ohmidog!

After a long day repairing damage from Hurricane Ike in Galveston, Robert “Bob” Emery and his work crew returned to their Houston motel ready to turn in.

But when Emery, 54, heard that three dogs were stranded in the emergency lane of the East Freeway, just in front of the motel, he dashed to the scene. Seconds later he was struck by a motorcycle and killed.

“Man, we can’t leave them dogs to die,” Emery’s co-workers recalled him saying late Saturday night.

Emery, according to the Houston Chronicle, was one of thousands of workers who descended on the Houston area after Ike.

“We came here on a good mission, but Bob died on an even better mission,” said Nick Downs, 42, among those Emery came from Florida with to help after the storm.

The 50-year-old motorcycle rider from Pasadena was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital with a possible broken arm, Houston police said.

The three dogs, found wearing collars and tags, were rescued by police and turned over to the city’s Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care.

“He’d bend over backwards and jump through a hoop for anyone,” said Billy Siegel, 24, a friend of Emery’s who said he shouted at him as the motorcycle approached. “He was trying to do a good deed, not anything drunk or stupid. He risked his life, and, of course, it cost him his life.”

Meera Nandlal, a spokeswoman for Houston’s SPCA, said thoughts and prayers go out to Emery’s friends and family. “Obviously, the guy had a huge heart, and went out there to help these animals, who couldn’t help themselves.”

Effective tomorrow, if you own an unaltered dog or cat in Los Angeles, you’re technically an outlaw.

As the website of L.A. Animal Services has been telling citizens – via a digital countdown of the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the city’s spay/neuter law goes into effect Wednesday — time’s almost up.

The Los Angeles City Council approved the measure in February in hopes of stemming the number of unwanted and stray animals in shelters. According to the Humane Society of the United States, 3 million to 4 million animals are euthanized in shelters nationwide each year. About 15,000 are euthanized a year in Los Angeles, according to a report by the City Controller

Dogs and cats exempted from the ordinance, according to the Los Angeles Times, include those that are being trained for special activities, have medical excuses, are show dogs or belong to owners aspire for their animals to join the show circuit.

The ordinance also has a lenient grace period, allowing four months before it is enforced. Even then, owners who have been found not to be in compliance have 60 days to alter their pets or pay a $100 fine. A third offense results in a $500 fine.

A report by City Controller Laura Chick said it’s doubtful that L.A. Animal Services will be able to enforce the new law.

“No one is sure how spay and neuter canvassing or enforcement should occur. The department plans to rely primarily on voluntary compliance,” she wrote. 

Ed Boks, general manager of L.A. Animal Services, responded by saying his department would enforce the measure “to the fullest extent possible. Owners should not conclude that they can avoid compliance without consequence.”

The Baltimore County Humane Society’s most ambitious celebration of dogs ever is just four days away — DogFest 2008, a day-long event that will see an an anticipated 3,000 or more humans and their dogs descend on Shawan Downs in Cockeysville.

Saturday’s fest combines two former humane society events into one.

“The community is very familiar and supportive of our past events called Bark in the Park and Paws on Parade,” said Andrew Levine, DogFest coordinator. “However, these grew into such large events that we needed to expand to a larger location and merge them together.”

Bark in the Park includes games and contests for dogs, with events like “Dog Bowling,” ”Musical Sit & Stay” and contests for ”Best Kisser” and “Best Tail Wagger.”

Paws on Parade is a 1 1/8-mile course owners can walk with their dogs around the Shawan Downs track. The entry fee for the walk is $30 per person.

Also new this year is the  “5K-9 Fun Run,” where owners can run a grass track with their dogs, with prizes going to those who collect the most pledge money for the run.

If that’s not enough, the eventn will also feature, Poe, the Raven’s mascot, Ravens cheerleaders and a classic car show, all included in the admission price.

“The event is really a big celebration for dogs because they bring so much happiness to their owners and families,” Levine said. “They are so loyal and dedicated to people and are considered as family members in most households.”

The festival’s purpose is to raise funds for the organziation and raise awareness. Local animal rescue groups will be on hand promoting pet adoptions.

The entrance fee, if you are not participating in the Paws on Parade Walk or 5K-9 Fun Run, is $20 per carload. Dogs on leashes are welcome. Retractable leashes are not permitted.

For more information, visit www.dogfest2008.org

Here’s a screwball story out of Florida (land of sunshine, and screwball stories).

Fire officials are investigating a St. Lucie County firefighter who allegedly pirated an amputated foot from a crash scene last week, took it home and used it to train her cadaver dogs.

The attorney for Karl Lambert, 46, of Melbourne, told WPBF News on Thursday his client’s leg had to be amputated at the scene of a crash Friday on Interstate 95 in Port St. Lucie.  Lambert was airlifted to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, but his leg was left behind.

The attorney, Raymond Christian, told the TV station that one of the firefighters at the scene took the severed body part because “she was some kind of training person for cadaver dogs, and she basically took the leg.”

WPBF News 25 identified the firefighter as Cindy Economu.

Christian said Lambert was notified by a Florida Highway Patrol investigator Wednesday.
 
St. Lucie County Fire District Chief Ron Parrish said his department was told the firefighter only took the foot and not a leg. “After the patient was airlifted, it was alleged one of our firefighters removed a foot from the accident,” Parrish said in a news conference.

Standard procedure is for amputated limbs to brought to the hospital with the victim. “It’s not normal for remains or pieces or parts to be removed from an accident scene other than by the appropriate authorities,” fire district spokesman Buddy Emerson said.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation Saturday that would have banned motorists from holding a live animal in their laps or arms while driving.

The lap-dog measure — dubbed the “Paris Hilton Bill” in honor of the celebrity dog lover — had been ridiculed by Rush Limbaugh and other conservatives as excessive government.

Schwarzenegger voiced no opinion on the bill, saying only that he didn’t consider it a priority, according to an article in the Sacramento Bee.

Had it been approved, violators would have faced a base fine of $35, which could have risen to $150 with state and county fees.

Assemblyman Bill Maze, the bill’s author, said he proposed the bill after seeing a Tulare County woman driving with three dogs on her lap.

“You’ve got a live animal that has a mind of its own,” Maze said. “It can get tangled in the steering wheel or pinned between your knees. It can create a real hazard for yourself and everyone else.”

The governor has approved other restrictions on drivers — banning text messaging and using phones without a hands-free device.

California Highway Patrol statistics show that four people were killed and 346 others injured in collisions from 2001 to 2007 due to driver inattention caused by an animal — but no breakdown exists of how many were in their owner’s lap.

Nationwide Mutual Insurance found in a 2006 survey that 8 percent of drivers had held a pet while behind the wheel.

    After eight years of citizen lobbying, the town council in Leesburg, Va., has finally approved plans for its first dog park.
    The park, on three-quarters of an acre at Olde Izaak Walton Park, could be built by December and open in May, officials said.
    While neighboring Fairfax County is dotted with dog parks, this will be Loudoun’s County’s first public dog park.
    If you’re keeping score, that’s Fairfax 7, Loudoun, 1.
    As an article in yesterday’s Washington Post points out, dogs have had it rough in Leesburg, a town so full of townhouses and apartments that there isn’t much space for dogs to roam.

Instead, many Loudoun pet owners commonly travel to Reston to use a dog park there.

Leesburg Parks and Recreation Department officials began looking at possible sites for a dog park in 2005. First, they considered allowing designated off-leash hours at one of the town’s 16 parks. Then they considered building a 10-acre dog park at Morven Park, but neighbors protested, and the council was concerned about the cost.

The dog run approved for Olde Izaak Walton Park is a far cry from that. It will be enclosed by a fence and include two picnic tables, trash cans and room for maybe 20 dogs at once.

The town will use about $18,500 in developer proffers to pay for construction. Maintenance will cost $12,500 to $13,500 a year, officials said.

Supporters of a dog park said a small area was fine with them.

“We’ve always wanted a very modest, manageable site,” said Dale Goodson, an ardent proponent of a dog run. “This site fits those needs. The fact that it’s not taking tax dollars to get it running is a good thing.”

A group of dog park supporters led by Goodson has committed to raising funds to help with the maintenance and to volunteer as park monitors.

The Post article notes that communities nationwide have been struggling to find adequate sites for pets, which are competing with users of trails and ballparks for space, according to the National Recreation and Park Association.

(Photo: A Fairfax County dog park, from Fairfax County Park Authority website)

As you can see in this week’s episode of “Tagged!” brought to you from the studios of Barnes & Noble, there’s a whole slew of new dog books coming out, including “Izzy and Lenore,” the latest by Jon Katz, the suspender-wearing, farm-dwelling writer of “Dog Days,” “The Dogs of Bedlam Farm” and more.

In his previous books, Katz has focused on the ups and downs that come with owning a 110-acre, 1861 homestead in rural New York state, surrounded by dogs and farm animals. In his newest work, “Izzy and Lenore,” coming out this week, he takes readers to a far different place – the world of hospice care, which he enters with his dogs in tow.

Training both himself and his two dogs – a black lab and Border collie – for therapy work was rigorous and life changing, Katz recounted in a recent interview with The Saratogian.

“I thought this was going to be hard because you walk in these houses, these people are alone, their families are isolated,” Katz said. “When you come walking in the door with Izzy or Lenore, they just light up. They couldn’t be more grateful. If you climbed Mt. Everest it couldn’t be a bigger deal to them. I’ve actually found more love, affection and friendship than I’d ever experienced.”

“The dog connects with people in a way that people don’t,” he said. “They don’t speak and they’re non-judgmental. A dog doesn’t see a sick person, doesn’t see a dying person. The dog just sees the spirit of a person and reacts to it.

“The dog is the key to opening people up.”

After telling my dog story at Monday night’s Stoop Stories appearance, I ran into photojournalist Bonnie Schupp in the Centerstage lobby.

Bonnie and her husband (David Ettlin, a former co-worker of mine at the Baltimore Sun) don’t have a dog now, but they are frequently called upon as dogsitters.

It was while babysitting Roxy, their daughter’s puggle, that Bonnie put together the following observations, reprinted here with her permission:

“What Roxy Has Taught Me”

On your way, travel with a sweeping motion
so you will experience both sides of the path.

Stop to smell the dirt—
full of hidden life.

Romp with leaves and
don’t worry about how silly you look.

It’s okay to run around in circles
as long as you do it joyfully.

Sometimes it’s good to chase something
even if you don’t understand why.

You don’t stand a chance against
creatures with claws.

Take your time
when pooping.

“What Roxy Needs to Learn”

Calculators and bathroom walls
are not food.

Pick your nose up off the ground and
notice the deer watching you.

Learn to behave and the rest of the house
will become yours too.

(Photo of Roxy, courtesy of Bonnie Schupp)

Don’t look now, old chap, but England seems to be getting quite ahead of us in terms of progressive dog thinking.

For starters, they’re taking a hard and long-needed look at the questionable practices some breeders of show dogs use to meet arbitrary “ideals” of appearance. The Kennel Club and its big show, Crufts, have been put under the spotlight for breeding animals in a way that compromises not just the health of individual animals, but the future health of entire breeds.

Now comes news that Sainsbury’s, a renowned bank and insurance company, is offering insurance for dogs affected by what it calls “Master Separation Syndrome” — a behavioral disorder brought on by a pet’s owners splitting up.

Sainsbury’s estimates that over 60,000 cats and dogs in Britain could suffer from “Master Separation Syndrome,” and it offers a policy that pays benefits of up to £1,000 per condition for treatments and £250 a year for damage brought on by such behavioral problems.

Over the past year, Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance says it has seen a 28% increase in the number of claims linked to behavioral problems, and the company believes that Master Separation Syndrome is one of the reasons. 

“If a couple separating have pets, their animals can also suffer from the anguish and stress caused by the breakdown,” said Neal Devine, Sainsbury’s pet insurance manager. “Cats and dogs can be very susceptible to their owner’s feelings and if they sense they are unhappy they can easily become agitated and depressed.”

“Also,” he adds, “if you suddenly become reliant on one income to look after a pet the need for pet insurance will usually be greater as it will help you to cope more easily with any large unexpected vet bills.”

Pet food company Masterpet has launched its own election poll in New Zealand, creating rubber chew toys in the likenesses of the two candidates for prime minister, Helen Clark and John Key.

The idea is, as with the Michael Vick chew toy (see below), dog owners will purchase the candidate toy they would most like to see chewed up and spat out, thereby determining which candidate is most likely,come election time, to be “dog tucker,” which means dog food in New Zealand and Australia.

Masterpet will monitor sales of the toys, and report results on the political blog kiwiblog.co.nz.

Masterpet North Island sales manager Peter Couchman urged people to make their choice quickly, saying that, as with politicians, the toy’s shelf life might be limited. 

“Early data in our reverse poll (the “dog tucker” poll) suggests a preference for Helen Clark. But this is one poll she may not want to be ahead in,” he said.

Early figures had  Clark (she’s the incumbent, and a member of the Labour Party) cornering 59 per cent of the chew toy market, far ahead of Key (he’s the multi-millionaire challenger, representing the National Party).

Masterpets offered a list of tips for those considering a purchase, including ”Wear suitable ear protection when supervising your dog’s playtime with the toy. As with real politicians, the squealing can become quite deafening… If your dog destroys the politician in the first five minutes don’t hold this against your dog – the media do it every week.”