Officer Momo to the rescue!!!

2011 Rose Parade Open Casting Call for Dogs!!

Your dog can audition to skimboard and dock dive on the Natural Balance Float with Tillman and Friends New Year's Day in the 122nd Rose Parade!!

Audition Date:
November 8th, 2010
10:30 am
12924 Pierce St. Pacoima, CA 91331

Click HERE to view Press Release

To fill out a registration form go HERE.

Don't Cry For Me Argentina

A dog sheltered a newborn baby abandoned by its 14-year-old mother in a field in rural Argentina until the boy was rescued, a doctor said Friday.

A resident of a rural area outside La Plata called police late Wednesday night to say that he had heard the baby crying in a field behind his house. The man went outside and found the infant lying beside the dog and its six newborn puppies, Daniel Salcedo, chief of police of the Province of Buenos Aires, told CNN. The temperature was a chilly 37 degrees, Salcedo said.

The dog had apparently carried the baby some 50 meters from where his mother had abandoned him to where the puppies were huddled, police said. "She took it like a puppy and rescued it," Salcedo said. "The doctors told us if she hadn't done this, he would have died." "The dog is a hero to us."

Dr. Egidio Melia, director of the Melchor Romero Hospital in La Plata, told CNN that police showed up at the hospital at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday with the baby who doctors say was only a few hours old.

Though the infant had superficial scratches and bruises and was bleeding from his mouth, he was in good shape, Melia said. The next morning, the child's mother was driven by a neighbor to the hospital and told authorities the 8 pound, 13 ounce infant is hers, Melia said. The teenager was immediately given psychological treatment and was hospitalized, he said. She has said little about the incident.

The child has been transferred to a children's hospital in La Plata, 37 miles from Buenos Aires.

And The Winner Is.....

A Florida dog named Gus captured the hearts and votes of judges tonight at the 20th Annual World’s Ugliest Dog Contest held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma. Rescued from a bad home and now suffering from skin cancer, Gus’ story was compelling, but he won based on his looks. A Chinese-Crested, he has no hair, only three legs (one amputated because of the skin tumor) and is missing an eye lost to a tomcat in a cat fight. Despite his trials, he is well loved by mother and daughter owners Jeanenne and Janey Teed.

Twelve dogs vied for the title of the World’s Ugliest Dog. Entrants came from Florida to New Jersey to Arizona to Petaluma. The contest has four levels of competition. Winners are chosen from both the Pedigree class and the Mutt class. Those winners then compete against each other to become the 2008 Ugly Dog winner Gus won the pedigree class and went up against Reggie who had just won the Mutt Class.

Winning that competition gave Gus the 2008 title, but then he had to meet the Ring of Champions, which included winners from past years’ contests. That’s where Gus met former champions Elwood (the 2007 winner), Archie (the 2006 winner) and Rascal (the 2002 winner). Gus takes home two trophies and $1,600 in prize money. In the past few years, winners have been dogs that have been abandoned or neglected before being adopted by people who love dogs and usually have several dogs whom they have rescued.

Gus was adopted by Jeanenne and her 16-year-old daughter Janey through word of mouth after they discovered he was being kept in a crate in the garage of someone’s home. Said Jeanenne, “I’m just in shock. We came so far and are so happy that we can put the winnings towards Gus’ radiation treatment. We’re just thrilled.”

Animal Planet shot the contest for a show to be released next October. Animal Planet’s host Beth Ostrosky joined emcee Brent Farris of KZST radio to interview the dogs, their owners, and award the trophies to a standing room only participatory audience.. This is one of the most popular events at the Sonoma-Marin Fair.

(Not So) Rich Bitch....

Trouble, the dog that got $12 million in Leona Helmsley's will, have to live off $2 million for the rest of her days. Ruff life! The New York Post reports that a New York judge reduced the dog's inheritance and gave $10 million to charity – and worked out a deal to give her grandkids $6 million each. When Leona died last August, she left the pair out of her will, but left Trouble the dog a big chunk of change.

A Very Sad Story To Report.....

A street-sweeping truck roaring down a Bronx street sucked up a dog and killed her as her owner held the leash. Ginger, center, a Boston terrier, was killed by a street-sweeping truck in the Bronx on Thursday.

Robert Machin said he had just finished walking his two Boston terriers and was about to put them into his car when the truck appeared Thursday morning. The retired transit worker said he was suddenly whipped around and saw one of the dogs, Ginger, being swallowed by the sweeper's round bristles.

"I went berserk at that moment because I couldn't believe what had occurred," he said Saturday.

Machin said he yelled at the driver to stop, but the truck kept going. He and friends chased the truck for 2 ½ blocks before catching up with it. Ginger's slight body was later pulled from the sweeper. The city Department of Sanitation called the death "a rare and unfortunate accident."
A heartbroken Machin questioned whether the driver was observing proper procedures, saying the truck seemed to barreling through the street at an unsafe speed.

The heartbroken Machin, 57, choked up as he described losing Ginger. With his children grown, he said, "These two dogs, they're my life."

The Unicorn of Tuscany

A roe deer with a single horn in the middle of its head has found fame as the "Unicorn" of Tuscany. The 10-month-old deer was born in captivity at the Centre of Natural Sciences, a nature reserve near Prato.

While single-horned deers have been spotted before, this particular buck has a uniquely central horn, thought to be the result of a genetic flaw."This is a demonstration that the fabled unicorn, which we all know from icons and legends, probably was not just a fantasy."It was probably an animal like this one, with a natural anomaly," said Gilberto Tozzi, the director of the centre.Mr Tozzi added that the twin of the buck has two horns.The mother of the two deer was brought to the park several years ago after being hit by a car in the Apennine mountains.

The mythical unicorn was thought to have healing powers and was generally depicted as a horse with the cloven hooves of a goat or deer.The earliest mention of the beast was by the Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century BC.In one notebook, Leonardo Da Vinci suggested unicorns could be captured using a virgin as bait.

"For the love it bears to fair maidens [the unicorn] forgets its ferocity and wildness and laying aside all fear it will go to a seated damsel and sleep in her lap, and thus the hunters take it," he wrote. Mr Tozzi said the Tuscan unicorn was also remarkably elusive. "Our deer might be aware that he is a little different. "He doesn't let himself be seen very often" he said. He advised visitors to "arm themselves with binoculars and a lot of patience."

Last year, a hunter in Elma, New York, photographed a stag with a third horn protruding from the front of its head.

Oldest Living Dog?

Bella, a Labrador mix from the UK, is said to be at least an amazing 29 years old, if not pushing three decades! Her owners, David and Daisy Richardson, say that they brought the tenacious pooch home from an animal shelter 26 years ago when she was "at least" three. But due to missing records, Bella can't be verified by the Guinness Book of World Records as top dog.

Understandably, Bella's age of 200 in doggie years would slow anyone down, but she still manages to get around. During a brief scare when the Richardsons thought they would have to finally put Bella to rest, David took her to the vet to be checked out:

"I decided to take her to the vet to be checked and she said Bella was very fit for her age apart from a bit of arthritis in her legs. Her heart is strong and she can still potter around the garden so she might have a good few years left."

As shocking as her age seems, Bella is not the only pup to stand the test of time. To see who else has been honored by Guinness, read more.

Two other dogs have been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records: Butch from the US, who celebrated 28 doggie b-days, and Bluey from Australia, who rang in 29 years and five months as the longest living dog ever.

Another Victory Against Puppy Mills

The U.S. Senate followed the lead of the House of Representatives and overrode President Bush’s veto of the Farm Bill, ushering in key new protections for animals. The final bill -- which is now considered law, except for one section excluded due to a technical glitch -- bans the import of puppies from foreign puppy mills for commercial sale in the U.S. The law spares young, unweaned, and unvaccinated pups from harsh, long-distance transport -- during which they are exposed to extreme temperatures and often die in cargo holds -- and will keep foreign breeders from adding to the tragic overpopulation of pets in this country.

The Farm bill also adds a provision to federal law to make almost any form of animal fighting a federal felony. It’s also now a federal crime to knowingly possess or train animals for fighting, and the maximum prison time for a single violation of any section of the law goes from three years to five years. It is hard to overstate what a blow this is to dogfighters and cockfighters, and it brings us one step closer to eradicating these criminal industries.

The law also authorizes an increase in potential fines -- quadrupled from $2,500 to $10,000 -- for violations of the Animal Welfare Act, fines that haven’t been upgraded in more than 20 years. Such penalties will more effectively deter abuses at puppy mills, laboratories, circuses, and other facilities that use animals.

Cancer Sniffing Dog To Be Cloned

A Japanese center which says it has trained a dog to sniff out human cancer cells is cloning the animal in South Korea, a Seoul-based biotechnology company and the dog's owner said Wednesday.

Cloned fetuses from the black labrador retriever named Marine were last month implanted into a surrogate mother dog, said Ra Jeong-Chan, president of RNL Bio."We are going to see the clones around the end of this month," Ra said.

Marine, who is six and half years old, lost her ability to reproduce when she had her womb removed because of disease. She is owned by Yuji Satoh, a head trainer at St. Sugar Cancer Sniffing Dog Training Center, located at Shirahama in Chiba prefecture.

Satoh said experts from Seoul National University, which created the world's first cloned dog in 2005, had taken some skin samples from Marine and brought them back to South Korea for the project.

"We are making clones of Marine. She is touted as having a world top cancer-sniffing ability. By making her clones, we want to promote studies into cancer-sniffing dogs," Satoh said. "It's the world's first cloning of a cancer-sniffing dog."

He and the Korean firm, which is coordinating the project, have agreed to produce two clones and train them at Satoh's center. One will then be brought back to South Korea for study at the university and the other will stay at the centre. If the project for two pups succeeds, they plan to produce more.

"We want to make more clones of Marine for worldwide distribution" for studies into canine detection of cancer, Satoh said. Researchers in several countries are investigating whether dogs have the ability to detect lung, breast, prostate and skin cancer at an early and treatable stage. They believe cancer cells create a scent not present in healthy cells, which can theoretically be picked up by dogs in breath or urine samples.

RNL Bio's last such project was an order for the world's first commercial cloning of a pet dog -- a request from a U.S. woman to re-create her beloved former pit bull. The firm said in February it planned to charge 150,000 dollars to clone the pit bull for the California woman, using tissue from her dead pet named Booger.

A Seoul National University team created the world's first cloned dog in 2005, an Afghan hound named Snuppy. Team leader Lee Byeong-Chun said last week that Snuppy was expected to become a father this month following the first breeding of cloned canines.

Lee's team also produced seven clones of drug-sniffing dogs last year at the request of the Korea Customs Service. They are said to be easier to train than ordinary canines.

I'm Moving to Japan.....

Cult cartoon character Hello Kitty has been named a goodwill tourism ambassador for Japan.

It is the first time a cartoon character has taken on the normally human role. The feline character has become a global phenomenon, with more than 50,000 different products on sale in 60 countries.

The cat is one of mascot-obsessed Japan's biggest hits as a toy character - is often seen on lunch boxes, jewellery and many other accessories. She will be used to promote Japan in China and Hong Kong.

Japan's national tourism ministry made the announcement at a press conference yesterday. The ministry, which has so far appointed 11 people as goodwill tourism ambassadors, said the global icon was "qualified" for the job due to its popularity among Chinese people.

Shintaro Tsuji, president of Sanrio Co, the company which created the toy cat, called Hello Kitty's new appointment "an honour" and pledged the feline would "work hard to attract many visitors."The new role for Hello Kitty is part of the Japanese government's Visit Japan Campaign, which aims to attract 10 million tourists a year.

A Hello Kitty blog will start around late June on the Chinese language page of the campaign website to introduce tourist attractions in Japan, including historic and popular sites, Kyodo said.

In March, the foreign ministry appointed another cartoon cat, robo-cat Doraemon, as a charm ambassador in a bid to promote the nation's culture and win the hearts of future world leaders.

Edamame is Next.....

A dog breeder in Alhambra, Calif., is mystified after his golden retriever gave birth to a green puppy. The green puppy, named Wasabi, was one of four puppies born five days ago. The dog is healthy and green, according to the report.

Skeptics said the dog had to be dyed green but the owner said the puppy was born green. Veterinarians said it is possible for a newborn puppy's fur to be green because the placenta, which is green, rubs off at birth.

In The Drivers Seat.....

A California lawmaker wants to ban motorists from holding pets on their laps while driving and getting caught can net a $35 fine. The bill passed the Assembly on a 44-11 vote last week, and heads to the Senate.

Assemblyman Bill Maze says his legislation has nothing to do with pet-loving celebrities who are photographed driving around Los Angeles with their small dogs.

Maze says he introduced the bill after seeing a woman driving with three dogs on her lap. He says pets are a distraction that put motorists and their passengers at risk.

Little Edie has her big plush dog seat which we use for long trips but I must admit, on short trips she LOVES to sit in my lap. Sorry, Little Edie, we're going to have to be a little more careful :)

You're Not Welcome Here Anymore......

Posh Puppy is a store in Beverly Hills that sells little teacup designer dogs. Ever since they opened recently I have noticed protests outside the store and today I saw a For Lease sign on the window which prompted me to wonder if they were finally run out of business. I found the following article online. Looks like all the attention on puppy mills has paid off with this one small victory.......

Posh Puppy in Beverly Hills Closes Following "Puppy Mill" Scandal
By Kelly Hartog Editor, BHCNP

It has taken almost five months of active campaigning by animal rights organizations, but on May 7, the doors of the Posh Puppy pet store in Beverly Hills were shuttered and a 'For Lease' sign was placed in the window.The brouhaha began back on December 22, 2007, when the Humane Society of the United States, The Best Friends for Animals and the Last Chance for Animals organizations, spearheaded by local actress, writer and animal activist Carole Raphaelle Davis, held a protest outside the Posh Puppy store at 9699 Wilshire Blvd., to make passersby aware that pet stores, including Posh Puppy are merely fronts for puppy mills, that keep their dogs caged in inhumane conditions and breed them until they die."

We chose Posh Puppy for its location and visibility," Davis, who has been a spokesperson for Last Chance for Animals for 19 years, told BHCNP. "This is the place where people buy teacup puppies and we chose December 22, because it was the Saturday before Christmas, which is the biggest puppy-buying day of the year."That protest turned into a weekly sustained movement, where locals, activists and celebrities turned out to make people aware of the shocking treatment dogs undergo in puppy mill kennels.

The protests were also designed to encourage people to adopt dogs from shelters. "At least 25% of dogs in shelters are purebred animals, and many of those---particularly the teacup dogs--- are those who were originally from puppy mills," said Davis. The boon in teacup puppies that can go for up to $4,500 each, has inadvertently been bolstered by the likes of celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears."I think that [these three girls] alone have done more harm to dogs than anyone else in recent history," Davis said. "These dogs are not fashion accessories, but millions of little girls want to emulate these celebrities."

While the protests went on weekly outside Posh Puppy, Davis along with other animal activist organizations was deeply entrenched in an undercover investigation seeking out the puppy mills that supply stores such as Posh Puppy. That investigation uncovered that one of Posh Puppy's suppliers was World Kennels USA in Littlerock, CA. Authorities raided the kennels on May 2 and removed 302 breeding dogs being kept in severe inhumane conditions.

One of those dogs was Millie ---a 10-year-old Maltese, who is now being fostered by Davis at her home. Millie was so- named by Davis because she was a puppy 'mill' dog. This is the first time Millie has ever been outside of a cage in her entire life. She is scrawny, emaciated, has a urinary tract infection and eye infections. She curls up on Davis's lap and is constantly craving human comfort."It's taken five days for her to trust me," says Davis. "When we rescued her she was shaking, trembling and terrified. Her vocal chords were cut in the kennels so she couldn't bark." Millie's story is not uncommon. She's just one of the hundreds of female dogs who have been kept for eight to ten years in a cage, and have been bred twice a year. "

People should know, that the cute little puppies they buy in these pet stores have mothers who have been kept in horrific conditions for years," said Davis. "It costs only $67 to adopt a puppy from a shelter," she points out.BHCNP's interview with Davis took place on the morning of May 7. During our interview, Davis received an email that revealed Posh Puppy's doors were closed and the For Lease sign was posted outside. Davis let out a squeal and shouted 'We did it!' before high-fiving this reporter.

Altercations between the protesters and Posh Puppy's store owners John and Michelle Yoon have been common over the last few months. The Yoon's have protested throughout they were running a legitimate business and purchasing their puppies from reputable sources only. However, as of May 7, Posh Puppy's doors in Beverly Hills have been closed, mail is piling up outside the door (including a vet bill from Brent Air Veterinarians) and the store's phone remains unanswered).Posh Puppy has a second store in Tarzana.

Calls to that store by BHCNP also remained unanswered.Davis says while many pet store owners, managers and employees are fully aware of the conditions of the dogs that breed the puppies they purchase, there are also plenty who have no idea of the cruelty and horror the dogs go through. "They don't visit the kennels, they don't ask questions and they trust the organizations that have beautiful Web sites showing dogs being well taken care of. Nothing could be further from the truth," she scoffs. "Which is why," she adds, "it's so important for us to educate the public and make sure they adopt dogs from shelters."

In the meantime, Davis's enthusiasm at the closure of Posh Puppy and the raid on World Kennels USA is a little guarded. "This is bittersweet for us," she said. "We're overjoyed at the newfound freedom of these [302 rescued dogs], but that's just one kennel and one store. There are hundreds of thousands of dogs suffering in terrible breeding facilities, and our hearts bleed for them."BHCNP is continuing its investigation into the puppy mill phenomenon with a series of articles. Please check back shortly for more in-depth reporting on this issue.