News Archives - Page 29 of 73 - i Still Love Dogs

Frank Sinatra Loved the Ladies…and the Dogs

Frank Sinatra, who was born 100 years ago today, didn’t just love the ladies (and vice versa) — he was also very fond of dogs, according to several sources. Who knows, maybe Ol’ Blue Eyes was thinking about sharing his bed with his pooches when he sang “Strangers in the Night.”

According to the official Frank Sinatra Facebook page, his mom didn’t allow him to have a dog when he was a kid, “but he made up for that later in life by having many!”

“He liked animals, period. Particularly underdogs,” his widow, Barbara, told the Palm Beach Post in 2011. The Sinatras had dogs, cats and horses.

“I found a snake in the yard one day and I called the gardener to kill it,” Barbara recalled. “Frank said, ‘No, no, he’s a friend of mine.’ So he threw it over the fence onto the golf course. He was very softhearted.”

Sinatra had an especially soft spot for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

“He absolutely adored them,” Barbara told the Palm Beach Post. “When he was sick in his room, he’d have the cats on one side of the bed, and the dogs on the other. And he would pet them both.”

In her memoir, “My Father’s Daughter,” * Tina Sinatra recalls that when she was a little girl and asked her dad where heaven was, he replied, “Heaven is where all the animals go.”

When Sinatra died in 1998, several mementos were placed in his coffin.

“My contribution was a small dog biscuit, for Dad’s love of little critters,” Tina wrote.

I wish Sinatra a very happy birthday. I’m a huge fan of his, as was my mom, who as a teenage bobby-soxer ditched high school to see her idol perform at the Chicago Theater. “The Summer Wind” was one of her favorite Sinatra tunes, and I can fondly recall her and my dad (a non-fan who called Frank “Snotnose,” LOL) slow-dancing to it on the living room floor. I’d like to dedicate this to the memory of all three of them.

Rest in peace, up there where all the animals go.

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6 People Die After Eating Dog Meat in Cambodia

After chowing down on barbecued dog meat Sunday, six people died in Cambodia. Thirty others were sickened and had to be hospitalized.

Chea Reth, who lives in the Snoul district in Cambodia’s Kratie province, bought the dead dog from another villager, ChannelNews Asia reports. After barbecuing the dog and eating some of its meat, Reth died of acute food poisoning. The other people died or were sickened after eating the dog leftovers at Reth’s funeral.

Four other people died of food poisoning after drinking home-brewed rice wine.

The Kratie provincial health department along with experts from the U.N.’s World Health Organization are investigation the deaths and illnesses.

Health department chief Chhneang Sivutha told the Associated Press that “people in the province have been warned not to eat the meat of animals that have died from illness or poisoning, and not to drink any wine that has not been properly inspected.”

The cause of death of the dog that was barbecued is not known. Unless it was natural causes, the poor dog was probably killed in an extremely cruel way, as are the dogs killed for their meat in China.

“Dog meat is popular in some remote Cambodian provinces as a delicacy, especially when consumed with homebrew white sticky wine,” according to ChannelNews Asia.

Sivutha told the AP samples of the dog meat and wine were collected and sent for testing to the Health Ministry in Phnom Penh.

He said that while food poisoning cases are not unusual in Cambodia, which is one of Asia’s poorest countries, it is uncommon for so many people to get sick at the same time.

As pet dog ownership grows in Asia — as well as awareness of the cruelty of the dog meat trade — the consumption of dog meat is fortunately losing popularity in some countries.

In February 2014, officials from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam agreed to take action to end the dog-meat trade and eliminate rabies by 2020.

“The dog meat trade is undermining rabies elimination efforts in the region,” said Lola Webber, program leader for the Change for Animals Foundation, at the time. “Many dogs carry deadly diseases, such as rabies, and transport conditions increase the possibility of disease exchange.”

Perhaps these deaths will motivate Cambodian officials to step up their efforts to end the dog-meat trade. And as a result of this incident, perhaps many Cambodians will no longer consider dog meat a delicacy, but something to be avoided.

Photo via Facebook

Michael Vick, Animal Welfare Advocate? Yeah, Right

Michael Vick is getting a lot of positive press lately, and it’s not related to football. No, the convicted owner of a dog-fighting ring who killed poor-performing dogs with his own bare hands is now…are you ready…advocating on behalf of animal welfare!

Tomorrow Vick will go to Harrisburg, the state capital of Pennsylvania, and ask the Democratic caucus to support House Bill 1516, referred to as the “Hot Car Law.” The law would give police officers the authority to smash car windows to save pets locked inside on hot or cold days.

Wait, what? Why is someone who once killed dogs advocating for a law that could save their lives?

“I know that I’m an unlikely advocate. I was part of the problem,” Vick said today in a news release. “Now my perspective can help reach people that activists can’t reach. I can help others become agents of change.”

Kids from Harrisburg schools will join Vick tomorrow “to teach children the political process,” according to the news release.

Are you getting the warm fuzzies? Neither am I.

In response to the outrage when he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in August, Vick told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that while he can’t change his own past, “the only thing I can do is try to inform the masses of kids to not go down the same road I went down.”

If Vick’s support helps get animal welfare laws passed and in the process shows children how to make positive changes, that is a good thing.

So why am I still not getting the warm fuzzies?

Probably because I have a feeling Vick’s “advocacy” is little more than a publicity ploy to help remove some of the tarnish from his image. And what better way to do it than with laws saving animals’ lives?

What I find most perplexing is how someone who could personally hang, electrocute and smash dogs’ heads to the ground (yeah, yeah, yeah, he was convicted and served prison time for it, but the fact remains that he had no problem murdering dogs) could have such a complete turnaround. I realize that people can and do change, but this drastically?

It doesn’t seem possible — or genuine.

What do you think? Does Michael Vick truly care about animals, or is he advocating for the publicity? Please leave a comment below.

Photo via Facebook

It’s Now the Law: Retired Military Dogs Can Be Adopted by Their Handlers

On average, every U.S. military dog saves from 150 to 200 servicemen and women during his career. And what rewards are bestowed upon these heroes when they retire from duty overseas?

Until now, none. The sad fact is that they are usually left behind on enemy soil, since these retired working dogs are considered civilians and not permitted on military vehicles. The cost to transport them home is prohibitive.

But military dogs no longer have to face this undeserved fate. Today President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes a provision that not only guarantees that these dogs are returned by the military to the U.S. when they retire, but also that their handlers have first dibs on adopting them as pets.

“The NDAA and its passage will ensure that our four-legged veterans will finally have their chance to come home and live a comfortable quiet life, hopefully with a handler they deployed with or a fellow veteran,” said Lance Corporal Jeff DeYoung, USMC (Ret.), who was reunited with his military war dog Cena with the help of American Humane Association (AHA), in a news release.

“The language in the NDAA is about healing, healing veterans and their families. These dogs have so much love to give…it’s time we show some in return.”

New York Sen. Charles Schumer (yes, he’s a second cousin of Amy Schumer) pushed for the bill’s language that allows handlers to adopt the dogs who served alongside them.

“After all we know about treating debilitating post war conditions, like PTSD and other health afflictions, it makes absolute sense to keep service members joined with their service dogs,” Schumer said in a Memorial Day press release. “Here we have a commonsense policy that is good for the animals that give it their all for America — and for the American heroes who love these dogs so dearly.”

The NDAA provision, supported by the AHA, was introduced in the House by Rep. Frank LoBiondo and in the Senate by Sen. Claire McCaskill.

“This is the email I’ve been waiting for years to send to you,” wrote Dr. Robin Ganzert, AHA president and CEO, in a message to supporters today.

“We thank these brave heroes for serving our country, and we are grateful that every one will finally get the retirement they deserve with those who care for them most.”

Photo credits: PRNewsFoto/American Humane Association; The U.S. Army

New Vaccine for Epidemic H3N2 Dog Flu Now Available

Earlier this year, the H3N2 dog flu virus became an epidemic, sickening dogs in 24 states across the country. It was first confirmed in Illinois, where more than 1,500 Chicago-area dogs were infected.

Before dogs became sick in the Chicago area, H3N2 had never been reported in the United States, but there have been outbreaks in China and South Korea since 2006. H3N2 is believed to have been brought to the U.S. by a dog from Asia, or a dog who visited Asia and became infected.

The symptoms of H3N2 include coughing, sneezing, fever and lethargy. Most at risk are puppies, older dogs and dogs with weakened immune systems. While most dogs recover within 10 to 30 days, some have developed pneumonia and other serious health issues. At least six dogs have died from H3N2.

Until this week, the only vaccine available was for preventing another strain of dog flu, the H3N8 virus. It was not known if that vaccine is effective against this new strain.

On Nov. 20, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a conditional product license for Merck Animal Health to release its new Canine Influenza Vaccine H3N2. The vaccine became available to veterinarians Monday.

“Based on the highly contagious nature of the strain, the severity of clinical disease and the rate at which we were seeing newly diagnosed cases, we knew we needed to act fast – both to help veterinarians and pet owners contain the outbreaks and develop a vaccine to protect dogs against it,” said Kathleen Heaney, DVM, director of Companion Animal Technical Services at Merck Animal Health, in a news release.

According to studies, H3N2 produces 10 times more virus than H3N8, making it “far more contagious,” said Edward Dubovi, Ph.D., of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University in the news release. “Preventing the transmission of the disease through vaccination is highly recommended for those dogs that have lifestyles that put them at greater risk.”

That riskier lifestyle includes frequent social activity with other dogs at dog parks, doggie day care facilities and boarding kennels.

Dogs who are healthy and at least 6 months old can receive the new vaccine, which is delivered in two doses several weeks apart.

The new vaccine will be a lifesaver, said Dr. Kristie Johansen, a veterinarian at Sugar Hill Animal Hospital in Atlanta.

“It will be very significant for us,” she told WSB-TV.

Dr. Melissa Bourgeois, another vet at the hospital, recommends that dogs get both the H3N2 and H3N8 vaccines, since both strains are currently spreading in Atlanta.

Here are some important tips for preventing your dog from getting the H3N2 virus.

Photo credit: bazusa