News Archives - Page 63 of 73 - i Still Love Dogs

Want to Tattoo or Pierce Your Dog in New York? Fuhgeddaboudit

New York pet parents: Thinking about getting a heart tattoo on your dog’s chest with “DOGMOM” written across it? Or maybe a teeny, diamond bone stud for his pierced ear?

Of course you aren’t — and anyway, fuhgeddaboudit.

Today Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law a ban on cosmetic tattoos and piercing for dogs, cats and other pets.

“This is animal abuse, pure and simple,” he said in a press release. “I’m proud to sign this common-sense legislation and end these cruel and unacceptable practices in New York once and for all.”

New York now joins Pennsylvania as the only two U.S. states to specifically outlaw pet tattoos and piercings, although intentionally inflicting pain on animals would likely fall under many states’ cruelty laws. Similar legislation is currently working its way through the New Jersey state government.

The New York bill was introduced in 2011 by Assembly member Linda Rosenthal. She was motivated to do so after she heard about someone in Pennsylvania selling “gothic kittens,” with piercings on their ears, necks and along their spines.

More recently, Brooklyn artist Alex “Mistah Metro” Avgerakis tattooed his dog and posted the photo (above) on Instagram. He claimed he did it while his dog was still unconscious after having surgery. In April 2013, Ernesto Rodriguez of North Carolina did the same thing to his dog. “Got bored, so she got inked,” he wrote in the description of a photo he posted on Facebook.

“People can choose to tattoo or pierce their own bodies, but their pets do not enjoy that same luxury,” Rosenthal said in the press release. “Anyone who would subject an animal to needless pain and suffering to make a fashion statement should be guilty of a crime, and with my law, they will now face stiff penalties.”

Violators of the ban, which goes into effect in 120 days, will face a fine of up to $250 and up to 15 days in jail.

Markings for identification are exempt from the ban, as are ear tags on rabbits and guinea pigs.

“I am pleased that the governor signed my bill into law,” Rosenthal said. “Doing so sends a strong message that this kind of behavior constitutes animal abuse and that it will not be tolerated.”

Photo via Instagram

The Pope Didn’t Actually Say All Animals Go to Heaven

Despite all the headlines this week about Pope Francis saying all dogs—and other animals—go to heaven, apparently he didn’t say that at all, according to an NBC News report today.

A similar quote should have been attributed to one of his predecessors, Pope Paul VI, who reigned from 1963 until his death in 1978.

The confusion began when, in a speech about the world that was posted on the Vatican website, Pope Francis said, “Holy Scripture teaches us that the fulfillment of this wonderful design also affects everything around us.”

According to NBC News, the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera interpreted this to mean that animals go to heaven. It compared what the pontiff said to what Pope Paul VI reportedly once told a grieving boy whose dog had died: “One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ.”

Neither Pope Francis or the Vatican has yet clarified the pontiff’s actual belief in whether animals are permitted beyond the Pearly Gates.

During his reign, Pope Francis has sent mixed signals about his feelings for pets. He was the first pope to ever bless a dog. But during a special mass last June, he told married couples they should focus on having children instead of pets. Otherwise, he warned them, their marriages would “come to old age in solitude, with the bitterness of loneliness.”

Whatever Pope Francis believes, I have to agree with this famous quote from Will Rogers:

“If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went.”

Photo: Fake church sign via Snopes.com

Scorpion Venom Can Help Save the Lives of Dogs with Cancer

Here’s one for the Weird But Awesome file: Venom from the deathstalker species of scorpions has been found to prolong the lives of dogs with cancer.

The re-engineered molecule in the venom “latches onto malignant tumors, making the diseased tissue glow brightly and distinctly against normal tissues,” according to Washington State University (WSU) News. “Consequently, surgeons are better able to detect – and remove – cancerous cells while leaving healthy ones behind.”

WSU conducted a clinical trial in which 28 pet dogs with cancer received an injection of “tumor paint” made from the scorpion venom. It helped prolong the lives of at least three of the dogs – Browning, Whiskey and Hot Rod.

Browning, a 10-year-old Chocolate Lab (she’s on the left in the photo), had a large sarcoma on her leg. Using the tumor paint and an infrared camera, surgeons were easily able to see the cancerous cells, which glowed bright green. They successfully removed those specific cells instead of having to amputate Browning’s leg. Browning, a hunting dog, has already returned to her outdoor activities.

“The fluorescent substance prefers tumor cells over normal cells, allowing us to define the borders of where a tumor begins and where it ends,” William Dernell, professor and chair of WSU’s veterinary clinical sciences, told WSU News. “We’re always hearing about some new compound that targets tumors. From what we’ve seen, this one really does.”

When Whiskey, a Pit Bull mix (on the right in the photo), was diagnosed with two large mammary carcinonomas two years ago, her dog dad, Terry Dillon, signed her up for the clinical trial.

“I was afraid I’d have to have her euthanized, but then they told me about this tumor paint and how it might increase the odds of getting all the cancer out,” he told WSU News.

Whiskey had the carcinomas surgically removed and is now doing fine. She even likes to chase scorpions in her Arizona backyard.

The third dog, a Pit Bull mix named Hot Rod, also benefited from the tumor paint treatment after having skin cancer nodules removed at WSU.

In September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved tumor paint for study in human trials.

“Many animal tumors resemble those that arise in humans so it only makes sense for the two groups to reap the benefits that tumor paint can provide during cancer surgery,” Dr. Jim Olson, the pediatric oncologist who developed tumor paint, told WSU News. “As WSU uses the technology to help dogs, the dogs provide information that’s applicable to human cancers.”

In a decade or so, Dr. Olson predicts, “surgeons will look back and say, ‘I can’t believe we used to remove tumors by only using our eyes, fingers and experience.’

“Those hidden deposits of 200 or so cancer cells? They won’t go undetected.”

Photo credit: Valorie Wiss, WSU Veterinary Clinical Sciences

‘Derek Jeter’ of K-9 Arson Detectives to Investigate Downtown L.A. Fire

About 20 agents from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) arrived in Los Angeles today to launch an investigation, along with Los Angeles Fire Department officials, into the cause of Monday’s massive fire that destroyed part of a downtown apartment complex that was under construction.

Because of its intensity and how quickly it spread, the fire is being treated as suspicious.

Among the team members, uh, embarking on the search is 6-year-old Major, an accelerant-sniffing Black Lab who works with the LAFD’s Arson/Counter-Terrorism section. Major will be checking the structure for ignitable liquids.

At a press conference this morning, LAist.com reports that ATF agent Carlos Canino said having Major and his handler, Frank Oglesby, aboard was “like having Derek Jeter on your team.” Canino also referred to the pair as the “gold standard” of law-enforcement teams.

Major, a Department of Justice (DOJ) dog, trained for accelerant detection at the ATF Canine Training Center in Virginia, according to the LAFD Arson Facebook page. There are currently about 60 DOJ dogs who, with their handlers, help recover arson evidence at fire scenes.

“Major responds not only to incidents in the city of Los Angeles, but to other regions as part of the ATF National Response Team,” writes LAFD Arson. “In addition to being an ambassador for our department, Major is a significant tool in the battle against arson.”

LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas said today that the investigation “may take weeks and may take months.” Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call the tip line at 213-893-9850.

Photo via Twitter

Joan Rivers Leaves Part of Estate to Guide Dogs for the Blind

Beneath Joan Rivers’ brassy public persona was a warm-hearted woman who loved dogs and offered her generous support to many worthy causes.

Her will reflects that: Part of her $150 million estate is going to charities, including Guide Dogs for the Blind, a non-profit school that provides training and support free of charge to the visually impaired.

“Guide Dogs for the Blind has one of the nation’s largest volunteer networks, with thousands of volunteers assisting in the success of our mission,” according to its website. “The human/animal bond creates a ripple that adds meaning and enrichment to each of our lives and strengthens our communities.”

Rivers is also providing for her own four beloved rescue dogs, who visited her in her hospital room while she was in a coma. As the New York Daily News reported in September, the pack has moved in with her longtime assistant, Jocelyn Pickett, who was like a family member.

“I’ve left money so the dogs can be taken care of,” Rivers told the Daily Beast in July. Her only child, daughter Melissa, is the executor of her estate.

Devoted dog mom Rivers once referred to herself as “the Angelina Jolie of barkers,” according to the Daily News.

“Only when you love dogs very much do you let them sit on $300-per-yard French fabric,” she said.

Photo of Rivers and her rescue dog Teegan via Instagram