The World's Ugliest Dog (In a Cute Way)

A prominent under-bite, scrunched face and floppy ears are the hallmarks of a winner. The winner of the World's Ugliest Dog contest, that is.

Pabst, a boxer-mix rescued from a shelter by Miles Egstad of Citrus Heights, Calif., won the annual contest on Friday at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Northern California.

It was an upset victory for Pabst, who beat former champion Rascal, a pedigree Chinese Crested.

Pabst's owner took home $1,600 in prize money, pet supplies and a modeling contract with House of Dog.

Miss Ellie, a blind 15-year-old Chinese Crested Hairless, won the pedigree category.

[Source: The Huffington Post]

Puppy Love!

Wedding attendants are going to the dogs. Pet-loving couples are increasingly including their dogs (and other pets, to a much lesser degree) in the wedding parties of some very formal weddings — decking them out in silk and satin and including them in the receiving line, on the program and in the portraits.

"Many people think of their pets as family members, and they wouldn't think of having a special day like this without that member," says Celina Bojorquez, co-owner of Beverly Hills Mutt Club, purveyor of upscale accessories like doggie tuxedos & couture dresses.

Though pets have long been part of casual weddings in meadows, on mountaintops and at the seashore, their participation in chichi affairs at the most ornate churches and refined locales is a more recent phenomenon.

Lynda Barness of I Do Wedding Consulting in Philadelphia always warns couples of the potential perils — "animals are animals, and they can do animal things," she says — and so far all her clients have concluded that including pets in the wedding party isn't necessary. "But as part of the portraits, that's just fine."

Beth Anstandig of Los Gatos, Calif., acknowledges there may be matters to work out but says having her own two border collies involved made her wedding day even more special. "The guests loved it," she says. And she and her husband cherish the photos featuring the dogs — especially because both have since died.

"We are so happy to be able to look back and remember them as they were on that day."


To read the full story, USAtoday.com

If Watching Dogs Surf Doesn't Cure Your Case of the Mondays...

...I'm not sure what will.

This is absolutely adorable!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

400 Pound Dog Biscuit at Illinois' Woofstock 2009

It's a dog's dream come true -- a 400-pound biscuit. That's what they are cooking up at Lambs Farm in Libertyville, Illinois, for Woofstock 2009.

The goal is to beat the world's record for the biggest biscuit. "The previous record was 379," reported communications coordinator Jackie Rachev. Lambs Farm's bakery staff will be joined by a group of volunteers to assemble the massive dog treat.

"We have a very large oven but it is going to be done in pieces for safety and weight issues," Rachev said. "Each piece will be 80-100 pounds. They'll all be baked at the same time. After the official weigh-in and all the photos, the biscuit will be broken up and given to all the four-legged attendees."

Other activities at this family-and-pet event will include a Canine Couture Fashion Show. Dogs are encouraged to wear their best garb for a chance to win a gift certificate for the Pet Shop. There will also be a pet parade with the Big Red Dog serving as grand marshal, skill demonstrations, live entertainment, inflatables and vendors.

For more information, visit Lambsfarm.org

The Blessing of the Animals

They share their owner’s home, family and attention nearly every day. And Sunday morning, Colorado-based pets were able to share in their divine blessing, too, at the Buckhorn Presbyterian Church’s annual Blessing of the Animals service.

More than two dozen dogs, as well as a guinea pig, were brought to the Masonville church’s amphitheater, where they sat somewhat patiently through an animal-themed service and blessing.

“God gave us these wonderful animals,” said the Rev. Sylvia Edwards, who had been invited to the church to give the service.

“They bless us. It’s nice to consciously give them a blessing in a worship service, too.”

What started a few years ago with just a few pets has grown into a community-wide event that offers the pastor’s and God’s blessing to any creature in attendance.

The amphitheater was nearly full Sunday with pooches of all sizes — from a tiny Yorkshire terrier to a towering golden retriever — that wagged, panted and sniffed through the service.

Get the whole story over at The Reporter Herald.

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Check Out This Adorable Animal Odd Couple!

It's the last thing you'd expect to see emerging from the woods of Tennessee - actually make that the last two things!

Their names, Bella, a once stray dog who wandered onto the property, and Tarra, the elephant.

They arrived at an elephant sanctuary one-by-one, but they tend to live out their lives two-by-two no matter what.

When Bella got sick last year and had to live in the sanctuary office, guess who stood vigil for three weeks? Tarra waited there. "We had no choice but to bring Bella down to see Tarra," said one of the workers.

[Source: Fox29.com]

FDA Approves First-Ever Cancer Drug For Dogs

The first cancer drug created specifically for dogs has been approved by the FDA. The drug, manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's animal health wing, is called Palladia and was developed to treat canine cutaneous mast cell tumors.

Cutaneous mast cell tumors account for about 20% of skin cancer in dogs. Although some mast cell tumors can be surgically removed with relative ease, other cases have historically proven more difficult to treat, and the cancer has been known to spread to other parts of the body.

"This cancer drug approval for dogs is an important step forward for veterinary medicine," Bernadette Dunham, director of FDA's center for veterinary medicine, said in a statement Wednesday.

"Prior to this approval, veterinarians had to rely on human oncology drugs, without knowledge of how safe or effective they would be for dogs," Dunham said. "Today's approval offers dog owners, in consultation with their veterinarian, an option for treatment of their dog's cancer."

"At the completion of a Palladia clinical study, approximately 60% of dogs had their tumors disappear, shrink or stop growing," Dr. Cheryl London of Ohio State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, who worked with Pfizer in the development of the drug, said in a statement. "Also, we determined that dogs whose tumors responded to Palladia experienced an improved quality of life."

The drug will be available initially only through a small number of veterinary oncologists; it's expected to be more widely available beginning in early 2010, according to Reuters. It comes in pill form and is given every other day, generally for a period of several months or longer.

[Source: LATimes.com]

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Extra, Extra! Cesar Sunrise Wants You To Read All About It!

They say that the newspaper business is going to the dogs. A campaign for a new product has been making that sentiment come true, with humorous results.

The campaign is for a line of dog food from Mars Petcare U.S., a division of the giant marketer, Mars. The line is called Cesar Sunrise, part of the Cesar brand of offerings for small dogs, and it is being billed as “the first-ever gourmet canine cuisine breakfast.”

Marketers often refer to new products as providing “news” for consumers, assisting a brand to stand out in a crowded category. Mars Petcare U.S. and its agency, the BBDO West division of BBDO Worldwide, have taken that literally, by creating a make-believe newspaper to chronicle the arrival of Cesar Sunrise.

The newspaper, an eight-page broadsheet, carries the fanciful name of The West Highland Herald. There is an accompanying Web site as well, from which a PDF version of the paper may be downloaded.

An estimated 306,000 copies of the print edition of The Herald were distributed in a promotion that took place in eight major markets, including Atlanta, Chicago and Miami.

In two of those markets — New York and San Francisco — the free (fake) paper was accompanied by free (real) cups of coffee.

The jest behind the paper is that it was reported and edited by dogs for dogs. From the weather forecast (“It’s going to rain men and women”) to the classified ads (“For sale: Used stick. Hardly chewed. Has most of its original bark”), The Herald is completely canine-centric.

After all, if they say “Dog bites man is not news; man bites dog is news,” how newsworthy must it be when “dog writes newspaper”?

[Source: The New York Times]

Washington Community Rallies To Save Police Dog's Job

A police dog that was laid off due to budge cuts now has this coastal town rallying behind him in the hopes he could be brought back out of retirement.

"Nitro" can fight crime, but he can't fight the ailing economy. His job was eliminated earlier this month when the Aberdeen Police Department needed to cut its budget.

"(He was) definitely part of the family," said Aberdeen K9 officer Steve Timmons, pictured above with Nitro. "It's tough seeing him not a work."

Six-year-old Nitro has helped nab between 35 and 40 suspects since he joined the force in 2005.

But unemployment is at 14 percent in Grays Harbor County. The Weyerhaeuser plant closing means fewer tax dollars for the city to operate the police department.

That forced Aberdeen's only police dog into early retirement.

"It's still rough for him, he still misses it," Timmons said. "When I go to work, he runs to the door like we're leaving and I have to leave him there. So it's tough."

After people saw the story on Seattle PI last week, there was an outpouring of support. We received an e-mail from one viewer saying: "I'm a member of the Peninsula Dog Fanciers Club of Bremerton. I saw the story about Nitro the other day and was deeply moved. My club would like to donate $500."

Money has been coming in from all over the Northwest. But the department needs around $6,000 to get Nitro his job back.

The police chief says the outpouring of public support may just do it.

"We're getting such a positive outcry that I think we're going to reach our goal to sustain Nitro from just the people that are wanting to support us," said police chief Bob Torgerson.

But it's not a done deal. The chief wants to make sure there's enough money to keep Nitro on the job through next year as well.

He doesn't want to have to go through the heartache of laying off this dog twice.

Donations to Nitro's fund can be made to the Aberdeen Police Department.. The chief hopes to make a decision next week.


[Source: SeattlePI.com]