Free Republic

It's one thing to be serene under fire, it's another to be delusional. More than a few Democrats in Congress are perplexed and worried that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is insisting on ramming through a 1,900-page health care bill on Saturday, just days after her party took heavy losses in Tuesday's elections. "It reminds me of Major Nicholson, the obsessed British major in the film 'Bridge on the River Kwai,'" one Democrat told me. "She is fixated on finishing her health care bridge even as she's lost sight of where it's going and what damage it could cause to her...

Want to save the planet? Kill your pets. Or better yet, eat them. This radical new suggestion comes from New Zealand professors Brenda and Robert Vale, architects who specialize in sustainable living. Their research has found that pets create tremendous strains on the environment and that a truly green world would have no place for these carbon-emitting parasites.

Thanks for killing the planet, dog owners. Well, that's a rough paraphrase of a New Zealand study that claims a medium-size dog leaves a larger ecological footprint than an SUV. In "Time to Eat the Dog? The Real Guide to Sustainable Living," authors Robert and Brenda Vale argue that resources required to feed a dog — including the amount of land needed to feed the animals that go into its food — give it about twice the eco-footprint of, say, building and fueling a Toyota Land Cruiser. Noting that a cat's pawprint was roughly equivalent to a Volkswagen Golf's, "New...

Southfield (WWJ) -- The FBI will hold a memorial for the K-9 killed during a shootout in Dearborn and the dog's name will be added to a memorial wall. Freddy was a nearly 3-year-old Belgian Malinois who was killed Wednesday during a gun battle between agents and Luqman Ameen Abdullah, described as the radical leader of a Sunni Islam group.

When you see their faces, it's hard to imagine who could have treated two puppies like trash, throwing theminto a dumpster. It happened in Monterey County over the weekend just a short drive from a local shelter. The puppies were found Sunday afternoon in a Dumpster next to a Wells Fargo Bank at the Stone Creek Village Shopping Center in Del Rey Oaks. A man heard whimpering coming from inside the trash receptacle, found the puppies inside and brought them to the SPCA on state Highway 68 at about 3 p.m., SPCA Lt. Danielle Scheid said. The puppies, 7-week-old mixed...

Environmentalism: As polls show belief in global warming is dropping, a new study suggests that dogs and cats, like people, are a plague upon the earth. They say people should have edible pets. Here, kitty, kitty. A new Pew Research Center study conducted Sept. 30-Oct. 4 says the number of Americans who think there's solid evidence the average temperature on earth has been getting warmer over the past few decades has plummeted from 71% in April 2008 to 57% today. Over the same period, there's been a comparable decline in the proportion of Americans who say global temperatures are rising...

Carole Bigwood sewed the white wedding dress, baked the wedding cake, and beamed as her little baby girl walked down the aisle to meet her tuxedoed groom as "Here Comes the Bride" strained through the speakers. So what made this wedding different from your average nuptials? It was her two dogs getting hitched — all in the name of fun! Dog nuptials – as silly as they might seem — are growing in popularity, as owners look for ways to create lasting memories with the animals they consider part of the family. "People do these events because they’re joyful," pet...

The reservoir of Democratic support for legislation to stimulate the economy — while adding to the deficit — is drying up. Already faced with what many economists are labeling a jobless recovery, Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are considering passing more measures to lower the nation’s highest unemployment rate in 26 years. Most of the fixes Democrats are eyeing would add to the budget deficit, which was recently estimated at $1.4 trillion. But fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats and the Democratic freshman class of 2008 are raising objections. Some members of these two factions reluctantly went along with the $787...

What are some things you have learned that are harmful to pets that most people don't know? I'll start: 1) Fleas can cause anemia and can be fatal to very young and very old animals, and possibly other animals in general good health. Fleas not only suck blood but can cause a breakdown in red blood cells, which supply oxygen to the body. 2) A broken toenail can be very serious, requiring immediate veterinary attention to prevent infection and other complications. What may look like simple toenail breakage could be a break that exposes the bone.

The CBS "Early Show" ran a story about dogs and their intelligence, or lack thereof. In the story, they shared their list of the top 10 smartest and top 10 dumbest dog breeds. These were their picks.

The story of the Boston Teabone Party told with cats and dogs. Beautiful 2D hand drawn animation. Directed by Bert and Jennifer Klein, copyright Picnic Productions 2009.

After 30 years remodeling homes, Orson Crisler lives a retiree’s life with his family in a modest house on M Street in central Louisville. On a hot day last July, one of Crisel’s family members — a rottweiler, one of six — ran into the street. Within moments a friend returned the wayward canine, but it was too late: A neighbor had called Louisville Metro Animal Services, and the responding animal control officer determined Crisler’s dogs, which were safely inside at that point, were not properly enclosed, hadn’t received proper shots and needed to be impounded. The officer reportedly entered...

Teacher's pet inspires students at Ft. Pierce school Students having a ruff time reading have a new helper, and rather than eat their homework she's here to help with it. Abigail the golden retriever has been hitting the books hard to provide a good example for the kids at Dan McCarty Middle School in Fort Pierce. Abigail already knows how to read eight distinct terms, and her word power is proving to special needs students that anything is possible. "That’s my hope - that the kids will become more motivated, more interested in reading because having this dog that can...

Eleven rescued German shepherd puppies and their mother, found without food or water, are getting foster care from a San Diego County couple, and the pups' exploits have been an international Webcam hit. Following a call from a concerned resident, Riverside County authorities found the mother, Juno, and puppies locked in a backyard in Perris five weeks ago, the day after the puppies were born. The local couple, volunteers with Southern California German Shepherd Rescue, offered to take care of the animals until the puppies are old enough to be adopted. The mother was sick and malnourished, said Barbara Cavanaugh...

IT’S a miracle. That’s what the humans believe, more often than not, after watching this compact, 40-year-old C.E.O. do his work. He enters a room purposefully, his chest thrust forward and a smile on his face. “How can I help?” is his standard introduction, and the way he says it — calmly, assertively — indicates that your problems are about to be solved. It’s unbelievable. That’s what the humans say when they see what Cesar Millan, the “Dog Whisperer,” can do. And the dogs? To a pooch, they appear to be thinking: “Thank God, help has finally arrived.” To prompt...

Two things struck many people as odd three years ago when sheriff’s deputies came to Sandy Saunders’s 150-acre farm, said they had found “shocking” conditions, arrested him on nine counts of animal cruelty, and seized five horses, three sheep and a goat that have never been returned. The first was that the barn owned by Mr. Saunders, a well-known local environmentalist and gadfly, was a popular and quite public gathering place. In the five weeks before the animals were seized, an annual barn dance there brought out perhaps 200 people, and a political fund-raiser drew 150. A woman who had...

- Boomer may be a buster: Measuring 3 feet tall at the shoulders and 7 feet long from nose to destructive wagging tail, his owner thinks she may have the world's tallest living dog.

Synovi was recently taken off the shelves and made unavailable. When the company was called, they were evasive and just said there were some issues and the such, but made no mention of the plant closure until I did an internet search. Please get the word out to any dog owners who may be using Synovi glucosamine. FDA closes Teva Animal Health plant

The question of boys and hunting keeps coming up at our house, and again the other day when the boys walked off the soccer field after a game. "Can we have a dog?" asked one of my eighth-graders. The other twin loves to play with dogs, too. He's kind with them and calm, and dogs and little kids like him. For now, though, he refuses to do what is necessary. "I'm not going out with a bag and pick up the you-know-what. It's not happening. Not gonna do it," he declares, and in this, we believe him. But his brother...

A Beaconsfield, Que., church has gone to the dogs. Really. Christ Church Beaurepaire in the community on the Island of Montreal is about to begin offering a monthly church service that will include dogs. Called Paws and Pray, the communion service will feature bread and wine, as well as doggie treats and bowls of water for the four-legged 'parishioners.' The church's minister, Michael Johnson, said he has always enjoyed doing a pet blessing once a year, so he was open to the suggestion made by an animal-rights activist to include dogs in a church service. "It's to recognize the value...

All dogs in Britain will be fitted with microchips which contain their owner’s details, under cross party plans designed to track family pets. Owners will be forced to install the microchip containing a barcode that can store their pet's name, breed, age and health along with their own address and phone number. The barcode's details would then be stored on a national database which local councils could access in a bid to easily identify an owner’s pet. The new scheme, supported by the Tories and Labour, is designed to curb the trade in stolen dogs, prevent the use of animals...

State Republicans are howling mad over yet another tax hike being slipped through the Legislature that would slap an annual $3 state surcharge on municipal licensing fees canine owners pay for their pet pooches. Annual license fees range from $6 a year in Boston for neutered or spayed canines (and $17 for unfixed dogs) to a flat $20 in Plymouth. Angry GOP senators are pushing to name the bill “Toby’s Law,” after Gov. Deval Patrick’s wriggling Labrador puppy. “We’re trying to collar or neuter these onerous fees and counter the Democrats’ rabid obsession with increases,” said state Sen. Robert Hedlund...

A little while ago I made my wife laugh by doing an impression of a dog acting guilty. After the laughter subsided I started thinking: How does a dog even know how to act guilty? Guilt is not an emotion in any part of the rest animal kingdom except perhaps to a much lesser extent in cats and maybe chimpanzees although I am not sure about the latter due to little contact with chimps. Cats have such a superiority complex that they really don't show much guilt about anything. But dogs go completely overboard in the guilt department. You come...

This is a youtube video for dog lovers. It's cute. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XivhwO_zWWg

A Chinese woman reportedly paid 4 million yuan ($582,000) for a dog. Think about that next time you're at the pet store complaining about the price of puppy chow. The Tibetan mastiff known as "Yangtze River Number Two" is 18 months old, 31 inches high and knows how to make an entrance, the Times Online reported: According to local reports, a motorcade of 30 cars cruised to the airport in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, to take delivery of Yangtze, and a throng gathered to fête the arrival of the city's new resident. A motorcade of 30 cars? That...

9/3/2009 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFNS) -- On a deployment, a multitude of distractions can make sleep challenging for some servicemembers including F-16 Fighting Falcons roaring on the flightline and helicopters thundering through the air. Also putting rest to the test are 70-pound Labrador retrievers taking up half the bed. For Air Force and Army military working dog handlers at Joint Base Balad, the deployed environment requires not only working, but also living with a canine comrade. "Military working dogs normally stay in a kennel when not training or working," said Staff Sgt. Melinda Miller, 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces...

Wolves do better on some tests of logic than dogs, a new study found, revealing differences between the animals that scientists suspect result from dogs' domestication. In experiments, dogs followed human cues to perform certain tasks despite evidence they could see suggesting a different strategy would be smarter, while wolves made the more logical choice based on their observations. In fact, dogs' responses were similar to human infants, who also prioritize following the example of adult humans.

She just celebrated her birthday a few months ago at a Manhattan dog hotel and spa, but now she's gone to an eternal retreat. Chanel, a Long Island wire-haired dachshund regarded as the world's oldest dog, has died. She was 21 -- 147 in dog years. The loveable pup, who made an appearance on the "Today" show in May, died Friday of natural causes at her home in Port Jefferson Station. The Guinness Book of World Records named Chanel "the oldest dog" last spring when a 28-year-old beagle from Virginia died. Guinness officials helped the centenarian canine celebrate her 21st...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2009 – Military working dogs have come a long way since the days of ancient Persia and Assyria, where they donned armor, spiked collars and warned of impending attack or charged on the enemy's cavalry. But they are as important as ever, and U.S. military leaders are making sure they are rewarded with a happy retirement. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christa Quam holds her puppy, which will enter the military working dog program in a year at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The dogs are enrolled in a 60- to 90-day training program, where they are trained...

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) was years ahead of the curve when it came to Take Your Dog to Work Day. The constant presence of his three Portuguese water dogs in his Russell building office helped humanize their owner and brought a sense of fun to a workplace known for rules and formalities. Now, lobbyists, staffers and other Hill dwellers say they mourn not only the passing of Kennedy but also he end of a unique chapter in Capitol Hill’s canine history. With their black curly hair, floppy ears and bouncy gait, Kennedy’s dogs became a part of the lawmaker’s nearly...

Authorities removed 432 animals from a Citra home Thursday and Friday, to the delight of neighbors who say the menagerie was noisy and unsightly.Almost 200 animals were living cramped inside the home, including more than 150 birds, 37 dogs and two cats. The rest, including 23 goats and sheep, 74 geese, 15 turkeys, some exotic birds, snakes and gopher tortoises, were scattered around the fenced, half-acre lot in a rural area of Citra, officials said.Dawn Stephen, an animal compliance official for Marion County, said authorities became aware of the problem when paramedics were called to the residence to treat the...

Robin Starr has been an outspoken critic of NFL quarterback Michael Vick for leading a cruel dogfighting ring. Vick acted despicably, then served his time in prison. But today Starr is dealing with a cruel twist of fate. A 16-year-old family dog died in the back seat of her car last week after being left there for four hours on a hot day in Richmond, Va. Let's be clear: By all accounts so far, this was an accident that could have been avoided. Starr, the CEO of the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, says she didn't...

The canine IQ test results are in: Even the average dog has the mental abilities of a 2-year-old child. The finding is based on a language development test, revealing average dogs can learn 165 words (similar to a 2-year-old child), including signals and gestures, and dogs in the top 20 percent in intelligence can learn 250 words. And the smartest? Border collies, poodles, and German shepherds, in that order, says Stanley Coren, a canine expert and professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia. Those breeds have been created recently compared with other dog breeds and may be smarter in...

By Brent Curtis Staff Writer - Published: August 11, 2009 A Rutland City police shooting of a dog on Post Road in Rutland Town has outraged the dog's owner and friends but was preliminarily deemed justified Monday by city police reviewing the incident. Officer Frank Post and his partner King Bricks, a German shepherd, were called to 153 Post Road after 1 a.m. on Friday to trail a man whom state police were pursuing in the area, city police said. But minutes after Bricks was deployed on the property's back yard, a fight broke out between Bricks and another German...

Disgraced quarterback Michael Vick declared Sunday that he really "cares" about animals. He says he wept in disgust over his own cruelty to animals while serving time for running a bloody dogfighting ring. And yes, he also found God in prison. Treading the well-worn path of career revival, Vick went on CBS' "60 Minutes" pledging to devote himself to teaching kids from poor backgrounds to be kind to animals. "When I was in prison, I was disgusted, you know, because of what I let happen to those animals. I could've put a stop to it," he said. "And that was...

Dogs in Moscow are ubiquitous, whether they are homeless or housebroken. Those who live on the streets can be found on almost every corner looking for food; those who have owners, like this dachshund near a pond in the Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo region of northern Moscow, have a more leisurely lifestyle.

Man escapes charges for barbecuing pet dog By Saeed Ahmed CNN (CNN) -- A man who roasted his pet dog to enjoy as a meal with his family and friends escaped prosecution after authorities in New Zealand determined the animal was killed humanely. "We were in a dilemma at seeing something we were fairly upset about -- but being in a position of being able to do absolutely nothing about it," said Garth Halliday, of the Auckland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, on Monday. The SPCA -- which investigates acts of animal cruelty and presses charges --...

COLUMBIA, Ill. - The parents of an autistic child are suing a southwestern Illinois school district they say won't let the 5-year-old boy bring his certified service dog to school. Melissa and Chris Kalbfleisch (KAHLB'-flysh) filed the lawsuit Monday in Monroe County against Columbia Community School Unit 4. The couple seeks an injunction that would let their son, Carter, bring the 11-month-old dog to school under a state law the family says allows it.

Here is a video report on a pack of wild dogs killing an elderly couple in Georgia. Apparently, the elderly woman, Sherry Schweder, took a walk on the country road near their home and was attacked by a pack of wild dogs. When her elderly husband came looking for her when she did not return, he too was attacked by the dogs. Their bodies has multiple wounds consistent with an attack by animals. The couple had both been employed at the University of Georgia - Mr. Schweder for many years as a German Professor, and Mrs. Schweder at the library....

Eight days ago, a pair of pit bull-mix terriers attacked Leonard Garrett, 70, and his wife, Beulah, 75, in the front yard of their Metairie home, viciously snapping and chewing on their hands and arms. "I'm just sick. It was so bad," said Leonard Garrett, who was recovering at home Friday. His wife could remain hospitalized for another week or more. The dogs' owner, next-door neighbor Marcus Alleman, agreed to turn them over to Jefferson Parish animal control. They were destroyed after temperament tests determined they were unsafe, said Deano Bonano, chief administrative assistant to Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard....

AN NHS nurse quit her stressful £15,000-a-year job - to earn the same salary by walking dogs. And Julie Odell chooses to work just ten hours a week compared to 40 in the hospital - so could rake in FOUR TIMES as much. She gets around £30 an hour - compared to £7.50 at the NHS, which she left after "watching standards of care plummet". Julie of Edinburgh, said: "I'm just part-time but I've heard of one man who charges £10 per dog per hour, takes six dogs on every walk and does three walks every weekday.

My wife and I took our dog to the neurologist the other day. Yes, the neurologist. For a dog. I'm sure it sounds extravagant, but Cosmo had been having unexplained seizures, so we took him in for an MRI and a spinal tap after a batch of the normal, cheaper tests. He's a handsome dog, but he's built like an old East German car. When he was barely a year old, he came up lame in his front right leg. The vets had to cut the bone in two, insert a long metal pin and then snap it all back...

My wife and I took our dog to the neurologist the other day. Yes, the neurologist. For a dog. I’m sure it sounds extravagant, but Cosmo had been having unexplained seizures, so we took him in for an MRI and a spinal tap after a batch of the normal, cheaper tests. He’s a handsome dog, but he’s built like an old East German car. When he was barely a year old, he came up lame in his front right leg. The vets had to cut the bone in two, insert a long metal pin, and then snap it all back...

LEESBURG, Va. - Leesburg Police confirm a 20-year-old resident and another dog were killed by a family member's two pit bulls. Carter Delaney was killed by his brother's young pit bulls and neighbors say his grandfather made the disturbing discovery in the 100 block of Plaza Street NE shortly before 2 p.m. Monday. "We were really saddened by it. Me and my kids are going to come out and put something down," said neighbor Doodie Summers. Neighbors who lived near the Leesburg home where Delaney was mauled to death by two family pit bulls were shocked. "Oh my God, it...

"60 Minutes" just announced that Michael Vick will sit down for his first interview since admitting to dogfighting and serving time in prison for the crime. The interview is not being done by one of the "60 Minutes" regulars, but rather by CBS Sports NFL TODAY anchor James Brown. The segment will also include interviews with Wayne Pacelle, head of the Humane Society of the U.S., and Tony Dungy, the former NFL coach who will be a special adviser to Vick. The former Atlanta Falcon's quarterback was released from federal custody last month and was given a conditional reinstatement to...

MONDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- According to accumulating research, the beloved family dog is really a toddler with a snout and tail. "Dogs basically have the developmental abilities equivalent to a human 2-year-old," said dog expert Stanley Coren, who was scheduled to present recent canine research developments at the American Psychological Association annual meeting this week in Toronto. The average dog can learn 165 words, although "super dog" Rico, a border collie, could understand 200 spoken words. Experts think some dogs can learn up to 250 words. Dogs can count up to four or five and can correct you...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   North Carolina Senate Passes Anti-Hunting Bill!   Thursday, August 06, 2009   Please Contact Your State Representative Today!Senate Bill 460 — the anti-dog breeder, anti-hunting bill promoted by the radical Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) — passed the Senate on Wednesday, by a narrow 23-22 vote.  The legislation is now in the House, where it has been referred to the Committee on Commerce, Small Business, and Entrepreneurship.  Please contact members of that committee and urge them to oppose S 460. Please click here to contact the members of the...

A 32-year-old Hermitage woman faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment after her 1 1/2-year-old Rottweiller named “Cruz” bit a Farrell boy July 15 at her apartment in the Orange Village apartment complex, police said. April Hughes of 400 Orange Drive, Apartment 2, was also cited with harboring a dangerous dog because this is the ninth time Cruz has bitten someone, police said Police allege Ms. Hughes left the boy alone with the dog in the apartment and he was attacked. The boy needed 60 stitches for a head wound, police said.

1st Lt. John Reed, a platoon leader with 15th Brigade Support Battalion, attempts to evade Capka, a military working dog, during a demonstration at Forward Operating Base Warrior, Kirkuk, Aug. 1. The demonstration was to not only entertain Soldiers but to educate leaders on the capabilities of the military working dogs. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Douglas, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs. FOB WARRIOR — No matter how fast the dozen or so Soldiers ran, they couldn't outrun Buli and Capka, a pair of German Sheppard military working dogs, during a demonstration here, Aug. 1. Soldiers from the 15th Brigade...