Korean activists have put a stop to the dog meat industry’s first attempt at a promotional festival in Korea’s Gyeonggi province. Dog meat producers were hoping to normalize the sale of dog meat by giving out free samples and trying to present the industry as being similar to that of cattle or pig farming. For every similarity, there is a major difference though, the biggest being that dog meat is technically illegal in Korea.

A young girl in the picture above displays a sign reading “Don’t eat my friend, please,” as part of a protest against eating dog meat.

Dog meat production is technically illegal and for very good reason we think, but ‘livestock’ production is protected. Dog meat producers are avoiding prosecution by presenting themselves as livestock producers rather than sadistic dog catchers and that is what the festival was all about. The dog meat industry hoped to give the impression that dogs are born, bred, and slaughtered in special facilities like pigs, chickens, and cows when in actuality, many of the dogs used for meat are strays picked up off the street.

Activists used a variety of tactics to get the event cancelled. They gathered signatures, they petitioned the city, and in the end, threatened its organizers that they were “prepared to break the law” if it was required to kill the festival. It worked.

Most people agree that holding a dog meat festival is completely outrageous. Dogs have been bred for centuries to be loving, emotional, and responsive to humans which makes their abuse and torment that much worse.

Let’s all agree right now, as citizens of the same earth, more dog treats less dog meats.  Please share this story with your friends and make others aware of this very abnormal trade by using the ‘share’ buttons below.

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The news of the dog’s use in the raid broke last Wednesday, but like the other members of the team that were deployed, its identity remains a bit of a mystery.

Most likely though, the heroic pooch on the bin Laden operation would most probably have been either a Belgian Malinois (athough officials say it could also have been a smaller German Shepherd) with a highly specific mission that could well be this one non-human member of the SEAL team that raided Osama bin Laden’s compound.

This heroic pooch would have been strapped to a Navy SEAL as they were lowered from a hovering helicopter.

Some dogs are trained to silently locate booby traps and concealed enemies such as snipers.  The dog’s keen senses of smell and hearing would make him or her far more effective at detecting these dangers than humans. The best scout dogs are described as having a disposition between docile tracking dogs and aggressive attack dogs.

Contemporary dogs in military roles are also often referred to as police dogs, or, in the United States, as a Military Working Dog (MWD) or K-9. Their roles are varied, though they are rarely used in front-line missions.

While dogs are known for its bomb-sniffing prowess, it has other capabilities that make it an incredible dog-of-war.  The dog may have been trained to “sniff out enemy troops from up to 2 miles away.”

The sensory perception brought by these dogs in a wartime situation is unparalleled. “The capability they bring to the fight cannot be replicated by man or machine,” General David H. Petraeus said last year, calling for more use of dogs.

But  the coolest thing about these dogs? Many SEAL dogs come equipped with “titanium fangs capable of ripping through enemy protective armor,” at a cost of “about $2,000 a tooth,” according to the Daily. That’ll get the job done.

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It has been reported that the dogs in this video were taken in for care shortly after being recorded.

You will find the conversation translation into English below the video.

Video Translation of Dog Loyalty

“We are in Arahama area. Looks like there is a dog. There is a dog. He looks tired and dirty. He must have been caught in the tsunami. He looks very dirty.”

“He has a collar. He must be someone’s pet. He has a silver collar. He is shaking. He seems very afraid.”

“Oh, there is another dog. I wonder if he is dead.”

“Where?”

“Right there. There is another dog right next to the one sitting down. He is not moving. I wonder. I wonder if he is alright.”

“The dog is protecting him.”

“Yes. He is protecting the dog. That is why he did not want us to approach them. He was trying to keep us at bay.”

“I can’t watch this. This is a very difficult to watch.”

“Oh. Look. He is moving. He is alive. I am so happy to see that he is alive.”

“Yes! Yes! He is alive.”

“He looks to be weakened. We need to them to be rescued soon. We really want them rescued soon.”

“Oh good. He’s getting up.”

“It is amazing how they survived the tremendous earthquake and tsunami. It’s just amazing that they survived through this all.”

If you would like to donate towards veterinary care for animals affected by the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami then you can start here.

http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2011/03/world-vets-prepares-first-responder-team-for-deployment-to-japan

> For more amazing dog pictures and stories click here

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The reserve ‘Best in Show’ went to Jilly, a Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen from Oxfordshire, England which was also winner of the Best Hound.

More than 21,000 dogs battled for the title in the prestigious contest, which opened on Thursday 10th March 2011.

Crufts is an annual international Championship conformation show for dogs organised and hosted by the Kennel Club, this years event will be held between this Thursday 10th March – Sunday 13th March 2011 at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, England.  It is the largest annual dog show in the world, as declared by Guinness World Records, and lasts for four days.

Yorkshire terriers being judged at crufts dog show

Crufts consists of several competitions occurring at the same time with a winner crowned in each category. The main competition is for the Best in Show award, which is hotly contested by dogs and their owners throughout the world.

Here is the brief rundown of Crufts 2011 events:

Thursday 10th March 2011 – Gundogs

Friday 11th March 2011 – Working and Pastoral Dogs

Saturday 12th March 2011 – Terrier & Hounds

Sunday 13th March 2011 – Toy & Utility Dogs

The ‘best in show’ winner of crufts 2010 was a Hungarian Vizsla named Yogi. Here’s a picture of him (he’s the one on the right ;o)

The Hungarian or Magyar Vizsla are sporting dogs and loyal companions, in addition to being the smallest of the all-round pointer-retriever breeds, the Vizsla’s medium size is one of the breed’s most appealing characteristics as a hunter of fowl and upland game, and through the centuries the Vizsla has held a unique position for a sporting dog, a household companion and family dog.

The Vizsla is a natural hunter endowed with an excellent nose and an outstanding trainability. Although they are lively, gentle mannered, affectionate and sensitive, they are also fearless and possessed of a well-developed protective instinct.

For more info on Crufts 2011 then please visit the official Crufts Website.

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Dog Breeds and Dog Training Guide

At this year’s exhibition featured six new, very interesting and exotic breeds of dogs: Boykin spaniel, Leonberger, Icelandic Cattle Dog, Cane Corso, red kunhaund and mottled-blue kunhaund.

Competitions Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show held in two phases. On the first day of dog show judges choose the best dogs in each breed. In the second stage of the seven finalists selected one winner, who receives the title of Best in Show – «Best of the Best”. The main prize this year received Scottish Deerhound named Hickory (Hickory).

Photos By: MSNBC, Daylife, Telegraph Online.

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The pug is a “toy”  breed of dog with a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. Pug puppies are often called puglets.The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, and a compact square body with well-developed muscle. They have been described as multum in parvo (“much in little”), referring to the pug’s personality and small size. Known in ancient China as lo-sze, they may have been responsible for both the modern Pekinese and King Charles spaniel. They have Chinese origins, but were popularised in Western Europe by the House of Orange of the Netherlands and the House of Stuart of England, Ireland and Scotland.

They can suffer from a variety of health issues, including overheating, obesity, pharyngeal reflex and two fatal conditions which are necrotizing meningoencephalitis and hemivertebrae. In addition, care must be taken by their owner to clean their ears,and the folds of skin on their face

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If a nearby resident were to offer a cup of tea, it would be gratefully accepted but most certainly not expected.

Imagine then the sheer elation felt by one lucky cocker spaniel who was helped out of the water by an army of 17 burly firefighters this week.

Matt the Spaniel’s ordeal began when he slipped into a duck pond having run playfully across the ice at Dean Country Park near his home in Kilmarnock on the west coast of Scotland.

As the terrified eight-year-old pooch struggled to raise himself out of the freezing water fire crews were mercifully scrambled and they were joined by a water rescue unit from Ayr which raced to the scene after the alarm was raised.

Using ladders and specialist equipment, they managed to reach Matt and fish the shivering Spaniel out of the pond after what started as a routine walk supervised by his owner’s neighbours turned into a living nightmare.

The firefighters were hailed as heroes by grateful owner Shelia Johnstone, 78, who wrote to thank them.

She said: ‘I still can’t believe one little dog caused so much fuss and had 17 firemen looking after him. I’m so grateful to all of them.

‘Matt came from the SSPCA’s rescue centre at Cardonald so it’s actually not the first time he’s been rescued – but hopefully it will be the last.’

Matt has now been given a clean bill of health.

The vets have told me he’s going to be fine.’ added Sheila. ‘They put him under the heat lamp and hair dryer as soon as he arrived at the surgery. He had been out for a walk with my neighbours when he ran on to the pond and fell in. They were as delighted as me that everything turned out all right in the end

Stevie Logan, Kilmarnock Fire Brigade’s station commander, in turn praised the quick actions of those who dialled 999 warning attempting a rescue themselves could have been fatal. He said: ‘The dog was in clear distress and had been in the water for some time when we arrived. He was trapped in a circle of water with ice surrounding it and couldn’t get out.

The people in this case did exactly the right thing by phoning us, and not attempting to rescue it themselves. Too many people have drowned trying to rescue their dogs, and although it is a hard thing to do to stand by and watch the dog struggling, we do have the specialist knowledge and equipment to carry out a rescue.’
Matt is now recovering at home after local photographer Sandy Ferguson captured the dramatic rescue on camera. He said: ‘You could tell the poor wee thing was in some kind of trouble. He was yelping away and struggling to get out of the water. It was incredible to watch the team of firefighters working to save the dog and I was delighted to see it come out of the water alive.’

Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn called it ‘a very lucky escape. There have been accidents like this in the past when dogs have unfortunately not survived.

> Click here to see more amazing dog stories

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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”.

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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.

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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.”

Dog Breeds and Dog Training Guide