Dr. Waters’ team spent a decade collecting and analyzing medical histories, longevity, and causes of death for 119 Rottweilers in the United States and Canada that survived to 13 years of age. These dogs were compared with a group of 186 Rottweilers with more typical longevity.

Researchers found that female Rottweilers have a distinct survival advantage over males—a trend also documented in humans. That advantage appears to be determined by whether the female dog is sexually intact, however. “Taking away ovaries during the first four years of life completely erased the female survival advantage,” Dr. Waters said.

This isn’t just an interesting factoid that will impact the spay-neuter debate with respect to dogs.  It could have a lot to say about research into human longevity as well.

Dr. Parker’s group studied more than 29,000 women who underwent a hysterectomy for benign uterine disease. The findings showed that the benefits of ovary removal—protection against ovarian, uterine, and breast cancer—were outweighed by an increased mortality rate from other causes. As a result, longevity was cut short in women who lost their ovaries before the age of 50, compared with those who kept their ovaries for at least 50 years.

How ovaries affect longevity in Rottweilers is not understood, but Dr. Waters’ research points to a new set of research questions, recalibrating the conversation about removing ovaries.

Breed-specific legislation redux: Florida legislators are throwing the baby out with the bathwater by moving toward enacting sloppy, breed-specific laws again, substantively reversing their prohibition of such a thing more than 10 years ago.  The bill under consideration is Florida HB 543 (Senate version: SB 1276).

In effect, they will be turning back the clock to a time when blaming the dog, independent of contextual evidence, was acceptable.   State Rep. Thurston (D-Plantation) isn’t suggesting any move towards owner responsibility.   And the fact that identifying breeds accurately is, at best, a crapshoot, has eluded Thurston, as well as his co-sponsors.    Solving those problems can’t be done through the legislative process.  The losers here will be good, innocent dogs and responsible owners. If you live in Florida, it ’s time to make your voice heard (thanks to Cathy A for the cite).

Cat killed despite microchip:  Sorry, but we’re not done with the Sunshine State yet.    A couple in Broward county lost their Bengal cat, O’Malley.  Fortunately, O’Malley was microchipped.  That’s good, right?  If he is found by authorities, he can be quickly identified and returned to his anxious parents.   Good news:  O’Malley was found by the authorities.  Bad news, according to the Sun-Sentinel: he was put to death anyway.

The cat’s death has the family and county commissioners wondering if the scandal-plagued agency – which was restructured in 2008 after facing criticism for animal abuse and misconduct – has reformed its ways. The county is apologizing, but officials aren’t sure what exactly happened and are waiting for an internal investigation to be completed.[...]

An audit of the agency two years ago found food for dogs and cats in short supply, animal carcasses rotted in maggot-infested bags and workers taking valuable dogs for their own profits. Officials were forced to change procedures to reduce the problems.

“I’m furious,” said Broward County Mayor Ken Keechl, who led the drive to reform the agency. “I’m tired of it – how many years will this keep going on?”

Excellent question, Mr. Mayor.

For some good news, we fly up to New York…

The angel of Union Square: Emelinda Narvaez has rescued 10,000 dogs out of her mobile van in lower Manhattan.  You read that right.  Ten thousand dogs.    This profile of Ms. Narvaez, a cancer survivor herself, shows her to be a truly remarkable woman.

[She] believes dogs are the “Angels of This Earth.” But to the more than 10,000 dogs she’s rescued in New York, Emelinda is the angel. She does her miracle work through her nonprofit, Earth Angels, a no-kill canine rescue and adoption organization established to rescue homeless and abandoned dogs.

For the past 41 years, every single day, rain, shine or sleet, Emelinda has been saving dogs on the streets and taking canines from overcrowded shelters (that otherwise would’ve been euthanized). She then nurses the dogs back to health and finds happy, healthy homes for her four-legged friends.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication, Emelinda.  I have to agree with the author of the Huffington Post article, on behalf of the 10,000 lucky dogs.  You are the angel.

Bow to wow: Now let’s hop on the subway and head a little north, to midtown.  We’re stopping at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.  As part of the adoption drive for Animal Care & Control of NYC, a gorgeous golden retriever named Bailey was on the set of The Today Show last week.   Also present was gold medal winning U.S. Olympian Steven Holcomb, pilot of the victorious and historic “Night Train” four-man bobsled team (the U.S. had never won a gold in bobsled before the Vancouver Games).  Steve met Bailey, and promptly adopted her…a golden for a gold medal winner  (a golden tip of the cap to Jennifer Fearing of the HSUS for the story).

Paws for poetry: Switching gears entirely … April is National Poetry Month. (I learn so many interesting tidbits on this beat.)  In celebration, I’m volunteering you, so listen up.  Paws for Poetry is running a contest, and you are invited. See rules and regulations here for prizes and details.  The deadline is April 15, so you have a little more than  a month.  Good luck!

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:  Chow and pit bull terrier: Laura Dapkus, examiner.com.  Steve and Bailey: msnbc.com.

Liz’s winning books: “ASPCA KIDS: Animals At Work,” co-authored with Dr. Katherine Miller and “Puppy Love.” You can buy copies through her Web site or order through any book store or online retailer.

Here’s the complete list of winners, with many other names familiar to our readers.

Congratulations, all!

Like her “brother” Quixote, Quora’s ancestry isn’t straightforward. Analysis of her DNA test indicates she’s a Pomeranian/Cairn Terrier mix, with a dash of a breed absolutely no one could have guessed, Chinese Shar Pei! (And no, we didn’t DNA test our granddaughter Reagan, shown sleeping with Quora in the photo.)

No one got it exactly right, but a couple of you almost did! Chris came closest, guessing Pomeranian with a “smidge” of terrier — Jack Russell, but at least we were in the right family of dogs.

Colorado Transplant was next, guessing Pomeranian plus Yorkshire Terrier and Chihuahua.

Others who guessed Pomeranian as part of the mix were Anne (Pomeranian with Corgi and Shiba Inu) and three of my North Idaho Animal Hospital colleagues: Michelle Kensbock (Pomeranian, Shiba and Chihuahua); Laura Long (Pomeranian, Chihuahua and Corgi) and Brenda Ward (Pomeranian, Finnish Spitz, and Chihuahua).

I’ll have to admit I’m flummoxed about who exactly is a winner here, so I’m going to let my writing partner and good friend (although she might reconsider our friendship after this) make the decision and award the prizes, if any!

The bottom line is really this: We had a lot of fun, and my family loves Quora a whole lot, whatever her breed(s)!

If you’d like to see the actual results of Quora’s test, you can click on the image below to enlarge it:

As part of the campaign, Bayer is giving out 1,000 $20 vouchers a day good at your vet’s office from today until Feb. 28. Check it out here.

The next drawing is June 1. All you have to do to be eligible is be a subscriber to our free e-mail newsletter.

Check out the goodies:

• RapidBath Pet Bathing System
• 1-yr supply of RapidBath shampoo (18 cartridges)
• Paw Monster
• Golden A5 Heavy Duty Clipper
• Nail Grinder
• Odor Grabber Deluxe
• 1-yr supply of Odor Grabber replacement filters (6 filters)
• Oster Shedding rakes (set of 3)

All that, PLUS a $500 PetSmart Gift Card

Shipping within the continental United States is included in the deal, but not in the retail value.

What are you waiting for? All you need do to be eligible is sign up for the free e-newsletter. Click here to get started.

Check out the goodies:

• RapidBath Pet Bathing System
• 1-yr supply of RapidBath shampoo (18 cartridges)
• Paw Monster
• Golden A5 Heavy Duty Clipper
• Nail Grinder
• Odor Grabber Deluxe
• 1-yr supply of Odor Grabber replacement filters (6 filters)
• Oster Shedding rakes (set of 3)

All that, PLUS a $500 PetSmart Gift Card

Shipping within the continental United States is included in the deal, but not in the retail value.

What are you waiting for? All you need do to be eligible is sign up for the e-newsletter. Click here to get started.

Premier Pet was the first company to step forward with a donation, putting together a $500 basket of the tools top trainers love for the winner, and another identical $500 basket for the local rescue group or shelter of the winner’s choice.

B.J. Hodge of South Lake Tahoe won the goodies. And the matching gift is going to Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, per B.J.’s direction. This is a great organization! I’ve known many people who’ve adopted from them, and I’ve even fostered for them a couple of times . I couldn’t be happier to see a $500 gift basket heading their way. And B.J.’s, too. Congratulations to them both, and thanks to Premier for the donation!

Our next drawing is on May 1, and features a donation of $500’s worth of grooming products from the Oster company, plus a $500 Petsmart gift certificate. That $1,000 worth of the best for your pet, and all you have to do to be eligible is sign up for our FREE monthly e-newsletter.

What are you waiting for? Sign up!

The grousers are right. The state has bigger problems. And the whole thing is ridiculous.

Legalize ferrets.

That’s my opinion. In her “Your Whole Pet” column for the San Francisco Chronicle’s SFGate.com Web site, Christie has hers, too:

They’re cute, affectionate, furry and playful. There are tens of thousands
of them in California, and they’re allowed as pets in most countries and
every state except Hawaii.

So why are ferrets illegal in California?

It’s an old story, characterized by battling sets of statistics and
interpretations of natural history. To the California Department of Fish
and Game and some environmentalists, ferrets are wild animals with the
potential to establish feral colonies and wreak havoc on native species if
they escape from captivity.

But as Jeanne Carley of Californians for Ferret Legalization has pointed
out, the ferret has been classified “as domesticated by the United States
Department of Agriculture, Smithsonian Institute, Museum of Natural
History, the Humane Society of the United States and 150 zoos, zoological
societies and other authorities.”

Which isn’t to say I think all the objections to overturning the ban are
irrational; they’re not. Environmental protection is a huge issue in
California, and the battle over ferret legalization is no exception.

It’s just that I think the fears are unlikely to become reality. And
here’s why.

The rest is here.

Update: OK, even Christie makes a ferret joke. But it’s at the Governator’s expense:

That bill was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who some thought would sign it, given that he’d co-starred with a ferret in “Kindergarten Cop.” No such luck; the governor decided giving amnesty to California’s ferrets required an environmental impact report, even though it’s hard to imagine they could ever, even in a worst case scenario, do more damage to the ecology of the state than just one of Arnold’s Hummers.

Snarky good.

***

Our very, very first monthly drawing for $1,000’s worth of retail pet supplies has been made, and thankfully it doesn’t include anything for a ferret, since the winner lives in California. I’ll be in touch with B.J. Hodge of South Lake Tahoe today. The winner will be getting a $500 gift basket from Premier Pet, and will choose which animal charity gets the matching $500 basket.

I’ll have information about the May 1 $1,000 prize drawing up soon. In the meantime, sign up for the e-newsletter! It’s free, and you might win a pretty good prize.

On April 1 — no fooling — we’ll be drawing for pet gear from Premier Pet — $500’s worth of pet gear to the winner, and $500 worth of pet gear to the shelter or rescue group of the winner’s choice. Shipping included.

Details and sign-up information start on the PetConnection.com home page. Clock’s ticking on that Premier gear prize package.