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I’d like to think I would do anything to save one of my pets from danger. I could only hope I would be brave enough to punch out a shark.

According to this article from The Miami Herald, that’s what Greg LeNoir had to do to save his dog Jake from the jaws of what he believed was a bull or lemon shark off the Worldwide Sportsman's Bayside Marina pier in Islamorada, Fla.

LeNoir said he took Jake, a 14-pound, 2-year-old rat terrier that he and his wife adopted from a shelter, to the pier for a daily swim. Last Friday, Jake encountered more than jellyfish as he paddled through the water.

Jake’s pet dad said he dove in the water after he saw Jake dragged under, and hit the 5-foot shark as hard as he could with his fist.

“It was like hitting concrete,” LeNoir is quoted in the Herald article.

The shark did let go of Jake, who swam back to shore with LeNoir right behind him.

Jake suffered punctures to skin and muscle, but is expected to make a full recovery.

''He looks great and is recuperating well,'' veterinarian Suzanne Sigel is quoted. ``I was worried he may have inhaled saltwater when he was pulled under, but there's no evidence of infection or pneumonia. He's healing great.''

(Photo from WHEC-TV Rochester, N.Y. Web site)

Cold, dreary skies postponed the fundraiser for the dog park originally scheduled for last Saturday. But every dog should have his day, so here is the latest schedule:

Sunday, Oct 5 - Dogs for Dogs in Highland Park from noon to 4 p.m.

A day of fun is planned for the entire family, including four-legged members (dogs are welcome on leash, please). Cash donations will be accepted at this event, and official dog park T-shirts ($15 each) and dog park bumper stickers ($5 each) will be sold. A schedule of the day’s activities includes:

• Dog Park Informational Showcase – noon to 4 p.m. Residents of the Old Southwest neighborhood and greater Roanoke community are invited to learn more about plans for this fenced, off-leash, public dog park. Information will be provided on fencing materials, gating, benches, waste receptacles, landscaping, and more. The proposed one-acre site within Highland Park will be roped-off so residents can visualize the dog park’s dimensions.

• Buddy Wash and Nail Trim – noon to 3 p.m. For a $10 donation, dogs will be bathed, and for an additional $10 donation, veterinary professionals will provide nail trims.

• Dogs for Dogs – noon to 2 p.m. Enjoy a lunchtime meal of hot dogs, chips, and a soft drink for a $5 donation. The Roanoke Dog Park Steering Committee thanks Kroger for their generous donation of food and supplies for the “Dogs for Dogs” fundraising event.

• Dog Kissing Booth – noon to 3:00 pm. For a $1 donation, get (or give!) a kiss from Rudy the Dalmatian, otherwise known as "The Kissing Bandit."

• Roanoke’s Greatest Dog Talent Show – 3 p.m. Everyone believes his or her dog is the world’s greatest. By making a $5 donation, proud pet parents finally have the opportunity to prove it. Contest categories range from “Best Trick,” “Best Dressed,” and “Mirror Image” (person and dog who look most alike), to “Biggest Dog,” “Smallest Dog,” and “Best in Show” (overall crowd favorite). Prizes, including dog park T-shirts, pet treats, and pet store gift certificates, will be awarded.

Dexter once again did battle with his arch enemy, the smelly cat. And once again, Dexter lost.

My hubby let our early-rising dogs out Saturday morning just after 5, with full plans to bring them back in and head back to bed. Ah, it was not to be. He hollers up the stairs at me that we have another skunk emergency.

I would have figured that out anyway as I stumbled from my deep sleep and got a noseful of the rank odor wafting through our house.

We go into emergency clean-up mode, segregating the non-skunked dogs from the one who reeks, gathering the ingredients for the magic skunk-busting elixir, and choosing what old towels I won't mind tossing once we are done.

We need to fill up a bucket with the proper ratio of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish soap (recipe follows after the jump.) My hubs asks me how many cups are in a quart.

Did I mention it's not yet 6 a.m. on a Saturday, I am only half-awake, and I really hate number problems? This question almost caused a meltdown on my part. (The answer is four, by the way.)

The mixture does have to be in the right proportions and slathered on the dog immediately or it won't be as effective. We conjure up the potion on our screened porch and drench our poor dog in it, and all the while he is slobbering profusely because we are pretty sure he got sprayed right in the mouth and neck area.

Then we hose him off and he runs and shakes a little, rub him down in clean towels, light every scented candle, spray the contents of all the Febreeze and Glade aerosols we had, and head to the family room to watch SportsCenter.

What else do you do with a sad, wet dog in a smelly house at 6 a.m. on a Saturday?

Dexter felt pretty sorry for himself the rest of the day. He snoozed and dreamed on the couch a lot, no doubt reliving his defeat at the tail of Pepe LePew, wondering where he went wrong. He had to be escorted into the back yard for potty breaks because he was afraid the offending beast was still lurking somewhere.

I wonder if he looked a little suspiciously at Thai the rest of the day.

By Sunday he was feeling more secure and today he was fine. No lasting damage done.

Moral of the story: The skunks are out there folks. Keep this recipe handy and hope this doesn't happen to you.

Read more »

It's raining cats and dogs, so, the dog park event scheduled for this weekend is going to be postponed. Look forward to Sunday, October 5th instead. Same dog channel, almost same dog time, different dog day. Here's the original posting, minus the date change:

Sunday, Oct 5th - Dogs for Dogs in Highland Park from Noon to 4 p.m.

A day of fun is planned for the entire family, including four-legged members (dogs are welcome on leash, please). Cash donations will be accepted at this event, and official dog park T-shirts ($15 each) and dog park bumper stickers ($5 each) will be sold. A schedule of the day’s activities includes:

• Dog Park Informational Showcase – Noon to 4 p.m. Residents of the Old Southwest neighborhood and greater Roanoke community are invited to learn more about plans for this fenced, off-leash, public dog park. Information will be provided on fencing materials, gating, benches, waste receptacles, landscaping, and more. The proposed one-acre site within Highland Park will be roped-off so residents can visualize the dog park’s dimensions.

• Buddy Wash and Nail Trim – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For a $10 donation, dogs will be bathed, and for an additional $10 donation, veterinary professionals will provide nail trims.

• Dogs for Dogs – noon to 2 p.m. Enjoy a lunchtime meal of hot dogs, chips, and a soft drink for a $5 donation. The Roanoke Dog Park Steering Committee thanks Kroger for their generous donation of food and supplies for the “Dogs for Dogs” fundraising event.

• Roanoke’s Greatest Dog Talent Show – 2 p.m. Everyone believes their dog is the world’s greatest. By making a $5 donation, proud pet parents finally have the opportunity to prove it. Contest categories range from “Best Trick,” “Best Dressed,” and “Mirror Image” (person and dog who look most alike), to “Biggest Dog,” “Smallest Dog,” and “Best in Show” (overall crowd favorite). Prizes, including dog park T-shirts, pet treats, and pet store gift certificates, will be awarded.

To volunteer - email Lauren Ellerman at lellerman@frithlawfirm.com.

Congratulations to faithful blog reader Deborah, who won the two humorous books about dogs, and to Michelle, who claimed the book about raising a happy cat.

Well, as happy as you can reasonably expect a cat to be, anyway. Disdain is their default setting, after all. That's what I admire and love about kitties; their cynicism is all wrapped up in purrs and delivered with just enough leg rubbings to make you keep trying to please them.

Thanks to everyone for playing along this week. Stay tuned for more contests and giveaways, if you can try to make it out to the dog park fundraiser tomorrow, and have a great weekend!

As I have often lamented, most of the pet lit in the world revolves around pooches. Kitties are way underrepresented, and I realize I am as guilty as the next writer in concentrating on the higher profile canines and ignoring the more subtle felines.

So here's a literary ball of string for all the cat lovers out there.

To the first blog reader that can tell me the name of my cat, I will send "Happy Cat Happy You: Quick Tips for Building a Bond with Your Feline Friend" by Arden Moore.

Hint: The names of four of the five pets that live in my house are in the "About this blog" box on the left side of the screen. India is my daughter's cat. That's all the road map you get from me.

Last day for the big book give here at the Wag, but I am sure there will be more books soon. Today I thought we could use a little humor, since most of the news these days is very grim.

"The Dangerous Book for Dogs" by Rex and Sparky is a parody written for dogs by dogs. This is the stuff your dog doesn't want you to know. It's a must-read to really understand the motivations of your pooch.

For example, here is the authors take on dog parks, a hot topic around the 'Noke lately:

"For many of us, dog parks are the only place we get to really stretch our legs and sniff some primo butt. The thrice-daily leashed walk is good for basic physical maintenance, but it's tough to break into a sprint when your chubby owner is weighing you down. The odd thing about dog parks is that while it allows for unfettered fun and was seemingly invented for canines, it was actually created as an excuse for humans to have the dumbest conversations imaginable."

So they figured that one out, huh?

The other book is "Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework, First You Have to Do It - Life Lessons from a Wise Old Dog to a Young Boy," by actor and author John O'Hurley. If you were a fan of the show "Seinfeld," you will remember O'Hurley as Elaine's boss, J. Peterman.

The title is a bit cumbersome, but the story is sweet as an old dog dispenses lessons about the importance of living an authentic life to the author's young son. And we all know that dogs really can teach us what's really important, if we gain nothing else from our lives shared with them.

Both of these books about dogs will be mailed to you today if you can tell me the name of the puppy we adopted last spring from the Roanoke Valley SPCA.

(He's a cutie that I write about in the "Bringing up Puppy" category on this blog. The categories are listed on the left side of this blog. Enough hints.)

Congratulations Dawn. You were the first one with your cyber-hand in the air yelling, "Me, me, pick me!" so you win the three books.

Consolation prizes for James and Sherry!

James, since you are new to the doggy buisness, I will send you "A Dog Who's Always Welcome: Assistance and Therapy Dog Trainer Teach You How to Socialize and Train Your Companion Dog" by Lorie Long and "Happy Dog, Happy You: Quick Tips for Building a Bond with Your Furry Friend" by Arden Moore. Both Long and Moore are excellent dog trainers and these books should be helpful in raising your new puppy.

Sherry: I will send you "Vet Confidential: An Insiders Guide to Protecting Your Pet's Health" by Louise Murray, DVM, and "From Baghdad to America: Life Lessons from a Dog Named Lava," by Jay Kopleman.

All other blog readers: Check back tomorrow for the final installment of our big book give.

Today's freebies include books to keep your dog, and you, active and healthy.

If you like to hike, "Best Hikes with Dogs-North Carolina" will give you a guided tour of the best places to take your pooch for a nice long walk. The book was written by Karen Chavez, specialties editor for the Asheville Citizen-Times and a former National Park Service ranger. This would be a great book to have if you live in North Carolina or plan to travel there your favorite canine.

"Tell Me Where it Hurts- A Day of Humor, Healing and Hope in My Life as an Animal Surgeon" by Dr. Nick Trout gives the reader a behind-the-scene look at a day in the life of at a veterinary hospital, told in a humorous and touching voice. The inside cover describes Trout as part ER, part Dog Whisperer, part House. I almost kept this one from that description alone, but I would rather share it with you.

Finally, we have "Stretch Your Dog Healthy- A Hands-On Approach to Natural Canine Care," by Raquel Wynn, a holistic health specialist and trainer. This book includes step-by-step instructions on how to help your dog improve flexibility, strength and agility.

I must tell you that the photos look really weird, because the designer cut out the dog and the human demonstrating each stretch, eliminating all background from the pictures. The dogs look like they are floating in some very strange, almost laughable, positions. If you can get past that, the exercises appear to be helpful, especially if your dog has any joint problems.

We'll make this one really easy. All three books can be yours just by being the first person to post a comment and ask for them.

This entry is lifted directly from the NewVaConnects blog, with a few AP style edits because I just can't let my journalism degree go to waste.

Saturday, Sept. 27 - Dogs for Dogs in Highland Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A day of fun is planned for the entire family, including four-legged members (dogs are welcome on leash, please). Cash donations will be accepted at this event, and official dog park T-shirts ($15 each) and dog park bumper stickers ($5 each) will be sold. A schedule of the day’s activities includes:

• Dog Park Informational Showcase – 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents of the Old Southwest neighborhood and greater Roanoke community are invited to learn more about plans for this fenced, off-leash, public dog park. Information will be provided on fencing materials, gating, benches, waste receptacles, landscaping, and more. The proposed one-acre site within Highland Park will be roped-off so residents can visualize the dog park’s dimensions.

• Buddy Wash and Nail Trim – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For a $10 donation, dogs will be bathed, and for an additional $10 donation, veterinary professionals will provide nail trims.

• Dogs for Dogs – noon to 2 p.m. Enjoy a lunchtime meal of hot dogs, chips, and a soft drink for a $5 donation. The Roanoke Dog Park Steering Committee thanks Kroger for their generous donation of food and supplies for the “Dogs for Dogs” fundraising event.

• Roanoke’s Greatest Dog Talent Show – 2 p.m. Everyone believes their dog is the world’s greatest. By making a $5 donation, proud pet parents finally have the opportunity to prove it. Contest categories range from “Best Trick,” “Best Dressed,” and “Mirror Image” (person and dog who look most alike), to “Biggest Dog,” “Smallest Dog,” and “Best in Show” (overall crowd favorite). Prizes, including dog park T-shirts, pet treats, and pet store gift certificates, will be awarded.

To volunteer - email Lauren Ellerman at lellerman@frithlawfirm.com.