A Florida man saves his dog from the death grip fangs of a hungry 6 foot alligator.

Mr. Gary Murphy, age 72, was at  his Palm City, Florida home about 80 miles north of Miami, when he heard his West Highland terrier named "Doogie" making yelping sounds in the back of his yard.

Murphy quickly discovered his companion pet was in the jaws of an alligator that had entered the yard from marshland behind the property.  

He launched a rescue attempt by jumping on the reptile's back and hitting it on the head.

"I had loafers on and I hit the back of that gator. It was like jumping on a pile of rocks," Murphy told the newspaper. 

The alligator let go of Doogie, who required veterinary treatment for deep gouges, lung injuries and liver damage, but was expected to make a full and total recovery from this life threatening ordeal.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission warned it was alligator mating season -- making the reptiles more active -- and suggested pet owners keep a sharp vigil, and keep their animals on a leash, especially around water.

Murphy said he isn't a hero and likely would have done the same for anyone. Well, almost anyone.

"I'd have probably done it for anybody, except a politician," said Murphy.

Fukushima: Pets starving, scavenging in nuclear danger zone.

Via The Star: Pets starving, scavenging in nuclear danger zone. Excerpt:

They are family members, with names and birthdates, and they are often adorned with cute ribbons, sweaters or socks. 

But thousands of these pets are scavenging or starving to death as they wait for their owners to come to homes within a 20-km radius of the Fukushima nuclear power plants, which have been spewing radiation since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. 

When about 80,000 people were forced to flee explosions at the reactors in March, many couldn’t get fuel for their cars, and they weren’t allowed to bring their pets on buses. Thousands left their dogs and cats at home, thinking they could soon return for them. 

More than 70 days later, while they sleep in crowded, noisy evacuation shelters, their pets are still far away, alone or roaming in packs. 

“I called health officials at the Fukushima prefectural office a few days ago, and they still won’t allow us to rescue the pets,” says Akiko Fujimura, leader of Japan’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The SPCA is one of about 70 groups of animal welfare activists who have been protesting in Tokyo. 

“Many people want to save these animals, but the government won’t give them permission. It’s really horrible,” says Fujimura. “If the pets have radioactive elements on their skin, it’s no problem to wash it off. I think the government basically doesn’t care about animals.” 

The government says the rescues are too risky amid high levels of radiation. They have asked residents, who last week began taking buses to their homes for brief visits to collect photo albums and small valuables, to tie their pets to the front gates for collection. So far, about five government workers have picked up dogs, and only a few, says Fujimura.

One Man, One Dog, One 140,000 mile Life Changing Adventure.

A few years ago, Ara's 26 year old son died of cancer. He was lost without hope, felt empty and purposeless. Then, a dog named Spirit came along and Ara adopted him right away. Spirit had a tough go of it in the past and also had damage to overcome.......

Read this heart warming story at: http://www.freekibble.com/knews.asp

Is People Food OK for Dog Treats?

While many people will say dogs should not have "peo ple food," most dogs will do absolutely fine with wholesome, fresh, human-grade meats and other foods incorporated as part of their diet. In fact, many "people foods" that dogs like are much healthier than commercially available dog treats. Boiled chicken, yogurt, small bits of roast beef, a taste of baby food or tuna fish make extremely high value training treats and are not generally unhealthy provided in moderation. Dogs have walked the earth with us for tens of thousands of years. Kibble and prepared dog treats are actually rather modern inventions, and before that, dogs ate "people food" all the time because food was just, well, food!

by Casey Lomonaco (KPA CTP, APDT), proprietor Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training

Most Pet Owners Don't Know What to Feed Their Aging Pets.

A recent survey conducted by Tufts University uncovered the fact that most U.S. pet owners hold certain beliefs about dog food marketed for ‘senior’ pets that may or may not be true.

The majority of people surveyed (over 84 percent) believe older dogs should eat differently than adult dogs, but only about half of them feed a senior diet. The reality is nutritional requirements should be tailored to the individual dog -- not based simply on the age of the animal.

Neither AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) nor the National Research Council (NRC) provides guidelines for senior dog formulas. There is no distinction made between the nutritional requirements for adult dogs and those for senior dogs. As a result, the ingredients used in pet food marketed for ‘seniors’ is determined by the manufacturer and varies widely.

According to Dr. Lisa M. Freeman, a professor at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts, pet food manufacturers "might be increasing protein, decreasing protein or keeping it the same.” Survey respondents (as well as many veterinarians) generally believe senior dog food formulas are lower in calories and contain less fat, protein and sodium. In fact, the 37 commercial senior formulas tested by Dr. Freeman and her colleagues didn’t necessarily have decreased levels of those three ingredients, and calorie counts per cup varied widely, from 246 to over 400.

* Publishers note….. Remember that dogs are carnivorous scavengers that require a raw-meat, raw-veggie heavy diet. Grain based dog foods are species inappropriate, and eventually lead to liver, kidney, skin & coat problems, and including countless other health issues tagged to inappropriate, and unhealthy human Veterinary bills.

Lawmakers in Iran have proposed a bill to criminalize dog ownership.

The law states that owning a dog “poses a cultural problem” and is “a blind imitation of the vulgar culture of the West.”

Many believe the purpose of this “war on terrier” is to distract Iranians from the bigger problems their country faces. The Iranian government gets billions of dollars in petrodollars every year, and uses that money to build weapons of mass destruction instead of using the money to better the lives of their citizens. And now the regime has made the elimination of dogs a priority, instead of the elimination of unemployment and poverty. 

Ten days ago, companies from over 30 countries, including Germany, Britain, and France participated in the Iran Oil Show in Tehran, despite U.S. and E.U. sanctions.

By continuing to trade with the Iranian regime, Western companies are enabling this disregard for human rights to continue.

“Iranian officials find themselves in a cultural war with the West and see what they're offering as an ‘Islamic lifestyle’ failing measurably.”

For much of the past decade, the Iranian government has tolerated what it considers a particularly depraved and un-Islamic vice: the keeping of pet dogs.

During periodic crackdowns, police have confiscated dogs from their owners right off the street; and state media has lectured Iranians on the diseases spread by canines. The cleric Gholamreza Hassani, from the city of Urmia, has been satirized for his sermons railing against "short-legged" and "holdable" dogs. But as with the policing of many other practices (like imbibing alcoholic drinks) that are deemed impure by the mullahs but perfectly fine to many Iranians, the state has eventually relaxed and let dog lovers be.

Those days of tacit acceptance may soon be over, however.

Major league baseball season kicked off last week. Was your dog singing, “Take me out to the ball game, take me out with the crowd?” Dog friendly baseball games are becoming more popular – in fact, this season you and your pooch are welcome to take in a game at 15 major league stadiums. Not only are these events a lot of fun, a portion of the proceeds generally benefits local shelters or rescues.

Properly trained owner and a well socialized dog are prerequisites to attend these games since (1) only certain sections are reserved for people with pooches to sit and watch the game and (2) there is normally one designated entrance where most dogs hang out until the gate opens. If you join in the festivities, remember to bring proof of your pup’s rabies vaccination (a current tag should suffice). Call the ticket office to confirm other particulars.

If you live near these ball parks, grab your whole family and let your pup ruff, ruff, ruff for the home team.

▪   Cincinnati Reds – Sunday, April 3

▪   Houston Astros – Sunday, April 17

▪   Pittsburgh Pirates – Tuesday, April 26

▪   Atlanta Braves – Sunday, May 1

▪   Washington Nationals – Saturday, May 14

▪   Chicago White Sox – Tuesday, May 17 (SOLD OUT)

▪   Pittsburgh Pirates – Tuesday, May 24

▪   Los Angeles Dodgers – Saturday, May 28

▪   Texas Rangers – Sunday, May 29

▪   Florida Marlins – Friday, June 3

▪   Pittsburgh Pirates – Tuesday, June 21

▪   St. Louis Cardinals – Saturday, June 25

▪   Pittsburgh Pirates – Tuesday, July 5

▪   Washington Nationals – Saturday, July 9

▪   Oakland As – Friday, July 15

▪   San Diego Padres – Saturday, July 16

▪   Florida Marlins – Friday, August 12

▪   Pittsburgh Pirates – Tuesday, August 16

▪   Atlanta Braves – Sunday, September 4

▪   Houston Astros – Sunday, September 4

▪   Kansas City Royals – Sunday, September 18

▪   San Francisco Giants – Sunday, August 28 – More info will be available on the Giants website soon.

▪    

▪   New York Mets – Saturday, September 10

▪   Cincinnati Reds – Wednesday, September 14

▪   Pittsburgh Pirates – Tuesday, September 13

▪   Washington Nationals – Saturday, September 24

Also remember that many minor league baseball teams have similar “Bark at the Park” promotions. Check them out, too!