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

Border Collie Mix Thrown from Idaho Car Wreck Found…Herding Sheep

During a car crash on an Idaho street Sunday morning, a 2-year-old Border Collie/Heeler mix named Tillie was thrown from one of the vehicles involved. She ran off into a field — and then seemed to disappear.

The Idaho State Police (ISP) issued a news release asking for witnesses to the wreck and urging everyone in the area to keep an eye out for Tilly.

“Tilly has no tail, a dark-colored face, weighs approximately 70 pounds, and was wearing a multi-colored plaid and tan-colored collar with a name tag containing the owner’s contact information,” the news release said. “Tilly’s family is from Hayden and is doing all they can to find the dog.”

Two days later, Tilly was discovered doing what Border Collies like to do: She had found her way to a farm and was herding the sheep there.

Although she lost some weight and was pretty thirsty, Tilly’s owner said the lucky dog was otherwise fine, KHQ reports.

However, as someone commented on the KHQ Local News Facebook page, “Once a Border Collie/Heeler mix has had a taste of sheep herding, he/she will never be satisfied with nipping at the feet of toddlers again.” True.

Photo: Idaho State Police

RIP Kabang, Hero Dog Who Lost Her Snout Saving 2 Girls’ Lives in 2012

As cousins Dina Bunggal, 11, and Princess Diansing, 3, crossed a street in the Philippines in December 2011, a motorcycle sped toward them. Seemingly out of nowhere, Bunggal’s Shepherd mix, Kabang, jumped in front of the bike, saving the girls’ lives.

Kabang also survived her heroic act, but suffered a gruesome injury in the process: Her snout was torn off when the motorcycle struck her head-on. Remarkably, she was able to adjust — for example, she figured out how to eat by using her paws to scoop food into her mouth.

To prevent Kabang from developing a life-threatening infection, she needed reconstructive surgery so her wounds would close, and there weren’t any vets in the area with the expertise to perform such a complicated procedure.

Fortunately, veterinary surgeons Boaz Arzi and Frank Verstraete of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis, offered to reconstruct Kabang’s upper jaw using state-of-the-art equipment. Philippine Airlines donated round-trip airfare for Kabang to be flown to Northern California. The cost of her surgery, which was over $20,000, was mostly covered by donations from animal lovers around the world.

Treating Heartworm, Cancer and a Missing Snout

But before reconstruction surgery could begin, UC Davis veterinarians discovered two more serious problems: Kabang had heartworm disease as well as a malignant vaginal tumor that needed to be removed. Fortunately, both were successfully treated. A few months later Kabang was free of both heartworm and cancer, and finally ready for surgery.

The first surgery repaired her dental work. The second one, which took five hours, closed the wound on her face using skin flaps brought forward from the top and sides of her head. Her nasal openings were also reconstructed and stents were placed inside them to form nostrils.

In 2013, seven months after she’d arrived at UC Davis, Kabang was ready to return to her home in the Philippines. In the meantime, she received several awards honoring her heroism, including the Animal Hero award from the American Red Cross.

Living Happily Ever After

I wrote several stories about Kabang for i Love Dogs, and have wondered in the years since then about whatever happened to the hero dog. Kabang spent the next nine years enjoying a healthy life. When her owner, Rudy Benggal, died in 2015, she was taken in by her longtime veterinarian, Dr. Anton Lim, who had accompanied her to UC Davis in 2012 and cared for her during her stay there.

On May 17, Lim announced that the 13-year-old hero dog had died peacefully in her sleep. “I last played with her at 4 p.m. and was supposed to feed her again her dinner,” Lim told the Inquirer, adding that Kabang had never lost her voracious appetite. “I found her motionless with no external sign or prior sickness,” he said.

Kabang’s permanent resting place will be beside a statue being erected in her honor in Zamboanga City.

“Rest in peace, sweetheart,” the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine wrote on its Facebook page Monday.

Photo: Care for Kabang/Facebook

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

Hero Pit Bull Astro Awarded for Saving Owner’s Life

When Bertha Martinez saw Astro, a stray American Pit Bull Terrier mix, wandering the streets of her El Paso neighborhood last year, she initially was reluctant to rescue him. After all, the media tends to only focus on negative stories about these dogs, so she had concerns. But she couldn’t resist the friendly dog’s charms and decided to give him a forever home.

One year later, Astro has paid it forward by saving the life of Martinez’s son when he had a medical emergency.

Astro ran and got the attention of a good Samaritan and led him to Martinez’s son. The good Samaritan called 911. Emergency responders from the El Paso Fire Department (EPFD) soon arrived and rushed Martinez’s son to a hospital, where his life was saved.

In recognition of Astro’s heroism, the EPFD had a special ceremony during which the Pit Bull received a medal and a dog-safe cake.

“The 911 caller reported that a dog led him to the patient in need,” EPFD spokesman Enrique Duenas-Aguilar said, according to the El Paso Times. “This, of course, got a lot of attention. And the crews did confirm when they found the patient, there was a dog protecting his owner. We know the dog was even trying to climb into the ambulance.”

Duenas-Aguilar said the EPFD was “glad to be here to honor Astro for his bravery, his friendship and his commitment that he shared to his owner.”

Martinez told the El Paso Times that before adopting Astro, she had always been afraid of Pit Bulls. “But now I think if people have space for a dog, they should consider adopting a Pit Bull,” she said. “There are a lot of dogs in shelters and we need to find them homes and treat them well.”

So true! Like Martinez, I used to be nervous around Pit Bulls because of all the negative press about them. But my boyfriend loved the breed and so back in 1995 I agreed to welcome Larry, an American Staffordshire Terrier, into our home. Larry turned out to be the sweetest dog I’ve ever had, and he totally changed my mind about Pit Bulls. Although Larry never saved my life, he was an amazing (untrained) emotional support dog and the best cuddlebug you could ask for. He died in 2007 and I still miss him.

Pit Bulls rule! Congrats to Astro, the goodest boy of them all.

Photo: @EPTXFire/Twitter

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