Get the latest news in the canine kingdom and find fun dog-centric events.

For Broadcast Week of July 17, 2010

News

Having a bigger, nicer, more interesting home and more friends is linked to shrinking tumors in mice, U.S. researchers found. Matthew During and colleagues at Ohio State University in Columbus said they enriched the study animals’ usual housing, which involved living in groups of five or so, having all the food they wanted and playing all day – by increasing living groups to 15 or 20 and providing more space, toys, hiding places and running wheels.
During and colleague Lei Cao found tumor mass shrunk by 77 percent in the mice in the enriched environment and volume by 43%. Five percent of these animals showed no evidence of cancer after three weeks in their new home. There were no remissions in control animals in standard housing.  ”Animals’ interaction with the environment has a profound influence on the growth of cancer – more than we knew was possible,” During said in a statement. Explore…

A veterinarian says a dog trapped in a car on a 90-degree day in eastern Pennsylvania honked the horn until he was rescued.  Nancy Soares says the chocolate Labrador was brought to her Macungie Animal Hospital last month after he had been in the car for about an hour. She says Max’s owner had gone shopping and was unloading packages when she returned home, but forgot that Max was still in the car.  She later heard the horn honking and looked outside several times but saw nothing amiss.  Finally, she went outside and saw Max sitting in the driver’s seat, honking the horn.  Soares says the owner immediately gave Max cold water to drink and wet him down with towels before rushing him to the clinic.  Soares says Max was very warm and panting heavily but had suffered no serious injuries, only heat exhaustion. Explore…

Gulf Coast Animal Shelters are seeing a massive spike in the amount of owner relinquishments this summer, in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.  In areas where nearly every livelihood is somehow connected to the Gulf, via fishing, longshoring, or offshore rigging, healthy, seemingly well-tended dogs whose owners suddenly don’t have the time or money to keep them. “It comes down to feeding your family or feeding your dog. That’s the decision they have to make,” said Colleen Bosley of Catholic Charities of New Orleans, which is now partnering with the SPCA to supply pet food at its weekly food distributions in coastal parishes.
The SPCA is also launching an outreach program that will offer free spaying, neutering and vaccinations in the hardest-hit parishes and a grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will fund free veterinary care in Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Terrebonne and Jefferson parishes.  Appointments will be offered through November to anyone who works in the fishing industry. Explore…

It took him six weeks after slipping his leash, but Laser the beagle has made a remarkable 80-kilometre journey back to his home in Winnipeg. Parry LePage and his family were at their cottage in Winnipeg Beach on May 22 when Laser got free from his leash after being spooked by a fireworks display.  The LePage family plastered the Winnipeg Beach area with posters of Laser and every few days they’d receive a phone call from someone who had seen the dog. The sightings eventually got closer to Winnipeg, but no one was able to catch the dog.
On July 5 was spotted in a schoolyard just two kilometres from the LePage home and taken to an animal shelter, eventually to be reunited with his adoptive family.  Parry LePage considers Laser’s journey exceptional, given he was only with the family a short time before disappearing. The family had adopted the three-year-old beagle from Winnipeg’s humane society only a month earlier, and Laser had quickly bonded. Explore…

The latest prediction for the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30, calls for 14 to 23 named storms, half of which could become hurricanes. If you own pets, the likelihood you and your animals will survive a natural disaster depends largely on being prepared to vacate at a moment’s notice. Here are some tips on how to prepare for an evacuation:

• Your pet should wear a collar with its rabies tag and identification at all times.
• Don’t leave your pet at home. The safest place for your pets is with you. Have a safe, sturdy crate.
• Coordinate shelter. If you plan to go to a hotel call ahead to make sure animals are welcome.
• Pack an emergency bag and include a backup leash, collar and ID tag.  Include your pet’s license, health records and medications, which should be sealed in a clean plastic bag or waterproof container, food and water bowls, food for one week, a gallon of spring water, and keep the portable kennel/crate and pet bedding nearby for quick flight.

Additional tips on how to prepare your pets for emergencies can be found at ASPCA.org

The summer is here, and as animal lovers, now is the time to have swimming pool safety for pets. According to recent statistics, an estimated 1 out of every 1027 pets drown in pools each year. Here are some tips from the Humane Society of the US and the ASPCA to help reduce the possibility of animal drownings:

• Don’t leave pets unsupervised in a yard with a pool. Not all dogs are good swimmers.
• Install a see-through fence around the pool to keep animals out, and make sure entryways are secured.
• Try to keep pets from drinking pool water, which contains chlorine, and make sure the pools chemical balance is correct, to prevent stomach upset. Hose down your pet after swimming, to get chemicals off fur.
• If installing a pool, design lounge ledges or water exit devices like a skamper-ramp, so animals can escape.
• Also consider buying a floating pool alarm that alerts you if the surface of the pool is disturbed.
  Sources: www.humanesociety.org, www.aspca.org, www.petplace.com

Events

New England Patriots Cheerleaders, Dellaria Salons stylists, and dog handlers from LaundroMutt, and B.Y.O.D. will be washing dogs at the Sixth Annual MSPCA Paw Wash this Sunday July 18^th, from 10 to 1 pm at MSPCA-Angell Headquarters in Jamaica Plain, Mass.  Baths are $15 and all proceeds benefit MSPCA Law Enforcement and Boston Animal Care & Adoption Center. Patriots Cheerleaders, clad in game-day uniform, will pose for professional photos with pets (and owners) for a $15 donation. A combination package is available for a $25 donation. Also get free canine goodies from Especially for Pets. More details…

Hone your art skills by sculpting your dog at the Lyme Art Association in Old Lyme, Connecticut on Monday July 19^th.  This will be the first of a 5 day workshop on canine sculpture. A live dog model will be present throughout the workshop; however, students may also work from photographs of their own dogs. Various breeds and their differences will be discussed, as well as some comparative animal and human anatomy. Emphasis will be placed on character, gesture, anatomy, and structure as well as basic principles of sculpting.  $350 for entire workshop.  All levels welcome. More details…