Real Ham Bone for Dogs could be a real problem:

According to the BBB, a veterinarian who surgically removed bone fragments from one of the dogs said, “Things like this shouldn’t happen. If you can’t say it’s safe, it probably isn’t something you should have in stores.”

ConsumerAffairs.com has received similar complaints.   The bones are sold in stores such as Dollar General, as well as supermarkets nationwide.  Where is the FDA, you ask?  They are looking into it. Meanwhile, the company in question is quoted in a post from omidog saying, well, you can read it here:

The company said Thursday it was saddened to learn of the illnesses and deaths of customers’ pets, and that quality and safety remain priorities. The packaging contains a warning about the product not being for all dogs, and the possibility that it could splinter.

“That is why every package contains a label that provides detailed instructions to owners on how they can help their pets best enjoy our products,” the company said in a statement. “We strongly encourage owners to supervise their pets with any treats or snacks.”

If you have any of these treats in your home, you might want to consider not feeding them to your dogs and taking them back to the store.

Grace’s Law passes Rules Committee: The Georgia House of Representatives will vote tomorrow on final passage of Grace’s Law.   The bill is largely the product of a grassroots effort led by the Georgia Voters for Animal Welfare (GVAW).  Grace’s Law would outlaw the gassing or heartsticking (injecting lethal drugs directly into the heart of a conscious animal) of shelter pets in the state, and it was reported out of the Rules Committee on Thursday.    The full text of the bill, denoted HB 788, is here.   Here’s the reality:  Passage of the bill isn’t anything close to guaranteed.  The vote could go either way.  If you live in Georgia, please call your representative.  If you have friends or relatives in Georgia (as I do), kindly pass this along to them.    From Valerie Hayes’ Examiner.com article on the bill:

It is particularly important that residents of counties which still use the gas chamber to kill shelter pets call or write in support of Grace’s Law.  They are:

1. Ashburn, City of (In Turner County; no county facility; chamber housed in city.)
2. Butts County Animal Control
3. Cobb County Animal Control
4. Cordele, City of (Crisp County)
5. Cuthbert, City of (In Randolph County; no county facility; chamber housed in city.)
6. Haralson County Animal Shelter
7. Hawkinsville, City of (In Pulaski County; no county facility; chamber housed in city.)
8. Henry County Animal Control
9. Lakeland, City of (In Lanier County; no county facility; chamber housed in city.)
10. Mitchell County Animal Control
11. Vienna, City of Animal Shelter (In Dooly County; no county facility; chamber housed in city.)

Bedbugs?  Put a dog on the case. Let me state at the outset that this topic makes my skin crawl, but as your intrepid news editor, it’s my responsibility to pass it along.   Bedbugs are making a resurgence, and you might be surprised to know that one of the best possible methods of detection is a properly trained bedbug-sniffing dog.  The New York Times explains.

Bedbug-sniffing dogs, adorable yet stunningly accurate — entomology researchers at the University of Florida report that well-trained dogs can detect a single live bug or egg with 96 percent accuracy — are the new and furry front line in an escalating and confounding domestic war.[...]

Consider that six years ago, there were 537 bedbug complaints and 82 violations (in other words, verified infestations); last year, complaints topped out at nearly 11,000, with 4,084 violations cited (nearly double that of the previous year).

Didn’t bedbugs used to be less of a problem?  Yes.  In the 1950’s and ’60’s, they were mostly eradicated with pesticides like DDT, which have since been banned.  However, many countries overseas still have bedbug infestations, and increased international travel has brought the critters back to our shores.

Fuji’s new pet camera: Are you in the market for a new digital camera?  Got a pet?  I’m assuming the answer to the second question is yes, otherwise why are you here?  Our buddy Maria Goodavage over at Dogster spotlighted an intriguing new product from Fujifilm: the FinePix Z700EXR compact camera.  Digital cameras have featured face recognition capability for some years now.  The FinePix Z700EXR goes one step better: It recognizes and optimizes photographic capture of pet faces — both dog and cat, though Maria, understandably, just talked about the dog part (she writes for Dogster, not Catster).  The camera looks pretty snazzy, and there are pets it’s particularly good at capturing, but it has some potentially annoying limitations, including:

• it doesn’t do quite so well with black, or predominately black pets (Gina just frowned)
• it’s not good with pets who are constantly in motion (sorry, FayBee, and Christie’s soon-to-be-arriving puppy)
• pets with large, predominately dark, patches around the eyes and/or nose, won’t be recognized as well
• wrinkly, short, muzzled faces (sorry, Mikkel’s pug Willy)

However, if you have a beagle,  golden retriever, Maltese, Abyssinian, Maine coon, or any of the breeds shown here, feel free to send me a camera review.

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:  Ham Bone, baltimoresun.com. Grace, Phil Draughon.

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.

Our own Dr. Becker will appear live at 9 p.m. ET.

Cooper Lawrence’s show combines expert talk, entertainment, pop culture, comedy and celebrity — all flavored with her unique brand of storytelling. Between Cooper and Dr. Becker, you’ll laugh while you learn on “Dr. Marty Monday.”

A scarlet letter for abusers? Along the lines of public sex offender registries (which are ubiquitous) and arsonist registries (three states have them now), California is seriously considering the creation of an online registry for those convicted of animal cruelty-related felonies.  The drive is led in large part by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF)

In the meantime, ALDF has launched a new campaign, ExposeAnimalAbusers.org to help all states establish public animal abuser registries. The ALDF hopes such registries would protect animals, pet guardians and communities by preventing repeat offenses from anyone with a known history of abusing animals. This could include violence (torture, mutilation, intentional killings), sexual abuse and animal fighting as well as neglect (such as hoarding).[...]ALDF is promoting the registry not only as a way to notify the public but also as a possible early warning system for other crimes. “We know there’s a link between those who abuse animals and those who perform other forms of violence,” says Stephan Otto, the group’s director of legislative affairs.

The SFGate Tails of the City article is worth reading, of course, but the comments are even more entertaining.

How the day goes wrong: I enjoy our buddy YourPetsBestFriend’s blog, and this one is a keeper.   Some days go bad before they’ve even started.  As I’ve heard both Dr. Tony Johnson and Dr. Marty Becker insist, if you think a veterinarian’s life is glamorous, just follow them around awhile.

I always knew P.T. Barnum was right: I assumed at first glance that this article was from The Onion, since it’s the best satire site in the history of, well, ever.   No such luck.  Business Week, of all places, tells us that when The Rapture comes, if you’re among the chosen,  you won’t have to worry about your pets’ safety and welfare. An outfit called Eternal Earth-Bound Pets will be happy to lend a hand.  They presume your pets aren’t as virtuous as you, and in fact are soul-less.  This is problematic, even with other Rapturous types.

“Pets don’t have souls, so they’ll remain on Earth. I don’t see how they can be taken with you,” he says. “A lot of persons are concerned about their pets, but I don’t know if they should necessarily trust atheists to take care of them.”

Hey, I’ll save you the bucks. I know I won’t be among the saved — all that stuff I did in college…we don’t need to discuss it here.  So if you’re making the trip upwards, I’ve got you covered.  I’ll be reasonable, too.  Just another of the many services I offer.   (Thanks to Susan for the tip on this one, as well as this week’s lede)

Adorable stamps for pet lovers: I don’t use stamps all that much anymore (do you?), but these are worth buying.  Once more we tag our pal Maria Goodavage at Dogster.  All the pets shown in these stamps were homeless, and most have been adopted.  Are you a pet-loving philatelist?  Want interesting stamps of your own?  Head over to BeyondThePerf.com.

First video of the week, courtesy of our friends at Disapproving Rabbits: Phineas wants to make it crystal clear that he doesn’t like his new toy.

Second video of the week, courtesy of Pedigree.  A friend sent me this, and I’ve already watched it 30 or 40 times.  Pedigree Dog ad, shot at 1000 FPS

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 email.

Photo Credits: Veterinarian visit: Flickr Tobyotter, creative commons.  Pet stamps:  beyondtheperf.com

Equine welfare board needed in Kentucky: The Herald-Ledger sets the stage in the story’s lede:

There are stories of as many as 1,000 abandoned horses living on old strip mines in Eastern Kentucky, foraging for food amid sparse grassland. But no one really knows whether the tales are true.

That’s one reason a group of equine veterinarians is pushing to establish the Kentucky Equine Health and Welfare Board, which would gather more reliable statistics on Kentucky’s signature animal and recommend improvements.   Among other things, the board would create a voluntary certification system that sets care standards for equine rescue operations.

“We need to face the grim side of our moral and ethical obligations to horses,” said Doug Byars, an equine veterinarian and a founding member of the Kentucky-based Equine Health and Welfare Alliance, which is dedicated to the proper care, maintenance and treatment of horses.

The problem here as I see it, is that even though the mission is important and laudable, the 13-member board will be appointed by the Governor, and the effort will be completely voluntary.  That is, they will have ZERO public money available to accomplish any of their goals.   What does this mean?   Most likely little progress to assist at-risk horses who are an iconic part of the state’s identity.

Shortages of large animal veterinarians are still problematic: For dogs, cats, birds and other small animals, you can find veterinarians nearly anywhere.   However, for large animals (horses, cows, etc), the alarm’s been sounded in Tennessee, and and other rural areas from Vermont to California.   Google “shortage of large animal veterinarians” and you’ll find quotes like this, from a story last week by KFBB in Montana:

Dr. Kelly Manzer practices medicine at K-Heart Veterinary Service in Great Falls. While she also sees companion animals, she is one of the few veterinarians in the area to treat horses. She says those who specialize in large animals are few and far between.

“It’s physically demanding,” Manzer said. “One kick and you are done. A 1,200- pound animal can put you out of business in short order. The pay is better with small animals and graduates are tending to go into small animal practices.”

The USDA appears to understand the impact of the shortage.   According to KOMU in Missouri, the federal government will take steps to address the problem, including repaying a percentage of college loans for graduating veterinarians who commit to serve needed fields.

Wait, what does that mean? Pet Connection BFF Dr. Patty Khuly has a terrific reminder in USA Today for pet owners and veterinarians alike: Remember to speak in plain language, and if the message isn’t clear, ask for clarification.

Some words have a way of indelibly etching themselves into our gray matter, making translation seem unnecessary from our warped perspective. (What do you mean I have to explain what “gray matter” is?)   What’s worse, it seems some docs just like to hear themselves talk in tall terms. They wrap themselves up in a white coat of words, saying things like: “It seems we’re dealing with a confounding episode of acute feline ptyalism.” (Translation: “I don’t know why your cat is drooling like that.”)

This isn’t just a veterinarian thing.  It’s a people doctor issue, too.  That is why I love my veterinarian, and why it’s so important to have folks like our own Dr. Marty Becker, Dr. Narda Robinson, Dr. Tony Johnson and other caring professionals on your side.   A well-trained, experienced veterinary expert who translates the medical gobbledygook into understandable plain language is worth his or her weight in gold.

Guinea pig owners, listen up! I once owned a chinchilla named Whiskey.  I loved the little guy, but I learned to Whiskey-proof the room where he lived when I found him chomping on my expensive stereo headphone cables.  Good advice here from The Guinea Pig Connection:  look around at the things they can reach, because they love to nibble, and if you’re not careful, the consequences could be bad.

Why we work to save one dog: The fate of one abandoned dog on a ship in the South Pacific galvanized attention (and another more recently in the Baltic Sea), whereas mass suffering of people the world over creates paralyzing inaction.    I’ve just said what people scream at us all the time.   Why does this happen?   Loyal reader Mary Mary forwarded an article arguing, in effect, we’re wired that way.

[Philosphy professor] Peter Singer once devised a dilemma that highlights a central contradiction in our moral reasoning. If you see a child drowning in a pond—and you would ruin a fine pair of shoes worth $200 if you jumped into the water—would you save the child or save your shoes? Most people react incredulously to the question; obviously, a child’s life is worth more than a pair of shoes. But if this is the case, Singer asked, why do large numbers of people hesitate to write checks for $200 to a reputable charity that could save the life of a child halfway around the world—when there are millions of children who need our help?

The answer is that our moral responsibilities feel different in these situations; one situation feels visceral, the other abstract. We feel personally responsible for one child, whereas the other is one of millions who need help. Our responsibility feels diffused when it comes to children in distant places—there are many people who could write that check.

Singer, of course, is the father of the modern animal rights movement, and the inspiration for groups like PETA.

Fun with Westminster: Thanks so much to Frogdog Blog for the best pie chart of the week. … Not so fun, and surely one of the strangest stories to come out of the show: The NY Post reported that the woman who owned the dog who won the Non-Sporting Group served time for her role in the killing of horses for insurance money.

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 email.

Photo credit:  Horses in snow: Steffe, flickr creative commons.

Natural disasters, love, hope, human failings and survival. Of the thousands of heartbreaking stories to have come out of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, few were as saddening as the struggles of the thousands of pets left behind in the flood waters and devastation.  Philly Dawg introduces us to “Mine”, an Independent Lens PBS documentary, debuting this week.  “Mine” is an examination of love, despair, and the heroic efforts of rescuers and pets alike.   Check your local listings for airtimes.

We’ll pass on his cookbooks, thanks: 77-year-old chef Beppe Bigazzi was suspended Wednesday from his popular morning show on Italian TV after he offered a recipe for preparing “cat stew,” and said he had enjoyed the dish many times:

When his 27-year-old female co-host looked stunned as Bigazzi said he has eaten cat stew “many times,” the white-haired, grandfather figure defended his tastes.

“Why, people maybe don’t eat rabbit, chicken, pigeon?” Bigazzi said. He could have added horse meat, which many butchers and supermarket meat departments stock.

“Who’s not fat, kills the cat,” is how Bigazzi began his lighthearted prattle about cat stew.

Bigazzi claimed cat stew was a Tuscan specialty near the Arno river valley, but co-host Elisa Isoardi looked so embarrassed she ducked behind a cart of fresh salad greens whose healthy virtues the two were supposed to be chatting about.

Italian law protects cats from Bigazzi’s stew pot, officials noted. For those who understand Italian, the “humor” that has probably ended his career is apparently a hit on YouTube. You find that on your own, sorry.

No more doggies in the windows: West Hollywood, Calif.,  is about to enact an ordinance banning the sale of pets by retail pet stores.

Councilman Jeffrey Prang said the move would strike a blow to puppy mills and other cruel, assembly-line breeding. [...] More than 500 independent pet shops nationwide, including 38 in California, refuse to sell puppies in their stores.   Under the West Hollywood proposal, all pet stores would have to stop selling cats and dogs by September 2011.

Although it’s not the end of the industry, any law on any level that chips away at puppy mills is fine with me.

Anti-fur, meet anti-civility.  Again. All of you who follow the world of figure skating probably remember a kerfuffle over American skater Johnny Weir wearing white fox fur at at the U.S. National Championships.   In my humble opinion, Shirley at YesBiscuit nails this one perfectly (and eloquently, too) with a delicious, concise paragraph.

Gee, I wonder how receptive Weir will be in future to education on fur farming. I’m guessing slightly less than zero. It would have been a good opportunity to share an opposing view without condemnation but that’s probably lost now. And it’s a shame because I have no doubt he will be a huge fashion designer one day soon. So thanks all you death threat mailing, bucket of red paint throwing, creepy stalker types — way to help your cause.

Dickens’ collar: There are dozens of reasons why it’s great to see our friend Maria Goodavage writing for the Dogster blog, including wonderful tidbits like this.   A dog collar selling for over $11,000 at auction might sound silly, until you learn that the collar was used by Charles Dickens’ dog.  Good, sturdy leather and brass, too.  What else would you expect from one of the greatest writers in the history of English literature? (I meant Dickens … no offense, Maria.  You’re great, too.)

Pawsitively lovely protection: My mother likes animals, but what she really loves is fashion.   Hence, she was my source for this NYT photo essay on the latest in high end paw-wear, aimed specifically at city-dwelling pooches.  My only editorial comment on the highlighted items is this: Selling boots for dogs by the PAIR (instead of four) is sneaky.  Seriously, are you going to get boots for the left but not the right, or front but not the back?  I didn’t think so.

Perfect parrot with an off-switch: African Grey parrots are apparently brilliant birds  — remember Alex, who had an obituary in the New York Times and a best-selling memoir? — but they’re a lot of work to live with.  Think messy, bright and inquisitive toddler who never, ever shuts up. Fun, sometimes, but … well, not for everyone. If you’d like to enjoy a parrot pal, but only occasionally, you can check out streaming video of Bibi. So notes “Heckled By Parrots” blogger Rebecca O’Connor, who knows a thing or two about living with an African Grey herself. … and staying with the avian theme, check out the best in parrot foraging toys on the Best In Flock blog.

Human Choice? Check the ingredients: Gina mentioned the problem with the HSUS’ new dog food earlier this week, based on the sound thrashing given it on Terrierman. Raised by Wolves blogger Heather Houlahan has an even funnier take on the issue of feeding dogs like chickens.  Read the fine print, bottom line.

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 email.

Photo credits: Katrina puppy, pbs.org.  Dickens’ collar, Bonhams.

Let’s help shelter pets rise up, lie down and move out.

Turns out the people at the Kuranda company of Annapolis, Md., are already on this. These cot-style beds are popular with shelters (and pet owners, too, of course) because they’re easy to assemble, durable, chew-resistant and easy to keep clean. The company has a program where people buy beds and have them sent directly to any of hundreds of shelters. The cost for a donated bed is discounted 30 percent off the regular price.

In just a few days of sending the word out through our PetConnection.com Web blog, and my Facebook and Twitter accounts, the 100 beds OCAS had requested had been donated.

It’s a great start, and now I’m reaching out even more, to help pets in other shelters.

Can you donate a bed for a shelter pet? It’s easy! Go to Kuranda’s Web site and click on “Donate a Bed.” You can then choose from dozens of shelters, sorted alphabetically and also searchable by state. When you’ve chosen your shelter, the site will display what kind of beds the shelter has requested. Buy a bed, and the company will send it to the shelter you’ve chosen. It’ll take you just a couple of minutes and a credit card.

Dr. Becker also warns that yarn is dangerous around cats, and Gina explains how to fill a litter box for a rabbit. It’s all right here, now and forever, thanks to a grant from Pfizer Animal Health, sponsor of our searchable PetConnection article library.

Image: Happy pets, happy staff at the shelter in Orange County, Fla., where the pet bed drive began.

According to the Presidential Pet Museum, only two U.S. presidents were completely pet-free while in office: Chester A. Arthur and Franklin Pierce. All other presidents and their families have shared their lives with many different companion animals, starting with George Washington, who was well-known for his fine eye for a good foxhound. The presidential pets have had a lot of interesting names, but perhaps the one that says most about the power of the presidency is the name James Garfield gave to his dog: Veto.

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How much do I love Glenye Oakford of “Full Cry: A Hound Blog”? So much that she and I are pitching an article together  to the Smithsonian magazine on a historical topic related to horses, lawyers and land grants.  But you don’t have to wait until (if) we get to write that piece to enjoy her writing. Get over there and read:

• About what those who follow the hounds do when the footing’s too treacherous for horses: They break out the beagles and go for a long, brisk walk.
• About a mysterious hunting horn bought for a song at an auction in Zimbabwe.
• About the work of the houndsmen, part 1 and part 2.

While the rest of us are pretty much writing about the same shared topics — even if not the same shared point of view — there is absolutely nothing else on Teh Internets that’s even remotely like “Full Cry.” Fascinating stuff, and I’m utterly hooked.

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Start with the really, really bad idea of turning carnivores into vegans. Or better yet, stop with that idea. If you want a vegan pet, get a rabbit. If you have dogs and cats, feed them in a species appropriate way. To do otherwise is not humane, even if the Humane Society of the United States says so.

But the idea of vegan carnivores isn’t the only thing wrong with the new “food” from the HSUS. As Terrierman notes:

How much of a kickback is HSUS getting? They’re pocketing a 6 percent kickback from the wholesale price of each 6.6-pound bag of dog food sold, and that’s money that comes straight out of the pocket of anyone buying this dog food.

What? The dog food is being sold in a 6.6-pound bag?

Yes, that’s what the HSUS press release says.

Apparently you can never have too much packaging in an “environmentally friendly and ethically responsible” dog food!

Of course at the price this dog food is going for — $18 for a 6.6 pound bag — no one would even think of buying a 20- or 40-pound bag of the stuff.

And what about freshness?

Well, I can assure you that this dog food will be about as fresh as any dog food can be after it bounces from warehouse to warehouse for 5,000 miles across the steaming-hot equator.

And what is in this dog food made out of?

The first five ingredients are ground canola seed, brown rice, soybean meal, buckwheat, and flaxseed.

Eh? That’s not dog food, that chicken food!

Read the rest. And note: For far less than $3 a pound you can feed your pet while supporting local, sustainable family-owned ranchers and farmers. Join a buying co-op, or make some bulk buys with friends. Really, it’s damn easy to to feed your entire family in a healthier, cheaper way that supports family farms and ranches, not questionable foreign imports or massive U.S. food processors and agribiz. Support a farmer as if your life depends on it, because it does.

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David was on the road over the weekend, but still managed to find a piece about … DUCKS! Turns out that it’s true what Pet Connection BFF Dr. Patty Khuly and I have been warning all along: Chickens and ducks are a gateway drug as far as livestock is concerned. You get one. You want more. The next think you know, you have a goat. And it won’t stop there.  The City of Cambridge, Mass., knows if they allow a duck or chicken, the next thing they’ll be looking at is a stockyard. Or a professor of medieval English literature. Either way: Bad news.

From the Boston Globe:

In the photograph, Penelope, Potassium and Ferdinand pose in a backyard looking as cute as can be. But the Cayuga ducks and their two Wyandotte chicken companions, Henrietta and Frances, may have to leave their coop — if the city of Cambridge gets its wish.

Cambridge has determined that the backyard birds are illegal and violate city ordinances. And for the past 11 months, the birds’ owners have been locked in a fight with city officials and their neighbors over their residency.

The city’s zoning board and inspectional services department have agreed [with a cranky pants neighbor], saying the birds were not considered customary pets like dogs and cats and must go. [The owners] filed an appeal in December, in a futile attempt to save the birds. They also launched a website called savetheducks.org.

But the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals rejected their plea on Thursday. Now the group is turning to the City Council for one last reprieve.

Seriously, if there’s a smell or fly problem, fix the problem. The problem isn’t the poultry: It’s the people. Lighten up Cambridge. Save the ducks. And the Wyandottes, too.

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No, of course it all can’t be light and amusing.  The Anchorage Daily News reports on a cost-saving measure by one Alaska town that decided it was cheaper to shoot their shelter dogs rather then put any effort into finding them homes or even killing them humanely. Authorities there are befuddled that anyone sees a problem here.  Hey, Mr. Mayor: “Common practice” isn’t an excuse.  Incest is common practice, too, after all.

***

But … we end on a good note!

Pet Connection pal Laura Bennett of Embrace pet health insurance has asked us to help get the word out on the first-ever conference for pet-related bloggers, and I’m happy to do so. It’s BlogPaws 2010, and it’s being held April 9 & 10 in Columbus, Ohio.  I’m on a world-of-hurt book deadline this spring — yes, that’s a good thing — and also giving a keynote address in Houston that same month at the Texas Federation of Animal Care Societies conference, so I won’t be there except in spirit. Maybe next year!

Finally: Christie and our Dr. Becker are en route to the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas, and they’ll both be writing from there this week, and maybe Dr. Tony, too. So stay tuned.

Image: President Garfield. Just say “Veto.”

Got something cool to share? Toss it in the comments. And David’s back, so you can also let him know by e-mail.

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!

The NYT — and other newspapers in areas where one’s social ranking was once very, very important — used to cover dog shows as sporting events, and for years, the NYT sent one Mr. Walter R. Fletcher to cover the most prestigious dog show in the country. Mr. Fletcher had the best seat at the media tables, a plaque with his name and affiliation making sure no one else took his seat. Long after a few of us started showing up with strange little contraptions that were the progenitors of today’s ubiquitous notebook computers — TRS-80 Model 100s known in the newsrooms as “Trash 80s” or “RatShacks,” with 8K of memory, 8 lines of black on gray display and acoustic couplers that went over the ear- and mouthpieces of old-fashioned phones to transmit our datastreams  — Mr. Fletcher pounded out his story at ringside on a manual typewriter, with copy boys assigned to relay half-sheets of updates back to his editors.

Aside from working many layers below an editor who insisted on using a manual typewriter more as an affectation than anything else (the big man’s secretary would then type his words into the newsroom computer system), Mr. Fletcher’s annual efforts were the first, last and only time in my professional journalism career that I ever saw anyone use a manual typewriter. (I’m sorry, but I can’t drop the “Mr.” when it comes to Mr. Fletcher any more than I would have dared to sit in his chair at the Garden.)

The very idea of using a manual typewriter now is every bit as quaint as covering Westminster like a real sporting event, instead of as a business with bad ROI that’s really a beauty pageant. And that’s exactly what the New York Times did this year:

The bucks. They are the not-so-secret key to success at this and other top dog shows held every year. On Monday, when Madison Square Garden in Manhattan hosts the 2010 Westminster Dog Show, the most prestigious event on the thoroughbred canine calendar, money will quietly play a role in determining the winner, just as money quietly shaped the field of contenders — and just as money shapes almost every nook and cranny of the dog show business.

Among breeders, owners and handlers, it’s understood: you can’t just turn up with the paradigm of the breed, if such an animal exists, and expect a best-in-show ribbon. To seriously vie for victory, a dog needs what is known as a campaign: an exhausting, time-consuming and very expensive gantlet of dog show wins, buttressed by ads in publications like Dog News and The Canine Chronicle.

(Actually, a Thoroughbred is a horse, not a dog, and the word the writer was looking for was “purebred.”  This same factual error in a puppy sales ad is one of those things that’s a red flag that you may well be dealing with a puppy-mill, just so you know.)

The story focused on an outgoing man named Raymond “Tray” Pittman and his partner, the quieter Paul Flores. The two men live (when they’re not on the road, which they usually are) not 10 miles north of me, but the first time I met them was at the Crufts dog show, in England. Pittman had taken a Bichon Frise owned by a nice New Jersey couple to a win in the toy group, eliciting a great deal of mumbled resentment from the locals, who had for generations owned an unparalleled home field advantage owing to a non-negotiable six-month quarantine for rabies that had recently been altered. (The PaRay crowd did not win the top honor that year, but strangely enough, another professional handler, Larry Fenner, who also lives about 10 miles from me but in the other direction, would be the human half of the first American team to win at Crufts a few years later with an Australian shepherd, which is really an American breed, despite the name.)

I bumped into Pittman in the bar at the Hilton across from the National Exhibition Centre that year he was there with his New Jersey Bichon, making a quick mental note that on his wrist  was a watch worth more than my car. He had just gotten off the phone with Flores to tell the latter to hop a jet immediately to get the grooming on the Bichon for Best in Show. (Flores is so good that, as the NYT notes, if he weren’t grooming dogs he’d be a sculptor.)

When I expressed amazement at the cost of a last-minute booking for a flight from SF to London, Pittman shrugged.

“It’s not my money,” he said.

And not mine, either, of course. Because although I do pay a wonderful couple to handle my own dogs at shows when I’ve got a dog actively showing, which isn’t often or for long, my dogs have pageant careers that end when their championship is awarded, which is the point at which the Big Dogs of the show world start their “campaigns.”

Even if I had the money, I haven’t the heart for that game. I don’t even like my dogs gone for an overnight, much less for the year or two a top “special” will be living in kennels and motor homes with one of the top professional handlers and their legions of assistants.

I haven’t quite known what to make of the PaRay partners since. When I do see them, they are unfailingly friendly and chatty, even when busy, and there’s no doubt their dogs are well-cared-for even if not particularly cared about as dogs. The men work hard and have made their way in a niche world with its own quirky reality.

There is change coming — already here, really — in the world of dogs, and heaven knows I welcome anything that breaks the genetic bottlenecks and bizarre blueprints that have made messes out of many breeds. But I don’t have a problem with dog shows, per se, and I find a fair amount of the criticism of “fat matrons” and snidely veiled asides about gay men and lesbians in the show world to say more about the writers’ own issues than their true concerns about the dogs.

I guess the bottom line is that my problem with dog shows is one of degree, not their very existence. A lot of the top show dogs really love the attention, and when you’re around them, you can see that. If I had to choose, I’d rather have their life than the lives of a million bored backyard dogs in this country. (Of course, I’d rather have the life of an active, trained and well-socialized dog who goes out everywhere with a beloved owner, but if we’re talking extremes, the show dog life ain’t that bad.)

And the pageants themselves are wonderful places to watch — the people even more than the dogs. Which is why I’ll probably end up at both of these big shows again — in New York and in England –  and enjoy the experience very much, as I always have. Although not this year for either.

Image: Raymond Pittman and Sloan, by the New York Times.