Dog Park Etiquette and Perils

I love my local off-leash dog park! Unfortunately, some dogs and their handlers make my visits less than ideal.
In today’s mail, the September issue of The Whole Dog Journal arrived. It has an exceptional article about off-leash dog parks. It is subtitled: Rules of Dog-Park Etiquette and Deportment for Dogs and their Handlers.
It details many [...]

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Pleasant Hills Dog License Fee Quintupled

Pleasant Hills Borough Council approved an amended ordinance that substantially increases the costs of many services in the borough. The dog license fee was increased from $2 to $10. Also, if you own exotic pets, please contact the borough office at (412) 655-3300 for new permit information.

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NextSteps: Pets are survivors, too, and require planning

By Jan Warner and Jan Collins – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -
Q: I am unmarried, in my late 70s, have no children and am financially OK. I never thought much about doing any type of planning because I receive enough income from Social Security and my teacher’s retirement to take care of me; [...]

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In pet custody battles, courts treat animals as property

By Sally Kalson – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – In a divorce, pets are considered property and treated as such by courts in this state and others. That doesn’t stop people from loving them like family and, at times, fighting over an animal’s “custody” as bitterly as they would over children.
In one recent [...]

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For Disabled Travelers, Many an Obstacle Along the Way

By SARA J. WELCH – NYT – In March, Carol Cocuzzi and her boss flew to Denver on a business trip. When they arrived, two men who worked for a company hired by the airline came aboard to help Ms. Cocuzzi, who uses a wheelchair, get off the plane.     

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Canine Mutiny: Dog Owners Fight Insurers

By M. P. MCQUEEN – WSJ.com – State Lawmakers Aim to Stop Practice of Denying Coverage To Homes With Certain Breeds – Dog owners are biting back at the insurance industry.

There is a push by lawmakers and animal-welfare groups to ban the growing insurance-industry practice of refusing to write homeowners' policies for people who own [...]

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Dogs have nose for drugs in Armstrong County

By Tom Mitchell – Kittanning Leader Times – They can't read or write, but they are "bilingual" and they have a discerning sense of smell. And anyone who gives their bosses a bad time may find that their bite is far worse than their bark.
Three [...]

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Man sues vet over dog’s death

By David Hunt – TRIBUNE-REVIEW – A basset hound's induced death in 2004 has led a Hempfield Township man to file a five-count malpractice lawsuit Thursday in Westmoreland County court.
Randy Slagle, 55, is suing Cathy M. Schweingruber and East Suburban Animal Hospital, of Export, over an allegedly hasty decision to euthanize 11-year-old Ezekial Watson Slagle. [...]

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Sto-Rox Middle School bans dogs

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – A problem with dog owners has prompted the principal at Sto-Rox Middle School on Ewing Road to erect signs banning dogs from school grounds.
Principal Janell Logue-Belden said this week that she was getting the signs for health and safety reasons after nine months of recurring incidents which left "a [...]

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Dangerous Dogs in Collier

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – On May 6, police received a complaint about two dogs fighting with a cat on Prestley Street. The cat, which was 15 years old and a pet, was subsequently put to sleep. The owner of one of the dogs, Bruce Goolsby, 37, of Fourth Street, Carnegie, was charged with [...]

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Letter carriers worry about being bitten by dogs

By Tom Mitchell – LEADER TIMES – KITTANNING — When a 250-pound, not so friendly St. Bernard decided that it didn’t like postal letter carrier Mark Jones, Jones realized it was time to “discourage” the slavering jaw-snapping K-9 with a dose of pepper spray. To Jones’s horror, the spray can was [...]

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Rendell fires state’s dog law advisory panel – Seeks to reverse image as puppy mill capital of East Coast

By Tracie Mauriello and Tom Barnes – Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau – HARRISBURG – Trying to rid Pennsylvania of its reputation as the "puppy mill capital of the East Coast," Gov. Ed Rendell has fired all 14 members of the state Dog Law Advisory Board.
Mr. Rendell, a pet lover who owns two golden retrievers, said [...]

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Rendell dismisses dog-law advisers: He cites the poor conditions at Pa. “puppy mills.” Board members contend they are not at fault for inaction.

By Amy Worden – Philadelphia Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau – HARRISBURG – Members of the Pennsylvania Dog Law Advisory Board have received pink slips from Gov. Rendell, in what he called the first step toward addressing inhumane conditions at the growing number of commercial dog breeding operations.
The action comes as animal-welfare advocates increase pressure on officials [...]

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Dog Law Violations in Scott Twp.

Danielle Cosentino, 32, of Scott, was charged Saturday with dog law violations after someone complained that her dog had soiled his yard and knocked over a solar lamp.

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‘Dog Whisperer’ sued by his TV producer

MSNBC – Man claims Labrador retriever was injured at Cesar Millan's training facility – LOS ANGELES – A television producer sued dog trainer Cesar Millan, star of TV’s “Dog Whisperer,” claiming his Labrador retriever was injured at Millan’s training facility after being [...]

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More hotels cater to four-legged guests

By Nate Guidry – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Three years ago, Pam Woitas of Plum searched the Internet looking for hotel accommodations for both her family and their new pet, Sandy, a small mixed-breed.

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Man acquitted of cruelty to pit bull

By Ryan Haggerty – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – A McKees Rocks man who said he shot his neighbor's pit bull after it attacked him in his house was acquitted by a jury after a one-day trial Monday.
Gary L. Richter, 54, testified that the pit bull, which is still alive, entered his home Dec. [...]

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Vet sued by dog’s owners

They claim he faked euthanizing their ailing pet so he could give it to another owner for further care. (AP) A couple who thought they were watching their epileptic dog being euthanized actually witnessed a sedation procedure concocted so the veterinary clinic could later [...]

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Crafton Exploring Breed Specific Dog Ban

Crafton Borough Council – In response to recent complaints of dangerous dogs around Sterrett Street, President Edward Stewart (412-922-4947) ordered Borough Solicitor Ayoob to report back if specific breeds could be prohibited in the community.

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Army Dogs

DAVID DISHNEAU – Associated Press – FORT MEADE, Md. – An Army dog handler accused of abusing detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq with his unmuzzled canine said he had a commander's approval to use the dog during interrogations if it wore a muzzle, a witness testified.

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EBAY DOG FUR SALE STOPPED

By Jeremy Armstrong – UK Mirror – INTERNET auction giant eBay removed a Korean dog fur coat from its site yesterday – thanks to the Mirror.  

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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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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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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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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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Dangerous Pit Bulls Still in the Neighborhood

Letters to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editor Thursday, December 15, 2005: Dogs pose a danger to pets in Kennedy — Is there a dangerous dog living in your neighborhood? If you live in Kennedy, there are at least two of them. I happen to live on a quiet back street that would be ideal if not [...]

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Aggressive North Park dogs bite.

By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — A doctor who was hurt intervening in a dogfight in North Park has begun receiving rabies shots after the owner of the dogs that injured him gave a phony name and vanished.
Arthur Nussbaum of McCandless, a physician at UPMC Passavant, was bitten on the hand and bloodied Sunday [...]

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PAWS has supporters and opponents.

PAWS regulates breeders and online sales — By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — A bill that would put more bite into federal regulations governing wholesale dog and cat breeding facilities will come up for discussion tomorrow in the U.S. Senate.
The proposed legislation is officially called the Pet Animal Welfare Statute of 2005. It is [...]

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House Bill 1737 would keep dogs safer in cars, no ears flapping in the wind

By Linda Wilson Fuoco – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – It’s a common sight, dogs riding in cars with their heads out the window. Ears flapping in the wind. Tongues lolling. Expressions of pure bliss on their furry faces. Those dogs’ days of joy could be numbered.
Rep. Tom Stevenson, R-Mt. Lebanon, has introduced a bill that would [...]

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Ontario, Canada spurs protests with pit bull ban

By Linda Wilson Fuoco – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Canada’s first pit bull ban went into effect yesterday in the province of Ontario. The controversial law has sparked protests, rallies and letter-writing campaigns by dog lovers who now say they will challenge the ban in court. Though the Ontario ban is a first for Canada, officials [...]

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Rescuing Fly: A journey on the dog underground railroad.

By Jon Katz Posted Thursday, Feb. 17, 2005 at www.slate.com. — Most people would have driven by without slowing, but “Patsy Beckett” (a pseudonym) is a dog rescuer, so she noticed the young border collie tethered to a tree outside a Northern Florida farmhouse. Beckett made a point of passing the farm on her way to [...]

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Dog Bites Man Not a story—a national crisis

By Jon Katz Posted Friday, Nov. 19, 2004 at  www.slate.com — Spice was a sweetheart, gentle with kids, the best pal of my border collies, generous with her toys and snacks, happy to play tug of war and chase endlessly across suburban lawns. Her owner Jan, an ad executive in my northern New Jersey town, was [...]

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