Archive for December 16th, 2008

And the winner is … Elliott!

Meet Elliott, a four-year-old … well, you tell us.

Elliott, one of three dogs in the family of Kelly and Andrew Gould, is the winner of our “What’s in your Mutt?” contest, meaning he’ll be joining my dog, Ace, for a DNA test that will show what breeds are in them

The testing is being provided for free to ohmidog!, courtesy of Mars Veterinary, makers of the new Wisdom Panel MX, which, with an accuracy rate of 90 percent, detects 157 breeds

Before the results are announced — for Elliott and Ace — you’ll have a chance to guess what breeds are in them. Those who correctly guess all the breeds the tests show up will win an ohmidog! hooded sweatshirt.

Elliott, when he’s not caked in mud, weighs about 80 pounds. He’s originally from West Virginia, where he and his litter mates were placed in a bag thrown out a car window.

He was rescued after a woman who saw what happened retrieved the pups. She also witnessed the owner kill the dog that had the litter.

 
The Goulds say people have guessed Elliott to be part Ridgeback, hound, shepherd, pit bull and rottie. Most puzzling the Goulds say, are his small ears, and the extra skin around his neck they say gives him the appearance of “a frilled lizard.”
Share:
  • email
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Print

Comments: 3

Shelter dogs get makeovers in new show

Take ”Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” replace the straight guys with dogs, throw in some firm tugs on the old heartstrings, and you have a basic understanding of the Animal Planet’s soon to premier program, “Underdog to Wonderdog.”

Every episode will feature the “Wonder Team” — made up of a groomer, carpenter, trainer and, of course, good lookin’ and energetic host  — transforming an “unkempt, undernourished, unloved” shelter dog into a well coiffed, housed and trained family dog.

Having not seen it yet, we give it a D for originality, a C for the inadvertent slap in the face to shelter workers, and a B for meaning well.

The show promises to send each dog through “a complete metamorphoses, becoming the dog it was always destined to be. Every shelter dog is rescued, groomed, trained and rehabilitated before finally being placed into a loving home – equipped with its very own custom-designed dog house.”

The show starts Saturday, January 3, at 8 p.m.

Read more »

Share:
  • email
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Print

Comments: 1

Climbing a stairway to Serta

The cushier we humans have it, the harder we may be making it on our dogs — at least when it comes our beds.

The bedding industry has been raising the height of its products, satisfying customer desires for thicker mattresses, the Wall Street Journal reports — and that may be creating a hazard for dogs, especially small ones.

Anecdotally, veterinarians across the country report a rise in such doggie disorders as elbow and shoulder arthritis, hip dysplasia and degenerative disk disease, often caused by dogs leaping into, our out of, the bed.

“For a little dog to take a flying leap off a bed that’s five to six times higher than he stands is an act of courage, and a recipe for injury,” says Stephen Crane, an academic animal doctor and diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

While scientists have yet to tackle the issue, the marketplace has, and several companies are now offering pet stairs designed to help dog from floor to bed.

Read more »

Share:
  • email
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Print

Comments: 1