The recalled products include only the following types of Dentley's Beef Hooves purchased between Oct. 2, 2009, and Nov. 3, 2009:

• Dentley's Bulk Cattle Hoof UPC #73725703323
• Dentley's 10 Pack Beef Hooves UPC #73725736055

Customers who purchased the recall products should discontinue use immediately and return the product to any PetSmart store for a refund or exchange. For more information, visit www.petsmartfacts.com, www.petsmart.com, www.fda.gov -- or contact PetSmart Customer Service at 1-888-839-9638.

Here's the update on Annie the Cat vs. The Collar (See my post from a couple days ago for the backstory).

The good news is I managed to collar her Thursday morning (here she is watching for birds last night in the living room window, her favorite perch).

When she bounced up onto my bed this morning to wake me up, however, her collar was gone. I found it unhooked and lying on her blanket on the bed in the spare room where she mostly sleeps. (She really should have thought to hide it from me in the closet.)

So I put it back on this morning -- I'm persistent -- but if she continues to get it off I'll let the issue drop. I don't want to make her miserable if she really does hate it. After all, one blog reader on the earlier post already has called me "mean."

Read more in the Associated Press story.

There's even a YouTube video:

"A Dog Named Christmas" will be shown on CBS and will direct viewers to Petfinder.com to find shelters and rescue groups in their areas that are participating in "Foster a Lonely Pet" program.

The film, based on the best-selling book by Greg Kincaid, is about Todd McCray, a developmentally challenged young man living on his parents' Kansas farm. When he hears that a local animal shelter seeks temporary homes for its dogs during the holidays leading up to Christmas, Todd asks his parents for a dog that he names Christmas.

From there, Todd uses his gifts of persuasion to encourage his hometown to participate in the "Adopt a Dog for Christmas," with lessons in kindness and goodwill flowing abundantly from there.

If you're interested in participating in this program, and can welcome a dog into your home for two months during the holidays, check with BorderColliesInNeed (email them at Rescue@BorderColliesInNeed.org).

And stay tuned for more information about the project as we get it. Maybe we can even feature some of you who decide to bring a shelter or rescue dog home for the holidays.

fire. The shop owner's wife committed suicide by setting herself on fire -- and Mr. Burns, as he was dubbed at Affordable Animal Hospital, was an innocent victim, suffering third-degree burns covering over 60-70 percent of his body before he was pulled to safety by firefighters.

He responded well to treatment and was transferred back to the county animal shelter in Carson where he reportedly had a list of would-be owners wishing to adopt him.

I'm not sure what happened, but somehow he never got taken home with anyone. So now Mr. Burns is with a group called PAL Rescue & Adoption in El Segundo (see him on their Web page) and he may be included in the organization's regular adoption event from 4 to 7 p.m. today (Thursday) at the Petsmart store at Plaza El Segundo, 730 S. Sepulveda Blvd. But since he had to be treated Wednesday for a minor toenail issue, he most likely won't be there until Friday's adoption (same time and place). Volunteers with the group can arrange for you to meet with the dog if you're interested in adopting him.  

You can also email them for an application at info@palrescue.org.

So when Doug Epperhart of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council sent me another shot of one of his cats in a weird spot (see our earlier post about Doug's cat Bojangles), I had to print it, of course (nice looking cat, too!).

Doug's wife Andrea was taking some recycling items out to the bin in their driveway the other day and found Tia, one of the couple's two calicos, resting in the yard clippings:

L.A. is one of several cities considering the move before a Jan. 1, 2010, deadline when a state law goes into effect forbidding cities and counties from regulating the practice of veterinary medicine.

"It is not like clipping nails -- it is an amputation," said Councilman Paul Koretz who has a cat and sponsors weekly feline adoptions at the council chambers.

The City Attorney will prepare a draft ordinance for consideration by the full council before the end of the year.

Read more in the Daily Breeze today. 

Given time, this could develop into an epic standoff -- getting a collar and ID tag (seen on the right end of the table) onto Annie Oakley, the new cat (seen on the left end of the table).

So far, cat = 3, human = 0. 

"Cats don't like collars," one friend explained to me. "You might as well try putting a bra on her," he said.

A colleague at the Breeze, however, tells me it's all quite do-able -- and necessary, she says (and I agree), for cats who will be venturing outdoors (which Annie will do once she figures out the doggie door the dogs are using all the time). 

My colleague's strategy for collaring the cat: "You just have to pin her down."

Easier said than done, I suspect.

I've failed at my first three attempts to put it on her so far. So the collar (a special and safe break- away cat collar) sits, ready and waiting, for the next go-around.

Until then, AnnieO remains (temporarily) victorious -- and smugly collarless.

Read more about Annie the Cat 

I've been through some destructive dogs in my time and the canines I have now are the easiest I've ever had when it comes to furniture. They have almost no interest in even lying on the sofa, let alone destroying it.

So after I dumped the last sofa -- which, through the years, had been meticulously destroyed by my crazy Austalian shepherd Pilgrim (now deceased) -- I bought a new sofa this past January. Not to sound too materialistic here, but I really do love this sofa. Really. It's the nicest sofa I've ever had.

So far, Annie Oakley the cat has stayed mostly on her scratching posts, although a couple times I've stopped her from clawing on the furniture. The color literally drains from my face when I catch her doing this. The sofa is now heavily covered in protective blankets, throws and more throws.

Too bad reporters don't make more money. If we did, I might be able to buy her some of this new cat-scratch furniture.

It comes from The Company of Pets. The pieces shown below were designed by Jeanne Byers and Rochelle Klein, partners in an advertising agency.

But for now, the cheap-o, ugly scratching posts will have to do around my place.

Since AnnieO has two of her own dogs, I suspect the "neo-pop" canine scratcher at the right might be her favorite style. If her owner could afford it. it costs a mere $1,200. The modernist French chair? $575. (This cat in the photos even looks a bit like my Annie Oakley. But clearly way more spoiled.)  

 HT: Paws 'n Claws

Not long before his death, Harry and I headed out for a walk that proved eventful. He was nearly 13, old for a big dog. Walks were no longer the slap-happy Iditarods of his youth, frenzies of purposeless pulling in which we would cast madly off in all directions, fighting for command. Nor were they the exuberant archaeological expeditions of his middle years, when every other tree or hydrant or blade of grass held tantalizing secrets about his neighbors. In his old age, Harry had transformed his walk into a simple process of elimination--a dutiful, utilitarian, head-down trudge. 

Now there's the Potty Patch, billed as a "revolutionary indoor bathroom for dogs."

Yikes.

I suppose this makes sense for those who live in climates where going outdoors can be a snowy, icy nightmare during some months of the year. Or maybe for those little purse dogs.

But really, I don't honestly want my border collies "going" in the house. I'm already concerned about bringing in a Christmas tree this year. Besides, the new cat's litter box is quite enough indoor bathroom going for me, thank you very much.

But the Potty Patch, if you're intested, is endorsed by the American Kennel Club and is useful also for puppy training. And it's now available at PetCo stores.

The patch consists of three tiers "perfect for patios and indoor use." From the press release:

The top portion is made out of a soft artificial grass specifically designed to let liquid flow through. The collection tray holds up to a gallon of liquid allowing multiple uses. The Potty Patch feels natural because of the synthetic grass and is a great solution when there is inclement weather or as emergency backup for dogs.

Parking is at the Hampton Inn next door. Call 310-379-1264.