Working dogs are getting a leg up. A chocolate Lab named Cody in Clearwater, FL reports to work every day with his own shirt and name tag. Cody works with his owner at the drive up window of a gas station. He has become a celebrity in the Gulf Coast town where he works.
Sounds like Saline, Michigan’s Gas Station Charlie, the Golden Retriever who collected money for Rick and Harry Parsons at the Marathon station on Michigan Ave. He even got a book deal. As a matter of fact, his book Gas Station Charlie: A True Story about a Real Dog written by Karen Grassmuck Kraushaar, with photography by Doris Kays Kraushaar, would make a really great Christmas gift for someone!
This girl really “nailed” it! A 2-year old Basset Hound was taken to the vet with an upset stomach. What the vet found was really amazing — 130 nails! It seems that Roxy was left alone long enough to ingest the nails while visiting a friend. It took over an hour to remove all the nails!! The good news is Roxy is doing fine now. But mom’s making sure all nails are put up where Roxy can’t reach them.
Even the pilgrims gave thanks for their dogs. Although most of us can’t claim to have ancestors who came over on the Mayflower, some of our dogs might. Research shows that the pilgrims brought some dogs along for the trip to America. As reported on the Tails of the City website, “An English Springer Spaniel and a Mastiff both joined the pilgrims on their journey to the new world and were the first breeds to make dogs a part of everyday life for the new Western settlers.”
Stem cells — not just for humans. A veterinary clinic in Indianapolis is using stem cell therapy to help arthritic dogs move again. Dr. Benjamin Ealing from Broad Ripple Animal Clinic in Indianapolis, IN uses this therapy to help his canine patients. The process involves taking a small amount of fat from around the dog’s middle “which about fits in the palm of your hand and fills up two tubes.”
The fat is shipped to Vet-Stem Lab in California where they extract the dog’s own stem cells and return them to Dr. Ealing within 48 hours, already in syringes and ready to inject. Then the good doctor simply injects the stem cells into the dog in the areas where there are problems. It’s not a permanent fix and the dog will still have arthritis, but they are able to move more easily and do things they may not have been able to do before. And this therapy has none of the controversy surrounding human embryonic stem cells. It's not the most inexpensive therapy, but for many owners, it sure beats euthanasia.
Dogs for justice. A dog-loving judge in Florida wants to use well-trained friendly dogs in the courtroom or jailhouse to provide a calming influence to tense victims, witnesses, defendants, lawyers, judges or law enforcement officers. Judge Emmet Ferguson, a volunteer service dog trainer, said he also hopes to promote another canine-related innovation: using prison inmates to train service dogs for people with disabilities.
Such training must be exact, because courthouse dogs must be “bombproof.” This means the canines must be able to ignore any violent outbursts during a trial. Barking could be cause for an appeal. Since 2003, courthouse dogs around the country have greeted jurors and lifted morale during sometimes heated or tedious courtroom proceedings.
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Hi there, I’m Haley. I’m a 6.5 years old, light brindle colored greyhound. Believe me, I’ve got a lot of puppy left in me. I love to run and play. Oh yes, and squeaky toys?? Love them!! I’m a petite little girl and sweet as can be. If you would like to meet me please call Greyheart Greyhound Rescue and Adoption at 866-438-4739 and please visit our website. Are you ready to fall in love? Come see me, you will. Love, Haley |
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