Photo courtesy of Trisha Baird
“Well, I for one am unable to imagine how anybody who lives with an intelligent and devoted dog can every be lonely.”
– Elizabeth von Arnim, novelist
Chet and Bernie are at it again in this second installment of the Chet and Bernie series by Spencer Quinn, entitled Thereby Hangs a Tail.
Like the first book, Dog On It, the narrator is Chet – the canine partner of Bernie Little of the Little Detective Agency. Bernie’s romance with reporter Susie Sanchez isn’t a smooth ride and she goes missing at a time when Bernie is hired to investigate threats made against a show dog, Princess.
When Princess and her owner are kidnapped, the mystery deepens. Once again, Chet finds himself in the middle of the action – and along the way his nose helps him to identify tasty treats to inhale.
Will Chet and Bernie find Susie alive? You’ll have to read the book!
I didn’t enjoy this story as much as the first book – but well worth a read for summer.
Posted in dog books
Tagged Bernie Little, Chet, Chet and Bernie, Little Detective Agency, mysteries, Spencer Quinn
This graphic, provided by The Senior Dogs Project, shows how a dog’s age is determined in part by its size. Smaller dogs have a longer lifespan and so are classified as senior (or geriatric) at a higher age.
| A Dog’s Age in Human Years | ||||
| Age | Up to 20 lbs | 21-50 lbs | 51-90 lbs | Over 90 lbs |
| 5 | 36 | 37 | 40 | 42 |
| 6 | 40 | 42 | 45 | 49 |
| 7 | 44 | 47 | 50 | 56 |
| 8 | 48 | 51 | 55 | 64 |
| 9 | 52 | 56 | 61 | 71 |
| 10 | 56 | 60 | 66 | 78 |
| 11 | 60 | 65 | 72 | 86 |
| 12 | 64 | 69 | 77 | 93 |
| 13 | 68 | 74 | 82 | 101 |
| 14 | 72 | 78 | 88 | 108 |
| 15 | 76 | 83 | 93 | 115 |
| 16 | 80 | 87 | 99 | 123 |
| 17 | 84 | 92 | 104 | Red numbers = senior Blue numbers = geriatric |
| 18 | 88 | 96 | 109 | |
| 19 | 92 | 101 | 115 | |
| 20 | 96 | 105 | 120 | |
| Chart developed by Dr. Fred L. Metzger, DVM, State College, PA. Courtesy of Pfizer Animal Health. | ||||
Africa’s endangered wild dogs are very clever: no traditional fence can keep them out. A doctoral researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Craig R. Jackson, has explored ways to save the species.
Photo by Craig R. Jackson
African wild dogs are a distinct species that cannot inter-breed with other dogs. The populations of these dogs were in good shape until a few decades ago. In the middle of the last century, there were 500,000 of them in 39 countries. But the species is in decline across nearly its entire range south of the Sahara. Today there are somewhere between 3000 and 5500 left, in fewer than 25 countries. That’s roughly one per cent remaining – and that’s the best case scenario.
Wild dog packs are loath to intrude into the territories of other packs. These territories are defined by urine scent trails. So the researchers and their colleagues collected sand that had been sprayed with urine by wild dogs and moved it near to other packs to keep them inside a certain area – with success.
The use of the scent markings helps to keep wild dogs out of areas where they think there are other dog packs. But, collection of the urine needed for the scent trails is a problem. So the next step is re-creating the urine artificially.
The conclusion of the thesis: urine may be the best bet for saving the African wild dog population; that urine may have to be artificially produced.
Source: NTNU media release
PetSmart Charities, Inc. a nonprofit animal welfare organization teamed up with Match.com, the online dating agency, to survey single people about pets and dating. The results are revealing. Here’s the synopsis:
Posted in dog ownership
Tagged dating, Inc, Match, online dating agency, pets, Petsmart Charities
Veterinary researchers at Oregon State University have identified a unique group of proteins that indicate the presence of transitional cell carcinoma – the most common cause of bladder cancer – and may lead to a new assay which could better diagnose this disease in both dogs and humans.
Photo by Shay Bracha, Oregon State University
Sheepdogs, collies, and terriers seem particularly susceptible to this type of cancer. By the time the cancer is diagnosed, it is usually too late to save the dog’s life.
An improved assay to detect this serious disease much earlier in both animals and humans should be possible, scientists said, and may even become affordable enough that it could be used as an over-the-counter product to test urine, much like a human pregnancy test. Some of the work may also contribute to new therapies, they said.
“Research of this type should first help us develop a reliable assay for this cancer in dogs, and improve the chance the disease can be caught early enough that treatments are effective,” said Shay Bracha, an assistant professor in the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine.
Source: Oregon State University media statement
Posted in research
Tagged bladder cancer, Border Collie, Border Collies, cancer in dogs, Corvallis, Oregon, oregon state university
In this truly horrifying piece, learn about the trade of dogs brutally slaughtered for the dog meat trade. Their skins, particularly testicles, are used to make leather gloves for golf!
Many of the dogs are pets because these animals are easier to ‘capture’ than feral dogs.
Pets stolen in Thailand for golf gloves made from dog testicles | Mail Online.
Smugglers kidnap pet dogs as they are easier to catch than strays, and sell the skin to leather manufacturers in China and Vietnam
Copyright EPA
Posted in animal welfare
Tagged dog meat trade, gloves, golf gloves, leather gloves, testicles, Thailand
DoggyMom.com 