Category: Dogs

Larry Thompson of West Virginia was finally able to rescue his fourteen year old Dalmatian, Alex, after trying three days to reach him. (Play video.) You can hear the intense relief and emotion in Thompson’s voice the moment he pulls Alex free of the pipe. I can only imagine how Thompson felt, especially considering he headed up the rescue efforts himself.

It’s believed that Alex crawled into the storm drain to beat the heat on Thursday. He apparently crawled the length of the 80 foot pipe, turned around and got stuck. On Friday, his family realized he was missing and the rescue efforts began with Thompson using a back hoe to try to reach him. When a heavy rainstorm hit, he had to dig a culvert to divert run-off from the opening of the storm drain in which Alex was stuck. By Sunday night, they still hadn’t reached Alex, so at 3AM Larry Thompson called his cousin and asked if he’d drive to Kentucky to get an excavator. His cousin was at Thompson’s yard at 8AM and they finally got Alex out a little bit later. Alex had been 20-25 feet underground. It looks like, despite everything, the Dalmatian is going to be okay and Thompson will be putting a cover on the pipe opening.

Michael Vick has accepted a plea deal and will plead guilty to federal conspiracy charges connected to dog fighting. His three co-defendants have already pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Vick. Two of the co-defendants signed statements that Vick killed dogs that “underperformed” by drowning, hanging, or slamming them to the ground. Michael Vick could face 12 to 18 months in prison and a lifetime ban from the NFL. Fifty-three of the sixty-six dogs seized from Vick’s property will probably be euthanized.

The Michigan State University College of Law has a very informative page on dog fighting that covers the history, the training, the culture, the societal cost, the criminal links, laws and legal issues, and evidence, including less obvious things such as the drugs/vitamins/medical supplies used. You can also find out about the signs of dog fighting. And the Humane Society of the United States has a FAQ on dog fighting. (Note: None of the these pages have gruesome photos of dogs showing the barbarism of dog fighting. They do have a wealth of information.)

You can help make a change by educating yourself and by supporting these groups:

• The ASPCA
• The Humane Society of the United States
• The Animal Legal Defense Fund

On just about any other day, Phoenix KNXV-TV helicopter pilot Craig Smith, would have been flying with his dog Molly. But on the day of the fatal crash of two helicopters, Molly, a West Highland Terrier, had been left behind in the rush to cover the breaking story. Molly went everywhere with Craig Smith. She was a fixture in his helicopter and even accompanied him to the dentist. In the end, she also attended Smith’s funeral. Smith had planned for Molly in case anything happened to him. His parents will now be caring for Molly.

Who knew, but how smart?! Mutt Muffs offer hearing protection for our pups. They were created by a Cessna pilot for her dog who accompanies her on flights. She realized the noise of the cockpit must be affecting her dog’s sensitive hearing and that he needed hearing protection just as much as humans. Dogs wearing Mutt Muffs are more alert and happy on flights, where before they “slept” and were probably trying to tune out all the noise.

Mutt Muffs have the same high density foam used in pilot’s headsets and they’re designed to be shake-proof, so your dog won’t shake them off. The site says dogs get used to them pretty quickly and they do look like they are designed to fit really well. I don’t know that I’d use them on a dog in the baggage compartment of a commercial flight since they’d be unsupervised. But, I could see them helping with fireworks or ongoing noise like construction, in addition to flights in private planes or in the cabin of commercial flights.