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As if one species weren’t enough, PEOPLE magazine has branched out, establishing a new website called “PEOPLE Pets.”

Like the original magazine, the online pet version is short on edge and depth, heavy on fluff (we’re referring to both the animal and journalistic variety), with a heavy dose of celebrities stories and send-us-your-cute-dog-pictures contests.

It has a news section, and a style section, (”Mariah Carey celebrates the Holidays with her two loves. Plus: Mary-Kate Olsen, Dennis Quaid and other stars with their furry pals!”), and plenty of opportunities for readers to submit pet pictures.

It also has – for reasons I don’t grasp — lots of ads for Slim-Fast, the human weight loss beverage.

“It’s a site from the folks who do PEOPLE magazine, and it’s dedicated to all the things we love about our pets – funny photos, silly videos, heartwarming stories and, of course, styling pet gear,” Carol Vinzant, PEOPLE Pets community manager, said in an email about the new website.

National Geographic Channel’s critically acclaimed “In The Womb” series returns this month with two new one-hour specials — including one that follows the fetal journey of four litters of canines.

Featuring some amazing visual images, the show follows the development of litters inside a Neapolitan mastiff, golden retriever, chihuahua and wolf – from fertilization through the remarkable 63-day journey that takes them from a single cell to man’s best friend.

“In the Womb: Dogs” airs Jan. 4 at 8 p.m.; followed by “In the Womb: Cats” at 9 p.m.

I screened the dog special last week, and can report that it’s both a visually riveting hour of TV and a highly informative account of what’s happened in the 15,000 years since wild wolves began making the transition to domesticated dogs — and of what man did to them after that.

The show intersperses dog history with visits inside the womb, showing how all breeds (more than 400 of them) stemmed from wolves, thanks to selective breeding of them by humans. So hunters wouldn’t have to go pick up the birds they shot, we made retrievers. To scare off intruders, we made mastiffs. To rid our land of varmints, we made short-legged dogs that could burrow into holes. It wasn’t always in dogs best interest — sometimes quite the opposite — but as a result, dogs became the most diverse species on earth.

Despite all that diversity, the four canines tracked in the womb are remarkably similar for the first month or so in the womb — both to each other and any other vertebrate, including us. Even then, though, they practice behaviors they will need once born, like running and panting.

After that, they begin to take on distinctive shapes. By day 39, the ears are formed. Floppy ears are a sign of the submission humans have bred into dogs, but erect wolf-like ears persist in a few species, including the Chihuahua. Snouts, too, develop relatively late. After 55 days of development, the wolf, mastiff, golden retriever and Chihuahua all exhibit traits particular to their breeds.

Sixty-three days after the eggs were fertilized, the puppies make their debut, leaving the solace of the womb for the real world. 

For more information, on the series, click here

(Image courtesy of National Geographic Channel)

The New Jersey homeowner who found this creature might not have been sure what species had taken refuge in his garage.

It’s fur was so badly matted it could barely move.

The case was reported to the Associated Humane Societies in northern New Jersey, which dispatched an ambulance and brought the neglected dog to its medical facility in Newark.

After some careful shearing, a male poodle emerged.

The dog had been a virtual prisoner in his own fur — barely able to move and see, according to an archived report on the AHS website.

The shearing also revealed an old injury to a rear leg but it didn’t seem to be a problem for the dog, who was named Milton, after the street on which he was found. In March, AHS reported Milton had been adopted.

Founded in 1906, AHS is the largest animal sheltering system in New Jersey, comprising three shelters located in Newark, Forked River, and Tinton Falls. The Forked River facility also includes Popcorn Park Zoo, a sanctuary for abandoned, injured, ill, exploited, abused or elderly wildlife, exotic and farm animals, and birds.

Its website is the latest addition to our blogroll (below the tags on our right side rail). Welcome AHS, and keep up the good work.

(Photos from AHS website)

Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) is lowering its adoption fees for the rest of December, and will waive it entirely for animals two years old and older.

The move comes amid a surplus of abandoned dogs and cats — many of them dropped off by families facing financial difficulties.

“We’re being inundated with healthy, adoptable animals,” said BARCS executive director Jennifer Mead-Brause told the Baltimore Sun. “We have people driving up in U-Hauls, dropping off their pets. It’s heartbreaking.”

On top of that, the economic downturn has resulted in fewer people showing up to adopt.

For pups and kittens six months and younger, the fee will continue to be the usual $65, which includes spay/neuter, vaccinations, and preventatives. For animals aged 7 months up to 2 years, the fee hs been dropped to $10, and for animals under two, there will be no fee at all.

The reduced fees are in effect from Dec. 13 through Dec. 31.

To see the animals now at BARCS, you can visit BARCS Petfinder page, or visit in person, at 301 Stockholm St. Shelter Hours are Monday to Friday, 12:30 to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bernalillo County, New Mexico is considering a ban on the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores.

The ban could be included in an animal-control ordinance the county board of commissioners is discussing at a Dec. 9 meeting.

Although the proposed ordinance, as it’s now written, does not ban cat and dog sales, the ban could be added as a floor amendment prior to the consideration of the proposed ordinance, Pet Product News is reporting.

Read more »

It’s time again for the most popular — and most unusual — pet names, as determined by Petfinder and its adoptions list of 145,242 dogs and 140,269 cats

For the dogs, Buddy was the number one name, and Max was number two, for the second year in a row.

The rest of the top ten, in order were: Daisy, Jack, Lucy,  Molly, Charlie, Sadie, Jake and Lucky.

For cats, the top ten names were Lucy, Molly, Oreo, Kittens, Smokey, Princess, Shadow, Tigger, Angel and Missy.

Read more »

Reminder: Between 11 am. and 1 p.m. tomorrow at Federal Hill Park, you can get your pet’s photo taken with Santa Claus and help support the Franky Fund for sick and injured animals at Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS). The fee is $5 and pictures are made available on the internet for downloading. To see photos from the last event, at Riverside Park, click here.

Santa will also be posing with pets in Locust Point tomorrow, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Of course he can be in two places at once, he’s Santa!)

The Locust Point Dog Park Committee will be taking photos of pets with Santa at the Tide Point deck area, at the end of Hull Street. Pictures are $15 each, and will be emailed. All proceeds benefit the Locust Point Dog Park.

More on these and other dog friendly activities can be found on our “Doggie Doings” page.

Sixteen cats and  nine dogs found themselves homeless again after a fire broke out at the Animal Rescue Foundation office in Terryville, Conn.

All 25 animals in the shelter escaped unharmed.

Authorities said the fire started when a malfunctioning light fixture melted, dripping plastic onto bedding materials for the animals. Shelter staff were in the building, preparing for a Sunday’s bake sale fundraiser when someone smelled smoke.

The six volunteers inside quickly moved the animals to outdoor pens, according to the Republican American in Waterbury, Conn.

“We were just running on adrenaline,” said shelter president Kathy Johnson. “We didn’t care about the fire. It was just ‘let’s get the animals out of here as fast as we can.’”

The Animal Rescue Foundation, a nonprofit organization run by volunteers, was incorporated in 1978. The shelter takes in abandoned, abused and unwanted dogs and cats and houses them until they are adopted. Read more »

Not only will Santa Claus be in South Baltimore’s Riverside Park this Saturday — but you and/or your pet can have your photo taken with him.

How do I know this? Because I was roped into filling the Santa suit — either because of my joviality, my sprouting white beard, or, more likely, a certain part of my anatomy that is increasingly shaking like a bowlful of jelly.

From 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday, your pooch, or cat, or pet of any sort (no highly poisonous snakes, please) can have their photo taken with Santa for the low, low price of $5.

The photo will then be made available to you online, where you can download it, or upload it, or whatever it is you do to get it. You can also turn it into a Christmas card. Your options, like the joys of the season, are limitless.

In addition to the photos with Santa, the event will included raffles, gift sale, free gift wrapping, dog and cat treats, and stuff to eat and drink.

The theme of the day is a South Baltimore Christmas (old school), so don’t be surprised if you see a pink flamingo or two, some highly tacky decorations, or Santa himself sneaking in a smoke between photo shoots. We also guarantee that somebody, at some point, will call you “hon.”

If  South Baltimore kitsch is not your bag, you can wait two weeks for the more traditional Photos with Santa event — to be held at Federal Hill Park, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 6. That will be staffed by a Santa to be named later.

Both events are fundraisers for the Franky Fund at BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter), which provides emergency medical care for sick and injured animals that might otherwise be euthanized.

The event’s sponsors include ohmidog!, Camp Bow Wow, Dogma, Lucky Lucy’s Canine Cafe, Chesapeake Veterinary Surgical Specialists, K-9 Kraving Raw Diet Dog Food, Bill’s Portable Welding, Baltimore Guide,  Firehouse Coffee Co. at the Canton Firehouse, Austin Grill, The Sweet Shop, UTZ, Steve’s Lunch, Amy’s Boutique, Federal Hill Wine & Spirits, M&L Discount Liquors, and Susan Harrington Designs.

For more information, click here.

For information about other dog-friendly events, including Locust Point Dog Park’s pet photo with Santa event (featuring city council member Ed Reisinger as St. Nick), visit the ohmidog! “doggie doings” page.

I’m in Los Angeles — day three, now — hoping to meet some people and pin down some interviews for my book on pet cloning.

One of them, whose unlisted phone number I don’t have, is Liam Lynch, creator of the video above, which is about his cloned cat, Finnegan Forcefield.

I exchanged emails with Lynch a couple of months ago, and he seemed game for an interview. But my latest emails to him haven’t been answered, meaning either he changed his mind or he’s wrapped up in a project.

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