ohmidog!

Jury selection begins this week in New Jersey in a  lawsuit against CCPets, a Pennsylvania kennel with a long history of trouble.

Lewis and Stephanie Ostrander, of Cape May County, N.J.,  sued C.C. Pets alleging that the Labradoodle they bought in 2006 was diseased and dying, according to Philly Dawg, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s animal blog.

The lawsuit names kennel owners Joyce and Raymond Stoltzfus, who have a history of dog law violations and were the subject of the largest consumer settlement involving pet sales in Pennsylvania.

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B-More Dog is sponsoring a free hour-long workshop this weekend on dog-handling techniques and learning to read your dog’s body language.

It’s for humans only, and starts at noon on Sunday at BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter) 301 Stockholm St. in Baltimore.

Overwhelmed with kittens, Animal Care & Control in New York City is urging New Yorkers to adopt a cat — and sweetening the pot by dropping the adoption fee and throwing in a host of freebies.

Between now and Labor Day, adopters can get free cats (one year or older), free vaccinations, free spaying or neutering, free microchipping, a free visit with a vet and a welcome home goody bag.

This year AC&C has not had to euthanize any healthy animals because of space, but the agency said in a press release they need the public to adopt cats to keep that record intact.

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Wealthy dog owners in India are turning to online canine dating services to find dogs for their dogs to romp with.

And we’re using “romp” in all meanings of the word.

“A lot of dog owners want their dogs to have doggy friends with whom they can play and have their own fun time,” says Geetika Nigam, who launched the 6,500-user-strong Puppy Love  community two years ago.

Just like human dating sites, dog owners can upload photos, blog, search for the perfect match and set up dates, according to a Reuters article.

Many of the dogs are pedigreed — and some owners are looking for a dog to breed their dog with — but others are simply trying to set up play dates.

“People are very happy that finally someone has taken up this cause,” says Mumbai-based Mekhala Lobo, who spotted a business opportunity in her newly launched Date Your Pet  website.

“Believe me, in the dog world, finding a mate is next to impossible,” the MBA student said. And harder yet for the males. “Families generally prefer keeping male dogs so females are always in demand,” Nigam, who also owns a dog-grooming business, said.

Ishita Sukhadwala set up DogMateOnline in 2008 to help her cousin’s 6-year-old Doberman Rocky find a mate. “It was more out of necessity than anything else,” she said.

Rocky had a profile set up on the website, but he died before a potential match was found.

Pet ownership has boomed in India, thanks to its growing ranks of wealthy, middle and upper class professionals who are also driving sales of luxury goods. But for the vast majority of the country, which lives on between $1 and $2 a day, pets are not an option. Stray dogs are also often beaten, herded into trucks, poisoned and dumped into pits by government workers.

Six cloned drug-sniffing dogs have gone on duty at Seoul-Incheon International Airport in South Korea.

The dogs are among seven genetic duplicates of a single Labrador retriever named Chase, cloned at Seoul National University for use by the Korean Customs Service.

The dogs, having completed 16 months of training, will work at the airport and three other customs checkpoints to deter drug smuggling, according to the Associated Press.

They are part of a litter of seven born in 2007 through cloning a skilled drug-sniffing canine in active service. They were all named “Toppy” — a combination of the words “tomorrow” and “puppy.” One dropped out of training due to an injury.

The cloning  was conducted by a team of Seoul National University scientists who in 2005 successfully created the world’s first dog clone, an Afghan hound named Snuppy.

The customs service says using clones could help reduce costs due to the difficulties in finding dogs qualified to sniff out contraband. Only about three of every 10 naturally born dogs the service trains end up qualifying for the job.

Los Angeles County emergency shelters are violating disability  laws by refusing to take in homeless people who have service animals to help them deal with physical or emotional problems, a federal court lawsuit filed last week claims.

The suit, announced Friday, says the county’s Homeless Services Authority violates laws barring discrimination against the disabled. It was filed Wednesday on behalf of two people, including a woman who claims several shelters refused to accept her because she has a dog to help her deal with seizures.

The suit, which names both the city and the county, was filed by the Housing Rights Center and the Disability ghts Legal Rights Center, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Americans With Disabilities Act and fair housing laws do not allow discrimination against people just because they rely on service animals. The lack of services leaves some of society’s most vulnerable with nowhere to go, the suit said.

“They are all supposed to take service animals,” said Shawna L. Parks, director of litigation for the Disability Rights Legal Center. “We are not talking about pets.”

We’ve brought you a lot of three-legged dog stories, but it’s not too often we run across a five-legged dog story — especially one as heartwarming as this one.

Allyson Siegel of Charlotte, N.C. is paying $4,000 to buy a five-legged Chihuahua-terrier mix, named “Precious,” saving her from life as a sideshow freak.

She’ll be paying at least $2,000 more for medical expenses to remove the fifth leg.

And, in another decision we fully support, she’s changing the dog’s name  to Lilly.

Siegel, 45, bought the puppy from Gastonia resident Calvin Owensby last week because she couldn’t bear to see her sold to the owner of a Coney Island sideshow that features deformed animals, according to the Charlotte Observer.

The dog was born about six weeks ago and is healthy except for the extra appendage, which hangs down between her two back legs and has no feeling.

When John Strong, the owner of a Coney Island sideshow, heard about Precious/Lilly from a friend, he contacted Owensby and agreed to the $3,000 asking price.

“There are millions of dogs with four legs, and there are only three with five legs I’m aware of,” said Strong.

The money couldn’t have come at a better time for Owensby, a 57-year-old electrician who was laid off in December. “I’ve been looking for work, can’t find work nowhere,” he said. “It hurts when you go from $500 a week to nothing.”

Strong, who has 27 live animals and 250 stuffed, preserved or mummified ones, is a newcomer to Coney Island who opened his operation just down the street from a well-established rival sideshow.

But when a local paper published Owensby’s plans to buy Precious/Lilly – and his phone number – he started getting calls from irate animal lovers, protesting the sale and “cussing me out.”

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Pit Bull Blues is written and performed by John Shipe, Involushun Records

Robert E. Lee Park — a perennial  favorite of Baltimore dogs — is scheduled to get an official dog park built within its boundaries, which may not necessarily be the good news it sounds like for dog owners who like to let their pets romp off leash.

Baltimore County will be taking over management of the park and spending $6 million to make repairs and improvements, including reconstructing and re-opening the pedestrian bridge, restoring the existing trails, installing parking and setting up a secure dog park, according to the Towson Times.

Bob Barrett, director of the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks, said the dog park will be the only part of the entire 453-acre property where dogs can be off leash.

The park, located in the county but owned by the city, has long served as an unofficial off-leash area — to the pleasure of dog owners, but to the chagrin of some nearby homeowners.

Barrett said the county plans to spend $2 million on the dog park and erosion control measures, nearly $3 million for bridge replacement and more than $1 million on parking. He said work will begin after the county signs a long- term lease with the city. It will take up to 16 months to complete the improvements, he said.

More than 41,000 people visit the park each year, which includes Lake Roland. The lake was created by the damming of Jones Falls in 1861 to produce one of the first municipal water supplies for the city. The city stopped using the lake for drinking water in 1915.

About $3 million of the $6 million for the restoration of the park came from the state, according to Barrett. The county matched the amount.