The article below consists of short biographies of two very noble dogs.

Sergeant Stubby: This canine made his owner and country proud and left behind a legacy that both men and dogs could do well to emulate. Stubby was promoted to Sergeant because of his exploits in combat during WWI.

Stubby’s journey to eventual stardom started when he was found in 1917 on the Yale campus by John Conroy. Stubby lived for 20 years, his pedigree is debatable but he is generally considered to be a bull terrier. Stubby arrived in wartime France with Conroy’s unit. He was smuggled by his owner aboard the USS Minnesota.

In France, Stubby saw action with the 102^nd Infantry. He took part in an incredible four offensives and 17 battles over a period of 18 months. Stubby received a wound in the foreleg from hand grenade shrapnel. He was sent behind the lines for convalescence and he returned to the trenches when he recovered. Stubby offered invaluable service by warning his unit of poison gas attacks and impending artillery fire. His dog ears were able to hear the whine of the artillery shells much before humans did and he was a useful advance warning system. His heroics include the capture of a German spy and locating wounded soldiers in no-man’s land.

After the war Stubby led a relatively quiet life as Conroy’s pet. He attended Georgetown University with his master and also took time out to take part in parades across the country and shake a paw with Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge.

Smoky: A female Yorkshire terrier that stood a mere seven inches tall and weighed four pounds. She was found in an abandoned foxhole in New Guinea by an American soldier. She changed hands for two Australian pounds and became the property of Corporal William Wynne.

Smoky took part in twelve battle missions and won eight battle stars. Her most famous achievement was in helping engineers build an air base at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon. Smoky waded though a seventy foot pipe half-filled with sand with a telegraph wire attached to her collar. Smoky achieved in minutes what would have taken the engineering team three days to achieve. It also meant that 40 United States Fighter and Reconnaissance planes did not have to be moved from the taxiway; doing this would have exposed them to enemy planes.

Smoky is credited as being the first dog on record to have been used as a therapy dog. She continued with her therapy work even after the war. Smoky broke the mould in that she was a lap dog but with her efforts she achieved what most dogs bred for labor and hardships can scarcely hope to achieve.

Smoky has monuments to it in Eastlake and Columbus, Ohio and, Missouri, Hawaii, and in Tennessee.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Commercial pet food that purports to be nutritionally balanced food for your dogs has the following ingredients in it - cow brains, sheep guts, chicken heads, road kill and rancid grain. This is the extent of pollution in pet food. Investigative reporter John Eckhouse of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote an expose “How Dogs and Cats Get Recycled into Pet Food.” in which he writes “Each year, millions of dead American dogs and cats are processed along with billions of pounds of other animal materials by companies known as renderers.

The finished products - tallow and meat meals - serve as raw materials for thousands of items that include cosmetics and pet food.” Inspite of denials by the pet food companies, this fact has been borne by the FDA, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association. The big problem is that in the absence of any government agency setting quality standards pet owners cannot get any real assurance of quality in pet food. Governments in the USA and Canada limit themselves to regulating the food label, company details, product weight and whether it is dog food or cat food.

The unwholesome elements of pet food get brushed under headings such as “meat meal” and “meat by-products”. The terms however are misnomers because there is very little meat in the byproducts; it is basically offal and viscera - bones, blood, pus, intestines, ligaments, subcutaneous fat, hooves, horns, beaks, and any other parts not normally consumed by humans. Not to mention the fact that pets are forced into cannibalism as euthanized dogs and cats and those culled at animal centers are also dumped into the renderers. Often the same brand of commercial pet food but from different batches causes a physical and behavioral change in dogs. This includes diarrhea, increased flatulence, a dull hair coat, intermittent vomiting, and itching. A fact that cannot be ascribed to mere coincidence is that most pet food companies are actually subsidiaries of multinational food product companies. From a business point of view, it’s an excellent relationship for the two entities but little attention is paid to the consumer’s needs.

All the waste generated at the food processing sections of companies like Heinz and Nestle is channeled to the pet food manufacturing section. Absolutely nothing goes to waste. Anything rejected for human consumption is good for your pet. This includes the 4-D animals – dead, diseased, dying, disabled. Apart from unhygienic meat, ear tags, cancerous tissue, and plastic that make their way into pet food, there are also the sterilizing and denaturing agents added so that the stuff does not make its way back into the human food chain.

These agents include phenol and creosote both of which are highly toxic. Fuel oil, kerosene, and insect repellants are also added as denaturing agents. These find their way into your pet’s stomach. In order to make the stuff palatable, the pet food companies add restaurant grease and fat to the pet food which makes the naturally revolting stuff appealing to dogs and cats which cannot resist the smell of the fat. The nutrition offered by commercial pet food too is questionable. In 1994, feed tests conducted by the New York State Agriculture Department showed 7 percent of all pet foods analyzed failed chemical analyses for guaranteed nutrients.

Processed pet food does not take into consideration nutrition requirements that vary with breeds, worse they can actually exacerbate or even cause degenerative diseases in pets. occurs due to the concentration of protein in the food as well as various toxic elements present therein. Vomiting, loss of appetite, uremic poisoning cancer, heart disease, allergies, arthritis, obesity, dental disease and death are some of the consequences that can result from a diet of processed pet food.

Popularity: 3% [?]

$14.99 | Personalized Adjustable Nylon Dog Collar >>>

Ensure your pet’s quick and safe return with a personalized dog collar. Beautifully embroidered, individually-stitched block letters spell out your pet’s name and your phone number.

Rugged, nylon personalized dog collar adjusts quickly for a perfect fit and has a touch-lock clasp for opening and closing ease.

Allow an extra 3-4 days for personalization.

Merchant: PETsMART

Popularity: 3% [?]

What is it about animals and dogs in particular that they lend themselves so readily to mascots? I think one reason is the attributes that they possess and those we wish to associate with. Given below are five dog mascots of universities in the U.S.

Southern Illinois University and the saluki

As far as mascots for colleges go, they don’t come any more disconnected than the one for the Southern Illinois University. The university sports team has for its mascot a saluki – a sighthound first domesticated in Egypt some four thousand years ago. How the saluki came to be the mascot of the Dawgs is an interesting tale in itself. The university is located in an area in the Deep South that earned the name “Little Egypt” when, according to state legend it did what Egypt had done for Joseph in the biblical story, it provided it neighboring areas with grain when those areas faced drought.

The saluki is an apt mascot for the dawgs who if their fans are to be believed are always in the hunt for the NCAA basketball tournament title each March.

The saluki is a swift and sleek animal being able to achieve speeds of 40-45 miles per hour. This makes them amongst the fastest dogs of all time. They can also jump up to 20 feet from a standing start. Their Egyptian masters made good use of the dog’s abilities when they took them on gazelle hunts. The salukis would hunt with the horses and move in packs. Salukis are related to greyhounds and Afghan hounds. In the US, the dogs were introduced a mere hundred years back. The good news is that unlike other purebreds, the salukis have a large genetic base and so the population’s health is not under any threat from inbreeding.

University of Connecticut and the husky

The University of Connecticut - UConn – athletic teams are known as the Connecticut Huskies. The major sports at the university are football and men’s and women’s basketball.

The mascot was chosen in 1934 by means of a survey conducted by the student newspaper - The Connecticut Campus. The husky dog topped the results and ever since Jonathan the husky has been the UConn mascot. The present Jonathan is twelfth in line. Go here to learn more about the UConn Husky, read the UConn Husky lyrics and download the music.

The husky is a sled dog and there are several breeds of huskies. The dog is renowned for its strength and stamina and is a popular mascot of sports goods. The dogs are mischievous and strong-willed and yet sociable and gentle with children. Huskies are work dogs and not of much use as guard dogs - they are friendly with most and bark little. On the other hand, they love to howl.

James Madison University and Duke Dog

The James Madison University or JMU has the feisty Duke Dog as its mascot. Dukes is a bulldog and has been the JMU mascot since 1947. The school is nationally recognized for its academics. James Madison University was ranked #17 overall in the nation amongst public colleges and universities, according to the February 2006 issue of Kiplinger Magazine.

The bulldog which has a fascinating history is easily the most popular dog breed to have originated in England. Also called the British bulldog, it has come to signify British pugnacity. The original bulldog, now extinct, was used for bull-baiting, hence the name. Bulldogs were used by butchers in the mistaken belief that harassing bulls before with bulldogs tenderized their meat. The butchers felt that the lactic acid released actually helped make the meat tastier. An excellent piece on the history of the bulldog can be found here.

Yale University and Handsome Dan

Yale holds the record for having the first mascot adopted by a university in America. Handsome Dan, the bulldog, is the Yale athletic team’s, there have been sixteen Dan’s to cheer and motivate Yale athletes, particularly when they take on their arch rivals from Harvard.

Handsome Dan I who started the dynasty was purchased from a local blacksmith for $ 5.00 in 1889. Handsome Dan II didn’t particularly have a very strong sense of loyalty as Harvard students gleefully proved when they kidnapped him and circulated his happy pics with the Harvard gang. Handsome Dan III was retired early as he had a fear of crowds.

This Yale page offers information on all the Handsome Dans till date.

Carnegie Mellon and Scottie

Scottie the Scottish terrier is the official mascot of the CMU athletics team. Carnegie Mellon is perhaps the latest university to adopt a mascot and a Scottish terrier is an apt choice for a university named after the Scot Andrew Carnegie. The drive to get an official mascot gathered steam in the fall of 2006. Athletics Director Susan Bassett had this to say “With all-star athletes, Nobel Prize winners, Broadway stars and pioneers in technology all calling Carnegie Mellon home, our university has a powerful reputation that we’re hoping to capture symbolically.” “We hope to instill pride and spirit, while having fun with the various opportunities a mascot will create.”

A survey in which 400 alumni participated revealed that the overwhelming majority wanted a Scottish terrier to represent them.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Hooded Tweed Jacket for Dogs Pink >>>

$8.99 - $14.99

Coco Channel would be proud! Beautifully designed dog jacket has an attached hood for extra warmth and easy on/off Velcro closure. Machine washable. Pink, X-Small 8″

Available in Pink or Brown and in various sizes.

Dog.com

Popularity: 3% [?]

The Almost Indestructible Ball >>>

$6.99 to $9.99

Your dog will get hours of enjoyment out of this ball. It won’t chip, break, tear, or pop. Stands up to tough play from the roughest dogs.

PetSmart

Popularity: 4% [?]

Is your dog playing

by Danielle Dickinson and Dee Scott

“He’s only playing” - Or is he?

We’ve all seen it, Buster, the 18 month old Labrador. He’s on his way to the park dragging his owner who can barely keep up, behind him on a lead. He’s so excited that when he reaches the gate his owner can hardly get the lead off him.

The second the lead is removed he races off, breaking a land speed record, straight into a group of dogs bowling them and their owners over. Another group of dogs capture Buster’s attention and he dashes off to another area of the park leaving the bewildered dogs and owners in his wake. It seems Buster is on a mission to meet everyone at the park as quickly as possible.

(more…)

Popularity: 11% [?]