August 2008 Archives

Today was Rocket's second day of school. He was so well behaved that I only had to squirt him in the face with water three times!

In an effort to keep them from being suspended for misbehaving, Rocket and Riley met at the park before class. Riley is the 10,000-pound German shepherd puppy I've written about before. They're pals.

But it was a little too early and Rocket wasn't in the mood to play. Riley grabbed Rocket's neck in his mouth several times, but Rocket was only mildly interested.

But it was good that we went to the park because I realized that I had forgotten to bring treats for class, so Riley's owner, Kathy Jo gave me a bag filled with gold fish crackers and little bits of beef jerky. I'd eat that.

The first thing we saw at class was my sister and her new dog, a 4-month-old samoyed named Sherman. It was the first time Rocket and Sherman were in class together. When Sherman saw my dog, he peed.

We worked on all things good dogs are supposed to know: We worked on the sitting and the laying down and the coming. Rocket actually managed to do them a couple of times.

Barbara, our teacher, said that in all her years of teaching dogs, she has never met a dog as wonderful as Rocket.

Actually, Barbara told me that she has been reading this blog, so it's probably not a good idea to lie. She never said anything about my dog being so great. But she DID say that all the dogs were doing really well.

Yay dogs!

We still have three weeks to go, but I'm already thinking about prolonging Rocket's education.

Maybe I'll enroll him in some sort of trade school.  

The Dog Whisperer wants you!

  Producers of the blockbuster television show will be in San Pedro from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 11 (that's a Thursday) to accept submissions for the show's new season.

But don't bring your bad dogs with you. Instead, they want a video of your dog being bad.

The producers will be at the PetCo Store at 852 N. Western Ave. (that's in the Park Plaza shopping center), San Pedro.

Information and the rules  are posted on the show's website.

****Update: Apparently people can bring their dogs with them on Thursday, as long as they're not aggressive. Either way, the video of your dog being bad is a must, however, so be sure to check the guidelines at the web site linked above.

And remember, Cesar himself will NOT be at the store, only his show's producers.

OK, so now that both VP candidates are in place, it's time to answer the burning question:

Who are their pets?

Actually, I'm still trying to find out.

So far, I've learned that Joe Biden has a cat. But I can't seem to turn up any information abut the nation's potential Second Feline. 

As for Sarah Palin, nothing yet other than the news that her husband (apparently referred to as "First Dude" in Alaska where the missus is the gov) is a past winner of the Iron Dog race -- and broke his arm while competing in the event earlier this year (which he still managed to finish, despite the injury).

Can't tell if the dogs go home with the Palins. But wait a minute. Turns out the Iron Dog race is a snowmobile race! Hmmm, so what's the deal? Dogs? Cats? Cough up the details,  candidates and candidate watchers out there.

I'll keep you posted when I learn more.......

I can't believe this information hasn't been splashed all over the news yet!

This is happening in Lima, Peru, but how long before laws like this reach the South Bay? Then where will I be?

Not only do I have the loudest dog in the South Bay, but he has a very distinctive bark, so people blocks away know exactly who the offender is.

It's just that he likes to talk.

I'm doomed.

LIMA (Reuters) - Dog lovers beware. A neighborhood in Peru's capital, Lima, has passed a law prohibiting families living in apartments from having more than one dog. People living in houses are allowed two dogs, while those found with more will be subject to hefty fines.

According to an order published in the country's official gazette on Thursday, residents of Jesus Maria, a middle-class area in Lima, have said there are just too many dogs -- and too much barking.

"Neighbors have complained they cannot live in peace, harmony, or good physical and mental health because ... noisy dogs disturb the peace," the order read.

Here's a picture of my dog telling somebody something from 15 miles away.

Authorities believe a man walking his dog in New York may have been bitten by a rabid bat.

A witness said despite her warnings, a man walking his dog in Ithaca's Thompson Park picked up a bat lying on the ground Sunday. The bat reportedly bit the man but he left before health officials arrived. The bat was later determined to be rabid.

This just in: The poodle wins.

You may recall that the American Kennel Club has been asking Americans to cast their vote for what kind of dog the Obama family should get.

Barack, you see, is sans a dog -- a genuine faux paw, as it were, for anyone running for the nation's highest office.

A poll conducted this summer, after all, discovered that pet owners favored John McCain (who has a menagerie of pets) over Obama 42 percent to 37 percent, with dog owners strongly in McCain's corner.

Win or lose, Barack has promised his kids their first family dog. But there were complications. The candidate's two young daughters, for one thing, have allergies. And, should he win in November, any dog living in the White House is going to have to be really, really well behaved. No biting or jumping or barking at visiting dignitaries.

More than 42,000 people cast their vote over the seven-week campaign. The Poodle clinched the nomination after the breed battled it out with the Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier in a race almost as tight as the Clinton and Obama run for the Democratic nomination for president. The poodle won by a (dog) hair, with just a few hundred votes separating the top two contenders.

"Most of our presidents kept purebreds in the White House," said AKC spokesperson Lisa Peterson. "When times get tough -- during a bad economy or when presidential pressures are at their peak -- these dogs serve as personal companions and give much relaxation and laughter to our leaders."

I was rooting for the Wheaton terrier myself, but the AKC says the poodle isn't a bad choice. And not a surprise win, either: "Poodles are currently the eighth most popular breed in the U.S.," Peterson said.

They come in three sizes and are "exceptionally smart and athletic," the AKC says.

But most importantly, there's that pet-owner vote up for grabs.

Related posts: Vote for (maybe) First Dog;  Barack and the dog;  Campaign going to the dogs?;  Presidential pets

Me and idiot dog had just barely arrived at the San Pedro dog park this morning when some guys in trucks showed up and made us all leave.

Rumor was that they were not only spreading even more wood chips, but more importantly, they were going to put in new benches with awnings.

That's great news. There isn't a lick of shade in that park and when you're there during the day, the sun can beat down pretty hard.

I'm not sure who to thank for this addition, so I'll just send a shout out to the Port of Los Angeles, who owns the property.

Why? Because it's my blog and I get to do anything I want.

I have this ritual at my house. I go home and find the dog sleeping somewhere. (He's too lazy to come greet me at the door)

He wags his tail slightly and I say, "What do you want for dinner tonight?

And he looks at me.

"How about some dog food?" I ask. And he goes running into the kitchen and stands next to his bowl.

I don't know why he gets so excited. All he ever gets is dog food.

But now dogs have a new option, thanks to a class being offered in Manhattan Beach.

Here's a press release I just got. The class offers people the chance to learn how to cook healthy food for their pups. And with the recent pet-food scare, it might also some peace of mind.

No bones about it; you are your dog's best friend. Isn't it about time that you became your dog's chef too? With all the pet food recalls both last year and this year, the time is right to rethink how and what to feed your canine best friends.

 Join guest teacher Annie Siegmann, owner of Ruff-Ruff Bakery, maker of all natural pet treats and biscuits, as you prepare three meals and a treat to take home. She will share tips for natural ways to care for your dog through foods.

 Seigmann's natural treats can be found at Whole Foods Markets and the Torrance and Manhattan Beach Farmers' Markets.

 The dog food making class will be held Monday, September 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the South Bay School of Cooking kitchen inside the Women's Neptunian Club. Pre-paid reservations are required; directions and parking instructions will be provided. The cost is $79/person.

For more information and to register, go here.

Horse news keeps galloping our way.

The Porguguese Bend National Horse Show will held Sept. 5, 6, 7 and 8!

They're going to have pony rides, jumping exhibitions, police horses and flies. Lots and lots of flies.

There's even going to be a hay bale boutique that will cater to all your hay bale needs.

All proceeds will benefit Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

The event will take place at Ernie Howlett Park. 25851 Hawthorne Blvd. in Rolling Hills Estates.

You can click here for times and prices.

Here's a story about a real masked bandit.

Seems a courthouse in Atlanta had found evidence of an intruder -- a half-eaten apple, some footprints.

The break-in last week at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building was duly reported.

The intruder made no effort to cover his tracks across a stack of federal memos in the 14th-floor office. When the judge started calling his staff and others to exampine the scene, the evidence was conclusive: The perpetrator was a raccoon.

In the days to come, other signs turned up -- stolen chocolate chip cookies on the 10th floor, a missing sandwich on the ninth floor, a packet of dried soup snatched from the 23rd (!) floor.

A "wanted" poster went up along with a "raccoon crossing" sign on the judge's door, according to the Associated Press story posted on LA Unleashed.

The suspect was finally nabbed by using a tuna-baited trap above the ceiling tiles in federal bankruptcy Judge Paul W. Bonapfel's office.

The raccoon was named "Russell" by office workers -- in honor of the building's namesake.

"We're going to see if we can get him turned loose on a farm somewhere," said Robert Perkins, the building's manager. "We're going to take him a long way from this building."

It was a good life while it lasted.

We were sitting here trying to come up with a decent pun to use as a headline for this post, but we came up dry. The Chew-zen people? Arf Torah? Something about rabies and rabbis? If anybody can think of a better one, I'll change the headline, give you public recognition and give you a No Prize.

In any case, as both a Jew AND a dog owner, I find this totally idiotic. Some guy spent $10,000 on a bar mitzvah for his dog. I'm not sure if he turned 13 in human years or dog years.

David Best thinks "Elvis" is such a top dog that he deserved the star-studded event, which drew 100 guests, including famed sex therapist Dr. Ruth. Even Elvis' mother showed up to wish him well.

"He has a great personality and everyone loves him," Best said.

Dr. Ruth! I remember her from the 80s!

The annual city celebration for Rolling Hills Estates will be held on Sept. 20.

According to my undercover sources (an e-mail my sister sent me), the event will be held at the Empty Saddle Club located at 39 Empty Saddle Road.

According to my sources, "Lots of horsey stuff going on."

Dog Groomers wanted.

Animal Planet is gearing up for its second season of Groomer Has It and is now casting for contestants.

Do you think you have what it takes to be the best? Are your doggie styling skills better than others and you know it? do you have that creative flare with a personality to match your skills?  

If so, you can download the application and fill it out. It needs to be returned with a photo of yourself and a 5-10 minute videotape taken from an unedited day in your life -- as you go to your grooming, pet styling and/or mobile salon.

Mail everything to (and this is cool because it's actually LOCAL):

3Ball Productions

Groomer Has It CASTING DEPARTMENT

1600 Rosecrans Ave.

Building 7, 2nd Floor

Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.                                               

Questions? Email groomerhasit@gmail.com

 HT: Dogster 

Seems a judge has let a Seattle woman off the hook after she registered her dog to vote.

Jane Balogh was charged with making a false statement but entered into a plea agreement last year. A county judge dismissed the charge this week after Balogh showed that she had paid $240 in court costs and completed community service.

Her point? To protest a loophole in the law that she said makes voter registration so easy a nonexistent person could be added to the voter rolls.

Where is this dog beach?

(a) California

(b) Oregon

(c) New Jersey

Answer: None of the above.

OK, so it's not Trump's, but this dog beach is breaking new ground in a far-away part of the world.

It's at Cyprus's popular holiday resort of Ayia Napa, according to this Reuters story. The island's first legal beach for animals came after "complaints it was becoming a dog's life for man's best friend."

Better known for all-night partying by Western tourists, the southeastern resort is now catering for dogs amid growing discontent that pooches had no place to cool off from the sweltering summer heat.

"We have seen lots of people taking their dogs for a walk since the establishment of the designated area, and we have been inundated by phone calls from happy pet owners thanking and congratulating us for this initiative," said Antonis Tsokkos, mayor of Ayia Napa.

Some folks don't like the idea much, apparently. But Tsokkos pointed out that "in older times," shepherds used to take their sheep and goats there.

Finally some new wood chips have been scattered at the San Pedro dog park!

While I'm not a big fan of wood chips -- I prefer grass -- the new ones are nice and have cut down on the toxic dust clouds that swirl around every time dogs run by.

I took Rocket there yesterday. There were tens of thoussands of new chips to chose from, but he and his friend Maureen were having a tug of war over one particular piece. They both wanted it, but neither one wanted to share.

And yes, Maureen is a dog. I think she's 9 months old and is probably the most playful puppy I've ever come across.

This is Nubs, a wiry German shepherd-border collie mix who got his name because someone cut off his ears as a puppy.

Picking up on an ABC story, Dog Clothes Horse blog posted this week about Nubs who was adopted by Maj. Brian Dennis in Iraq. Dennis took a liking to the animal, one of a pack of desert dogs that lived at one of the Iraqi border forts his unit patrolled. The Marines treated a wound in Nubs' side, caused by a screwdriver, and nursed him back to health.

But when Dennis' unit had to relocate 70 miles from Nubs' home fort, the loyal pup wasn't about to be left behind.

As always, Nubs sprinted alongside the Hummers as they pulled away for what Dennis assumed was the last time he would see the dog. Two days later, Nubs wandered inexplicably in below-freezing conditions into Dennis' new camp, shocking the Marine unit.

"When he arrived he looked like he'd just been through a war zone. Uh, wait a minute, he had," Dennis wrote. Nubs' miraculous journey forced the Marine's hand, and Dennis and his fellow Marines unanimously decided to keep the animal.

"This dog who had been through a lifetime of fighting, war, and abuse had tracked down our team over 70 miles of harsh desert was going to live the good life," Dennis wrote.

This isn't a new story. Nubs and Dennis were reunited  last March and now live in sunny San Diego. But we figured such an inspirational story was worth revisiting. And we trust that Nubs is, indeed, enjoying the good life.

Donations to help more of our military personnel bring home dogs that their units have adopted and kept safe from the war can be made to Baghdad Pups -- which also, by the way, has a major local online sponsor, Torrance-based ilovedogs.

Related Posts: Iraqi dogs  Cat Lady of Baghdad

It's been a while since I riled things up by writing about dog beaches.

But yesterday someone left this comment to a post I made a few months ago about the secret dog beach, which, as you know, can be found by parking next to the club house at the Trump Golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes and walking down the trail.

This letter accomlishes two things: It dredges up one of my favorite blogging topics and it says nice things about me!

 You people are so selfish with your beaches! How is he destroying a community?! It seems to me he is bringing it together! You people probably think because someone who comes up there and isn't wearing designer clothes and sunglasses isn't worthy of being there! Thank you Josh Grossberg! These annoying, self centered PV people who think that just because they have money that they should be the only ones allowed up there at that beach. I'm sorry but my dog loves to run and play just the same as yours. So Kudos to you Josh! You are not ruining this beach for anybody except self centered snobs. As a matter of fact, I am going to tell everyone I know who has a dog to come down there!

That's the spirit! But let me caution my readers that taking dogs off leash at the beach is illegal. And always be courteous and clean up after your dog.

Fall is coming, which is a great time of the year to take your dog for a hike and a romp on the sand. I'll write more about dog beaches soon. 

Calling all Manhattan Beach dogs (on leash) & cats (in carriers).

A rabies clinic (with other vaccinations also offiered) will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, on the basketball courts of Marine Avenue Park, 1625 Marine Ave., Manhattan Beach.

Co-sponsoree by the Manhattan Beach Police Department and Bay Animal Hospital, the clinic will offer rabies vaccines for $7; the K-9 "4-in-1" package for $14; Bordetella, $11; and the cat 4-in-1 for $14.

Payment is check or cash only.

For information, call 310-802-5160.

Los Angeles Animal Control officers last week confiscated this 5-foot-6-inch-long male alligator (named Ziggy) from a North Hollywood Home. LA Unleashed confirms that yes, Ziggy was indeed a "pet."

"The alligator appears to be in good health, thankfully," said Kathy Davis, assistant general manager for L.A. Animal Services.

Ziggy is about 5 years old and has been with his owner since he was small.

Ziggy was transported to a local herpetology society facility and criminal charges against the owner are being considered. Alligators are illegal in California without a possession permit. 

Of course, there are other drawbacks to having a scaly reptile roaming your house.

"I don't know how you have dinner parties with an alligator in the house," Davis said. "This is the largest reptile we've seized in a long time."

Photo: Los Angeles Department of Animal Services 

I let her veterinarian take care of pulling the thing out, but here's a  helpful article telling dog owners how they can do it themselves if they're so inclined. Popular flea products like Frontline will also prevent ticks and cause existing ones to fall off. But you don't want a "full" tick falling off your dog and staying in your house after using one of the anti-tick treatments.

That's what happened to someone I know at the dog park who was telling me yesterday that they wound up with dozens of baby ticks covering an inside wall of their house after using Frontline on their tick-infested dog.

Like I said. Gross. 

But here's more good tick advice.

The kitty toppler!

These Baltimore dogs got to celebrate the last day of the summer pool season with "45 minutes of soggy chaos," according to the bloggers at ohmidog!. More than 30 dogs were "running, splashing playing and barking."

Apparently the frivolity took place in a park where there can be tensions between between people who let their dogs run and those who go there to swim. The swim pool staff opened up the water to the dogs as something of an end-of-the-season goodwill gesture.

So at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, the last day of the season for the city pool:

Nikkie Cobbs opened the doors to the dogs and the line of people who had heard about the spontaneous dog swim. .. All the dogs got along fine, and none of the non-dog people at the pool, who were warned of what was about to transpire, appeared to be bothered.

All in all, it went ... well, swimmingly.

There are more photos and a slide show on the link.

Kids and pets, it's a special bond that many of us cherish from our growing up years.

So here's a link to a charming video titled "Why Kids Need Pets." 

Courtesy of Pet Place, it's guaranteed to make you smile -- and maybe even laugh out loud on a Monday.

Some of you will love hearing this -- others, not so much.

California's proposed mandatory spay and neuter bill (AB 1634)  has been defeated following amendments that led even its staunch backers (the California Taxpayers for Safe and Healthy Pets) to back away from full-hearted support in the end. "We didn't want it to pass," said supporter Judie Mancuso. "It's unfortunate when you can't support your own bill."

The bill had widespread support from animal shelter directors, animal rights and rescue groups, in addition to the SPCA and humane societies -- all battling the rising tide of pet overpopulation that so tragically leads to a last-resort solution at animal shelters, euthanasia of healthy but unwanted pets.

Opposing the measure have been dog owners involved in breeding and training show breeds, guide and service dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, police dogs, hunting dogs and working herding and livestock guardian dogs.

I've had friends on both sides of this legislation -- dedicated rescue and shelter volunteers who supported it and equally dedicated members of the South Bay Kennel Club and those with working herding dogs who were opposed.

Here are links to supporters' fact sheets  and the AKC's most recent press release.

So what's next? Mancuso, who has been helping to shepherd the bill through the legislature, said attentions will now be turned to helping implement Los Angeles' city spay and neuter law that takes effect Oct. 1. And, she added, we can expect another stab at a statewide bill during the next legislative session.

Meanwhile, the push to establish specialized license plates to support the spay and neuter cause in California is continuing through a separate process (it was not connected directly to AB 1634 as we earlier reported). State Sen. Alex Padilla is spearheading that drive and Mancuso said discussions are ongoing with the DMV about what will be required. The plates are expected to be available by late 2008 or early 2009, with 75 percent of the motorist fees going toward county programs that help fund low-cost spay and neuter efforts.

A contest is being considered to come up with the artwork and message for the plates, she said. Below are a few samples from other states (including Arizona and Illinois, the home states of our two 2008 presidential candidates -- mentioned only because we're all about politics this week in the media and I couldn't find a pet or dog connection to the convention other than some stories about the protesters that came up on google searches). 

Others samples can be seen at the Doris Day web page:

Life is like a dogsled team. If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes.

--Lewis Grizzard

Rocket had his first day of class today!

Since we missed last week on account of an excused illness, I was a little worried that Rocket would be behind all the other dogs.

But then I remembered that these are dogs. It's not like he had catch-up reading to do.

Well, things got off to a great start -- if by great, you mean bad.

We were among the first to arrive at the Kritter Korral on Palos Verdes Drive North, where Barbara has been teaching South Bay dogs for years.

We came armed with our new school supplies, which included a carpenter's nail pouch from Home Depot to store treats and, well, that's about it.

The first thing we saw was Rocket's friend Riley, who I've posted about before. Riley is a German Shepherd puppy who weighs like 5,000 pounds and stands at least 10 feet tall.

Well, Rocket and Riley saw each other and started to play and jump. This is fine at the dog park, but frowned upon on campus, i.e., the parking lot of the pet shop. Rocket started howling and Riley started to yip. They were having a great time. Riley's owner, Kathy Jo, and I knew that we'd be expelled if they kept it up, but we let them play until we saw Barbara's car arrive.

(My sister is also in the class with her new puppy Sherman, but she had other plans this morning and couldn't make it.)

Today's lessons included sit, stay, down and come. Rocket did pretty good. And Barbara gave me a water bottle to squirt at him when he started barking. Squirting him only made him bark more, but he got the message after a few minutes.

Why didn't I think of that before?

Rocket did as well as most of the other dogs, and was cuter than all of them.

Part of me is suspicious that anything will penetrate his thick skull, but I'm starting to think that maybe he'll learn something in class. We'll practice at home and see how things go.

We have four weeks to go. 

Or a little of both, whichever works to their advantage?

There's a report out from the New Scientist journal that claims dogs are becoming more intelligent -- and they're even developing a sense of right and wrong.

Yikes.

Call me cynical, but I'm not buying it.

Clever and (usually) trainable, yes. for a good enough reward, dogs will certainly do the "right" thing (whatever works to their advantage, in other words).

But living by truly ethical standards? That's hard enough for us humans.

HT: Justin Rudd 

All of us who have lost a pet can relate to this touching tribute to Puff the dog written by Los Angeles Times columnist Sandy Banks.

Although we didn't really know each other, Sandy and I briefly overlapped as reporters covering LAUSD some time ago for our respective newspapers. And I'd also lost a dog last year to diabetes (following 15 months of twice-daily insulin shots), So I guess I felt a personal connection to Puff's story:

My friends remind me of the toll his care took on me. His illness was a ball and chain, and I was never sure if he was really happy. ... But that doesn't diminish the pain -- the hurt that keeps ambushing me.

I couldn't actually read it the first time I spotted it on the site of our cross-town bloggers, LA Unleashed. Sad dog stories just get to me. (Like the time I utterly embarrassed a friend of mine a few years ago when I began sniffling audibly through the last 15 minutes of "My Dog Skip" -- "What is wrong with you??" she said as the lights came up, making sure to walk a bit ahead of me as we left the theater).

But later, I went back to read Sandy's column and was struck by Puff's story, and how blessed he was to have such a loving family who took such good care of him.

And besides, is that just about the cutest dog you've ever seen? We just had to post his picture.  

Our heartfelt condolences to Sandy and her family.

(To see a picture of my dog Pilgrim, bravely enduring his most humiliating moment EVER in life when I forced him to pose for an in-house Christmas ad at the Daily Breeze one year, see the jump.)

When it comes to efforts to spay and neuter Los Angeles pets, the city is falling short, according to a new audit released by Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick. Reporter Kerry Cavanaugh writes about it in today's Los Angeles Daily News and Daily Breeze:

Six months after the Los Angeles City Council and mayor passed an ordinance requiring owners to spay or neuter their pets, the city has done little to educate the public on the new rule -- and will likely rely on voluntary compliance, according to an audit released Tuesday.

Los Angeles is the largest city in the nation to enact such a strict spay-and-neuter ordinance. The law takes effect in October and requires owners to fix pets 4 months old or older.

Animal Services General Manager Ed Boks says lack of funding is a problem.

"This ordinance is an unfunded mandate for the department," Boks told the Daily News. "It comes at a time when the department sustained 15 percent budget cuts this year and we're facing the layoffs of some 27 employees."

Public service announcements are being prepared, he said, and the department will enforce the ordinance once it takes effect Oct. 1.

The city's Animal Services web site provides more information about the new law along with resources to find low-cost spay and neuter clinics.

  Remember Gizmo, the missing cat?

Well, he's home -- thanks to his owner's dedication, hard work and refusal to ever give up the search.

Gizmo isn't just any cat -- his owner claims that Gizmo has an uncanny ability to predict his heart attacks. That means getting vital medical help that much faster.

"He's sitting on my lap right now," said a very happy Steve Piel of Torrance when he called this afternoon to report Gizmo's return.

Gizmo was found two weeks to the day after he'd gone missing.

Piel searched every day and night for his 4-year-old lost cat, walking for hours on end and posting about 200 "Lost Cat" posters with photographs all over the neighborhood where he was last seen.

Last Friday, a couple kids called Piel and told him the pictures on the poster looked just like a cat they spotted on the roof of a house next door to them, about half a mile from where Gizmo was lost.

The people who owned the house were away on vacation but told Piel when he called that he was free to look around in the backyard.

"I kept hearing this cat crying," he said. He finally spotted Gizmo -- sitting up in a tree house.

I have to admit I was surprised.

But Piel wasn't. He said he always believed he'd find Gizmo.

Oh me of little faith.

As it turns out, he followed much of the advice found online about how to look for a lost pet, including knocking on doors, talking to people in the neighborhood, handing out fliers with the pet's picture and your phone number and checking local shelters.

(And while this wasn't a case of pet theft, there are some other good links with how to find missing pets included in our earlier post on that topic.)

Piel says he'll meet up with the kids who called with the tip to give them a reward.

Meanwhile, Gizmo appears to be in good health. Gizmo apparently found food during his two-week absence as the cat doesn't appear to have lost any weight.

But he's no doubt glad to be back home in the lap of luxury -- and with a devoted owner who never gave up hope of finding him and bringing him home. A very lucky cat. 

I linked to a story last week about two guys who claimed to have found the body of a bigfoot.

Several people here in the office said it looked like a rubber monkey suit.

Guess what? It WAS a rubber monkey suit. But at least it gave me something to blog about wasn't about my stupid dog.

Two researchers on a quest to prove the existence of Bigfoot say that the carcass encased in a block of ice -- handed over to them for an undisclosed sum by two men who claimed to have found it -- was slowly thawed out, and discovered to be a rubber gorilla outfit.

The fur flew earlier this month (and that's a good thing) when nearly

Here's a handler giving a blue merle shetland sheepdog a final once-over before heading into the judge's ring.

As both of my readers know, Rocket and I started obedience class last week. Well, actually, Rocket didn't participate the first week. That was for humans so we could learn the rules and what to expect.

I promised to write about what happened today, but, well, we didn't go. Rocket and I spent the morning at the vet.

Poor little guy is sick.

I'll spare you the details, but it mostly involves not eating and gastric issues that are leaving stains on my carpet. He's been depressed and moping around for two days.

So I took him to see his doctor, Cassie Jones of the Pt. Vicente Animal Hospital. She took X-rays and ran some blood samples, but can't find anything wrong. She's guessing that maybe he ate something that didn't agree with him or he has a bug.

Or maybe he's faking because he didn't want to to go school. It's not like I didn't do it a thousand times when I was a kid. I learned how to manipulate thermometers by the time I was 7 -- but that was before they went digital.

If he's faking, I'll be really mad at him. I'm out $400 so far, which is two-hirds of my George Bush stimulus check that I was going to spend in entirely inappropriate ways.

I'm sure he'll be fine. He's less than 2 and is a very healthy and robust dog.

And my sister is taking her own new puppy, Sherman, to the class, so she's promising to teach me what I missed. She said the teacher kept her very bus

Anyway, since it's Saturday, I snuck the dog into the office with me. He's sleeping under my desk and is getting lots of hugs and pats on the head from his friends on the copy desk. 

People were upset when the Beatles were awarded the MBE, but I guess standards have lowered since the 1960s, even in the realms of knighthood.

According to a BBC story, a penguin has been knighted by Norwegians. The video is classic.

Penguin Nils Olav has been an honorary member and mascot of the Norwegian King's Guard since 1972.

Over the years, he has been promoted through the ranks after being adopted by Royal Guard who visited the zoo.

During the ceremony, Nils had a sword dubbed on each side of his head, where his shoulders should be, to confirm his regimental knighthood.

A crowd of several hundred people joined the 130 guardsmen at the zoo. A citation from King Harald the Fifth of Norway was read out, which described Nils as a penguin "in every way qualified to receive the honour and dignity of knighthood".

Burgess Meredith was unavalable for comment. 

I've been waiting my whole life to write a headline like that. Boy was that fun. Anyway, acording to this story, two men claimed to have found the body of the mysterious hairy mountain man that has been roaming the Pacific Northwest for centuries (And no, I don't mean television pictchman Billy Mays)

A policeman and a former corrections officer say that on Friday they will unveil evidence of what they claim is their biggest find ever: the body of Bigfoot.

Whitton and Rick Dyer, a pair of Bigfoot-hunting hobbyists from north Georgia, say they found the creature's body in a wooded area and spotted several similar creatures that were still alive.

 

The carcass of the furry half-man, half-ape is 7 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs more than 500 pounds, they say. However, the two are not disclosing the exact location of their discovery to protect the remaining creatures.

The story features a photo of what looks like a dead monkey stuffed in a box. I'm not going to post it here because children may be reading, but if you want to see what a dead bigfoot looks like, go here.

Anyway, skeptics, as you can imagine, aren't convinced. They don't know what that dead thing is, but they're sure it's not a bigfoot. Or as my colleague John Bogert just said as he walked past my desk a minute ago: "That is the worst gorilla suit I've ever seen."

Oh those pesky hot flashes. What's a dog to do?

Enter Dr. Phil Schoenwetter, a family physician and "visionary," according to his press release, who advocates hormone replacement therapy for dogs.

His company? EstraPet.

File this one under the "Now we've heard everything" category, if you will. But Dr. Phil, as he's called on the EstraPet web site, is completely serious. He's developed a soy dog biscuit for spayed and neutered dogs who, well, just need that extra umph.

      "Spaying and neutering disrupts the natural hormone levels, which leads to diminished health and longevity," Dr. Phil says. "The ingredients in EstraPet have been proven to offset this loss."

 Dr. Phil says his HTR treats with isoflavones (they're for the boys, too) help fight premature aging and related conditions such as bone loss, brain function decline and a host of other  problems.

As always, check with your vet first if you're thinking of adding anything like this to your dog's diet. Googling "dogs and HRT" brought up very little information on the topic.

But it did bring up this headline: "Viscious dogs attack veterinarian."

Hmmm. 

 Well, for what it's worth ...............      

Last week when I was walking around the grounds at the dog show in Torrance, I bumped into Diane Bassett. Diane, who works at Little Company of Mary here in town is a big-time dog lover. (I'll let you write your own joke about Diane's last name)

Anyway, I just got an e-mail from her and she did something very clever. She's been fostering a sheltie and has been writing about it on a blog. The dog is now ready for a new home and she's looking for someone to adopt it. Here's what she has to say about him.

Basically, he's a purebred male Sheltie who needed a calm foster home to get him settled and trained and ready for his new home. Mission accomplished, and now he's ready to adopt out and he needs exposure. So I created a blog where people can not only get the 411 on him, but they can also learn about clicker training, and about how to gently integrate a new dog into their home.

Here's the link to Diane's site

And here's a picture of Einstein. Pretty cute guy. The best part is Diane is promising to give my dog a cookie of he finds a home. Get on it!

Ears flapping in the wind. The sun shining on their heads. Strange smells wafting up their noses.

For a dog, nothing beats a ride in the car.

Somebody out there has decided to devote a blog to the idea. Featured are blurry pictures of dogs riding in cars. My colleague Andrea came across the site because she gets an alert every time the words "Manhattan Beach" appear anywhere in the world.

In this case, the picture was of a dog riding in the beach city.

It's about as pointless a site as you'll ever see.

My dog can barely even sit down on command. This cat really puts him to shame.

The pet food is being voluntarily recalled because of potential contamination with Salmonella, according to an AP story posted by Whole Dog News.

While there have been no complaints or reports of injury resulting from consumption or handling of the recalled product, the story goes on to say that it should not be sold or fed to pets.

Pet owners should dispose of the product in a safe manner (example, a securely covered trash receptacle) and return the empty bag to the store where purchased for a full refund.

Not only can Salmonella cause serious infections in dogs and cats, but there's the danger of cross contamination during handling -- in other words, people, and especially the elderly and children or those with compromised immune systems, can be affected.

Human symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or abdominal cramping with fever. In pets, symptoms include lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea and fever. Some pets will have a decreased appetite and fever only, however. When in doubt, call your veterinarian.

Here are the product details:

• 20-pound bags
• UPC Code is 23100 14719
• Lot Code is 830BFCAT02
• "Best By" purchase date is 7/2009
• Sold at Albertsons

  We received a call from Steven Piel about his lost cat, Gizmo.

But Gizmo isn't just any cat. It seems the 4-year-old feline has an uncanny ability to predict his owner's heart attacks.

Piel's had 12 of them over the years. After he acquired Gizmo, the cat began rubbing up against his chest in the moments before Piel had the last eight episodes.

Gizmo, who Piel takes with him everywhere for obvious reasons, was in the car last Friday (Aug. 5) as his owner stood outside talking to a friend. Piel didn't realize one of the car windows was rolled down far enough for Gizmo to escape.

He was last seen near Del Amo and Crenshaw Boulevards. Call Piel at 310-938-5834. 

Today's theme is giant animals and the things they leave behind. Our first entry is about a giant inflatable piece of dog poop that caused all kinds of trouble. Luckily, I haven't been able to find a photo of it

A giant inflatable dog turd by American artist Paul McCarthy blew away from an exhibition in the garden of a Swiss museum, bringing down a power line and breaking a greenhouse window before it landed again, the museum said Monday.

The art work titled "Complex S(expletive..)", is the size of a house. The wind carried it 200 metres (yards) from the Paul Klee Centre in Berne before it fell back to Earth in the grounds of a children's home, said museum director Juri Steiner.

The inflatable turd broke the window at the children's home when it blew away on the night of July 31, Steiner said. The art work has a safety system which normally makes it deflate when there is a storm, but this did not work when it blew away.

Entry No. 2 is a real animal. It's a giant stingray found off the coast of China. It weighs more than 3,000 pounds and has a wing span of more than 16 feet. This one DOES have a picture.

What's wild about this video is that the baby moose seems so big, but then, after about a minute, a grown-up moose walks into the frame and completely destroys any sense of perspective.

And it's pretty darn cute too.

As astute readers of South Bay Pets know, I often bring my dog to work with me on Saturdays.

But today, I'm flying solo at the office. Why? Becasue I covered a dog show in Torrance earlier today and they don't let dogs in.

How's that for irony?

I'm serious.  Dog spectators were forbidden. And since my dog doesn't have his "papers," he couldn't even enter the show. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in Nazi Germany

It was all about dogs today. First up was first day of dog school for Rocket. Not much to report. The instructor, a lady named Barbara who has been training dogs for many, many years, told us what we can expect in upcoming classes. The real work will start next week.

Class is at the Kritter Korral in Harbor City. Next session is next Saturday.

There are an alarming number of small dogs in the class, so we'll see how distracted Rocket gets.

From there, I went straight to a Dog Show in Torrance. The event is held by the South Bay Kennel Club and is the only AKC sanctioned event in the South Bay.

There were hundreds of dogs there, but the one I was most interested in meeting was a bluetick coonhound -- the same breed as Rocket. I've never seen one before.

I looked around until I met Blue, who is a little smaller than my dog and has slightly different coloring, but you could tell they were the same breed. And when Blue started barking for no apparent reason, he sounded exactly like my pup.

Blue's owner is a lady named Dee Gunter of Yucca Valley. She's owned blueticks since 1972!

Dee told me that Blue was the very first bluetick to compete in such an event.

You can read about it in Sunday's paper.

And if you want to go to the dog show, it continues Sunday. It's free! They're holding it in the field at North High School in Torrance, 2620 West 182nd St.

Tell 'em Rocket sent you.

Here's a great trick you can play on your dog. Pretend to yawn. Your dog will yawn too.

According to a story in the L.A. Times, when a dog mimics your yawning, it is actually exhibiting a fairly well developed sense of empathy.

A study published in the journal Biology Letters this week found that human yawns are contagious to dogs, a sign that man's best friend may be capable of a rudimentary form of empathy.
To scientists, dogs have been a bit of a puzzle. Dogs are adept at reading human intentions and excel over other animals in picking up human hand gestures and other behavioral cues.

A dog's ability to read its owner's intentions are a mystery to scientists because dogs seem to have very little self awareness -- put a dog in front of a mirror and it will have no idea that he's looking at himself.

My dog likes to bark at his own reflection. But then, my dog is an idiot who will bark at anything.

How much fun are these two having?

The temperature was hovering around 100 degrees in El Dorado, Ark., when a newspaper photographer found these furry guys enjoying a water sprinkler in a neighborhood park.

Photo: Larry Singer/The El Dorado News-Times 

HT: LA Unleashed

The only AKC licenced all breed  dog show held in the South Bay will take place Saturday and Sunday in Torrance.

Hundreds of dogs will be there, including some breeds I've never heard of. including a dandia dinmont terror and three kinds of cocker spaniels.

There's also going to be a bluetick coonhound there. The only bluetick coonhound I've seen up close is my own, so it'll be interesting to see what another one looks like. I'm going to be there writing a story for Sunday's paper.

The event takes place starting at 8 a.m. both days at North High School, 3620 W. 182nd St.

Admission is free, but parking fees will be donated to the school's athletic department and band.

You can find the detailed schedules here.

If you see me, stop by and say hi.

See Pepper run.

See Pepper run and herd the sheep.

See Pepper fulfill her destiny.

Pepper, a San Pedro Australian shepherd, was introduced to sheepherding last weekend. She'll probably never be the same.

Pepper took to it like a pro, from the looks of it, probably because she comes from a champion line of herding dogs.

But most of the time, Pepper is content to romp with other dogs at San Pedro's dog park or play at home with her own sheep -- that would be the stuffed toy variety.

She's shown here at the L.A. County 4-H Ranch in Long Beach learning herding techniques with some Barbados Blackbelly sheep (which have hair instead of wool). The sheep aren't harmed, Pepper's owner, Paul, a marine biologist, assures us.

Pepper's probably one of the happiest dogs at the dog park. "She is a friend to all dogs and people and goes to the dog park to visit with the owners as much as the dogs," Paul wrote about her general good nature. 

"She loves to rough-house with her dog friends who share the feeling, and respects the ones who don't. She loves to share in my food, especially nuts and some fruits such as cherries and blueberries. She has a 5-gallon bucket of stuffed toys which she can empty in minutes, to find just the right one with which to play tug-o-war and fetch."

If you have a herding breed and would like to try sheepherding, there are a few ranch facilities not too far away that offer lessons. One recommended to me once was Action K9 Sports at the 605 near Valley View.

I took one of my former Australian shepherds, Mercy, herding at a place in Lomita 10 years ago, but that's no longer there. It's great fun to see your working dog do what he or she was bred to do. But the lessons can get a bit pricey over time. Fetch is a lot cheaper. Or you can buy some ducks.

There's lots of good general information about herding dogs at Herding on the Web.

By the way, the 4H ranch shown in the photo above doesn't offer public herding lessons. But they do have lots of great activities for kids and their parents. Contact the Los Angeles County Extension Office. 

These fish eat flesh, but in a good way. In fact, people pay money for the chance to have fish nibble at them.

It's a new service offered for spa-goers who are tired of the usual massage. For a fee, (these fish work for scale apparently. BAHAHA!), people stick their tootsies into a bucket filled with tiny fish. The fish then dine on dead skin and callouses.

YUCK!

Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the Washington D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.

"This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet," Ho said.

He said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of concerns about whether they're sanitary.

Regular readers of this blog (both of you) know all about my dog, Rocket.

He's the loudmouth hounddog, who has eaten through my furnuture, chewed a hole through my mattress, run away, harassed my cats and annoyed my neighbors with his constant howling.

But Rocket is almost 2 now and it's time for him to start acting his age. On Saturday, he's starting school. Actually, the first day is for owners only; dogs don't get to attend until the second week (it's a seven-week course).

I'll let you know what I learn and the challenges I face. But even money says the little hellion gets kicked out of school for barking too loud.

And just because I think it's so cute, here's the picture of him I posted the other day. I took it right after he ate the couch, the pieces of which are scattered on the floor around him.

Yesterday, Donna posted about helmets for dogs.

Donna also metioned that dogs now have seatbelts, goggles and car seats.

If you think that pretty much covers the world of dog protection, you forgot about those floppy ears.

Luckily, there's a company that sells "Mutt Muffs," ear protection for canines.

Inspired by pilots who know the noise level of the cockpit is unsafe for man or beast....  Mutt Muffs offer hearing protection for your four-legged family members.

Your dog's keenest sense is smell and number two is hearing.  If you think something is loud, your dog is probably in pain.  After heredity, long exposure to loud noise is the biggest contributor to deafness.  Good news though... noise-induced hearing loss is different in one very important way... it can be reduced or prevented altogether.

California may soon have its own specialized license plate to help fund spay-and-neuter programs.

It's all part of a state law -- AB 1634 (California Healthy Pets Act) -- that's making its way through the state legislature (more on that later this week when the bill is expected to be close to its final form).

As for the license plate, Judie Mancuso of .the AB 1634 campaign says 23 other states already have plates supporting similar spay-and-neuter programs.

And based on how successful California's environmental plates have been -- bringing in $4.5 million from 2006-07 alone -- she said the pets version could really make a difference in the fight against pet overpopulation.

So what will it look like? Don't know yet.

"We're hoping to have a contest and to open it up to the entire state," she said. The plates would include a message and a picture. If 7,500 are pre-sold at the Department of Motor Vehicles, the plates will begin to be issued 9 months later, she said. So that means they could be available about a year from now.

We'll update you with more details later this week on the pending state bill. If you want to find out more about in the meantime, visit the sponsor's web page.

And you can see samples of plates from other states here.

Plates from Florida and Texas are show above. And here's New Mexico's version: 

Let's get those creative ideas going! .

OK, is everyone geared up for the Olympics??

Opening ceremonies are Friday and while it's true there are no pets competing in the games, a Web site called Petside stretches a bit to provide us with every possible pet-related angle there might be.

From "Meet the Olympians and their Pets" to "Asian Cat Breeds" and "Asian Dog Breeds," the site offers all kinds of features and videos.

My favorite is their side-by-side comparisons of Olympic sports & dog sports.

Take the personalized routines found in the gymnastics floor exercises (right). Now compare that to "Canine Musical Freestyle" where dogs perform to music with their handlers: 

Other comparisons are made between agility and equestrian jumping, "Disc Dog" and the Olympic discus throw, doggie dock diving and the long jump, and flyball and hurdling,

A place for everyone, everyone in their place.

You've got to appreciate the innate feline sense of order and personal space on display here:

From Clarissa's House of Cats .................... HT: The Pet Blog 

First doggie travel crates, then seatbelts, car seats and goggles.

And now, helmets. Or maybe that should be helmutts?

Hunter K9 Gear offers the head caps for daredevil dogs who need protection from wind, windblown objects and other irritants when riding on bikes or motorcycles, in a car, truck or boat.

Pretty spiffy. But I think smaller dogs can carry this look off best. A Rottweiller or German shepherd wearing one of these? I don't think that look would work. Just my opinion. But Sydney, right, looks pretty good in his, I think.

(And perhaps Rocket could use one of these for his next cliff-climbing/slipping and sliding adventure?)

The protective head gear comes in 4 sizes, from X-Small to Large. They're lined with foam padding, have plenty of room for dog ears of all shapes and sizes, and they come with a chin strap to ensure a good fit -- $26.95 each.

Oh, and colors: The helmets come in "Bone" White, "Wet Nose" Black and "Panting" Pink.

HT: Barkability.com

Today's Daily Breeze carries news of some changes in a long-established veterinarian practice in the South Bay.

Dr. W. Marvin Mackie,  (shown below) founded a string of low-cost spay-and-neuter clinics in his personal crusade to fight pet overpopulation. In April, he sold his last remaining clinic, Animal Birth

"Dr. Z," 37, who also has a mobile vet clinic (www.surfsidevet.com), plans to continue the spay/neuter services at the clinic, although prices will go up some. He will expand the vision

As for Dr. Mackie, 71, he'll continue to work part time at the clinic during the transition period and also will be teaching and speaking. His trailblazing ideas are still being taught via DVDs available at his web site, www.quickspay.com.

Both veterinarians live in San Pedro.

Daily Breeze photos/Scott Varley

The latest misadveture of my dog:

 This is going to be hard to explain because it's mostly a visual thing, but I took the stupid dog to the illegal top secret dog beach a few days ago.

It's a good beach because you have to walk down a really hard path to get there and it's surrounded by really steep cliffs -- like nearly 90 degree drops. You know, your typicall seaside cliff situation.
 
So I get Rocket down there and as usual, he ignores the water and runs straight for the bushes (that's where he got stung in the nose by the cactus needles) A few minutes go by and I don't hear or see him. I look around and finally I hear the tinkling of his collar.

I looked up and saw my idiot dog climbing straight up the cliff! He looked like a goat.

I called and yelled and screamed at him to get down this minute, but of course, he ignored me.

Higher and higher he went until finally, he reached the top, which is probably, what 60 feet at least?

Well, what do I do now, I wondered. Do I stand here like an idiot or go looking for him? It will take me 20 minutes to get to where I last saw him and by that time, he'd be long gone.

And then he reappeared. He decided to come back down the way he came. But it was too steep for him to walk, so he slid all the way down on his stomach.

It looked like he was body surfing.

I was so mad at him. No more walks off leash for him for  a LONG TIME.

Sometimes blogging is about well-crafted stories about my pets.

Sometimes it's just about cutting and pasting. I got this mysterious message from my sister, who, in addition to being a crazy dog lady is also a crazy horse lady.

I have no idea what "tack" is, but there's going to be a huge sale of used tack on Saturday at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The park is located at 25851 Hawthorne Blvd.

I spotted an online article from the UK this morning about how kids are losing touch with the natural world.

And this from the same article:

"Experts blamed the widening gulf between children and nature on over-protective parents and the hostility to children among some conservationists, who fear that they will damage the environment. They said that this lack of exposure to outdoor play in natural environments was vital for children's social and emotional development."

Sad.

But now for the antidote.

After reading that, I checked in on the "Bentley Farm Gazette," the family web page of my friends Tom & Janet Angell & their 8 kids who grew up on Bentley Farm in the Hudson Valley, New York.

Sarah, the oldest, now teaches science and has a recent post about the joys of A Day of Farming:

"Let's hear it for the hard-working folks (cows, family and friends alike) that keep this country fed!"

The photos she posted give you a feel for what growing up on a farm has meant to their family. Family farms once were a common setting for kids growing up. I grew up as an outdoor-loving California suburban kid, but I still remember the fun my cousins and I had on visits to my uncle's farm in Iowa. 

A series of great photos go with Sarah's post. But since this is a "pets" blog, I'll share this one of Sarah's brother Isaac. Isaac is home on a "working" summer break from his studies at Cornell Veterinary school and enjoying some special time with his faithful dog of many years, Bentley, a border collie (nach!).

I've posted more pictures from the Bentley Farm work day on the jump.

Related posts: What dogs can teach kids; and Prevent allergies -- get a dog. 

Last week, I wrote a post about Charlie, the "nebishy" Lab who belongs to my friend Renee's mom.

The thing about getting mentioned on a popular blog is that once it happens, you become addicted to it.

Renee's mom is now looking for some publicity for Renee's brother's dogs.

Ok, I'm easy. Here are a few things Renee's mom wrote about them.

Maybe josh wants to use these pics for his doggie blog...tyson and cohen...tyson is the one that is autistic ...Keith said he bought a new dog bed for them to share...a huge one because he did not want them on the couch.

Cohen was smart enough to know to sleep on the dog bed, but tyson stood up for 2 nights and would not sleep,he just stared at Keith.... then Keith bought a second dog bed and Tyson was happy and fell asleep.  Maybe he is not autistic,,,maybe he is spoiled.

 Tyson starts fights with all the dogs at the dog park and then walks away and lets all the dogs fight it out.  Cohen is always happy, he shares, loves everything. He takes advantage of Tyson.

The first picture is Cohen as a "puppy."

And here's a Charlie update:

 I just read about the black lab on Josh's blog...I'm embarassed for charlie...the black lab  sounds so athletic..he scrambles for tennis shoes, jumps for ice cubes, loves the outdoors...and then there is charlie...nebbishy, fat, and rashy.