Pet International of Miami, Florida is recalling 1500 units of 6” Beef Trachea Pet Treat because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals (i.e. dogs) eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with […]
AKC’s early decades redefined the phrase “bumpy ride”. An endless barrage of personal, political, and financial disasters repeatedly threatened to bring down the curtain. Thankfully, things seemed to settle down by the early 1920s – then the president abruptly resigned three months into his second term.
By Joan Harrigan The Cesky Terrier gained full AKC recognition in 2011, and the Chinook two years later. Though the breeds are very different, both are personable, friendly dogs well suited to life as companions and family pets. It’s often thought that when a breed becomes recognized by the AKC and is subsequently seen in […]
The pack has expanded! The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) announced that the Spanish Water Dog, Cirneco dell’Etna, Bergamasco, and Boerboel gained full AKC recognition. This brings AKC’s roster of recognized breeds to 184.
Show Name: Westminster Kennel Club Location: New York, NY Show Date: Monday, February 16, 2015 Total Entry: 2681 Best In Show Judge: Hon. David Merriam Dog Reg: GCh Tashtin’s Lookin’ For Trouble [Bitch] Breed: Beagle 15 inch Handler: Will Alexander Owner: Eddie Dziuk, Lori & Kaitlyn Crandlemire Breeder: Lori Crandlemire Reserve Dog Reg: GCh Cragsmoor […]
Eight years is a considerable stretch. Just ask anyone doing time in a federal or state prison. Among the problems associated with incarceration are such issues as anxiety, hypervigilance, confusion–questioning what is real and what isn’t, losing touch with what’s happening in the outside world and frustration. I can personally attest that these issues occur having once been the unwilling guest of the government in my real job as a journalist when I and my reporting partner on a story declined to obey a judge’s order to reveal the source of our information and the judge found our refusal to be contemptible.
Strangely enough, I find myself experiencing deja vu with some of these same issues surfacing now that I’m again dealing with a puppy after having enjoyed an eight year hiatus with my house populated by sensible grown-up dogs. It goes without saying that I’ve had to relearn a LOT of things and along the way have become anxious, hypervigilant, confused, found myself losing touch with just about anything not having something to do with puppy raising and experiencing some serious frustration.
by Joan Harrigan One of the most interesting aspects of Westminster isn’t even its dogs, but rather the people who attend it. Conversations begin at ringside, on line for lunch, or in the benching area. While spectators are united by a passion for purebred dogs, each individual has his or her own story. Because Westminster […]
By Joan Harrigan Dr. Cindy Marriott of Plymouth, Mich. had never owned a dog. Not as a child, not when she was raising her family. However, after retirement from her work teaching psychology in college and divorce, Dr. Marriott wanted “something to do.” She found it—in the form of a very large dog named Dag. […]
Attending Westminster is often feels like entering a battle zone. No amount of preparation can offset the inevitable mental and physical challenges prepackaged with the experience. Therefore, an uplifting, encouraging anecdote might provide a timely perk for everyone entering the fray on this frigid Monday.
I bought my first show dog in 1971. He became a Champion and attained his CD. He sired two litters. Ttttthat’s all folks! Many years later, I remember when my breeding partner and I started to x-ray our breeding stock for Hip Dysplasia. Our finished bitch was x-rayed by the local vet. “It’s fine”, he told us. “No need to send it in. It’s just a waste of money.“ About two years later, I was devastated when our promising young male pick of the litter was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. My partner, however, was in denial. She was sure that this was not genetic. Both his parents had been x-rayed. After all, he did fall off the grooming table that time when he was a pup. The fall must have caused this problem. I was not so easily dissuaded and insisted that we x-ray his littermates. More than one pup turned out to be dysplastic. I bought a copy of Fred Lanting’s first book on Canine Hip Dysplasia and insisted on a second opinion on the dam’s x-rays. Yup, she was dysplastic, too. I had learned a lesson in the value of testing AND the importance of good information. What I did not know and could never have foreseen was how dramatically the world of responsible dog breeding was to change.
