Meet Dr. Edgard Brito, Cosmetic Surgeon to the Dog Stars

He has done thousands of procedures, creating perfect dog-show-quality specimens. Ugh!

Most of us have an uneasy relationship with dogs and plastic surgery -- the tradition of docking the tails of show dogs like the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Wire Fox Terrier isn't something we like to think about, but at least the dogs are otherwise well cared for.

But how about cosmetic surgery to simply make the dog look better? More like a perfect specimen of the breed?

Meet Dr. Edgard Brito of São Paulo, Brazil, the world’s pre-eminent cosmetic surgeon for dogs. This is what he does. And he does it a lot.

He told Businessweek that his career took its "cosmetic turn" after he began breeding Doberman Pinschers as a hobby.

“I started to play with plastic surgery and began to look for the correct ears,” he says. “It’s important for us as show-dog breeders that dogs have the right expression, the correct proportions.”

How does one "play around" with plastic surgery on dogs? Take Brutus, Brito's first big success.

“One of his ears was in a peculiar place, and wrong, so that was the first time I used Botox to put less tension in the muscle of that ear,” he says. “I use Botox and Restylane to fix some broken cartilage. It’s a very good technique, you don’t need to cut the animal, only injections.”

And it worked. It worked so well that Brutus went on to be a dog-show champion, and today he lives the life of a stud, breeding.

As for Brito, he went on to do plastic surgery on "thousands of other animals, usually costing $500 to $1,000 each time."

He has developed a procedure that "permanently corrects excessive floppiness in ears" through the use of a silicone wedge inserted in the ears that reshapes cartilage. Then the wedge comes out. 

No evidence remains of the procedure, which makes Brito a favorite among dog-show participants.

“You need to use a technique that the judges can’t feel or see,” he says.

Brito is immune to criticism by this point, as you might expect -- imagine how much criticism this guy must have faced. But he certainly is a little tone deaf about it. Witness this quote: “Why not be beautiful? It’s very important. If the pet is beautiful, the owner is happy and wants to show their pet to their friends.”

If the pet is beautiful, the owner is happy? 

What a fool. 

View the original article here

Does This Dog Look Like Steve Buscemi?

Some of the top news agencies think so. Do you?

Recently I've been watching a lot of Boardwalk Empire, the HBO show in which Steve Buscemi rules Atlantic City as a ... city councilman? Frankly, the plot is starting to get away from me. And Agent Nelson Van Alden is a little much, isn't he, with the self flagellation and the cold buttermilk? (I've only just started season two -- Netflix.) (No spoilers in the comments!)  

In any case, I've been paying a lot of attention to Steve Buscemi's face, and I have for a good many years, ever since I saw him in Reservoir Dogs and thought, as many did, Who looks like that? 

And now the Internet comes along with this dog, saying that he looks like Steve Buscemi, and the Daily Mail and the Chicago Tribune and the Huffington Post get their top reporters on the story, and it balloons.

The question remains: Does this dog really look like Steve Buscemi?

Dogster says ... yes! Or no? AW MAN WE DON'T KNOW. 

Actually, there's a bit more to this story, which is just as important as whether or not this dog looks like Steve Buscemi. (He does, right? Or no?)

The little guy is named Chuchi, a Peekapoo who spent eight months at no-kill shelter Faithful Friends Animal Society before finding his forever home. 

Huffpost got the jump on him after it ran the story on Tonik, the dog who looks like a little boy. You remember him: 

In response to the Tonik story, a reader sent Huffpost a photo of Chuchi, and Huffpost, stopping everything, threw everything it had at the story. It tracked down Jane Pierantozzi, director of Faithful Friends, who gave them the low-down on the dog:

"[Chuchi] is a bit temperamental and only likes the few people that he wants to like -- just like some people," Pierantozzi wrote HuffPost in an email. "If you irritate Chuchi, he lets you know. He reminds us of an old man who can be grumpy at times."

Fortunately, Chuchi was adopted out to a nice home, so we don't have to worry about him any more. You know who should worry about him? The other dogs in the neighborhood. That town is about to get real dicey.

Here's another picture of the dog:

Via HuffPost 

View the original article here

Ugh, No! Bones of More Than 200 Dogs Found on Awful Dude's Property

After neighbors complained about a "foul stench" coming from a Goose Creek, SC, home, police investigated. They found more than 40 malnourished dogs, a mix of Hounds and Beagles. 

That was shocking, but it was nothing compared to what they found themselves walking through in the yard -- "thousands of dog bones," according to KSLA.com, which were strewn about the woods behind the home. 

"That's when they began to uncover the gravity of the situation," said Berkeley County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dan Moon.

All in all, authorities estimate that the bones of more than 200 dogs are on the property. 

"It's a terrible sight," said Moon. "When you look at the carcasses of the animals and the bones everywhere, it's horrific."

Crews have made a few sweeps of the land and concede there is no way they've found all the bones. Yet they have more than enough evidence. 

"They've got search teams, and they're going back through there again and marking the bones as they find them -- marking the carcases and marking the bones, because some of them have been back there a very long time," said Moon.

How did the dogs die? Preliminary investigation points to neglect as well as murder. 

"Some of them we already found do have bullet holes in their heads," said Moon. 

As for the owner of the property, 64-year-old Loney L. Garrett, he's been charged with 43 felony counts of ill treatment of animals.

A neighbor said that animal control had visited the man four years ago,and had left without acting, which outraged the neighbor.

"There were skeletons in the ditch of dogs that had just died," she said. "It looked like they had just been tossed to the side."

Unbelievably, Garrett has one defender: his daughter-in-law.

"He's not a bad person," Diane Luckie told ABC News 4. "He's not done anything wrong but love those animals. ... This is his hobby, to hunt deer and rabbits. He enjoys everything that he does with those dogs. He has no intentions to hurt those animals."

As for the 45 alive dogs found on the property, which Moon calls "so emaciated, just skin and bones"? 

"Those are hunting dogs. They run. They carry their weight off," Luckie said. "You don't want no fat dog."

Fortunately, we're confident that no judge in his or her right mind will see it that way. 

Via KSLA.com and ABC News 4

View the original article here

American Kennel Club Criticized for Connections to Bad Breeders

Pressure mounts as more A.K.C.-registered breeders are charged with animal cruelty.

The American Kennel Club is the place to go to register purebred dogs, and it's also the governing body for dog shows, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which is currently in New York. 

But some breeders who sell dogs registered with the club have been raided by police on animal abuse charges, and critics believe that the Kennel Club does not do nearly enough to inspect breeders it supports, according to a startling expose in the New York Times. 

Take the example of Margaret and James Hamilton, described as a "dog power couple" in the story. Margaret was a breeder and a dog show judge who owned prizewinning Chihuahuas. James was prominent member of a local A.K.C. Rottweiler club.

Yet in 2011, according to the story, police "found 38 dogs that were under James’ care, mostly Chihuahuas, living in small crates filled with fur and feces, the cages stacked on top of one another in a dark basement, according to court documents. A radio was blaring, drowning out the sound of barking, and many of the dogs were malnourished and had eye diseases and overgrown toenails, according to investigators. Thirteen dogs were euthanized the night of their rescue because of incurable health problems, including severe periodontal disease."

“It was a Silence of the Lambs scene down there,” Kim Koon of Pasado’s Safe Haven said. “Those animals were in horrible shape.”

That same day, police seized 62 dogs from the Hamiltons’ residence in Issaquah, WA. One was later euthanized. 

The A.K.C. acted swiftly, stripping Margaret of “all A.K.C. privileges” including judging and fined her $2,000. 

According to the Times, critics say that the A.K.C "is lax in performing inspections and that it often lobbies against basic animal rights bills because they could cut into dog registration fees," which make up roughly 40 percent of the A.K.C.’s $61 million annual revenue. "Critics say a significant part of that includes revenue from questionable breeders like the Hamiltons, or so-called puppy mills, which breed dogs en masse with little regard for basic living standards."

One of those critics is the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 

President and and chief executive Ed Sayres said a majority of the commercial breeders in the raids the ASPCA has participated in "have had ties to A.K.C.-registered litters."

“The irony to the consumer is that they’re paying a lot for a fake Rolex,” he said, adding that some of the dogs are "genetically compromised" and come from "traumatic environments." 

Puppy mills? Traumatic environments? When you went with a breeder that registers dogs with the A.K.C., that's not what you signed up for, is it? 

The A.K.C., meanwhile, disputes the allegations, and says that it is not a law enforcement agency and can't be responsible for all breeders, but it is "proactive in ferreting out animal abuse,” says Lisa Peterson, the communications director for the A.K.C. The group has nine field agents who inspect breeders. 

The Times story goes on to give examples of breeders who were shut down after raids, with one owner even sentenced to prison, despite repeated inspections by A.K.C. field agents in previous years, who found the kennels "in compliance."

A.K.C.'s associations with low-quality, high-volume breeders are causing some people to distance themselves from the group. Will you be next? 

View the original article here

Animal Planet's "Glory Hounds" Follows Military Dogs in Afghanistan

The special on war dogs and their handlers premieres on Feb. 21. Set your DVRs!

Did you know that when Seal Team 6 killed Osama Bin Laden, a military dog was part of the raid, working with his handler? Did you know that the military has more than 600 working military dogs in Afghanistan, protecting soldiers and civilians, sniffing out bombs and tracking insurgents? 

In Afghanistan, military dogs have proved crucial, the best defense against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which are hidden randomly in the sand. As such, the dogs are also prime targets for the Taliban. They take on the most dangerous roles and develop intense bonds with their handlers. 

Now, thanks to Animal Planet's Glory Hounds, a two-hour special that premieres at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, we get to see them in the field. The filmmakers gained unprecedented access, embedding three camera crews among military-dog teams in the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan. 

Getting there was no easy task. It took a year to get permission to film in a war zone, requiring discussions with four branches of the military. Then cameras crews went through specialized training to prepare them for their time in the field, which lasted six weeks. 

Glory Hounds follows four dogs and their handlers:

Lance Corporal Kent Ferrell and his German Shepherd, Zora, who sniffs out IEDs. Corporal Drew Nyman and his Belgian Malinois, Emily, who track insurgents deep in enemy territory. Staff Sergeant Len Anderson and his Belgian Malinois, Azza, who go on bomb-detecting runs while Staff Sgt. Anderson trains for his new role as the kennel master. On one run during filming, they come under fire -- and the cameraman drops his camera to help save Staff Sgt. Anderson’s life.Lance Corporal Durward Shaw and his German Shepherd, Falko, an attack dog and an explosive-device tracker who works on Afghanistan’s notorious Highway One, one of the deadliest roads in the country.In each case, filmmakers explore the intense bond between dog and handler, who put their lives into each other's hands on a daily basis. It's not all pretty. As the press release for the show notes, "In Glory Hounds, as in war, some dogs and handlers come home, some return forever changed, and some don’t come home at all."

Animal Planet's Glory Hounds premieres at 8 p.m. on Feb. 21. Be sure to set your DVRs. 

Want to read more about military working dogs? Check these out:

View the original article here

Indianapolis Road Trip

Since being elected as President of the Greater Cincinnati Saint Bernard Club in November, I have been quite busy with all things Saint Bernard.  Monthly meetings, preparation for our Specialty Show this May and attending some of the local “ish” dog shows and Saint Bernard Specialties.  Its amazing how much hard work goes into planning and executing a dog show.  Its also amazing to see the lovely, sound dogs who are competing.  I’ve met some amazing people both here and abroad.

Last weekend Rufus and I took a “road trip” to Indianapolis for the Indy Winter Classic.  Rufus isn’t a show dog, but he loves to go on car trips so I brought him along for the company.  He certainly made himself at home in the hotel.  See that tiny spot in the corner, that’s where he expected me to sleep.

The cluster of shows drew a huge entry.  Each show had a 5 point major (for many of you that’s gibberish - I’ll explain “dog shows for dummies” in my next post so please bear with me).  It was great to see old friends and meet new ones that I have only known on facebook or through yahoo lists until then.  And of course the dogs!  As always, I took a TON of photos.  Note to self – I need to get an external flash to keep up with my snapping shutter finger.  Even though I have an excellent camera (canon 60-D), it struggles to keep up with my snapping when I use the built in flash.

I donated some baked goodies to the Indy Saint Club for their hospitality table.  One of the breeders called me the “hostess with the mostest” lol.  In honor of Mardi Gras I made a King Cake, complete with little plastic baby.  Southern tradition is the person who gets the baby is the hostess of next years Mardi Gras Party.  Up North, we don’t really celebrate Mardi Gras “proper” so it falls to a watered down tradition of whoever gets the baby has to bring the cake the next year.  Surprisingly, no one fessed up to getting the baby! Hmmmm I wonder if they are expecting me to bring it again next year.  The King Cake is on the left.

Since the St Bernard cupcakes were such a hit in Cleveland, I made a 3 tier, 6 layer white cake with St Bernard topper.  My cupcakes were mentioned in the January 18th edition of Dog News Magazine (page 61).  I’m starting to really enjoy this cake crafting thing.  I think I’m making up for my childhood when my mom wouldn’t let me play with play dough. 

View the original article here

Happy 9th Birthday Brutus and Rufus

Its been awhile since I have posted anything about my crew so I thought I’d let you all know how things have been going.  Brutus, Rufus and Apollo celebrated their 9th birthdays in January. 9 is not a big milestone for a Labrador  but for a Saint Bernard its HUGE.  The average life span of a Saint Bernard is 8-10 years and I have been blessed to make it to the 9 year mark.  I’m hoping for a lot more time.  I ordered a big bone birthday cake from Three Dog Bakery Columbus and as always they made the most amazing cake for the boys.  When I called in and gave their names for the cake, the owner recognized them immediately.  She says… “OOOOH, I know them, the Saint Bernards” – totally made my day!

The boys enjoying their yummy cake! Rufus’s legs are so gross… he’s likes to groom himself, alot.  As he’s gotten older and a little arthritis has set in, keeping him clean and white is a challenge.  They both go to the groomer once a month for a bath and brush and I wash his legs in the tub once a week.  Of course he was due for a bath when I took his bday pictures.  Oh well, Saint Bernards are alot of work.  If you are considering getting one, please read – Is a St Bernard Right for you that I wrote a few months ago.

View the original article here

In Portland, You Can Win Money for Kissing Your Dog the Longest

The annual Valentine’s Day Canine Kissing Contest is always a slobbery-good time.

Many people let their dogs kiss them -- briefly. The pooch gets a few licks, maybe a few more if you've had a drink or two, and then its "back off, pal! We're not like that!"

At the ninth annual Valentine’s Day Canine Kissing Contest and Cocktail Party, however, it was definitely like that. The owners remained stock still, eyes clenched, taking all the kisses their dogs could give, perhaps thinking about the "cocktail" part of the kissing contest to get them through those final, just insanely wet seconds.

Did they know it was going to be so wet?

Appropriately, the dog-kissing contest was also a Valentine's Day party. What better gift to give your dog than unfettered access to your face, for as long and as slobbery as he wants?

The annual event at the Planet Dog Company Store in Portland is surprisingly popular, with people lining up out front to enter, all for the chance to win a grand prize of a ... $75 gift certificate. Oh well, the real reward is letting your dog kiss you as long as he wants.

"It gets very competitive," said Jim Williams, the owner of Planet Dog. "Some of our dogs and owners actually train for this every year."

That's right: The owners train. At least that's what they tell their spouses when they unexpectedly come home early from work. THAT'S A JOKE!

This year's winner was the incomparable kissing duo of Linda West and Beau, who smooched for 45 seconds without a break, like two teenagers in 1976. This is the second year they've won. According to Jim, last year they kissed "was upwards of one minute and some seconds, which is a pretty lengthy kiss to watch."

Casey Mountain and Sunny, Staffordshire Terrier, took second place, with 16.8 seconds. Sunny seemed to have the wettest kisses of the night, soaking Casey in a thick sheen of saliva from hairline to chin. 

Erik Boucher and Django took third place, with 11.7 seconds of lightening-fast tongue-work. 

Congratulations to all the competitors, and we look forward to next year's contest. Happy training!

Via the Daily Mail

Read more canine-smooching stories here:

View the original article here

The American Kennel Club Goes on Attack Mode

After a New York Times article links the group to bad breeders, the club fires back.

 On Sunday, the first day of the American Kennel Club's world-famous Westminster Dog Show, the New York Times published a takedown of the club, which we wrote about here. The Times story linked the A.K.C. to bad breeders, including puppy mills, describing how some registered breeders have been charged with animal cruelty, even though the A.K.C. had inspected their operations in recent years. 

The next day, the A.K.C. fired back with an letter, charging the Times with using "unsubstantiated, anecdotal episodes to paint a grossly misleading and biased picture of dog breeders who register their dogs and litters with the AKC."

You can read the rest of the letter here. 

The A.K.C. felt that two quotes were particularly onerous, both by ASPCA president and CEO Ed Sayres:

"A majority of the commercial breeders in the raids that [the ASPCA] participated in had ties to A.K.C.-registered litters." And, concerning dogs registered with the A.K.C., "The irony to the consumer is that they're paying a lot for a fake Rolex."The letter argues that there are no facts, proof, or numbers to back this up. "Both of these statements are opinions that were printed erroneously as fact," the letter reads. 

The article also disputes this line: "As recently as 2010, roughly 40 percent of the A.K.C.'s $61 million in annual revenue came from fees related to registration. Critics say a significant part of that includes revenue from questionable breeders like the Hamiltons, or so-called puppy mills, which breed dogs en masse with little regard for basic living standards." 

The A.K.C.'s letter claims that, "In fact, less than 5 percent of our total revenue comes from commercial breeders who register dogs and litters with us."

The letter also says that the Times story presented an incomplete picture of the breeders it proflied, who were charged with animal cruelty while selling dogs registered with the A.K.C.  

Concerning James and Margaret Hamilton, the A.K.C. says that the Times "inaccurately portrays Hamilton as a high-volume breeder or 'puppy mill.'" In the letter, the A.K.C. counters that "hoarding is likely a factor in what was occurring as the Hamiltons were clearly unable to part with dogs that they had collected over the years."

Concerning another breeder, the A.K.C. charges that the Times failed to make the connection between the deplorable state of one breeder's operation and the fact that police found 200 marijuana plants on the property, "a vocation which likely led to the deterioration of his kennel and his overall ability to care for his dogs in the two years between his last AKC inspection and the raid of this property."

That's right: The A.K.C. is saying that it is "likely" that growing marijuana led to one breeder down the road to animal cruelty, within two years. Sorry, but that's an absurd claim to make without any facts to back it up.

The A.K.C. letter then defends its kennel inspection program, which it says it "spends millions on." It also seems to put down the bad breeders in the story as simple bad apples in an otherwise good program, saying, "It is important to note that in any enforcement and regulatory program, there will be those who approach the regulated activity with a disregard for compliance with the rules." 

That may be true. But when those breeders show a "disregard for compliance with the rules," we hope outfits like the Times will cover it, as it did here. 

View the original article here

"Truffle Dogs" Get Delicious Duty in the Pacific Northwest

Dogs are succeeding as truffle hunters, putting the Northwest truffle on the culinary map.

Like most people, we don't know nearly enough of what goes on in finding a truffle. When we hear the word "truffle," we think "france, pigs," followed by "WANT."

We were surprised to find out, via the Seattle Times, that the latest hot thing in the food world is using dogs to find truffles, and the dogs are finding those truffles in the Pacific Northwest.

The story talks about dogs such as Lolo, a young Lagotto Romagnolo (an Italian breed known for its truffle-hunting skills), hunting for truffles in the Cascade foothills of King County. Those truffles command a hefty price -- $25 an ounce. 

Alana McGee, 29, owns Lolo, and she has made truffle hunting her business, founding Seattle's Toil & Truffle after a series of odd jobs, such as working in a winery and assisting a Hollywood producer. 

“I get to be outside and with dogs,” she says. “I’m not a cubicle type of person.” 

Lolo, who is 8 months old, is carrying on her breed's rich tradition of hunting truffles. The Times story notes how some Lagotto breeders smear truffle oil on the teats of whelping dogs to hammer home the scent. 

But, as you can imagine, all sorts of dogs are used to find truffles. McGee also has Duff in the field, a shaggy, black rescue dog who was found as a pup in an irrigation ditch. Duff is very enthusiastic about hunting truffles. 

“He’s very dramatic,” McGee said. “I’m trying to get him to be a bit more gentle. Sometimes he digs so hard that he throws out the truffle behind him.”

The prime hunting spots are on private lands, and their locations are shrouded in secrecy. Landowners have long fought with truffle harvesters who use rakes, digging up the delicate root systems and putting uneven product on the markets. 

Using dogs to hunt truffles, however, is gentler on the soil, as the dogs' handlers are able to carefully dig around the fungi. Plus, the dogs locate only truffles that are ripe. As such, the reputation of Northwest truffles is increasing. 

“They can stand on their own. They are so unique,” said Toivo Heyduckj, sous chef at Sooke Harbour House on Vancouver Island. “When we get them. We love them.”

Thus far, the truffle operation in the Pacific Northwest still pretty small -- McGee harvested about 10 pounds last year, though she hopes to branch out into new areas and is working with large landowners. 

One of her competitors, Umami Truffle Dogs, harvested about 30 pounds. Umami was started by Kris Jacobson, a retired police officer in Eugene, OR, about a year ago, after her Belgian Malinois named Ilsa showed promise during a two-day training course. 

“I am still learning how Ilsa communicates with me. It’s really kind of amazing,” Jacobson said. “If it happens to be a really small truffle that I just don’t see, she will pinpoint where it is, and sneeze.”

Via the Seattle Times

View the original article here

Product Review: Lickety Stik Lickable Dog Treat

A liquid dog treat! Who knew?

Ever heard of a liquid dog treat? I hadn’t, until I saw Lickety Stik at our local Pet Supplies Plus store. (Yes, even though I’m a retailer and able to buy everything wholesale, I still visit pet stores to see what they’re selling , and to buy anything that I need only one of, not a whole case.)

So here’s this roll-on bottle sitting at the checkout. I picked it up and saw it was a lickable liquid dog treat. I though, “What a great idea!” I have a nine-month-old Shiloh Shepherd whom we work with on leash and off. I need to drill commands and treat frequently for new commands, so a lickable treat (with only 1 calorie per 10 licks) seemed a good thing to try.

I purchased the chicken flavor and tried it out. The bottle says to shake it before offering it to the dog, then just unscrew the cap, hold the bottle down and let the dog lick. My Irish Setter was a little ambivalent at first, but the Shiloh LOVED it! We say “Sit!” and her bum hits the deck so fast it’s a blur. When Finnegan (the Irish) saw how much fun it was, his interest became a little keener. Now, they both do back flips (not literally) for the Lickety Stik.

I found the smell of the chicken flavor to be a little … not what I would think chicken would smell like. However, I’m not the target audience here. The dogs love it and that’s what matters. The smallish bottle holds over 500 licks, which is a good value for $6.99. That comes out to a penny per treat. Try beating that in a tough economy. There are other benefits, too.

It’s quick! No fumbling in your pocket or bait pouch for a kibble or treat. No dropping it on the floor or pulling out two or three, which take longer to eat. The dog can be rewarded right away when he does what you’re asking him to do. He can consume the treat quickly, too, without having to stop and chew it up, then clean up the crumbs on the floor. By then, you’ve lost some momentum. A quick treat is much better, especially for teaching new things.It’s precise. If you’re working with more than one dog, or you’re training in a class around other dogs who might be interested in what you’re giving your dog, you have more control over making sure the right dog gets the treat. Food aggressive dogs who might want to swoop in and get the treat away from you or your dog have a heard time when it’s a quick lick or two.It’s low cal. You can treat often without worrying about caloric intake. My dogs are very slender, so I don’t worry about that, but I’ve had other dogs that shouldn’t be given 30 treats a day. With this treat, I can reward as often as I wish.No spilling. I don’t worry about treats spilling out of my treat pouch or pocket all over the sidewalk when I bend down to pick up after my dog.

Lickety Stik is available in three flavors: Liver, Chicken and Bacon. It retails for $6.99. Manufactured by PetSafe, the people who brought us the Drinkwell water fountain and the self-cleaning litter box. Gotta love the creative minds over there. What will they think of next?

View the original article here

Recall Alert! Nearly 50 Types of Kasel Dog Treats May Be Tainted with Salmonella

Check the labels below to make sure you aren't serving your dog treats with a side of salmonella.

Kasel Associated Industries of Denver, CO, announced a huge voluntary recall this week, incorporating ALL products manufactured at its Denver plant from April 20 through September 19 of last year. 

The reason? Possible Salmonella contamination. However, Kasel says it has not received any reports of illness in connection with the products.  

The Kasel brands being recalled include Boots & Barkley, BIXBI, Nature’s Deli, Colorado Naturals, Petco, and Best Bully Sticks. The specific products number nearly 50, including all manner of dog treats, including bully sticks, chicken jerky, pigs ears, beef ribs, beef knuckles, lamb jerky, pork femur, buffalo hearts, pig snouts, lobster tails, knee caps, beef liver, hearts of lamb, pork jerky, chicken-stuffed femur bone, smoked-beef femur bone, and more -- the list is long. 

If you have have products from any of these brands on your shelves, check the FDA page to identify UPC codes, lot numbers, and best-buy dates for the infected products here.  

According to the FDA, "Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has any of these signs, please contact your veterinarian."

If you have questions, call Kasel Associated Industries at 1-800-218-4417.

In other recall news, Nature’s Variety has announced a voluntary recall of one batch of Instinct Raw Organic Chicken Formula due to plastic pieces found in bags. The company says the clear plastic pieces present a choking risk to dogs, though it fails to mention the source of the plastic. 

The recall includes the following products with "Best if Used By" date of 10/04/13:

UPC# 7 69949 60137 1 – Instinct Raw Organic Chicken Formula medallions, 3 lbs. bag UPC# 7 69949 70137 8 – Instinct Raw Organic Chicken Formula medallions, 27 lbs. case UPC# 7 69949 60127 2 – Instinct Raw Organic Chicken Formula patties, 6 lbs. bag UPC# 7 69949 70127 9 – Instinct Raw Organic Chicken Formula patties, 36 lbs. caseThe affected products were distributed through retail stores and the Internet in the United States and Canada. The company says no other products were impacted.

If you have questions, call Nature’s Variety Consumer Relations team at 1-888-519-7387.

View the original article here

Minkyu Lee's "Adam and Dog" Is Nominated for an Oscar

You can watch the animated short, which reimagines the story of Genesis to include a dog.

When we watch the Oscars, the Animated Short Film category is typically a "whatever" category, because who's seen any of the nominated animated shorts? 

That ends now. Adam and Dog is up for an Oscar, and you can watch it right now, and then have something to root for during the Animated Shorts section of the Oscar telecast, which should impress your friends. (Your friends, if they aren't dog owners, will probably be rooting for Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare, because they lack imagination.)

Adam and Dog is a stunning hand-animated watercolor short, featuring pitch-perfect animal movements, especially those of the dog. Its creator, Minkyu Lee, worked on Disney’s The Princess and the Frog and Wreck-It Ralph, but this is his first solo project. The 16-minute wordless film took him two years to make and $25,000 of his own cash. Critics (such as there are critics for animated shorts) believe it's a frontrunner in the Oscar race. 

Adam and Dog tells the story of Genesis and the Garden of Eden, with one significant addition: a dog. It packs a meditative punch, opening with an inquisitive dog spending his days in lush, primeval Eden. Eventually a pre-Eve Adam crosses his path, and the two pause, instantly drawn to one another. It is the first meeting of man and dog. We'll let you watch the rest. 

NSFW warning: Adam, for those familiar with the story, is indeed naked but, thanks to the wonders of artistic restraint, his nakedness is somewhat blurred, obscured, and otherwise just hinted at -- most of the time. An outline is seen here and there. Same goes with Eve. 

Via the Washington Post

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Aww of the Day: Cop Stops Highway Traffic to Save Dog

Cujo was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fortunately, the right cop happened along.

Cujo, a Miniature Rat Terrier with a bad hip, ran away from home one morning several days ago in La Porte, Texas. One of his owners, Jeremy Zapalac, quickly organized a search party. It started raining. Things were getting critical.  

"He hates water," Jeremy later told KHOU 11 News. 

He also said the tiny dog is named Cujo because "he's a monster, frankly," and that he's "a Napoleon type of dog. He's very short, with a very big ego." 

In any case, Cujo was out in the rain. Where, nobody knew. Until Police Officer Kyle Jones spotted Cujo huddled in the cold on the well-trafficked Spencer Highway, hatching a plan. Cujo, it seemed, was going to cross the road. 

"He’s not going to make it if I don’t do something," Jones said of the tiny dog. "When I saw [the dog] and saw the size of it, I immediately hit my lights and shut all the lanes off."

Yep, a cop shut down a highway to save the shivering little dog, who hates water. After he did that, the rest of the rescue operation was all on Cujo. Jones was worried the dog would scamper away. 

"You know how Chihuahuas [sic] are. You're not really sure if you can trust 'em or not," the officer said, laughing. "But he kind of looked at me and said, 'Man, I'm glad you're here.' He let me pick him right up. Stuck him in the back seat of the patrol car."

Cujo had tags, so he was quickly back in the arms of Jeremy Zapalac.

"I was just happy to have him back," Jeremy said. "He was all wet, he was soaked. We got him in, wrapped him up, dried him off, and he just slept in his bed all day." 

Which might have been the end of this story, had not a passing motorist -- well, one of the stopped motorists -- pulled out a camera and snapped a photo of the cop sweet-talking Cujo over to his car. She posted the the photo to Reddit, along with the line "This police officer stopped traffic, in the rain, to save this wet and limping little dog. Faith in humanity.... Restored," and the Internet took it from there.  

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5 Oscar-Nominated Movies Only a Dog Could Love

The Academy Awards' Best Picture nominees get reshot with all-dog casts -- which is only right.

Oscar night did not offer much for dog lovers, and we felt bad about that, so we're making up for the ACADEMY SNUBBING DOGS by showing you THEFW's hilarious poster series, featuring Oscar-nominated Best Picture films with all-dog casts. 

Hey, why isn't Russell Crowe a dog, too? Anyway, to see the rest of Christine Gritmon's great poster series, visit THEFW. But before you go, revisit the clips of all the nominees who were up for Best Picture, courtesy of the Pet Collective. Yes, these are all starring dogs, too. You know the routine.

View the original article here

Bravo, Mark Buehrle: Pitcher Refuses to Risk His Dog In the Face of Ontario's Pit Bull Ban

The baseball player leaves his dogs with his wife and kids, and heads to the Toronto Blue Jays alone.

Mark Buehrle is one of the very best baseball players, a starting pitcher with 13 years in the majors. He's also one heck of a dog lover, with four dogs at home with his family, one of them a Bulldog/American Staffordshire Terrier mix.

It's a Pit Bull, in short. And that Pit Bull can't come with Buehrle to his new job as starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, since Ontario bans Pit Bulls. 

A conundrum, indeed. Buehrle didn't ask to be traded to Ontario from Miami -- in fact, he's pretty upset about it. And how he can't take his dog with him. 

"He's an awesome dog," Buehrle said, according to the Washington Post. "That's what's a shame; just the way he looks is why we have to get separated."

No, Buehrle is not getting rid of the dog. He's a dog lover, remember? Instead, he's going to play baseball alone, leaving his beloved Slater home with his family, wife Jamie and kids Braden (5) and Brooklyn (3). 

“I reached out to several groups when I first learned about the trade to see if there was any kind of loopholes," Jamie told ABC News. "Pretty much there wasn’t, although in some areas they are less strict. We just couldn’t take that chance of him possibly being taken away from us.”

The Buehrles aren't looking for a fight when it comes to an unjust dangerous dog law. Why? Because a fight could mean the dog would be confiscated until the court date, and Buehrle can't bear the thought of it. 

“We’ve had people say, ‘Oh, you can bring them up here. Knowing you have money, no one’s going to take your dog because they know you’re going to fight against it,’” Buehrle said. “But the thing is, Slater will have to sit in a cage until that court date gets there, and that could be two weeks, it could be three months."

"If people don’t own dogs, they’re not going to understand you’re leaving your family and your kids behind over a dog.”

The family won't be separated too long, however. One a month, his wife and kids will travel to Canada and stay a week with him. Slater and the other dogs, however, will stay at home. 

“It’s something we’re going to deal with,” Buehrle said. “It’s going to be tough at the beginning, not seeing your kids, but people deal with it and we’ll make it work.”

The controversy is doing nothing for the good name of Toronto. Jamie says their five-year-old has been asking her, “How come Toronto doesn’t like dogs like Slater?”

Want to field that one, Toronto?

View the original article here

What Kind of Jerkfaces Burn a Dog Alive? (He Survives, Thank Goodness)

Bo the Blue Heeler's crime? Nothing more than snooping around a chicken coop. Seriously.

Bo, a very alive three-year-old Blue Heeler, is being called the Wyoming Wonder Dog. Here's why. (Buckle up.)

A few months ago, Genevieve Gerber and her 18-year-old son, Wesley, returned home to find a dog in their chicken coop, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

It was Bo. Wesley grabbed his rifle and shot the dog twice. Bo was hit on the cheek and in the back. Wesley and Genevieve walked up to Bo and determined he was dead. Wesley dragged the dog outside, then asked his father, Mike, what to do. 

"Burn it," his father told him. 

Later, Mike Gerber was able to clarify his position on burning a neighbor's dog that your son had just shot and killed, to the Casper Star-Tribune.

"I said, 'Burn it,' because we have had other predators come around -- and even our chickens that the dog had killed -- how we got rid of them was we just burned them," he said. 

Okay, then. 

Dutiful son Wesley dragged the dog to the family's "burn barrel" in the front yard, put the dog inside, doused Bo with gasoline, and lit him on fire. 

"The next thing you know, the dog comes popping up out of there in flames," Mike said to the Casper Star-Tribune. Then he watched the flaming dog run in circles before bolting off. 

"I wish it never happened," Mike says today -- after the talks with the police and the restraining order Bo's family placed on him, and maybe due to the heavy weight of his conscience. "The decisions being made were made fast. Maybe if they would've been thought through more clearly, we would've done things differently."

Indeed. 

In any case, Bo had bolted home, to his loving family, who couldn't believe their eyes.

“Something looked very wrong. It was this terrible smell,” Abby Redland said, according to the Times. "His hair was melted and falling out. He was still smoldering.”

“He was semi-comatose, in frantic pain, flailing," she said to the Star-Tribune.

Abby rushed Bo to the vet. “Bo was in such shock, the vet didn’t think he’d make it,” she said. “I just sat there with him, touching his head, because I couldn’t touch any other part of his body."

But Bo made it. Bo survived. The vet covered him in ice and stitched up his face. He couldn't lie down on his own for a month and a half, and he cried, but he got better. His hair fell out, his damaged skin blistered and fell off. But after five laser treatments and many checkups, and a lot of pain medication, Bo slowly healed. The skin on his legs shrunk, so he limps now, but he's still Bo. 

“He’s still the same sweet dog,” said Abby. “If you don’t pet him, he nudges you. His hair is a lot shorter now.”

As a result of the Gerber family's insanity, the Redlands took out a restraining order on them. And the Redlands are trying to make it harder under Wyoming law to shoot a domestic animal, and to introduce stipulations requiring shooters to contact the animal’s owners, according to the Times.

They've also set up a fund at the Tharp Veterinary Clinic in Worland, highlighting their efforts on their Facebook page, Bo's Cause for Abused Paws. The fund will assist anyone whose pets are in serious need of medical attention.

“Bo’s alive because he came home,” Redland said. “He knew where home was.”

All photos via the Facebook page Bo's Cause for Abused Paws.

View the original article here

These Are the Only Fruits and Vegetables I Would Consider Putting in My Mouth

And yes, they're toys for dogs. That's not weird at all. Also, you can win your own set!

Can I share one of my most shameful secrets with you? Fruits terrify me. So do vegetables. 

I'm not being cute -- I have issues putting foods with certain textures in my mouth, and the only way you'll get me to eat a carrot is in soup. My partner has joked about taking me to a hypnotist enough times that I'm starting to feel like he's dead serious. I often tell him to can it, but I know he's just trying to keep me from keeling over dead.

Anyway: dog toys! When our friends at P.L.A.Y. SF asked if we'd like to give away a set of their Garden Fresh plush toys for Valentine's Day, the first thing that came to mind was "Urg, produce, my favorite." But you know what? These might be the cutest fruits and vegetables I've ever seen. (Mostly because they're not real, but that's just me.)

My dog, Mr. Moxie, is a vegetable fan. But he didn't understand what I was up to when I arranged this cornucopia of plush toys next to him for this shot:

When I take a new toy out, Moxie goes absolutely bananas for it. But five toys at once is apparently a sensory overload for a small dog like him, as evidenced by the video clip below:

P.L.A.Y.'s produce toy pack ($40) includes a plump, teacher-worthy apple alongside a pumpkin, zucchini, carrot, and pea pod. Each toy is beautifully crafted -- not a stitch out of place -- and each has a squeaker or two hidden within (Moxie's favorite part).Scroll down to find out how to win a set of your own!

+ Aside from being the cutest, least-threatening fruits and veggies around, these toys are double-stitched and have a two-layer exterior for durability.

+ Like the rest of P.L.A.Y.'s products, they are eco-friendly, and stuffed with dog-safe PlanetFill filler (which is spun from recycled plastic bottles).

+ You can throw them in the washing machine without trouble.

To enter, leave a comment below to telling me about a phobia of your own ... or a food you absolutely will not eat.

I will pick my favorite answer next Thursday, Feb. 21, at noon PST and contact the winner via email. You'll have two days to respond or I'll choose another winner. (Sorry, that's just how it goes!)

Creating a Disqus profile and avatar just takes a minute and is a great way to participate in Dogster's community of people who are passionate about dogs. Please note that if your Disqus account doesn't contain a valid email address, you can't win because I won't be able to contact you. That's the worst! So, pretty please, check your account.

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We Are Dying to Hug Chesty, the Marines' Adorable New Bulldog Puppy Mascot

The 14th Chesty is a splendid dog. He should discharge his duties nobly and with much cuteness.

A new, impossibly green recruit reported for duty earlier this week, stepping off the bus from his hometown of Stephens City, Virginia, and joining the ranks of his esteemed peers in the armed forces.

His name is Chesty. He is a nine-week-old English Bulldog.

But before he can assume his duties as the official United States Marine Corps mascot, Chesty must survive a relentless boot camp, a hell-on-earth struggle that will test his resolve and bring him face to face with his worst fears -- he'll go to obedience school, in other words.

“After obedience school and recruit training, the young puppy will earn the title Marine, joining the ranks of his well-known predecessors,” the Marine Corps said on its website.

Those predecessors include 13 other Bulldogs named Chesty, all of whom are named after the late Lt. Gen. Lewis “Chesty” Puller, one of the most decorated officers in the history of the Marine Corps. The post -- mascot -- goes back to World War I, when our boys, responding to the German habit of calling Marines ‘teufel-hunden,' or devil dogs, created a U.S. Marine recruiting poster with a snarling English Bulldog wearing a Marine Corps helmet. 

After the poster with a Bulldog, the Marines set about getting an actual Bulldog, according to author Marion F. Sturkey, who wrote Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines.

“At the Marine base at Quantico, Virginia, the Marines obtained a registered English Bulldog, King Bulwark. In a formal ceremony on 14 October 1922, Brig. Gen. Smedley D. Butler signed documents enlisting the bulldog, renamed Jiggs, for the ‘term of life.’ Pvt. Jiggs then began his official duties in the U.S. Marine Corps.”

He was later renamed Chesty, after the famed Chesty Puller, and the naming tradition stuck.

As for this Chesty, his duties will include marching in the Friday Evening Parades and supporting various events around the National Capitol Region, according to the Marine Corps' website.

That is, after he gets into fighting shape.

"We do like what we do with regular recruits, our human recruits," said Captain John Norton, according to Fox 59 News. "We’re going to take a good civilian and we’re going to make him a little bit better and turn him into a U.S. Marine.” 

Via Fox 59 News 

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