Dog Clothing, Products, News and Training Tips

The mother of these tiger cubs couldn’t produce enough milk, so zookeepers in Hefei, China, sought the help of this dog. She began work when the cubs were one day old. This isn’t the first time a dog has played wet nurse to tigers at the Hefei zoo, which organized a similar arrangement with another dog last year.

It may not even be the oddest recent example of cross-species suckling. As of February, India’s Namatia Ghosh, 46, was still breastfeeding the pet monkey her husband found orphaned several years ago. “He is my son,” she told BBC News. Not to be outdone, Hlah Htay, 40, helped a Burmese zoo feed two tiger cubs in April, according to the AFP news service.

The cubs had been separated from their aggressive mother. Tigers are born toothless. In the wild they nurse for about six months but begin eating meat after six to eight weeks, when the mother begins sharing her food.

[Source: National Geographic]

A wiry German shepherd-border collie mix was the dog Maj. Brian Dennis took a liking to. His nubby ears had been cut off as a puppy so Dennis named him “Nubs.” Dennis found Nubs with a deep puncture wound on his left side. He later learned the injury was inflicted by a screwdriver. He helped nurse the dog back to health.

The time came, however, for Dennis’ unit to relocate 70 miles from Nubs’ home fort. As always, Nubs sprinted alongside the Hummers as they pulled away for what Dennis assumed was the last time he would see the dog. Two days later, Nubs wandered in below-freezing conditions into Dennis’ new camp, surprising the Marine unit.”When he arrived he looked like he’d just been through a war zone. Well, he had,” Dennis wrote. Nubs’ incredible journey forced the Marine’s hand, and Dennis and his fellow Marines unanimously decided to keep the animal.

“This dog who had been through a lifetime of fighting, war, abuse, and had tracked down our team over 70 miles of harsh desert was going to live the good life,” Dennis wrote. Nubs is not the only dog befriended by an American soldier to earn a trip out of Iraq. Army Sgt. Peter Neesley found two dogs while on patrol during his second tour of duty in Iraq — Mama, a Labrador mix, and her puppy, Boris.

But tragedy struck when the 28-year-old sergeant died in his Baghdad barracks in Christmas, the cause of which remains unknown. His family decided one way to ease the grief would be to transport the dogs home. “It’s second to having Peter come home on his own,” the soldier’s sister said. “If we can’t have Peter, then at least we can have his dogs.”

Dennis could be home from Iraq as early as March, his mother said. The dog no longer will have to contend with fighting to survive in the war-torn country, Dennis wrote in an e-mail, but instead will get to bask in the sun on the sunny beaches of San Diego. “He’s supposed to be this big, tough Marine, but he’s really a softy.”
[Source: ABC News]

Hollywood star Cameron Diaz reportedly rescued an injured German Shepherd dog at the weekend.

According to People magazine, the actress took the injured animal to her home, where she cared for it, while her assistant posted notices about the dog.

A source told the magazine: “Diaz brought the dog in her house and gave it some food and water.”

“Her assistant posted a ‘found German shepherd’ sign and [the dog's owner] - Diaz’s neighbor who was driving around the area - came across it.”

Diaz’s representative said: “Cameron and a friend were involved in returning an injured dog to its owner.”

[Source: RTE Entertainment]

The New Scientist reports that dogs may have a rudimentary sense of morality and inequity. For instance, a pair of dogs recognize a difference when one of them is given a treat and the other is not, scientists said.

A few weeks ago, the study was presented to the first Canine Science Forum in Budapest, Hungary.

“I agree,” said Will Thomas, Tampa Bay Dog Whisperer. Thomas says he’s worked with over a thousand dogs and has been successful because he’s learned to think like a dog.

[Source: Tampa Bays 10]

Praise is the key to bonding with and understanding your dog. With a little help you will see your dog’s behavior vastly improve. If you’re happy and excited, the dog will be too!

Have you ever seen someone give their dog a couple of “good boys” only to see no reaction from the dog? Worse yet, have you ever seen this happen where the dog stiffened up? If you think you can say “good boy” without meaning it and have your dog believe you, you’re wrong.

The key is that dogs need to believe our praise. Dogs are highly emotional and very perceptive. As pack animals, they seek the approval of their superiors. If other people see you praise your dog, and they think you’re pretty weird, then you are probably praising it correctly.
Talk to the dog. Tell him how well he just sat; how confidently it was done. Tell him you admire his intelligence, and how you appreciate his good work. Say it and mean it. Say it as silly and as babyish as you need to, to get the dog’s eyes to brighten up, his posture to rise, his ears to perk up proudly. That is praise.

Tossing a ball or a stick for your dog is not praise. It is play. It is important to play with your dog. But, if your dog doesn’t feel good from your vocal praise and your facial expression, all the play in the world will not build a relationship, nor will it help you in training.

The best communication
The best way to develop a good relationship with your dog is to communicate on an emotional level. You must rely on building your skill at talking to the dog, so that the dog picks up immediately on your emotions.

It is easy for most people to talk silly with puppies. It takes some practice to be able to talk babyish to a big, tough dog. Since we cannot elevate the dog to human understanding, we must act in ways that dogs understand. A pat on the side and a “good boy” can give great satisfaction to the dog.

All of this is necessary to understand your dog and put fun into your training program. It’s very important to see a happy dog and one that can’t wait for the training time as you step out the front door with a leash and collar in your hand and treats in your pocket!

Have fun together!

[Source: OrovilleMR]

Vacations can be sad if and when they separate pets and their owners.

The traditional procedure has been to board dogs in a kennel during vacations, but that experience can be mixed.

“Dogs with behavioral issues, separation anxiety, or who don’t like other dogs are likely to experience a lot of stress if kenneled,” says Angela Speed, spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Humane Society. “Likewise, older dogs who have never experienced a kennel may not adjust well.”

Happily, new answers are appearing to the old question: “What do we do with Tippy during family trips?” The options fall into two categories: To take or not to take.

For Beth Maresh of Cedarburg, the answer is: “Take.” Her family has two well-traveled dogs.

The family is among the 29.1 million Americans who say they have traveled with a pet in the past three years, according to the Travel Industry Association of America. Canines are the most popular animal travel companions, says the association.

But pet owners can’t always take their animals along on vacation. Here are some options if you decide to leave your dog behind:

Do a pampered sleep-over
Several local dog day care centers offer extended overnight boarding with playtime perks above kenneling.

Milwaukee’s Central Bark downtown and north side locations, for instance, offer enough supervised exercise on playground equipment with other dogs to fill a six-hour day before lights out. Stays can range from overnight to three weeks.

“The main thing we’re trying to do is keep them mentally and physically exercised. We find they’re happier all around,” says Katie Wilke, Central Bark general manager.

Donnybrook Inn, located in Cedar Grove, offers themed luxury suites for dogs, including a “Harley Suite,” and a “Patriot Suite” complete with themed toddler beds and covers, and TV sets to help keep Fido relaxed and occupied. The inn is set on 80 acres of land with several dog swimming ponds. Owner Lesley-Rae Karnes is a champion dog trainer.

“There are no tears when the dog is left here,” she says. “Kids get involved in selecting which suite the dog will use, and everyone feels good.” It’s about $22 a night. Information: www.donnybrookkennel.com or (920) 668-6511.

Hire a sitter
Professional pet-sitting companies allow your dog all the comforts of home - because he is home.

“In most cases I see dogs being much calmer than when they’re kenneled. They know where their toys are, where their dish is. Their yard is just a few steps away,” says Jane Lichtenberg, founder of Critter Sitters Inc. in Glendale (www.crittersittersinc.com).

Professional pet sitters can be hired to do as many visits a day as needed (costs vary but are about $19 to $25 a visit). But be sure to plan ahead because most professionals need to meet with owners and pets ahead of time.

“Pet sitters can administer meds,” says Felicia Lembesis, executive director of the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters.

“They need to know what should be done in an emergency, who the vet is, what the pet’s habits are, the favorite toys. . . . Things like where there’s a circuit breaker box in case of a storm.”

Added bonus: Pet sitters can also make the house look lived in by opening and closing drapes, taking in the mail and watering the plants.

A professional pet sitter should be insured and have references. For more information on what to look for in a pet sitter, check out information from NAPPS at www.petsitters.org.

[Source: JSOnline]

Bernann McKinney says her pit bull “Booger” saved her life when another dog attacked her, then learned to push her wheelchair while she recovered from a severe hand injury and nerve damage. He died in 2006, but now he’s back in clone form, after the birth last week of puppies replicated by a South Korean company.

“Yes, I know you! You know me too!” McKinney cried , hugging the puppy clones as they slept.

The five clones were created by Seoul-based RNL Bio in cooperation with a team of Seoul National University scientists who in 2005 created the world’s first cloned dog, a male Afghan hound named Snuppy. It is headed by Lee Byeong-chun, a former colleague of disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk, whose purported breakthroughs in stem cell research were revealed as fake. Independent tests, however, proved the team’s dog cloning was genuine.

Lee’s team has since cloned some 30 dogs and five wolves, but claims Booger’s clones, for which McKinney paid $50,000, are the first successful commercial cloning of a canine. The procedure, which costs up to $150,000, is drawing criticism from animal rights groups which oppose cloning pets. They say it can lead to malformed offspring and exploitation of surrogates and egg donors, as well as unfounded claims that the new animal is an exact copy of the original.

“It’s fraught with animal welfare concerns and it does not bring back a loved one,” said Martin Stephens, vice president for animal research issues at The Humane Society of The United States, based in Washington. “A dead animal’s DNA does not guarantee the offspring will be identical to the deceased. It takes more than just genes to create an animal,” said Stephens, who is a biologist.

He said the cloning process also subjects hundreds of dogs and cats to invasive procedures as egg donors and surrogates. According to a report released by The Humane Society in May, 3,656 cloned embryos, 319 egg donors and 214 surrogates were used to produce just five cloned dogs and 11 cloned cats who were able to survive 30 days past birth. There are millions of homeless dogs and cats in the U.S., Stephens said, and “we don’t need new sources to compete with animal shelters and reputable breeders.”

McKinney, 57, a screenwriter who taught drama at U.S. universities, contacted Lee after her dog died of cancer in April 2006. She had earlier gone to U.S.-based Genetics Savings and Clone but it shut down in late 2006 after only producing a handful of cloned cats and failing to produce any dog clones.

The Korean scientists brought the dog’s frozen cells to Seoul in March and nurtured them before launching formal cloning work in late May, according to RNL Bio. “The cells’ status was indeed bad as they had been stored for a long time,” Lee told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “But the scientific technology has also developed compared with when we cloned Snuppy. There is no room for any doubt over whether they are real clones,” said Lee, whose team has identified the puppies as Booger’s genuine clones. His university’s forensic medicine team is currently conducting reconfirmation tests.

Lee said the five clones, which share identical white spots below their necks, were all healthy though their weights vary slightly.

RNL Bio charges up to $150,000 for dog cloning but was paid a third of that by McKinney because she is the first customer and helped with publicity, said company head Ra Jeong-chan. Ra said his firm eventually aims to clone about 300 dogs per year and is also interested in duplicating camels for customers in the Middle East.

[Source: The Associated Press]

It’s not just Frisbees and sticks. Dogs catch yawns from people, too.

Dogs who watch a human yawn repeatedly will yawn themselves, says Atsushi Senju of Birkbeck, University of London. Just as that big jaw-stretch spreads contagiously from person to person, it spreads from person to dog, he and his colleagues report in an upcoming Biology Letters.

“It is contrary to what I’ve heard informally from a lot of dog owners who say they catch their dogs’ yawns, but their dogs never yawn when they do,” says psychologist Gordon Gallup Jr. of the State University of New York at Albany. The data are “pretty compelling” though, Gallup says of the new study. “If it can be replicated it strongly suggests dogs may have a primitive empathic capacity.”

[Source: Science News]

The story of a Norwegian sea dog who became an unlikely war hero has been put into print.
It is the story of Bamse, a big St Bernard, who saved the lives of two sailors during World War II.

He did many good deeds as the mascot on the Norwegian Navy minesweeper the Thorrod, which was stationed in Montrose and Dundee.
A book has now been written, aiming to separate the fact from the fiction surrounding the canine hero.

Among his exploits included going into the water to rescue a sailor who had fallen overboard and knocking over a knifeman who was trying to attack a young lieutenant.
Bamse died in 1944 and is buried in Montrose with his head facing towards Norway.

Since then, a statue has been erected in the Angus town in honour of the dog and he was awarded the gold medal for gallantry and devotion from the PDSA charity.
Angus Whitson, co-author of Sea Dog Bamse, said: “My favourite story is him taking the sailors out of the pub and making sure they got back to their ship on time.
[Source: BBCnews]

MEET DJ, the daredevil parachuting pooch who fell 1220m and lived to chase his tail another day.

The 20-month-old tenterfield terrier joins an elite group of skydiving animals around the world after completing two tandem jumps with his owner Archie Jamieson, who is the manager of the Gold Coast Skydive Centre.

DJ landed safely on all fours when the pair dived into the All Saints Anglican School at Merrimac on Saturday. (Click here to see the video)

The weekend’s jump followed a practice skydive on Thursday, which Mr Jamieson said was a complete success despite the fact the pair had never jumped together before.

“We did the first jump at Kirra just to see if he liked it. Because if he didn’t, I wouldn’t pursue it,” he said. “I said to myself, ‘if he doesn’t like it, he’s not doing it again’. But he loved it.”

The 41-year-old said he had been a ‘little bit concerned’ about the pressure change in the plane and the effect it could have on DJ.

“It was all fine though and when we landed he just got his ball and ran around in circles,” he said. “He was a normal, happy dog and the jump didn’t seem to scare him.

“It’s not like when we landed he ran away scared.”

Mr Jamieson has jumped almost 12,000 times and has racked up 23 years of skydiving experience. He said he did not think he was doing the wrong thing by jumping with DJ.

“I’ve actually spoken to (TV vet) Dr Harry Cooper many years ago when a team member was jumping with a dog,” he said. “Someone had complained to the RSPCA about it so we contacted him to do a story on it and he said there was no issue as far as cruelty to animals.”

Mr Jamieson said he decided to take DJ skydiving after he donated a skydiving display to All Saints Anglican School for the weekend. “We wanted to give them something more than just a tandem dive with two people,” he said. “That would have just been the same old thing, but when you land with a dog, well that’s certainly something a bit special.”
[Source: The Gold Coast Bulletin]