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Saturday March 31, 10:02 AM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The recall of wet and dry pet foods contaminated with a chemical found in plastics and pesticides expanded Saturday to include a new brand even as investigators were puzzled why the substance would kill dogs and cats. Nestle Purina PetCare Co. said it was recalling all sizes and varieties of its Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food with specific date codes. Purina said a limited amount of the food contained a contaminated wheat gluten from China. The same U.S. supplier also provided wheat gluten, a protein source, to a Canadian company, Menu Foods, which this month recalled 60 million containers of wet dog and cat food it produces for sale under nearly 100 brand labels. Menu Foods and the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the pet food industry, have refused to identify the company that supplied the contaminated wheat gluten. Hill's Pet Nutrition said late Friday that its Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food include...

ANTIOCH, Calif. (AP) - A woman who allegedly instructed her two young daughters to steal a neighbor's dog was arrested on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and grand theft. Nora Vasquez' arrest Wednesday came a week after her daughters, ages 7 and 9, told their elementary school principal they snatched the missing mutt on their mother's orders. A witness to the daylight dog-napping earlier this month told investigators that he saw two girls jump out of an SUV and grab the pooch from a neighbor's porch while a woman shouted at them to hurry. "We wonder why our children wind up the way they do," said Antioch Police Lt. Pat Welch. "It's unbelievable someone would take a 7- and 9-year-old and encourage them to do that and think it's appropriate behavior." Vasquez, 35, acknowledged she told the girls to get the dog, a 1-year-old Chihuahua-Pekinese mix named Guppi, but told investigators she thought the pet was in danger from an...

I know this is old, but I found this document hiding on my computer. This is an "official" report given to us by our SWAT friend who assisted us in training Frankie. It's so official, it's cute! ------------------------------------------- FRANKIE 8-18-04 Frankie was taken to different venues in a crate to expose him to its use. It will serve to queue him he is “working” with me when he is placed in it. Walmart Frankie was taken to Walmart and exposed to plants in the Garden area. Short down-stays were done with me frequently going out of sight for a duration lasting 20-30 seconds. Frankie was downed in an aisle while I “shopped” and dropped items above me to the floor near him to test his reaction. He did not start in fear, just looked at the items with curiosity. Again, down-stays were conducted as I shopped. I went out of sight to another aisle several times. I was out of sight for up to 30 seconds. He maintained his down with no breaks noted. Frankie was do...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Consumers who thought they were purchasing sleep aids, antidepressants and other drugs over the Internet instead were shipped a powerful anti-psychotic, sending some unwitting victims to the emergency room, federal health officials warned Friday. The Food and Drug Administration said a number of consumers took the schizophrenia drug, haloperidol, after being shipped what they thought were a variety of different pills, including Ambien, a sleep aid, and the anti-anxiety medications Xanax and Ativan. Others thought they were getting the antidepressant Lexapro. Preliminary analysis of the pills, packaged in plain plastic bags and mailed in envelopes bearing Greek postmarks, suggest they contain haloperidol. The FDA said it had reports of several consumers seeking emergency medical treatment for symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, muscle spasms and muscle stiffness after taking the pills. The FDA used the occasion to remind consumers of the possible dangers of buyin...

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) - They were called Wallace and Gromit, a couple of abandoned yellow Labrador retriever siblings who wound up at the Coulee Region Humane Society. The pups were 5 months old last June when they were adopted out, but to separate homes. Months later, Pat Kucera at Diggity Dog Daycare noticed two yellow Labs named Levi and Cooper would "play like crazy" every time they got the chance during visits to his facility. "They love playing chase, ring around the picnic table and face wrestling on the couches," Kucera said. When he mentioned their behavior to their respective owners, Cyndy Lamb remembered the other pup she never forgot - the one that was with Cooper when she took him home from the humane society. She asked Denice Mack, owner of Levi, about her dog's past and found out she too adopted her dog last June. "When she said he was 5 months old when she got him, my heart stopped," Lamb said. "I was so excited," Mack said, ...

A woman pregnant with triplets was walking down the street when a masked robber ran out of a bank and shot her three times in the stomach. Luckily the babies were OK. The surgeon decided to leave the bullets in because it was too risky to operate. She gave birth to two healthy daughters and a healthy son. All was fine for 16 years, and then one daughter walked into the room in tears. "What's wrong?" asked the mother. "I was taking a tinkle and this bullet came out," replied the daughter. The mother told her it was okay and explained what happened 16 years ago. About a week later the second daughter walked into the room in tears. "Mom, I was taking a tinkle and this bullet came out." Again the mother told her not to worry and explained what happened 16 years ago. A week later her son walked into the room in tears. "It's okay" said the Mom, "I know what happened. You were taking a tinkle and a bullet came out." "No," sai...

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Rat poison was found in the pet food suspected of causing kidney failure that killed at least 16 cats and dogs, but scientists still don't know how it got there, state officials said Friday. The toxin was identified as aminopterin, which is used to kill rats in some countries, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said. Aminopterin is not registered for killing rodents in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, though it is used as a cancer drug. State officials wouldn't speculate on how the toxin got into Menu Foods' now-recalled pet food but said no criminal investigations had been launched. Scientists at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell and at the New York State Food Laboratory tested three cat food samples provided by Menu Foods and found Aminopterin in two of them. Hooker said they would test individual components of the pet food, as well. The early test results were released to give ...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 22, 2007 Black Labrador dogs Lucky and Flo sit next to boxes containing pirated optical discs at the main air cargo complex in Sepang, Malaysia, on March 13, 2007. (AP Photo) (AP) Lucky and Flo, the two Labradors who helped sniff out nearly 1 million illegal discs last week within days of joining Malaysia's anti-piracy effort, have been moved to a safe house, a news report said Thursday. The New Straits Times reported that a source had tipped off officials about a bounty offered for killing the sniffer dogs, who are on loan for a month from the Motion Picture Association of America. The amount was not disclosed. "The dogs are a genuine threat to the pirated disc syndicates, thus the instruction to eliminate them," Firdaus Zakaria, the enforcement director of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, was quoted as saying. He did not elaborate on the information received by the ministry. Firdaus and senior ministry officials could n...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Lucky and Flo, the two Labradors who helped sniff out nearly 1 million illegal discs last week within days of joining Malaysia's anti-piracy effort, have been moved to a safe house, a news report said Thursday. The New Straits Times reported that a source had tipped off officials about a bounty offered for killing the sniffer dogs, who are on loan for a month from the Motion Picture Association of America. The amount was not disclosed. "The dogs are a genuine threat to the pirated disc syndicates, thus the instruction to eliminate them," Firdaus Zakaria, the enforcement director of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, was quoted as saying. He did not elaborate on the information received by the ministry. Firdaus and senior ministry officials could not be immediately reached for further details on the report. A spokesman contacted by The Associated Press declined to comment. Lucky and Flo, who were pressed into service on March...

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Lucy was drowning and turning blue, so Randy Gurchin recalled his Air Force training on mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It didn't matter that Lucy is a 10-month-old English bulldog, because he and Lucy are "best buddies." "Once you get a pet, it's truly part of your family," he said. "You just tend to do whatever it takes to save their life." Lucy had jumped into a partly frozen lake in pursuit of ducks and geese, but the water was too cold for her. When Gurchin edged onto the ice and pulled Lucy out of the water, she was unresponsive and her face and paws were blue. He closed her mouth, put his mouth over her nose, breathed air into her lungs and pushed on her chest, and after about a minute she began shallow breaths. He drove her to a veterinary clinic, where she was immersed in warm water, given injections and placed in an oxygen tent. By Friday, a week after her ordeal, Lucy was back to normal, said Gurchin, a pilot who retired...

McGRADY, North Carolina (CNN) -- Searchers with the help of a sharp-nosed dog named Gandolf found a 12-year-old Boy Scout on Tuesday who had disappeared into the North Carolina wilderness over the weekend, authorities said. Aerial footage showed police carrying Michael Auberry from a white sports-utility vehicle into a ranger station in nearby Laurel Springs. Police held a large, white sheet over the boy as they carried him into the station. "He is alive," ranger Tina White said. "We're all smiling now." Footage from the search scene showed a rescuer holding up a walkie-talkie as one of the searchers who discovered the boy declares, "They have found Michael. He is OK." Searcher Misha Marshall said Gandolf detected Michael's scent and alerted rescuers. When they approached Michael, "he was a little disoriented, but he's great," Marshall said. "It took him a minute to realize we were there for him," she said. Asked how Michael...

Now that Willie is retired, he still has one very important job in the house: he retrieves the three heavy food dishes for me. I sit in our pantry where the dog food is stored and he brings me the dishes one at a time... usually with much enthusiasm. It's what he lives for. Today there was a flashlight laying on the floor where the dishes were. After Willie brought me the dishes, I used my laser pointer to target the flashlight and asked him to bring it to me. All the while, Frankie was in a down/stay next to me at the pantry. After Willie brought the flashlight, Frankie got up and wanted me to give him the flashlight. So I gave it to him. He walked away with it, then came back to me and gave it to me. "See, Mommy, I can do that too!"

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Reporter Alison Stewart of the Powell Tribune proved this week she's willing to go to great lengths to get the scoop. Stewart reports in Thursday's edition that her recent survey of 3.6-acre Washington Park revealed "at least 108 dog poop piles." The city passed an ordinance in 1991 requiring owners to pick up after their dogs, but Stewart's on-the-ground reporting proves that some owners aren't paying attention. Bill Fields, superintendent of the Powell Parks Department told Stewart he's frustrated by the situation. City officials are considering baggie dispensers, banning dogs from city parks, or possibly encouraging residents to turn in scofflaws. Stewart said she lives a block from Washington Park and has been following the situation there for some time. "I wrote an article a couple of years ago, so this was just following up," Stewart said. "It seems like it's about the same. I don't think Powell is any wor...

IMPORTANT LEGISLATION PENDING REGARDING OWNERSHIP, POSSESSION OR TRANSPORTING VENOMOUS SNAKES OR LIVE CONSTRICTORS NOT INDIGENOUS TO THIS COUNTRY PLEASE SEND THIS TO EVERY HERPER YOU KNOW! HI HERPERS:: WE NEED YOUR HELP ... The following House Bill has been introduced to the Texas Legislature by Representative Harvey Hilderbran, a Republican, who represents the Kerrville area in the House. This would affect all of those who own or possess or transport into this state a live venomous snake or live constrictor that is not indigenous to this country, (That's right, country, not county.) This proposed Bill would require permits from everyone who deals with these reptiles and will be enforced by Texas Parks & Wildlife. A copy of this Bill in its entirety is below. It is up to us to stop this Bill in its tracks. Calls and emails to Rep. Hilderbran (who authored the Bill) have not been answered or returned. Please participate in this important Legislation. We need to send letter...

ATTENTION TEXAS REPTILE OWNERS! Texas Legislation H 1309 Regulates the Possession of "Dangerous" Reptiles ---------------------------------- This proposed legislation is absolutely ridiculous. It means that if you own a ball python , which gets to be about 4-5 feet long and could only kill something as big as a guinea pig , you'll have to have a permit for it. Don't get me wrong, I would agree with needing permits for venomous snakes and very large constrictors , but the fact that this bill is so broad as to include ALL constrictors, even small ones, just screams that it was not thought through. It appears to be very "Peta" like in it's coverage of ALL of these animals. If you disagree with this legislation like I do, please write some letters expressing your opinions. I've put the actual legislation below, along with contact information. Oy. Willa Zoo, here we come. ============================= Bill Description: If passed, this bill would stren...

Authorities and pet owners are beginning to raise serious questions about the safety and effectiveness of animal medicines, mirroring worries over human drugs like the painkiller Vioxx. Tested on just a couple hundred animals, a drug meant for pets is less apt than a human one to show all its failings until it reaches market, veterinarians say. More than 700 drugs have been approved for pets, but many others are used legally without explicit approval for animals. Most pet drugs were first developed for people. But there is deepening awareness that what works in people may not work in animals. Indeed, each species of animal - even varying breeds - may react differently to the same drug. Further, animals can't say if a drug makes them feel bad. "I can't tell until you see something physical," says Laurryn Simpson of Commerce Township, Mich., who founded the Web site dogsadversereactions.com. The worries arise at a time when intensifying demand has pressured the FDA to h...

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) - A collie named Lassie roused her owners and enabled them to escape their burning home but died in the fire, relatives said. "The dog saved their life," said Judi Thompson after her parents' home burned Wednesday morning. "Even the firemen said that. Isn't that amazing? It gives me goose bumps." Thompson said her parents, Robert and Elsie Whitson, were asleep in their bedroom at the rear of their home in the city about 30 miles northeast of Indianapolis when the fire broke out. The dog, which slept at the foot of the couple's bed, licked and nibbled at their hands until 81-year-old Robert awoke and the couple went outside, she said. Anderson Fire Department Battalion Chief Larry Towne said firefighters found the dog's remains underneath some collapsed roofing. "They thought Lassie was out, but she wasn't," said Naomia L. Gooding, another daughter of the couple. "They loved this dog, and she was a wonderful dog....

A few days ago I went out with a friend (hi Lara!) to Petsmart. I worked Frankie , and she wanted to take Willie , my retired Service Dog. It was kind of cute to see Willie just lay on the couch and basically ignore Lara when she called him over to put his collar on. He's so used to being retired now that he just thought he'd stay home as usual and relax. One of the comments Lara had while I was dressing Frankie was how she enjoyed the way I whisper commands to my dogs. As a Service Dog handler, whispering commands is much more desirable than yelling them. I find that whispering commands tends to make the dog calm down and really listen to what you are saying. Plus, it's very impressive as a handler to have other folks see your dogs respond to a whisper when they have to yell at their dogs all the time. So, for your next training session, give whispering a try. See how your dogs respond and post here with your results. Hey, you might as well save your voice for somethin...

Unicorn! Monocle

DENVER (AP) - A black Labrador named Pearl who plunged through thin ice on a Denver lake Tuesday was reunited with her owner after a firefighter in a dive suit scooted along the ice and scooped up the scrambling pooch. The rescue was caught on video by two television stations. Pearl could be seen desperately pawing at the slick ice for several minutes, trying and failing to pull herself out of the water in a northwest Denver city park. Pearl's owner, Wanda Padilla, ran out on the ice after her and a passer-by called 911. "I went out on the ice about 25 feet, but it started cracking," Padilla said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. Firefighter Tony Padilla, a 28-year veteran of the department - and no relation to the dog's owner - put on a dive suit and pulled himself along the surface until he reached Pearl. A backup diver was on shore and Tony Padilla was attached to a rope. Once the firefighter pulled Pearl onto firmer ice, she ran to her owner and othe...

I starting thinking the other night about how I've been influenced in my life when it comes to my love of dogs. I remember my grandparents always had dogs. Oddly, their dogs all looked the same (but they were mixed breeds) and they always named their dogs "Ginger". I guess they loved that name... a lot. Unfortunately, the "Ginger's" were never very well behaved. They looked cute, but I don't remember them being very obedient. Sorry Grandma. My mom and dad always had pets. We had a couple of dogs, some cats, a few hamsters and goldfish. I had a goldfish I fed baloney. He was huge and lived forever. Guess it was all those preservatives. The very first dog I could call my own was a puppy I got from a friend. I was about 16 and for some reason, my mom said I could keep him. I promised to look after him, feed, clean, housebreak... all that stuff. But I was 16. All I did was leave him on our back porch with some water and newspapers and then I went ou...

FOSTORIA, Ohio (AP) - An attorney challenging the authority of the city's police chief wants the department's police dog to appear in court as an exhibit, because he says the dog and the chief have criminal justice degrees from the same online school. The issue gives "one pause, if not paws, for concern" about what it takes to get the degrees from the school based in the Virgin Islands, Gene Murray wrote in a court document filed Monday. Murray is seeking to have a drug charge against a client dismissed by arguing that police Chief John McGuire - who is accused of lying on his job application - was not legally employed and had no authority as an officer. McGuire is to go on trial in March on charges of falsification and tampering with records. A special prosecutor said McGuire lied on his application and resume about his rank, position, duties, responsibilities and salary in three of his previous jobs. McGuire was hired as chief of this northwest Ohio city a year ago....