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. 

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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 

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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

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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? 

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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:

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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. 

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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.

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