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ATHENS -- To the Bulldog Nation, the Uga mascot is royalty, the lineage anointed to represent the University of Georgia. But to the Seiler family, the English bulldogs are family pets. That is sadly evident at times such as these. In only his second season as Georgia's mascot, Uga VII has passed away. Uga VII passed away suddenly Thursday morning at his home in Savannah. At 4 years old, he was practically a pup and had served as Georgia's mascot for not even two full football seasons when he unexpectedly succumbed to heart problems.

AN Australian Army bomb dog survived almost 14 months in the Afghan desert after being declared missing in action during a bloody battle with the Taliban. Sabi, a bomb detection dog, was reported MIA after she fled from the same battle in which SAS Trooper Mark Donaldson won his Victoria Cross for risking his life to save an Afghan interpreter in September last year. Nine soldiers, including Sabi's handler, were wounded in the ferocious firefight that ensured after the Australian, US and Afghan army convoy was ambushed by the enemy. The black labrador fled from the chaos and was feared...

Southfield (WWJ) -- The FBI will hold a memorial for the K-9 killed during a shootout in Dearborn and the dog's name will be added to a memorial wall. Freddy was a nearly 3-year-old Belgian Malinois who was killed Wednesday during a gun battle between agents and Luqman Ameen Abdullah, described as the radical leader of a Sunni Islam group.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.- A Missouri woman whose monkey was denied status as a service animal said having to leave the pet at home will restrict her activities. Debby Rose of Springfield said a federal judge rejected her lawsuit against the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, CoxHealth and Wal-Mart East for failing to recognize her Bonnet Macaque monkey, Richard, as a service animal, The (Springfield, Mo.) News-Leader reported Friday. "It's devastating; it's devastating," said Rose, who purchased the monkey in 2004. "I feel like I'm discriminated against in Greene County. What can I say?" Rose said in her suit that she suffers from...

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...

A Minneapolis woman is still trying to come to grips with what happened to her guide dog Thursday night at the downtown Target store. Lolly Lijewski and her dog Brook had just gone into the store when a woman kicked the working dog. A stranger passing by stepped in to help. "As I was coming into the foyer of the store, my dog's feet seemed to go out from under her," said Lijewski. Lijewski didn't know what happened to her service dog. "Then there was a young girl to our left who said, 'Someone just kicked your dog,'" said Lijewski....

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...

Saier Bibi, a farmer in the Qaytul village of Kirkuk province, works his new beehives during a visit to his farm by a representative from the United States Agency for International Development and the senior agricultural advisor from the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team, Aug. 20. Photo by Pfc. Justin Naylor, 1st Cavalry Division. KIRKUK — U.S. development and reconstruction teams recently visited local farmers in the village of Qaytul to check up on those who had received bee farming equipment as part of a year-long project designed to increase the income of small farm owners here. "The Honey Bee Hive...

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...

~ ~ FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Working Dogs Train on Bagram Airfield!! ~ U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Chris Reynolds runs his German shepherd, Baiky, through a training obstacle course on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Aug. 7, 2009. Reynolds, a dog handler assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron patrols the base with his dog to inspect mail, luggage and vehicles for narcotics. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. J.G. Buzanowski Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. U.S....

MIAMI — Since Irwin Stovroff was profiled a week ago on FOXNews.com, the decorated WWII veteran has received thousands of positive letters for his non-profit organization, Vets Helping Heroes, which provides service and therapy dogs to wounded veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. "It is unbelievable," Stovroff said about the growing mountain of support that also include thousands of hits on his Web site, numerous phone calls and — most significantly — tens of thousands of dollars in donations for his cause. "I just can't believe it. It has been overwhelming," he said of the generous response he's received....

1st Lt. John Reed, a platoon leader with 15th Brigade Support Battalion, attempts to evade Capka, a military working dog, during a demonstration at Forward Operating Base Warrior, Kirkuk, Aug. 1. The demonstration was to not only entertain Soldiers but to educate leaders on the capabilities of the military working dogs. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Douglas, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs. FOB WARRIOR — No matter how fast the dozen or so Soldiers ran, they couldn't outrun Buli and Capka, a pair of German Sheppard military working dogs, during a demonstration here, Aug. 1. Soldiers from the 15th Brigade...

MIAMI — No one knows first hand the horrors of war more than World War II hero Irwin Stovroff. That's why when Stovroff — who was held for one year in a Nazi POW camp before being freed by allied forces — learned that the U.S. government didn't supply service dogs for wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the 85 year old decorated hero from Boca Raton, Fla. made it his mission to overhaul the policy -snip-

LOS ANGELES - Gidget the Chihuahua, the bug-eyed, big-eared star of 1990s Taco Bell commercials who was a diva on and off the screen, has died. She was 15. Gidget suffered a massive stroke late Tuesday night at her trainer's home in Santa Clarita and had to be euthanized, said Karin McElhatton, owner of Studio Animal Services in Castaic, which owned the dog. Although she was hard of hearing, Gidget was otherwise in good health up to the day of her death, eating well and playing with her favorite squeaky toys at the home of trainer Sue Chipperton, McElhatton said....

LAWRENCEVILLE - Betty Macaluso doesn't need an alarm clock; she has cats. The Lawrenceville woman is awakened each morning by Tom 2, a wide-eyed orange and white cat, who gently paws at her arm about 6 a.m. wanting his breakfast. If Tom 2 happens to sleep through his job or gets distracted, Tiger, a heavier gray and black tabby, steps in. Since Macaluso can't hear the ringing of an alarm clock - she has been deaf all her life - her cats serve as her ears. She adopted Tom 2 and Tiger, both now about a year old, from PetSmart...

Some dogs will try to eat anything - but for dogs like Toby, based in Afghanistan with the military, swallowing things on the ground can be extra dangerous. Last week Toby ate what experts think may have been an explosive. After ingesting the toxic substance when sniffing out Taliban improvised explosive devices on the front line, he was picked up by a medical emergency helicopter and whisked back to Camp Bastion. Army vet Captain Matt Clark gave him oxygen through a child's mask during the journey. Toby was then treated on a drip with charcoal to soak up the poison...

6/18/2009 - LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- After three weeks, the newest member of the 37th Force Support Squadron Airman and Family Readiness Flight knows her way around the three-story building and often bounds through open doors on surprise visits. Aamee, a four-month old Belgian Malinois, is the first puppy to be fostered by a unit at Lackland through the military working dog foster program. The foster program socializes potential working dogs to different people and environments to prepare them for a life of various handlers and locations. Aamee has been with the flight on a pilot test...

James Symington is about to find out whether you can clone heroism. The retired Canadian police officer – who took part in the rescue operation after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City – is scheduled to take possession Wednesday of five puppies cloned using DNA from his beloved late German shepherd Trakr, the rescue dog credited with finding the last survivor in the smoking rubble of Ground Zero. Symington, who won the opportunity to have Trakr cloned in an essay contest last year, first met his new pups in an emotional encounter on June 14. "They're...

Ronald J. Chenette, convicted six months ago in the death of a police dog, knew he was going to prison for life well before Friday's sentencing hearing in Clark County Superior Court. Everyone else knew, too. Ronald J. Chenette, convicted six months ago in the death of a police dog, knew what was going to happen well before Friday's sentencing hearing in Clark County Superior Court. Everyone else knew, too. The sentence was dictated by a "three strikes" law that locks away felons for life after three violent crimes. The absence of suspense, then, maybe explains why nobody who didn't...

A Chicago police dog named Bear should be given a new moniker: Houdini, his handler said. The German shepherd has been missing since Wednesday night after he was spooked by thunder and climbed a fence near the officer's Southwest Side home, Canine Unit Officer Rick King said.

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Last week Google brought in a herd of goats to mow the grass on its Mountain View, Calif. headquarters rather than using lawnmowers. The company said that it wanted to take a more "low-carbon" approach with the goats reducing the company's contribution to air and noise pollution. The cost of hiring the 200-some goats is about the same price as mowing, but the goats were "a lot cuter to watch." PETA responded to a TechCrunch call about the goats saying that though they have no problem with letting goats do what they do, they do have concerns...

What an amazing human being. She cares about this country so much..Check out what she did at the bottom, that outta piss off the libs Operation Military Care K-9 is a program that reaches out to military K-9 teams deployed in the Middle East. Both the dogs and their handlers are recipients of care packages thanks to the effort, which was organized by Beth White, a teacher at Henderson High School in South Carolina. Mud Creek Baptist Church is partnering with Beth to help send such useful items as cooling vests and bandannas for the dogs and sun block and...

Sunday, April 26, 2009 , 12:00 a.m. Rossville toddler gets help from South Pittsburg service dog By: Ben Benton Jada Romans and her new service dog, Murray, are fast friends just a week into their relationship. Jada, a Rossville 2-year-old who has little movement in her arms or legs, was united with Murray thanks to the PALS with Pawz service dog organization, said her parents, Brittany and Dustin Romans. “When I got the call last Thursday that we were going to get Murray, it was kind of a light at the end of a tunnel because I thought we’d never...

Tests are being carried out to try to discover why 21 polo ponies collapsed and died ahead of a major tournament in Florida at the weekend. The horses, from a Venezuelan-owned team and valued at $100,000 (£69,000) each, became dizzy and disoriented. Several died on the spot at the ground in Palm Beach County, while others died hours later as they were being treated. Veterinarians say they suspect some kind of toxin but say it may be several days before the source is identified. Polo enthusiasts had gathered on Sunday for the US Open Polo Championship at the polo club...

Top veterinarian pathologists expect to find that some sort of toxin caused the deaths of 21 polo horses in Wellington Sunday, but exactly what the poison was and how it was delivered may not be known for several days. "Was it hay, feed, bedding, water? There are a lot of unanswered questions," said Mark Fagan, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture. "Horses may be big, but they are delicate animals." Six of the horses from the Lechuza Caracaus polo team have been delivered to the department's Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab in Kissimmee and 15 others arrived at the University...

MIAMI - Twenty-one horses from a Venezuelan team competing at the U.S. Open Polo Championship died after collapsing before a match in Florida, officials said on Monday. The International Polo Club of Palm Beach said the Lechuza Caracas team was preparing its horses for an afternoon match when two collapsed and others began "exhibiting dizziness and disorientation." "From the reports I've received, they came out of their trailers and they were dizzy ... and began toppling over," said Terence McElroy, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture. "It's my understanding that all of these horses have died, 21 in total."

(CNN) -- Fourteen thoroughbred horses dropped dead in a mysterious scene Sunday before a polo match near West Palm Beach, Florida, officials said. State and local veterinary teams are trying to figure out what happened at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida, as team Lechuza Caracas prepared to compete in a U.S. Open match. Two horses initially collapsed, and as vets and team officials scrambled to revive them, five others became dizzy, said Tim O'Connor, spokesman for the polo club. "A total of seven died on our property," O'Connor told CNN. Seven other horses died en route...

/17/2009 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFNS) -- It is often said a dog is a man's best friend. For a Joint Expeditionary Tasking, or JET, Airman here, his dog is not just a friend, but a tool that could mean life or death for servicemembers patrolling the Iraqi streets. Senior Airman William Bailey, a military working dog handler and JET Airman from the 732nd Air Expeditionary Group attached to the Army's 1st Calvary Division here, and Robby, a nine-year-old Belgian Malinois, work together to keep servicemembers safe. Robby's military working dog specialty is explosives detection. "My mission here is...

Officials say a K9 was shot and a suspect killed after an office-involved shooting Monday in St. Paul. The incident happened in the 1500 block of Iowa Avenue East on a report of an armed intoxicated man in an alley around 6 p.m., according to St. Paul Police. St. Paul Police spokesman Pete Panos says three officers responded and opened fire on 34-year-old Robert Jerome Jeske, of St. Paul. Jeske died at the scene. During the confrontation, the dog Boomer was shot. He was taken to the University of Minnesoeta were he underwent surgery and is in stable condition, according...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, March 26, 2009 – She takes a few steps forward and then glances over her shoulder. A few feet up the road she stops and lies down on the ground, a sign of possible danger. Army Sgt. Stephen Netzley, a K-9 handler with 3rd Squadron, 71st Calvary Regiment, and his German shepherd, Lady, search for explosive devices during a route clearance patrol in Afghanistan’s Logar province, March 9, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Matthew Thompson  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Lady is a German shepherd trained to sniff out explosives and their components. Her...

Has PETA gone too far? Word is that last week the animal rights activists showed up unannounced and uninvited at a Hempstead elementary school, chosen for its proximity to the Nassau Coliseum, where Ringling Bros. Circus sets up shop starting tomorrow. Their plan was to school the children in circus cruelty, handing out stickers and coloring books that declared, "Circuses are no fun for animals." While this may be true, many are criticizing the organization for their tactics, saying their method is inappropriate—a psychologist noted that the children "might go home and be very anxious" because they "are less mature...

Gorontalo. A villager in Bone Bolango district, Gorontalo Province, had to be rushed to the hospital on Tuesday after a horse bit off one of his testicles. The incident occurred when the 35-year-old victim, Haris, was unloading sand from a horse-drawn cart at a construction site. A witness told the state-run Antara news agency on Wednesday that the animal suddenly lunged at Haris and sank its teeth into his crotch. As bystanders tried to load the injured man into a vehicle to take him to Aloe Saboe Hospital, one person spotted a piece of flesh on the pavement, which proved...

To most people, George and Hank are just mules that pull a canal boat. But to Transportation Security Administration officials, they're a matter of national security. The people who dress up in 19th century garb and lead George and Hank along the Lehigh Canal towpath in Easton's Hugh Moore Park are now required, under federal law, to secure biometric Transportation Worker Identification Credentials from the TSA -- just like every other Coast Guard-certified boat operator. And so far, despite efforts from U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, TSA officials aren't budging on that requirement. "It's probably a very good step for operators...

26th Tesoro Iron Dog START: Pro class starts 11 a.m. Sunday on Big Lake; trail class starts Friday ROUTE: Big Lake to Nome to Fairbanks FINISH: Feb. 14 HALFWAY BANQUET: 6 p.m. Feb. 11 in Nome PURSE: $159,050 with first place earning a minimum of $25,000 DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: Marc McKenna of Anchorage and Eric Quam of Eagle River

One of the most iconic images of American life, that of circus elephants joined trunk-to-tail as they lumber along to delight “children of all ages,” as the old saying goes, is about to be debated in a courtroom. Are the beasts docile because they are highly intelligent and respond well to training, reinforced with the promise of apples, carrots, water and kindness at day’s end? Or do they obey because their spirits have been broken and they fear getting hit by their trainers? These are among the questions that will be asked when a lawsuit by a coalition of animal...

1/15/2009 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Dental Airmen teamed up with Army veterinarians to give an Air Force working dog a root canal and get her back into the fight Jan. 15 at an air base in Southwest Asia. Airmen of the 386th Expeditionary Medical Group and Soldiers from the 218th Medical Detachment to work on 5-year-old Belgian melinois Kitti who broke her tooth while trying to chew her way out of her kennel during the flight from Ramstein Air Base, Germany. "She doesn't like to be left alone," said Senior Airman Adam Belward, Kitti's handler from the 822nd Security...

A quick post as part of my ongoing follow up to my recent New York Times Magazine story about the use of non-canine service animals and the DOJ's efforts to ban them: There's an interesting discussion going on about how limiting service animal species also limits religious freedom ... In the interesting comments thread of this blog post, a woman named Mona Ramouni explains that she is currently in the process of having a miniature horse trained as her guide because her religious faith makes it so she can't use a guide dog. Here's an excerpt of her comments: "I...

BAGHDAD, Jan. 16, 2009 – Army Spc. Jessica Opper has been taking care of animals since she was a child growing up in Cleveland and is continuing that tradition while deployed to Iraq. Army Gen. Jeffrey Talley presents his coin of excellence to Spc. Jessica Opper in Baghdad, Jan. 3, 2009. Opper is an animal care specialist for the specialized search dog team, 94th Engineer Detachment (Canine). U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Carmen Guerrero  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. As a child, Opper gladly took care of her family’s horses and cats. At a young age, she even...

PEACH BOTTOM, Pa. — Jacci Cook is a big fan of the Hangin’ Tree Cowdog breed. Her husband, Herman Cook, has six of the dogs on their 164-acre dairy farm in southern Lancaster County. “With a dog on the job, I don’t have to help drive the cows into the milking parlor, I don’t have to help bring them in from pasture, and if they get out, I don’t have to help round them up. “I love our dogs.” And so does her husband, and their 25-year-old son, Jordan. Father and son manage their 190-head herd of milking cows, young...

.6 Jan 09 - The dogsled race near Frazee, Minn., has been canceled because there’s too much snow. “We can’t pack it,” race organizer Eddy Streeper said Monday. “We just can’t get it packed. We had to speak up on behalf of the dogs.”This winter has been a season of prodigious snows.The Frazee area has received about 3 feet of snow, but winds keep creating drifts of 4 feet or more over the course, which was to host races of four to 14 miles. “The drifting aspect is just unbelievable,” said Streeper, a native of Canada who has been involved...

For anyone keeping score at home, here’s the tally: Fort Worth police helicopter: 0, Godiva the search dog: 1.Fort Worth police officers lost one of their own on New Years Day when Loki, a search and rescue canine, chewed through the fence of his handler’s backyard and escaped into the streets of Fort Worth. After searching for hours with a helicopter and police cruisers, Fort Worth police called in Godiva, a chocolate Labrador, from Dog Gone Detectives — a firm that specializes in finding lost pets. Within 15 minutes, Godiva had hunted down Loki about a half mile away from...

Chances are you've seen a blind person accompanied by a guide dog. But what about a guide horse, a service parrot or a monkey trained to help an agoraphobic? These are just a few of the nontraditional service animals that are used across the country to help people with disabilities and psychological disorders. As their uses are expanding, however, the government is considering a proposal that would limit the definition of "service animal" to "a dog or other common domestic animal."

Guide Horses have shown great promise as a mobility option, and people who have tried Guide Horses report that the Guide Horses perform exceptionally well at keeping their person safe. These friendly horses provide an experimental alternative mobility option for blind people. People who have tried Guide Horses report that the horses demonstrate excellent judgment and are not easily distracted by crowds and people.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2008 – A Multinational Division Baghdad soldier and his four-legged partner work with other military dog teams here in helping to make Baghdad’s streets safer for Iraqi citizens and soldiers to live and operate. Army Sgt. James Harrington, a military policeman and dog handler assigned to Multinational Division Baghdad, poses with Ryky, a Belgian Malanois, while out on mission Nov. 24, 2008, in southern Baghdad’s Rashid district. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. James Harrington  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Sgt. James Harrington, a military policeman and dog handler attached to the...

Awesome.

FORT HUACHUCA — The post will be honoring a four-legged soldiers on Dec. 3. Military working dog Britt’s Army career ended when he was euthanized Sept. 11, because of a severe neurological ailment. Britt, a German shepherd, was 11 years old. Britt will be honored and his ashes will be interred at 10 a.m. on Dec. 3 behind the post kennels. A U.S. flag will be presented to Britt’s last handler, Sgt. Megan Hobson. Other military working dog handlers and their dogs from the fort’s 18th Military Police Detachment will pay their final respects at Britt’s grave. Britt went through...

This is the first time Marine Cpl. Zachary Briseno will be in his Fort Worth, Texas, home for Thanksgiving in four and a half years since his two tours of duty in Iraq. That’s something to be thankful for. But the 23-year-old has a furrier reason for thankfulness this week. Briseno, who lost both of his legs below the knees almost a year ago in an IED attack in Fallujah, is getting a specially trained guide dog to help him in his day-to-day tasks. The dog was trained through Carolina Canines for Veterans, an adjunct program of the local nonprofit...

"Many veterans, after suffering traumatic injuries, are “fighting to get their independence back, and dogs give them a sense of independence,” he added. Service dogs are 24/7 companions that can retrieve and carry objects, open doors, call attention to safety hazards, help with stress and balance difficulties, and provide a bridge back to society. " " “You get military people that think, ‘I’m an alpha male, alpha female, and I don’t need a dog,’ ” he said. He eventually overcame his reluctance, and in February 2008 was teamed with Sharif, a yellow Labrador and golden retriever mix from Canine Companions...

Today it was announced that the Silver Star Families of America will honor any military working dog that has been wounded in action.

FORT HUACHUCA — Knuppel and Dag were inquisitive. They tilted their heads and looked up as soldiers of the 18th Military Police Detachment rappelled down a 40-foot-tall tower on Fort Huachuca on Friday. Sniffing the air, their eyes tracked the downward movement of the MPs as their ears were alert to noise from the soldiers. They would occasionally wag their tails in anticipation of doing something, why else would they be on a lead with their handlers standing by them. But it wasn’t going to be their normal exercise of searching for explosives, Knuppel’s specialty, or drugs, Dag’s specialty, or...