CBS Aired "Dogs in the City,"

New York City dog guru Justin Silver is the host of "Dogs in the City." (Credit: Heather Wines)

(CBS News) It looks like Cesar Millan will now have some doggie trainer competition.

Started Wednesday, May 30, there is a new canine expert on the block. The New York City block, that is.

CBS aired "Dogs in the City," starring Manhattan-based "dog guru" Justin Silver, who is described as a master at resolving issues between dogs and their owners. Silver says many times the issues lie with the owners, not the dogs.

Throughout the series, Silver will meet with New Yorkers who have a range of canine issues — from a couple looking to move in together with a dog to a newly divorced couple whose dog is having a rough time adjusting to joint custody. He even calls in his own dogs, pit bulls Chiquita and Pacino, to help out by leading by example.

Dogs are having a television moment, with three very different programs about them turning up in the next few weeks on three very different outlets. Together they provide a dizzying display of reprehensible behavior, inordinate neediness and striking devotion by humans.

“Once you bring a dog like that into your home and into your life, they appreciate it”, Silver says. “They know what they’ve got, because they’ve been without.”

NY Times:

“Dogs in the City,” with its inherent reminder that it takes work to be a competent owner, serves as a useful counterpoint to “Shelter Me,” a film by Steven Latham that is showing on PBS stations in May and June (check local listings). “Shelter Me” is single-minded in its goal: It wants people to consider adopting a dog from a shelter.

Shelters, the program says, are overwhelmed with animals, especially now, when people are abandoning pets in a bad economy. Early on, Mr. Latham’s camera lingers on a blunt sign at a Los Angeles shelter: “Los Angeles Animal Services cannot guarantee placement of your animal. Animals turned into the shelter may be euthanized (killed) after the legal holding period.”

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says that is the fate of three million to four million dogs and cats each year. “Shelter Me” aims for the heartstrings in trying to change the numbers, showing shelter dogs that have been trained to help people with disabilities, and others that are filling an emotional void for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“A lot of people think that dogs from a shelter are there because they’re bad dogs, because they’ve done something wrong, and that is a complete misconception,” Cassian Sandeberg, an animal behaviorist, says in the film. “A lot of these dogs are great dogs that people just can’t look after anymore.”

The film is so eager for people to adopt dogs that it doesn’t address its own contradiction: that shelters are jammed partly because not everyone can be a successful owner. A more nuanced approach is used in “One Nation Under Dog,” a riveting film showing June 18 on HBO.

This film also encourages dog adoption, but the first of several factoids it displays on the screen is this: “There are 4.7 million dog bite victims each year in the U.S.” That introduces an unsettling segment about a New Jersey dog owner who fought draining legal battles in defense of his dogs after they were involved in several biting incidents. In one, a girl’s ear was ripped off.

From this cautionary tale, the film grows even more stark, showing hard-to-watch footage of shelter dogs being thrown into large bins and gassed, then even harder-to-watch images from a raid on a wretched puppy mill in Tennessee.

“We found dogs living with dead dogs,” Scotlund Haisley, one of the animal rescuers at the scene, says. “One dog was using the two dead dogs as a blanket.”

The rescuers at the puppy mill, like the animal advocates in “Shelter Me,” seem somewhat overwhelmed by the cruelty they witness and the scope of the pet overpopulation problem. But it’s heartening to see them keep plugging away. A special prize should go to John Gagnon of the rescue group PAWS New England, who in “One Nation Under Dog” visits a shelter and specifically asks to look at the dogs with behavior and health problems.

"Dogs in the City" will are weekly on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. First week… a Big Paws Up!!!  JOMP

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Autism Assistance Dogs

Autism Assistance Dogs are trained for children and families living with autism. The rise in autism rates is staggering. The evolution of programs geared toward successfully integrating children with autism into routine daily activities includes Autism Assistance Dogs.

Autism Assistance Dogs are trained to enhance the safety of children with autism by acting as an anchor and preventing the child from bolting into unsafe environments such as traffic, bodies of water, etc. Autism Assistance Dogs can also have a calming effect on the child and may improve the child’s willingness and ability to communicate and bond.

Training:

• Training generally takes four to six months.

Placement:

• When ready for placement with an approved applicant, the trainer travels to the client’s home for one-on-one training with the client and all family members.
• Placement training is generally three to five days in length.

Follow up:

• Dogs for the Deaf provides follow up training for the life of the team. Follow up training includes guidance and suggestions consisting of verbal contact, written contact, and in home visits.

What does it cost to get an Autism Assistance Dog?

With the exception of a $50.00 application fee, Dogs for the Deaf places Autism Assistance Dogs free of charge to qualified applicants. When an applicant has been approved to receive an Autism Assistance Dog and is ready to be placed on the waiting list, we require a $500.00 Good Faith deposit, which is returned after the person and the Autism Assistance Dog have been together for one year. Once the dog is placed with a person, the client is financially responsible for the on-going care of the dog.

If you would like additional information or an application packet, please contact Dogs for the Deaf, Inc.

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Petition: Tennessee teens charged in brutal torture of a puppy

In a report from WBBJ TV ABC News, two teens from Dresden, Tennessee have been charged in the brutal May 15, 2012 torture and death of a 4-month-old Saint Bernard puppy. Now a petition is being circulated, asking that justice be served for this innocent puppy.

The two teens charged are 18-year-old Preston Odle and 19-year-old Levi Evans, both of Dresden. They are facing charges of aggravated animal cruelty, and were released on bond over the weekend. The story of the torture this helpless puppy endured is heart-wrenching.

View slideshow: Puppy tortured to death by teens

Based on reports given by police from statements made by one of the teens, the torture of this innocent little puppy was done for fun, and because they simply did not want the puppy any longer. According to the reports, the helpless puppy suffered for at least four hours, finally succumbing to his injuries.

It allegedly began with breaking the puppy’s ribs by kicking him. This then escalated into one of the young men standing on the puppy’s head. They then wired the puppy’s jaw shut, wrapped wire around the puppy’s neck, and draped the wire over a tree limb in order to choke him. The reports indicate that Odle then stabbed the puppy in the back. Four hours later, the puppy finally died from his injuries.

** It is time for people to wake-up!  Child abusers, spousal abusers, elder abusers and serial killers all often begin as animal abusers.  It is time that we start treating animal abuse and abusers much more seriously.  These people should get sentences commensurate with the crimes… not reduced because it was done to animals.  Next time it probably will be done to humans and this type of cruelty to any living creature in unacceptable. The animals here are not the poor puppy but these demented human creatures who tortured the puppy.  In an ideal world they wouldn’t be out on bond!  They deserve the same treatment they gave this poor pup! **

Source: Animal Advocacy Examiner

Related: 

Stop the Cruelty!!

Horse Tied and Beaten With Sledgehamer

Another Dog Abused

animal cruelty abuse neglect

Serial Killers all begin this way!  Time to change the laws and the outcome!!  Don’t think you have to wonder what my punishment would be for these future abusers and perhaps serial killers!?!~

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Memorial Day Weekend Pet Fun

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Memorial Day,Memorial Day Pet photos,dogs and cats,horses,donkeys,farrets,kittens,gilla monster,parrots,Dachshund,Chihuahua,Bull Dog,Golden Retriever,animals photos,pet photos

Mazda Foundation Begins Another Year of Grants… For Training Service Dogs

Wednesday, 30 May, 2012 – 08:40

The Mazda Foundation has donated over $50,000 to 16 individuals and groups from around New Zealand, as part of the Foundation’s first round of funding for 2012.

Each year, the Mazda Foundation holds three funding rounds and selects deserving New Zealanders, community groups and charities that are in need of assistance.

This round, a combination of 16 individuals and groups with different causes was granted funding, including Assistance Dogs New Zealand and The Photoplayer Restoration Trust.

Assistance Dogs New Zealand provides suitably trained service dogs to assist, primarily, children disabled through autism.

The not-for-profit organization received a $1,035 grant to purchase equipment for the training and maintenance of the dogs, including harnesses, leads, brushes and toys.

Julie Hancox, Assistance Dogs New Zealand’s trainer, says, "Assistance dogs enrich the lives of people with disabilities by helping them to live independently, enabling mobility, and providing companionship. In many cases the addition of an assistance dog to these children’s lives has encouraged benefits beyond the expected, including improved verbal skills and an increased capacity for empathy and love."

Each assistance dog goes through a comprehensive training program, which takes approximately six months. The training includes a temperament assessment, basic obedience, social behavior, home behavior and specific task training. The equipment needed for the dogs during this training is essential – having adequate equipment supports the dogs in their training and helps to enable positive outcomes for the children and their families.

The Photoplayer Restoration Trust has received a $4,150 grant to begin the restoration of New Zealand’s only known photoplayer.

A photoplayer is a musical instrument built between 1913 and 1927, specifically for playing during silent movies. The instrument consists of a piano, tambourine, drums and organ pipes, and also includes sound effects needed to accompany any silent movie.

The Mazda Foundation grant will go towards the purchase and transportation, from America to New Zealand, of original Wurlitzer photoplayer plans. These plans will be used to help restore New Zealand’s only remaining photoplayer.

Don Paynter of the Photoplayer Restoration Trust, says, "We believe that the history, uniqueness, and ties to the cinema in New Zealand make this photoplayer an instrument of national importance and as such a treasure that needs to be preserved for future generations."

When the restoration work is complete the photoplayer will be stored in the Deluxe Theatre, Opotiki, and will sing again during the Opotiki Silent Film Festival and other civic occasions.

The photoplayer has been registered with the Ministry of Culture and Heritage as an Object of Significant National Importance.

Andrew Clearwater, Chairman of the Mazda Foundation, says the Foundation is thrilled to be able to assist such a wide variety of projects throughout New Zealand.

"Every round of funding we are humbled and fascinated by the incredible tasks New Zealanders are undertaking – from Assistance Dogs New Zealand helping the lives of children with disabilities, to The Photoplayer Restoration Trust working to restore and preserve New Zealand’s history. The Foundation is so grateful to be in a position where we can help these deserving groups and individuals," says Clearwater.

Other grants this round include funding to purchase native plants for a wetland enclosure in Ashburton, new musical instruments for the West City Junior Band Program, and an insulin pump for a seven-year-old who suffers from type 1 diabetes.

The Mazda Foundation has now distributed over $1,208,000 to more than 311 recipients since its establishment in late 2005.

The closing date for the next round of Mazda Foundation applications is 30 June 2012. For more information or to download an application form, visit www.mazdafoundation.org.nz.

Technorati Tags: Mazda Foundation,service dogs,dogs,New Zealand,grants,animal grants,training service dogs

HEART-WRENCHING IMAGE: DOG KEEPS WATCH OVER FALLEN SEAL’S CASKET DURING FUNERAL

God Bless Our Troops, Veterans and all Those Who Paid the Ultimate Price, including the Military Animals

Read More Here:

HEART-WRENCHING IMAGE: DOG KEEPS WATCH OVER FALLEN SEAL’S CASKET DURING FUNERAL

Remembering… on Memorial Day and Everyday!!

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Spooked horse swims two miles offshore

Beach goers and boaters along the coast of central California are accustomed to seeing fascinating sea creatures large and small off its shores — but an Arabian horse?

Some at first thought the gleaming white animal bobbing up and down on the waves near Santa Barbara was a seagull, but were surprised to learn it was a equine model known as William,reports the Santa Barbara News-Press.
The 6-year-old Arabian, whose full name is Heir of Temptation, was part of a photo clinic on the beach until it got spooked by ocean waves crashing on shore and bolted, says owner Mindy Peters. The beautiful white stallion is valued at $150,000.

But instead of running away from the waves, William charged them and swam two miles out to sea.

Rescue crews managed to corral the horse a mile offshore around sunset. William was taken to Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos. The horse was exhausted and had some water in its lungs, but is doing fine.

 

Spooked horse swims two miles offshore – rescue caught on tape: HERE

 

Source: Barracuda Brigade

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Look Familiar?

If I didn’t have a dog or a cat…

I could sit on the couch and sleep in my bed the way I wanted, without taking into consideration how much space several fur bodies would need to get comfortable.

Just imagine this photo above with 4-furkids…

 

Technorati Tags: furkids,pets in-charge,Pets Are Family,pets are family members,Pets are part of the family,dogs and cats,cats and dogs,JOMP,Just One More Pet,Pet Love and Friendship,Man’s Best Friend,Animal and Pet Photos,animals behavior

Obama Campaign Unleashes Pet Products: “I Meow For Michelle”…

Some of the stuff the Barack Obama campaign is selling to raise money for the re-election effort is pretty unusual. Donations must be a lot lower than they want to admit!!

 

They would like you to get your pets involved with the campaign by offering doggie sweaters (perhaps with a photo of Obama eating dog meat?) and “I Meow for Michelle” cat collars. 

 

Reportedly the same one she uses for Barack.

 

 

Via CNS News:

Keep reading…

HT: DRUDGE

Sometimes you just have to wonder!

Technorati Tags: Election 2012,presidential election pet products,Presidential Pets,Cats,cats and dogs,dogs and cats,President Obama,Michelle Obama

Pet and Animal Photos… That Tell Stories

As the saying goes… A photo is worth a 1000 words.  Some photos like the ones below are whole stories.

h/t to Claudia Johnson

Technorati Tags: Pet Photos,animal photos,moments in time,Just One More Pet,JOMP,Animal and Pet Photos,remembering,Love