pet connection

The trend of breed-specific legislation has come to San Bernardino County, Calif.   The County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance on Tuesday requiring pit bulls and pit bull mixes to be spayed or neutered, or else the owners will face fines, starting at $100 for the first offense, and ramping upwards for subsequent offenses.  From the Los Angeles Times:

The ordinance provides exemptions for some licensed dog breeders and pure breeds, including American pit bull terriers and Staffordshire bull terriers, recognized by the American Kennel Club and other national dog registries.

Oh good. So will owners be required to document their dog’s DNA to determine if he’s exempt or not? The authorities haven’t said. And let’s not talk about the notoriously inaccurate “that dog looks like a pit bull” method of determining a breed type. Way to go, gang.

Metro KC’s war on cats: Our friend KC Dog Blog recounts the sad truth in the area around Kansas City: when in doubt, cats get killed.

Meanwhile, in Lake Waukomis (a small community in the Northland), the city has begun using city funding to capture feral cats and kill them (not “euthanize” as the city tries to call it) in the city shelter. While the city used to operate a Trap/Neuter/Return Policy, they say that has gotten more difficult because residents are feeding the cats — making the cats less likely to be baited into traps because they have access to other food. Huh? If they catch them to kill them, they can equally catch them to neuter and release them. Sigh.

Still a long way to go in the land of jazz and blues.

Friday is Take Your Pet to Work Day! I work at home, and Gina, Christie, Ericka, well most of us here at Pet Connection work at home (sorry, Drs. Becker, Johnson and Robinson), but if you work in an office, see if you can bring company with you on Friday. From the Newark Star-Ledger:

But animal experts say there are a few things to consider if your business is thinking of partaking in the fun this year. Allergies, phobias and dog fights could all turn a lighthearted event into a workplace disaster, said Mychelle Blake, communications director for the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, which is co-sponsoring the event.

“You definitely want to check with everyone first before you bring your dog,” Blake said. “Make sure your dog will be comfortable in that environment. If your dog’s a little nervous, bring a blanket or toy it can chew on.”

Rambo finds opium.  Lots of it. Rambo is a dog who works for Customs and Border Protection at the Chicago O’Hare Foreign Mail Facility.  His job is to sniff out drugs. He’s clearly pretty good at it.  The Chicago Sun-Times reports Rambo hit the jackpot last week — on six separate packages, finding a total of 23 pounds of opium.

EVERYONE is sick of hearing those damn vuvuzelas during the World Cup matches:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories.  Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an e-mail.

Photo credits: Pit bull with bone, flickr Creative Commons (maplegirlie). Dog at desk, PetSitters International.