January 2009 Archives

We don't have Taco John's restaurants are here and I've never seen one, but I've seen their commercials.  They star  a monkey in a cowboy suit that rides a dog.

Whiplash was knighted Thursday night in St. Paul by the Winter Carnival royalty at Tom Reid's Hockey City Pub near the Xcel Energy Center.

The animals, heads buried in dried mustard and the green shoots of non-native oat, munched along quietly. One horned specimen gave in to curiosity and tried to nibble a reporter's notebook.
"They're very hungry animals," Gonzalez said. "They're just going like crazy."
Trucked over from Gonzalez's Ranchito Tivo Boer Goats in Chino, the animals are regularly employed across the region to reduce brush for fire prevention.
This year, they were hired for the first time by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy to clear invasive species as part of a multiyear restoration of part of the 99-acre reserve, which is between McCarrell and Barkentine canyons and is accessible only by a steep trail.

Photo by the incomparable Steve McCrank.

Ushampooch Self-Serve Pet Wash is hosting a low-cost microchip clinic with the procedure being performed by a certified specialist.

The cost is $25 and proceeds will go to Kitten Rescue. Cash or check only (includes registration). Call 310-798-7300 for more information.

HT: Doug!

Cat  lovin' the snow.                          

  Really.            

Here's just the deal for you expectant parents out there -- a CD designed to get your dog used to baby sounds!

Play the Dog Meet Baby CD for your dog before the arrival of your little banbino. We recommend supplmenting this exercise with his favorite treat so your darling child's glass-shattering screams will be associated with happy thoughts for your dog (happy throughts are good and could prevent serious injury).

Among the tracks: "What's a baby got to do to get some food around here" (moderate crying); "Alright people, joke's over, feed me now or heads are gonna roll" (screaming); "Hellooooo??!!!! I'm sitting in my own pooh over here" (whimpering); "That's the funniest thing I've heard all day" (laughing).

Sounds pretty all-inclusive.

But how about some real live experiences of bringing a new baby home with pets established in the household?

Anyone have any stories or advice or warnings they'd like to share? (We have a collague who's expecting her first baby -- 'scuse me, her 2nd baby; the first is the couple's much loved  dog.)

HT:

Barkability 

It may shock some of you to know that I have never seen a football game from begining to end.

But it's hard to ignore this time of year, what with that Super Bowl thing happening on Sunday.

But people like me have a choice: Sunday is also the day of the fifth annual Puppy Bowl!

What's a Puppy Bowl? Well, it's puppies running around a tiny football field for a couple of hours. That's pretty much the whole enchilada. Oh, when they have accidents, a man comes out and blows a whistle.

The animals are all rescue dogs and I think charity might somehow be involved, but really who cares about that?

Cats are somehow involved in the half time show.

And get this: According to Wikipedia, 8 million people watched it last year.  

It's at 1 p.m. on Animal Planet.

Go here for more details.

If you've never seen it, it's worth sticking around at least until they show the "bowl cam."

I'm thinking of having a Puppy Bowl party. I'm going to invite the neigbhorhood dogs, which includes Buddy, Tango, Cowboy and Tess.

And let them in your bed while you're at it.

That's what the L.A. Times says!

,,,if you allow Fido to lick your face or sleep in your bed, you're no more likely to harbor disgusting germs than pet owners who practice stricter human-pet hygiene practices.

Furthermore...

"There is such a strong bond between dogs and their owners. If you look at one study, 84% of people say their dog is like a child to them," Stenske said in a news release. "We also know diseases can be shared between dogs and people. About 75% of emerging diseases are zoonotic, meaning they are transferable between humans and other animals."

*****UPDATED: A hoax? Nope:

The final word 

A special thanks to Kristin Coronado of the Washington Post.

********************************************************************************************************** 

Yay, a new home was found for Cookie and Coco, the Labs we posted about here last week.

Here's the email I received from my friend who initially sent the info on to me:

To my Friends and Family,


Hey, we did it!! Good job everyone!


Donna - I think you can post a new update to your blog. Thank you so
much for your help!!

(Of course, now I wonder if we have totally messed up her Gmail account
for life. LOL!)

More than 2,400 hundreds dogs came to Long Beach last month to take part in a big, fancy dog show. My dog wasn't among them.

If you didn't make it to the show, now's your chance to catch it on television.

The 8th annual AKC/Eukanuba Natioanl Chapionship will air at 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31 on Animal Planet.

Hosted by Bob Goen, this high-profile dog show features invitees from the country's top 25 dogs in each AKC-recognized breed. Invitations to dogs are based on breed points accumulated over a set period. In addition, every dog awarded Best in Show at a licensed or member AKC all-breed dog show during the same time period was extended an automatic invitation to enter the competition. Dog show insider Lee Arnold and American Kennel Club judge Edd Bivin also assist with the play-by-play.

How can you go wrong when you've got some of that Edd Bivin magic working for you? 

Why this is so funny, I'm not sure. Maybe it's the crazy eyes. He kinda looks like Cowboy.

OK, this is weird. the image of a dead dog appears on a family's barbecue.

Yeah, sounds idiotic, but the family isn't assigning any supernatural movites to it. They just find it fascinating.

And man, it really looks like their dead dog. Here, see for yourself and tell me you don't get a little spooked by it.

If the ghost of my old dog, Buck ever starts paying me visits, I'm moving. What's he going to say anyway? "Dude, why were you always taking away those chicken bones?

Want more? Here's the video:

Those four magic words should be enough to push readership of this blog past seven!

Really, who can resist baby elephants, especially when they're being cute and appearing in videos?

The 5-month-old elephant is named Samudra.

The "little guy" now weighs in at around 770 pounds, nearly 500 pounds more than his birth weight, and he has become less clumsy, keepers say.

"It appears he's developed some athletic ability," Lee said. "He loves playing with a blue ball, knocking it around with his trunk soccer-style."

 

It was great hearing from a friend and former colleague Jill earlier. She left a comment about the photo of my dog and cat sleeping together.

Jill has a cat of her own. His name is George and he's quite the character. I posted a video of him once a long time ago, but here's another one.

What a clown.

Ever get into a tiff with another owner at the dog park? I haven't, but I've sure witnessed some doozies.

I actually saw two guys rolling around on the ground in a real fist fight one day at a local dog park -- the dispute apparently was over whose dog started a fight. The dogs by that time had settled matters between themselves, of course, and were off playing as their owners created quite the spectacle. Police were called to break it all up, believe it or not.

Titled "Following bark parks' rules of engagement," the article is a primer on how to keep the peace when you and your dog enter an off-leash dog park.

Education and peer pressure, the article stresses, are the key to avoiding problems.

Among the suggestions:

This came my way in an email recently, giving us a very different perspective on the value of adopting abandoned animals from our cities' animal shelters:

I rescued a human today.

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.  As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.  She got down on her knees and made little
kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for
companionship.

A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one. 

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro and the American Cetacean Society are throwing a welcome home bash for some of California's largest visitors - the Pacific gray whales.

The Whale Fiesta is Sunday. Click here for details. 

The Whale Fiesta marks the return of the migratory mammals to the coast of Southern California. The event mixes educational talks by bird, whale and other marine experts with hands-on activities such as the making of a life-sized sculpture of a Cuvier's beaked whale and a duct tape whale contest.

This story has everything I like. It has land dealings right out of "Chinatown." It has monkeys, lots of monkeys.

And it was written by a good friend of mine.

Doug Irving, currently at the Orange County Register has what is certainly the coolest beat in all of journalism: He covers the Santa Ana Zoo.

Yeah, I've never been there either. How many of you even knew Santa Ana HAD a zoo?

But here's the best part: Under an agreement with the man who donated the property 60 years ago, the zoo must maintain population of at least 50 monkeys at all times or his heirs get to take the property back.

Well, wouldn't you know it, the monkey populatioin recently dwindled to 48. What do you suppose happened next?

Go read the story and find out. I'll give you a clue. It has a happy ending. When you're done, send Doug an e-mail about bees. Doug LOVES bees.

Photo from the Orange County Register

******* Final, FINAL update.  

A special thanks to Kristin Coronado of the Washington Post. 

*******************************************************************

Final update:  Happy ending for this one. Cookie and Coco have found a new home -- together.  

posted earlier today about two 3-year-old Labrador retrievers, Cookie and Coco, whose family must move and cannot take them along. The owner, Sarah, needs to find a home where they will be kept together. 

For the 18th straight year, the Labrador retriever has been named the most popular dog.

Hard to argue with that. They come in three colors, blond, black and chocolate (mmm, chocolate). They're friendly, trustworthy, stout hearted and enjoy a good game of fetch. In other words, all the things my dog isn't.

I have a theory that if everybody had a lab, all the world's problems would go away.

The news comes courtesey of the American Kennel Club.

The club said Wednesday that more than twice as many Labs were registered in the U.S. in 2008 as Yorkshire terriers -- the No. 2 dog on the list -- which means the breed will probably retain its Most Popular Dog title for the indefinite future. The rest of the top 10 canines are German shepherd, golden retriever, beagle, boxer, dachshund, bulldog, poodle and shih tzu.

The story, from the Associated Press, manages to mention the ongoing crisis over a dog for the White House. Frankly, I thought this was a bigger decision than the one to close Gitmo, but then, nobody asked me.

p.s. Read the following post from Donna if you'd like one of your own Labs. A couple of them are looking for homes!

(June 2009): If you receive a link to this post:  

*************Cookie and Coco have been placed. They have a new home.

Please notify those who send you this link that these dogs no longer are available or need a home.

********************************************************************

(February 2009): Final, FINAL update: The tale of Cookie & Coco managed to spread far and wide over the past month, with some people wondering if it might be a hoax.

It was not.

Thanks for all the concern and interest. A couple has adopted the dogs and the original owner remains in touch with them. "They send me pictures all the time and have invited our kids to go hiking with them," the owner told Kristin Coronado of the Washington Post. "It's just been amazing."

A special thanks to Kristin.

Final update: A happy ending, the Labs found a new home togther.

(***See our subsequent update here):  (June 2009 - NOTE: Below is our original post from 1/22/09, but both these dogs have been successfully placed in a new home together; they no longer are in need of a home):

Jan. 22, 2009: I received an email today from a friend who is passing the word about two great dogs that need a new home. Their family, in the Los Angeles area, is moving in just a little over a week and they cannot take the dogs with them. They are heartbroken and are desperately trying to find someone who can keep them together in a new home.

So here's the scoop from the owner, Sarah, (with photos below):

They were raised together and pine without each other. The Lab rescue has already said they would probably separate them, so this is my last resort.

Recently I tried to take Coco out in my car alone and she TOTALLY refused to even get into the car without Cookie. She absolutely pulled back on her haunches until Cookie was by her side.

Both doggies are in great health, have been spayed and have ID chips ... Cookie turned 3 on Dec. 10 and Coco will be 3 on April 1. Cookie is my mellow-yellow and just loves her tummy rubbed. Coco is adorably funny and lives for her ball! She also loves the water.

Both are loyal and love to walk. They have been raised with my three kids running around all over the place and have survived Sammy's constant hugging and love of "dress-up," so they are fantastic family dogs. This is by far one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make, but under the circumstances I have no hope ... They are just adorable and it's heartbreaking to let them go. In a perfect world, I hope that we could find someone local so that we can still keep in touch and visit them. I pray that someone, somewhere can help us keep Cookie and Coco together and love them just as much as we do.

Former French President Jacques Chirac was taken to the hospital today after being mauled by his own dog. The dog, a Maltese Poodle -- not even a French Poodle! -- has been suffering bouts of depression.

Not sure why the dog is depressed. Maybe he doesn't get enough walks. In any case, please don't show this post to MY dog. I don't want him to get any ideas. He's bigger than I am and could finish me off in under three minutes.

Chirac has been rushed to the hospital.

The couple's white Maltese poodle, called Sumo, has a history of frenzied fits and became increasingly prone to making "vicious, unprovoked attacks" despite receiving treatment with anti-depressants, Chirac's wife Bernadette said.

"If you only knew! I had a dramatic day yesterday," she told VSD magazine. "Sumo bit my husband!"

Quell tragedie!

I admit to knot even being sure as to exactly what a muskrat is.

According to that font of all knowledge, Wikipedia

The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), the only species in the genus, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, 

The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats.

We have wetlands here in the South Bay, so maybe we have muskrats! The dog and I shall head to the Ballona Wetlands this weekend to investigate.

And, of course, muskrats are very romatnic. The animal in this video looks suspiciously like a gerbil, but maybe they're cousins. But I kinda envy the little fellow.

I'm not terribly familiar with the Hello Kitty backstory, so I'm not even sure they're even cats. But let's assume for the sake of argument that they are indeed felines. Then I get to post a blog item about them.

According to a story, Hello Kittys (Kitties?) are a hit in Taiwan maternity wards.

Hau Sheng Hospital, located 95 miles (150 kilometers) south of Taipei, is the latest destination for the cute cat with a penchant for pink.

A giant Hello Kitty figure dressed in a pink doctor uniform greets visitors in the lobby, while colorful murals of the feline are found in recovery rooms, the nursery and on elevator doors.

Owner Tsai Tsung-ji approached Sanrio Co., the maker of Hello Kitty, about decorating his hospital with a Hello Kitty theme at the suggestion of his mother, wife and daughter -- all of whom are huge fans.

"When new moms feel anxious and lost about how to deal with their new babies, Hello Kitty can make them more relaxed and reduce their sense of discomfort while giving birth," said Tsai.

 

You know what today is?

No, not my birthday. Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day. Personally, I have no fondness for squirrels, but my dog seems to enjoy eating them.

Just joking. He chases them, but hasn't caught one yet. And they seem to enjoy taunting him from tree branches just above where he can reach.

According to the Web site Holiday Insights,

Squirrel Appreciation Day is an opportunity to enjoy and appreciate your tree climbing, nut gathering neighborhood squirrels. It's held in mid-winter when food sources are scarce for squirrels and other wildlife. Sure, squirrels spent all fall gathering and "squirreling " away food. But, their supplies may not be enough. And, the variety of food is limited. So, give them an extra special treat today to supplement their winter diets.

According to the site, it was started in 2001  by a woman named Christy Hargrove in North Carolina.

Who knew? 

A couple of weeks ago, I ran a series of stories about Tola, a seeing-eye dog that was raised in Manhattan Beach.

Actually, the stories were more about the woman who raised her -- Pat Whitehead. Tola was one of nearly 20 dogs that Pat took home and helped nurture before sending her off to guide-dog school.

Part I introduced Tola and Pat.

Part II saw Tola heading off to college.

And in Part III, Tola graduated and headed off to her new life as a seeing eye dog with Courtney Maddocks, who, as you'll see in a moment, is absolutely delightful.

After I posted the stories, I got a nice e-mail from Pat, who, I might add, is the nicest person in the South Bay.

And then I heard from Courtney, who I hadn't seen since I visited the Guide Dog for the Blind Facility in San Rafael. She made a little video of her and Tola.

So here you go. Enjoy

Well, after all this time, Mr. O is finally president (And I say "finally" only in terms of how long it's been, not as any reflection of my political preferences).

So what about the pooch you've been promising those kids of yours? If you've been having trouble deciding, get off your butt. You're the Decider in Chief now.

Here's some help: A little boy is offering to give you HIS dog! Frankly, I'm a little jealous the kid thought of it first. I would have offered up my hideous monster of a dog, but he would have destroyed the Lincoln bedroom and created all kinds of scandal.

Little Zachary Shiley offered the pup to Obama's daughters in a letter he wrote.

"We want her to have a good home, and what could be better than the White House... A dream come true," Shiley wrote in his letter to Malia Obama. "I almost forgot, the puppy is free," Shiley wrote.

Included with the letter are two photographs of the puppy with an American flag and Shiley with the puppy.

Sweet video: Sleepy puppy.

Owies and sick puppies happen.

The PetLvr blog has posted what looks like the ultimate primer on how to put together your own pet first aid kit.

Check it out here.                

My colleague Melissa Pamer found this really sweet story. A stray dog -- a Gordon setter -- was found wandering in a Rancho Palos Verdes neighborhood.

Someone took in the dog, but it hopped over a fence and fell 30 feet to the ground below.

Firefighters were summoned. But nobody wanted to pay the vet bill for a stray.

Well, those firefighters may be tough and brave, but they were no match for a pair of pleading eyes. One of them took the pup home with him after a local vet fixed it up for free.

The firefighter named the dog Spot, even though it has no spots. I guess if you're a fire dog, you HAVE to be named Spot.

I'm kinda ruining things by publishing the end of the story here, but it'll only want to make you read the rest of it.

On Wednesday, Berro picked Spot up at the animal hospital and took him to visit fire Station No. 2 in Palos Verdes Estates. From there it was on to Berro's Orange County home, where the dog would be a surprise for the fire captain's wife and two children, who he said have been begging for a new pet.

The dog, trembling with anxiety and lingering pain, gently rested his head on any knee that was offered.

"I'm getting lucky here," Berro said. "He's a real sweetheart."

Here's a video taken by ace photographer Sean Hiller.

 http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1631255545/bctid7332520001

And now they're cats????

Well not exactly. But they apparently couldn't get any dogs to pose inside the moving box.

You may have heard how newspapers are struggling these days (to put it mildly). Layoffs, shrinking news pages, continuing rounds of cutbacks. It's enough to make those of us in this industry just a bit unnerved.

Sadly, more layoffs hit our newspaper's L.A. chain last week and I was very sad to see that one of the casualties was our semi-co-pet-blogger at The Daily News, Simone Schramm Trimm. While I never met her, Simone became like a friend as we'd check each other's blogs, sometimes trade and share a thing or two, and comment on each other's posts.

And her blog had one of the best names: Valley of the Dogs.

Dang. So much for Josh's and my assumption that pet bloggers are somehow secure in this nose-diving industry.

But enough of that. 

We're happy to announce that Simone is back.

Showing true journalistic resilience, Simone has re-launched the blog on her own cyberspace address and with a slightly revised name: Valley of the dogs ...cats, birds, etc.... Be sure to check her out, bookmark her space. I already have.

Here's Simone's note on the old blog site:

Hey everyone! Just posting here to let you know that the Valley of the Dogs blog has moved. Come on over HERE to read all about the animals, laugh at funny animal-related videos and keep up on the latest in animal products, news and much, much more. The blog isn't completely up to speed just yet but I'm getting there.

You go girl.

Welcome back to the pack.

My friend and former colleague Natalie has just demanded that I post a picture of her dog, Bosco.

Natalie is under the mistaken impression that she has the cutest dog in the world. By my count, her dog is no higher than the third or fourth cutest dog in the world.

The last time I disobeyed a direct order from her, she threatened violence against me, so I figure it's in my best interest to listen to her.

Here's Bosco. The picture is when he was 4 weeks old. He's grown up now, but not much bigger.

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - Wildlife officials said a rhesus monkey known to throw feces when mad is on the loose in Tampa Bay. Authorities have been trying to capture the primate since Tuesday afternoon, but it managed to evade a bucket truck and tranquilizer dart.

Gary Morse with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the adult male is thought to have escaped from an unlicensed source. It was last seen in Clearwater.

The monkey is not considered dangerous.

Here it is, the antidote to Marley & Me:   Hotel for Dogs  (because no dogs die).

The film opens Friday (Jan. 16) and is the story of two foster kids trying to hide a dog.

The theme? Unconditional love, mainly.

If you've seen the first Godfather movie, you'll find this hilarious. If not, you might find it disturbing.

Basically, it's a giant stuffed horse head. That's it. That's the joke. Just imagine the fun you'll have sneaking it into someone's bed and waiting for them to wake up.

As the guy in the movie said, "AAAHHHHHHH AAAAHHHHH"

I guess some people might find it a little scary, but if you want really scary, go rent "Godfather III"

Here is the last of three stories I wrote about Tola, a puppy that was raised to become a seeing-eye dog.

In the first installment, Tola was brought home by Manhattan Beach resident Pat Whitehead.

In part II, Tola was getting ready for college.

In this last part, Tola finishes school and heads off to her new life as a guide dog.

I was really lucky in finding Tola. Only about half of guide dog trainees make it as far as she did. And her new owner, a delightful woman named Courtney Maddocks was very gracious in allowing me to indrude on her time. Being interviewed by a reporter was not something she had anticipated, but she was a real sport about it.

Here it is:

She knows the difference between left and right and can hop on and off an escalator with ease, navigate through the thickest of traffic and guide her owner through obstacles towering far above her head.

She ignores cats and pays no attention to food, but when Tola set eyes on the woman who raised her, she forgot for an instant that she's now a focused and highly trained animal serving as the eyes of a blind person.

She was 100 percent pure dog.

As soon as Tola turned the corner at the Guide Dogs for the Blind campus in San Rafael on Friday and saw Pat Whitehead, she leaped for joy. The black Labrador retriever hadn't seen Whitehead since July, when the Manhattan Beach resident dropped her off for training.

Now fully grown, Tola jumped up, nearly reaching Whitehead's shoulders, and licked her face happily, her tail wagging uncontrollably. If she had been wearing her harness, such behavior would be a no-no. But since she was on a leash, Tola knew she had the freedom to show how she felt.

As the dog bounced up and down, Whitehead ran her fingers through her thick, black coat.

"Oh, look at you!" Whitehead said. "You're a real-life guide dog!"

Now, we finally have some hints.

The New York Times News Service has reported this little nugget:

The Obama family is nearing a decision on a breed for the First Dog. Before President-elect Barack Obama began his interview on the ABC program This Week, which was broadcast Sunday, his daughters -- Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7 -- asked host George Stephanopoulos to slip in this question: "What kind of a dog are we getting, and when are we getting it?" (Good for them. I like these kids. They really know how to keep the heat on a parent.)

When asked, Obama laughed and said, "They seem to have narrowed it down to a Labradoodle (shown above) or a Portuguese water hound."

The next step: Canvass some animal shelters, he said.

"We're closing in on it," the president-elect said. "This has been tougher than finding a commerce secretary" .....

Both breeds, chosen to reduce the impacts of Malia's allergy to dogs, have powerful Democratic backers. Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts owns two Portuguese water dogs, Sunny and Splash, which frequently flank him as he walks through the halls of the Capitol. Vice President-elect Joe Biden meanwhile has a Labradoodle (part Labrador retriever, part poodle) named Brother.

Labradoodles are entirely cute. But so are the Portuguese water hounds. Here's Fernando, a Portuguese water dog puppy who comes to the dog park from time to time:

 

If there's one thing I've learned while doing this blog, it's that I have an alarming soft spot for alliterative headlines. I'm as shocked and appalled by this discovery as you are. I'll try to do better.

But in the meantime, here's a dog that had 18 puppies in one sitting. This comes a year after the same dog had 15 puppies.

If all those puppies grow up to have 15 puppies of their own, within 25 years, the entire planet will be covered in Dalmatians.

Yesterday, I printed the first story I wrote about Tola, a Labrador retriever puppy that was destined to become a guide dog for the blind. In part two, Tola grows up and gets ready for college.

Part three of this three-part series will run early next week.

She's learned the basics. Now she's ready for college.

Tola, a young Labrador retriever who spent more than a year growing from puppy to adult in the South Bay, is now receiving the last of her training at a Guide Dog for the Blind facility in San Rafael.

Gone is the bouncing ball of fuzz that appeared in a 2005 Daily Breeze article. Now 19 months old, Tola is a sleek, muscular and attentive, if still rambunctious adolescent.

But if all goes according to plan, by the end of the year, Tola will become the eyes for someone who can't see.

Pat Whitehead, the Manhattan Beach resident who tutored and guided Tola since she was 12 weeks old, dropped her off at the organization's sprawling Northern California campus earlier this month.

"She's an exceptional dog," said Whitehead, who knows a few things about guide dogs. Tola was the 18th dog she has raised for the organization.  

 

There's going to be a spcaLA event in Redondo Beach on Saturday. Here are the details from their Web site:

Bring the kids and spend the afternoon with spcaLA, PAWS to Read, and the Redondo Beach Library.  Join us as we team up with the upcoming movie, "Hotel For Dogs" and Fox 11 newscaster, Mark Thompson, to champion children's literacy. 

Through PAWS to Read, children practice their skills by reading to a therapy dog in 15-minute sessions.  By reading aloud to an attentive and uncritical audience, children gain confidence while strengthening the human-animal bond.  PAWS to Read utilizes certified spcaLA Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) dogs who have been trained and tested for health, saftey, and temperament.  

Fox 11 newscaster Mark Thompson will be on hand to read from the popular children's book, "Hotel For Dogs," written by Erica David.  Free bookmarks, sticker sheets and movie posters will be available while supplies last.  A drawing will be held to win copies of the book, "Hotel For Dogs."   

This guy set up a camera next to his bed and recorded what his cat does while he's asleep.

It turns out that all cats do the same thing. Or at least, this is what my cat does -- namely keep me up all night.

As part of our ongoing series So Cute You'll Barf, we present this: Cute Things Falling Asleep.

As you can guess by the name, the site features videos of little fuzzy things falling asleep. Included are puppies, kittens, bunnies, ducks and the random human.

Enjoy, but stay away from the sugar for an hour or so or you might explode.

This comes to my via my friend Natalie, who wrote to say that I "HAVE to blog this." She didn't say or what, but I figure I better listen. She's from Texas and you know what they say about messing with those people.

Here's one to give you an idea.

Yesterday, I mentioned a series of stories I wrote about a seeing-eye dog that was raised by a Manhattan Beach woman named Pat Whitehead.

Tola was just a tiny puppy when Pat brought her home to begin the process of training her to become a guide dog for the blind. She was something like the 18th dog Pat had raised.

Here's part 1 of the story. It ran in July 31, 2005.

It's big world out there and it's filled with all kinds of fun things to do: There's trash to sniff, bugs to taste and nice people who all seem to want to stop and say hello. Tola positively vibrated with excitement at the endless possibilities.

  She was all bright-eyed and loosey-goosey with paws ready to splay out in play as she and a group of puppies visited an Office Depot in Torrance on a spring day, but this wasn't a pleasure trip. There was work to be done, a destiny to be fulfilled. Tola doesn't know it, but if all goes according to plan, in less than two years, she will become the eyes for someone who can't see.

And it's Pat Whitehead's job to raise Tola from a rambunctious puppy to a dog mature enough to enter a rigorous five-month training program -- college, they call it -- at the San Rafael campus for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

The Manhattan Beach resident will do it without once raising her voice and without once raising her hand. With a soft voice and the manner of the world's most encouraging kindergarten teacher, she'll do it with gentle tugs of a leash, countless hours of practice and an endless supply of praise.

Except for the whites of her eyes, Tola is jet black from her nose to the tip of her tail. A Labrador retriever, she's got floppy ears, rolls of extra skin that cascade down her forehead, paws too big for her body and a face that can switch from mournful to mischievous in a heartbeat. It's almost too much to resist.

"They can be very manipulative," Whitehead said with a knowing smile.

This great Web site called Graph Jam has all sorts of loopy mathematical and statistical computations on it. Go check it out for a few laughs, but some of the items might be for mature audiences.

Here are a couple they did on cats and dogs.

Slate, the online magazine, has this great feature where they answer questions that appear in the news. For instance, a recent column answered what would happen to an American citizen who threw a shoe at the president.

At the end of the year they take a poll of their readers and answer what is probably the strangest question of the year.

This year's question: What is the most disloyal breed of dog.

Yeah, yeah, I know my dog is the most disloyal animal in the world, but he's not a breed. He's just a bad dog.

The answer, according to Slate is, nobody knows.

What a rip off! I want my money back.

But here's what they had to say:

The conventional wisdom among dog fanciers holds that each of the 161 breeds now recognized by the American Kennel Club has a distinctive temperament reflecting its history and original purpose. The terriers, for example, were once bred to hunt vermin; thus they're thought to be hostile to other animals. Working dogs that were originally bred to guard property might be seen as especially loyal.

But recent work suggests that the personalities of modern dogs may have little to do with their breed's history. A researcher at Stockholm University named Kenth Svartberg analyzed the behavioral profiles of more than 15,000 animals and derived several essential canine traits: A dog is more or less playful, curious/fearless, and sociable. Then he studied a few dozen breed types and rated them according to those traits as well as on their level of aggression.

It's pretty interesting stuff. But here's what I can tell you. My dog is playful, curious, fearless and sociable. And he's a horrible monster.

It turns out there are also guide monkeys, goats and ferrets....first it was guide dogs

 for the blind; now it's monkeys for quadriplegia and agoraphobia, guide miniature horses, a goat for muscular dystrophy, a parrot for psychosis and any number of animals for anxiety, including cats, ferrets, pigs, at least one iguana and a duck. They're all showing up in stores and in restaurants, which is perfectly legal because the Americans With Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) requires that service animals be allowed wherever their owners want to go.

This is a press release I got about an emergency hosemanship clinic being sponsored by the Cowboy Boot Camp. The event is being held at 3 p.m. Saturday Jan. 10 at 4 Sunnyfield Drive in Rolling Hills Estates.

For reservations or more info, call Jim Moore at 310-377-8834.

Despite their size and weight, horses are nature's delicate creatures and if you're a horse owner, or someone who's planning for horse ownership, you should be prepared for an equine emergency.

"Unfortunately, bad things sometimes happen when you're on the trail or when you and your horse are at a remote location or at a time when a vet might not be available," explained Jim Moore of Cowboy Boot Camp.  "A horse depends upon his human companion to make him feel better or possibly even save his life."

• How to respond if your horse colics or has other abdominal problems.
• How to care for a laceration, puncture wound and eye trauma.
• How to wrap a leg in case of emergency.
• What important data your vet needs to know prior to arrival.
• Do you know how to take and what a horse's temperature should be?
• What contents should every equine emergency kit include?

These emergency treatment & step-by-step procedure topics and more will be covered and discussed at the upcoming Cowboy Boot Camp horsemanship clinic in Palos Verdes.  Conducted by Los Angeles County-based equine veterinary practitioner, Dr. Sylvia Greenman, D.V.M., participants will get an opportunity for a "hands on" demonstration on how to respond quickly and confidently to equine emergency situations.

"Horse emergencies can be a challenging and emotionally charged situation for owners," said Dr. Greenman. "However, with preparedness clinics such as these, problems can be reduced by educating owners about first aid procedures."

For more information about this clinic as well as other Cowboy Boot Camp horsemanship seminars and events, visit their Web site or contact Dr. Sylvia Greenman. 

I've considered getting my dog drunk. The only reason I haven't is that instead of being a nice drunk (or better yet, a sleepy one), he'd go on a homicidal rampage and kill me and the cat.

I don't know if it's illegal here, but this guy tried it in the U.K. and got his chops busted for it. A man who plied a dog with Stella Artois lager has received the first ever conviction for getting a dog drunk.

Andrew Wilson, 31, of Bristol, gave American bulldog Bronx a can of Stella Artois beer and was accused of forcing him to drink vodka before giving the hound a beating.

By the time he was found he was over the drink drive limit for a human, it has been reported.

The winter holidays are behind us at last. Coming right up before you know it: spring, summer, vacation time. And no one wants to leave their best friend behind these days.

Petlovr.com has some good tips on preparing your dog (or other pet) for a road trip:

With more and more hotels becoming pet-friendly, an increasing number of pet owners are deciding to take their cat, dog, ferret or other pet along for the ride on that road trip or vacation.

It takes a lot of preparations in order for a vacation to be fun and stress-free for both pets and owners. There's several things that pet owners will need to do in order to get their animal ready to travel.

Among the issues covered in the post are getting the pet used to temporary living quarters (meaning a crate); taking "practice" car rides; getting vaccination records and a health certificate in order; making up a new pet tag with a cell phone number and, if applicable, your temporary location; what cleaning supplies, toys, collars and other items you should bring along.

I've never taken a long road trip with my dogs, but it sounds like lots of fun. Or not. (Some of us at the dog park are now talking about organizing a day trip with our dogs to go folic in the snow before it all melts. This could lead to either great fun or great tragedy; and probably a little of both.)

Any tips or experiences or funny tales that our readers would like to share about traveling with their pets? Good, bad and ugly, send 'em on.  

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Horsemens Association is hosting the 14th annual Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival on Saturday Jan. 17.

The shindig is being held at the Empty Saddle Club in Rolling Hills Estates, The club is located appropriately enough at 39 Empty Saddle Road

Chili and cornbread are being served at 6 p.m.

The show starts at 7 p.m.

It cost is free!

For more info, call: 310-539-1639

Tell 'em Josh sent ya, pardner.

This is racing across the Internet, so there's a decent chance you've seen it. But if not, it's pretty amizing. As the subject line above says, a dog and an elephant are best buds.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Perhaps. But maybe not for Tess or your girl dog.

New horseshoe collar charms from The Lovepaw Co.  

They have cell phone "charms" too. That is if you didn't go and lose your cell phone over the holidays like I did.

Don't ask. I'm still in denial. 

I recently contacted the Washington County Animal Control office abou

t a skunk that was in a trap.  The trap was located at the home of an elderly widow woman who has had a problem with skunks digging under her shed behind her house for well over a year.  The smell around and inside her house is atrocious!! 

How much does it cost if you get caught with your dog off leash on a beach? According to an article in this issue of the Malibu Surfside News, one dude was threatened with multi-hundred-dollar ticket! It's on page 15 if you want to see it.

This is a letter I got about it:

I just saw a photo in our local newspaper that states the fine for a dog off leash on the beach is $600. After reading - and commenting on - the Bad Cop vs. Redondo Park Lady, I thought you might find this very interesting at a few levels.

I wonder how these fines stack up against other simple infractions?

Not trying to give you a bad time or start up something, but don't want Rocket to suffer 'those

looks' if you get a ticket like that. I'd gladly take that dog off your hands...

Take care and keep leaving those paw prints on our hearts,

Mari

Take the dog off my hands??? Well, OK, but you  have to take the cat too. And you have to let him burrow under the covers when it's cold at night. And you have to take him for walks 18 times a day. And you have to scratch his belly for an hour in the morning. And he likes a little oat meal in the morning. 

Aw, never mind! 

I never read the book Marley & Me.

Oh, I was tempted, alright. There it was, its cute cover staring out at me every time I entered a bookstore.

My cousin Bill bought it and loved it -- he has a yellow Lab, Maggie, who looks exactly like Marley. Maggie has been known to be a handful, just like her celebrity counterpart Marley. And Bill's last name is Marley. So how could he resist? 

After he read it, I pressed him for details. Yep, sure enough, just as I suspected. There was a buzzkill ending. 

When I found out the dog dies in the end, I decided to stay clear of the book.

Same goes with the movie.

  Marley & Me (the movie) is getting pretty good reviews. The trailers are adorable. I'd read in one of my favorite magazines that one of the nice things about the film is that it features a very positive portrayal of a lasting, committed marriage (rare these days).

The main characters are reporters, another draw for me to see it. It clearly has lots of very funny moments.

My good friend Kathy (who grew up with dogs but by her own admission isn't really a hard-core "animal" person) saw the movie this past week with her two 20- something daughters and said it was great.

Oh, and Marley is SO incredibly cute.   

But no thanks.

I gave the dog four tranquilizers, but he still mananaged to leap through the kitchen window at the sound of fireworks. (actually, given where I live, it was probably guns making all that noise).

He didn't run away though, so I consider it a successful start to the new year.

Next year, five tranquilizers.

Poor Mr. Cowboy.

The fireworks in our part of town last night drove him to jump up onto the pillow next to my head by 11 p.m. He typically prefers his own private sleeping space in his dog bed on the floor (which is fine with me), as does Tess.

Cowboy never gets on the bed unless he's super-stressed.

He's just not a party kind of dog, I guess. He worries so much about loud noises.

How did it go for all your critters last night?