Barking Up The Wrong Tree

$155,000 paid for clone of family dog

We are all upset when a pet passes away and we all wish we didn’t have to be parted, but one family took it a step further.

The Otto family from Florida were distraught when their family labrador, Sir Lancelot, passed away and they had his DNA frozen.

Nina Otto said:

“The only sad thing about dogs is that they have such a short life, wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could live your life with the same dog.”

In July, they decided to bid on a biotech company’s auction to have a clone of their dog made.  Just one week ago, the family waited impatiently at Miami International Airport and were delighted to see their new three month old labrador puppy, Lancelot Encore, step off the plane from Korea.

The replica of Sir Lancelot Senior did not come cheap and his $155,000 price tag was raised by the Otto family by selling several pieces of expensive jewellery.

The family also have nine other dogs, ten cats, four birds and six sheep – let’s hope they don’t want to get them all cloned!

Cinema screening for dogs

Yes, this is not a play on words – a cinema in Suffolk will be allowing dog owners to take their furry friends into the special preview screening of the latest Disney film Bolt.

The dogs will even have their own pic n mix, and owners are being provided with a doggy poop bag, just in case the dogs get too excited at their first venture into the cinema.  Tickets are being priced at just 95p.  I’m always saying there are not enough places to take your dog and if this event was close enough, I’d be taking my shih tzu.  I’m not sure it would be good in the long term though as I think it might ruin the film and my popcorn if every now and then I caught a whiff of a smelly dog or its poop!

Leiston Cinema in Suffolk says that this strange event is the ideal way for them to celebrate their 95th anniversary.

Wayne Burns, manager of the film theatre, said: ”All dogs must be kept on a short lead and accompanied by a responsible adult aged 18 or over and cats are most certainly not permitted to see the film.”

The screening is 11.30am February 8th, and the official launch of Bolt is on February 13th.

Does your dog need a stress pill?

According to the Daily Mail today, this is the new craze from the US that is about to cross the Atlantic.  Americans, crazy as we Brits think they are, have in some people’s opinion gone a step too far in their wish to treat dogs as members of the family.  Americans can already buy pills for their dogs to treat them for obesity (stop feeding them so much), amnesia (how do you know what a dog has forgotten, my dog deliberately forgets her name when it suits her) and OCD (is it really OCD if your dog repeatedly chases his tail?)

Now a British pharmaceutical company has bought the rights to two of these drugs and will be running tests in the UK.  If they are approved, you will need a prescription to get them for your dog.  One is for depression and the other is for OCD.

These pills were invented by a vet born in Britain, Nicholas Dodman, who said:

‘People are bonkers about their pets, as they should be.  Most pet owners understand that animals are living, sentient creatures-that have emotions similar to our own. Pets face more mental health problems for the same reasons we do as we live increasingly constrained, pedestrian lifestyles.’

But Dr Ian Dunbar, a vet who runs a dog training programme, said: ‘I’ve never had to resort to drugs to deal with some quite serious mental problems. But the average pet owner wants a pill because he thinks it’s a simple solution.’

Personally, I think it’s a load of old poppycock… what do you reckon?

100 St Bernard dogs rescued

The RSPCA successfully rescued one hundred, yes one hundred, St Bernard dogs from a kennels in Northants after the breeder-owner went missing.  Her whereabouts are still unknown.

It looks like the dogs had been left there for days without food or water and unfortunately some of them have since died due to lack of nutrition.

RSPCA Justin Stubbs stated:

There was faeces everywhere and upturned bowls. Something has gone wrong.

Because they are such big dogs you wouldn’t expect to see so many dogs in such conditions.

I’ll be going home and having a stiff drink tonight. But it looks like we can do something with them.

Fifty-year-old Mrs Collis, the owner of the kennels is well known in breeding circles and her whereabouts are of the deepest concern for the Kennel Club.

Dog tackles Torres

Fernando Torres, Liverpool’s star striker, was no match for this dog.

The Spanish striker played one on one at a dog training centre versus a German Shepherd called Hank.  Playing up to the camera, Torres, loved by Spanish fans for scoring the winning goal for his country in this year’s European Championship Final, was playing to the camera and showing off his skills in keeping the ball away from the dog.  However, he made one mistake Read the rest of this entry »

Reptiles more popular than dogs?

According to the British Federation of Herpetologists (BFH), the Brits may prefer reptiles to dogs!  According to their figures, there are 6.5 million dogs in the UK and 8 million snakes, lizards and reptiles as pets (and 9 million cats if any cat lovers have strayed onto this site).

Chris Newman, chairman of the BFH, stated:

There are now, without question, more pet reptiles than pet dogs in the UK. You only have to look at the way the market has grown. I have no doubt that there are now between seven and eight million reptiles living as pets in the UK.  Reptiles’ popularity as mainstream pets has grown immensely. There has been an explosion in numbers. They have moved from being niche to being mainstream.

They are far more suitable as pets than Read the rest of this entry »

Neglected Shih Tzus Found In Conwy

Two dogs, both highly prized shih tzus, or possibly lhasa apsos, were found by the North Wales RSPCA in Conwy.  Another female dog was found on the road nearby.

Their coats were all very matted to the point where the dogs were in substantial pain.  They are now at the Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre where they have been shaved and are in much better health.

RSPCA Inspector Kevin Paton said:

“I am hoping the public will be able to tell me where these dogs came from.  They were not friendly when we first brought them into the centre but this was simply because they were in pain from the mats.  Once they were shaved they became totally different dogs with lovely natures. Such long-term neglect is appalling.  It is no co-incidence that three dogs were found in Conwy in the same week. I do believe they have been living together.  None of the dogs were wearing collars nor were they microchipped.  I would urge anyone who can help with my enquiries to please get in touch so we can solve the mystery of where these dogs came from.  There could be more of them that need our help.”

Long haired dogs, such as the shih tzu, really do need regular grooming and cutting.

If you know of any dog or animal suffering, then call the RSPCA National Cruelty And Advice Line on 0300 1234 999.

Rare Komondor population boosted by a quarter by one litter

The Komondor, pictured here, is one of the world’s rarest dogs.  There are only a few thousand left in the world, predominantly in the US, and only around forty of these live in the UK.

The UK’s population has been boosted by a quarter by a record litter of nine little Komondors, born in Cornwall.  The usual litter size is just four.

All the fluffy pups look the same so their tails have been dabbed with a little colour so the new owners can tell the difference.  As a result, their names thus far are:

Red, Blue, Purple, Green, Silver, Brown, Pink, White and Tiny – named because he was slightly smaller than the others

I wouldn’t like to have to bath these dogs though.  They are known as the hairiest dog in the world because after the age of Read the rest of this entry »

Nero Retires After Guarding The Gates

Dogs are amazing creatures and in some cases, they work as hard as humans and are trusted with great responsibility.  A security canine called Nero guarded the security gates at NASA for seven months, but has now had to retire for medical reasons.

Nero is a black Labrador retriever and was a rescue dog.  He was adopted by Canine Interdiction, who train dog teams to detect bombs and drugs.  Trainer Greg Globus trained Nero for six months before the five year old Labrador started working at NASA.

Nero checked around 150 vehicles every day to sniff out bombs.  Unfortunately, this week was Nero’s last week of guarding the security gates as he is being retired for medical reasons because he suffers from epilepsy.

His trainer Globus said:

“For the short time he has been here … he has made friends really fast.  A lot of people care about him and are sad to see him go.”

A lady from the Badge and Pass office, Angela Dyke agreed:

“We all love him”

Like many beloved dogs, Nero made a lot of friends and gained the friendship of the security guards and personnel.

Nero will now retire and return to his original handler from Canine Interdiction, as another of man’s best friends takes over his job of guarding NASA’s security gates.

Dog Saved By Viagra

A springer spaniel named Bentley has been saved with Viagra.  The dog was suffering from lungworm, which was blocking his pulmonary arteries and causing his heart to fail.  This can be treated in humans with Viagra and so Bentley’s quick thinking vet, Ben Harris, gave Viagra to Bentley and it saved his life.

Luckily, Bentley has suffered no embarrassing side effects and having been neutered at a young age has no sex drive.

The thing is, his owner David Roach, will need to give Viagra to Bentley for the rest of his life if he is to live a normal, healthy life.  I can just imagine the chemist’s face when Mr Roach tries to explain that the Viagra is not for him but for his dog!