| Inmates, dogs get new lease on life at prison
Two Mesa women are saving dogs and improving prisoners, bringing out the human side of murderers from Alaska and Hawaii with long sentences from bloody crimes committed decades ago. Shannon Holstein, of Kokopelli Dog and Puppy Training, and Kathy Swaney, of Valley of the Sun Dog Rescue, are on a mission to save dogs from euthanasia, making less popular breeds and mutts more adoptable through extensive training by inmates at the Red Rock Correctional Center in Eloy. "It gives them purpose," Holstein said about the inmates. "It gives the dogs a second chance. These dogs in eight weeks get far more training than they would at home." .
Century of puppy love
CENTENARIAN Irene Maland is a great great grandmother who has been a Guide Dogs SA and NT supporter for as long as she can remember. And counts dogs among her all-time favourite companions. So she was understandably delighted to have the organisation's mascot labrador, Bella, as guest of honour at her 100th birthday yesterday, saying: "I have had a soft spot for guide dogs and all dogs. "Dogs are faithful and they never turn on you." Mrs Maland, who celebrated the milestone at her Camden Park home, told family and friends to forget presents this year and instead make a donation to her number-one cause. She attributes her longevity to clean living, including a diet of seven vegetables a day and freshly-squeezed orange juice.
Caesarean for Labrador Retriever
SHIMOGA: On Sunday at 12 noon, three-year-old Chintu, a female Labrador Retriever, was rushed to the Veterinary Speciality Centre in the city with difficulty in delivering her pups.
Dr O S Prakash, an expert in veterinary sciences, took charge of the case.
The female dog had completed 63 days of gestation. He decided to treat Chintu for induction of labour but finally decided to conduct a caesarean. Over the next two hours, Prakash and his assistants strived hard to conduct a successful operation.
The family of Labrador is hale and healthy. Chintu had to spend about one day at the hospital. Now, she is actively feeding her pups, four males and three females, at her house.
There has been a lot of disagreement among people about the operation.
Golden Retriever Foundation donates to canine cancer campaign
The Golden Retriever Foundation has pledged $500,000 over a five-year period to the Morris Animal Foundation's Canine Cancer Campaign. In April, the MAF officially kicked off the campaign, a large-scale, $30 million initiative to cure cancer in dogs within the equivalent of a dog's lifetime of 10 to 20 years (see JAVMA, May 1, 2007, page 1287). The GRF was the first breed foundation or club to pledge a major gift to the campaign. "Cancer is the leading cause of death among Goldens, as it is among many breeds," said David Kinghorn, president of GRF. "We hope that other breed groups will follow our lead and support this important endeavor." Established in 1997 by the Golden Retriever Club of America, the GRF supports research, rescue, and education and has awarded more than $1 million in grants.
SOCIAL STOOP
June 10, 2007 -- IT'S funny how dogs make friends out of strangers - like my late neighbor Mitch Pressler. A fixture on East 90th Street for decades, he'd sit on his building's stoop, surveying the block. Passersby stopped to hang with him, especially those on four legs: Savory the miniature pinscher, Paco the pug, Paddy the Lhasa apso, Lincoln the beagle, Lola the bulldog and my pack of pit bulls and mutts all gravitated to Mitch because he loved dogs. Mitch regularly followed this column, too. "Very good article," he'd call out to me from his stoopside perch. Certain stories really got him talking, notably the one about how senior citizens struggle to keep pets in rent-stabilized apartments. He added his voice to the outcry when City Council Speaker Christine Quinn failed to support Intro 13, the Pets in Housing Bill.
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