Wildlife: Don’t treat dogs to grapes or raisins

By Scott Shalaway – Post-Gazette – It was a simple question, but to Daisy, my family’s yellow Lab, it’s the highlight of her day. “Wanna go for a walk?” She loves to roam the fields and woods as much as I do. I like to think it’s my companionship she loves, but she always begins [...]

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Barking dog shot dead in White Oak

By Nikki Schwab - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Raelyn Grissom came home from work Tuesday night to the usual routine.She chained her dog Babe, a 3-year-old shepherd-beagle-pug, outside and sat down for a spaghetti supper with boyfriend Joe Ballough in her White Oak home at 15 Allen Way.
While Ms. Grissom and Mr. Ballough dined, Babe was barking.
Then [...]

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C’mon, Pooch, Get With the Program

By ANNA BAHNEY - NYT – IT took the success of “Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog” by John Grogan, which has bounded to the top of best-seller lists, to expose a secret not easily given up by dog owners. Their dogs are often bad dogs.  

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A place for pet owners to grieve: Bridgeville crematorium helps soften the loss

By Dan Gigler - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – A CD of soothing acoustic guitar music plays in the background. The wall-sized photo of a serene forest landscape provides a calming backdrop. Comfortable couches in tasteful, conservative tones, embrace the mourning. A box of tissues is at the ready.It is almost a perfect place to grieve.
It’s also the [...]

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Joy, love spread by instinct by this canine volunteer

By Margaret Smykla – Tri-State Sports and News Service – When Athena entered the Castle Shannon home of a terminally ill 5-year-old girl as part of Three Rivers Hospice’s volunteer pet therapy program, the Rottweiler went straight to the girl’s bedroom in the back of the house and jumped on her bed. From then on, [...]

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How Dogs Are Abused in a Scheme for Profit

By FELICIA R. LEE - NYT - Wired and using a tiny hidden camera, a young, dark-haired man known only as Pete takes a $5.25-an-hour job to infiltrate Martin Creek Kennel, in rural Arkansas, where dogs are routinely underfed, beaten and otherwise abused.

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If Dogs Could Only Learn to Sign Contracts

By ANDREW ADAM NEWMAN - NYT – WHEN Michael Meyer invites you to be in touch if you need a broker, he does not slip you a business card. Instead, he hands you a red plastic scoop for dry dog food, with his contact information on the bone-shaped handle. Or a red lid for pet food [...]

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Betsy the painted cat cleaned up; reward offered for perpetrator

By Linda Wilson Fuoco - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Things are looking up for the paint-encrusted cat that was taken to an East Liberty shelter Thursday. A gentle soaking in “Goop” removed most of the white paint from her black fur.

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Good Dog. But What About the Trainer?

By ALINA TUGEND – NYT – THOSE who watched the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show this week saw animals trained to military precision, obeying commands at the flick of a finger.
It looks easy. But dog owners who are trying to get Fifi or Rover to stop chewing leather shoes or leaping on Grandma know that [...]

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Shelter caring for black cat found covered in white paint

By Linda Wilson Fuoco – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Who would apply white paint to the black fur of a cat? If you know the answer, you could be in line to get a $500 reward.

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Black Cat Covered in White Paint – Abuse Suspected, Reward Offered

The Animal Rescue League received a black 1-year-old cat covered in white latex paint and is now working to save the animal so that it can be adopted to a loving family. 

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Shelter treating black cat that was painted white

By Linda Wilson Fuoco - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Who would apply a thick layer of white paint to the black fur of a cat? If you know the answer to that question, you could be in line for a $500 reward. 

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Stage Review: Cute puppies steal ‘Sylvia’ show

By Christopher Rawson – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Sometimes the setting steals the thunder from the play. No, I don’t mean Quantum Theatre. Though it’s noted for performing in wonderfully unconventional settings, Quantum invariably has a production strong enough to measure up to the challenge. But Quantum has never gone head to head with a half-dozen [...]

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Spay Day USA 2006

The Doris Day Foundation’s 12th annual Spay Day USA will be February 28, 2006. 

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Pittsburgh Dogs in Show

By Liz Zemba – TRIBUNE-REVIEW – Monday, February 13, 2006 – The LeBeau family is trying to bring another championship to Pittsburgh this week.Richard LeBeau, of Pittsburgh, is hoping for a title at the 130th annual Westminster Kennel Club All Breed Dog Show, which opens tonight at Madison Square Garden in New York. His father, [...]

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Dogs Like Us – Bioethics

By TED KERASOTE - Kelly, Wyo. – THE 130th Westminster Dog Show comes to New York today, with its thousands of contestants, ranging in size from two-pound Chihuahuas to 120-pound Great Danes. As the highly groomed dogs prance down the runways of Madison Square Garden — the floor-length coats of the Afghan hounds swaying, the teased [...]

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2006 Westminster Kennel Club Breed Judging Video

Streaming video (Streaming Video Link) of breed judging highlights for 2006 will be available within two hours of the completion of judging in that breed during the day (a high speed connection is required for viewing). If you want to see all of the 42 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels entered at the show, for example, you [...]

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DNA database aims to tackle dog thefts

Concern at soaring toll of stolen pets in Britain – Yorkshire Post – David Hogg – GENETIC material from dogs is being collected in a huge computer data bank as part of a drive aimed at halting the rising trend in pet thefts. The Missing Pets Bureau has launched its DNA Identification scheme aimed at [...]

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Proposed law irks groomers

By Jeff Pikulsky - VALLEY INDEPENDENT – ROSTRAVER TOWNSHIP – Area pet groomers will meet Sunday to discuss proposed legislation that would require them to pay fees, seek additional education and obtain licenses.
Rep. Bernie O’Neill (R-Bucks County) proposed House Bill 2194 in November.   

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This taxi puts your pet in the passenger seat

Bark-N-Ride joins a growing industry that caters to busy dog and cat owners
BY NANCY YANG – Pioneer Press – No time to take Spot to the groomers? Too busy to bring Fluffy to the vet?
Barb Romans has the solution — let her do it. For a price.  

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Burglary, vandalism leave Washington County shelter even more in need

By Linda Wilson Fuoco - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – What kind of burglars rip off a nonprofit organization? It was bad enough that the thieves who hit the Washington Area Humane Society on Feb. 1 stole money, credit cards and veterinary medications for sick dogs and cats. They smashed computers and printers and vandalized the office of [...]

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Friends….or Food?

Dog & Cat Eating in China – Animals Asia Foundation – Whilst some countries in Asia such as Hong Kong, the Philippines and Taiwan have banned the practice of dog eating, evidence shows that in China, the biggest dog eating country in the world, it continues to thrive.  

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Dog owner hounded over insurance

Bainbridge Island Review – Certifying dog’s good manners lets homeowner keep dog and policy. Experienced dog owner Jan Michael enrolled her 4-month-old Doberman, Abby, in training classes as a matter of course. “We’re people who believe you really need to train your dog,â€? she said. “I think any dog is more pleasant for a family [...]

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Best friend to pets – Dr. Bill Ames

By Misty Chybrzynski for the Valley News Dispatch - After a 43-year tenure of treating and performing surgery on countless animals in the local area, Dr. Bill Ames will relinquish some of his duties and move into semi-retirement this month.
Ames, 71, of New Kensington, established the Rainbow Pet Care Center in Natrona Heights, Harrison, in March [...]

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Color these “Black Cuties” adoptable

By Ron Paglia FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW - Officials and staff of the Washington Area Humane Society would prefer if potential pet owners were color blind. Especially when it comes to adopting black animals.  

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Pet obesity a growing problem

By GLEN BOLDUC – Staff Writer -  It’s the whining. That constant yapping, the nipping at the heels, the incessant begging. “It drives me crazy,” said Carol Caswell of Pittston. She tries to let Dakota, her 6-year-old Yorkshire terrier, outdoors first. “If that doesn’t work,” she said, “then I’ll try the food.”   

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Obituary: Anthony Hodges / Investment banker with passion for dogs

Died Feb. 4, 2006
By Ann Rodgers - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – British-born investment banker Anthony Hodges had a hand in bringing the Penguins to Pittsburgh, but his greatest interest was with dogs. 

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Are No-Kill Shelters a Scam?

PETA.com – One day last June, a Pennsylvania man tried to turn his dog over to a “no-killâ€? shelter—one that chooses not to euthanize animals. He was told to come back two weeks later when the shelter might have room. The man grabbed his dog, got in his pick-up truck, and left. At the first [...]

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Puppy taken from Humane Society is reunited with owners

By Linda Wilson Fuoco - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Bonnie Ray wrapped her arms around the 4-month-old yellow puppy and wept unabashedly.”My baby! My baby is back!” said Mrs. Ray, while Roxy wagged her tail and licked the woman’s face. 
The tearful reunion came yesterday afternoon, nearly five days after Roxy was stolen from a locked cage in [...]

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