Out of Egypt: Cairo to Shoot Stray Dogs

Another one for the Crazy-Things-Other-Countries-Do-With-Animals Department. This just in: Cairo will resume shooting stray dogs in a cost-saving measure intended to reduce the expense of dealing with strays. Apparently, shooting stray dogs will cost 1/1000th what it would cost to sterilize them.

PETA is obviously upset, but so is Bridgette Bardot. In a move that will certainly bring the country to its eastern-facing knees, she is boycotting all things Egypt. Presumably, this includes Omar Sharif movies.

Obviously, this book needs to be translated to Arabic and sent to Egyptian authorities post haste. If not, the dogs will certainly have their revenge.

Vanessa Anne Hudgens & Shadow, The Toy Poodle

Vanessa Anne Hudgens, the instantly ubiquitous and uber-talented 19-year-old star of the Disney Channel's High School Musical, is also a prolific pet owner. As her celebrity star has risen, so has interest in her pets. I mean, why not? Paris Hilton has Tinkerbell, Adam Sandler has Matzoball, Britney Spears has Bit Bit, George Bush has Barney, and I have...well, I'm not exactly a celebrity, so why would you care?

So, back to Vanessa. She has a toy poodle named Shadow. What do we know about Shadow? What does anyone know about shadow? Nothing, aside from the fact that he/she shares their home with a handful of fish, a bunny and three turtles.

Vanessa Anne Hudgens hasn't revealed anything yet about Shadow except the pup's name. Where is this dog? When will it come out of the shadows? (Sorry).

I tried to find an official font of info for Vanessa Anne Hudgen's dog Shadow, but I've found nothing! How are we supposed to know what fashions he/she wears? Is there a Vanessa Anne Hudgens Dog Collar? Any Vanessa Anne Hudgens Dog Clothes?

We need celebrity sightings from pet paparazzi, post haste!

The Mean Kitty Song: I Don't Blame the Cat

Unfortunately catchy tune in this video of a guy and his cat, Sparta, with said cat being accused of mean-ness. If I was a cat and belonged to a guy this hyper who was always shoving a camera in my face, I'd be a mite bit bitey meself.

I'll post more from this guy in the coming days. It's turned into an ongoing series in which he tries to get his cat to stop biting. Will he overcome his cat's voracious mandibles? Only time will tell. Or you could search around YouTube and find his other videos. Dang it!

Doggie Massages: Not Just for Pampered Pets

The Washington Post has an interesting article that highlights how differing people have differing ideas about what is "too far" when pampering your pooch. Phebe Brown, the article says, "would never take her dog to a spa."

The dog is a dog, she says, and has a dog's life. But every six weeks, Tucker, her whippet, gets a $60/hour massage. It's for health reasons, she says, but it shows just how far we've come from the days of a dog spending most of the time out in the back yard. Dogs now get dog sweaters, cool toys, pet massage therapy, dog stollers, matching doggie dining sets, memory foam dog beds...you name it.

We're whipped. It's the cute little puppy-wuppy eyes, I think.

I myself am completely immune. It matters not that even as I type this, my dog is starring up at me with adorable lovableness. I am not affected by...by....

I gotta go....

If Michael Vick Had a Whippet

I just came across this image on Flickr. Holy Canole! At first I thought it was photoshopped, but it looked just too real. I work with PhotoShop a lot at work, and have done my share of silly photo edits, and getting a picture like this is tough. Perfect lighting, no telltale blurry spots, and very detailed.

So I dug around and found that this is a real dog named Wendy
that lives on a farm in Canada. She has a rare genetic mutation that doubles her muscle. Apparently, she's very friendly, even though her disorder means she's characterized as a "bully" dog.

Here's another article with better photos, including one with Wendy next to a normal whippet for perspective.

She's been part of genetic studies and has had an appearance on the Today show. Yes! I'm late to the party.

Sauron's Eye-Catching Armor for Middle Earth Pups

Paul Hersey of Organic Armor makes a slew of odd, semi-medieval armor for, uh, well...I'm not sure. They make stuff that fits adults, kids and now...pets! I have GOT to convince my cohorts at Baxter Boo to carry this stuff. Guys? Eh? What do you think?

Dudley would fear cats no more!

Click here for more pictures.

Making a Flag Into Something Dogs Pee on Maybe Not a Good Idea

Hey, don't get me wrong. It's a cool looking fire hydrant. But maybe not such a great idea to actually put it in a dog park where dogs, you know, celebrate their freedom to pee.

So the hydrant is being removed by the folks in Hillsboro, Oregon, though there had been no reports of dogs actually taking a wiz on the hydrant.

"Parks officials had thought of that problem, and had put the red, white and blue hydrant on an 18-inch-high base, surrounded by 'dog-unfriendly' shrubs including prickly barberry bushes."

Did anyone think the 4-inch bushes would deter anything but a dachshund? Just curious.

Deadly Brain-Eating Amoeba a Risk To Pets?

I happened upon two articles today that had a eerie similarity. The first article is about the spike in deaths this year from a "brain eating amoeba," and the case of a dog that has apparently died after swimming among "algae blooms." Interestingly, the amoeba-related deaths among humans come from swimming in water near algae blooms, which the deadly type of amoeba feeds on. The first article recommends against swimming near algae blooms because the fatality of infections from the amoebas that feed on them is near 100%. The dog's death is blamed directly on the algae, but seems like it could be related more the the amoeba possibility. Same climate and conditions as the human's death. I wonder if it's a case of better diagnosis for people than for pets.

The News of My Death...

...is greatly exaggerated! I'm back, ladies and gentlemen, dogs and cats, hamsters and birds! Sorry for the incredibly long hiatus, but I'll be posting fast and furious going forward. Thanks for all the kind comments in my absence. Cry no more. Woot!