Best in show: Scottish deerhound

Hickory, a Scottish deerhound from Virginia, took top honors at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Tuesday night. She is the first member of her breed ever to win best in show at Westminster.

The Scottish deerhound, a large sighthound originally used to hunt stags, has existed in much the same form since around the 16th century. A deerhound was once the prized pet of Sir Walter Scott, who described the breed as "the most perfect creature of heaven."

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Rare New Guinea Singing Dogs Discovered in Pennsylvania

New Guinea Singing Dog is the name of an ancient, rare type of primitive canine that once inhabited all of the island of New Guinea. [wiki]

Why are they called singing dogs? Listen

Until one month ago, only 150 were known to exist in captivity -- most of those in world zoos. But last month, in a small town west of Harrisburg, Pa., about 80 of these unique dogs were discovered living with a hoarder. Randy A. Hammond, 58, obtained his first two NGSD at an Ohio flea market in 1995. A man gave him another pair shortly thereafter, and all the dogs found at his property are descendants from those two pairings of singing dogs.

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Newspaper Won't Run Obituary

A grieving woman in Orange County, FL, says her loved one is being discriminated against by a local newspaper. She says the West Orange Times decided not to run an obituary after they saw the picture.

Kimberly DeWolf is so angry she is threatening to sue if Bailey is not given the proper farewell. She was preparing for a 13th birthday party next month.

"His birthday would've been August 18th. He's been the love of my life. My parents, their grandchild," she said.

But instead of a celebration, Kimberly was at a funeral service.

"He's actually buried at my parents house, has a gravesite," she said.

During a week off for bereavement, Kimberly wrote an obituary and wanted it placed in her local paper, the West Orange Times. But when editors saw the picture of Bailey, there was a problem in their eyes.

"He's not a dog, he's my child, he's never been a dog," Kimberly said. "They're discriminating against me because it's a dog in their eyes."


Source: WFTV.com

We've been away & need to catch up

Americans are extremely sensitive to the mistreatment of animals -- even those we intend to eat.

An undercover video showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts has led to the largest beef recall in the United States and a scramble to find out if any of the meat is still destined for school children's lunches.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sunday ordered the recall of 143 million pounds of beef from a Southern California slaughterhouse that is the subject of an animal-abuse investigation.

The recall will affect beef products dating to Feb. 1, 2006, that came from Chino-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., the federal agency said. The company provided meat to various federal programs.

Officials estimate that about 37 million pounds of the recalled beef went to school programs, but they believe most of the meat probably has already been eaten.

"We don't know how much product is out there right now. We don't think there is a health hazard, but we do have to take this action," said Dr. Dick Raymond, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety.

*****

The only breed consistently among the nation's most popular dogs for nearly 100 years, a beagle had never won in the 100 times the Westminster Kennel Club had chosen a winner. That changed when judge J. Donald Jones pointed to this nearly 3-year-old package of personality.

Baying and barking to his heart's delight, Uno lived up every bit to his name, becoming the first beagle to win best in show at the nation's biggest canine competition, the 2008 Westminster Dog Show.

Uno beat out two neatly primped poodles, a top Sealyham terrier, a sleek Weimaraner, a lively Australian shepherd and a sprightly Akita.

"He's perfect, he was a 10," Jones said. "He does cuteness well."

*****

I guess CBS is looking for a "can't lose" idea for a popular TV show ... Dogs are popular, right? And reality shows are popular, so why not combine the two and make a reality show featuring dogs?

CBS was looking for the most extraordinary teams of dogs and owners across the nation to compete for the title of "America's top dog." From purebreds to mutts, show dogs to stunt dogs, Pugs to Great Danes and agility dogs to dogs who dance the Tango - they wanted all types of talented canines. The winning team will walk away with bragging rights and a significant cash prize!

Sorry, the deadline for entries was February 15.

I wonder if anyone will watch it, other than friends and families of the contestants.

Recent Doggie News

* Since 2001, Southwest Florida International has used a 9-year-old border collie named Radar to patrol the runways and chase away birds. Birds being sucked into aircraft engines is one of the most persistent safety problems at airports. Border collies scare the birds but don't harm them.

* Grace Saenz-Lopez, the mayor of Alice, Texas, has been indicted after neighbors accused her of taking their dog, a 5-pound Shih Tzu, while she cared for it during their vacation.

The day after her neighbors left with their kids for vacation, Saenz-Lopez called to tell them that their dog Puddles had died. But three months later, the same dog, now renamed Panchito, was spotted at a local dog groomer. When Saenz-Lopez refused to return the dog, the family filed a criminal complaint and a civil lawsuit against her.

* Derick Phanord who killed his dog, Maximus, by pouring gasoline on the pit bull and setting it on fire, was sentenced Tuesday to 2 years in prison for animal cruelty.

"I am not a monster. I am a good guy," a weeping Phanord, 22, said before his sentencing. "I am an animal lover," he said.

* The Fort Worth City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday banning dog tethering. The new ordinance, which becomes effective this week, makes it illegal to use a chain, rope, tether, leash, cable or other device to attach an unattended dog to a stationary object or trolley system. A dog still must be confined within a secure enclosure at all times.

Some current cat news

The Associated Press reports that an Idaho cat entered an electrical substation, snuggled up to a warm transformer and contacted a live circuit, causing a short that blew out nine feeder lines. The cat died, but he also caused a power outage that blacked out more than 12,000 homes and businesses.

Speaking of dead cats, a dog in Britain missed the family’s dead cat so much that he dug up his grave and brought the body back into the house. The Times on Line reports that Oscar's owners woke up the next morning to discover the dog curled up beside Arthur, the late cat, in his basket.

Oh sure, blame it on the cat!

In Greenville, Maine, Thumper, black Labrador retriever, is getting credit for saving a Greenville man when a fire swept through his home.

Roland Cote said his wife and their 7-year-old grandson were away when the blaze started early Sunday in a converted two-story garage. He said Thumper grabbed him by the arm to wake him, leaving just enough time for him to dial 911 before fleeing the fast-moving fire.

While the dog is the hero, a cat is the bad guy in this story.

Cote said the fire marshal investigator believes the blaze was started when Princess, the family cat, tipped over a kerosene lantern. Cote says he and his pets escaped safely, but he says Princess did get her tail singed by the flames.

Pig News

Pigs around the world

In China, 68,000 pigs have died and 175,000 more have been slaughtered because of the highly infectious blue-ear pig disease. Some Western press reports have said the number of infected pigs is much higher than disclosed government figures, citing the dramatic spike in pork prices in China this year as evidence.

In Spain, Manuel Maldonado, is taking the art of the ham to new heights, pampering his pigs with a free-range lifestyle and top-quality diet of acorns before slaughtering them, then curing the meat for two years - twice as long as his competitors. His a salt-cured ham, the 2006 Alba Quercus Reserve, will cost about $1,979 per leg, or $158.35 per pound - the most expensive ham in the world.

In Austria, three people were injured after a truck carrying 200 pigs crashed. Police and rescue teams were forced to conduct a pig hunt to catch the fleeing pigs. After the fugitive hogs had been apprehended, the driver continued his trip but a few hours later he crashed against a tunnel wall in southern Austria, causing porcine pandemonium on the motorway a second time when his pigs escaped again.

Iguana Causes Power Outage In Florida Keys

BIG PINE KEY, Fla. -- An iguana walking across a high-voltage electrical transformer caused a brief power outage for 27,000 Lower Keys and Key West electrical customers Tuesday.

A spokesman for Keys Energy Services said the iguana plopped down on a transformer at the Big Pine Key electrical substation. That caused a main transmission line circuit breaker to open.

Power was restored to most customers in 20-minutes.

Keys Energy Services says the iguana survived, but lost some of its tail.

Photo credit: Melissa Kaplan's Herp Care Collection