The public meeting about the dog park is scheduled for Aug. 5 at 6 p.m. at the Governor's School, 2104 Grandin Rd SW, next to Patrick Henry High, according to the NewVaConnects blog.
Anyone who is a city resident and supports the dog park can express an opinion in three minutes or less.
I got an e-mail from Laurie, a co-worker who was looking for a Roanoke-area cat groomer who would shave her long-haired kitty. Another blog reader recommended a local vet that specializes in felines and also offers grooming services.
Laurie wrote:
When I called the vet, they recommended I try the FURminator first, as some cats need to go under because they stress out too much when they're professionally groomed. I went out and bought one (only after I asked around the office and a co-worker said he had one for his dog and it was worth every penny) at PetSmart for $40 and it's AMAZING. I've never found a brush before that worked so well on my long-haired kitty. It also works on my short-hairs. I'll be recommending it to all the cat and dog owners I know who are tired of the shedding!
Anyone else had luck with this product? I think I may invest in these for our pets. Even though we only have short-haired dogs and cats, we see enough evidence of their shedding every time we empty the vacuum, which pretty much has to be done on a room-by-room basis.
Click here to read The Roanoke Times editorial board's opinion about the proposed dog park, currently slated for a section of Highland Park.
Click here to read Sunday's commentary by Walt Hutchens, a dog breeder from Lexington who writes that the whole story about dog breeders in Virginia is not always presented in news stories about raids on puppy mills.
And then click here to read today's rebuttal letter to Hutchens commentary from Kathleen Summers, a United States Humane Society director who insists that the problems of puppy mills are indeed real and regulation is needed to prevent abuse.
What are your opinions on these topics? Will Roanoke, a city that wants to move forward but is often very reluctant to change, find a compromise that will satisfy both dog owners and local residents?
And what about puppy mills and other dog breeders? Do we need to regulate dog breeding in Virginia for the health and welfare of the dogs, as well as for the people who buy them? And do you think the public gets a balanced view of typical dog breeders when stories about puppy mill raids are breaking news?
Sorry no entries for the last two days, folks. I have been home with a miserable stomach virus and just couldn't drag myself to the computer.
And since misery loves company, Dexter was dealing with his own tummy troubles. His problem, however, was not viral. It was synthetic. He ate a rubber chicken.
Stop reading now if you have a weak stomach.
Over the weekend, my hubby and I made a stop at PetsMart for puppy food, and like any other indulgent parents, we picked up a few new toys for the pack. One of the purchases included a rubber chicken, an amusing squeak toy that we were knew would be a hit, since Dexter had killed the squeakers out of at least two other such fowls.
Indeed, the dogs had fun tugging, hauling, chewing and demolishing the squeaker in the new plastic poultry. Unfortunately, by Sunday night, this is what the chicken looked like.
There were pieces of the rubber chicken all over the floor, including a rather creepy looking rubber chicken eyeball that seemed to follow us all over the room. We cleaned up the mess and put the chicken in the trash. What a waste of $8.
Then yesterday, Dexter threw up part of the chicken. Several parts of the chicken, actually. The dog was tossing rubber chicken nuggets all over the floor.
He seems fine now, and we learned our lesson about plastic toys. We will be investing in Kongs from now on.
Enjoy this video about a yoga class for dogs and the people who pose with them, lifted directly from the Discovery Channel's Web site.
Click here to read Mason Adams' report about last night's neighborhood meeting about the proposed city dog park's location in Highland Park.
Another, more widely-pubicized meeting will be planned by the city's parks and recreation department to seek more input from all city residents, including those who live in Old Southwest.
I will post the meeting time and place here as soon as it is set, but if you live in the city you should be getting an announcement about the forum in the mail.
Residents who live near Highland Park have voiced concerns that the park will cause problems, including smell, noise and an interuption of sledding on the one to two days a year Roanoke gets enough flurries to cover the ground.
Joe Shields of Old Southwest Inc, addressed those concerns at last night's neighborhood meeting, and assured residents that the dog park would be regulated. He said dogs would be controlled and supervised by adults while in the park, and pointed out that by increasing the number of law-abiding citizens and their dogs in the area, it could help keep away less desireable folks and reduce crime.
Meet Emma, a sweet little dog waiting at the Roanoke Valley SPCA for a new home.
Here's what the RVSPCA Web site says about her:"Emma is a 4 year old Wire Fox Terrier. Her owner could no longer care for her and wanted her to find a loving, long-term home. Emma was in a foster home for 2 weeks until space became available at the RVSPCA. Emma is very loving and wants to be someone's constant companion. She loves to cuddle and would make a nice lap dog. She did well in foster care and is now ready for a home of her own. Emma has been spayed, vaccinated and microchipped."
The Roanoke Valley SPCA is located at 1310 Baldwin Avenue in Roanoke.
This week's episode of "Greatest American Dog" was all about obedience. And by the end of the show it was obvious that the humans need more work on their manners and social skills than the dogs.
At the beginning of the episode, Elvis, the Jack Russell terrier, and Tillman, the skateboarding bulldog, got into a scuffle in the yard, leaving Tillman worse for the wear. Dr. Dave was chastised by his fellow housemates for not taking charge of Elvis, and rightly so. Dogs will be dogs and they do have their problems. That's when the leaders, read humans, need to step in.
In a tearful segment, Star, the lovable Brittany, was injured by some unknown fauna or flora while out in the yard, and Bill had to rush her to the emergency vet.
Anyone who has ever been in that position can relate to that dreadful feeling of turning your dog over and praying for her to be okay. Been there a couple of times. Star had only a minor cut on her ear and made a quick recovery.
Both of the challenges involved testing how well the dogs responded to their human's commands of sit and stay, even while distracted. The dogs were seated at a dinner table with their humans, and then a plate of favorite food was placed in front of the dogs, and the dogs were commanded to "leave it."
Poor Tillman wanted that steak in front of him so badly. He nudged it with his pushed-in nose, and he almost took a bite, but he resisted temptation. Good dog. I am not sure I could do that.
Beth Joy argued rudely with the judges who chastised her for making excuses to dress up her dog, Bella Starlet. The judges had to remind her that Bella Starlet is a dog, not a Barbie doll.
But in the end, Elan and her giant schnauzer Kenji were kicked out of the Canine Academy, because Elan's only way of communicating with her pooch was a series of harsh, annoyingly staccato "eh, eh, eh" corrections.
What I am not getting out of this show is tips on training your dog. We are seeing a lot of what not to do, and not enough of what to do. So far, the humans who praise their dogs profusely seem to be doing the best in the competitions. Good message there.
A microchip led a beagle back to his original family, five years after he went missing.
NEW YORK (AP) _ A veterinarian says that lost-and-found pooch Rocco is happy and healthy — in spite of having been separated from his Queens family for five years.
Rocco was reunited with his owners after he turned up 850 miles away on July 3 at an animal shelter in Hinesville, Ga. The dog had been tagged with a microchip that was used to identify his owners.
Eleven-year-old Natalie Villacis was still in kindergarten when her beloved dog went missing. She says the dog acts as if "he knew he was home."
The beagle was taken for a checkup Tuesday at an animal clinic. Veterinarian Dr. Steven Weinstein said Rocco was fine, aside from a scar on his ear and a case of heartworm disease. He prescribed antibiotics to get rid of the parasite.
Here's the video from Rocco's guest appearance yesterday on the "Today" show.
Here's an update on a story I blogged about in the spring:
ALICE, Texas (AP) _ A former small-town South Texas mayor accused of secretly keeping her neighbors' dog after telling them the pet died has reached a plea deal.
Grace Saenz-Lopez pleaded no contest Tuesday to filing a false police report, a misdemeanor. Under terms of the deal, she'll pay a $300 fine and serve 48 hours of community service and two years of probation.
Saenz-Lopez, the former mayor of Alice, had claimed the Shih Tzu named Puddles died last year while she was pet-sitting for neighbors Rudy Gutierrez and Shelly Cavazos. Three months later, however, a relative of the neighbors saw the dog, renamed Panchito, at a grooming business.
Saenz-Lopez insisted that Gutierrez and Cavazos had neglected the animal, but state District Judge Richard Terrell in McAllen ordered her in April to return the dog.
Saenz-Lopez had faced two felony counts of tampering with evidence and concealing evidence for hiding the dog with her sister and reporting it as missing. Her sister, Gracy Garcia, was indicted on a count of concealing evidence. Those charges were dropped under the plea deal.
Saenz-Lopez resigned as mayor in February once a recall petition began circulating. She had held the office since 2003.
