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Thanksgiving TV for Dog Lovers

Click here for Thanksgiving 2015 dog-themed shows to watch.

If you love turkeys, Thanksgiving is probably not a very good day for you. But if you love dogs like I do, you’re in luck! Canines will be featured in two specials on Thanksgiving day, and a brand-new pet adoption special (featuring the lovely Betty White!) will debut during the evening.

Here’s the 4 (paws)-1-1 on these three shows.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s these two giant dog balloons in the 88th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Finn & Jake — Look for Finn riding his magical dog, Jake, from the Cartoon Network series “Adventure Time.” It’s their second appearance in the parade.
Snoopy — The beloved “Peanuts” pooch is making his 38th appearance in the parade. In fact, Snoopy holds the parade record for the most appearances by a character. Take that, Underdog (who is not appearing in the parade this year, by the way).

NBC, 9 a.m. to noon in all time zones

The National Dog Show

Don’t touch that dial! Immediately after the parade, NBC will air “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina.”

Two breeds are making their debut this year: the Coton du Tulear and Wirehaired Vizla. These two breeds will also compete for the first time in the 2015 Westminster Kennel Club (WKC) Dog Show.

Unlike the two-night WKC Dog Show telecast, the two-hour National Dog Show special won’t include every recognized breed, so don’t be disappointed if your favorites don’t appear. Sponsored by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, the competition was actually taped earlier this month. It’s being co-hosted for the 13th time by John O’Hurley and canine expert David Frei.

And remember, whether you’re thinking about getting a purebred or a good ol’ mutt — adopt, don’t shop!

NBC, noon to 2 p.m. in all time zones

FOX’s Cause for Paws

Thanksgiving night, Jane Lynch and Hilary Swank are co-hosting the first-ever pet adoption special, “FOX’s Cause for Paws: An All-Star Dog Spectacular.”

In what will hopefully become as traditional as a slice of pumpkin pie after dinner, the special will be a celebration of rescue dogs. Celebrities scheduled to appear include Betty White, P!nk, Josh Duhamel, Kathy Griffin and many more.

Viewers will be provided with information about adoptable dogs in their area as well as a toll-free number to call to donate to the Petfinder Foundation, which supports shelters and rescue groups across the country.

FOX, 8 to 10 p.m. ET/PT

Photo via Facebook

Thanks to Public Outcry, Louisiana Town Puts New Breed Ban on Hold

When the news spread over the weekend that Moreauville, La., officials had voted to ban all Pit Bulls and Rottweilers — and destroy any of these dogs who weren’t relocated by Dec. 1 — the backlash was immediate.

More than 215,000 people have signed a MoveOn.org petition asking officials to end the ban. It was started by Joanna Armand, whose Pit Bull, Zeus, acts as an unofficial therapy dog for her daughter, O’Hara Owens, who has severe neck problems.

Armand also created the Saving Zeus community page on Facebook, which has more than 30,000 “likes.”

Moreauville alderman Penn Lemoine told KALB Friday that if the public outcry against the ban was strong enough, it might be dropped.

He was true to his word. The Times-Picayune reported today that Lemoine said a special meeting will be held by Moreauville’s three aldermen and mayor to address the ban, which will likely be ended.

“It was a mistake,” Lemoine admitted. “And it’s got to be redone and reworded. And this Dec. 1 date is not going to happen.”

The ban was enacted because “vicious” Pit Bulls and Rottweilers were running in the streets, according to a letter sent to residents owning these breeds. Lemoine told KALB there had been dog attacks, although he said he didn’t know of any documented cases.

“We’ll get legal council to help us formulate something that’s going to try to keep the dogs off the street,” he told the Times-Picayune today.

Breed-specific legislation (BSL), which includes bans like these, is legal in some states, including Louisiana. But because it is so unfair — not to mention costly to enforce and proven to be ineffective in increasing public safety — it is opposed by President Obama and virtually all major animal welfare organizations: the ASPCA, AVMA, HSUS, etc., etc.

For these reasons, the trend has been to repeal useless bans instead of create them. For example, just last week a ban that had been enacted since 2004 in Pawtucket, R.I., was lifted by a superior court judge. About 100 happy Pit Bulls and their pet parents marched in a parade Saturday to celebrate.

Photo via Facebook

CNN Hero of the Year Pen Farthing Reunites Soldiers with Strays

Congratulations to Pen Farthing, who has been named CNN’s 2014 Hero of the Year.

A former Royal Marine sergeant, Farthing is the founder of Nowzad Dogs, a non-profit that reunites soldiers with the stray dogs and cats they cared for while serving in Afghanistan. The organization also built the first-ever official shelter for strays in that country.

“There is no stronger bond between man and dog than that formed during war,” Farthing said at the awards ceremony Tuesday.

After Farthing helped to break up a dog fight in Nowzad eight years ago, one of the dogs followed him back to his base. Farthing took the stray in and named him after the town. The two formed a close bond, which was almost broken the following year when Farthing’s tour of duty ended. He faced many challenges trying to transport Nowzad from Afghanistan to his home in England.

Farthing started Nowzad Dogs in 2007 to help smooth the process for other soldiers who wanted to provide forever homes for the strays they’d adopted. Nearly 700 happy reunions have taken place since then.

“Speaking from my own experience, I know that the dog I looked after was my saving grace from the stress of conflict,” Farthing said. “And because of that initial bond, the work goes on: reuniting soldiers with their companions, tackling rabies and training veterinarians in Kabul.”

CNN Heroes honors “everyday people making extraordinary efforts to change the world,” according to the network. The top 10 heroes are nominated by viewers, who also vote for the Hero of the Year winner. Each of the finalists receives $25,000 for their cause. As the Hero of the Year, Farthing will be awarded an additional $100,000 for Nowzad Dogs.

“I would like to thank everybody for their support,” Farthing said at the ceremony. “We’re making a difference for the Afghan people, the soldiers, and one dog and cat at a time.”

“CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” will air on CNN Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. ET.

Photos via Facebook

Study Shows News Media Has, In Fact, Gone to the Dogs

Here in Los Angeles, at least, it seems you can regularly find at least one newspaper story that involves a dog.

Based on a new study, this is not too surprising.

Published last month in the journal PS: Political Science & Politics, “What’s a Dog Worth” takes a look at the “dog effect” in news coverage decisions by national and local newspapers.

“Events most likely to be reported are those that are both important and can capture the audience’s interest,” wrote the study’s authors, Matthew D. Atkinson of UCLA, and Maria Deam and Joseph E. Uscinski of the University of Miami. “In turn, the public is most likely to become aware of important news when some aspect of the story piques their interest.

“We suggest an efficacious means of drawing public attention to important news stories: dogs.”

In the study, the authors went through stories published in the New York Times’ national section since 2000, selecting 18 stories that involved dogs and 334 that did not. Then they checked 10 other local and national newspapers to see which of these stories were published the following day.

“In short: A front-page story in the New York Times was picked up by other papers at 3.1 times the rate of a story from the last page of the national news section,” wrote Philip Bump in his Wonkblog story about the study for the Washington Post. “A story that involved a dog that appeared on the last page of the section appeared in other newspapers at 2.6 times the rate of a non-dog story with the same placement.”

The authors of the study noted that “having a canine subject in a national news event produced coverage of the story that was 80 percent as large as the effect of the difference between being New York Times front-page and back-page worthy.”

Their conclusion? “Dogs are an important factor in news decisions.”

As Bump wrote, “Be honest: You clicked the link to this story because it mentions dogs. Dogs are terrific, speaking both objectively and with the full editorial weight of the Washington Post at my back. That excellence lead to affection; that affection to curiosity. The curiosity that drove your click, as it turns out, is not unique to you. It is shared by editorial teams at newspapers.”

Photo credit: Jon Seidman

AVMA Announces New Guidelines on Ebola and Pets

Anyone with known exposure to Ebola should have their pets quarantined for 21 days or have someone else care for them during that period, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) announced yesterday.

The AVMA began working on guidelines for treating the pets of Ebola patients last month, after Excalibur, the dog belonging to Madrid nurse Teresa Romero, who had tested positive for Ebola, was euthanized by health officials — despite a public outcry to quarantine the dog instead. (Romero has now filed a lawsuit for about $188,000.)

When Dallas nurse Nina Pham became infected with Ebola, her dog, Bentley, was quarantined for 21 days and found to be free of the virus. Pham, who is also now Ebola free, was reunited with Bentley on Nov. 1.

“The development of this guidance was a long process due to its novel and complex nature, as well as the lack of scientific data on Ebola and companion animals currently available,” according to an AVMA press release.

Developed in conjunction with health experts and agencies including the USDA and CDC, the AVMA’s new recommendations are intended to provide guidance for public health officials on how to assess, handle and monitor pets that may have been exposed to Ebola.

“There have been no reports of dogs or cats becoming sick with Ebola virus or of being able to spread Ebola to people or other animals,” notes one of the two new AVMA documents, Interim Guidance for Public Health Officials on Pets of Ebola Virus Disease Contacts. “However, it is important to keep people and animals away from blood or body fluids of a person with symptoms of Ebola infection.”

The other new document, Interim Guidance for Dog or Cat Quarantine After Exposure to a Human with Confirmed Ebola Virus Disease, recommends that pets who came into contact with a person with Ebola must be assessed for exposure and may be placed in mandatory quarantine for at least 21 days. “This situation can be avoided if the pet is moved out of the residence of the person being monitored for Ebola before any symptoms start in the person,” according to the AVMA.

Resources for pet parents, veterinarians and health officials are available on the AVMA website’s Ebola Virus page.

Photo via USA TODAY