Take your dog to work

Three employees discuss a great pertk, being allowed to bring your dog to work.

Caveat: the dogs must be well behaved.

Who invited the dog?

A New York Times special investigative report:

Difficult guests are no longer limited to humans. The boundaries between humans and animals have been so eaten away by pet therapists, pet designer outfits and pet bar mitzvahs, that it has reached a point where devoted owners, who treat their animals as privileged children, lose all perspective on the pet’s role in their social lives.

More American households have pets than ever — 68.7 million of them in 2006, according to a new survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association, up 12.4 percent from 2001.

Vet practises animal physiotherapy

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports on a subject of interest to owners of german shepherds with hip dysplasia. It's a rehabilitative process for animals similar to the ones humans undergo:

Veterinarian Ava Frick is nothing short of a miracle worker. She manipulates their spines, massages their tails, cracks their toes and stretches their muscles to control pain and help them recover from injuries and surgery.

Frick is the founder of the Animal Fitness Center in Union, about an hour's drive southwest of St. Louis. She performs her magic in a metal building constructed seven years ago just outside of Union.

The center's website is here. One of Frick's specialties is the underwater treadmill which she used to effectivly treat a German Shepherd with hip problems.

Elka, (an)r 8-year-old German shepherd, "could hardly get up or down a flight of stairs" before coming to the fitness center in April. "Now, she's back playing and going up an down stairs like a whole new dog," said (her owner.)

Elka, who weighs 80 pounds, spent 15 minutes (going 1.1 miles per hour) in the underwater treadmill at the fitness center to build up strength in her back legs. The water was a warm 87-92 degrees and reached up to the middle of her back legs. The dog occasionally licked at the water as she dutifully kept up the even pace of the treadmill.

Two German Shepherds take over bank

Two elderly German Shepherd dogs, who appear to be homeless, walked into a Scottish Bank to shelter from the rain, and then refused to leave. Ena Conyon, a kennel owner who is now looking after the dogs, estimates the pair to be about 12-years-old. She told BBC Scotland's news website:

My husband likened them to an old married couple. They are in quite a poor condition. They're not going anywhere so we've taken them in.

A marine and his dog

This is the story of a campaign to send Lex, the explosive sniffing German Shepherd who worked in Iraq with the late Corporal Dusty Lee, to live with his former partner's family. Earlier this week, Corporal Lee's parents received word that they will be able to adopt their son’s wounded canine companion.

Will Smith praises his canine co-star in Legend

"You say a smart dog? It's like, it got to the point with Abbey, she'd be playing, playing, playing, she'd hear 'Rolling!' and she'd run over to her mark and get ready," Smith said. "And I was like, 'What in the hell?' It's like she would know when I wasn't doing my lines right. If I would get lost in the scene, you know, she would just go [tilts his head]."

Read more about Abbey the acting dog, who is making her screen debut in I am Legend.

El Diario's Congo editorial

When humans attack

Dogologist's top five book picks

Psychologist and dog scholar Stanley Coren picks his five top dog books for the Wall Street Journal and -- wouldn't you know it? -- they're all a bit on the wonkish side.

For the Love of a Dog
By Patricia B. McConnell
Ballantine, 2006

If Only They Could Speak
By Nicholas H. Dodman
Norton, 2002

If Dogs Could Talk
By Vilmos Csányi
North Point, 2005

Bones Would Rain From the Sky
By Suzanne Clothier
Warner, 2002

Always Faithful
By William Putney
Free Press, 2001

Another German Shepherd is on death row

And like Congo, this Colorado German Shepherd's death sentence has also triggered protests.

The hardest thing about raising puppies

Hint: It's not the lack of sleep and the poop scooping. Nope, it's...

Why do police by their dogs in Europe?

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explains the trend:

Many dogs are purchased from Europe, due to what Bridgeville Officer Lancia described as lax breeding policies in the United States.

"It's taken away a lot of the characteristics of the German shepherd that we need," he said. "You look at a lot of the German shepherds here in the United States. Their backs are sloping down, which is why there is a big problem here with hip dysplasia.

"Dogs in a foreign country have perfectly straight backs."

If you're looking for a new dog, this is definitely something to look into.

Paralysis hits K-9 who worked September 11

CNN reports that Trakr, a 14-year-old German shepherd, has been a patient at the Pawspice animal hospice for about a year.

The retired police search-and-rescue dog -- one of the first on the scene of the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center -- has a condition called degenerative myelopathy and has lost the function of his hind legs.

"Pawspice provides the support I need to properly care for Trakr at home while preserving his dignity and quality of life," says retired K-9 officer James Symington of West Hollywood, California, Trakr's owner.

"His spirit remains strong and we enjoy every minute that we have together," Symington says. Trakr still enjoys walks and playing catch on the beach thanks to a doggie wheel cart, which helps compensate for his diminished mobility.

"It's been extremely difficult for me to even contemplate the last days of Trakr's life." Symington says. "But I also have faith that I will know just when it's time and (have) the courage to do what is right."

Vets see more drug resistant infections in dogs

Vets say drug resistant staph infections in pets are an under-diagnosed and growing problem but no cause to panic.

Some common sense on the whole Congo issue

From the always sensible Denise Flaim. (Previous Congo coverage here)

Hydrogen peroxide cure for raisins and chocolate

The German Shepherd and Dog News had not heard of using hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting in dogs who have overdosed on chocolate, raisins, grapes or --worst case scenario -- chocolate-covered raisins so we were a little taken aback when a commenter discussed administering such a treatment over at the Scottie News yesterday.

A little research, however, showed she did exactly the right thing.

Can dog barking cause deafness?

In Ireland, a Garda or Irish policeman is suing for compensation, arguing that he is profoundly deaf and must wear hearing aids as a result of the barking from the canines under his control in a garda van.

Garda Thomas Donnelly's main function was to patrol the city in a garda van with German shepherd dogs to deal with serious disorder problems.

Congo's death sentence lifted at last minute

Congo, the New Jersey German shepherd put on death row after mauling a contractor, is safe at home with his family and his mate after a judge signed an order yesterday releasing him.

While the decision of a lower court judge is appealed, Congo must remain confined to his property and wear a muzzle outside.

Memorial Day: Vets grieve for war dogs

"They weren't dogs, they were Marines. We have nothing to recognize them," Vietnam veteran Butch Stuart said. "Without them, a good number of us wouldn't be here today."

Dog Whisperer versus the others

The wonderful dog writer Denise Flaim reviews the Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan's new book, Be the Pack Leader. She notes:

One of the criticisms of Millan's first, chart-topping book, "Cesar's Way," was that it offered little in the way of specifics. Along with plenty of case studies, Millan's second effort offers a few more tangibles, including a pie chart divvying up the components of an hour-long walk; analyses of different behavior-modification tools, from citronella collars to scat mats; and a discussion of breed differences.

In the same column, Flaim also looks at new books by more mild-mannered trainers who take exception to Cesar's methods. Et tu Denise.

Movie star dog bites actor

A Swedish German Shepherd dog - who has performed in several films and on stage - has likely made his last stage appearance after biting an actor playing a bad guy.

Officials said he needed tobe kept on a shorter leash.

Would you give up your German Shepherd?

Due to a lack of German shepherds and a surprise retirement this month, police in christchurch, New Zealand are asking anyone with a suitable German shepherd to consider "signing them up" as a police dog.

Senior Constable Peter Greenland told the Press newspaper that the ideal recruit would be between eight and 18 months old, with an "outgoing, bold personality."

"We're looking for anyone who has a german shepherd, preferably male, which has lots of character, drive, is not afraid, and, to be honest, is probably a bit of a handful for the owner," he said.

Greenland's former partner, Urban, was forced to retire early due to a "crook back" but Greenland will keep him as a pet.

Congo's death sentence stands

Despite impassioned pleas from the family and supporters of Congo, a German shepherd condemned to die for mauling a landscaper, the New Jersey judge who issued the death sentence has not changed his mind.

More details on this complicated story here.