ohmidog!

 
Sweet Jasmine, the former Michael Vick dog taken in by the Baltimore’s rescue group, Recycled Love, was hit by a car last month and killed.

The pit bull that made the cover of Sports Illustrated last year was living in the suburbs with Catalina Stirling, president of Recycled Love. Jasmine was one of three Vick dogs turned over to the Baltimore organization.

No details about the accident have been disclosed.

“Our hearts are heavy with sadness over the loss of our sweet Jasmine,” a blog for Recycled Love reported. “She was recently killed by an automobile in an unfortunate accident. Jasmine touched so many lives in so many ways. Her family is devastated by her passing, but they would like everyone to recognize and celebrate the unmistakable love Jasmine received and the priceless gifts she has given to everyone.”

“Please understand that Catalina, along with the rest of Jasmine’s family, are just beginning to process this loss,” the blog states. “Thank you for allowing time for all to heal.”

One of 51 pit bulls seized from the Michael Vick dog fighting ring bust in 2007, Sweet Jasmine was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated last December. The cover article detailed the ongoing rehabilitation of  the Vick pit bulls that were placed in foster care and adoptive homes.

The Recycled Love website provides few details of what happened, but it does contain a letter of condolence sent to Stirling.

“We will never forget Jasmine,” the letter reads. “She is now and forever the poster girl, who in one glossy photograph, challenged millions of people to question the treatment of animals, to reevaluate their own prejudices and to open their eyes to previously unknown, to them, horrors of dog fighting and rampant animal abuse. The world is a better place for Jasmine having been here.”

 
The Maryland SPCA  held its final “Wine & Wag” event of the season last night, a monthly happy hour for people and their pets that includes Ace’s (that’s not him) favorite new activity — bobbing for hot dogs.

The event featured Jen Carle, signing her book “Finally Winsome,” the unveiling of the 2010 Maryland SPCA calendar and wine, beer and hors d’ouvres h’ors d’oeuvres appetizers for humans, who were not required to bob for them.

Ace also tried his paw at paw painting, romped in the “fun run,” and got to  meet a lot of new friends. It’s a great opportunity to socialize your dog, yourself and help the cause.

The Maryland SPCA’s 2010 calendar is a colorful wall calendar, featuring pictures of dogs, cats and other animals submitted by area animal lovers.

They cost $15.90 each, including tax, and will be sold online, at the SPCA and at local retailers. They will be available for purchase online and at the Maryland SPCA, 3300 Falls Road, starting today

This episode of National Geographic Channel’s “The Dog Whisperer,” recaps Cesar Millan’s Chihuahua conquests, leading up to his experience with El Diablo, described as the latest contender for “America’s meanest Chihuahua.”

Rewards will be offered to pet owners who pick up and properly dispose of their dogs’ waste in Inverness, Scotland.

For the next three months Highland Council enforcement officers will hand out vouchers to “responsible owners,” the BBC reports.

The vouchers, appropriately enough, can be exchanged at a local veterinarian’s office de-worming tablets, aimed at cutting dog roundworm infections.

Most parklands in the city are thought to be contaminated with dog roundworm, which poses a risk to human health, particularly among children, according to the BBC report.

 ”Dog feces are a known risk for the development of disease in people, particularly children,” said Sonia Howell, manager of Crown Vets which is a partner in the project. “But fortunately this is easy to prevent by removing dog waste from public areas and by regular treatment of dogs with an effective wormer.”

Officials pointed out that, though officers will be looking to reward considerate pet owners, they’ll also be prepared to issue citations to the less than considerate ones.

In May, joint police and environmental health patrols were launched in an effort to combat dog fouling and littering in part of Inverness.

A contractor who spray-painted a dog who barked at him was found not guilty of animal cruelty by a DeKalb County State Court jury yesterday.

Dario Harris maintained he was afraid of the black lab mix, named Bear — and worried that, even though the dog was in a fenced backyard, it could have jumped the fence and attacked him, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Harris was marking utility lines with fluorescent orange paint outside Jeffrey Tompkins’ Stone Mountain home.

In an interview before the trial, Harris said he loves dogs and “was just trying to protect myself.”

“You have to look at what’s reasonable under the circumstances,” said Harris’ attorney, Gerald Griggs. “The jury got to hear his actual intentions that day.  There were two dogs, both weighing over 60 pounds, jumping at a fence. You don’t know if they were nice dogs or mean dogs. He did not intend to injure Bear in any form or fashion. He was just scared.”

Harris wants to pay the veterinary bill, Griggs added.

Solicitor Robert James said he was disappointed in the verdict. “This is not going to change the way we do things in DeKalb County,” he said. “We take animal abuse very seriously, it’s wrong, and we’re going to continue to stand up for pet owners and animals, continue to hold people accountable.”