ohmidog!

Somehow, in three years of dog-blogging, I’ve managed to avoid addressing the issue of anal glands.

The time has come to express myself.

Dog anal glands are two small glands located on either side of your dog’s anus, each of which holds a tiny amount of a foul smelling brown liquid. For a long time, traditional wisdom among groomers was that, every now and then, those glands should be squeezed, or expressed, to clear them.

Fortunately, especially for groomers and do-it-yourself expressers, the wisdom has changed — so much so that some experts, including veterinarian Karen Becker, featured in the video above, now advise that anal glands, as a rule, be left the heck alone.

That’s because your dog knows how to express himself, so to speak.

Whenever a dog urinates or defecates, the act applies pressure to the anal glands, and a tiny bit of the fluid is released. Dogs also have the ability to express at will, by raising their tails, which they often do when meeting a new dog — as in “Allow me to introduce you, new acquaintance, to eau de Ace.” They just emit a tiny amount, not detectable by humans, but enough to lead those meeting for the first time to a long bout of mutual butt sniffing.

Only once has my dog Ace been the victim of a manual anal gland expressing, by a groomer in Alabama who was pretty much insisting it be done, and insisting I watch and learn. She squeezed and squeezed but nothing came out. Finally she gave up, saying maybe they didn’t need expressing after all.

Many dogs never develop any problem with their anal glands, especially those who are eating quality food — not big on fillers — that lead to a firm stool. A firm stool will create the pressure needed to naturally express the glands.

When the anal glands are not sufficiently expressed, bacteria can build up, which can lead to infections, which can lead to an abscess, which can lead to further problems.

If your dog is scooting or dragging his rear across the floor, emitting foul odors from his rear, or licking and chewing the area, those are signs that his anal glands may not be properly expressing. A visit to a groomer, or better yet a vet, can, shall we say, rectify the situation. 

If want to do it at home — and trust me, you don’t — you can learn more at  Lovetoknow.com. To see more of Dr. Becker’s reports, visit Mercola Healthy Pets.

Can you take the Grand Canyon out of the dog?

Shaggy, a mutt that spent six years surviving on his own in the Grand Canyon, will serve as an answer to that question as Best Friends Animal Sanctuary tackles the formidable task of socializing the feral dog.

Tonight’s episode of “Dogtown” features Shaggy and Best Friends Animal Behavior Consultant Sherry Woodard, who will try to gain his trust, teach him the ways of the civilized world and turn the dog — the only surviving member of a litter born in the canyon – into an adoptable pet.

Tonight’s show, also features Reggie, an Elkhound-mix with a mysterious and disfiguring skin condition, and an out-of-control beagle.

“Dogtown” airs at 10 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel.

The owners of dogs deemed dangerous by local authorities would be required to spay or neuter their animals within 30 days of receiving such a notice, under a bill proposed by a Maryland lawmaker.

Del. Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, R-Talbot, told members of the House Judiciary Committee Thursday that her proposal would reduce the number of dogs in shelters and alleviate aggressiveness, according to the Associated Press.

House Bill 15 would require the spaying or neutering of any dog who has been classified by a local government as “dangerous,” and impose fines of $2,500 for those who failed to take the action.

Though rules vary, local jurisdictions generally deem a dog dangerous when it has killed or inflicted severe injury on a person without provocation. Dogs that repeatedly bite people, attack without provocation or kill or severely injure a domestic animal when not on their owner’s property can also be designated “dangerous.”

It’s not the first time that Haddaway-Riccio has gone after “dangerous dogs.” She’s one of the sponsors of legislation that would require agencies to inform foreign brides of any criminal acts in a prospective husband’s past.

The legislation was prompted by the case of Nataliya Fox, a mail-order bride from Ukraine who — through a marriage broker then based in Maryland — met a husband in Virginia who later was accused of beating and threatening her.

The bill would close the loopholes Haddaway-Riccio says exist in a 2005 federal law. The federal law stipulates marriage brokers pass on such information, but allows them to pass on only that which clients self-report.

First, he tried super glue. And when that wasn’t enough to close a three-inch cut on the chest of a dog he was temporarily caring for, a Florida man rendered the dog unconscious with chloroform and stitched her up with dental floss, authorities say.

Broward County deputies took William Ralph Jones Jr., 55, of Oakland Park, into custody Wednesday and charged him with two counts of felony animal cruelty, Florida’s Sun Sentinel reported.

Jones’ impromptu surgery caused Zoe, a 2-year-old retriever mix, to suffer excessive and unnecessary pain, the sheriff’s office said.

Danielle Vecchio, Zoe’s owner, said she moved to a home that prohibited pets last year, leaving Zoe in the care of Jones, her friend’s father. “It’s horrible to think about what they did to her,” she said. “They called me only after she was dead.”

Zoe had repeatedly escaped from Jones’ yard, and on Jan. 12 suffered a cut of about 3 inches to her chest, the Sheriff’s Office said. Jones first tried to seal Zoe’s wound with super glue, but when it reopened the next day, he placed her on his coffee table and instructed his roommate to give the dog a muscle relaxant, the sheriff’s report states.

The dog, still conscious,  wouldn’t calm down, so Jones got his roommate and his daughter to hold her down and held a solution over her muzzle that he said was chloroform before attempting to sew up the wound. After that, the dog never regained consciousness.

Jones posted $5,000 bond and was freed from jail yesterday.

Firefighters used jackhammers, bolt-cutters, a spy camera and lots of patience to rescue nine newborn pups from a drainage pipe in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

According to the Tulsa World, residents first noticed a pregnant dog wandering the neighborhood during a blizzard on Christmas Eve. Attempts to catch her didn’t succeed until Wednesday, when Tiaunna Hooper and Virgil Dowline managed to trap her — by which time she was no longer pregnant.

When they realized that the dog had given birth in the past few days, they called for help in getting her puppies out of the drainage pipe the mother was using for a home.

Fire rescue crews used a spy camera to figure out where the puppies were, then drilled into the drainpipe to remove them.

All of the dogs, just days old, were pulled out of the trash-filled pipe, placed in a cardboard box lined with a blanket and whisked to a veterinarian.

The sun will come out tomorrow — at least it did for Macy.

Macy was a scruffy little mutt, picked up as a stray and taken to Pontotoc County Animal Welfare Society in Ada, Oklahoma — a facility that generally holds dogs for three days before “deciding their future.”

(Meaning, especially in times of shelter overcrowding, whether they are going to have one.)

Macy, though unadopted and unclaimed, managed to stay there for several months, but as time passed her chances were growing dimmer.

She caught a break when she was chosen for a prison dog program called New Leash on Life at the CCA-Davis Correctional Facility in Holdenville, Okla. But it turned out to be a temporary reprieve.

“Unfortunately, despite being a model student, Macy was the only dog at the end of the program scheduled to return to a kill shelter instead of an adoptive home or no-kill rescue,” according to RockySpot Rescue in Newcastle.

Macy’s future was looking pretty bleak again when, after her time in the prison program, RockySpot rescue took her in. RockySpot put a photo of Macy on its website, in hopes of finding her a home.

Another three months had passed when her picture was spotted by Bill Berloni, who trains animals for Broadway shows.

Berloni flew in from New York to look at her, and he liked what he saw.

Macy will be performing on Broadway, playing the role of Sandy in the musical “Annie.”

The moral of the story? Every time an orphaned dog is “euthanized,” a potential happy ending bites the dust.

(Photo: RockySpot Rescue)

Shylo, a 5-year-old husky, spent more than an hour bobbing in the icy waters of the Rock River in Illinois before firefighters tossed him a rope.

Shylo grabbed the rope in his mouth and held on, getting tugged partly to shore before a firefighter slid across the ice to pull him the rest of the way out.

Even then, back on land and in the arms of his rescuers, he kept the rope gripped in his mouth, not releasing it until after he was back home with his owner, the Rockford Register Star reported.

This week the dog’s owner Peggy Yarber, brought Shylo to the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department to thank the firefighters who hauled him out of the river.

“This dog is my whole life,” Yarber said. “I can’t thank you enough. I really can’t. If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t be here.”

Yarber was visiting a friend when Shylo wandered off. He was found about a mile away, having fallen through the ice in the river. A nearby homeowner called authorities.

A Winnebago County animal control officer, tossed Shylo the rope that he latched onto to amid the ice chunks to help keep his head above water. As he neared shore, firefighter Christi Wilson crawled across the ice to grab him and slide him to shore.

On Tuesday, Yarber took her dog with her to thank the firefighters. Wilson greeted the dog with a bag of treats.

“Just him being here is enough thanks for me,” she said.

(Photo: Scott Morgan/Rockford Register Star)

Casper the commuting cat, who made headlines in the United Kingdom and around the world, has died after being hit by a car.

The cat became a celebrity on Plymouth buses when he used to politely line up with other passengers, before hopping aboard to travel around the city on an 11-mile ride.

“I never dreamt I’d miss an animal as much as I miss him,” his owner, Sue Finden, told the Plymouth Herald. “He was lovely and loved people so much – he was such a different character.”

She said she only found out about his death when a woman knocked on her door to tell her she’d seen Casper get hit by a car. The driver didn’t stop.

Finden discovered Casper’s bus riding habits when he followed her onto a bus and the driver informed her the cat was a frequent rider.

“I thought it was only decent that I let the public know what had happened to him as he made so many friends and would turn up to the bus stop like clockwork.” Finden said after the cat’s death. She posted a notice at Casper’s usual bus stop in Poole Park Road, saying, in part, “Many local people knew Casper, who loved everyone. He also enjoyed the bus journeys… Thank you to all those who befriended him.”

“Casper touched many people’s lives and clearly had a very exciting life – traveling around Plymouth and who knows where else,” said Marc Reddy, Managing Director of the bus line. “I suspect he’s now exploring heaven and is telling all the other cats up there about the many adventures he had.”

Casper was so popular that an image of him was emblazoned onto the side of a bus. “Casper’s image will remain on the bus for some time to come,” Reddy said, “and we hope that seeing it around town will give Susan some comfort.”

In honor of the one year anniversary of President Obama’s inauguration, Michelle Obama signaled their commitment to creating a more accessible White House by surprising visitors attending public tours.

That included access to Bo, as well — though he’s barely visible in this clip. We’ll just have to assume that he does indeed have a tongue.

A PetSmart in New Jersey may be dog-friendly, but its recent firing of a staff member who brought his dog to work  is making it look something less than employee-friendly.

Eric Favetta was fired from his job at the PetSmart in Secaucus for bringing his dog into the closed store while working a last-minute overnight shift.

Favetta, 31, a PetSmart employee since July 2008, placed his dog Gizmo in the store’s empty day care facility while he spruced up the place for a special showing to potential business partners.

“I have always been the type of employee to go the extra mile,” Favetta told  the Newark Star-Ledger’s “Bamboozled” column.

The store, which encourages its customers to bring pets inside, labeled his deed “theft of services,” and fired him.

Favetta served nearly seven years as a dog handler for various military units in Afghanistan and Bahrain. He became operations manager at the PetSmart in Wayne and, based on his good record, was sent to Secaucus.

At 5 p.m. on Dec. 15, Favetta was asked to work a special overnight shift to prepare the store for a viewing by representatives for Martha Stewart’s company, which was considering adding its product lines to PetSmart.

“I brought my dog with me because I knew if I didn’t, he would have been home alone all day and all night until I returned home at 6 a.m. the next day,” Favetta said. Gizmo, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, spent the night in the empty store’s doggie day care facility as Favetta toiled.

Two weeks later, he was called on the carpet and fired.

PetSmart spokeswoman Jessica White explained the situation this way:

“In our eyes, our services business is huge, with our grooming and training and care. Those are viewed as sale items the same way items on the shelf are,”  she said. “To use the facilities and not pay for it — it falls under the same lines.”

A few days later, PetSmart reconsidered and offered him another job. But Favetta has since moved on. He’s now working as a dog handler for a company that uses animals to search for hazards.

(Photo: MITSU YASUKAWA/Newark Star-Ledger)