A Cute Story with a Horrible Twist

Meet The Puppy That Glows In The Dark

Awwwww! How cute. A ruby red puppy that glows in the dark...

But then there are these little gems:

Team member CheMyong Ko of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, said of the breakthrough: "The next step for us is to generate a true disease model."

The hope is that, following the Ruppy breakthrough, transgenic dogs will become more effective stand-ins for the study of human disease.

Ok, not so cute anymore. They want to breed puppies with genetic mutations that cause them to quickly get cancer, heart disease, Parkinson's and other diseases so that they can test medical procedures on them. I'm very happy with them testing medical procedures on rats. I can even deal with them testing with pigs (good stand-ins for humans, and I don't mean that in any negative way.) But, I am definately NOT happy with performing medical tests on dogs. Yes, I realize that it happens now. I'd like to see that stopped and I definately do not want to see new dogs bred just to be used for testing.

I will continue to follow dog news and puppy news stories like this and bring them to you here.

The Government Continues Its Assault on Breeders

Oregon Alert: HB 2470 Gaining Momentum - Continued Opposition Needed!

Sometimes it seems the government is not interested in safe, healthy breeding, but in the elimination of the breeding of dogs. I realize that "anti-puppy mill" legislation has been in the news for many years, but the efforts seem to be more coordinated and intense.

Many people want to reduce the supply of puppies to increase the demand for shelter animals. I fully support the adoption of shelter pets, but I do not support forcing people into this option by removing other options they may desire. The other options must include purebred and designer puppies.

I will continue to watch for puppy news and dog news and continue to post links to stories here.

Fantastic Story About A WWII Hero Dog

Medal for Dog Rip, Who Saved 100 People, Fetches 24,250 Pounds

The current story is about the amazing auction price of the medal the dog recieved. I am more interested in the original story of the lives the dog saved digging people out from bombed out buildings. That, to me, is the real dog news story.

Dog Fighting Video - Not really...

Que-Tee Pi and puppy "fighting"

I hope you enjoy this cute clip of one of our moms and pups playing.

It's not exactly dog news or puppy news, but it is fun.

Puppy Mill News from Oklahoma

Senate Passes “Puppy Mill Bill“

Some lawmakers like Senator Jay Paul Gumm also say the bill lacks teeth and actually punishes good breeders.

This is very typical of legislation. It is far easier to target laws against people who follow the law. They are public and visible. Those who skirt the law are far more stealthy.

More News on Puppy Mill Legislation

Dog lovers urge Ind. to crack down on puppy mills

There seems to be more and more dog news and puppy news lately concerning puppy mills.

The House version outlined specific standards of care and limited breeders to 30 adult female dogs that are not spayed.

I'm not sure how enforceable this would be. If you have 150 adult female dogs, would you just create 5 businesses in 5 different people's names (Husband, Son, Daughter, etc.)

Two People Who Should Not Have A Puppy

Woman Arrested After Puppy Taped To Fridge

These people should NEVER be allowed to have a dog. This crazy puppy news story shows a couple of immature and irresponsible people taking their anger out on a poor defenseless pup.

Apparently, the boyfriend took the side of his pup against the girlfriend, as he was arrested for whatever well-deserved response he meted out.

Puppy Buying Tip - The Cold Fish

Take someone emotionally uninvolved with you to see the puppy.

Take someone who has no stake in the decision with you to see the puppy. Take a sibling, a parent or a friend. Give them veto power. If they say no to your buying that puppy, back away from the purchase. Take them aside and listen to why they are uncomfortable. Making a good decision to buy a puppy means putting aside emotions and looking at facts. Someone uninvolved can be a great help in doing just that.

I have seen many people who are otherwise very rational become very irrational when the holding a cute, loveable little fur-ball. You will be living with this puppy for more than a decade if things work out well. Saying NO to a few puppies before you say YES to one is a great idea.

The opposite of taking someone emotionally uninvolved with you is taking kids with you. The puppy could have three legs (all in the front) and the head installed backward and the kids would still fall in immediate and permanent love with it. Show the kids the puppy AFTER it passes your test. If possible, show it to them AFTER it passes the Vet Check. Why get them emotionally attached only to find that it has a heart condition, or a kennel-disease? (You should avoid getting emotionally attached, too.) At this point, it is just a candidate. There are hundreds more out there just like it and more are being made everyday.

I know it sounds cold, but buying a puppy has to be an unemotional business decision. Once the deal is done and the puppy passes the vet check, then you are REQUIRED to fall head-over-heals in love with it, but not a minute before.

Dog walkers help homeless pooches find owners

Go here for the article.

This dog news article finishes with a great piece of advice:

"Open your heart and your home to a rescue animal."

I just finished watching Marley and Me. I have been a dog person all of my life. I grew up on rescue dogs and now I breed Maltese. I have loved them all. I have had to bury way too many dogs to count in my 40-some-odd years. Marley and Me is a great movie. If you have not seen it, you must.

Stolen Chihuahua pup returns to NY store with note

Go here for the story.

My parents have a little black Chihuahua. I can fully understand why the thief would return this puppy.

Seriously people, I am only kidding. There went my Chihuahua-loving audience. They will no longer be visiting me for Dog News and Puppy News.

I hope the thief will visit my site for advice and then buy a puppy next time.

Birmingham Tea Party

Rick (of Rick and Bubba) at the Birmingham, Al Tea Party.

Two camera-phone pics from the Birmingham (Shelby County Veteran's Park) Tea Party.

It is hard to estimate the crowd. Maybe 3000-5000. It was A LOT of people. The crowd extended way past the designated area, to the pavillions, behind the stage.

That's a Long Way Down!

Dog Survives 130-Foot Fall Off Cliff

From the dog news report:

His fall didn't make a sound.

I'm betting that to poor Laddy, it did!

11 Week Old Maltese Boy

Give that Dog A Bone!

Puppy Helps Save Lost Toddler's Life

You just gotta love a heartwarming puppy news story like this.

Interesting News from a Interesting News Source

Honda introduces 'Dog Friendly' components in its fall 2009 Element

Dog-friendly vehicles? I'm still not sure it is a good idea to leave a pet in an automobile with a vent and a fan. Hot summer days down south can be brutal.

And another dog news story:

Vaccinations and your dog: how often is really necessary?

"I'm not a Veterinarian, but I play one on the internet!" Take this info with a grain of salt, and always, always check with your vet.

Puppy Training Tip - Consistency

There is probably no more important element in puppy training than consistency. The puppy is learning non-stop. If you take the puppy outside to relieve himself once or twice a day, and he uses the carpet inside three or four times a day, he is not learning the right lesson. I know...your life is busy and you can't take him out every three hours for a month. Find a way. More consistency of training when he is a pup means more consistency of behavior when he is older.

The general rule is that pups can hold their bathroom for as many hours as they are months old. A 4 month old puppy needs to go every four hours. Obviously, there is some variation. When you provide your pup with food and water, you can expect him to need a bathroom break soon. Learn the pattern and try to have him go where you want him going as many times as possible. Success creates more success and failure creates more failure.

(There are several ways to housebreak your pup. This post does not address which way you should train your pup. Consistency is improtant no matter which way you use.)

Obama girls name their new puppy 'Bo'

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090412/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_promised_puppy

I hope 'Bo' has a nice time chewing the carpets in the most exclusive house in the country. Also, I hope he completes his potty training well. It is our house, after all...

In older puppy news, Biden's puppy, named 'Champ', resulted in much grief for the breeder.

Biden's Puppy Breeder: "Never, Never, Never Again" Are you next?

Biden's Puppy Breeder: "Never, Never, Never Again" - Philadelphia News April 10, 2009

This part is frightening:

Dog wardens from the state showed up at Brown's Wolf Den kennel, repeatedly, for inspections.

"I was cited for a piece of kibble on the floor and five strands of dog hair. They took a picture of that, they walked around, snapped pictures and don't tell you why," Brown told the newspaper.

Are we hobby breeders supposed to hide? Keep a low profile? These were not crazies from PETA or ELF that harassed this lady, these were duly authorized representatives of the government.

Where is the appropriate line? A breeder with 200 dogs needs regulating by the state, right? 20? 2? A normal citizen with a few pets? Someone with children?

Must the conditions be better for dogs than, say, children? Should children be removed from homes because of food on the floor? Other trash? What if a family doesn't sell puppies, but just has multiple pets? Should they be regulated? Why are their pets less valuable in the eyes of the law than any other animal?

More government regulation of puppy mills would be good for me. They make thousands of puppies while I produce only a few. With fewer puppy mills, the supply would be dramatically reduced. It would no longer be good for me when they try to regulate me. I don't make enough money to be able to afford to learn and comply with onerous regulations.

Should buying a puppy really be this complicated?

Congratulations to Deb and Gypsy

Congratualtions to our friend Deb and her new Champion Maltese Gypsy.

GREAT WORK by both of you!

Legislative Action Against Puppy Mills

Puppy Mills are back in legislation in Ohio:

http://wksu.org/news/story/23246

And in Wisconsin:

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/04/06/daily47.html

Hobby Breeders versus Shelter Adoptions

There is a great deal of debate about whether anyone should ever buy a dog or whether everyone should adopt one of the millions of dogs and puppies that are euthanized each year. It would be nice if people would be willing to adopt a pet from a pound, but most people are just not willing to do this.

It would be difficult and speculative for me to try to list all of the reasons that people prefer to buy a purebred puppy from a hobby breeder over an unregistered pet from a shelter. (PLEASE DON'T EVER BUY A DOG FROM A PET STORE OR A PUPPY MILL.) It is likely very similar to the reasoning behind the vast majority of people having their own baby over adopting one that is available in need of a home. Sadly, that is human nature.

My wife and I are hobby breeders. We love our dogs. They often sleep with us, sit on the sofa with us and take walks with us. This is, sadly, not the case for way too many breeding dogs. My parents were of the philosophy that a dog should be allowed to have one litter, then it should be spayed. It was a member of the family and this is what it deserved. We would find friends and neighbor to adopt the puppies or we would raise them. This is also somewhat out of favor these days. My parents were also of the school of thought that no one should ever pay money for a dog. There were always people looking to give one away. This includes people looking to give away purebred dogs that they could no longer keep.

As I grew up, we had many random new dogs and puppies come randomly into our lives over the years. Most people do not wish to live this way now. People expect to be able to pick the breed of dog they want, with characteristics that they want, when it is convenient for them. This almost always means buying a puppy. Given this fact, we strive to do the best we can with breeding healthy and high-quality puppies from well-cared for and loved dogs.

Introductory Buying A Puppy Blog

New puppies born yesterday. Two boys and a girl born to our little girl Bubbles. Pictures will be up soon. Please see my articles about buying a puppy.