ohmidog!

A dog training website says it plans to award $500 each to 500 dog rescue organizations to help them cope during the recession.

Trainpetdog.com will distribute a total of $25,000 to rescues, with donations in the form of cash or dog supplies, depending on each organization’s needs.

“Our world has a serious dog overpopulation problem,” said Nipa Roy, spokesperson for TrainPetDog.com. “There are tons of rescues out there, making a noble effort to save and re-home dogs, but every day they struggle to get enough funding to stay open another day. Donations are an absolute necessity for these rescues.”

“With the current economy, many dog rescues are struggling to survive even if they were doing okay before,” Roy added. “Fewer families can afford to care for their dogs, so more dogs are being surrendered and fewer are being adopted out.”

TrainPetDog.com will select 500 of the neediest dog rescues to receive donations. To be considered for the donation, a rescue must fill out the online form on TrainPetDog.com’s web site. The form requests contact information for the rescue, allows the rescue to choose whether they want the donation in cash or goods, and asks questions such as what dog breeds they rescue and why they should be chosen as one of the 500 to receive a donation.

With more than 875,000 subscribers to their free dog training mini courses, TrainPetDog.com provides breed specific information for owners who want to learn more about dog and puppy training. Rescues can link to the website to provide foster and adoptive owners with the information they need to train their dogs.

An online petition drive is underway to save Snaps, the pit bull we wrote about yesterday. To sign it, go here.

Snaps was being abused by a group of teenagers in the town of SeaTac, Washington, including a member of the family who owns him, when a good samaritan interrupted them.

She, and another good samaritan, were both bitten by the dog, at the urging of the teens.

Charges are pending against the teenagers, who police said were abusing the pit bull to make him more violent.

Original reports said Snaps would be euthanized, but a spokesperson for King County told the B.Town Blog that a decision on the dog’s fate has not been reached.

Because the case is still under investigation, and the dog may be considered evidence, Snaps may spend more than the required 10-day quarantine period in the care of King County Animal Care & Control.

“The laws are such that when a dog causes such severe and multiple bites, it may be declared a “dangerous dog” and is subject to the local regulations regarding confinement, removal from the area, and/or possible euthanasia,” the spokesperson said. “At this point, we also do not know if the owners or the children of the owners spent time “training” the dog to attack or defend, so we would have to be careful and consider the safety of placing it with another family or organization.”

With evidence both anecdotal and scientific showing dogs have the potential to sniff out diabetes — or at least detect the changes that occur when a person is about to have a hypoglycemic attack — a research center in southern England is training dogs to warn diabetic owners when their blood sugar levels fall to dangerously low levels.

As this 2007 video shows, some dogs already have the skill down, but the Cancer and Bio-Detection Dogs research center in Aylesbury, based on recent evidence suggesting a dog’s hyper-sensitive nose can detect impending attacks, is now working to train 17 dogs that will be paired up with diabetic owners.

A survey last December by researchers at Queen’s University Belfast found 65 percent of 212 people with insulin-dependent diabetes reported that their pets had reacted by whining, barking, licking or some other display when they had a hypoglycemic episode, according to Reuters.

“Dogs have been trained to detect certain odors down to parts per trillion, so we are talking tiny, tiny amounts. Their world is really very different to ours,” research center Chief Executive Claire Guest said.

The center is continuing work to perfect dogs’ ability in spotting signs of cancer. Guest said having a dog in every doctor’s office would be impractical, but the research could help lead to the invention of an electronic nose that will mimic a dog’s.

“At the moment electronic noses are not as advanced as the dogs’, they are about 15 years behind. But the work that we are doing and what we are finding out will help scientists advance quickly so that they can use electronic noses to do the same thing,” she said.

Pretty amazing stuff, but I think I’d rather be diagnosed by a dog than an electronic nose. And what’s so impractical about a dog in every doctor’s office? Seems entirely practical to me, and a good way — if shelter dogs could be trained to sniff out disease — to allow everyone to live a little longer.

Besides, it would make doctors’ offices far more inviting, and give us something to do in the waiting room.

A group of dogs in London set a new world record for the loudest collective bark.

The 30 dogs emitted a group bark of 115 decibels in Finsbury Park, breaking the record of 111 decibels set by 224 dogs in Vermont last year, according to the BBC.

A German shepherd dog called Daz Lightning set the loudest individual bark record at 108 decibels.

The Guinness World Records confirmed both new records.

The 30 dogs were given three chances to break the group bark record, succeeding on their final attempt.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed repealing a law designed to postpone euthanasia in animal shelters.

The governor — facing a $24.3 billion deficit — says he will ask the state legislature to repeal a 1998 law called the “Hayden Bill,” which requires shelters to keep animals alive four to six days before putting them to sleep. The state government reimburses local governments for the cost of housing animals for the extended holding period.

Schwarzenegger’s recommendation would allow shelters to euthanize animals after three days, according to the San Diego News Network.

The change in policy would save the state about $24 million in feeding, caring for and housing the animals, according to the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Animal-rights organizations have asked the governor to temporarily suspend the bill instead, and are trying to work out an adoption-incentive funding plan that would assist shelters.

The Humane Society of the United States, the American SPCA, the State Humane Association of California and California Animal Control Directors Association have all filed notice of opposition to the governor’s plan.

In 2007-2008, the county’s shelters took in 26,078 animals, about11,600 were adopted out, or sent to a rescue group, and 4,800 of which were reunited with owners. About 7,500 had to be euthanized, which is a decrease from the 9,218 euthanized in 2003-2004.

“Dogs and cats are as American as apple pie and baseball; you can’t mess with someone’s family – their kids, or their pets,” said Darlene White, the executive director of the San Diego Animal Support Foundation. “These pets – our pets – deserve the extra days for us to try to find them.”

The governor’s proposal will force shelters to euthanize animals before owners can claim them, or before privately-funded shelters or rescue groups can save them, White said.

A 63-year-old Seattle woman stopped her car when she saw a group of teenagers repeatedly kicking a pit bull in the town of SeaTac. She asked the group — three boys and a girl — what the problem was.

The girl, 15, told her to mind her own business, then walked over to her car, opened the passenger door, pulled the woman out by her hair and started beating her.

As the woman tried to run away, one of the boys ran after her with the dog, which started biting the woman on the arm and legs.

A King County sheriff’s department official said the teenagers were abusing the dog, named Snaps, to make it violent, according to The Seattle Times.

Pretty disgusting. But wait there’s more. Another Seattle woman, 41, saw the attack and followed the group to a nearby park. There, the girl realized the group was being followed and began beating the second woman. The three boys then provoked the dog to bite the second woman on her head, face and arms while the girl assaulted her, the sheriff’s office said.

The second woman was hospitalized, but it’s not known if the first required treatment.

Police said the girl, whose family owns the pit bull, also received medical treatment, having injured her foot from repeatedly kicking the second victim, and being bitten by the dog as well.

The sheriff’s department said the girl, from Burien, will  likely face felony assault charges. The three boys, aged 11, 12 and 13, all from White Center, also could face criminal charges. All four were released to the custody of their parents. The girl’s mother also might face charges because the dog was unlicensed and was out in public without a muzzle, a violation of local animal-control regulations in the city of SeaTac.

The dog was seized by King County animal control and is expected to be euthanized.

(Photo: King County Sheriff’s Office)

Finally, a good reason to get an iPhone.

As a firm believer that every day should be “Take Your Dog to Work Day” — and having never worked for a company that would permit such a thing (even once the official day was proclaimed) — I don’t get too awfully excited by it.

Especially now that I work from home, Ace at my side.

On top of that, though, it has always struck me as strange that the day was created by Pet Sitters International, a group whose members, if everyone one took their dog to work, wouldn’t have much to do.

On the other hand, the day does get some employers to open their doors to dogs, and more important, it helps educate the public on the benefits of responsible pet ownership, raises the awareness of the human-animal bond, and supports the efforts of local animal shelters, rescues and humane societies.

So, with the 11th annual “Take Your Dog to Work Day”  approaching — it’s Friday — by all means, take your dog to work, if your employer is enlightened enough to play along.

And in either case, by all means drop by after work at the Maryland SPCA, which is celebrating the day with a “Wine & Wag” party of its own, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The SPCA, at 330 Falls Road in Baltimore, will be offering drinks, snacks and activities that include doggie musical chairs, paw painting, bobbing for hot dogs, a treasure hunt and plenty of free treats, courtesy of Dogma.

Admission is $10 in advance and $15 at the gate per person. (The event will be canceled and ticket prices will be refunded if the weather is bad.)

If you are taking your dog to work, Barkbusters offered the following tips in a press release.

– Recognize that this can be a stressful experience for your dog, and bring along a favorite pillow or blanket so he has something familiar to comfort him.

– Bring a leash to walk your dog from the car to the office, and to control him in the office.

– Bring food or treats and a water bowl.

– Help your dog pass the time by bringing along dog toys.

– Don’t leave your dog alone with other dogs. If you must leave for a meeting, isolate your dog in a closed office or have a dog-familiar friend sit in until you return.

– Watch for any signs of dog aggressiveness, such as growling, staring, raised hackles, and stiff body posture. Diffuse potential conflict by removing your dog from the area.

– Don’t try to force unfamiliar dogs to “become friends.”

– Check with your supervisor to get an okay to leave work early if your dog can’t handle the new environment. If he becomes too stressed, overexcited or inhibited, it’s best to just take him home. Do not  leave him in your vehicle while you continue to work.

– If a dog fight occurs, don’t try to break it up by hand. Use your dog’s blanket to throw over the heads of the fighting dogs. This will confuse the combatants long enough for you to defuse the situation.

(Photo: Mija, in accounts payable, from Takeyourdog.com)

Half of all American pet owners consider their pets as much a part of the family as any other person in the household, according to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll released this week.

Another 36 percent said their pet is part of the family but not a full member, according to the Associated Press.

Most pet owners admit to feeding animals human food, nearly half give the animals human names and nearly a third let them sleep in a human bed. While just 19 percent had bought an outfit for a pet, 43 percent felt their pet had its own “sense of style.”

Singles were more likely to say a pet was a full member of the family than married people — 66 percent of single women versus 46 percent of married women, for example. And men were less likely than women to call their pet a full member of the household.

According to the survey, slightly over a quarter of pet owners celebrate their pet’s birthday or the day it came to live with them, and a third have included a pet’s photo or name in a holiday card.

About one in five respondents take their pets to work, and 42 percent of pet owners have taken a pet on vacation, usually the family dog.

The AP-Petside.com poll was conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media from May 28-June 1, 2009. It is based on landline and cellular telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,110 pet owners. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

Baltimore area animal shelters have one week to go in their race to place 500 cats in adoptive homes by the end of the month — and so far they are on target to make the goal.

“It is so wonderful to see the people of the Baltimore area opening their hearts and homes to cats and kittens during this campaign,” said Jennifer Mead-Brause, executive director of Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter (BARCS). “We still have plenty of wonderful cats and kittens who need new homes. This is the best time to consider adoption. And if you already have a cat and kitten, this is the very best time to adopt a playmate for him or her.”

During the month of June, cat and kitten adoption fees are being waived at BARCS, the Maryland SPCA, and the Baltimore Humane Society.

From June 1 through 21 Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) and the Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MD SPCA) adopted out 344 cats. Information about the campaign is available at Baltimore500.org.

Adoption fees for cats and kittens are being waived for the entire month, and six local veterinary clinics are offering free exams for cats and kittens adopted at participating shelters in June.