Taking on puppy mills is always a struggle for animal protection agencies around the world. And it seems that once you close down one, another pops up in its place. In an effort to deal with the continuing issue of such businesses, the Wisconsin Humane Society plans to buy and close one of the largest dog breeding facilities in the nation.

This will mean 1,100 dogs at the kennel will need new homes.

Cory Smith of the Humane Society of the United States says this may be a first-of-its-kind effort by a local humane society to deal with so-called puppy mills.

The Wisconsin society says Wallace Havens agreed to sell the Puppy Haven Kennel in Markesan because he plans to retire. The society did not give a sale price.

American Kennel Club spokeswoman Daisy Okas says the club suspended and fined Havens in 2006 over conditions at his kennel.

Not sure we agree with this approach, though ANYTHING to close these sites down is always a welcome thing.

1. When your dog needs to go potty, take him out, and go with him.

2. If you see him head for the garden, use a firm and firm "NO!" Don't keep repeating it as you will only agitate or confuse your dog.

3. If your dog doesn't obey, simply walk over to him and guide him to the place you want him to go.

4. Say "Go potty!". THIS is not a yell command. Say it in a friendly but firm tone so he knows it's business time. When he goes there, give him a treat (if you have one) and give him lots of praise and hugs.

5. If you continue to do this, eventually your dog will do what you desire without you having to tell him.

6. When this happens (he heads to the right spot on his own) give him a treat to help reinforce his action, but then slowly ween him off the treats until he does it without reward (praise is always welcome!).

7. After a week of going without reminder, you can pat yourself on the back.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 2, 2007) - Some Army "heroes" serving with Soldiers in the war on terror seldom get mentioned in the media, although they, too, have died in combat while serving America. They are military working dogs, and during the Vietnam War 281 of these four-footed heroes died in action.

One such dog recently returned home to Fort Belvoir, Va., from a tour of duty in Iraq, where she spent six months detecting explosives. Vendi, a 4-year-old German shepherd, is one of many unsung heroes, military working dogs (MWDs) who work alongside U.S. servicemembers.

Of about 500 MWDs currently detailed to the Army, many are working with Soldiers in Iraq, said Sgt. 1st Class Donald Nelson, Fort Belvoir's K-9 kennel master. Deployed dogs can spend up to a year in the war zone and will eventually return to their home posts to resume duties as patrol dogs, specializing in narcotics or explosives detection.

Nelson and his team of 10 dogs and their handlers make up the Fort Belvoir Police Canine Unit, and Nelson anticipates getting four more dogs.

"These dogs are our partners, not our pets," Nelson said. And while they can be their handler's best friend, they can be a foe's worst enemy. When their aggression level is high and they're looking for something to bite, that's when they become "war dogs," and they can be as intimidating and formidable as any armed Soldier. The average German shepherd's bite can exert up to 1,200 pounds of pressure per square inch, Nelson said.

Seven-year-old Arrow, a German shepherd and Belgian malinois mix, has an impressive record, Nelson said. Arrow assisted the U.S. Secret Service in about 50 missions, including providing security at the 2004 Democratic and Republican national conventions. Arrow and Nelson, his handler at the time, also helped provide security for President Bush and John Kerry on the 2004 campaign trail.

Fort Belvoir's team of German shepherds and Belgian malinois are dual-certified as either patrol-narcotics or patrol-explosives dogs, and are trained to detect a variety of explosives or narcotics. When commanded to search, the dogs are extremely focused and obsessively search for contraband, obeying the handler's precise one-word commands they were taught in training.

The dog teams are held to high standards and are subject to monthly proficiency tests and quarterly validations, Nelson said.

German shepherds and Belgian malinois are specifically chosen for the type of work they do because of their endurance, speed, strength, courage, intelligence and adaptability to almost any climate, Nelson said. Though their hearing is better than that of humans, their keenest sense is of smell.

"The dogs smell the way we humans see. They can smell an infinite number of different scents in an area, just as we see many different images at once, in one place," Nelson said.

Two-year-old Tarak, the newest German shepherd at the Belvoir kennel, arrived in March from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where all MWDs are trained. Tarak graduated from a 120-day training course that teaches MWDs a variety of aggression techniques, including methods of attack. The first phase of training involves searching buildings and scouting for "bad guys." The second phase is detection training.

The primary function of a patrol dog team is to utilize the dog's keen senses of hearing and smell to conduct walking patrols around buildings and open areas, "for people who try to elude police," said Nelson.

Patrol dogs are trained to remain alert but calm with unfamiliar people, and to discriminate between threatening and nonthreatening people. The dogs are trained to attack as well as instantly stop the attack when given the command to do so.

Nelson said the Army has the strictest policy concerning the training of MWDs. They undergo at least 16 hours' training monthly, in both detection and patrolling. In narcotics detection the dogs must maintain 90-percent proficiency, and in explosives detection must achieve at least a 95-percent proficiency, Nelson said.

The staff at the Lackland Training Detachment, 701st Military Police Battalion, trains all MWDs in explosives or narcotics detection. The program also teaches the dog basic obedience, as well as more advanced skills, such as how to attack and how to sniff out specific substances.

Once the dogs receive their initial training, they and their trainers work as a team. The dog has skills to learn, and the handler has to learn to recognize what the dog is trying to communicate, Nelson said.

Each handler is assigned to one dog and is charged with building a strong rapport with that dog. This results in an effective and trusting team. Handlers are responsible for the feeding, grooming, training and exercising of their assigned partners.

Army regulations dictate that handlers and their MWDs have 45 to 90 days to become certified in narcotics or explosives detection once the team is given its assignment.

While training their dogs, handlers must be patient or the dog will become confused and hard to handle, Nelson said. When a dog performs a desired task, he's rewarded with verbal or physical praise and positive reinforcement. Likewise, with incorrect responses, praise and reward are withheld. Positive training is the key to training dogs to obey, Nelson said.

Vitas Hospice workers in Miramar give a gift of love to girl with cancer.

1. Ensure that any dog kept outdoors has plenty of water and shade. If the weather is unusually hot, take time to check the outdoor temperature in your pet's area. It may be too hot in some locations to leave your pet outdoors regardless of how much water and shade your pet has.

2. Restrict outdoor exercise to the early morning and late evening when temperatures are cooler.

3. Carry water with you when walking your dog. Watch your pet carefully for indications that he is over-heating, such as heavy panting, loss of energy, and any obvious weakness or stumbling. If your pet begins to show signs of heat suffering, stop in a shady spot and give him some water. If symptoms don't subside, take him directly home and seek veterinary care.

4. Never, never, never leave your pet unattended in a parked car (that means never ever!). Even if you park in the shade and leave the windows open slightly, the internal temperature of your car can heat up and put your dog in fatal danger within just a few minutes.

5. Equip your car with window shades if you are planning a long car trip with your dog. Bring water and/or ice cubes along to help keep your dog hydrated and cool.

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Miami Fire Rescue team managed to rescue a trapped puppy from a storm drain under I-95 on Wednesday.

Too busy for a dog but missing that canine connection? Living in a pet-free apartment building or lacking the space needed to house a pooch pal? Well FlexPetz was thinking of you when they created their company, offering shared dog ownership for a membership fee.

"The concept of FlexPetz originated with a group of dogs lovers who sadly accepted that they could not provide a dog with the full-time care and attention that goes along with responsible dog ownership, their website says. "What they all had in common was a wish to spend time with a dog, and so FLEXPETZ was born!"

It's not cheap. There's the $100 initiation fee, a $150 in home inspection fee (which does include a training session) plus a $45 per day charge for a minimum of four days per month.

Not everyone is sold on the idea.

"This promotes dogs as disposable items," argued Bryn Conklin, from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"Dogs need stability in their lives, they need a long-term commitment, and they need a secure environment," added Ray McSoley, a local trainer who called the company a 'four-legged escort service.'

"It's incredibly disrespectful to the dog, and it's also disrespectful to the renter because it devolves the purpose of having a dog in your life. There is no commitment there."

The company is already located in New York and Los Angeles. However, plans to locate in Boston currently face cosniderable opposition with city officials considering a ban on puppy renting.

see also:
"Ban proposed for dog rental service in Boston" - The Boston Globe
"City May Muzzle Dog Rental Businesses" - Fox 12
"Did FlexPetz Bite Off More Than It Can Chew?" - washingtonpost.com

It seems that whether a presidential candidate has a pet or not can affect how some people view the candidate. From George Washington's foxhounds Drunkard and Tipsy to George W. Bush's terriers Barney and Miss Beazley, pets are a longtime presidential tradition for which the presumed Republican nominee, John McCain, seems well prepared, with more than a dozen.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama, however, doesn't have a pet; he has promised his daughters he`ll get them a dog after the election, whether he wins or loses.

"From an image standpoint, nothing humanizes a candidate more than seeing him lovingly dote on his pet or toss a ball around on the White House lawn," says American Kennel Club spokeswoman Lisa Peterson.

An AP-Yahoo News poll found that pet owners actually favor McCain over Obama 42 percent to 37 percent, with dog owners particularly in McCain's corner.

"I think a person who owns a pet is a more compassionate person — caring, giving, trustworthy. I like pet owners," said Janet Taylor of Plymouth, Mass.

That`s good news for McCain who shares his home with Sam the English springer spaniel, Coco the mutt, turtles Cuff and Link, Oreo the black and white cat, a ferret, three parakeets and a bunch of saltwater fish.

The poll also found that among people who don't have pets, Obama leads McCain 48 percent to 34 percent.

Yeah, yeah; the world doesn`t need yet another reality show, but as with every TV season (even the summer one) each of the big stations tries for that next big Survivor-esque hit. In CBS's American`s Greatest Dogs, professionally and home-trained dogs compete against each other for the title of (surprise, surprise) the Greatest American Dog in.

Casting calls went out for dogs and owners were open to any form of dog talent. Thus, show dogs, agility dogs, talking dogs, hunters, obedience dogs, and musical dogs were all invited to the calls. AKC breeds and mutts were all welcome. With such a wide casting call for the Greatest American Dog (the second working title), no telling what dog talents the first few shows have lined up!

The dogs and owners selected to appear on the Greatest American Dog will live together for the duration of the show (or until eliminated). They will compete against each other in a variety of training challenges, provided by the show, that will focus on the abilities of the trainer to ready the dog for each competition.

Tonight (hursday, July 10, 2008) the show will premiere at 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT. The winner will get $250,000 to blow on steak, bones, and squeaky toys!

A puppy born with a heart-shaped pattern on his coat becomes a symbol of luck in northern Japan. The long-coated baby male chihuahua was born in May, one of a litter, to a breeder in Odate, northern Japan. Dog shop owner Emiko Sakurada says it's the first time a puppy with the marks has been born out of a thousand she has bred.

A british police force, the Tayside Police, has been forced to apologize for featuring a German shepherd puppy in a hat after it was deemed offensive to members of the local Muslim community.

The offending ad:

Dogs are considered "ritually unclean" by members of the Muslim faith. And though I truly feel that we need to be considerate about the sensibilities of others in the community (based on faith or cultural background), I am afraid this could set a sad precident. What do you think?

Another reason to love dogs: