ohmidog!

The mural of Philadelphia Eagle Michael Vick choking a dog in a Dallas Cowboys uniform was painted over Friday by the city of Philadelphia’s “graffiti abatement team.”

The painting had gone up recently on the side of a “Tires ‘R’ Us” store on York Street in the city’s Kensington section.

Within a day of images of the artwork showing up on assorted blogs, the city covered it over, saying no permit had been issued for it, NBC in Philadelphia reported.

Permits are needed for murals on any buildings in the city, said Andrew Stober in the mayor’s office of transportation and utilities.

The manager of the building gave the “OK” to paint over the mural, said Stober, but Stober would not comment on who put it up or if there were any complaints about it.

Twenty-one malnourished dogs were removed from a home in Anne Arundel County Friday and are now in the custody of the county animal control office in Millersville.

Police and animal control officers removed the dogs from an Orchard Beach home they said was filled with animal feces. Nineteen dogs were found inside the home and two dogs were taken from a trailer on the property, according to a report in the Baltimore Sun.

No charges were filed, but authorities were still investigating.

Authorities did not identify the home’s occupants, but neighbors and property records showed it was Janet E. Taylor, according to the Sun. Neighbors said Taylor lives there with an adult son.

A neighbor said she had called the county Health Department and Animal Control for several months to report the odor and howling dogs, but no action was taken until Friday morning.

After about 15 minutes of knocking, a shirtless and shoeless man answered the door of the home, saying, “All right, all right. You can come in. But you’re not going to like what you’ll see.”

The man signed over his rights to the dogs to Animal Control, where they are being evaluated.

Three of the most likable, least argumentative occupants of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington D.C. are no longer around, and some say their absence constitutes the end of an era.

Splash, Sunny and Cappy, Sen. Ted Kennedy’s three Portuguese water dogs, had become a fixture in the halls of the Russell building, committee rooms and in the office of the senator, which was always equipped with water bowls and tennis balls, Politico reports.

“It’s like the end of an era,” said Kennedy’s former judiciary committee general council David Sutphen. “I find it hard to believe you’ll have another senator with a dog who comes to meetings all over the Capitol. It’s kind of the closing of a chapter.”

Except for the Senate floor, there were few places Splash, Sunny and Cappy didn’t have access

Kennedy often used his dogs to break the ice with Republican lawmakers, relax nervous visitors and to “put political personalities to the sniff test,” the Politico article says.

“They were part of the landscape,” said former Bush senior education adviser Sandy Kress, who partnered with Kennedy’s office to develop the mammoth education bill No Child Left Behind. “I had no problem patting the dog while talking about Section 10.32. … It just created a pleasant environment,” said Kress, who often watched the senator toss tennis balls to the dogs in the office.

Studies have shown that pets in the workplace can boost productivity and raise employee morale and Kennedy was walking proof, animal experts say. But Kennedy’s dogs could be disruptful as well. Splash has been known to bark impatiently during long meetings, and dig in the shrubs, but it was rare that anyone complained.

Today, the Kennedy offices are quiet and the dogs are residing at the family compound on Cape Cod with the late senator’s wife, Vicki.

“He showed that animals are intimately involved in our lives, and there is an implicit reminder of our responsibility to them,” said Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. “So many more people are treating their dogs like members of the family. You may see other members handle their dogs in a similar way.”

This adopt a pet segment on “Global BC” in Vancouver, British Columbia, got a little out of control — then a lot out of control.

Noon  anchor Randene Neill tried to handle Ginger, while a shepherd mix kept a representative of the Surrey SPCA busy, prompting her to admit that what she said about the dogs being well-behaved may have been a bit of a stretch.

The segment  aired live on  August 11, 2009.

With Michael Vick’s return to the NFL this week, and all the bitter and sickening emotions it evoked, I thought we could use some slightly more upbeat and dog-friendly sports news:  

More than 700 dogs and their owners showed up for the Brooklyn Cyclones “Bark in the Park” Game.

The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals and the Brooklyn Cyclones hosted “Bark in the Park” on Wednesday — an event that drew more than 6,000 guests at KeySpan Park, where the Cyclones fell to the Vermont Lake Monsters.

But it was still a victory — eight dogs from Animal Care & Control of NYC and Animal Haven were successfully adopted to new homes.

In addition, many pet-owners took advantage of the low-cost microchipping services held the day of the event.  “Maddie,” the 6-foot not-so-miniature schnauzer mascot for Maddie’s Fund,  entertained the families and the Cyclone’s players.

“Wednesday night’s event drew more fans that brought their dogs than the previous two years, so it appears that the event is growing. We can’t wait to enhance the event next year in conjunction with the Brooklyn Cyclones’ 10th anniversary,” said Steve Gruber, communications director of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals.

The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, Inc., founded in 2002 and powered by the pet rescue foundation, Maddie’s Fund,  is a coalition of more than 160 animal rescue groups and shelters that are working with the city of New York to find homes for dogs and cats.

(Photo by Rick Edwards, courtesy of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals)

Two animal rescue organizations are each $12,500 richer after the television show TMZ took singer-songwriter John Mayer up on his challenge to track down his mug shot.

After Mayer made the $25,000 challenge on Twitter, Harvey Levin and company tracked down a 2001 mugshot, taken in Atlanta after Mayer’s arrest for driving with a suspended license. The case was dismissed one month later.

Mayer wrote checks to two charities selected by TMZ, Ace of Hearts and Pet Orphans of Southern California.

Ace of Hearts is an organization dedicated to rescuing dogs on the day they are to be euthanized  from various Los Angeles shelters and placing them in loving homes.

Pet Orphans of Southern California is a 30-year-old non-profit that also rescues and finds home for dogs and cats and works to educate the public on responsible pet ownership. 

 
A mural has appeared on the side of a tire store in Philadelphia, depicting Michael Vick in his new Eagles uniform, choking a dog in a Dallas Cowboys uniform.

The mural is painted on the side of a shop called “Tires ‘R’ Us” in Philadelphia’s Kensington section. A photo was taken and uploaded to Flickr by k.vonponyfeather.

Vick, who served an 18-month federal prison sentence for dogfighting, made his return to the NFL last night.

Elle Macpherson’s labradoodle is starring in a national advertising campaign as the face of Dogside.com, a dog fashion brand.

The brand boasts that five-year-old Bella is ideal for showing off its leads, coats, scarves and bowls for “today’s stylish urban dog.”

Macpherson, 46 – known as ”The Body” during her modeling days, known as a millionaire businesswoman now — has her own lingerie and cosmetics lines, and has often been photographed walking Bella near her Notting Hill home, according to London’s Daily Mail. Bella is being promoted as “The Dog’s Body.”

Macpherson is said to be receiving a  five-figure sum for her dog’s work.

A California couple announced the launch of Collars for Cures — proceeds from which go to the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

The company offers eye-catching bright green pet collars and t-shirts to raise awareness of and help fund cancer research.

The collars range in price from $5.99 to $11.99 depending on the size, and shipping costs only $1.99 to anywhere in the world. Half of the proceeds go to the AACR.

Chris Nelson, his wife Erica , owners of a great dane named Roxy, came up with the idea after several of Nelson’s friends and family members were affected by cancer, according to a press release.

“Roxy gets attention everywhere we go and I wanted to utilize that attention to help fight cancer,” said Nelson. “Strangers who see Roxy are constantly asking me where they can purchase a collar and I’m excited to offer them online to an international audience.”

The collars are available in five adjustable lengths and can accommodate pets ranging in size from a cat or Chihuahua to a Great Dane. The collars are made from a durable, 100% nylon material with a chrome buckle and an embroidered, white logo.

“We are very excited to have this unique opportunity to bring awareness to the cause,” said Tamika Kim Harding, Corporate Alliances & External Relations Administrative Coordinator for the AACR. “The American Association for Cancer Research is very appreciative of Collars for Cures’ efforts to raise money for cancer research and provide a platform to spotlight our organization as the authoritative source of information about advances in the causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer.

Michael Vick received a rousing ovation from Philadelphia Eagles fans last night when he took the field for the first time.

Only a handful of protesters gathered at the stadium before Thursday night’s exhibition game against Jacksonville, including three women who held a sign outside Lincoln Financial Field that said, “Murderers are not role models.”

Inside the stadium, though, Eagles fans, some clad in Vick jerseys, defended the quarterback, saying he had been punished for his crime and deserved a second chance.

Prior to the game, as fans tailgated outside the stadium, dog lovers were holding a competing tailgate party on the other side of town.

It was part of the Pennsylvania SPCA’s “2nd Chance Dogs” campaign to increase awareness of dogfighting and encourage adoption of rescued pit bulls. The initiative was launched after the Eagles signed Vick, upon completion of his 18 month term in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring.

“As a lot of people have pointed out, the animals never got a second chance,” the SPCA chief executive Sue Cosby said. “We need to speak for them.”