| What a dog of a date
A few weeks ago, my dog, a rather anxious and delicate sort, was instantly drawn to a deeply unsavoury-looking shepherd cross with an open wound, tied up outside a dive bar. Toothless men and skinheads mingled on the sidewalk. Charmed as I was by her infatuation, I pulled her away. It wasn't my kind of place. How did I know? I just did. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Blink, describes this phenomenon - of making snap decisions based on things our conscious minds barely register - as "thin slicing." Dogs are the masters of the thin slice. Dog trainer Dale Stavroff of Roberts Creek, B.C., author of Let the Dog Decide, speaks of "mini-gestures" that pass between dogs so fast, an unpracticed human can only detect them with the aid of slow motion film. By the time the dogs are at what we consider to be an appropriate greeting distance, they've determined everything they need to know.
Texas boxer is champ as dog show ends
Michael Shepherd's 4-year-old boxer, Monroe, received the all-breed "Best in Show" honors Sunday in the second day of an American Kennel Association-sanctioned all-breed dog show at Jackson Fairgrounds Park.
The Flower Mound, Texas, man is a second-generation dog show competitor, and Monroe is no mere pup.
"It's our 68th all-breed best in show," Shepherd said.
What's the secret to their success?
"Good dog. Good owner. Luck," he said.
Following is a list of all Sunday's champions:
* Hound Group: Beagle (15 inch) Ch Springfield N Skyline's Big Shot, Urbandale, Iowa
* Working Group: Boxer Ch Bayview Some Like It Hot, Flower Mound, Texas
* Non-Sporting Group: Keeshonden Ch Trumpet's Jumpin' Jack Flash, Memphis
* Sporting Group: English Setter Ch Esthetes Fandango, Winchester, Ky.
'Yappy Hours' and more for your dogs
I don't like the yappy little ones that nip at your feet or the loud, big ones that stick their noses in places they don't belong. I like the ones that lie in the shade and gently snore. I liked my friend's boxer Samson (rest in peace) who was big and drool-y. So when I was asked to be on the dog committee (aka the "paws" committee and the "Fifi" committee) for the park district, I was a bit hesitant. Everyone else on the committee has at least one pet. In fact, they have lizards and horses and cats and dogs and probably other animals roaming about their homes and yards that they haven't mentioned yet. But I agreed because I am generally a nice person who looks like a dog lover. Little did I know that the committee, aside from planning fun events, had a secondary, more surreptitious goal: to make me the adoptive mother of some poor pooch.
Dog from California found in Arizona
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz., June 10 (UPI) — A basset hound named Fred was to be reunited with his owner after making his way from southern California to northern Arizona during the past six months. Fred was found in the parking lot of the Second Chance Center for Animals in Flagstaff, Ariz., and was scanned for a microchip, which lead to the discovery that he was from Riverside, Calif., the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff reported Sunday. The Riverside County Animal Control eventually was able to contact Fred's owner Friday. She said the basset hound had disappeared when she moved to Riverside in December. It is unclear how Fred wound up at Second Chance, but he will be returned home by Dr. Paul Fink, who works at Second Chance and has offered to fly the pouch home to his owner.
What a dog of a date
A few weeks ago, my dog, a rather anxious and delicate sort, was instantly drawn to a deeply unsavoury-looking shepherd cross with an open wound, tied up outside a dive bar. Toothless men and skinheads mingled on the sidewalk. Charmed as I was by her infatuation, I pulled her away. It wasn't my kind of place. How did I know? I just did. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Blink, describes this phenomenon - of making snap decisions based on things our conscious minds barely register - as "thin slicing." Dogs are the masters of the thin slice. Dog trainer Dale Stavroff of Roberts Creek, B.C., author of Let the Dog Decide, speaks of "mini-gestures" that pass between dogs so fast, an unpracticed human can only detect them with the aid of slow motion film. By the time the dogs are at what we consider to be an appropriate greeting distance, they've determined everything they need to know.
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