Mexican Hacienda Dog House

Created by custom doghouse design artists at La Petite Maison, this $30,000 red clay-roofed manse is large enough to accommodate a human and comes complete with terra-cotta floors. Who’s the lucky pooch that calls this humble abode home? This casa belongs to the pets of actress/model Rachel Hunter and is a scaled-down version of her California house.

Celebrity Brick Estate Dog House

The mastermind behind this upscale doggie abode is craftsman Alan Mowrer—known for creating the most fashionable dog houses in the world. This manor is estimated at $25,000 and boasts running water, lighting, air conditioning and heat!

Tradition Style Dog House

Starting at $7,500, this asphalt-shingle house with a cedar front porch is a replica of the owner’s home—right down to the circle-top window and vaulted ceilings. Inside, the dwelling is filled with doggy-inspired décor, including bone-shaped rugs and puppy-print wallpaper.

White Colonial Dog House

For fans of the pitched roof and square windows of Colonial-style architecture, this is the perfect pet house. The $6,100 structure is one of many celebrity-requested dog mansions available at BeyondtheCrate.com—all complete with AC and heating units.

Victorian Cottage Cozy Kennel

Designed with gingerbread trim and gables as well as shutters and heart-shaped windows, this 6′ x 8′ canine retreat would give even the most energetic pup the sweetest doggy dreams.

Classic Country Style Dog House

With double dormer windows and 60 square feet of space, this doggy dream house starts at $7,200. Amenities include multiple windows, an air conditioning unit and a front-porch light switch.

Swiss Chalet

Oh, to be the Bernese Mountain Dog that calls this chalet home! This doggy domicile comes with decorative carved wood, a gabled roof and multiple balconies—all popular features of Swiss chalet-style architecture. Photo Credit: La Petite Maison

French Chateau

The crème de la crème of the block is definitely this chateau-inspired dog house. Featuring a copper roof, bay windows and hardwood floors, this petite puppy palace can be customized to the size of the dog who’ll inhabit it. Photo Credit: La Petite Maison

As winter begins to wind down, we are still in the middle of sled dog racing season. The Iditarod in Alaska had its ceremonial start in Anchorage last Saturday (the 7th), the Yukon Quest race from Canada’s Yukon Territory to Alaska took place back in mid-February, and the Can-Am Crown races were held in Maine only a couple of weeks ago. The most well-known of the races, the Iditarod Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, covers 1,868 km (1,161 mi), and takes anywhere from 8 to 12 days for mushers and their teams of 16 dogs to complete. Collected here are several photos from recent sled dog races and training sessions around the Northern Hemisphere.

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She is a survivor.

Laia survived a war, a broken leg, the death of her owner, a risky convoy across Iraq, and an amputation and wound up in the home of Jerry and Colleen Deaven of Brighton.

She is just a mutt, but her story spans the globe.

It is the story of a guy and his dog. Maj. Steven Hutchison fell in love with the puppy, but at age 60 became the oldest Army soldier to die during this war.

It is the story of a woman, Terri Crisp, who has made 23 trips to Iraq, trying to save the pets of U.S. soldiers.

It is the story of a grieving mother, Peggy Loving of Romulus, who found a moment of solace when she met Hutchison’s beloved dog. When she left Laia, Loving was in tears because holding the puppy felt to her like holding her son.

It is the story of adoption. The Deaven family home has a massive yard, where Laia can run free, and plenty of love.

“We feel like we are taking care of her for Maj. Hutchison, for all the guys in the unit,” Colleen Deaven said.

Her husband, who works for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, agreed.

Stray’s global journey home

At night, when the war cooled down and the sky above Iraq filled with stars, Army Maj. Steven Hutchison slept with his arms wrapped around Laia, a stray, yellow puppy.

It was against the rules to have a dog in an Army camp, but Hutchison hated rules, especially the ones that didn’t make any sense to him.

A senior officer told Hutchison to get rid of the dog, but he didn’t listen, not at all.

Hutchison was an old, crusty vet who had served two tours in Vietnam and came out of retirement at the tender age of 59 to fight with the boys in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was a complex man — smart and stubborn. He had a doctorate in psychology but loved being on the front lines.

Countless soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have adopted dogs and cats. For some, it is the one thing that helps it feel like home.

A team of New Zealand researchers who tracked more than 1000 people over 30 years found those who lived with dogs and cats for significant periods of time were less likely to develop allergies, compared with those who lived with either a dog or a cat.

Using skin-prick tests to measure reactions to common allergens, they found that 35 per cent of children with both pets had developed allergies by age 13. This compared with 43 per cent of those with no pets and 52 per cent of those who had either a dog or a cat.

“The reduction in risk among those with cats and dogs was not specific to animal allergens but included multiple allergens, including house dust mite and grass,” said the researchers, who included Professor Malcolm Sear of the University of Otago in Dunedin.

The protective effect seemed to last until the participants entered their 30s, although this was confined to people with a family history of allergies, the study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, said.

The researchers said it was unclear why living with both cats and dogs appeared to produce a protective effect, but they said exposure to multiple allergens might produce favourable responses to indoor and outdoor allergens.

One in three Australians will develop an allergy during their life, according to the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy.

Previous research has suggested different effects for children of varying ages. One study said exposure to pets in the first year of life was associated with lower prevalence of asthma at age six. Another said pets increased the risk of asthma in children aged over six.

The New Zealand research said although the findings created a dilemma for those making decisions on the health effects of pets, ”if parents with [a history of allergies] decide to own a pet, our data suggests that combined cat and dog ownership might be necessary to confer a protective effect”.

During the show, Shaggy and Scooby always manage to get separated from the rest and get chased by the monsters.  Whenever Scooby procrastinated, he was bribed back into action with a treat called a “scooby snack”.  The gang usually determines that this monster is actually a person in disguise, apprehends them, and turn them over to the police.  And they would have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for those meddling kids and their Great Dane!

Throughout the years, the show changed format many times.  There was the New Scooby-Doo Movies, The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Show, Scooby’s All-Stars, and Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo to name a few.   The show ran on CBS, ABC, WB Network, and The Cartoon Network.

Not only were the Network shows popular, direct-to-video movies were also produced.  Then in 2002, a feature-length live-action film version of Scooby-Doo was released by Warner Brothers.  Scooby-Doo was created on-screen by computer-generated special effects and had a box office gross of over $130 million.  A less popular sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, followed in March 2004.

But Scooby-Doo isn’t just confined to television and the movies.  Scooby-Doo is also merchandised as board games, video games, childrens books, and real treats for dogs -Scooby Snacks by Snausages.  Yup, they come in four groovy flavors:  chicken, cheese, bacon, and beef.

Believe it or not, Scooby-Doo was named after the phrase “scooby, dooby, doo…” from Frank Sinatra’s song “Strangers in the Night”.

Hey, this could have been worse.  This could of have been Josie and the Pussycats.

States in the northeast, including Connecticut, are getting more involved by arranging transports for these dogs, raising adoption fees necessary to remove them from the gassing and high-kill shelters they were sent to. But those in opposition to dog transport say the risks are high, and in some cases, outweigh the good.

This weekend, animal activists, supporters and concerned citizens will come together to debate the topic of dog transport. The forum, called “Precious Cargo,” will be a town-hall-style debate held from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Quinnipiac School of Law’s Grand Courtroom.

Sponsored by the Animal Welfare Federation of Connecticut with support from the ASPCA, Connecticut Votes for Animals and the New England Federation of Humane Societies, the forum is designed to discuss ways to regulate transport, not debate the merits or non-merits, said Animal Welfare Federation President Julie Crouch.

“It is to try to educate Connecticut about humane transport and to prevent regulation that could adversely affect those rescues doing a good job,” Crouch said. “AWFCT agrees that regulation is necessary but wants legislation that helps the animals.”

Bob always has a smile on his face, and it always brings a smile to the Pasado’s staff and volunteers. At 7 years of age, Bob is still very playful, but he never forgets to be polite. This sweet boy has impeccable manners. On a recent walk around Dog Towne, Bob saw a dog bone sitting next to the path. Before picking up the bone, he paused and looked at the volunteer who was walking him, as if he was asking permission. Once he got the “go ahead,” Bob joyfully retrieved the bone, parading around all of Dog Towne with his prize.

“Bob is a joy to walk,” said one of our volunteers. “If you want to walk slow he walks slow, if you want to jog he’s up for that, too!”

Bob is bound to make you smile. His wagging tail is comically enthusiastic, and his amber eyes spark with joy. He loves to chew on his toys and go on walks, but what he would most enjoy is having a special person to bond with him.

Every year, thousands of sweet family members like Bob are euthanized while they wait for their chance at love. Fortunately, Bob was taken off of death row just in the nick of time. After his initial veterinary check and isolation period, Bob joined the Dog Towne crew. He has been here at the sanctuary for a month, making friends, enjoying his Dog Towne digs, and charming all who meet him. The final step in the Pasado’s Process is finding a forever home, and Bob has told us that he’s ready.

Does Bob sound like he would be a good fit with your family? If so, click here to find out how to start the adoption process.

Going home is every dog’s wish. If your home doesn’t have room for another family member at this time, please consider making a donation. Your gift can help make sure that one of these deserving dogs goes home – and helps us make room to save another life from death row.

Thank you – from all of the deserving dogs here at Dog Towne, and from those who are still waiting for their chance.

A guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: ‘Talking Dog For Sale ‘ He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.

The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.

‘You talk?’ he asks.

‘Yep,’ the Lab replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says ‘So, what’s your story?’

The Lab looks up and says, ‘Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA.
In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.’

‘I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn’t getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.’ ‘I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I’m just retired.’

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.

‘Ten dollars,’ the guy says..

‘Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?’

‘Because he’s a doggarned liar. He never did any of that shit.’