Free Gift Bag with Puppy Purchase from a Breeder
A PETA ad in this month’s DOG FANCY magazine offers the new puppy owner A FREE GIFT BAG. The bag is a body bag, and is being offered to remind readers not to buy a puppy when you can adopt one. Could this be called body bag journalism?
More Grinch news from Penn State. The shortage of veterinarians trained to care for large animals is dangerously low and may impact global health. That applies to reindeer too.
The Eukanuba Best in Show winner was appropriately “seasonal”. A pointer known as Holly won the big California show. Holly’s registered name is Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry. And, yes she was here at the Bloomsburg shows on the Fairgrounds. (Do remember that Holly is not only preventing other champions from being the top dog in 2008–the real holly is poisonous to your dog’s health.) The late Dick Johns, Benton, would have been delighted with Holly’s success although he favored the German Shorthaired Pointer and Holly is an English Pointer– lemon in color. At the Johns estate sale I purchased a three-foot-high trophy with 3 pointers gleaming with pride–one of those dogs depicted was named “Flash Back Mac”. Dog names were stronger in those days. Maybe this year I will polish the name plates and learn more about our local hunting greats. A local winner at the by-invitation-only Eukanuba agility trials was the O’Neill’s “Gy”, Bloomsburg. Gy is the number one Petite Bassett Vendeen Griffon in agility in the country.
Another notable 2008 winner was “Merci”, who is the brother of the famous Sealyham known as ”Charmin’”. The non-sporting group winner was a Standard Poodle who answers to the name “Yes”. A wonderful name for any dog. Most puppies grow up thinking their name is “No”.
My favorite English Springer, Jesse James, was there, too. There has been talk of having James sire a litter with Hepburn as dam. I believe, however, there would be too much attitude in the Carpenter whelping box!
As 2008 winds down one of the big stories that will impact needy animals in our area is the announcement that the Pennsylvania SPCA has been awarded the Philadelphia animal control contract. This means that beginning on January 1, ACT –the Animal Control Team–will begin lifesaving services in the city. ACT is committed to the No Kill Solutions’ Animal Protection Act or CAPA. The object is to turn Philadelphia into a no-kill city. Many of our local rescues had their origins in the belief that the Pennsylvania SPCA in Danville was not a no kill shelter, and had no no-kill policy. With the passage of the new dog law in 2008 it will be interesting to see if this is indeed fact or fiction and how the largest humane organization in the Commonwealth meets its obligations. They have already earned all dog lovers’ respect by adding both a dog trainer and a forensic veterinarian to their already impressive staff.
To report unsatisfactory conditions at a kennel confidentially or if a kennel is suspected of being illegal, call the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s toll-free hotline at 1-877-DOG-TIP1.
The Westminster Kennel Club Best in Show judge will be Sari Brewster Tiejen. Tiejen has been an active member of the Dog Writers Association of America since 1976 and is one of the few journalists to have this honor. (Previous journalists include the late famed Maxwell Riddle [newspapers] and Dr. Josephine Deubler, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, who has the honor of being the first woman veterinarian in the country.)
Jan 18, 2009 | | Uncategorized