Scientists in South Korea have created a glowing dog who can be turned on & off. Tegon, the female Beagle, was created to help in research to find cures for diseases like Alxheimers and Parkinson’s.
It recently came to light that, 100 sled dogs were “culled” from a large pack of dogs owned by a dog sledding company for tourists in Whistler, B.C. last Spring. They were not euthanized—they were slaughtered in front of other dogs waiting their turn to be killed. The account of the killing is pretty horrific. They were shot and some had their throats slit. The only reason this came out was due to a workman’s comp claim filed from by the man, Bob Fawcett, who killed the dogs. His claim was due to PTSD from shooting the dogs.
There have been a ton of conflicting statements about this case.
Fawcett claims he was ordered to kill the dogs to reduce costs. Jim Houssian, the owner of Outdoor Adventures, says he did not tell Fawcett to kill the dogs.
First, it was reported the the dogs killed were old and ill. Other statements say a veterinarian contacted to euthanize the dogs refused because the dogs were healthy.
Fawcett approached the SCPA twice about taking dogs. One person at the SPCA says he contacted them in April or May (possibly before the cull), while another person at the SPCA says he contacted them in May after the cull. Both agree he contacted the SPCA again in September. Either way, Fawcett was turned away by the SPCA both times.
What a mess. There’s always a risk for problems when a business relies on animals for it’s operation. The bottom line is sometime met at the expense of the animals. Whatever led up to the cull, Outdoor Adventures clearly is to blame for not having a plan to provide for its dogs.
The SPCA wouldn’t take the dogs because its behavior expert said sled dogs don’t make good pets. I don’t know enough about the adoptability of sled dogs to have an opinion about that, but I do think the SPCA’s response was shameful. What could they have possibly thought would happen to that many dogs in this economy?
Finally, we consumers need to be aware of what we’re supporting when we spend our money with businesses who rely on animals.
Here’s one last thing to think about dog sledding—The Yukon Quest is underway right now and the Iditarod starts March 5th. 2010 was the first year there were no dog deaths during the Iditarod. 6 dogs died in the 2009 race. Of course, those tallies don’t account for how many dogs died to get the musher to the starting line.
Dog shake physics—wet animals are so efficient at shaking water out of their fur, it probably has mechanical applications with washing machines, spin coaters, painting devices, etc.
Cat collars safer than previously thought. Lost cats are much less likely to be found than lost dogs, so researchers wanted to see how well cats would tolerate a collar & just how dangerous. In one city surveyed, 40% of lost cats were indoor-only cats and fewer than 2% of lost cats are reunited with their owners, so indoor cats need collars with tags too. In terms of safety, the study reported that out of 391 cats, only 18 cats got their collar stuck in their mouth, a limb, or another object.
Cats are masters of hydrodynamics. Cats average 4 laps per second without getting their chin or whiskers wet. A column of water forms between the tongue and the surface of the liquid. Dogs’ tongues scoop up water, while cats’ tongues don’t break the surface. One of the researchers got the idea after watching his own cat drink milk.
A recent study indicates the selective breeding of dogs hasn’t just changed their appearance, it’s also changed their brains by causing rotation and reorganization most notable in brachycephalic dogs like pugs, some mastiffs, bulldogs, etc. The position of the olfactory lobe has dramatically moved in these dogs, possibly affecting their sense of smell, which is comparable to changing a human’s sense of sight. It’s unknown at this point if these changes in the brain have led to changes in behavior. (You can also read the original journal article on the study at PloSOne.)
Emotions
Emotions help animals make decisions in a way similar to humans. For example, animals and humans in a negative emotional state (anxiety, fear) “tend to judge ambiguous stimuli negatively.” If anxious, something ambiguous like a rustling noise in the grass is judged negatively as a predator or danger of some kind. Likewise, animals and humans in a positive emotional state tend to judge something ambiguous like rustling noise in the grass in a positive way as prey or reward of some kind. It seems to me this could have interesting bearing on training methods, for example, the effects of coercive training versus operant conditioning such as clicker training. (You can aslo read the original journal article on this study at the Royal Society of Biological Sciences.)
Remember the “gothic kittens” story? Holly Crawford, the woman who pierced black kittens so she could sell them as “gothic kittens” has been sentenced to house arrest. She won’t be able to operate her dog grooming business, but will be able to keep her current pets. The judge also ordered her to take down the web site she set up to solicit donations for her appeal. Crawford sounds like a real peach. She’s been “arrested 17 times and convicted of shoplifting, driving under the influence, delivery of a controlled substance, theft by unlawful taking, criminal conspiracy and possession with intent to deliver heroin.”
The deadly Hendra virus detected in dog for the first time—sadly, Dusty, the Queensland, AU Kelpie has been euthanized. He’s the 4th animal the family has lost to the virus. Find out more on Hendra virus symptoms from the WHO.
Scientists in South Korea have created a glowing dog who can be turned on & off. Tegon, the female Beagle, was created to help in research to find cures for diseases like Alxheimers and Parkinson’s.
Taipei is offering a chance to win gold ingots for bringing in dog poop. Yep. They’ll also give rewards for photographs of people not scooping their pup’s poop.
