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Showing posts from April, 2008
SKorea trains cloned drug-sniffing dogs
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INCHEON, South Korea (AP) -- The country that created the world's first cloned canine plans to put duplicated dogs on patrol to sniff out drugs and explosives. The Korean Customs Service unveiled Thursday seven cloned Labrador retrievers being trained near Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. The dogs were born five to six months ago after being separately cloned from a skilled drug-sniffing canine in active service. Due to the difficulties in finding dogs who are up to snuff for the critical jobs, officials said using clones could help reduce costs. The cloning work was conducted by a team of Seoul National University scientists who in 2005 successfully created the world's first known dog clone, an Afghan hound named Snuppy. The team is led by Professor Lee Byeong-chun, who was a key aide to disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk. Hwang's purported breakthroughs in stem cell research were revealed as false, but independent tests proved the team's dog cloning was ge...
Buddy the 'beautiful bulldog' excels at sleeping, snoring
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Buddy is a sleeping beauty: Reddish brown, he's usually asleep on his back, snoring loudly with his large tongue lolling out. He was wide-awake Monday, though, when he was crowned winner of a "Beautiful Bulldog" contest. "He doesn't have a good stamina to him ... he's been laying around all winter," said George DuBois from Ankeny, Iowa, who owns Buddy with his wife, Cindy. "Just in the last 10, 15 days we've done some walking. We've been getting in shape for this." The DuBois' 3-year-old dog was among 50 bulldogs from mostly Midwestern states who came to compete. The beauty contest honors Drake University's mascot and one of the events leading up to the Drake Relays, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious track and field competitions. "I'm so excited. I didn't think he had what it took to get it," said Cindy DuBois. "His mom is back home and she won't know what to ...
Yes, I believe in stem-cell research, but only the embryo-free kind
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$115M stem cell research facility planned for San Diego SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A new nonprofit institution plans to build a $115 million stem cell research facility in San Diego that would open by 2010. Although funding still is being lined up, the San Diego Consortium for Regenerative Medicine proposes constructing a 23,740-square-foot building housing laboratories and support space. The facility would be located on more than 7 acres owned by the University of California at San Diego in the Torrey Pines area biotechnology cluster. The university is one of four members of the consortium. The others are the Burnham Institute, Salk Institute and Scripps Research Institute. The state is expected to provide a large portion of the facility's funding. Californians in 2004 approved a measure creating a $3 billion stem cell research agency. A panel for the state agency has determined the San Diego consortium is eligible for $43 million. A condition to receive the state funds is that the buildin...
Dog crosses desert, mountains and somehow gets back home
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ELY, Nev. (AP) -- A dog that ran off during a road-trip rest stop apparently made her way nearly 80 miles across Nevada's high desert and two mountain ranges to return home a week later. Moon, a Siberian husky, was reunited April 14 with owner Doug Dashiell, who had last seen her April 6 near Railroad Valley, about 77 miles from his home in Ely. Moon, who is nearly 2 years old, was no worse for the wear, with the exception of stinking like a skunk that apparently sprayed her somewhere along the journey. "I've had trouble with her running away before. She's always come home," Dashiell said. But he didn't expect her to show up after a week had passed. "After seven days - no way," he told the Ely Times for a story Thursday. Then the White Pine Veterinary Clinic called Dashiell and told him Moon was back in town. She had wandered up to an Ely residence where Alvin Molea took her home, fed her and gave her a place to sleep. Molea called the clinic because...
Lucky dog! Adrift pooch is plucked from Pacific isle
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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Snickers the Sea Dog is barely more than a pup, but he's already an old salt. The 8-month-old pooch spent three months adrift in the Pacific with his owners and a parrot until their 48-foot sailboat ran aground in December on tiny Fanning Island, 1,000 miles south of Hawaii. Snickers and Gulliver had to be left behind as their owners hitched a ride on a cargo vessel. Then in March, the SOS was sent out in a boating journal that the orphaned critters were to be destroyed on Fanning, one of 33 scattered coral atolls that make up the remote island nation of Kiribati. As word spread, a bevy of people worked to rescue the cocker spaniel and the macaw, including a man who desperately wants to adopt them: retired Las Vegas resident Jack Joslin. "I love animals," Joslin told The Associated Press on Friday. "I had two dogs up until the middle of March. Then I had to have my border collie euthanized. The day they called saying the ashes were back was when I...
Man who claimed dog was imposter reunited with right pooch
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LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. (AP) -- Ken Griggs finally brought the right dog home. More than two weeks after the Lake Oswego man claimed a boarding kennel returned the wrong dog after spring break, he and his family were reunited with their black Labrador named Callie. During the break in late March, Callie shared a kennel with a lookalike named Dixie. When Griggs went to retrieve Callie on March 30, he somehow ended up with Dixie. Griggs knew something wasn't right when Callie wouldn't heel and the family cat - normally pals with Callie - hissed at the dog. Griggs returned the dog to the kennel and Allison Best, the kennel owner, examined whether Callie might have gotten mixed-up with any of the other black Labradors staying there that week and contacted the owners. The Sherwood woman who owns Dixie told Best her dog seemed to have undergone a personality change. But the woman was insistent that she had the correct dog. Still, Best arranged for the owners and their dogs to meet March 31...
Martha Stewart's dog Paw Paw dies of renal failure
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NEW YORK (AP) -- Martha Stewart's dog Paw Paw, who was a familiar face on her television show and in her magazine, has died of renal failure. The 60-pound chow, whose full name was Kublai Khan Paw Paw Chow Chow Chow, was almost 13. Stewart had owned him since he was born, and had named him Paw Paw for his large paws, a spokeswoman said. "Paw Paw was a spectacular chow and an even more spectacular dog," Stewart wrote in a blog post on his death Saturday. "He was always my loyal companion, displaying the most agreeable temperament." Stewart wrote that Paw Paw was a willing model for the camera, appearing in television commercials and national print ads. She said in his final days, he stopped eating and drifted off into deep sleeps. She has two other dogs, Sharkey and Francesca, along with several other animals, including cats, horses and donkeys, at her home in Bedford, N.Y. --- On the Net: Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.: http://www.marthastewart.com/
Kindof dog related, I think.
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Man Accused of Handcuffing New Bride in Dog Cage A man is accused of handcuffing his wife inside a dog cage days after they were married in Las Vegas. Canton police Lt. Greg Boudreaux says 28-year-old Matthew George also fired gunshots inside the home. His wife, Mary Swihart, was not injured. George was found in a car pulled to the side of the road early Sunday in neighboring Springfield Township. Boudreaux says George had taken a large number of pills and was hospitalized at Akron City Hospital. A spokeswoman says George wasn't at the hospital Monday. Boudreaux says charges of abduction, assault and domestic violence are pending.
Remarkable Dog Helps Keep Boy Alive
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Click here for the video. Dogs have the ability to do some of the most amazing things. They help lead the blind, find missing people, and even help police catch bad guys. You've probably never seen a dog who can help detect diabetes in a human. In fact, we may have found the only one like her in the San Antonio area. Tristin is a pretty typical 11-year-old boy. He loves sports. He's very energetic, and he absolutely adores his dog. Sasha is his 2-year-old Weimeranar. They're inseparable. Wherever he goes she goes, even to school. Sasha is a diabetic alert service dog, the only one we know of near San Antonio. Tristin has Type 1 Diabetes. His body doesn't produce insulin, the hormone that turns things like sugar and starches into energy we all need to function every day. Tristin told us, "I've had it since I was 3. I've gone through some rough times, I guess." In fact, diabetes has nearly killed him. His mom, Jodie, teared up when she told us ...
House Expands Aid for Brain Injuries
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Apr 9, 6:14 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House voted Tuesday to expand research into and surveillance of traumatic brain injuries, which affect some 1.5 million Americans every year and have come to be the signature wound of the war in Iraq. It also moved to ensure that all newborns get adequate screening for genetic or metabolic diseases. The brain trauma bill, passed 392-1 by the House, closely mirrors legislation already approved by the Senate, and the Senate is expected to act soon to send it to President Bush for his signature. The legislation authorizes National Institutes of Health programs through fiscal year 2011 and directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct a study into national traumatic brain injury trends and identify treatments. It also supports Health Resources Service Administration grants to fund state projects to improve access to rehabilitation. It commissions a study into military personnel who have incurred traumatic brain injuries while se...
Police Say Man in Wheelchair Robbed Bank
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PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) -- Palo Alto police are looking for a bank robber who favors a decidedly slow-speed getaway vehicle - an electric wheelchair. Police said a man in his 60s with gray hair and a beard held up the Wachovia Bank branch at the Stanford Shopping Center late this afternoon with a black handgun. After the stickup, he left in his wheelchair and was last seen motoring down a nearby street toward El Camino Real, a major thoroughfare. Witnesses say the man's legs were wrapped in bandages and his right leg was sticking straight out while he zoomed away. Police are looking for a white Ford van that the suspect may have been hoisted into after the robbery. Investigators don't know whether the wheelchair was just a prop or whether the suspect was truly disabled. --- Information from: San Jose Mercury News, http://www.sjmercury.com
Yeah, so?
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Woman Bites Dog Who Attacked Her Dog MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Amy Rice feared for her dog's life when a pit bull jumped over a fence into her yard and attacked her pooch. So she took matters into her own mouth. Rice says she bit the pit bull on the nose Friday after trying to pull the dog's jaws off her Labrador retriever, Ella. The dog had jumped a fence to get into Rice's northeast Minneapolis yard, and Rice says she feared the pit bull would kill Ella. Rice says she drew blood when she bit the dog, and her doctor will have to determine whether she should get shots for rabies. The pit bull was quarantined. Ella is recovering with staples and stitches to her head and a crushed ear canal.
Man Steals Guitar by Placing It in Pants
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LEWISTON, Maine (AP) -- Police are searching for a man accused of shoving an electric guitar in his pants and walking out of a store in Lewiston, Maine. Police say the theft occurred last week and they're looking for three men. One of the men shoved a Fender Stratocaster in his pants and pulled a sweatshirt over the top. The other two acted as lookouts. All three can be seen on footage from video surveillance. Strangely enough, the music shop has seen the method before. A man did the same thing in 2006 but was caught as he tried to walk out.
The Dog Did It: Woman Gets $300K Deal
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OGDEN, Utah (AP) -- A police dog put a pickup truck into gear, injuring a woman on her way to the mailbox in an incident that has ended with a $300,000 settlement. "She suffered some serious injuries in an accident that was not foreseeable," Ogden city attorney Gary Williams said Monday. "We think it was a fair resolution." Mary Frances Stone, 43, was walking to her mailbox in July 2006 when she was hit by a 1990 Ford pickup truck assigned to Officer Taylor Finder. Ranger, a German shepherd, was in the bed of the idling truck but jumped into the front seat through a sliding door and somehow knocked the automatic transmission into gear, police said. Stone, who had a broken pelvis, had asked for $580,000 but settled with the city's insurer for $300,000. "I would like to get more. ... If my car had hit a cop, I would be in jail," she said Monday. Police Chief Jon Greiner was sympathetic. "It's too bad she suffered injuries as a result of this,...
Abberration Splits Dog's Left Leg in Two
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AVON LAKE, Ohio (AP) -- A developmental problem split Angel the dog's leg, making her look like a five-legged pet. Veterinarian Frank Krupka, with the Avon Lake Animal Clinic in suburban Cleveland, said he's never seen anything like it. After examining X-rays, Krupka determined that a genetic aberration split Angel's front left leg in two, leaving her with three normal legs and two distinct parts of a fourth. Krupka said the condition doesn't cause pain but gives her problems moving around. He said surgery is unlikely on the about-7-month-old dog. Krupka said any surgery would be cosmetic and not improve the animal's walk. --- Information from: The Chronicle-Telegram, http://www.chronicletelegram.com
Winfrey Dedicates Show to Her Late Dog
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CHICAGO (AP) -- Oprah Winfrey plans to dedicate a show investigating abuses at puppy mills to her cocker spaniel, Sophie, who died last month from kidney failure. "Sophie gave me 13 years of unconditional love. She was a true love in my life," Winfrey says on the broadcast scheduled to air Friday. (Advance remarks from the show were released Tuesday by Harpo Productions.) The show features special correspondent Lisa Ling investigating puppy mills, which Ling calls "horrific" and "haunting." Winfrey says the show is "for anybody anywhere who loves a dog, has ever loved a dog, or just cares about their basic right to humane treatment." While Sophie was not a product of a puppy mill, and Winfrey's three current dogs were adopted from breeders, Winfrey says in the future she would look to adopt from an animal shelter. "I would never, ever adopt another pet now without going to a shelter to do it. I am a changed woman after seeing this show,...
Dog Chases Deer Into Wis. Living Complex
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KAUKUANA, Wis. (AP) -- Some residents in an assisted living complex had quite a surprise when a deer jumped through the window. A witness told police a black dog was chasing six to seven deer when a deer jumped through a resident's closed window at St. Paul Home Friday afternoon. "All of a sudden I hear all this glass break and there's a deer standing about three, four feet away from me, and I just, I've never screamed so loud in my life," nursing assistant Dana Hagglund said. Laura Marquardt, a certified nursing assistant at the care facility, said no one was injury. The deer ran down a hall and into one of the home's shower rooms, where it was corralled until tenants in the area were moved to safety, Marquardt said. The deer then was steered toward an open patio door, where it made its escape. Marquardt said she was unsure whether it was the same deer or a second deer that later ran across the patio and broke a second window but did not gain entry.
Woman, 77, Saves Mail Carrier From Dog
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HIGHLAND, Ind. (AP) -- A 77-year-old woman used her car to drive off a large dog that was attacking a mail carrier, saving the woman from more bite wounds. Joan Michniewicz was backing out of her driveway when she heard Danielle Lawrence, 28, scream on Monday afternoon. Michniewicz drove at the mixed-breed dog and then yelled for Lawrence to jump in her car. "I'm so lucky," said Lawrence, who has been on the job less than two months. "If she hadn't come, I would have been tore up worse than I was." Lawrence suffered several bite wounds before Michniewicz arrived. The dog had pushed open a backyard gate and attacked her while she was walking up to a mailbox. "It was a very frightening thing," said Michniewicz, a retired construction office manager. "But I thought, 'I just have to help this poor girl.' " Police ticketed dog owner Sandra Kulchawick for allowing her pet to run loose. Lawrence has been reassigned to a motor route. ...