Category: News

Mop Wins Best in Show at Westminster Dog Show

Wait, what? That’s a dog, not a mop? Mmmkay. Congrats, I guess, to Wasabi, a Pekinese who won the top honor last night as Best in Show at the 145th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Like my blog title says, I love dogs, and that includes Pekes. Yet I feel the winner of a dog show should be something that actually looks like a dog, not a cleaning accessory. My feelings haven’t changed since 2012, when I wrote an i Love Dogs story about Malachy, another Pekinese/mop lookalike who somehow won the Best in Show honor that year. (That story has sadly disappeared from the internet.)

Malachy happens to be Wasabi’s grandfather. They both have the same breeder, David Fitzpatrick. Wasabi “is just a wonderful dog and he’s made correctly. He has showmanship,” Fitzpatrick told CNN. “He fits the breed standard. He has that little extra something, that little sparkle that sets a dog apart.”

Fitzgerald’s remark about Wasabi being “made correctly” is exactly what irks me about breeding dogs to achieve certain appearance standards. This practice has lead to serious health issues, especially for short-nosed breeds like Bulldogs, Pugs and, yep, Pekes.

“What’s not to like about this dog?” asked Best in Show judge Patricia Craige Trotter regarding her dubious choice. “He stood there as though he was a lion.” I can’t quite figure out how she was able to discern this, and on behalf of all lions, my apologies.

At least Trotter’s pick for the runner-up, a Whippet named Bourbon, could easily be identified as a dog.

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is usually held in February at Madison Square Garden, but because of the COVID pandemic, it was postponed to June this year and held in Tarrytown, N.Y.

I admit I do watch the show each year because…dogs! But my favorite canine competition is the American Rescue Dog Show, which debuted in 2018. It celebrates all dogs, not just those bred to meet a certain appearance standard. This year’s show was canceled due to the pandemic, but hopefully it will return in 2022.

Photo: FOX Sports/YouTube

French Bulldogs Rescued from China Available for Adoption Soon

If you love French Bulldogs but don’t want to shell out thousands of dollars to buy a purebred, you may be in luck: Frenchies rescued from China arrived in the Los Angeles area yesterday and will soon be ready for forever homes.

Because of Covid restrictions, the 21 dogs had to wait a year to be transported to the United States.

“I got a phone call telling me that if they didn’t get out in the next couple of weeks they wouldn’t be able to get out, because they’re all short-nose dogs,” Melissa Bacelar, CEO of Wagmor Pets, a nonprofit rescue organization based in Valley Village, Calif., told CBSLA yesterday. (Most airlines don’t allow short-nosed dogs like Frenchies, Pugs or Boxers to fly in the cargo area during the summer because of potential breathing problems.)

According a post on the Wagmor Pets Facebook page, the Frenchies were bred in terrible conditions and then rescued from the meat trade.

“I thought it seemed completely ridiculous that a bunch of Frenchies were stuck in the middle of Asia when here in California people are getting assaulted for their Frenchies,” Bacelar told CBSLA.

She may have been referring to Ryan Fischer, Lady Gaga’s dogwalker, who in February was shot in the chest by thieves who stole two of Gaga’s French Bulldogs. Fischer fortunately survived, the dogs were safely returned, and the criminals were caught and are facing serious charges.

Because French Bulldogs are so popular and expensive, dognappings have been on the rise. To help protect these dogs, Brandi Hunter, vice president of public relations and communications at the American Kennel Club, told CNN that owners should spay or neuter them, get them microchipped, not leave them alone outdoors and not disclose any identifying information about them on social media.

The Frenchies rescued by Wagmor Pets will be available for adoption after they’re microchipped and have received all their shots. “Please keep in mind that many of the dogs that come into Wagmor Pets have often had very little positive human interaction, and might take a little extra love and patience to feel comfortable in your home,” the rescue notes.

You can check out the profiles and inquire about adopting the Frenchies and other available dogs via the Wagmor Pets website.

Photo: Petfinder.com

Yet Another Scary Reason Not to Take Your Dog on an Escalator

As I wrote in A Very Scary Reason Why You Shouldn’t Take Your Dog on an Escalator back in February 2018, a small dog riding an escalator with his owner at Los Angeles International Airport nearly lost a paw when it got caught in the grate at the top of the escalator. Luckily a passerby who witnessed what happened quickly pressed the emergency shut-off button to stop the escalator. LAX police officers were able to unscrew the grate’s teeth and free the dog’s paw.

A year before that, the exact same thing happened to another small dog riding the escalator at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. That dog was also safely freed, but bit his owners in the process.

Fast forward three years, and the exact same thing has happened yet again to another dog. On Wednesday afternoon, a Pomeranian named Scott got his back left paw stuck in an escalator at the Journal Square PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid transit system station in New Jersey.

The cries of Scott and his owner were heard by Port Authority police officers Anthony Manfredini and Matthew Maiello, who raced to the escalator and pushed the emergency shut-off button. They then summoned help.

“I spent my life training and caretaking for dogs in the Marine Corps as a K9 handler and in my personal life,” Manfredini told The Jersey Journal. “I didn’t have a second thought when it came to cries for help.”

As Manfredini held and comforted Scott (aw!), Emergency Service Unit officers Mark Legic, Andrew Vignapiano and Eric Block were able to unbolt the escalator’s claw plate and free the dog’s paw, NBC New York reports.

Scott’s paw was badly injured, with cuts and puncture wounds. Angel Lopez, a kind-hearted Port Authority police sergeant, paid the taxi fare for the dog’s owner to take Scott to an animal hospital. Scott is expected to make a complete recovery, and his owner will hopefully have learned a painful lesson.

It is never, ever a good idea to let dogs, especially small ones like Scott, ride on escalators. Unless you’re able to carry your dog, always take the stairs or elevator instead.

“Many pet owners do not understand the danger escalators and moving walkways pose to pets, who do not know that they need to lift their feet at the top to avoid being trapped by the ‘combs,’” MSPCA-Angell warned in 2012, after a Pomeranian mix named Mace lost two toes after getting his paw stuck on an escalator in a Boston subway station.

Each year, MSPCA-Angell veterinarians perform surgery on an average of two to three dogs whose paws were mangled after they were stuck in escalator combs.

“This is a very serious issue; most of us don’t think twice when stepping onto an escalator, but it’s crucial for all of us to understand that dogs have no sense of the danger awaiting them at the top,” stated Dr. Ashley Davis, one of the veterinarians who treated Mace. “If anything positive can come from Mace’s ordeal, it’s the awareness that his story will generate.”

If you can’t carry your dog and must ride an escalator, bring booties for him to wear, suggested Jeannine Berger, DVM. “Just make sure they fit snugly, without superfluous material that can catch in the moving escalator parts,” she warned.

Photo: @PANYNJ/Twitter

Doggone It: Major and Champ Biden (Temporarily) Evicted from White House

MARCH 24, 2021 UPDATE: Well, that was quick! After getting some training, Major and Champ have returned to the White House. 

Back in December, pound pup lovers were delighted with the news that for the first time in United States history, a shelter dog would be making his home in the White House. That historic hound was Major Biden, a 3-year-old German Shepherd adopted two years ago by Joe and Jill Biden.

There even was a virtual “Indoguration” in January to honor Major and raise funds for the Delaware Humane Association, the shelter from which Major was first fostered by the Bidens in 2018 and then adopted.

But just two months later, Major and the Bidens’ other dog, a 13-year-old German Shepherd named Champ, have been temporarily booted from the White House and sent back to the family’s home in Delaware.

According to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, Major “was surprised by an unfamiliar person and reacted in a way that resulted in a minor injury to the individual,” CNN reports. Sources told CNN that Major had previously displayed agitated behavior such as barking and “charging” at White House staff members.

Psaki also noted that the dogs’ trip home to Delaware had been planned before the incident. They usually stay at that home when Jill Biden is traveling. Major and Champ are being cared for by family friends (and hopefully Major is enjoying some sessions with a good dog trainer).

During an interview on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” last month, Jill Biden told Clarkson she’d been “getting obsessed with getting our dogs settled because we have an old dog and we have a very young dog. They have to take the elevator, they’re not used to that, and they have to go out on the South Lawn with lots of people watching them. So that’s what I’ve been obsessed with, getting everybody settled and calm.”

The good news is that Psaki said Major and Champ will be returning to the White House “soon.”

Major is getting plenty of support on social media. Kate Bennett, who reported the CNN story, tweeted, “All dogs are very good dogs though.” True!

This is also a very good idea:

And the Oval Pawffice, a fan page for the Bidens’ pets, issued a “paws release” stating, “Yelp! I am innocent.”

Hopefully this incident won’t discourage people from adopting shelter pets. After all, even dogs from breeders can get aggressive. In fact, a previous first dog, the Obamas’ Portuguese Water Dog Sunny, reportedly bit the face of a teenage visitor to the White House.

Photo: @DrBiden/Twitter

How to Help Texas Animal Rescues and Shelters Affected by Freezing Weather

“We are facing Pupageddon,” the rescue group Dallas DogRRR – Rescue.Rehab.Reform wrote on its Facebook page Feb. 18. Record-breaking freezing temperatures have left millions without heat or electricity in Texas, including animals and the people who rescue and shelter them.

Here’s what you can do to help some of these shelters and rescues. If you know of others that need help due to the freezing weather, please leave a comment and I’ll add them to the list.

Austin Pets Alive!

Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is serving as a “mega-center” during this disaster, according to a Feb. 19 post on its Facebook page.

“Despite facing countless challenges, including a days-long power outage, impassable roads, water loss, and facility damage, APA! has continued life-saving efforts,” wrote the nonprofit, which is dedicated to keeping Austin no-kill.

In the coming weeks, APA! estimates that over 5,000 animals in Austin and the surrounding areas will need help. “Our team is already fielding requests to pull animals from hard-hit areas across the state and we continue to receive requests for help with food, bedding, water and supplies as so many are displaced from their homes,” APA! wrote on its website.

You can help by:

Dallas DogRRR

“It’s bad here in the Rio Grande Valley—really really bad. Moms frozen with their babies, people trying to put together makeshift shelters and tents for some strays, the dogs are dropping like flies!” wrote an animal rescuer in the Rio Grande Valley who is partnered with Dallas DogRRR, a group of volunteers that rescue animals mainly in the southeast Dallas area.

“The shelters are bursting,” the volunteer wrote. “Owner surrenders right and left. Shelter having issues with frozen bursting pipes. Trying to hold the cold back and find rescue to get the dogs out.”

You can help by:

Yaqui Animal Rescue

Located in Sullivan City in the Rio Grande Valley, Yaqui Animal Rescue is a no-kill, non-profit shelter on an 80-acre ranch. According to its website, the Rio Grande Valley and neighboring cities have the largest stray animal population in the United States.

This week Yaqui Animal Rescue lost power and all of its pipes broke, leaving the shelter without water.

You can help by:

Houston SPCA

As temperatures plunged to single digits, the Houston SPCA received about 150 phone calls each day about animals left outside in the freezing cold, CNN reports.

The nonprofit’s team of 10 cruelty investigators has been putting in long hours saving the lives of these animals.

“Now that we are warming up … now is when our work is really going to start,” Julie Kuenstle, Houston SPCA vice president of communications, told CNN. “That’s what usually happens with a disaster.”

You can help by:

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