Category: News

Virtual ‘Indoguration’ Planned for First Dog Major Biden

For the first time ever, a former shelter dog will soon make the White House his home. And, for the first time ever, a special “Indoguration” is planned to mark this momentous occasion.

Major, a German Shepherd, was initially fostered by the Bidens from the Delaware Humane Association (DHA) in 2018 after their daughter, Ashley, sent them his photo. Like so many so-called “foster fails,” the Bidens fell in love with Major and he became their forever dog.

Today is Major’s lucky day! Not only did Major find his forever home, but he got adopted by Vice President Joe Biden &…

Posted by Delaware Humane Association on Saturday, November 17, 2018

To celebrate Major’s move to his new home, the DHA and Pumpkin Pet Insurance are holding a fundraising “Indoguration” on Zoom that they say is the “largest virtual party for dogs.” The event is on Jan. 17 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, three days before Major’s dog dad is inaugurated. It will be hosted by Jill Martin of the “Today” show on NBC, with special guest Sir Darius Brown, a 14-year-old animal advocate.

You can RSVP for the Indoguration online. A donation of at least $10 to DHA is required to attend. The DHA is a nonprofit, no-kill animal care and adoption center that also offers affordable spay/neuter services, low-cost vaccination clinics and a pet food pantry.

While Major is the first pound pup to live in the White House, he’s not actually the first rescue pet to make it their home, according to CNN. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s mixed-breed dog Yuki had been abandoned at a Texas gas station when he was rescued by LBJ’s daughter, Luci. The Clintons’ cat, Socks, was also a rescue pet.

Major will also be sharing his new home with the Bidens’ other dog, Champ. The German Shepherd was purchased by Joe from a breeder as a gift to Jill after the 2008 election. Here’s hoping that all the Bidens’ future dogs, and all future first dogs, will be shelter or rescue dogs.

Photo: @DrBiden/Twitter

Over 28 Dogs Have Died After Eating Sportmix Dog Food

In a shocking announcement yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported that at least 28 dogs have died and eight became ill after eating some Sportmix dry dog food products.

The cause of all those deaths was toxic levels of aflatoxin in the products. Aflatoxin is a mold that can grow on corn and other grains used in pet food.

Midwestern Pet Food, Inc., the company that manufactures the products, announced the voluntary recall on Dec. 30, after the FDA was alerted of all the dog deaths. In cooperation with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, the FDA is now investigating certain Sportmix pet food products. “Case counts and the scope of this recall may expand as new information becomes available,” the FDA stated.

Recalled Sportmix Products

The following dry pet food products are included in this voluntary recall. They were distributed nationally to online sellers and retail stores. The FDA has encouraged retailers to contact consumers who purchased these products if possible.

Sportmix Energy Plus:
44-lb. bags with the lot number EXP 03/02/22/05/L3
50-lb. bags with the lot numbers EXP 03/02/22/05/L2, EXP 03/02/22/05/L3 and EXP 03/03/22/05/L2

 

Sportmix Premium High Energy:
44-lb. bags with the lot number EXP 03/03/22/05/L3
50-lb. bags with the lot number EXP 03/03/22/05/L3

 

The lot number can be found on the back of the bag in a three-line code, as in this example:

 

The following dry cat food products are also included in the recall, although there have been no reports of cats becoming ill:

Sportmix Original Cat
15-lb. bags with the lot numbers EXP 03/03/22/05/L2 and EXP 03/03/22/05/L3

Symptoms of Aflatoxin Poisoning

The symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning may include sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice (a yellowish tint to your dog’s eyes or gums), and diarrhea. If you’ve been using the recalled products and your dog is experiencing any of these symptoms, you should take them to your veterinarian right away. Some dogs show no symptoms yet still experience liver damage, so you should still have your pet checked out by your veterinarian.

You can report your dog’s Sportmix-related illness to the FDA online through its Safety Reporting Portal or by contacting your state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators. The FDA suggests working with your veterinarian to submit your dog’s medical records with your report.

If you have any of the recalled products, dispose of them in a way that children, pets and wildlife cannot access them. Wash and sanitize pet food bowls, cups and storage containers. The FDA says there is no evidence that people who handle the food are at risk of aflatoxin poisoning.

For more information about this recall, contact Midwestern Pet Foods Consumer Affairs at 800-474-4163, ext. 455 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday, or by emailing info@midwesternpetfoods.com.

Watch (If You Can) an Elderly Florida Man Pry His Dog from an Alligator

Dec. 19, 2020 Update: Gunner has been named a “deputy dog” by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. (His dog dad truly deserves to be co-honored, don’t you think?)

I don’t know 74-year-old Richard Wilbanks of Estero, Fla., but I do know this for sure: He will likely never, ever, ever, let his dog walk off-leash near his backyard pond again. That’s what he was doing when his little dog Gunner, a 3-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was snatched and dragged underwater by a small alligator.

“We were just out walking by the pond,” Wilbanks told CNN, “and it came out of the water like a missile. I never thought an alligator could be that fast. It was so quick.”

Wilbanks immediately sprang into action and was able to pry Gunner from the alligator’s jaws (even without dropping the cigar dangling from his mouth!). It took an agonizing 12 seconds, but Wilbanks and Gunner, amazingly, weren’t seriously injured. Gunner has recovered after being treated by a veterinarian for a puncture wound in his belly, Wilbanks told WINK. Wilbanks said his hands were chewed up and he had to get a tetanus shot.

The whole scary incident, which happened in late October, was captured on video, thanks to cameras placed on Wilbanks’ property by a partnership between the Florida Wildlife Federation and the nonprofit fStop Foundation in an effort to monitor local wildlife.

Wilbanks doesn’t blame the alligator for just doing what alligators do, and doesn’t want the critter to be removed or killed. “They’re part of nature and part of our lives,” he told CNN, adding that in the future, Gunner would only be walked on a leash at least 10 feet away from the pond.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) released a warning for pet parents following this incident, WINK reports. “We encourage everyone to take precautionary measures, particularly those who live or recreate near the water,” the FWC stated. “Dogs and cats are similar in size to the natural prey of alligators. Do not allow pets to swim, exercise or drink in or near waters that may contain alligators. Keep pets on a short leash and away from the water.”

Amen. Here’s the video, which is difficult to watch even though both Gunner and Wilbanks lived to tell/bark the story.

Other Dogs Saved by Their Owners from Alligators

Gunner wasn’t the first, and unfortunately won’t likely be the last, dog to be saved from an alligator by their owner. Here are two I’ve previously written about:

  • Another elderly man, 75-year-old Buddy Ackerman of Palm Harbor, Fla., was walking Oso, his daughter’s Golden Retriever, on a retractable leash in July 2019 when an 8-foot-long alligator slithered out from a retention pond and snatched the dog. Ackerman immediately began kicking the gator’s snout, and Oso was released unharmed.
  • In July 2015, 52-year-old Lori Beiswenger saved Hope, her 9-year-old Terrier mix, after the dog was snatched by an alligator on the Inverness, Fla., golf course she owns. Beiswenger pulled on the gator’s tail until it released her dog. Hope suffered a severed artery and other injuries, but recovered after surgery.

Photo: ABC7 News Bay Area/YouTube

Major Biden Will Be the First Pound Pup to Live in the White House

Update: Major and Champ Biden officially moved into the White House on Jan. 24. “The First Family wanted to get settled before bringing the dogs down to Washington from Delaware,” Michael LaRosa, First Lady Jill Biden’s press secretary, told CNN. “Champ is enjoying his new dog bed by the fireplace, and Major loved running around on the South Lawn.” 

Kamala Harris, who will become the first female and first person of color to be vice president of the United States, is not the only one who will be making history in January.

Major Biden, the German Shepherd adopted two years ago by Joe and Jill Biden, will become the first rescue dog to live in the White House. It’s hard to believe, but no former pound pups have lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the past 220 years.

Sure, there have been plenty of “First Dogs” — most recently, Bo and Sunny, the Portuguese Water Dogs belonging to the Obamas — but Major will be the first First Dog who wasn’t bought from a breeder or received as a gift. The Bidens have another German Shepherd, Champ, who was purchased by Joe from a breeder as a gift to Jill after the 2008 election.

The Bidens fostered Major from the Delaware Humane Association in November 2018 after their daughter, Ashley, sent them a photo of the German Shepherd. Who could resist that smile? Not the Bidens. Like so many people who are kind enough to give dogs temporary homes, they fell in love with Major, and he went from being their foster dog to their forever dog.

Last week, Biden tweeted a video of Donald Trump at a rally asking how he’d look walking a dog on the White House lawn. “I don’t feel good,” Trump said. In response, the tweet read, “Let’s put dogs back in the White House. Champ and Major for DOTUS.”

No matter who you supported in this contentious election, one thing is perfectly clear: Major is a very good boy. Here’s hoping he’s the first but not the last shelter dog to live in the White House.

Photo: @DrBiden/Twitter

Thank you, Denver! Voters End 31-Year Pit Bull Ban

Dog lovers everywhere, rejoice! The good people of Denver have overwhelmingly voted to end the city’s 31-year ban on Pit Bulls, mixes and dogs that happen to look like Pit Bulls.

Denver’s Pit Bull ban was one of the most notorious in the world. It was enacted back in 1989 after a 3-year-old boy wandered into his neighbor’s yard and was fatally attacked by an unspayed Pit Bull who was chained to a carport, according to the Denver Post. Three years earlier, another of the owner’s dogs had bitten an 8-year-old boy. Because of that one irresponsible owner 30 years ago, thousands of Denver residents have had to make the terrible choice of finding a new home for themselves or their beloved dogs, or surrendering their pets to the city to be euthanized.

Back in February, the Denver City Council voted to end the Pit Bull ban, but Mayor Michael Hancock overruled their decision. Fortunately, City Councilman Christopher Herndon, who had proposed ending the ban, introduced November ballot Measure 2J, leaving the decision up to Denver voters. More than 64% of them voted to end the ban.

Breed-specific legislation (BSL) — unfair laws, including breed bans, that single out dogs only because of how they look — has proven to be ineffective in increasing public safety and expensive to enforce wherever it’s been enacted. Thank you, Denver voters, for realizing this and ending your city’s ban.

There will, however, still be special requirements for Denver owners of Pit Bulls and mixes. The owners will have had to register their dogs with Denver Animal Protection, obtain a breed-restricted license, and have no more than two Pit Bulls. Yes, these requirements that single out certain dog breeds are still BSL (and B.S.), but removing the ban was an extremely important first step.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Denver voters who supported Measure 2J! You’ve literally helped to save countless innocent lives.

Photo: Those were my first two Pitties, Sophie and Larry, enjoying a mind meld.

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