Obituary: Alice C. Richardson / Co-founder and longtime volunteer at Animal Friends

July 19, 1914 – Jan. 30, 2006
By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Alice C. Richardson had always loved dogs, but it was World War II that caused her to get involved in saving large numbers of animals. She and a friend worried about the dogs that became homeless when the men who owned them [...]

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McKees Rocks firm will take over Butler City’s animal control work

By Madeline Izzo – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Butler City Council plans to hire a private company to deal with stray and nuisance animals.
The Butler County Humane Society stopped accepting pit bulls, pit-bull mixes and what the society would consider aggressive dogs more than three months ago. And, after a dog caused $328 in damage to [...]

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Dog owners gather to discuss park for their pets

 By Karen Kane – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Cranberry Community Park is going to the dogs.And that’s a good thing, say two dozen people who gathered Wednesday to discuss the township’s first dog-dedicated public playground.  

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Obituary: Barbara A. Stamoolis / Kennel operator, breeder of bichons frises

June 9, 1944 – Jan. 27, 2006
By Linda Wilson Fuoco - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Dogs always played a major part in the life of Barbara A. Stamoolis, who bred and showed champion bichons frises as a hobby, worked as a professional dog groomer and operated a busy boarding kennel in Robinson.  

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Sony’s Aibo Robotic Dog Is Put To Sleep

It was cute and cuddly. It didn’t need food, or taking out. It listened to its owner’s commands, played music and took photos. It was…Aibo, the robo dog.

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Jack Russell terriers in Steeler outfits

Photo by Lake Fong – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Betty Disque of Mt. Lebanon walks her Jack Russell terriers wearing their new hand-made vests yesterday.

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Reading program to feature dogs as listeners to kids

By Jim McMahon – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Dr. Dolittle may “talk” to the animals, but children in Whitehall will soon read to them. Whitehall Library is participating in a pilot program, Reading is for the Dogs, sponsored by a Pleasant Hills dog obedience club.

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It’s official: Walking dog is good for pet and owner

By Linda Wilson Fuoco – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Dogs of many breeds and breed mixes are frequent fliers on the sidewalks of Mt. Lebanon. Most walk briskly, and most walk with obvious glee, with tails aloft and wagging. They walk on leashes attached to people, for Mt. Lebanon is a town where [...]

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Man Charged With Beating Dog To Death Back In Court

GREENE COUNTY, Pa. — A Greene County man charged with beating his girlfriend’s 11-month old dog to death was back in court Wednesday. James Hines Jr., 49, is charged with misdemeanor crimes of cruelty to animals and tampering with physical evidence. Police said he beat the dog with a hammer. Hines remains free on bond.

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7-year-old finds way to help West Deer dog shelter

By Sandy Trozzo – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Theo and Baker barked from behind the chain-link fence as the green minivan pulled up to the West Deer Dog Shelter. But when the back door opened and Chelsea McMillen got out, they stopped barking and started wagging.    

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Dad’s Pet Food in Meadville

The recent tainted Diamond Dog Food scare has me investigating pet food manufacturers. I found one right here in our backyard, DAD’S Pet Care.  I don’t know anybody using their products, but the founder’s depression-era story about a Springer Spaniel is worth a mention: 

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Cranberry dog park plan in the works

By Joan Greene – Tribune-Review -  Cranberry officials are looking for feedback on a dog park proposed at Cranberry Community Park. “Dog parks are becoming a national trend,” said Mike Diehl, parks and recreation director. “We’ve had interest from residents for the last few years. We definitely want to built it; hopefully it will be [...]

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K-9 IN transit

By Bob Podurgiel – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Scottman and four-footed fellow officer patrol Downtown subway stations – Commuters in Downtown subway stations, on Port Authority buses and in PAT park-n-ride lots have a sense of safety these days because of a 21/2-year-old German shepherd named Lord and his handler, transit policeman Brian O’Malley, of Scott.    [...]

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Local Beagle a Victim Of Tainted Dog Food

INDANIA COUNTY — WJACTV.com — Diamond Pet Food Company started announcing last month that some of their dog food may be contaminated with a toxin found in corn. The Buggey Family of Indiana had fed their dog that food. Now they’re just one of more than a hundred families who’ve reported their [...]

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Dogs Excel on Smell Test to Find Cancer

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr. – NYT – In the small world of people who train dogs to sniff cancer, a little-known Northern California clinic has made a big claim: that it has trained five dogs – three Labradors and two Portuguese water dogs – to detect lung cancer in the breath [...]

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Poodle-Mix Acceptance Divides Dog Lovers

By CHRIS ECHEGARAY - cechegaray@tampatrib.com - TAMPA – They’re underdogs in a world of top dogs. – Breeders of hybrids, notably Labradoodles – Labrador-poodle mixes, as the name implies – are vying for American Kennel Club recognition. Someday soon, they want to share the stage with the primped and pampered at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship.   

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Designer dogs are mutts in disguise

There’s method to madness of mixing various breeds – By Linda Wilson Fuoco – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – The puppies are cute and cuddly, and when children see them, they’re likely to beg their parents to get one. They’re called puggles, which rhymes with muggles.
Every child who loves Harry Potter books knows what a muggle is. [...]

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Latrobe family’s greyhound chases national title

By Tom Yerace - TRIBUNE-REVIEW – Their purebred greyhound’s formal name is “Ch. Zanzibar’s Coffee Crunch JC,” but around the house Thomas and Becky Schirf just call him “Buck.” 
By Sunday night, the Latrobe couple hope to call him something else: a national champion. 
Buck is one of only 25 greyhounds participating in the invitation-only American Kennel Club/Eukanuba [...]

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Way beyond ’sit’ and ’stay’

By Yoshiaki Nohara – Herald Writer – To Judi Voris of Snohomish, Ruby is a star. The 9-year-old Weimaraner has won about 50 titles in dog shows and events in the United States and Canada.
The American Kennel Club has recognized her as a rare champion in obedience, agility and hunting, making her only the third [...]

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Helping families cope with loss of pet

By Kristy Graver, The Signal Item – When Mark and Kristine Ferrans lost their beloved golden retriever, Kelly, to cancer last spring, they decided to give her a heartfelt send-off by scattering her ashes in a grassy field where she used to run wild and free.
After researching Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation in Bridgeville, the Wexford [...]

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AKC 2005 Dog Registration Statistics

Ten most popular breeds in the US:

Retrievers (Labrador)

Retriever (Golden)

Yorkshire Terriers

 

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After Recall of Food, Veterinarians at Cornell University Rush to Save Poisoned Dogs

By MICHELLE YORK – New York Times – ITHACA, N.Y. – Jan. 7 – On Friday morning, when their 4-year-old golden retriever, Minnie, was near death, Robert and Janice Lugo called in sick to their jobs, carried Minnie to their car and drove her to a top animal hospital four hours away. 
They were in such [...]

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Pampered pets are big business

The field of catering to our four-legged friends is booming

Anita Dufalla, Post-Gazette

By Patricia Sabatini – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – At the Cozy Inn in Plum, pampered guests can indulge in hydro and Swedish massages, hot oil treatments, therapeutic body scrubs, pedicures and facials. Of course, there’s also the standard flea bath, the first hint that the [...]

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What pet owners would like to see

We asked Post-Gazette readers what pet services they would like to see and they responded with some interesting ideas, from ferret and rabbit sitters to a doggy masseuse to a government service that would evaluate people’s suitability as pet owners. Here’s some of what they had to say:

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Pet Food Editorial

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial: Dogged oversight / The FDA should give closer scrutiny to pet food – Dog owners in Pennsylvania and 22 other states just got a sobering glimpse of the gaps that may exist in regulating the safety of food for America’s 76 million pet cats and 61 million pet dogs. Contaminated dog food [...]

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FDA bones up on Greenies

New York Newsday – BY Staff Writer DENISE FLAIM – Up until recently, Jean Marcellino of Huntington kept an odd souvenir on her dining-room breakfront — an uneven green ball of compressed wheat gluten better known as a Greenie, the most popular dog treat in the country.

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When a Small Dog Really Must Have a Second Coat

The New York Times – By MICHELLE SLATALLA – I am not a person who believes in dressing dogs in clothes. But the other day, as I watched Sticky’s teeth chatter histrionically behind her little black lips to call attention to the horror of sub-60 temperatures, I decided to make an exception.

Poncho from Thegildedpaw.com. [...]

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New Zealand: 2006 – Year of the Dog Stamps

It’s believed that dogs have been an integral part of humans’ lives for more than 12,000 years, as hunters, guardians and friends. Dogs now exceed 400 different breeds – each with its own characteristics and capabilities, from sight and speed, to smell and stamina. But for all their differences, these canine companions share one precious [...]

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