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If
it’s a busy area, your pet may also be at risk of being hit by a
car. The last thing your neighbors want to do is hurt an animal
(perhaps damaging their vehicles or hurting themselves in the
process). SOURCE:
http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2006/10/22/news/home_garden/7home01gardner.txt
Scientists
tracking health of 9/11 search dogs Study
finds ground zero dogs didn't get as sick as human workers The Associated Press
NEW
YORK - They dug in the toxic World Trade Center dust for
survivors, and later for the dead. Their feet were burned by
white-hot debris. But unlike thousands of others who toiled at
ground zero after Sept. 11, these rescue workers aren’t sick. Scientists
have spent years studying the health of search-and-rescue dogs that
nosed through the debris at ground zero, and to their surprise, they
have found no sign of major illness in the animals. They
are trying to figure out why this is so. “They
didn’t have any airway protection, they didn’t have any skin
protection. They were sort of in the worst of it,” said Cynthia
Otto, a veterinarian at the University of Pennsylvania, where
researchers launched a study of 97 dogs five years ago. Although
many ground zero dogs have died — some of rare cancers —
researchers say many have lived beyond the average life span for
dogs and are not getting any sicker than average. Owners
of the dogs dispute the findings, saying there is a definite link
between the toxic air and their pets’ health. Otto
has tracked dogs that spent an average of 10 days after the 2001
terrorist attacks at either the trade center site, the landfill in
New York where most of the debris was taken, or the heavily damaged
Pentagon. As
of last month, she said, 30 percent of the dogs deployed after Sept.
11 had died, compared with 22 percent of those in a comparison group
of dogs who were not pressed into service. The difference was not
considered statistically significant, Otto said. But
she added: “We have to keep looking.” A
separate study, to be published soon by a doctor at New York’s
Animal Medical Center, focused on about two dozen New York police
dogs, and comes to similar conclusions. The
results have baffled doctors. A study released last month found that
70 percent of the people who worked at ground zero suffer severe
respiratory problems; scientists thought that the dogs might have
similar health problems. Longer
noses may serve as filters The
research isn’t persuasive to many owners of dogs that died after
working at the trade center site. Joaquin
Guerrero, a police officer in Saginaw, Mich., took two dogs, Felony
and Rookie, to ground zero for 10 days after the attacks. While
Felony remains healthy, Rookie died at age 9 in 2004 of cancer of
the mouth. Guerrero believes his death was caused by exposure to
ground zero. “If
the people are getting it, you know dogs are showing signs of it,”
Guerrero said. Scott
Shields’ golden retriever, Bear, located the body of a fire chief
and many other victims at ground zero. The 11-year-old dog died a
year after the attacks of several types of cancer. “He
had never been sick a day in his life” before going to the site,
where he sustained a wound to his back from steel debris, Shields
said. Shields,
who heads a search-and-rescue dog foundation named after Bear, said
Bear “died from bad government” and the toxic air at ground
zero. He said that studies under way should have included every dog
that worked at the site, and that the Penn study is flawed because
it tries to compare dogs that worked at the Pentagon as well as in
New York. Otto
said that some of the dogs that worked at the sites could not be
found and other dogs’ owners were not willing to subject their
pets to annual blood tests and X-rays. Mary
Flood, whose 11½-year-old black Labrador, Jake, is completely
healthy five years after working at ground zero, said that dogs’
much shorter life span may also make it harder to track long-term
illness. “Maybe
there’s not enough time to develop these things before they’re
no longer with us,” she said.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15349649/
Cats
and dogs banned by Saudi religious police Muhammad
was a cat person, but some say pets signal Western influence The
Associated Press
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia’s religious police,
normally tasked with chiding women to cover themselves and
ensuring men attend mosque prayers, are turning to a new target:
cats and dogs.
The
police have issued a decree banning the sale of the pets, seen as a
sign of Western influence. The
prohibition on dogs may be less of a surprise, since conservative
Muslims despise dogs as unclean. But the cat ban befuddled many,
since Islamic tradition holds that the Prophet Muhammad loved cats
— and even let a cat drink from his ablutions water before washing
himself for prayers. The
religious police, known as the Muttawa, have the role of enforcing
Saudi Arabia’s strict Islamic code. Its members prowl streets and
malls, ensuring unmarried men and women do not mix, confronting
women they feel are not properly covered or urging men to go to
prayers. But
the government also gives the Muttawa wide leeway to enforce any
rules they deem necessary to uphold the social order. The
decree — which applies to the Red Sea port city of Jiddah and the
holy city of Mecca — bans the sale of cats and dogs because
“some youths have been buying them and parading them in public,”
according to a memo from the Municipal Affairs Ministry to
Jiddah’s city government. The
memo, obtained by The Associated Press, urges city authorities to
help enforce the ban. Pet
owning is not common in the Arab world, though dogs are kept for
hunting and guarding. In large cities around the Middle East, stray
dogs often wander the streets and are considered pests. Street cats
are also plentiful, and people will often feed them or play with
them — but it isn’t a widespread custom to keep one in the home,
and many cannot afford it. Owning
pets is a fashion statement Conservatives
decry the trend as a Western influence, just like the fast food,
shorts, jeans and pop music that have become more common in the
kingdom, which is ruled by the puritanical Wahhabi interpretation of
Islam. They say it should be fought because it is threatening the
fabric of Gulf nations. “One
bad habit spreading among our youths is the acquisition of dogs and
showing them off in the streets and malls,” wrote Aleetha al-Jihani
in a letter to Al-Madina newspaper. “There’s no doubt that such
a matter makes one shudder.” “Then
what’s the point of dragging a dog behind you?” he added.
“This is blind emulation of the infidels.” The
decree has not been enforced yet, according to several pet shop
owners and veterinary clinics in Jiddah. It applies only to selling
dogs and cats, and there was no sign the Muttawa would confiscate
pets. The
decree did not say whether the religious police would try to stop
people from appearing in public with a dog or cat — or whether
owners would be allowed to sell puppies or kittens born to their
pets. The
ban distressed cat and dog lovers. Some have wondered why the
religious police are focusing on this issue when the country has far
more important challenges, such as terrorism and unemployment. “I
was shocked when I heard about it,” said Fahd al-Mutairi, who owns
35 cats. “What was even more shocking was to hear that the ban
came from an authority that has nothing to do with such an issue.” “I
would understand if it came from the Health Ministry or anybody
charged with ensuring pets coming from outside do not carry
diseases,” added the 23-year-old flower-shop owner. No
other Arab country restricts pet ownership. But in Iran, ruled by
Shiite clerics, religious police sometimes harass people seen
outside with their dogs. Last year, Iranian police told people not
to bring their dogs out in public, but the order was never backed up
by law and dog-owners widely ignored it. Prophet
Muhammad was cat person One
of the prophet’s closest companions was given the name Abu Huraira,
Arabic for “the father of the kitten,” because he always carried
a kitten and took care of it. A
number of hadiths — traditional stories of the prophet — show
Muhammad encouraging people to treat cats well. Once,
he let a cat drink from the water he was going to use for his
ablutions before prayers. Another time, Muhammad said a woman who
kept a cat locked up without feeding it would go to hell. Dogs
— considered dirty and dangerous — are less lucky. According to
one hadith, Muhammad said a Muslim loses credit for one good deed
each day he keeps a dog and even said dogs should be killed unless
used for hunting or protection. Still,
in another instance, he said that a prostitute who carried water in
her slipper to a thirsty dog would go to heaven, her sins forgiven
because of her kindness. “All
these things considered, it is obviously not against our religion or
our tradition to have dogs and cats as pets,” columnist Abeer
Mishkhas wrote in the Arab News. “I
sincerely hope (authorities) will leave the cats and dogs alone and
concentrate on what should be their real business,” she added. Al-Mutairi
said his friends and relatives cannot understand his passion for his
cats, which cost him $1,000 a month to feed and care for. “I
tell them this is not a Western innovation,” he said. “Our
religion says we should take care of animals.”
Wis.
rescuers to carry oxygen masks for pets Town
raised money to pay for equipment to be used on dogs, cats The Associated Press APPLETON,
Wis. - Pets here will be breathing a little easier now that
local rescuers will be carrying oxygen masks designed for animals. Six
Appleton fire trucks and 13 ambulances will be equipped with masks
intended for use on dogs, cats and other small animals. Alderman
Richard Thompson initiated the program after he saw a newspaper
photograph of a firefighter in Superior giving mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation to a cat rescued from a house fire. "A
pet is family to most people," he said. "I know I wouldn't
want to lose Maggie, my collie, or Lucy, my Tabby cat, to a fire,
carbon monoxide poisoning or Lord knows what else." The
money to pay for each $49 mask came from donations by local animal
lovers. "It
was something to see," Thompson said. "There was no
organized solicitation effort. People and community groups just read
or heard about the program and stepped up to the plate." The
masks, which come in three sizes, will be distributed to each of six
fire stations and to the Appleton Police Department K-9 unit, he
said. The
Madison Fire Department carries similar masks on its seven
ambulances, said Lori Wirth, the department's community education
officer. The
Madison department also bought its masks with money raised from
unsolicited donations, she said. In fact, the department raised so
much money it was able to buy mask kits for several neighboring
communities. Wirth
said the department's firefighters haven't had to use the masks yet
but they're trained and willing. "What
we've done so far is use the masks as a way to remind people to get
out of their residence in the event of a fire and don't go searching
for pets," she said. "Firefighters will care for any pets
we find in the event they suffer from smoke inhalation." Copyright
2006 The Associated Press.
Man
survives run-in with falling dog 110-pound
Saint Bernard, pushed from a window, escaped with bruises WARSAW
- A man was bruised but alive on Wednesday after a Saint Bernard dog
thrown out a two-story window landed on him as he was walking down
the street in the southern-Polish city of Sosnowiec. The
110-pound dog was pushed out of the window by its drunken owner on
Monday, police said. “The
dog had a soft landing because it fell on a man,” said police
spokesman Grzegorz Wierzbicki. “The dog escaped with just a few
scratches.” “The
man was also more in a psychological state of shock than physically
hurt,” Wierzbicki added. The
one-year-old dog, named Oskar, was placed in an animal shelter while
police investigate its owners for animal abuse. Copyright
2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. URL:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14045033/ Doggone
it! Readers share their pet peeves
Pooches
at the symphony, even a funeral — dispatches from a dog's world MSNBC.com's
story on party-crashing pets sure got some readers barking mad. Hundreds
wrote in to share their run-ins with pooches in inappropriate
places, even Grandma's funeral! Others
defended their right to bring their four-legged "children"
wherever they go. "Love me, love my dog!," one
doggie-defender wrote in. Others responded: Forget you, and your
dog! An
"ex-friend" took their small dog, "Doodles",
uninvited to another friend’s cocktail party. After letting
themselves in, they put the dog down and let him romp.
Unfortunately, the host and his kids are extremely allergic to dogs.
Our ex-friend was shocked when they were forced to pay a $3,500
professional cleaning bill for bringing their pet uninvited and
unannounced to the party. The problem was repeated a few weeks later
when they brought the dog to our house unannounced. Unknown to me,
my son let them in with the dog. They put the dog down and it acted
like it owned the place. Unfortunately for "Doodles," this
didn't go over well with our shepherd-retriever mix. After
"Doodles" attempted to stand his ground while helping
himself to our dog's food bowl, the fight was on. Before we could
intervene, our dog dispatched "Doodles" like he was an
overstuffed chew toy. It was horrible. Worse still, they actually
blamed us. Now we're no longer friends and from what I've heard
they're still bringing the new "Mr. Doodles" with them
wherever they go. Go figure. We
went to a performance of the local symphony, where love of music
trumps just about everything, even missed notes and faulty
conducting. But the smelly owner accompanied by his smelly Dachshund
was too much. My boss was seated right behind him before
intermission, and after intermission my boss and everybody else
within a three-seat radius had moved to empty seats downstairs. I
love my little 20-pound doggie and wish I could take her everywhere,
but I do not want that particular door opened. If she's there, some
mutt that could eat her in two gulps will be there too and will
probably try it. My
dogs are like my kids, and my feeling is, anywhere kids are allowed,
dogs should be allowed. However, it is vital that they be
well-behaved. Rowdy and disruptive behavior is not acceptable in
public, be it from dogs or children (or adults for that matter!!) I
volunteer for a nonprofit organization that trains and certifies
Assistance Dogs (http://www.circletail.org/),
and it is very concerning when I hear of people trying to pass off
their pets as assistance dogs. But my feeling is — as long as
companion animals are well-mannered, they should be allowed access
to many more places than they are now. One solution may be for
establishments to only allow dogs and owners who have passed the AKC
Canine Good Citizen Test (http://www.akc.org/). Hell
no, it's bad enough when people bring kids to a restaurant, they
scream in your ears, throw food and ruin your meal. If someone
brought their dog to my home without asking first, they wouldn't
ever be allowed in my home again, even family. I
take my two large dogs everywhere I can. They love it, and I love
it. The only difference is that mine are well-behaved,
obedience-trained, and almost always welcomed back to any event.
This is the difference between a reasonable dog-lover, and an
outlandish one. If your dog is going to clean up the snack table,
perhaps he/she needs more training before being let off-leash at
parties. My dogs behave well; they don't jump on guests or steal
objects. People that are uninterested in them hardly notice they are
there. Another important idea is to ask permission to bring your
canine companion. Many people are willing to invite your four-legged
friend, if they know how much it means to you, and that the dog will
behave. Those are the most significant differences between
responsible and irresponsible canine companionship. These
people are part of the "new age" that thinks it is cruel
to discipline their pets and lets them run amuck at other peoples
expenses most of the larger pets will end up in already over crowded
shelters when the owners become to scared of the animal to be
willing to keep it. I would not let any misbehaving animal run
loose, there are leash laws and property owners should be able to
enforce them on there own property too. Love
me, love my dog! My dogs are expected to stay home while I am at
work and non- dog social functions. The dogs are part of our lives
and if you come to my house you had better be prepared to be greeted
by a Newfie and have some dog hair on your clothes. If you can't
handle that, then don't bother coming over. My mother-in-law showed
up at my door unexpectedly. I was working with my Newfie, who was
puppy at the time, so she was on the leash. When I opened the door,
I thought mother-in-law was going to mess her pants. This was in my
own home. I was polite and kept the dog on a leash and under control
while she was there. My dog stayed by my side the entire time,
either in a sit or a down stay. I could tell mother-in-law was
uncomfortable. She has not spent the night at our house since. It
was my house, my rules, and offensive to me that she was afraid of
my well-trained dog. I
am a huge dog (and cat) lover, and I have the BEST dog, a
Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier named “Elvis” (a 45-lb
lap-dog-wannabe). While he is extremely well behaved and respectful
of other two-leggers around him, I do not and would not bring him
everywhere — separation anxiety or not. I've found, particularly
through my local post office, that there are a HUGE number of
non-dog lovers out there, up to and including people that are scared
to death of even the smallest dog. While Elvis obeys nearly every
command given him, I still do not take him everywhere with me, and
would certainly not bring him uninvited anywhere. I personally think
it's rude for people to bring their dogs absolutely everywhere,
invited or not, especially if they are not controlling the dog. It's
one thing to go to a picnic or outdoor party when the invitation
specifically includes the canine, but to bring them uninvited and to
allow them to run amok, that shows lack of respect to the host,
hostess, other guests, and is downright rude. I
have a chocolate lab, Harley, who is 9. I have trained my dog very
well so that I CAN bring him to certain places and he is always
well-behaved. I have people who always love having him over because
he is well-trained. I even use to take him to work with me. Like
children, if they are not well-behaved in public, who wants to be
around it? I believe if you train your dog well enough, society will
have more welcome arms. |
