Woman fined $1,000 in dog's death

The Saskatoon Star Phoenix is reporting that a woman whose dog died after she left it in a car on a hot day while she went into a store to buy dog food was fined $1,000 Wednesday. Tina Griffin, 27, left her three-year-old female pug and an older male pug in her car "for five or 10 minutes" on Sept. 1, when the temperature hit 29.7 C, lawyers told provincial court.

Griffin pleaded guilty to causing an animal to be in distress. The maximum fine for the offence under the Animal Protection Act is $5,000. Judge Bria Huculak also banned Griffin for two years from leaving animals alone in a vehicle. Griffin's mother, Theresa Griffin, was also charged but Crown prosecutor Bryce Pashovich stayed that charge after the daughter accepted responsibility in the incident.

The two women had gone into a local Walmart to buy dog food and returned to their car to find the heat-stressed animals. A woman in the parking lot saw the women, each holding a dog. One dog was panting abnormally and the other hung limp with its eyes open, Pashovich said in an agreed statement of facts. Tina Griffin told the woman they had tried taking the dogs into the store to cool them in water and were on their way to take the animals to a vet "or something," Pashovich said. The women took the dogs to the SPCA, where animal protection officer Kari Rylance said in an interview it was obvious the female pug had already died. The older male pug survived. Griffin has the dog as well as a cat, court heard.

"She has learned the hard way that it's irresponsible to leave your animal in the car. Would you leave your kid in the car?" Rylance said.

To read more, visit thestarphoenix.com

WOOF TV:

As seen on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno...Fluffy the singing doberman:

Dog bones Not Safe According To New FDA warning

Anyone who has ever had a dog knows that if you give a dog a bone, they will be content. Now word comes from the Food and Drug Administration that the intentionally harmless treats could be harmful to your pooch.

According to Dr. Carmela Stamper with the Center of Veterinary Medicine at the FDA, dog bones are unsafe no matter what size they are. ‘Some people think it is safe to give large bones to dogs like those from a ham or roast. Bones are unsafe no matter what size that they are’.

Dr. Stamper went to list ten reasons why a person should not give dogs these types of bones:

1. Broken teeth. This may call for expensive veterinary dentistry.
2. Mouth or tongue injuries. These can be very bloody and messy and may require a trip to see your veterinarian.
3. Bone gets looped around your dog's lower jaw. This can be frightening or painful for your dog and potentially costly to you, as it usually means a trip to see your veterinarian.
4. Bone gets stuck in esophagus, the tube that food travels through to reach the stomach. Your dog may gag, trying to bring the bone back up, and will need to see your veterinarian.
5. Bone gets stuck in windpipe. This may happen if your dog accidentally inhales a small enough piece of bone. This is an emergency because your dog will have trouble breathing. Get your pet to your veterinarian immediately!
6. Bone gets stuck in stomach. It went down just fine, but the bone may be too big to pass out of the stomach and into the intestines. Depending on the bone's size, your dog may need surgery or upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, a procedure in which your veterinarian uses a long tube with a built-in camera and grabbing tools to try to remove the stuck bone from the stomach.
7. Bone gets stuck in intestines and causes a blockage. It may be time for surgery.
8. Constipation due to bone fragments. Your dog may have a hard time passing the bone fragments because they're very sharp and they scrape the inside of the large intestine or rectum as they move along. This causes severe pain and may require a visit to your veterinarian.
9. Severe bleeding from the rectum. This is very messy and can be dangerous. It's time for a trip to see your veterinarian.
10. Peritonitis. This nasty, difficult-to-treat bacterial infection of the abdomen is caused when bone fragments poke holes in your dog's stomach or intestines. Your dog needs an emergency visit to your veterinarian because peritonitis can kill your dog.

Veternarians from all over the United States have seconded the findings with some saying that this has been common sense knowledge for a long time. Veternarial proceedures to fix injuries that result from bones can be very expensive and in most cases can be avoidable. The bottom line is that store bought bones look to be the best alternative for your dog.

SOURCE: eCanadaNow.com

WOOF TV:

Jimmy Stewart reads a poem written for his dog "Beau" on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Beautiful:

Real or Cake:

People.com brings us some cakes worthy of "Best in Show":








To see more, click here.

Barking Dog Costs Owners $17,000

The Vancouver Sun is reporting on a Nanaimo couple who were fined a whopping $17,000 by their condo board because of their barking Shih Tzu/poodle cross. Doug and Janet Mellin said their pet barked like any other dog when it heard a strange noise but aren't sure their dog was the only culprit. "We were, pardon my language, mad as hell," said Doug Mellin. He said Molly, their seven-year-old, is "like most dogs, if the phone rings or someone's at the door, it's the usual everyday behaviour."

One resident at the building, who asked not to be named, said the barking of the Mellins' dog was noticeable from the elevator several doors down from the second-storey apartment. The Mellins insist a neighbour's dog did all the barking, while others question the appropriateness of a condo association fining a homeowner over noise complaints.

When they sold the condo in December, their lawyer submitted the $17,000 to the condo board, but under protest. The condo board threatened the Mellins with a lien on the property if they didn't pay the fine.

SOURCE: Vancouver Sun

Through a Dog's Eyes

PBS will be airing a new documentary on April 21 called "Through a Dog's Eyes". The documentary focuses on service dogs and the life-changing affect they've had on their owners' lives. Here is a preview:

Giveaway!

SKdogs.com has a one-month supply of Natural Defense™ Oral Health snacks to giveaway! The premium snacks contain myrtle leaf, a natural botanical that helps manage bacteria associated with plaque formation. Our dog has been eating them for awhile, and we must say, his breath has never been fresher!

If you would like to enter, simply send us an e-mail at woof@skdogs.com with "Natural Defense Giveaway" in the subject line. We will draw at random on Wednesday, April 14. Good luck!

"An Animal Is Just An Animal" (Part II)

And now the continuation of Monty's saga (from here.)

After leaving Monty in the care of the "world class" University of Saskatchewan Veterinary Clinic, I made my way home. It was tough. Having grown used to his presence, coming home to an empty apartment was a sober reminder that I was all by my lonesome after moving to Saskatoon. Pets can provide the unconditional love and companionship that our human souls require, not to mention offer a great stress relief after a tough day at the office. During this transitional period of my life, Monty offered me that in spades. Over the next week, however, premature signs of aging were brought on by other thing$.

I never begrudge anyone from trying to make a profit and veterinary medicine can be just as capitalistic as any other venture. It's finding a veterinarian that shows genuine concern for your pet that may be a challenge. In bringing Monty to the U of S Veterinary Clinic, I was under the assumption that their advanced technology coupled with the drive of some ambitious students would result in my pooch being diagnosed and treated in a reasonable timeframe by people who cared about the end-result. Instead, I was talked into taking numerous tests. Tests that I initially questioned, but proceeded with as they were the professionals (and I am but a lowly blog author). Tests that came with a very, VERY unexpectedly high price tag. The U of S Veterinary Clinic is not like getting your hair trimmed for $5 by a beauty college student - even though interns are treating the animals, the fees are double what you'd pay from someone already established in the field. My initial quote of $700-$900 quickly rose within the span of 24 hours to over $1500 with no official diagnosis in sight.

My concern about the spiraling costs reached one of the students working on Monty and he called me one evening after-hours. I was informed that they had several theories as to what brought about his lethargic behavior, but until they could confirm it 100%, they would have to proceed with more testing (it was school policy). Testing that would make my quote double again by the next day's afternoon. Testing that may come back inconclusive. The student predicted that my bill would probably end up over $5000...and that figure didn't include actual treatment costs: "as a student in debt, I understand your financial concerns. Going forward will be costly" the student related. "You have to ask yourself if it's worth it. Unless you have the funds to see this through for your own peace of mind, I would try and remember that at the end of the day, an animal is just an animal."

But Monty is not just an animal. He is my friend. He is a family member. And it's my responsibility as his owner to look after him. I needed a second opinion. I pulled Monty out of the U of S Veterinary Clinic the next morning.

Westward Animal Hospital is a short distance away from my apartment. It is housed in an unassuming building and staffed with cheerful employees including my new vet for life, Dr. David Nairn. They took Monty in on short notice and within 10 minutes concluded that he was suffering from a bacterial infection, prescribing an overnight stay on an IV as well as some antibiotics (testing for a bacterial infection was something the U of S did NOT do despite my initial concerns expressed to them that he contracted something from doggie daycare). Within a few days Monty returned home and was back to his old, er, young puppy self. Dr. Nairn repeatedly called to ensure he was doing okay. I never heard from the U of S again.

Total bill? Less than $695.00. My final invoice from the U of S? I paid over $1250.00 for the privilege of having my pet be the subject on someone's incomplete thesis statement.

It is no surprise that I am not the only one who feels fleeced.

An Evening with Cindy Moleski

The Saskatoon Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is very excited to announce their Fourth Annual Fundraising Gala “An Evening With Cindy Moleski”. Last year’s gala was a huge success raising over $20,000 for the animals in their care, and they're anticipating this year’s event will be even bigger! Guests will be treated to a Saskatchewan themed dinner, silent auction, live auction, MC Global TV's Warren Dean and a presentation by photographer Cindy Moleski.

DATE: Saturday, April 17, 2010
LOCATION: The Hilton Garden Inn
COST: $65/per person (before March 17); $75/per person afterwards

For more information or to order tickets, please call 374-PETS (7387) or click 0 comments Links to this post