ohmidog!

Maryland’s  House of Delegates has approved a proposal that would allow dogs in the outdoor dining areas of restaurants in Frederick County.

An identical measure passed the Senate, but one of the bills still has to be approved by the other chamber before landing on the governor’s desk.

The measure lets Frederick County Commissioners create an exception to silly state health regulations that ban dogs — except service dogs — from dining areas, both indoors and out.

Allowing dogs at restaurants has been touted as a way to increase tourism in downtown Frederick, especially at the Downtown Frederick Partnership’s event, Dog Days of Summer, according to the Frederick News-Post.

If the bill becomes law, county commissioners would need to enact an ordinance or regulation to allow dogs in outdoor dining areas.

The bill passed the House of Delegates 130-3 with delegates Charles Jenkins of Frederick County, Emmett Burns and Stephen Lafferty opposed.

A jury has found the former owner of Pennsylvania’s Almost Heaven kennel guilty on several counts of animal cruelty.

Derbe “Skip” Eckhart was cleared on a number of other charges.

The jury, which began deliberating Monday afternoon, returned to the judge’s chamber twice and came back with a partial verdict just before 6 p.m.

Out of 13 total counts, Eckhart was found guilty of only four, WFMZ reported. Two of those were for animal cruelty; two were for license violations.

The jury found him not guilty on four other counts and could not make a decision on five more.

“We respect the jury, but we’re not satisfied,” said Eckhart defense attorney Jeff Conrad, when asked about the verdict. “We wanted a full acquittal.”

Prosecutors said Eckhart neglected hundreds of animals and kept them in deplorable conditions inside his Upper Milford Township, Lehigh County kennel. Eckhart and his attorney claimed the former kennel owner was well-intentioned, but got in over his head, and that televised raids which led to the trial were a ploy by overzealous animal law enforcement officials.

Eckhart’s sentencing is scheduled for May 18.

 
It’s an anus. Deal with it.

Having a curly-tailed dog, I’ve gotten used to the sight (though I’ll admit what’s known as Ace’s “winky” has a way of popping up in photos far more often than I’d like).

But for those who can’t tolerate the sight, for the sphincter-phobic among us, for those who find the anus especially heinous, there’s now a product designed to spare dog owners from catching a glimpse of the offending orifice.

It’s called Rear Gear – and it is, quite possibly, the silliest canine-related product we’ve heard of since the dog chastity belt.

Made in Oregon, Rear Gear comes in several designs including a disco ball, air freshener, heart, flower, biohazard, smiley face, cupcake, sheriff’s badge and dice.

The website offering it, which says they are made with recycled paper, recycled styrene and satin cord, doesn’t make clear how it is attached/installed — and I’m not sure I want to know. Apparently the cord is used as a noose around the tail.

Still, you’d think they’d become a little problematic when the time comes for the dog to poop. Even if they don’t interfere with the function, they probably — unless removed and reattached — come out a little worse for wear

The makers of Rear Gear — “No more Mr. Brown Eye,” is their slogan — say they are also happy to work with you on a custom design. They sell for $5 each.

Tater Tot, a 6-year-old yellow lab, was found alongside the northbound side of Interstate 93 in New Hampshire, not far from where she had bolted after the car she was riding in rolled over Thursday evening, the Union Leader reported.

On Thursday, Trish Dale of Warren, Vt., suffered a concussion and a broken nose when she fell asleep and lost control of her car. Two of her four dogs, Tater Tot and Buddy, were in the back seat, and both ran from the car after the accident.

Buddy was found quickly, but Tater Tot disappeared.

When Dale’s husband, John Dale, put out word that he was going to search for the dog about 100 people, including Cassandra Gatsas, wife of the city’s mayor, showed up to help look.

John Dale said Gatsas, who is on the board of directors of the Manchester Animal Shelter, had sent out e-mails to people and had posted messages of Facebook.

“I thought how wonderful this is,” John Dale said. “Where in the world could something like this happen?”

The search party produced results: Judy and Bob Sylvia, a Manchester couple who decided to help look for the dog after reading about Tater Tot’s disappearance, spotted Buddy curled up near a fence by Exit 9, about a mile north of where the accident occurred.

He was reunited with his family Monday.

Gory Bateson and Dougie Mac chose what they call “the famous dog poop sculpture in Beverly Hills” to record this “public service announcement” — a musical reminder to pick up your dog’s poop.

The sculpture isn’t really of dog poop (though there is some resemblance), it’s just modern art.

Similarly, “Gory Bateson” isn’t really Gory Bateson – he’s a modern-day artistic creation, as well.

Gateson is the internet persona of Nick Trujillo, a California State University, Sacramento, communications professor  who, a la Spinal Tap, established an alter ego as the burned out former lead singer of the mythic band The Ethnogs.

It’s all aimed at exploring how viral media works — how popular sensations emerge within the new media landscape. Trujillo has posted more than 70 videos on YouTube under the guise of Gory in hopes of seeing the character go viral.

Gory said he was inspired after he happened by the silver sculpture ( “Erratic,” by artist Roxy Paine, on Santa Monica Boulevard, across from Beverly Hills City Hall). “It looked like dog poop to me. I had dogs for 25 years so I tend to see the world in dog terms.”

Gory points out that he was not paid by Beverly Hills to make the announcement, but undertook it on his own, with his fellow Ethnog, ”Dougie Mac” (who’s really Dr. Bob Krizek, a professor of communication at St. Louis University.)

The song may be a fake public service announcement, performed by a made-up characters, in front of a sculpture that’s open to interpretation, but its message, Gory says, is real:

Pick up that poop.

 
A retriever mix named Juanita was rescued from an otherwise empty yacht off the coast of New Zealand yesterday.

Juanita reportedly poked her head out of a hatch when a rescue vessel pulled alongside the drifting yacht Tafadzwa, which had been at sea for 17 days.

The 2-year-old dog belonged to the yacht’s missing owner, Paul Janse van Rensburg, according to the New Zealand Herald.

“When we pulled up alongside, she poked her head out for a bit, but went down below again,” said fisherman and diver Floyd Prendeville, of the fishing boat Legionaire, which towed the Tafadzwa to the Chathams.

Prendeville said the dog was shaking and silent as he approached. “She was very wary of me, and then I just pulled her in and gave her a couple of comforting pats, and she was shaking, and then she came right.”

Juanita somehow managed to fend for herself after Janse van Rensburg, 40, was lost overboard within days of setting sail from Tauranga for Gisborne on March 12. The boat drifted from the East Cape to the Chathams.

Juanita was carried to dry land, and after trotting around the wharf for a while, was led to a vehicle and taken to the local constable’s house.

(Photo: New Zealand Herald / Mark Mitchell)