L.A. Helps Control The Pet Population...

Bob Barker, who is best known for his years as the host of "The Price is Right," always ended the show with his famous phrase: "Help control the pet population, have your pet spayed or neutered."

Now, this line can end with, "because it's the law in Los Angeles." Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed this law on Tuesday. It will require residents to have their pet sterilized by the time the animal is four months old.

Of course, there will be exceptions. The most obvious of these exceptions are animals owned by breeders and that compete in shows. Also included will be police and guide dogs.

CNN.com lists the penalties of not complying in its story about the law. As a first warning, those who do not sterilize their pet will receive information about the law. If still no action is taken, the owner will be fined $100 and then $500 with up to 40 hours of community service added to the fines.

In my opinion, this is a great law to have in place. So many animals end up in pounds and are never adopted due to the competition in place by pet stores where puppies and kittens frolic in such a tempting way that few seem to resist. People let their pets reproduce so they can enjoy the adorable result, but even the cutest puppy grows up into a not-so-cute dog. The dog is replaced with a puppy and the cycle continues.

If that's not motivating enough to sterilize pets to keep them from being surrendered to pounds, watch this commercial from Pedigree. The look on Echo's face speaks volumes:

Dashing Through the Snow...

This week, I am going to move away from your typical pet news and look at an animal that's a little more...exotic.

Reindeer, one of the best animals in my book, seem to fit more into the same family as cows when they're domesticated. In fact, this story has to do with reindeer as they relate to cows or, more specifically, bulls.

In the tradition of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, a running of the reindeer was recently held in Anchorage, Alaska. People dressed up as carrots and lichen, which is like catnip for reindeer, and some taped bull's-eyes to their backs and lined up to run through the city.

According to MercuryNews.com, in order to prepare the reindeer to run, they were taken through the course a few times and were given apple slices as a reward.

When it came time to run, no one expected the reindeer to run with such gusto. As soon as the crowd took off, the reindeer followed in hot pursuit hoping to find treats amidst the runners. The reindeer easily overtook the runners by the midpoint of the race. To see the run for yourself, you can watch a clip on MSN Video.

The best irony, of course, was the fact that, while the reindeer where running, they were running past vendors selling reindeer hotdogs and other reindeer dishes. Strangely enough, the event increased the sales for these vendors.

(Picture courtesy of KATU.com)

Mornings With a Cat

If you're blessed, as I am, to wait paw and...paw on a cat, I'd bet that your mornings start out much like mine do.

Every day, I wake up around nine a.m. Or, that's when I set my alarm for. I usually get a different wake-up call around eight a.m. My cat has decided that an hour before I actually want to be awake is the perfect time to have breakfast. The only problem for her is that "the help" has yet to get out of bed.

If I make any sort of sound or movement that betrays any sign of life in my room, my cat takes to meowing incessantly.

If this sounds like your morning, you'll most likely get as much of a kick out of this cartoon as I did. It was made by an English cartoonist named Simon Tofield. "Cat Man Do" and more of his work can be found on the Tandem Films website.

CSI: Pets

Most people have seen at least one episode of what has become one of the most popular shows on TV. "CSI", which has branched into other series such as "CSI: Miami," follows a group of crime scene investigators as they pick apart every gruesome detail surrounding a crime.

But what does this have to do with pets? Now cats and dogs have their own crime scene investigator.

According to the article published by CNN.com, Melinda Merck is the country's only animal CSI specialist. She started out as a veterinarian but then decided to focus on investigating crime scenes involving animals. While most crime scene investigators could make assumptions about the death of an animal at the scene of a crime, Merck knows how animals behave. This knowledge gives her more insight into what might have happened.

She investigates about two cases a month. Since last year, she has been working on the case involving Michael Vick and his involvement in dog fighting. Her job has been to exhume and examine the bodies of 12 dogs involved with the case.

Now, this new field of veterinary forensics has opened up many opportunities for people interested in helping animals. While Merck is the only person practicing veterinary forensics right now, more people will probably join the field soon as this sort of work is needed in animal cruelty cases.

I never considered that examining a crime scene involving animals could be so different from one involving only humans. However, after reading about this new profession, I am happy to know that it is an expanding field so animals can have justice as well.

To read more about Merck or veterinary forensics, you can visit this site.

(Picture courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica)

Beagle Makes History

Over this past week, I have to wonder if I am the only person who was disappointed in the headlines regarding the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. If you haven't seen any of them yet they all read: "Blah blah blah Numero Uno."

I cannot say for sure who first used this headline for this story, but good for that person. It works well. So well, in fact, that every other reporter who covered this story decided to use it as well. Shame on those writers who should know that part of reporting is a fresh, catchy headline.

But enough about that issue. The real story here is that Uno, a loveable looking Beagle, won Best in Show at the WKC Dog Show. He is the first Beagle in the history of this dog show to win Best in Show.

Uno was competing against a Standard Poodle, an Akita, a Weimaraner, an Australian Shepherd, a Sealyham Terrier, and a Toy Poodle for the title. If you know anything about me, you would know that I was partial to the Australian Shepherd. To each their own, though.

Still, when it comes down to it, any of these dogs could melt your heart regardless of the winner. After Uno was announced the winner, he began jumping up and baying happily. I have never seen a dog celebrate, but I'm pretty sure that's the closest thing I'll ever see.

(Picture courtesy of Reuters)

Doggy Boutiques Offer Furry Fashion

After my last post about this year's fashionable pooches, I think it is only fitting to take a look at another fashion in the pet-owning world: doggy boutiques.

I first heard about this trend when the Three Dog Bakery opened. The bakery was started to offer an alternative to Milk-Bones and rawhides for our dogs. The bakery uses all-natural ingredients and the treats are made in the healthiest way possible.

Now, the fashion has expanded to include shops dedicated entirely to our four-legged friends. These boutiques go beyond traditional pet stores to offer brand name clothes, collars, dishes and decor for both dogs and cats.

Here in Fort Collins, we have Wagz of Colorado, a boutique full of pet products located a half of a block north of Mountain Avenue on the east side of College.

I've visited this boutique a few times and have always enjoyed shopping there. They have a plethora of cute dog beds and unique toys. I was even surprised to see cat products. I'm always looking for things my cat needs...or rather gifts I want to shower her with when she probably couldn't care less...and seeing how much they offer for cats made me reach for my wallet.

While you do have to pay the boutique prices for these items, you're guaranteed to find whatever you need to properly pamper your pet. If you are in Old Town, this stop is a must for every dog or cat owner if only to see what a pet store should look like.

Top Dogs of 2007

As 2008 begins, maybe you have considered purchasing this year's trendy dog. But, would you believe that the year's fetching fashion is the Bulldog?

The American Kennel Club (AKC) just announced the list of the top ten most popular breeds as based on registration of newly adopted dogs from last year. While the Bulldog just barely made the top ten list in the tenth spot, this is a big improvement from previous years. The last time the Bulldog made the top ten was in 1935.

While Bulldogs seem awkward and squat, one of the biggest selling points of the breed is obvious when you see a Bulldog puppy. In addition, Bulldogs make great family pets as they tend to be laid back and loveable.

The other dogs on the list show that small breeds like the Yorkshire Terrier and the Dachshund make the perfect companion and, for some people, the perfect accessory. Who's top dog on this list? That spot goes to the Labrador Retriever for the 17th year in a row.

Here's the full list of dogs as posted on USAToday.com:
1. Labrador Retriever
2. Yorkshire Terrier
3. German Shepherd
4. Golden Retriever
5. Beagle
6. Boxer
7. Dachshund
8. Poodle
9. Shih Tzu
10. Bulldog

So, print out this list and perhaps take it into consideration next time you look at your local pet store. However, my pick for up-and-coming dogs has yet to be declared a breed by the AKC. I look forward to the day that I see Augi's on the top ten list. An Augi is an Australian Shepherd, Welsh Corgi mix and boasts the cute face of the Aussie and the tiny legs of the Corgi. Check it out on dogbreedinfo.com.

(Photo courtesy of Veer.com)

Powder Puff Puppies

Today, people across the United States will park themselves in front of their television sets to enjoy an afternoon of punts, Pilsner and...puppies?

For the fourth year running, Animal Planet will be showing its annual Puppy Bowl. The show is perfect to fill the timeslot. It airs during the Super Bowl and probably costs next-to-nothing for the station to produce.

If you have never stumbled across the show before, it's three fur-filled hours of puppies playing on a mini football field to the tune of elevator music. There are plenty of camera angles to capture the action such as the "bowl cam:" a camera filming below the water dishes in each of the end zones. A human referee makes an appearance if any of the canine competitors leaves a 'penalty' on the field. The Puppy Bowl even has a half-time show presented by Bissell featuring some playful kittens.

Petfinder.com helps Animal Planet find all of the puppies at shelters, all of which are available for adoption. For more information about this, an interview with the Vice President of Production for Animal Planet can be found on the Washington Post website.

After having watched a portion of the show two years ago, I would say this show is worth a peek if you're looking to kill some time before the main event. I give the show five out of five paws for the cute factor but one out of five paws for entertainment value.

The Puppy Bowl is scheduled for today from 3-6 pm ET/PT on Animal Planet. Clips from Puppy Bowls of years past can be found on YouTube.com.

(Picture courtesy of Discovery Channel.)