enforcement respond to the situation. The bill was introduced after a series of incidents in which dogs died after being left in closed cars on hot days. Many of those cases have led to criminal charges. CBS San Francisco reports Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang co-sponsored the so-called “hot dog” bill. To see how a dog would feel, Chang and the other politicians behind the bill locked themselves in a car without air conditioning on a hot day. After just eight minutes, the politicians couldn’t take the heat. “We need to highlight the point that we are cooling down by sweating and dogs can’t sweat. A dog would be dead by now,” Chang said.
Pugs, bulldogs, French bulldogs and shih-tzus have become sought-after in the UK, despite wide-ranging health problems. Their appeal is attributed to having "squashed" faces and wrinkled noses. The British Veterinary Association said the surge in popularity of these dogs had "increased animal suffering". Sean Wensley, president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), said: "Prospective owners need to consider that these dogs can suffer from a range of health problems, from eye ulcers to severe breathing difficulties. "We strongly encourage people to choose a healthier breed or a crossbreed instead." The warning has been echoed by the PDSA, the Royal Veterinary College, the RSPCA and the Kennel Club. Meanwhile, evidence suggests that an increasing number of the dogs - more correctly known as brachycephalic or short-muzzled dogs - are being abandoned by their owners. Six dog rescue companies told the BBC that the breeds were being given up in greater numbers. To read more on this story, click here:Vets Warn People Against Buying 'Flat-Faced' Dogs
Borysew, Poland - Four rare white lion cubs have been born in a private zoo in central Poland.
The lion cubs were born on Sunday at the Zoo Safari in Borysew and are doing well under the care of their mother, 5-year-old Azira. They are the fourth litter for Azira and 7-year-old Sahim. There are at most only a few hundred white lions in the world. Head of the zoo Andrzej Pabich said the genders of the cubs was unknown because keepers have not touched them yet. On Thursday, a white tiger also gave birth at the zoo, and Pabich believes there are three cubs.
The old saying goes even a broken clock is right twice a day. If you're going by the premise that one dog year equals seven human years, the broken clock is right more than you are. Once in Pal's life that might be right, but exactly when depends on his size and breed. Canine Aging Dogs age at a faster rate than their human friends. Think about Pal during his puppy months: he packed a load of growing in during that formative first year. On the average, a dog will age to the level of a 15-year-old human during his first year. At 1 year old, you might have been standing and taking your first tentative steps. By Pal's first birthday he should have an understanding of basic commands, is sexually mature and may be transitioning from puppy food to adult food, depending on his breed. Size and Age If Pal's a Chihuahua, he's more apt to live well into his teens; if he's a large dog, such as an Irish wolfhound, his life expectancy is about half as long. Smaller dogs not only live longer as a rule, they also mature quicker in their first few years of life. Large dogs mature slower, yet reach senior status at a younger age, often around 5. Small and toy dog breeds aren't considered geriatric until they're around 10 years old. Medium-sized breeds are usually around 7 or 8 before they're considered seniors. Age Calculation Whether Pal's small, medium or large, you can figure by the time he celebrates his second birthday, you're living with a 24-year-old guy. After his second birthday, his growth rate will vary according to size. Small dogs age four years per year after two; medium dogs generally gain five years for every birthday beyond two; large dogs age six years for every human year. If Pal's a 6-year-old Chihuahua, he's about 40 in human years; if he's a golden retriever, he's closer to 45 in human years. All age calculations and charts are guidelines; Pal's health and "age" depend on his diet, exercise and general physical condition. Estimating Age If you don't know Pal's birthday and want to get an idea of his age, a good exam can provide clues. Teeth are a great indicator of age. Puppies have their permanent teeth by the time they're 7 months old. If Pal has a full set of beautiful white chompers, he's probably about a year old. Slight yellowing on the back teeth begins around age 1 or 2, and tartar starts building up around 3 to 5 years of age. If Pal's teeth are worn or missing, he's probably in his senior years, when teeth show the effects of age. Cloudy eyes, graying hair around the muzzle, face, head and body, and stiffness also indicate senior status. Younger dogs have more muscle definition than older dogs, who tend to be either bony or chubby, depending on their activity level. To figure out your dog’s age, click here:How to Figure Out Your Dog’s Age
All dog owners will know that once a pet finds the perfect spot on your bed, they’re not willing to give it up. Nope, not even if you drop a load of cash on the fanciest dog bed you can find. They’re not budging. After months of struggle to sleep comfortably with all eight of their dogs in one bed, one couple came up with a creative solution. Chris and Mariesa Hughes are the couple behind The Mr. Mo Project, a senior dog rescue that places senior and sick dogs in foster homes. They have eight dogs of their own, and were struggling to get a proper night’s sleep with all of the dogs trying to fit in one bed. So they had a local craftsman build them a giant mega-bed, with plenty of space for themselves and all eight dogs. Chris told metro.co.uk: “When we go to bed, all of the dogs try to beat us there and take up all the space on the bed. We didn’t want to allow one dog and not the other so we would manage and often times wake up needing a hip replacement. Having this bed allows all of the dogs to not only sleep on the bed with us but to also allow us to sleep comfortably.” The couple hired Michael, who runs Michael’s Custom Interiors, to create the bed, which is fourteen feet long and seven feet wide. The bed takes two mattresses and is twice the size of your average king-size. It also features under-bed storage, plus a little set of stairs for the dogs who have trouble jumping up on to the bed. “We are sleeping very well,’ said Chris. “Each one of the dogs has his or her spot and it makes it easy now. Gremlin will sleep up at the top of the bed with us and often use one of our pillows. Stig will wait until the light goes off and then jump up with Mariesa and lay under the covers next to her. Sammy likes to sleep at the bottom of the bed under the covers until he gets too hot and then he moves on top of the covers. Money sleeps on the bottom of the bed with his paws in the air, Quinn sleeps wherever he can find a spot, Meatball sleeps as close to Chris as possible.” “Tejas is the only dog that likes his space so he usually sleeps on one of the many decorative dog beds on the floor. Mabel will start out sleeping next to Chris under the covers but because she only weighs 3 pounds we move her to a pack and play next to the bed so she doesn’t get stepped on. They love it, they love the space. They always want to close to us, and each other. They respect our space now, and we’re all able to get a good night’s sleep.”
This is great news. They really need a good night’s sleep to be able take care of the dogs. The bed is now big enough to accommodate a few new pups, if Chris and Mariesa end up adopting more.
When planning a wedding, there's a lot that has to be arranged. The flowers, the venue, the dress, the food — and for one wedding that took place recently, the puppies. Sarah Mallouk Crain works for Pitties Love Peace, a rescue organization in central Pennsylvania. She and her now husband, Matt Crain, are huge animal lovers and have three rescue dogs of their own, and often foster dogs waiting for their forever homes as well. When they decided to get married, it seemed only fitting that they should include their shared love of dogs on their big day. And so, in place of bouquets of flowers, the wedding party posed with adorable puppies. Photographer Caroline Logan photographed the wedding party with six tiny rescue puppies, each with their own unique story. "Having the puppies involved in the wedding brought so much additional joy to Matt and Sarah's day," Logan told The Dodo. "Though they weren't a part of the ceremony, they were involved in their portrait time." Martha, Abigail, Dolley, Elizabeth and Louisa (named after the first few first ladies), are a litter of boxer-coonhound puppies who were rescued when they were just under a week old. They are now 8 weeks old and thriving in their loving foster homes, and absolutely loved posing with Crain's bridesmaids. Biggie Smalls is a 9-week-old pit bull mix puppy rescued from the streets of Brooklyn, New York, and he was the lucky pup chosen to pose with the bride herself. "The puppies of course caused the photos to be extra natural, candid, and carefree — exactly what I strive for in my work," Logan said. "The wedding party was loving all the puppy snuggles."
Even the groom and his groomsmen got to get in on the fun, and there was no shortage of smiles with the puppies around.
The puppies were all on their very best behavior for the wedding, and proved without a doubt that they were definitely a better choice than flowers. If you're interested in adopting one of the wedding puppies, you can fill out an application with Pitties Love Peace to get started.
Houston, Texas - Houston Zoo guests may catch a glimpse of something odd on the back of one of the giant anteaters, but it's supposed to be there - it's a new baby. Rio, a two-week-old giant anteater pup, can be seen riding atop mom at the zoo. The anteater was born on September 3 to parents Olive and Pablo. The zoo explains giant anteaters spend the first few weeks of life clinging to their mothers and will typically hitch a ride on mom's back for almost 12 months. The zoo says Olive has been very attentive to Rio, carefully nursing and transporting the pup around their habitat. Zookeepers are waiting for Rio to grow a bit and bond with its mom before determining the baby anteater's gender.
It’s long been said that dogs, like some humans, don’t know when it’s time to stop eating when they’re full. They’ll continue to eat the food in front of them until it’s gone, be it a cup of food or 20 pounds of kibble. In fact, they just might keep on eating until they drop dead. But is there actually any truth to this? The short answer? It depends on the dog. Some dogs aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed and will eat until they get sick; there have indeed been reports of dogs getting into a bag of kibble and eating the whole thing. Sometimes it’s caught in time for the dog’s stomach to be pumped; sometimes it’s not. The vast majority of dogs, however, will stop eating once they’ve had enough. They might eat to the point of nausea, or until they throw up, but rarely, if ever, until they die. Dogs, cats, horses, and goats have all been known to eat themselves to death. But again, this only happens rarely. If you’re a good owner, a good rule to keep in mind is to feed your dog the amount recommended by the vet, twice a day, at set feeding times. Don’t leave a constant supply of food out for the dog, and don’t leave the kibble bag out where it can be found. And if your dog does find his or her way into the kibble bag, don’t worry: It might eat until it gets sick, but it’s not going to eat itself to death.
“Get them. Make it fast.” In the chaotic last days of the Second World War, Gen. George Patton’s terse command set off a remarkable secret mission to save a group of priceless stallions and brood mares kidnapped on the orders of Adolf Hitler. The directive might have appeared foolhardy and risky to an outsider but not to the small group of American and German soldiers who put their hostilities aside, desperate to save the world’s most valuable equine prisoners of war, which were being held deep inside enemy lines in occupied Czechoslovakia. Minutes after Patton’s order, Hank Reed, a Virginia horseman who was the commanding officer of the Second Cavalry in Europe, dispatched one of his soldiers, an accomplished rider from Tennessee, to team up with a Nazi veterinarian. Under cover of darkness, they trekked miles through dense forests and battle-scarred villages to capture the horses and place them under American protection — before the arrival of advancing Russian troops. The valuable Lipizzaner horses — snow-white and blue-black, many of them Olympic dressage champions — had been stolen from the countries that the Nazis occupied during the war. In addition to gold, jewelry and artwork, the Nazis seized the valuable horses from Poland, Yugoslavia, Italy and Austria. The Nazis’ goal, according to author Elizabeth Letts in her new book “The Perfect Horse” (Ballantine), was to breed the Lipizzaner with German horses in order to create an equine specimen that was worthy of the German master race. Horses were central to the Nazi propaganda effort, and Hitler was often shown as “the man who put Germany back in the saddle,” according to Letts. In fact, as soon as he ordered the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and unleashed the grisly chain of events that plunged the world into war, Hitler had important plans for the country’s horses. As Letts writes, “In the blueprint forged for its occupation, a plan was put into place for the ‘rebuilding of Poland’s horse-breeding industry’ for the ‘interest of the German nation.’ ” To read more on this story, click here:Why US troops risked their lives in WWII to rescue horses kidnapped by Nazis
How can one of the most popular chew sticks on the planet be so dangerous for your pets, you ask? I mean, most dogs chew on rawhide for hours on end, and not only does it keep them busy, but they seem to last forever. Well if you understood what it took to make this toxic “raw” leather stick, you would quickly understand what the problem is. Aside from the horror stories circulating all over social media these days, of pets needing emergency surgery after consuming rawhide, the majority of pet parents today, especially the newbies, believe that this chew is some sort of dried up meat stick. Let me debunk that myth right away! A rawhide stick is not the by-product of the beef industry nor is it made of dehydrated meat. Rather, rawhide is the by-product of the “Leather Industry”, so theoretically it is a leather chew. Sounds awesome, right? “Producing rawhide begins with the splitting of an animal hide, usually from cattle. The top grain is generally tanned and made into leather products, while the inner portion, in its “raw” state, goes to the dogs.” TheBark.com So, how does this leather, which is conveniently rolled up into pretty shapes, actually get made into those rawhide chews? Follow along my friends and I will enlighten you on how this hide travels through a leathery process where it transforms from hide to a not-so beautiful, colorful, chew stick. Here is a paraphrased tutorial that was explained by the whole dog journal several years back: To read more on this story, click here:The Most Dangerous Pet Chew Ever: Rawhide
Animal lovers are appalled by a recent suggestion from a federal advisory committee. According to The Verge, the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently recommended that 45,000 wild horses and burros be sold and/or killed by a range management group currently holding the animals in government-run holding facilities. To prevent them from overgrazing, these wild horses and burros were initially rounded up off the western rangeland owned by the government and used by beef farms. For years, the government has been removing the animals from their natural habitat and putting them into facilities where they can be adopted out. This grim new measure, which would be partially paid for with tax dollars, was proposed after the committee decided it is too expensive to care for the horses and maintain over-crowded facilities, reports The Dodo. This adds more fuel to a fiery debate about whether the government should allow the land to be used for for-profit cattle raising and, in turn, permit wild animals to be removed from that land for the benefit of beef farms. The BLM spent nearly half the program’s entire budget, $49 million, caring for the wild horses and burros it took off the land. Many critics of the BLM are angry with how the agency has chosen to handle the problem of overgrazing, stating that the program should look into birth control options for the wild animals instead of capturing and/or killing them. Unfortunately this isn’t the first time the BLM has been connected to the murder of wild horses. Last October, the agency sold 2,000 of the federally-protected animals to a buyer who planned to slaughter the horses.
A golden retriever was the unwitting victim of a suspected drug dealer this week, when he tossed evidence away while running from police. The problem? Said evidence were bags of heroin lobbed over the fence of Bark & Play, a Denver, CO, doggy daycare facility. The suspect was caught soon after; police arrested Christian Manuel Ramirez, who is under investigation for the incident. Garrett Bishop, who owns Bark & Play, told WHNT News 19 that about 17 bags were found in the yard, but workers didn’t know what was in them. “Luckily, my employees are right on top of it and within 10 seconds of seeing a foreign object on the ground they were on it,” Bishop said. “They are the reason these dogs are safe.” But there were 14 dogs in the yard at the time. And despite the staffers’ quick hands, a golden retriever named Charlie managed to swallow one of the bags. She was taken to the emergency room immediately. Charlie’s owner, Laura, couldn’t believe it when she got the bad news from Bishop. “My heart skipped a beat,” she said. “They said ‘Charlie ate a bag of heroin and she’s at the vet,’ and I thought, ‘You have to be kidding me, that’s ridiculous.” “Her eyes were kind of clouded over, she didn’t have any energy. She looked really sick,” Laura said. “I don’t know how much heroin she ingested, or the potency of heroin, or the effects of heroin on dogs, so I was really worried that she could die.” Charlie was treated with drugs to counteract the effects of the heroin. “She was really drugged up, really out of it. But I was really happy she was alive,” Laura said. “[The heroin trade] affected my dog today but it could have been someone’s kid,” Laura said.
Charlie’s owner, Laura, said her heart skipped a beat when she heard the news about what her dog had ingested.
FOLLOW US!
NBC 5 Investigates has learned several K-9 teams at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport failed important certification tests that check how accurately they can detect explosives, calling into question whether those teams are training enough to stay at the top of their game and keep passengers safe. The mission of explosive detection K-9 teams is to keep bombs out of airports and off planes by screening baggage, cargo and passengers for potential threats. New records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request raise questions about the top dogs at some of the nation’s biggest airports. The records show K-9 teams funded by the Transportation Security Administration have failed annual certification tests at large U.S. airports, including D/FW Airport and Love Field, more than 50 times between Jan. 1, 2013, and June 15, 2015, the most recent detailed numbers TSA provided. Some teams failed to find explosives, while others had too many false alarms that could cause unnecessary airport evacuations.
K-9 teams that fail are pulled out of service and cannot work in airports again until they can pass the test, but experts NBC 5 Investigates spoke with say clusters of failures at some airports raise concerns about how well those teams are being managed. The TSA said the failures are just a normal part of upholding high standards. But multiple failures at D/FW Airport and Love Field raise questions about whether those teams have been training enough to maintain the highest level of readiness. In a statement, the TSA tells NBC 5 Investigates, “If a team does not meet TSA’s rigorous guidelines, it is decertified and restricted from working.” “The team must successfully meet certification standards before returning to search duties. Dog teams that are unable to return to TSA’s high standards are subject to removal,” the TSA said. The agency said teams performed better in the latter half of 2015 – with a 93-percent passing rate nationwide. But the agency would not share any detailed records for that time period or for 2016, so it’s unknown if there are still some airports with clusters of failures. “We rely on K-9 teams a lot more now than we ever have in the history of aviation security,” said airport security consultant Jeffrey Price. Price said the lives of passengers depend on how well the dog teams perform. “Dogs have always been considered the gold standard in explosive detection. So when you’re considered the best, you better be the best,” said Price. At Love Field, K-9 teams assigned to protect the airport failed four out of 14 tests with a failure rate of nearly 30 percent over two-and-a-half years. In 48 tests over the same time period, teams at D/FW Airport failed five times, or 10 percent of the time. The nation’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, did better than those in Dallas with only two failures in 75 tests (3 percent) over the same two-and-a-half year time period. All K-9s managed by the Atlanta Police Department passed while two TSA managed teams failed. To better understand why more K-9 teams failed at airports like Love Field and D/FW Airport, NBC 5 Investigates went to Alabama to one of the nation’s top K-9 training centers at Auburn University and AMK9. AMK9 works with the university training dogs in explosive detection for agencies across the country. “You need to convince that dog that there’s a reason to work,” said John Pearce, who used to help oversee training for the TSA. Pearce said the main reason some dogs fail certification tests is the people in charge of those K-9 units don’t always set aside enough time for constant training. He sees a direct relationship between the quality of the training and the success the dogs have on tests. “Our primary job is to find an explosive, as a dog team, but that dog believes its primary objective is to get that toy that’s in the handler’s pouch,” said Pearce. In airports, dogs rarely find explosives, so unless they practice locating test explosives frequently, they may lose interest. In addition, handlers also need constant practice to accurately recognize the dog’s cues. Pearce said handlers need to train daily. “Train, train, train and train as you’re going to work,” said Pearce. NBC 5 Investigates wanted to know if the people in charge of the K-9s at Love Field and D/FW Airport are spending enough time training. Some of the teams are managed directly by the TSA, but many are run by D/FW Airport police and Dallas police that get their dogs, training and funding from the TSA. Dallas police declined an on-camera interview and would not answer any questions about their teams at Love Field. When asked about the teams decertified at D/FW Airport, a spokesman sent a short statement saying, “All of the canine teams maintained by the D/FW Airport Department of Public Safety are currently certified and active.” In 2013 the investigative arm of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, found “some K-9 teams were repeatedly not in compliance with TSA’s monthly training requirement.” Since then, the TSA has made changes, including a new program starting Oct. 1 to hold local airport police departments more accountable for training and to enforce higher training standards. With multiple failures at airports including D/FW Airport and Love Field make some experts wonder if supervision and training is needed in a business where there may not be a second chance. “Lives depend on the proficiency of the teams,” said Price. “You don’t get a do over in real life. If that team misses an explosive, then that’s a device that can end up on a plane.” The TSA’s records have shown nearly a dozen teams failed at Washington Dulles International Airport and more than 20 at Los Angeles International Airport from January 2013 to June 2015. NBC 5 Investigates will be on NBC’s Today Show Thursday morning with the national part of the report and on NBC 5 News at 6 p.m. with what other major airports are doing to pass tests and make sure their teams are ready.
It’s hard to think of many people in our lives more important, more integral, or more venerated than our veterinarians. To those of us who love animals, veterinary medicine is one of the world’s noblest professions. So it was with shock and dismay that I learned that veterinarians suffer alarmingly high rates of depression and suicide. “It’s a big problem,” says Stephanie Kube, a veterinary neurologist and pain pathologist at Veterinary Neurology and Pain Management Center of New England in Walpole. “The profession is truly plagued.” A 2014 federal Centers for Disease Control online survey of 10,000 practicing veterinarians published last year found that more than one in six American veterinarians has considered suicide. Veterinarians suffer from feelings of hopelessness, depression, and other psychiatric disorders two to three times more often than the general population. Two studies published in the British Veterinarian Association’s journal, The Veterinary Record, found suicide rates are double or more those of dentists and doctors, and four to six times higher than the general population. To read more on this story, click here:Why Do So Many Veterinarians Commit Suicide?
