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The clutch of walkers in San Pedro stood and gawked with disbelief. They watched as a man got out of his car, played for a bit with his beautiful, muscular pit bull, and then got back in the vehicle and drove off – without his dog. A suddenly slap-happy canine – left behind by his despicable owner – discovered a new found joy in his freedom as a rover. For a few moments in his life, there was no leash, no owner, no Alpha boss -- and a Los Angeles park right beneath his paws to explore. The jolly canine...

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People who think they may have H1N1 flu need to stay away from work, avoid sneezing on their spouses and children and now, they have someone else to worry about infecting too -- their pets...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is issuing this health alert to warn consumers not to use Pig Ears and Beef Hooves pet treats manufactured by Pet Carousel because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The products were distributed nationwide in both bulk and retail packaging for sale in pet food and retail chain stores. Pet Carousel is based in Sanger, Calif. The products were manufactured under conditions that facilitate cross-contamination within batches or lots. Although no illnesses associated with these products have been reported, the FDA is advising consumers in possession of these products to not handle or...

But I have a problem with pit bulls. And it has more to do with the two-legged creatures holding their leashes (if there is a leash).Because of their sheer numbers—estimates show that there are anywhere from 5 million to 10 million pit-bull-type dogs in the U.S. today, out of about 61 million total dogs—pits have become the dog du jour for a lot of people, not just gangbangers and wannabe thugs who use a pit as proxy for toughness. About 20 percent of dogs in ASPCA shelters are pit mixes. I've seen those who adopt these dogs for all the...

Otto Jones, a Dachshund terrier cross from Shropshire, may be the oldest dog in the world at 20 years and eight month - but he still knows how to play. He has been recognised as the oldest living dog by Guinness World Records and, despite his age, still enjoys playing ball with neighbours' children. His owners Lynn and Peter Jones, from Shrewsbury, said he was a "loveable, affectionate rogue".

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia,- An Internet campaign has been started to help a 75-year-old Canadian man burned out of his home to get his dog back from a foster home. Earl Shadbolt lost his house in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, to a fire in April, and the apartment he took while repairs were made wouldn't allow him to keep his terrier-mix dog Willie, The (Halifax) Chronicle-Herald reported Friday. Shadbolt made arrangements with fellow church member Laura Naugler to board the dog until he could move back in, but things turned nasty in August when he moved back home and asked for...

There's no doubt about the love we have for our dogs and cats. But, when push comes to shove, just how far would you go if your best friend was in a health crisis? Let's get to the point. Your pet is injured and needs lifesaving air.Question is, could you bring yourself to put your mouth to his snout? 58-percent of people surveyed by the Associated Press and Petside.com would be at least SOMEWHAT likely to perform CPR on their animal in a medical emergency. The survey showed women were more likely to deliver those rescue breaths than the men....

What are some things you have learned that are harmful to pets that most people don't know? I'll start: 1) Fleas can cause anemia and can be fatal to very young and very old animals, and possibly other animals in general good health. Fleas not only suck blood but can cause a breakdown in red blood cells, which supply oxygen to the body. 2) A broken toenail can be very serious, requiring immediate veterinary attention to prevent infection and other complications. What may look like simple toenail breakage could be a break that exposes the bone.

Metro Vancouver dog owners have forgotten Fido, rejected Rover and pretty much scrapped Rags. Since the turn of the century, your furry friend has a better chance of having a human name than a traditional canine moniker. Enter Max, Charlie, Molly, Lucy, Sam and Abby. Max is widely reported to be the most popular dog name on the planet and The Vancouver Sun's 100,000-entry dog-name database shows that local dog owners are true to the trend. There are 1,347 dogs named Max registered in the 15 municipalities that contributed data to the project, good for first overall. The global dominance...

My friend Jean emailed this request to me and I am asking for your help in bringing Sage safely home. Please donate what you can to help Sage and Lcpl Werner. I'd like to introduce you to Sage and Lcpl Werner, their photo is attached to this email:Lance Corporal Alex Werner lives in Milford, PA. He is the 2nd of four children. He joined the Marine Corps right out of high school, and chose to be a combat engineer since he’d always enjoyed construction, as well as destruction – ie bombs and blowing things up with them. One night...

Samantha is one lucky dog. You wouldn't know it, though, if you saw her Aug. 11. Someone had shot her in the face and left her to die inside a locked mobile home in Ellsworth, Wis. But lucky for Samantha, police came knocking that day. Bloody dog prints outside the home were a sure sign something was wrong. Doug Ducklow, an investigator for the Pierce County sheriff's office, had gone to the home to follow up on an unrelated case when he found the blood. Looking through a window, he couldn't believe what he saw: a skinny dog with part...

Pit bulls are always earning notoriety as fighting dogs, attack dogs and all around vicious canines, but East Lincoln's Phil Hemby has one specimen of the square-headed breed earning a new name for itself. And that name is lifesaver. Well, not quite ... Shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday, Hemby stepped out to take Slim, his 2-year-old pit terrier, for a joy ride in his Yamaha Rhino ATV around the Hemby Farms chicken houses off Townsend Drive. But the normally docile dog was in a rage - barking, snarling and driving him back - and wouldn't let him approach the machine....

‘DOGS CAUSE divorce,’’ said my friend Eddie, bitterly. He had given in to his daughter and wife’s yearning for a dog - two dogs actually. The wife insisted the dogs sleep in the conjugal bed. When the daughter left for college, the dogs turned on Eddie, sending him to the couch, and out the door.For decades I had lived with my wife’s cats, each departing this world with care on a par with the finest hospice. Our daughter wanted a pet. After the ritual goldfish, we moved up the food chain to a lovebird. I resisted a dog. One afternoon...

Dachshunds from all over the metroplex traveled to Southlake to compete in the Wiener Dog Races.

TUCSON, Ariz. — When you're the biggest dog in the world, you make your own rules. You cruise by countertops of an outdoor kitchen and adjacent barbecue and lower your calf-sized head a notch to sniff out any crumbs from a recent party. You nuzzle up to a bystander, easing your floppy, foot-long ears into the middle of his chest to request some lovin'. You saunter up to a couch, twist your 42-inch-tall, 245-pound body into a puppy pirouette and land your rump on your owner's lap to take a load off. Such is life for 4-year-old George, the Greatest...

A German shepherd named Taz, who was almost 2 years old when he was assigned from the city police’s K-9 unit to do search and rescue at the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attack, has died. Taz was the last of the dogs involved in the attacks to still serve on the force. He died of cardiac arrest last Sunday, the Police Department said. Taz would have been 10 years old on Oct. 31 and had served in the Canine Emergency Service Unit, where his duties consisted of searching for evidence, suspects and missing persons. (The average age of...

HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, N.J. - The last of six wolf-hybrid dogs who escaped from a fenced in property in northwestern New Jersey this week has returned home.

FORMER French President Jacques Chirac's little white dog underwent treatment for depression after leaving the Elysee palace and bit his master thrice before being sent off to a farm, a newspaper reported on Friday. Sumo, a Maltese Bichon, apparently couldn't cope with life after the Elysee, Chirac's wife Bernadette told Le Parisien newspaper. The Chiracs moved into a spacious Paris apartment owned by the family of the late Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in May 2007, when Nicolas Sarkozy became the new resident of the Elysee palace. "He just never came to terms with leaving the Elysee," Bernadette was quoted...

Over the last 20 years, the Love Me Tender animal rescue in central Tennessee has rounded up more than 1,000 abandoned dogs. And although most are timid and untrusting, CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports, one Rottweiler named Ella was notably different. "I could just tell right away she was somebody's baby. She just didn't act like a stray dog to me," said Kathy Wilkes-Myers, who found the dog a few months ago. Ella was emaciated and drinking from a drainage ditch along an empty stretch of highway. Kathy says it's typical for people to dump unwanted pets in the...

A year ago Princess Goodwin was left with a gaping hole instead of a nose after her hound savaged her face in a freak attack.Recalling the moment when she awoke to find that greyhound Ali, who'd been sleeping on her bed, had launched the frenzied attack, she said: "It was quite confusing because I didn't know what had happened. "It was only when I realised the dog had bitten me I thought this isn't good, this is bad. "My first instinct was 'Hell, it's bad, what is anyone going to do with that?' – there wasn't anything to do anything...

TWO teenage girls were left shaken and frightened after their Staffordshire bull terrier was attacked by a golden retriever. The family has now called for all breeds of dogs to be kept on leads and under control when out in public. Three-year-old Zakk was left with a bleeding face and ear and now has a nasty scar on the side of his head. Jude Cother, of Bettle Close, Drakes Broughton, near Pershore, thinks ‘Staffies’ get too much bad press and believes other breeds of dog need to be kept under better control. Mrs Cother, aged 40, said: “Zakk was on...

A DOG owner was left horrified after her Staffordshire bull terrier was viciously mauled by a collie during its daily walk in the latest in a spate of dog attacks in the area. Karen Ofinski-Fogarty said it was the second time that her "soft" and "kind-natured" Staffie Lucy has been targeted in the Braid Hills.Mrs Ofinski-Fogarty, from Colinton, said that Lucy was first attacked last September when a mongrel tore her ear and caused a huge gash across her head. She required emergency surgery. "Lucy was screaming like I had never heard before, there was blood pouring from the wound....

Thomas Scott, 97, was in his backyard at 503 Court St. when a black Lab-mix attacked him. Scott said the dog bit him on his leg as he was walking in his yard, and he had to use his walker to get the dog off. In a report by Crawford County Deputy Sheriff Eddie Weber, who responded to the incident, Scott was in his residence when Weber arrived and had sustained a severe laceration to his leg. Crawford County EMS treated the victim at the scene, and he was transported to Harrison County Hospital in Corydon. It required 11 stitches...

A dog that was responsible for a vicious attack on a teenage girl in east Windsor last weekend is being designated by the Humane Society as "dangerous." "It had her by the arm," said William Green, a neighbourhood resident who witnessed the attack. "The bone was visible... She had chunks of her own flesh on her clothes. She was in shock." The incident happened around 4 p.m. on Sept. 5 in the 2600 block of Jos St. Louis Avenue.Windsor police said the dog -- a six-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever -- bit the victim deeply on her right forearm. The severity...

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) - A 3-year-old girl was hospitalized after she was attacked by a dog outside her Coeur d'Alene home. According to a Coeur d'Alene police report, the toddler ran outside to greet her mother when two dogs belonging to a neighbor ran up and 1 of them, a Belgian shepherd-type dog, attacked her. Her mother began kicking and screaming at the dog, and the child's father and the dog's owner ran over and were able to pry the dog away from the child after several minutes. Police said the child suffered bite wounds to her head, chest,...

A woman was left shaken after being bitten by a greyhound, which also attacked her dog, in the Isle of Man. The woman was walking her Tibetan terrier along Douglas Street in Peel when the other dog, which was also being walked, attacked them. The terrier suffered an open wound to the neck, which later required surgery, and the woman was bitten on the hand. Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident, which happened at about 1615 BST on Friday. Pc Ian Scott, of Peel police station, said: "I am led to believe a number of people witnessed the...

When Kathy Wilkes-Myers of Love Me Tender Animal Rescue found a Rottweiler on the side of a highway in Tennessee, she immediately got the feeling the dog belonged to somebody — she wasn’t as timid and untrusting as most abandoned dogs. “I could just tell right away she was somebody’s baby. She just didn’t act like a stray dog to me,” said Wilkes-Myers, who found the dog a few months ago, emaciated and drinking from a drainage ditch along the road. Wilkes-Myers suspected there was more to the dog’s story, and began doing some detective work. She returned to where...

Pit bull takes down 150-pound doe By Erin McClary C & G Staff Writer MACOMB TOWNSHIP — Deputies were shocked to find the scene of what a frantic 911 caller described as a pit bull attacking a deer the morning of Sept. 24. Responding officers couldn’t believe their eyes, said Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel. A 50-60 pound dog had a 150-pound doe pinned to the ground in a Macomb Township neighborhood near North Avenue and Hall Road (M-59). When one of the officers called the dog, he came. He even sat on command. Unfortunately, the officers, after realizing the...

Mozart is trying to win a million dollars for New Orleans recovery efforts. But the charitable effort by the 6-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel may be derailed by a dog named after the satirical TV anchorman Stephen Colbert Both canines are contestants in a dog beauty pageant -- but only one pup can take home the big money. The first round is under way, with a hairy finalist selected each week by the number of fan votes. Mozart, or MoMo as friends and family know him, came in second last week in the Cutest Dog Competition with 2,780 votes. This...

SALEM A three-year dog fight over who gets to keep Dexter the beloved pug ended Monday when a Superior Court judge ordered the ex-couple to share ownership. Eric Ware and Doreen Houseman, who live miles apart in Monroe Township, must start sharing the family pet on a five-week cycle. "I just can't wait to have him in my hands on Friday," said Houseman, who said she hasn't seen Dexter in two years, seven months, and three weeks. She guaranteed it would be an emotional reunion with "a lot of hugs and kisses." Dare and Houseman, who never married, spent 13...

He saw a squirrel the other day in his new back yard in Derby and chased it up a tree. First time he'd ever done that. He hadn't seen squirrels, or trees, in Afghanistan. It was a big moment for ETTy, a black and white mutt that was adopted in Afghanistan in December by 1st Lt. Chris Corman of Derby and some of his Marine buddies Corman, 28, was stationed with about 20 other Marines in Mehtar Lam, halfway between Kabul and Jalalabad. For nine months, they served as an embedded training team with a unit of the Afghan National...

<p>Davidson County, NC-- A 4-year-old was hospitalized Sunday after being attacked by a dog near her Davidson County home.</p> <p>"She had a sucker in her mouth, and the dog tried to take it," said Rodney Baisden, the 4-year-old's father. "She's got three lacerations on her face, two bites on her arm, a couple bites on her legs, and it took 50 stitches in her face."</p>

An Australian man who freed his dog from an animal pound's "death row" and then went on the run has offered to surrender, police say. Ron Gilbertson's dog, Max, was going to be put down for mauling sheep. Mr Gilbertson went to say goodbye to Max last week, but instead cut the dog from his cage and fled, leaving his wife and two children. Police in South Australia say the renegade pair were located after a search and were prepared to surrender....

Rascal has been named winner of the country's oldest -- and possibly world's oldest -- "Original Ugly Dog Contest." Compared to a Chupracabra, Rascal, a 7-lb. naturally hairless African Sand Dog, owned by actor Dane Andrew of Sunnyvale, California, won for the second year in a row the top coveted title of Ugly Dog at the contest held in the city of Fort Bragg, during the 70th annual Paul Bunyan Days. Later the hairless wonder led a group in the town parade.

Five sacks of dog food for every sack? A heap of chow for each kapow? Today, Main Line Animal Rescue, in an ad in the Washington Post, has put a pledge behind its distaste for Michael Vick, the convicted Bad Newz Kennels conspirator. Each time the Eagles new gadget guy / backup quarterback is tackled during the Oct. 26 away game against the Redskins, five bags of dog food will be donated to a D.C. animal shelter...

Today's dogs are all descended from a pack of wolves tamed 16,000 years ago on the shores of the Yangtze river, according to new research. It was previously known that the birthplace of the dog was eastern Asia but historians were not able to be more precise than that. However, now researchers have made a number of new discoveries about the history of man's best friend - including that the dog appeared about 16,000 years ago south of the Yangtze river in China. It has also been discovered that even though the dog has a single geographical origin it descends...

BERLIN - Following the death of purportedly the world's oldest dog this week aged 21, a German woman came forward on Wednesday claiming her pooch was 25 — with a tattoo of her birthdate in her ear to prove it. The death of Chanel the wire-haired dachshund — the equivalent of 147 for a human — in the United States made headlines around the world on Tuesday, prompting Verena Wulf from Bavaria to phone her local radio station. "My Penny is 25," Wulf told SWR3, and came to her family in 1986. "The vet at the time put her age...

These hilarious pictures show how Sara the dog loves nothing better than to spend her days on the swings at her local park. In one of the weirdest canine behaviours, the Labrador-Chow cross even goes beserk with excitement when her loving owners mention the word 'swing'. She even prefers it to going for a walk. While most would expect a dog's favourite activity to be chasing rabbits or sniffing around woods - happy Sara almost seems to smile as she contentedly rocks back and forth. Real estate developer Erik Lanier, from Boone, North Carolina, USA, discovered Sara's secret love when...

She just celebrated her birthday a few months ago at a Manhattan dog hotel and spa, but now she's gone to an eternal retreat. Chanel, a Long Island wire-haired dachshund regarded as the world's oldest dog, has died. She was 21 -- 147 in dog years. The loveable pup, who made an appearance on the "Today" show in May, died Friday of natural causes at her home in Port Jefferson Station. The Guinness Book of World Records named Chanel "the oldest dog" last spring when a 28-year-old beagle from Virginia died. Guinness officials helped the centenarian canine celebrate her 21st...

Biologically speaking, many animals besides dogs bark, according to Kathryn Lord at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but the evolutionary biologist also says domestic dogs vocalize in this way much more than birds, deer, monkeys and other wild animals that use barks. The reason is related to dogs’ 10,000-year history of hanging around human food refuse dumps, she suggests.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Pennsylvania's dog law got more teeth Thursday. Gov. Ed Rendell and state lawmakers were joined by some dogs outside the state Capitol Thursday morning for the bill signing. The new law goes beyond last October's measure that cracked down on puppy mills. The state has now stopped five kinds of surgeries on dogs unless performed by veterinarians, Lancaster station WGAL reported. "House Bill 39, which clearly defines the painful and inhumane procedures on dogs that constitute animal cruelty and takes the next important step for Pennsylvania in protecting dog," said Rendell. "Until now, these cruel practices could...

New research shows babies have a handle on the meaning of different dog barks – despite little or no previous exposure to dogs. Infants just 6 months old can match the sounds of an angry snarl and a friendly yap to photos of dogs displaying threatening and welcoming body language. The new findings come on the heels of a study from the same Brigham Young University lab showing that infants can detect mood swings in Beethoven’s music. Though the mix of dogs and babies sounds silly, experiments of this kind help us understand how babies learn so rapidly. Long before...

By Brent Curtis Staff Writer - Published: August 11, 2009 A Rutland City police shooting of a dog on Post Road in Rutland Town has outraged the dog's owner and friends but was preliminarily deemed justified Monday by city police reviewing the incident. Officer Frank Post and his partner King Bricks, a German shepherd, were called to 153 Post Road after 1 a.m. on Friday to trail a man whom state police were pursuing in the area, city police said. But minutes after Bricks was deployed on the property's back yard, a fight broke out between Bricks and another German...

A young dog who made a miracle recovery after being set alight is set to come face-to-face with his torturers in open court.

ATHENS Ohio (WSAZ) -- Barking up the wrong tree -- that's what some say one man did when he threatened a local police dog. But, it's what happened after the comment that's got some people biting and others scratching their heads. “In response to the dismissal, it’s a doggone shame,” said Robert Toy, an Athens defense attorney. Toy is amusing himself with a case he says has gone to the dogs. “It’s a silly charge,” he said. “We take this charge very seriously,” Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly said. The incident started at a construction site across the street from...

Man escapes charges for barbecuing pet dog By Saeed Ahmed CNN (CNN) -- A man who roasted his pet dog to enjoy as a meal with his family and friends escaped prosecution after authorities in New Zealand determined the animal was killed humanely. "We were in a dilemma at seeing something we were fairly upset about -- but being in a position of being able to do absolutely nothing about it," said Garth Halliday, of the Auckland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, on Monday. The SPCA -- which investigates acts of animal cruelty and presses charges --...

<p>The kitty that falls asleep on your pillow purring every night -- is she worth just the $30 you paid for her at the shelter? Or your loyal dog, who you walk with every day -- what, $150? That's the value that showed up on your credit card -- but is their real value about more than the pricetag? In a court of law, that might not be the case.</p>

An 80-pound Dalmatian has died after being attacked by an alligator at Jacksonville's Hanna Park. A 10-foot alligator was trapped and killed several hours after Saturday's 10:30 a.m. attack. Authorities say they don't know for sure that the one trapped was responsible since they spotted more than one large alligator in the same lake. The dogs' owner, physician Charles Rust, was bitten on the hand by the wounded dog as he tried to wrestle it from the alligator. The alligator lunged and bit the dog's right leg off at the shoulder as it drank from the lake. Rust acknowledged he...

Video: Owner taught dog not to take treats if offered by Obama. It's quite funny.

Researchers who make generalizations about the effects of domestication and dog-wolf differences in the utilization of human visual signals, take note; a new study says dog breeds selected to work in visual contact with humans, such as sheep dogs and gun dogs, are better able to comprehend a pointing gesture than those breeds that usually work without direct supervision. In a series of tests, Márta Gácsi from Eötvös University, Hungary worked with a team of researchers to examine the performance of different breeds of dogs in making sense of the human pointing gesture.