 Keano, a Labrador from Plymouth which lost more than 22lbs after signing up to a weight loss programme has been named the UK's pet slimmer of the year. Keano has shed 22lbs since he enrolled on the PDSA's Pet Fit Club regime. The veterinary charity said the hound's starting weight of 101lbs made him 53% overweight. Now he has now shed 22% of his bodyweight and lost nine inches from his waist.   The downturn in the economy has forced some dog owners to make the gut-wrenching decision to give up their dogs at local shelters, simply because they can’t afford dog food. In an effort to keep dogs with their families and ease the strain on pet food bills, a local group started a dog food bank. Friends Involved in Dog Outreach, or FIDO, is a volunteer support group for Clackamas County Dog Services. In 2005, FIDO started its AniMeals program. Working with Meals on Wheels, and linked to 9 senior centers in the Portland Area, AniMeals brings pet food to Meals on Wheels participants. “We just want to help dog owners keep dogs in their family,” says Chip Sammons, Vice President of FIDO. AniMeals was looking to reach more families, more hungry pets. The dog food bank was born. Financially strapped dog owners may get one month’s supply of dog food for up to four dogs. FIDO asks that owners be prepared to show proof of residency, and they ask that all dogs be spayed or neutered. Owners whose dogs are not spayed or neutered will not be turned away, but they will be given information on low-case spay/neuter programs, microchipping, and rabies vaccine clinics. .    They are looking for a home for the two Labs. See below. . As many of you know, we are moving in just 2weeks.Unfortunately, I have still not been able to find a good home for Cookie and Coco .. We're not able to take our beloved doggies with us and I've been desperately trying to find a home for both of them 'together'. They were raised together and pine without each other. The Lab rescue have already said that they would probably separate them, so this is my last resort. Recently I tried to take Coco out in my car alone and she TOTALLY refused to even get into the car without Cookie.....!!!! She absolutely pulled back on her haunches until Cookie was by her side. Both doggies are in great health, have been spayed and have ID chips implanted under the skin. Cookie turned 3 December 10th and Coco will be 3 April 1st. Cookie is my mellow-yellow, and just loves her tummy rubbed. Coco is adorably funny and lives for her "ball". She also loves the water..... Cookie loves lots of attention. Both doggies are loyal and love to walk. They have been raised with my 3 kids running around all over the place, and have survived Sammy's constant hugging and love of 'dress-up', so they are fantastic family dogs. This is by far one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make, but under the circumstances I have no choice. Please, Please forward these pics to all you know and help me find a great home for these fabulous doggies. They are just adorable and it's heartbreaking to let them go. In a perfect world, I hope that we could find someone local so that we can still keep in touch and visit them. I pray that someone, somewhere can help us keep Cookie and Coco together, and love them just as much as we do. . Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. .  The nine-year-old Labrador is busy helping raise three one-month old tiger cubs after their own mother rejected them. The dog's amazing ability to make friends with any animal species is documented in these wonderful family snaps taken by her owners. Apart from her current job of caring for the motherless tiger cubs, Lisha, who is a resident of the Cango Wildlife Reserve in the Oudsthoorn area of South Africa, has also helped raise a porcupine and a hippo. 'We have had Lisha since she was a puppy,' says Nadine Hall, Lisha's owner. 'It is all about her conditioning and fear. We noticed early on that she didn't care if it was a cat or a porcupine. 'She would just walk up and lick the creature she was caring for. Although in the case of the porcupine that was more amusing.' . Julie Drexel walks with Ella, a 7-month-old black Labrador retriever, in Ocala’s Paddock Mall last month. Drexel is in the process of training Ella in the Hero Assistance Dogs program, and she frequently visits the mall to get the dog accustomed to being around other people. The path from puppy to service dog takes 20 months of intense training. Ella, a black Labrador retriever, could become the hands or feet of a wheelchair-bound person or provide stability for an individual with equilibrium problems. She could bring laughter to a face etched in pain or motivation to someone ready to give up. She is a service dog in training. The path from puppy to fully trained service dog encompasses a standard 20-month training course of hard work and challenges for both dog and human trainer. Julie Drexel of Belleview is a puppy raiser volunteer with Hero Assistance Dogs. Ella is a Hero dog and Drexel is her primary trainer. Founded by Diane White in 2005, Hero Assistance Dogs is a nonprofit agency that trains and places service dogs. Assistance to wounded veterans is a priority placement goal. The agency also sponsors a children's literacy and therapy dogs program. Ella and Drexel work hard in obedience classes and on special skills acquisition via repetitive training at home. By the time Drexel and others involved in Ella's training are finished, Ella will be able to retrieve items on command, open cabinet doors, operate light switches and perform a host of tasks that will expand the independence of a disabled person. . But while more than twice as many Labs were registered last year than any other purebred pooch, the bulldog continues to amble its way up the list. The breed made news last year by returning to the AKC's Top 10 for the first time in more than 70 years and now has advanced two spots to land in eighth place. "The playful Lab may still reign supreme, but the docile and adaptive nature of the bulldog is gaining ground as a family favorite," said AKC spokesperson Lisa Peterson. "It's no surprise to learn that this devoted family companion is still growing in popularity." Both big and small dogs shared the list this
year, with the four larger breeds renowned for their popularity as loving
family companions. Indeed, the Labrador retriever, German shepherd, golden
retriever and boxer are known for their versatility and intelligence, making
them good companions.
No one was hurt, but both parties required extensive bathing afterward, said Kalama Police Chief Bruce Hall. “The officer did his duty in someone else’s doody,” Hall cracked Tuesday evening. Tuesday afternoon, Officer Jeff Skeie (pronounced “Shay-ah”) was on kennel-cleaning duty at the city’s small animal shelter. Skeie, a former Castle Rock city councilman who has been with the Kalama police force three years, allowed two dogs out of their pens into the fenced yard to exercise and play together. One of the dogs was a young, energetic chocolate Labrador retriever police had picked up as a stray about two weeks earlier. The Lab was scheduled to be adopted out that afternoon. Skeie, strolling the fenced area with that dog and another Lab named Sadie, noticed that the sewage level in the treatment plant’s sewage digester seemed higher than usual. He walked over to investigate. The digester is a large, rectangular tank of about 12- to 15-feet deep in which city residents’ solid waste is collected and treated. In the digester, bio-solids are given time for micro-organisms to eat any “food” (waste) before further treatment. Tuesday, the digester was at full capacity, according to the city’s waste waster treatment plant operator. Standing on her hind legs, Sadie put her paws on the 4-foot-high concrete wall and peered over at the pool of sewage 2 feet below, the 45-year-old police officer recounted Wednesday. The chocolate Lab bounded up the steps leading to the digester. Skeie hollered at him to stop, but the dog flung himself joyfully into the brown soup “just like any dog jumping into a swimming pool,” the officer said. The dog started paddling, but because the tank is pumped with air bubbles, he wasn’t buoyant. Only his head and front paws were visible as he struggled to swim in the foamy liquid. . BioArts International expects five more cloned canines to be created and delivered by summer. Earlier this week, the company delivered 10-week-old Lancelot Encore to Edgar and Nina Otto of Boca Raton, Fla. The dog was born in South Korea after the couple bid on the procedure through an online auction in July. They are one of five high bidders chosen to have their pet cloned. The couple paid $155,000 for the genetic replica of their yellow Labrador Sir Lancelot, who died of cancer in 2008. BioArts International Project Manager Farah Shaw said it took six months to create the second Lancelot. “That’s if all goes well,” she said. “Every case depends on the viability of the cells.” . The money, donated by Cascade Risk Placement and Fireman's Fund Insurance, is expected to pay for Henny's vet bills, food, exercise equipment and training. Henny joined the department in March 2006 and has worked on more than 65 fire investigations. She is able to locate bare traces of gasoline and other accelerants with more accuracy than most machines. "It's blowing me away to see the things she's able to do," said Henny's handler, Seattle Fire Department Lt. Stephen Baer told the Seattle P-I shortly after her arrival. "She can go through a house with five burned-out rooms full of debris, and after she's found an ignitable liquid in one room, on the way out, she'll find it again. And I can't even remember if I've been in that room." . Clyde was enjoying a stroll with his owner, Jack Collins, until he saw a flock of Canada geese near the river. Clyde then ran every which way but loose while chasing the fowl. “I like to take Clyde to the park,” Collins said. “It is a nice quiet place for him. As we walked around a corner of the path, we saw a big flock of geese.” Clyde chased the geese more than 100 yards onto the partially frozen river. “I called for him to come back, but he was so intent on chasing the geese,” Collins said. “When he tried to stop running on the ice, he slid off into the water. He was in big trouble.” Clyde managed to clasp onto the edge of the ice with his front paws, but could not pull himself onto the floe. “He held on for dear life, but he could not get his whole body out,” Collins said. Collins considered wading onto the ice to rescue Clyde, but realized that the dog was beyond his capabilities to save. “When I realized I could not help him, I dialed 911,” Collins said. A dispatcher told Collins to stay on the embankment and wait for firefighters to arrive. Firefighters from two engine companies and a Fallon ambulance responded to the unfolding drama. . |
