Take your dog to work

Three employees discuss a great pertk, being allowed to bring your dog to work.

Caveat: the dogs must be well behaved.

Who invited the dog?

A New York Times special investigative report:

Difficult guests are no longer limited to humans. The boundaries between humans and animals have been so eaten away by pet therapists, pet designer outfits and pet bar mitzvahs, that it has reached a point where devoted owners, who treat their animals as privileged children, lose all perspective on the pet’s role in their social lives.

More American households have pets than ever — 68.7 million of them in 2006, according to a new survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association, up 12.4 percent from 2001.

Soldier, sniffer dog partner killed together

On July 6, Kory Wiens, 20, and his golden lab, Cooper, became the first working dog team killed together since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began. They were killed by an explosive while on patrol 20 miles southeast of Baghdad. Wiens and Cooper were cremated, and their ashes buried alongside one another in Dallas, Ore.

Hmmm

And what is the focal point of this photo of a very handsom labrador retriever?

Hmmm

Famous labs: Buddy

Aida Turturro, who played Tony Soprano's sister Janice and is now on Broadway, has a black labrador retriever called Buddy

Relationships can be so, well, “transitional,” she told the New York Times. “It’s better if I don’t say anything about men. Let’s just say that Buddy is the love of my life.”

She last had Labradors while growing up in a mixed neighborhood on the Lower East Side. Her parents divorced when she was a toddler, and she was raised by her father, Dominick, an artist, and her stepmother. She put herself through college, SUNY at New Paltz, by cleaning houses.

Read more.

Dogologist's top five book picks

Psychologist and dog scholar Stanley Coren picks his five top dog books for the Wall Street Journal and -- wouldn't you know it? -- they're all a bit on the wonkish side.

For the Love of a Dog
By Patricia B. McConnell
Ballantine, 2006

If Only They Could Speak
By Nicholas H. Dodman
Norton, 2002

If Dogs Could Talk
By Vilmos Csányi
North Point, 2005

Bones Would Rain From the Sky
By Suzanne Clothier
Warner, 2002

Always Faithful
By William Putney
Free Press, 2001

Vets see more drug resistant infections in dogs

Vets say drug resistant staph infections in pets are an under-diagnosed and growing problem but no cause to panic.

National Dog Show airs Thanksgiving Thursday

Given that the Daily Doxie makes our headquarters in Canada, we were not aware of the American tradition of sitting around the television on Thanksgiving Thursday to watch the National Dog Show until we read about it in the Washington Post. We were happy to learn, however, that the host of the show -- dog writer, dancer and TV guy, John O'Hurley -- is a former Dachshund owner.

We'll try to catch at least some of it.

Do labs like Paris?

Well, it seems Chloe does. She moved to the City of Light from the Big Apple. That's one sophisticated dog.
---------
Here's a Belgian visitor to Paris. You can tell he's not a native because he doesn't have the bandana tied quite right.

Eiko in Paris, originally uploaded by eikootje.

Hydrogen peroxide cure for raisins and chocolate

The Labrador Retiever and Dog News had not heard of using hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting in dogs who have overdosed on chocolate, raisins, grapes or --worst case scenario -- chocolate-covered raisins so we were a little taken aback when a commenter discussed administering such a treatment over at the Scottie News yesterday.

A little research, however, showed she did exactly the right thing.

Beau and Me: Writer Chronicles the life of lab

Bestselling writer and Newsweek columnist Anna Quindlen has a new book coming out Tuesday called "Good Dog. Stay." (Random House, $14.95, out Tuesday). With the potential to be the next "Marley and Me," it's a short, illustrated gift book about the long (in dog years) and happy life of a black Labrador retriever named Beau, who died in June.

Retired police lab dies in South Carolina house fire

Smoke inhalation was the cause of death for a black Labrador retriever named Sergeant. Although he was well-trained and could even let himself out of the house by opening and closing a sliding glass door, that door was locked at the time of the fire because the owners were not home.

Would you hire these dog trainers?

Looks like Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan can rest easy for now.

Dog Whisperer versus the others

The wonderful dog writer Denise Flaim reviews the Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan's new book, Be the Pack Leader. She notes:

One of the criticisms of Millan's first, chart-topping book, "Cesar's Way," was that it offered little in the way of specifics. Along with plenty of case studies, Millan's second effort offers a few more tangibles, including a pie chart divvying up the components of an hour-long walk; analyses of different behavior-modification tools, from citronella collars to scat mats; and a discussion of breed differences.

In the same column, Flaim also looks at new books by more mild-mannered trainers who take exception to Cesar's methods. Et tu Denise.

Yellow lab saves jogger from attack

Bravo to Jack, an Atlanta lab.

Training a lab puppy to let go

Some helpful tips for owners of a dog that was bred to retieve.

As the Chicago Sun Times' Dog Lady (not to be confused with this Dog Lady) puts it, when asked about Ed, a dog who doesn't like to go outside without an object in his mouth, "Your Ed wants to face the world with his face full of something. He's a retriever. He's wired to have a mouth crammed with whatever. He'd rather it be a grouse, so he grouses until he gets something in his jaw that feels like a worthy substitute."

Prized Brazilian lab found dead in in Puerto Rico

A Brazilian chocolate labrador that disappeared when thieves in Puerto Rico stole an idling car with the prized pooch inside was later found dead inside the abandoned vehicle and thought to have died from heat exposure.

Named Al Pacino the dog was in Puerto Rico to participate in the San Juan International Dog Expo.

It's tough being a New York dog

As 11-year-old golden lab Socha recently discovered.

Maybe Socha should move to Bangor, Maine where Zoe, a black lab, has been appointed to a downtown liason committee based on her experience as an unofficial consultant last summer when the city was trying to decide where it should install several bag dispensers for dog waste.

Italian lifeguards love labs

And not just because of their webbed feet.

Sniffer labs give star performance at film festival

Sniffer labrador retrievers, Lucky and Flo, who specialize in detecting pirated DVDs, have hit the road for a high-profile tour which includes cameo performances at the Toronto Film Festival.

Lucky and Flo, who hail from Ireland, are so good at their jobs that earlier this year, when they were on loan to Malaysia, a bounty was placed on their heads by aggrieved pirates.

The Toronto Star has video.
------------------

Meanwhile in other sniffer dog news, the University of Washing ton gets its own bomb detection unit in the form of chocolate lab, Kali.

Andrex puppy wins Brintain's favourite TV Animal

The little golden lab beat out Lassie, Eddie from Frasier and even Black Beauty, the horse. For non-Brits here's some Andrex Puppy video.