Find perfect pooch at Detroit dog shows

Ask any dog lover. Picking the right dog for your lifestyle is as important as selecting a romantic partner. As with a person, the secret to any good relationship with a dog is to know who you are and understand their distinct personality. Are they the independent outdoorsy type or a cuddling homebody?

One place to do some soul-searching is during the 100th and 101st Detroit Kennel Club Dog Shows, happening Saturday and Sunday at Detroit's Cobo Arena.

The canine extravaganza includes more than 2,000 dogs representing 169 breeds, competing for everything from Best of Breed to Best in Show. Last year, the Best in Show winners were a Weimaraner on Saturday and an Alaskan malamute on Sunday.

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Traveling with unrestrained pets can endanger you

Traveling with a cat or dog loose in the car can result in accidents, runaway animals, and even death to pet and driver.

Christina Selter, founder of pet safety group BarkBuckleUp in San Diego, says these disasters can be avoided by using special devices that keep pets safely restrained.

The organization drew attention to the issue at a recent Volvo-sponsored exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show. Volvo, known for its safety efforts, offers factory-installed kennels for pets in its XC90 or V70 wagons, for instance. Other car companies are considering offering equipment aimed at pet safety, too.

A look at national statistics shows the potential impact and importance of restraining pets in vehicles. More than 67 percent of U.S. households own a pet, with 44.8 million owning a dog and 71 million owning a cat, according to the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association.

Dogs attack, hospitalize animal control officer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Blount County Animal Control officer has been sent to the hospital after he was attacked by two pit bulls.

Authorities say the officer was checking up on the dogs after they had recently been quarantined for attacking a 15-year-old boy. The officer was treated and released from Blount Memorial Hospital.

Deborah Kay Dyer, the dogs' owner, has been charged with reckless endangerment with her dogs' attack on officer Kenneth Crowder on Thursday.

Police say the dogs also attacked a 15 year old two weeks ago.

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Bad dog diaries

Anyone who owns a lab knows the trials and triumphs of the breed.

I have a chocolate lab named Baloo, and yes, to all of those who took the Kentucky Achievement test in the 1980s and ’90s, a baloo is a bear.

Boo, as he often is called, seems to take great pride in his mischievous behavior. I will find him at various times during the day sitting on my bed with a sock or dish towel hanging out of his mouth as he waits for me to discover him.

When asked one time what his best trick was, I answered, “stealing the remote.”

He has chewed a corner out of just about every rug, pillow, blanket and towel in my house. As someone who is slightly obsessive-compulsive, the dog has been good therapy.

Boo also weighs close to 100 pounds. That means when we go for a walk, he walks me. I have been dragged face down in the yard, went Boo-skiing one snowy day and have been injured from time to time when he has seen a rabbit or cat in the yard and just had to chase it.

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Crack national canine team reinforces crucial rescue role

They wear Velcro-strapped boots, high-visibility jackets and harnesses, and squeeze into dangerous spots where most people would not dare to follow. Meet the dog squad - a new corps of elite animals that take up to two years to train.

The government yesterday announced funding for the first national unit of urban search and rescue dogs whose nose for human scent make them vital members of the fire and rescue services, searching for survivors in collapsed buildings.

British dogs helped search the rubble left by Pakistani earthquakes and the Boscastle floods, and US dogs were used in the aftermath of 9/11. The team's creation will replace ad hoc arrangements which are often dependent on volunteers, on limited funding by individual services, and on free dog food from a leading manufacturer.

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Free Clinic Aims To Keep Pets From The Dog Pounds

Your dog may be overweight - and you may not even realize it.

And that lack of awareness could jeopardize the health of your favorite four-legged friend.

To help combat canine obesity, Pfizer Animal Health has joined forces with the American Kennel Club Humane Fund and veterinarians across the country to launch The National Canine Weight Check, a free way to find out whether your dog is overweight.

To get a realistic picture of your dog's health, you can take your dog to participating veterinary clinics throughout February for a free weight check. Numerous local veterinarians are participating, so go to www.stopcanineobesity.com to find the one nearest to you.

The Van Dyke Animal Clinic at 6066 Van Dyke Road is among those taking part.

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Dog-show coverage a reminder of how we love our pets

USA cable is putting on the dogs tonight but will defer to the grunt-and-groaners for most of the evening.

For the 25th year in a row, USA will telecast the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at 8 p.m. But this year the cable channel will toss coverage of the 9-11 p.m. segment of the three-hour event to CNBC. USA will then fulfill its weekly commitment to Monday night wrestling at 9. Tomorrow night USA will air all three hours of the dog show beginning at 8 including the crowning of the best in show. Westminster is probably the best-known dog show and the second-oldest continuously held sporting event in the country, second only to the Kentucky Derby. Of course, most of the dogs you see on these shows lead pampered lives with the best of everything their owners and backers can give them.

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