It’s time for the best of the best for pets and vets!
The post-Christmas snowstorm known variously as “Snowpocalypse” and “Snowmageddon” caused Dr. Marty Becker to miss a “Good Morning America” appearance for the first time ever — not through any fault of his own, mind you, since he got as far as Minneapolis before it was clear nothing but a sled dog team could get him there.
The segment was rescheduled for this morning, Thursday, January 6, from 7-9 AM, on your local ABC affiliate. It will feature all the top veterinary and pet products of the previous year, courtesy of Dr. Becker and a cast of (literally) dozens of the top pet experts in the country.
Appearing on the same episode will be singer Tim McGraw and the cast of “The Jersey Shore.”
Don’t miss it! (Although if you do, check here later in the day — we’ll have video!)
Our Dr. Becker’s year-end appearance on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” has traditionally been an overview of the top veterinary and pet-related items of 2010, based on recommendations of a couple hundred veterinary and pet-care experts, as well as from our team’s trips to trade shows and conferences. Dr. B spends hours distilling a list from all the suggestions, and then putting together information on the top products.
This year’s appearance was to be … tomorrow.
You can guess what happened. He got as far as Minneapolic-St. Paul, and then watched as the few flights into the New York area that were so far only “delayed” were canceled, one by one. There is just no way to get to Manhattan today, so Delta has put him on a flight back to Spokane, and he’ll be home tonight.
We don’t yet know when the “GMA” segment will be rescheduled — as you can imagine, everything in NYC is a big of a scramble right now — but as soon as we know, we’ll let you know.
The Los Angeles Times‘ Rene Lynch has an intriguing review of a new book about a successful rescue. “Oogy,” written by attorney Larry Levin, is one of those tales that restores your faith in the power of healing, love and the effort required to look beyond outward appearances.
When you’re done with that, check out Amy Worden’s post in Philly Dawg about Stanley. Again, a reason to hope for people’s capacity to make a difference.
When we first met Stanley last year he was a mangy guy with serious eye problems locked in a high kill Los Angeles shelter. Thanks to two small rescue groups and a gripping video, things are looking far brighter for Stanley this Christmas.
For all the homeless animals with no family to call their own this holiday season and for anyone who does not believe one person can’t make a difference, let Stanley’s story be a symbol of hope.
Doing wrong in order to do right? KC Dog Blog thoughtfully spotlights the dilemma of embedding a spy inside a dogfighting ring in order to bring the ring down. In this instance, it’s the case of Terry Mills.
A couple of months ago, a story was launched in several alternative newspapers around the country about Mills. In 2008, Mills worked for the FBI on their domestic-terrorism task force. As a part of the job, Mills spent 18 months under-cover in order to break up what became the largest dog-fighting bust in the history of the United States — getting a couple of dozen people arrested, and saving more than 500 dogs from their dog fighting operations.
As a part of the undercover operation, Mills and his team became a part of the dog fighting culture…and as a part of that, began training, and fighting, their own dogs.
At the time, and even now, I wrestle with the ethics of their decision. While breaking up the dog fighting operation is certainly commendable, it’s extremely hard for me to stomach the idea of the “good guys” training dogs to fight and forcing them to endure such torture. It just seems as if there had to be a better way without purposefully putting more dogs in the ring.
This is the same kind of difficult position that Donnie Brasco faced while embedded with the Mafia. The answers aren’t always so easy. Bravo to KC Dog Blog for talking about the issue.
Best blog post this week: Stop me if you’ve heard this before….the best piece of writing in the pet blogosphere comes from Shirley at YesBiscuit. There’s a lot of meat to it, and it deserves a LOT of discussion. It’s a case that appears to have been preventable, and at the same time the real facts at hand are not entirely clear. Shirley’s lede sets the table.
44 dogs “rescued” by HSUS from a home in AL early this month.
So you can see how it gets thorny. I’d love to get your thoughts on it.
RIP Splash: The late Senator Ted Kennedy was a devoted owner of Portuguese Water Dogs Cappy, Splash and Sunny. They went everywhere with him, from the deck of his yacht Mya on Nantucket Sound to his Capitol Hill office. Bo Obama, himself a Portie, was a gift from the Senator to the President. Last week, Senator Kennedy’s widow Vicki announced the passing of Splash at the age of thirteen. We extend our condolences to the Kennedy family.
Pet travel tips: Are you traveling with your pets during the holidays this winter? Our friend Arden Moore, a.k.a. The Pet Safety Lady, offers timely tips.
Note: This is the last news roundup of 2010. Have a safe, happy and healthy New Year. My next newswrap is Monday, Jan. 3.
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 credit: Oogy cover, Grand Central Publishing.
During Dr. Becker’s most recent appearance on “Good Morning America,” he had a little tip to keep wet dogs from violently shaking off in front of you (and soaking you in the process).
A dog’s shake starts at the nose, and moves front to back, ending at the tail. Therefore, holding their noses prevents the process from getting going.
To prove how the process works, there’s slow motion, high speed video. Best of all, you won’t get wet. A team led by physicist Andrew Dickerson of Georgia Tech published “The Wet Dog Shake” in the journal Fluid Dynamics, as highlighted in Wired. I can never get enough of the spine-tingling narrative for which scientists are justly famous. I’m sure you can’t, either. Without further ado, here is Mr. Dickerson’s eloquent, almost Dickensian summary abstract.
The drying of wet fur is a critical to mammalian heat regulation. In this fluid dynamics video, we show a sequence of films demonstrating how hirsute animals to rapidly oscillate their bodies to shed water droplets, nature’s analogy to the spin cycle of a washing machine. High-speed videography and fur-particle tracking is employed to determine the angular position of the animal’s shoulder skin as a function of time. X-ray cinematography is used to track the motion of the skeleton. We determine conditions for drop ejection by considering the balance of surface tension and centripetal forces on drops adhering to the animal. Particular attention is paid to rationalizing the relationship between animal size and oscillation frequency required to self-dry.
Or you could just watch the video (don’t worry about the volume.There isn’t any.).
Thanks to Marge W. for the tip.
New hospital from the folks who brought you Gatorade: This Friday, the University of Florida is unveiling its sparkling new, $58 million, one hundred thousand-square foot small animal hospital. It boasts 22 exam rooms and 12 surgical suites — and local veterinarians aren’t too happy about it, according to the Gainesville Sun.
“We think it will be the finest small animal hospital in the world,” said Glen Hoffsis, dean of the college.
The long-planned hospital moves pets and students from cramped spaces in the old building as the college expands enrollment. It features an entrance for specialty referrals from outside veterinarians as well as a separate entrance for walk-in cases for primary care and emergency services. The latter competes with a nighttime emergency hospital run by local veterinarians.
“It is my feeling that they’re trying to bite the hand that feeds them,” said Dr. Ray Henley, senior managing veterinarian for Gainesville Animal Hospital East and West.
Update from Missouri: Proposition B, which is designed to make the state unfriendly toward puppy millers, is polling very well with a week to go before the November 2 election. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch poll has 69 percent of respondents in favor of Prop B’s passage.
Around the pet-friendly blogosphere: Great writing recently from our blogroll. While you’ve been reading Gina’s updates on her vacation (you have, right?), Glenye and the HoundBloggers, which sounds like a great name for a garage band, gives her a shout out. I especially like the picture of Gina consulting with Salsa….Over at The Conscious Cat, our ownIngrid King has a fun book review of “Who Moved My Mouse? A Self-Help Book For Cats“…Heather Houlahan, the doyenne of Raised by Wolves, has my favorite piece of writing on the language of Rotties…..Meanwhile, Shirley’s got a post at YesBiscuit! that’s going to cause you to either grind your teeth or roll your eyes. Caution: do NOT roll your teeth or grind your eyes. That would be bad.
Speaking of making you angry: there’s this from the Dayton Daily News. A hat tip to our own Mary Cvetan for the pointer.
I hear you, Vincent: So you’re a cat owner, and you would give your left ear for a great new toy for your favorite feline. I have just the thing for you: the Van Gogh’s Ear cat toy. Please note, I do NOT want complaints directed to me. Speak to Susan Fox. She told me about it, so blame her. She’s all ears.
The dog of the week: You liked the dog-shaking video? That isn’t the news wrap’s best video. This is. I give you Jesse the Jack Russell Terrier.
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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: Wet dog shake screenshot, WiredVideoUK.
Not too many veterinarians can say they’ve taken a bath with George Stephanopaulos, JuJu Chang, Robin Roberts and Sam Champion — but our Dr. Marty Becker just did, and on national television, too.
It was today’s “Good Morning America” segment on “The Dos and Don’ts of Bathing Your Pet,” and the GMA anchor team got down and dirty with Dr. Becker and two very patient and cooperative dogs from the Humane Society of New York.
The canine stars are Mr. Flopps, a 10-year-old Lab mix, and Redmond a 2-year-old Setter/Golden mix. Both these great dogs are looking for homes, by the way, so if they won your heart like they did the GMA studio audience’s, visit the shelter’s website and check them out!
Some of the best tips included jamming some steel wool in the drain to prevent hair clogs, putting a towel over the dog while shampooing the head to minimize “shake spray,” and holding the dog’s muzzle to stop shaking “like flipping a switch.”
Highlights included GMA weather anchor Sam Champion looking pitifully at Dr. Becker and asking, “Once a week? Really?” (Most dogs, Dr. Becker explained, only need to be bathed every month or so, but some need more frequent baths.)
If you missed it this morning, you can watch the segment on the GMA website, or right here:
It’s time for the best of the best for pets and vets!
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