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Here's a link to a great story from the Associated Press about Nubs, a stray desert dog who found a friend in Marine Maj. Brian Dennis. The determined soldier pulled off a logistical miracle to save the dog and send him safely to the U.S.

Dennis found Nubs while on patrol in the Anbar province. He named the shepherd mix Nubs because someone had sliced off the dog's ears.

Nubs proved to have soldier-like survival skills. Even after Dennis followed orders and left the dog in the desert, Nubs tracked the Marine to his base 65 miles away. Dennis then fought through a cluster of red tape and paperwork to get his dog to San Diego via a sympathic vet in Jordan.

The pooch arrived on Friday, where he will stay with a friend until Dennis can join him when his tour is finished in March.

(Photo: Associated Press/Maj. Brian Dennis)

The essence of real humor is that the joke should be based on truth. For those of us who love greyhounds, this is hilarous.

According to a study by researchers at the University of Minnesota, having a kitty in your life could make you less likely to die of a cardiovascular disease, but this same protective effect does not extend to those who share their lives only with dogs.

A WebMD news report said, compared with cat owners, people who never had a pet cat were 40 percent more likely to die of a heart attack and 30 percent more likely to die of any cardiovascular disease, including stroke, heart failure, and chronic heart disease.

The study was based on data collected from nearly 4,500 men and women, ages 30 to 75. All were free of cardiovascular disease when they entered the study in the 1970s. The angle of pet ownership was examined on the tail of recent research indicating pets reduce stress. Apparently they did not make the same connection to improved health with the respondents who only had dogs.

The study results were presented this week at the International Stroke Conference in New Orleans.

So should you head to the shelter and adopt a cat as part of a heart-healthy lifestyle?

I would say yes, as long as you like kitties. I would also recommend adopting two cats, because two are always better than one. However, you must remember that you are not the owner of the cats; you are their employees.

Do good work and they will reward you with life-saving purrs and chin-rubbings.

Here's a link to a Web site that helps you gauge whether your pooch may need to go on a doggy diet.

Obesity causes serious health risks for dogs as much as it does for people. I worry a little about my dogs, since greyhounds have a propensity for joint problems and even a little extra weight can make that risk much higher.

Still, I am guilty of giving them too many snacks and scraps from the table; they both LOVE pizza crust, and I spoil them rotten.

Check out Body Assessment Rating for Canines (BARC) and see if you have paws for concern.

FYI- to Roanoke and NRV readers: there is a search engine on the site to help you locate a vet in your area that specializes in obesity issues. I put in a few Roanoke and Christiansburg zips and it found no matches. Nevertheless, I am sure your vet can help you determine the best diet for your pooch.

While perusing other pet-related Web sites yesterday, I found a link to this video from YouTube. This was produced by the New Zealand SPCA, and features a tune that only dogs can hear.

It's a Christmas song, but every day for a good dog is like Christmas, so that shouldn't matter. I tried playing this for my dogs last night. No reaction whatsoever. Nothing, nada, squat. They even seemed slightly annoyed that I called them away from a good nap to hang out with me in my home office. Maybe it's a greyhound thing. Anyway, I read that some dogs have a violent reaction to this, so keep your hand on the mouse poised to hit "stop" if you decide to play it for your pooch.

What did get a very positive reaction from my two hounds was the top track of the CD "Songs to Make Dogs Happy." The tune is titled "Squeaky-Deakey!" and my pair of pups perked up their ears and then tried in vain to find the squeaker toy they heard in the song.

The CD was produced by the Laurel Canyon Animal Company under the guidance of Dr. Kim Ogden, an animal communicator.

My dogs, reminding me of a certain "American Idol" judge, got bored with the rest of the CD pretty quicky, but "Squeaky-Deakey!" is a four-paws-up, solid gold hit for them.

If you play this video for your dogs, post a comment on the reaction you get. And if you buy this CD, post a review here, too.

Another Web site dedicated to captioned photos of cats. Funny stuff, and a perfect way to waste time at work.

In case you wondered what criteria that Westminster judge was using when he sized up Uno, the Best in Show winner, here's a handy little graphic on breed standard for beagles. Just keep in mind that even if your pooches are not perfect in physical dimensions, they are still completely loveable. The tipping point in Uno's victory was attributed to the judge thinking he was "a merry little hound."

Daily dental care is just part of a normal routine for most of us, but if you are like me, you may not have made it a daily habit for your pets.

February is National Pet Dental Health Month, or so I became aware via a press release. Immediately I felt pretty guilty because the biggest effort I have put into taking care of my dogs' teeth is buying Greenies. And I have never done anything about my kitties' pearly whites. Not once, not ever.

So, if you're a dentally-negligent pet parent like me but want to do better by your critters', here are a few tips I found while surfing the net on this topic:

• Take your pet to the vet for a checkup: Your doc can help you draft a plan for your pets' dental health.

• Begin a dental health routine at home: A good brushing is the best way to clean teeth. No toothpaste necessary, the friction of brushing should help remove the crud. If your pet absolutely refuses to cooperate with your brushing plan, ask your vet to recommend a food that can help remove plaque and tartar.

• Schedule regular dental checkups: Don't wait for a problem. To get in the habit, try to call for your pet’s dental appointment the same day you call to make your teeth cleaning appointment with your dentist (bet the pooch will get in first!)

Remember, healthy teeth will help your pet live longer and live better.

FYI- I recently interviewed a local pet parent about her Berger Picards, a rare French shepherd breed. As her three happy canines were showering me in puppy kisses, I noticed they had teeth that looked like an ad for Crest whitening strips and nice, sweet breath.

I asked her what she did to keep her pooches' teeth in such good condition.

She told me that she buys beef ribs, cuts them into single-bone servings, and freezes them. She feeds the frozen “bone-cicles” to her dogs, and she said the friction from chewing the hard bones whisks the plaque and tartar away.

I got this e-mail over the weekend. If you or anyone you know has a sturdy couch and is looking for a great big sweetie to fill it, we may have found your match:

"Hi All:

Thanks - please pass this along if you know of anyone who might like to adopt him."

If anyone is interested, post a comment with your e-mail address and I will pass it on to the foster parents' liason.

The case of the purloined pooch continued this week, with the former mayor of a small town in Texas, now an accused dog-napper, making public statements about the plight of Puddles/Panchito to the national media.

In case you missed an earlier blog entry on this topic,Grace Saenz-Lopez, once the mayor of Alice, Texas, is now facing a possible prison term for telling her neighbors, for whom she was dog-sitting, that their Shih Tzu had died while they were on vacation, while the pooch was really on his own little vacation at the mayor's twin sister's ranch.

Saenz-Lopez made public statements on NBC's "Today" show and to other national media that she felt the dog was in imminent danger and she was acting in the pup's best interests to keep him from his family. She also didn't like his name, and changed it from Puddles to Panchito.

Rudy Gutierrez and Shelly Cavasos, Puddles' original owners, said they knew the dog was sick when they left him with Saenz-Lopez, but they denied neglecting or mistreating him.

This story gets more bizarre. Allegedly the former mayor, when being questioned by television reporters, tried to pass herself off as her own twin sister until one reporter tripped her up.

As I said in the original entry, this situation is tricky if the former mayor really believed that the dog was not being properly cared for, but the mistreatment didn't rise to the level of legal neglect. I could see feeling frustrated and maybe even doing something drastic if I couldn't lawfully ensure a dog got the help it needed.

But I do agree with her lawyer, who was quoted in The New York Times as saying "[she] could have handled it better."

What do you think? If you saw the interviews on television, whom do you find more credible, the mayor or her neighbors?

And who thinks this story has Lifetime movie written all over it?