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Austin Animal Art

Link: Austin Animal Art.

Offering the finest pencil drawing from a photo of your most special companions.

L@@K!  Here's a sketch from Austin Animal Art of Nicki

ACD video by Jeff Jaquish of Zingpix on youtube

The Last Dog in America by Lidia Seebeck

The report came in slowly from Muddy Gap, Wyoming.Someone had spotted a dog sniffing around his house in the bitter cold of a Wyoming winter. The person was quite sure that this was a dog, not a wolf.No, of course he didn't secretly own the dog. That had been banned long ago, of course. This dog seemed to appear out of the blizzard itself one cold night, scaring his daughter silly.

Of course the animal was transferred to the authorities. It was determined that yes, indeed, this person really had found a dog,and only its somewhat feral behavior kept the land-dweller from being prosecuted for animal slavery. This dog had clearly been in the wild for some time. Everyone knew that for the last five years only the police, search and rescue, and a few charitable hospices and the like were allowed dogs,and the last one, a Yorkshire Terrier, had died last year. There was a funeral and everything,and many experts from the animal rights movement hailed the end of canine slavery.

***It hadn't always been that way, of course. Long ago,around the millennium,people often owned and bred dogs, and sometimes they ended up in shelters.Unfortunately the dogs that ended up in shelters were sometimes euthanized.Well, some people didn't like this. So they began to change the laws. First they banned dogs that were considered dangerous like Bull Terriers and Dobermans. Unfortunately sometimes docile breeds got mixed up into this,like the Greyhound, who was eventually maligned due to the muzzle it once wore while racing around a track. Predictably, the whole practice of racing the dogs was banned as being too cruel and the dogs were executed wholesale,being unadoptable due to the laws. Greyhound lovers,or Greyters, were broken hearted and tried to tell the authorities that the Greyhound were good dogs, gentle with kids and loving even to strangers. But they were soon locked up, having been prosecuted for animal slavery.

Another one of the milestones had to have been the passage of California's Healthy Pets Law, which mandated spaying and neutering for nearly all dogs except the most pampered of show animals. People were outraged but the law passed anyways, in an effort to reduce the shelter population. Many Californians were aghast that people were doing backyard breeding, and others were just mad that animals were still getting killed. Eventually this became the American Spay and Neuter Law, which mandated spaying and neutering for all animals not involved in police or search and rescue. The next ten years or so saw the canine population growing old, and more breeds being executed wholesale as they were deemed dangerous. Too late, people realized that very docile breeds were getting declared, and they began to question the wisdom of breed-specific legislation. By then even the young dogs were eight or so, and many were rapidly dying of old age, at least in the larger breeds,

***The dog in Muddy Gap had been transferred to a facility in Laramie where a police dog academy still stood, unused. The dog was soon deluged with donations from around the country of old kibble and soft blankets that had cushioned their canine seniors. Animal lovers came in from around the country to the chance to see and cuddle with the dog.Lucky soon responded to the attention, which everyone insisted on.

This dog was clearly quite old, having a very gray muzzle and face.Surprisingly, this dog was also clearly part Mastiff,which was one of the breeds to be Declared rather early on. Some dogs had been preserved as police dogs, however, so this dog was probably the offspring of one of those dogs. It had numerous abrasions and bite marks, and it was theorized that the dog had probably had to fight and hunt a lot to stay alive. No one really knew of course.

***As the War on Dogs continued, canine slavery became quite the hot topic, and there were two distinct camps of dog owners and former owners. The first wast hat dogs were nice to have around, but utterly miserable and it was good that they had mostly been euthanized. The other camp believed something quite different, They honestly believed that dogs were pack animals and honestly didn't mind the direction of a dog owner,rather relishing the leadership the owner provided and basking in the love the owner gave. As such they felt that canine ownership (and they were very unhappy with the term "slavery") was an ethical thing, and well worth the trouble of pursuing. Unfortunately this viewpoint was rapidly becoming illegal, and there were numerous people in prison for canine slavery. There were also an umber of people who lived in the back of beyond who were breeding dogs beyond the reach of authorities. In the days when breeding was more common,these people such as coyote-dog bleeders, were relatively few and far between. The shift in laws had increased their numbers, and now even responsible breeders were hiding out, hoping to save the last of their lines until the political storm broke. While some of these people persisted for a few years, it was rather easy to find a kennel full of barking dogs when all the other registered dogs were gone. Soon even these people fell to the insatiable sweep of the War on Dogs.

The number of dogs in America had been rapidly dropping and was now at5,673. Mostly these were police and rescue dogs, with a precious 10 or 15dogs who served as roving servants, transported from hospice to nursing home to hospital to comfort the ailing. Still, the occasional dog would show up and be pressed into one of the allowed professions, or else euthanized. (For some reason, euthanasia was now viewed as the greatest gift ever, when it was euthanasia which had started the legal avalanche in the first place)

***Lucky was not doing well in captivity. He had suddenly developed a fever,and there was no legal veterinarian anymore, since they had all been out of practice for years. Former vets clustered around him and tried to remember what to do. They gave him all manner of potions and antibiotics but these only gave Lucky a really nasty attitude and equally nasty gastric disturbances. With every hour it was clear the poor old fella was dying.

The nation turned in their televisions to watch,hourly updates, and the debate on dog keeping began to be opened once again. People reminisced about their dogs when they were young, and remembered good times at the dog beach or at the dog park. The talk of allowing dogs once again raged just as badly as poor Lucky's fever. His health declined quickly, and within a few days he was on the brink of death. Some news stations had completely stopped reporting on anything other than Lucky and the dog debate.. As his last sputtering breaths were captured live and transmitted around the world,people started to call their Legislators, asking to please, please not let Lucky be the last American dog. Unfortunately, things had gone too far, this was too little and too late.

Lucky truly became the last American dog..

" We have done the Impossible and that makes us Mighty!"Capt Mal Reynolds

Dogster- Menu Pet Downplaying Recall Threat

Spotted this on Dogster Blog -
Food for thought...(no pun intended)

I come again bearing bad news. It looks like the amount of tainted food is worse that the companies are saying. No definite facts or numbers but a whole lot of pets who ate the affected brands killed by or suffering from organ failure.

Menu is trying to downplay the threat and saying they don’t know what happened. They say they don’t know where the poisoned wheat gluten came from (which I don’t buy). Let’s compare this to the Diamond recall last year where Diamond immediately jumped into action, recalled everything and almost immediately reported where their problem came from and what they were doing to keep it from happening again. Menu is doing nothing like that.

1– they keep saying it is only a few (10 or 12) pets that are affected. I seriously doubt that as I hear from pet parents all over the US. Current unofficial estimate could range as high as 1000 pets affected.

2– They say they aren’t able to find the problem then they blame it on wheat gluten that seems to have appeared from nowhere with no source. Huh? Aren’t they supposed, to by regulation or law, keep track of every ingredient in every lot? Diamond had no problem pinpointing their toxic ingredient in a few days.

3– Menu is still producing pet food and shows no sign of concern that they may be poisoning thousands of dogs and cats. If they really don’t know what caused the problem, shouldn’t they shut down until the source is identified. This lack of apparent common sense suggests two possibilities to me– either Menu management DOES know where the taint came from and just does not want to say OR Menu doesn’t care where the taint came from and hopes we’ll all get too distracted by something else to forget to lean on the companies for which Menu makes all that tainted food.

4 –The stores carrying Menu products however are showing much more responsibility. Many of them are pulling Menu products off the shelves as fast as possible. Some are even pulling lots that have not been definitely identified as tainted. Do they know something we don’t? Like maybe they and we cannot trust ANY Menu foods? Just a thought.

So why write this? To urge you to show extreme caution in feeding ANYTHING coming out of a Menu factory. Menu has shown no signs that they really care about the poisoned products and have shown definite disregard for canine and feline health. I for one will have nothing to do with ANY brand that can be tracked back to Menu. Their sin is not in having a recall (though that’s obviously NOT a good thing). Their sin is in not acting fast enough when there was any hint or whiff of a problem. I’m afraid that may prove to be much earlier than January and much after way too many dogs and cats have suffered painful, needless deaths.
7 Woofs

Dogster For The Love of Dog Blog » Archive » Menu Pet Downplaying Recall Threat.

Where should I bury my dog?

Preface:  Over the past few months many of us have had beloved dogs cross the rainbow bridge. When we lose a pet in Alaska we are met with the problem of frozen ground and extremely high cremation fees.  I originally posted an excerpt from the following on cattledog-l as a memorial for Finn for Ingrid.  I received many emails in appreciation and decided I would post in its entirety here for posterity.

"Where to Bury A Dog"  By Ben Hur Lampman

A subscriber of the Ontario Argus has written to the editor of that fine weekly, propounding a certain question, which, so far as we know, yet remains unanswered. The question is this, "Where shall I bury my dog?"  It is asked in advance of death.

The Oregonian trusts the Argus will not be offended if this newspaper undertakes an answer, for surely such a question merits a reply, since the man who asked it, on the evidence of his letter, loves the dog. It distresses him to think of his favorite as dishonored in death, mere carrion in the winter rains. Within that sloping, canine skull, he must reflect when the dog is dead, were thoughts that dignified the dog and honored the master. The hand of the master and of the friend stroked often in affection this rough, pathetic husk that was a dog.

We would say to the Ontario man that there are various places in which a dog may be buried. We are thinking now of a setter whose coat was flame in the sunshine, and who, so far as we are aware, never entertained a mean or an unworthy thought. This setter is buried beneath a cherry tree, under four feet of garden loam, and at its proper season the cherry strews petals on the green lawn of his grave. Beneath a favorite tree or any flowering shrub of the garden is an excellent place to bury a good dog.

Beneath such trees, such shrubs, he slept in the drowsy summer, or gnawed at a flavorous bone, or lifted head to challenge some strange intruder. These are good places, in life or in death. Yet it is a small matter, and it touches sentiment more than anything else. For if the dog be well remembered, if sometimes he leaps through your dreams actual as in life, eyes kindling, questing, asking, laughing, begging, it matters not at all where that dog sleeps at long and at last.

On a hill where the wind is unrebuked, and the trees are roaring, or beside a stream he knew in puppyhood, or somewhere in the flatness of a pasture land, where most exhilarating cattle graze. It is all one to the dog, and all one to you, and nothing is gained, and nothing lost -- if memory lives.

But there is one best place to bury a dog. One place that is best of all.

If you bury him in this spot, the secret of which you must already have, he will come to you when you call -- come to you over the grim, dim frontiers of death, and down the well-remembered path, and to your side again. And though you call a dozen living dogs to heel they shall not growl at him, nor resent his coming, for he is yours and he belongs there. People may scoff at you, who see no lightest blade of grass bent by his footfall, who hear no whimper pitched too fine for mere audition, people who may never really have had a dog. Smile at them then, for you shall know something that is hidden from them, and which is well worth knowing.

The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of its master

Printed 1925

What's New?? DogFriendly.com's US Top 10 Cities

DogFriendly.com announces top 10 citiesin United States to visit

1. Vancouver, British Columbia

2. San Francisco, California

3. Chicago, Illinois
4. Boston, Massachusetts
5. Seattle, Washington
6. Austin, Texas
7. New York City
8. Long Beach (Los Angeles Area), California
9. St. Louis, Missouri
10. Northern Virginia (Washington DC area)

Honorable Mentions - While these five cities did not make the top ten this       year, they are also excellent places to take your dog on vacation:

Charleston, SC
Indianapolis, Indiana
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Salt Lake City, Utah
San Diego, California

What's New?? Data the ACD makes finals

Link:

Hope you'll go vote for me to be the new Old Navy mascot at www.oldnavy.com/magic

I am known as The Prankster there ... just because I am a little mischievous!

I've had a great time doing local TV interviews. I do all my tricks and get steak!! I can do tons of great tricks. People at the Old Navy store brought out a camera and asked to have their pictures taken with me! Lots of fun!

I'm happy anytime I'm doing stuff with Mom.

What's New?? Dog Cast Radio

Link: Dog Cast Radio - Welcome.
This is a lot of fun for those who enjoy listening to podcasts or internet radio.  The most recent episode has an great interview with a Yorkie breeder where she discusses many breeder related issues.  Origin UK.

What's New?? Man told to buy a dog license for barking doorbell

Link: Ananova - Man told to buy a dog license for barking doorbell.

Ananova:
Man told to buy a dog license for barking doorbell

A Dutch man has been ordered to buy a dog license because of his barking doorbell.

Gerrit Bruintjes has a computer controlled doorbell at the family home in Oldenzaal, reports Nu.nl.

It can play 15 different 'chimes' but he has it set to bark like a dog in honour of the family's pet German shepherd which died a few years ago.

A tax inspector recently called at the home when they were out and, after ringing the bell, left a demand for them to buy a dog license.

Mr Bruintjes said: "Last year we had big trouble in convincing the tax inspector, we have no dog in the house. And this year we had to go through the same thing again.

"My wife arrived a minute later and had big trouble convincing the tax inspector we had no dog at all."

But Mr Bruintjes said he won't chose another melody.

"Certainly not," he said. "This sound is to honour our deceased dog. I just hope its rings a bell with that tax inspector when he comes next year."

What's New?? Current Canine Stats & Trends

Link: Current_Canine_Stats_and_Trends.pdf (application/pdf Object).
Follow the above link to read all the stats and trends.

Americans own an estimated 73 million dogs
33% of onwers own two dogs
....
78% of dog owners consider their dog an "equal member" of the family
90% would not consider dating someone who wasn't fond of their pet
...
In 2005, it i estimated that $35 billion was spent on pets in the US
Of that total $14.5 billion:  Food