Royal Veterinary College: ‘Don’t Buy a Bulldog’

The English bulldog has become a four-footed symbol of British determination, and this intensified during WWII due to the canine breed’s resemblance to saggy-jowled wartime PM Winston Churchill. There must be shock in the Sceptered Isle over the UK’s Royal Veterinary College recommendation that animal lovers stop buying English bulldogs. The poor pups are plagued by health issues — breathing, skin, eye, and tooth problems — caused by breeding practices. The warning applies to other pups with punched-in faces, French bulldogs and pugs.

More:

“Dog health: Don’t buy a bulldog until breed is reshaped, vets plead,” Helen Briggs, BBC News

“English Bulldogs in the UK: a VetCompass study of their disorder predispositions and protections,” Dan G. O’Neill, Alison Skipper, Rowena M. A. Packer, et al., Canine Medicine and Genetics

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Why Dogs Have Floppy Ears

“Why Dogs Have Floppy Ears,” not an Aesop fable. More here.

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Making the Perfect Dog Toy Is No Walk In the Park

Bark & Co. works with BarkBox customer research, a former LEGO designer, and stand-up comedians in its quest to make the best chew toy for every dog. Fetch more here.

A Quartz video.

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The Big Game

Sunday, February 7, 2016: Time for the Big Game. That’s right, Puppy Bowl XII is on Animal Planet starting at 3PM Eastern Time. The cute canine competitors are recruited from shelters, there’s a kitty halftime show, silkie chicken and hedgehog cheerleaders, and a new assistant referee, Stanley the Skunk. Before game time you can play the furry fantasy game, try the Virtual Reality feature, or adopt a “wide-retriever” puppy of your own.

White Snow

“White Snow,” by CHPLN (Dali Bor and Pippo Vari).

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Patty Hearst’s Dog Wins at Westminster

A dog co-owned by media heiress and former kidnap-victim-revolutionary-bank-robber-convicted-felon-movie-actress Patricia Hearst, now known as Patricia Hearst-Shaw, competed at the prestigious 2015 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The purebred pooch, a Symbionese tiny Shih Tzu named Tania Rocket (formally GCH Hallmark Jolei Rocket Power), won Best of Group in the Toy Category.  The hairy little rag-mop went on and competed for Best in Show, but lost to a beagle named Miss P.

Still, a good showing by Patty Hearst’s little Rocket. Westminster is the Super Bowl of dog shows.

The Big Game

Sunday, February 1, 2015: Time for the Big Game. That’s right, Puppy Bowl XI is on Animal Planet. The cute canine competitors come from shelters, the cheerleaders are kitty cats and dwarf goats, and the halftime show features Kitty Furry. The puppies recently predicted another sporting event, the one out in Arizona today.

More:

“A complete guide to Puppy Bowl XI,” Marissa Payne, Washington Post

Note to cat people: Kitten Bowl II is on the Hallmark Channel at 12 Noon ET

More:

“Kitten Bowl 2015 lineup, start time, live stream and TV schedule,” Adam Stites, SB Nation

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The Big Game

Sunday, February 2, 2014: Time for the Big Game. That’s right, Puppy Bowl X is on Animal Planet at the same time as Fox shows some kind of New Jersey sports spectacle.The cute canine competitors come from shelters, and always get adopted before the Puppy Bowl airs, but this year viewers can participate by picking Puppy Bowl Fantasy Teams.

So, if all dogs go to heaven, does God pick the winner of the Puppy Bowl? Maybe you should pray for your puppy team, just to be on the safe side.

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Animal Welfare in North Korea

Folks in North Korea might be feeling a bit peckish these days, but they sure do treat their puppies well. Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un is reported to have killed his uncle and fed his body to 120 hungry dogs.

Or maybe not ….

Update:

“North Korean execution by dog story likely came from satire,” James Pearson, Reuters

 “Story about Kim Jong-un’s uncle being fed to dogs originated with satirist,” Jonathan Kaiman, The Guardian

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Howl-O-Ween 2013

The annual Howl-O-Ween canine costume contest haunted Capitol Hill’s Lincoln Park on Saturday. See a shaggy sample of animal attendees here.

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