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Digital Journal

April 3, 2012 Tuesday 2:04 PM EST

Toronto Mayor urges by-law enforcement of off-leash dogs in city

LENGTH: 305 words

During his radio talk show Sunday, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said he has received

numerous calls about dog owners who do not have a leash on their dogs. He has

now ordered Toronto Animal Services to enforce the by-law.

Is this sheer terrier for dog owners or have the people of Toronto gotten hot

under the collie because of dogs that are not on a leash? Toronto Mayor Rob Ford

has issued a warning to dog owners in the city: keep your dog on a leash or pay

a fine of $240 for breaking the by-law.

Speaking on his radio show on Newstalk 1010, the mayor explained that he has

received numerous calls about people breaking the by-law and not having it

enforced. This led the mayor to say that even though he loves dog, there may be

a crackdown in the coming weeks.

The mayor has said he has been told a couple of kids have been bitten by dogs,

which were off-leash. A blitz is being enforced and, according to the Toronto

Animal Services, about 10 by-law officers will be out and about enforcing the

by-law.

"I love dogs, but I've got an overwhelming number of calls in the last two

weeks; I guess with the good weather people are letting their dogs run loose

through the parks," Ford told reporters Monday, reports the Toronto Sun.

"Two kids got bit and I just want to tell people I've informed animal services

and bylaw to go out and make sure you remind people to keep their dogs on their

leash. I don't want to be heavy-handed and say, 'You know, start fining people,'

but I want to make sure they've been warned."

The Toronto Animal Services says complaints spike at this time of year and most

of the grievances are yappy dogs, dog poop, aggressive dogs and off-leash dogs.

Dog owners can also be fined if their leash is longer than two metres. There

are, however, 50 designated dog parks in Toronto.

What do you think about this by-law?

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Daily Actor

April 2, 2012 Monday 11:33 PM EST

Dogs on Stage: "If an animal can deal with an animal shelter, doing eight shows

a week is a breeze"

LENGTH: 303 words

Pets are no strangers to the stage. Dogs often steal the spotlight from their

human costars in shows like Annie and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. William

Berloni runs a company (William Berloni Theatrical Animals) in order to supply

productions with the perfect animals. He found the original Sandy for Annie 35

years ago, and is currently training dogs for the upcoming Broadway revival of

the show.

In an interview with Yahoo!, Berloni explained that he uses rescue dogs because

"you can't find a more stressful situation for a dog than an animal shelter," he

said.

"What I look for are dogs that are dealing with that stress. If an animal can

deal with an animal shelter, doing eight shows a week is a breeze. Those are the

dogs I gravitate towards, and those are the dogs I tell people who want to adopt

a good pet to gravitate towards." After training the dogs for five to six

months, the animals are ready for the stage. Berloni said, "My job is to teach

the dog the pattern [of what's going to happen in the show], make it fun, and

keep the distractions at a minimum."

However, controlling all variables is near impossible. A recent performance of

Legally Blonde forced one actress to think quickly on her feet. Some audience

members in the first row were eating fried chicken. She knew that when she

brought the dog onstage, the smell would distract the animal. Berloni said, "She

turned the dog upstage so she couldn't get a whiff of it. And that's what you

do, as opposed to not being in tune with your canine partner, letting them get

distracted, and then having to push them to the spot where they need to be."

Actors have several tricks to keeping the dogs' attention, including secretly

giving them treats. Berloni said, "If an actor is on their game, in turns of

handling the dog, they have to be in the moment."

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International Business Times News

April 1, 2012 Sunday 7:19 AM EST

Man's Best Friend Is Also The Best Stress Buster

LENGTH: 425 words

Man's best friend is also a great stress buster in the workplace, according to

research.

Researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University have discovered that dogs

in the workplace may buffer the impact of stress during the workday for their

owners and make the job more satisfying for those with whom they come into

contact.

Stress is a major contributor to employee absenteeism, morale and burnout and

results in significant loss of productivity and resources. But a preliminary

study found that dogs make a positive difference in the workplace by reducing

stress and making the job more satisfying for the employees.

Researchers experimented on 450 people in Replacements Ltd, a retail business

located in Greensboro, NC. The 450 people were divided into three employee

groups on stress hormone levels, which were measured via a saliva sample, in the

morning, but during the course of the work day, self-reported stress declined

for employees with their dogs present and increased for non-pet owners and dog

owners who did not bring their dogs to work.

Approximately 20 to 30 dogs are on the company premises each day. The study took

place over a period of one work week in the company setting, during which time

participants completed surveys and collected saliva samples.

Researchers compared employees who bring their dogs to work, employees who do

not bring their dogs to work and employees without pets in the areas of stress,

job satisfaction, organisational commitment and support.

Researchers found that the team who got their dogs to their workplace had lower

level of the stress levels compared to the team who did not get their dogs.

"Dogs in the workplace can make a positive difference," said Randolph T Barker,

Ph D, professor of management in the VCU School of Business. "The differences in

perceived stress between days the dog was present and absent were significant.

The employees as a whole had higher job satisfaction than industry norms."

According to researchers, they observed unique dog-related communication in the

workplace that may contribute to employee performance and satisfaction. For

example, he said, although not part of the study, employees without a dog were

observed requesting to take a co-worker's dog out on a break. These were brief,

positive exchanges as the dogs were taken and returned and also resulted in an

employee break involving exercise.

Researchers say further study with larger sample sizes within the organizational

setting is needed to prove that dogs are the best stress busters in the

workplace.

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Chip Chick

March 30, 2012 Friday 7:05 AM EST

Your Dog Might Have a Better Vacation Than You at Dog Vacay

LENGTH: 275 words

It's not just for humans anymore - dogs now have their own couch surfing site,

giving them their own staycations while their owners are out trips elsewhere.

Dog Vacay is a new service that allows dog owners to browse through other dog

owners to find good dogsitters when it's time to go on vacation. The service

screensand vets everyone who wants to sign up as a boarder, which should mean

that dog owners can easily find quality dog lovers who will properly take care

of their pets. Owners can also browse boarders to verify that they are able to

provide special care for Fido, if that's applicable. You can even search by

backyard size, if you have a big dog or a small dog that loves to roam around.

Peace of mind is going to be a big concern, of course - for most people, using

Dog Vacay will mean leaving a family member in the care of a total stranger.

Owners can request daily photo updates, and the site provides 24/7 support,

access to vet care, and the Dog Vacay Concierge for arranging massages and

insurance, for the especially pampered pooches out there.

The service is now live, just in time for Spring Break. Give it a look if you

don't know what to do with your beloved four-legged friend while you're soaking

up the sunshine.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/29766265?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0

Dog Vacay About Video from Boat Safety Films on Vimeo.

© 2012 Chip Chick

This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only. The use of this feed on

other websites breaches copyright. If this content is not in your news reader,

it makes the page you are viewing an infringement of the copyright. (Digital

Fingerprint:

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Splendicity

March 29, 2012 Thursday 9:04 PM EST

Dogs In Weddings: How Do You Feel?

LENGTH: 197 words

Over at Glamour.com, some ingenious writer has amassed a collection of pictures

of dogs in weddings. I have a dog, so obviously I think this is the most

wonderful thing ever to be done on the internet. My dog will be a part of my

wedding, and I can't imagine that anyone who has a dog would leave them out of

their nuptials.

It just doesn't make sense.

After all, there are so many potential roles for dogs to play: Ring bearer.

Flower dog. Bridesmaid escort. Adorable accessory to anything. Wearer of cute

bow-tie and/or corsage. And so forth.

But I suspect that everyone in the world might not share this opinion with me.

Some people don't have dogs, or don't like dogs, or think that dogs might err on

the side of dirty and therefore have no place around such finery as a $2,000+

wedding dress. You're entitled to your opinion, although you're wrong.

Anyway, seriously though, let's open this up to a poll. Kindly weigh in:

Image by hifiweddings via Glamour

Related posts:

The Smallest Dog In The World Is The Best Thing On The Internet

The 84th Annual Academy Awards Red Carpet: The World's Glitziest Dog & Pony Show

Is Here

Daily Adorbs: Dog Thwarted By Loaf Of Bread

Post from: TheGloss

LOAD-DATE: March 29, 2012

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Cold Noses (Florida Times-Union)

March 20, 2012 Tuesday 5:15 PM EST

BLOG: Cold Noses: Reporter's Notes: Meet 2 of the volunteers who got Ponte Vedra

dog home after unplanned trip

BYLINE: Nicole Hernandez

LENGTH: 615 words

March 19--A city worker by day and saves dogs at night.

Meet Martha Chandler of Martha's Mutt Movers. The Akron, Ohio, woman worked with

Debby Stevens of Ponte Vedra to bring her dog back

[http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-03-20/story/ponte-vedra-woman-regains-l

abrador-found-maryland-shelter] after he had been taken to Maryland.

Chandler said organzing the eight-person, 10-leg shuttle was nothing compared to

the other runs she usually organizes.

She has been coordinating shuttles -- usually to bring dogs from high-kill

shelters to rescue groups -- since May 2010.

Martha's Mutt Movers, as she calls it, will only move dogs with paperwork to

prove it is going either to a responsible rescue group or to its owner's new

home. She personally vets anyone who wishes to be a driver on one of her runs as

well as where the dogs are going.

"I don't care who it is or who they say are," she said, "I want to make sure

where the dog is going is safe or safer [than where they're leaving]."

Typically, it's three to four runs every weekend, and she tries to have multiple

dogs in each to stretch the drivers' resources.

But Chandler agreed to do this special run, dubbed "Stolen Senior Shuffles

Safely Home," because the Ponte Vedra dog had been taken from his owners and was

an older dog, about 9 or 10.

"I love seniors. I only adopt seniors in my group at home."

She had to wait about a week after initially receiving the request because the

shelter said Stevens had to identify the dog herself.

March 9, Stevens arrived and Brody was a free dog.

One of Chandler's drivers for Brody's journey was Gabrielle Alahouzos.

Alahouzos said she shuttles dogs usually three weekends a month.

"I started doing it [four years ago] because I have a pack of dogs that get the

best of everything," the marketing strategist said, "and this is something that

I can do for dogs that don't have it as good as my dogs."

She drove the second leg, from her Bethesda, Md., house to Fredericksburg, Va.

Brody was a little skittish, she said, so she let him sit in the front with her,

though she normally doesn't do that.

Then she started singing. And she is not a good singer, she said.

"He's the only dog in the world that likes my singing."

Alahouzos said she thinks he started to realize he was safe with her as she sang

"nonsensical, goofy things" like "Brody black beetle dog."

"Everybody felt for him, because you could tell he was a kind dog. He was a

great dog."

Chandler described the rescue drivers she works with -- like Alahouzos -- as the

reason her efforts work.

"Without your wheels, my transport won't roll" is part of her email signature.

"I sit in my pajamas on my computer on the weekend. It's nothing for me. They do

all the hard work."

And for Alahouzos, transporting as many dogs as she has wouldn't be possible

without Martha's efforts.

Being part of the shuttle means she can give more dogs that would have stayed in

a high-kill shelter a chance at a better life.

"Haven't you ever needed a second chance? Yeah, you have. And these dogs are so

deserving."

Those interested in joining Martha's Mutt Movers can check out her guidelines at

http://bit.ly/FQhfe1

[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FDxuKtSmenOZd-155A0O1OzQ0F2w1aJdurBVuWx0eQc

/edit?hl=en_US]. Chandler also recommended On The Road Again

[http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/OnTheRoadAgain/?v=1=directory=web=groups=dir=

6], a group of volunteer coordinators and drivers.

* Login

[http://jacksonville.com/user/login?destination=node%2F513918%23comment-form] or

register

[http://jacksonville.com/user/register?destination=node%2F513918%23comment-form]

to post comments

*

* Cold Noses [http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/cold-noses]

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Humphrey on the Hill

March 20, 2012 Tuesday 5:07 PM EST

Rep. Hurley and Her Dog 'Snapped

BYLINE: Tom Humphrey

LENGTH: 281 words

State Rep. Julia Hurley (R-Lenoir City) was kicked out of the Roane County

Courthouse for taking her dog in with he, reports WATE-TV.

Hurley claims the 11-pound Chinese crested is a service animal, which is

permitted in public places according to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

She had the dog on a leash when it was spotted by County Executive Ron Woody

last week.

Hurley says she simply didn't know dogs weren't allowed in the courthouse. She

says she's upset because of the way she was treated and the way the situation

was handled, not because she and her service dog were told to leave.

"I wasn't being attacked for my dog being a service dog. I was attacked for

having a dog in the courthouse. I was not requested respectfully to remove the

dog. I was not spoken to at all. I was snapped at and yelled at across the

courthouse," Rep. Hurley said.

That's not how Woody says things unfolded. "As I went out of my office, I saw a

little dog walking down the hall, and of course it was on a leash so I had asked

security, you know we need to get the dogs out of the courthouse. That was

basically the extent of it."

Hurley says the dog was already registered as a service dog when she adopted it,

and it serves as a companion.

"That's why I got her was to be my companion. I mean if I wanted to take her, if

I put on her little service sweater and took her to the hospital for cancer

patients, then she would be a service dog, but she's my dog. She's my

companion," Rep. Hurley explained.

She says the confrontation was to make a point with county employees. "If he has

a problem with his employees, he needs to speak with his employees and not use

me as an example to get to them."

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SBWire

March 16, 2012 Friday 4:30 PM EST

QuantumK9 LLC Expands Online Services into Pet Supplies

LENGTH: 466 words

QuantumK9, a long trusted company known for their Obedience Training now offers

pet supplies.

Indianapolis, IN -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/16/2012 -- Devoted dog owners understand the

problems of making enough time to spend with their pets. Almost all dogs need as

much exercise as possible and sometimes life gets in the way. At times pet

supplies are an afterthought - it's an unnecessary hassle at the end of the day

when dog owners realise they have run out. Online dog training and pet supply

store quantumk9.com have expanded their services to include brand name pet

supplies delivered to your door in order to meet that demand.

QuantumK9 proudly serves Indianapolis, Greenwood, and all of Central Indiana

offering: Dog obedience training, pet willingness lessons, behavior

modification, canine aggression problems, search and rescue training, protection

dog training and personal protection dogs.

Pet supplies are something the store owner Jeremy Leming has recently added to

an already useful website, of interest to dogs, cats, birds, fish and even

reptile owners. Jeremy has been training dogs in pet obedience, search and

rescue, personal protection, protection sports, and service related venues since

1999. As a canine search specialist with FEMA's Indiana Task Force One and the

Canine Urban Response Team, Jeremy and his dog Greif were deployed to look for

lost, missing, or trapped people during Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav, and Ike as

well as several Tornadoes and numerous local cases across the state of Indiana.

He also developed and instructed seminars in canine motivation for the K9 Search

and Rescue Foundation.

Jerem's obedience training features greatly as a service on QuantumK9 and happy

customers have this to say: "After only 3 sessions with Jeremy, our dog,

Gretchen, can be easily walked and does not jump our fence to attack other dogs!

Before our sessions she would pull and try to attack other dogs on walks.

Jeremy's approach helped us to be the 'lead dog' and it certainly has worked! If

you have a 'problem' dog please consider working with Jeremy. We are totally

satisfied with his results!"

QuantumK9's new expansion into pet supplies is no surprise when taking into

account the huge amount of attention to detail shown in other areas of pet care

on the website.

About QuantumK9

QuantumK9 is a product of Jeremy Leming's life-long love of dogs and his desire

to help dog owners realize their goals, regardless of what those goals may be.

Customer service is provided using American web hosting, order fulfilment, and

credit card processing.

For more information on this press release visit:

http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/pet-supplies/quantumk9/sbwire-132025.htm

Media Relations Contact

Jeremy Leming

QuantumK9

Email: Click to Email Jeremy Leming

Web: http://www.quantumk9.com/

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Digital Journal

March 12, 2012 Monday 8:45 AM EST

Fort Bliss, new directives remove service dogs from PTSD soldiers

LENGTH: 692 words

Stricter directives have been passed down from the Army administration, causing

serious problems for soldiers with PTSD. Affected are those who rely heavily on

the support of their service dogs at Fort Bliss, Texas.

With the heavily criticized new policy, service dogs of many troubled soldiers

with PTSD are being forced out of Fort Bliss company barracks --- except for

those designated on a case-by-case basis. The soldiers with PTSD are being

berated and intimidated for hours on end by superior officers, cursed at and

told they are worthless and a waste of time for the army. However, the

commanders who are doing this are hiding out and refuse to talk to the media.

Previously, Texas's Fort Bliss had stated they were not banning the service dogs

, only setting higher standards to determine who deserves or needs a service dog

. This will force many soldiers to return to their original PTSD mental and

emotional states as before, yet remain in the service and be expected to fulfill

their normal routines.

Kens5.com states that what Fort Bliss did not say is that the 10-page memo will

enforce much stricter standards and processing, making it much tougher for a

PTSD soldier to qualify. They do not know how long the process will take,

possibly taking months for a soldier's determination.

"Man UP! Be a man about it!"

The United States Army's 43rd Surgeon General and Commanding General of the U.S.

Army Medical Command who appears to be responsible for the new directive is LTG

Patricia Horoho, born and raised into military life as a Catholic.

Nominated by President Obama in December 2011, her new responsibilities include

formulating policy regulations on service support, health hazard assessment and

the establishment of health standards. What will cause longer periods of time

from the application to the final determinations for service dogs involves (1)

the healthcare provider, (2) the chain of command, and (3) the dog trainers,

according to Dennis Swanson, Fort Bliss spokesperson.

Since she took over, single soldiers who choose to not give up their service

dogs or have not yet been determined to have a service dog are being kicked out

of the barracks, forced to find another place to live on a soldier's limited

salary, with their housing pay taken away.

Army commanders are not taking the service dogs serious enough, refusing to

acknowledge these dogs are the lifelines which have kept many PTSD soldiers

alive. Losing them is detrimental to the lives of struggling soldiers. But many

officers feel that the PTSD soldiers are a waste to time to the Army.

"Get rid of the dogs or leave the posts!"

Military service dogs are the same dogs who have performed miracles for PTSD

soldiers by saving lives, which allowed a fast track for a troubled soldier to

get a PTSD trained dog.

Now soldiers are ordered to lock the dogs in their cars until their daily

service duty is over with a window cracked--- regardless of the weather. Many

PTSD soldiers with service dogs are being severely harassed by commanding

superiors, told that the PTSD dogs are no longer welcome at Fort Bliss.

Many of the service dogs were rescued from shelters, trained to work with

suicidal and isolated soldiers --- an effort which has been humane enough to

save two lives. Now two lives are in danger. KFox14 reports that shelters around

Fort Bliss are seeing a large increase in large dogs due to the new directives

on base, while adopters are reducing in numbers.

"We either have to take it in, or refuse it. If we refuse it, it really only has

one other choice, and that's the dog pound. Animal control won't adopt out pit

bulls," said Martha Williams with the Pet Guardian Angel Animal Shelter.

The dogs were once considered necessary medical tools, similar to wheelchairs,

crutches, and casts. The bond between a solider, PTSD or not, and his dog goes

beyond words.

The word now is death, for both parties, as the Army's commanding superiors have

forgotten what loyalty is about. If you'd like to adopt a dog, Pet Guardian

Angel showcases 60 dogs every Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Petsmart

located at 10501 Gateway Blvd. W. The cost of adopting is $85.

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Heath Haussamen on New Mexico Politics

March 9, 2012 Friday 3:02 PM EST

The dog days of elections

LENGTH: 656 words

Michael Swickard

My dog Conrad was amused by the story of an Albuquerque man who registered his

dog to vote and promptly got a voter card for the dog in the mail. The man

wanted to show that a New Mexico voter card was easy to get even for those who

are not legitimate. He has been proven right and has gotten the attention of law

enforcement; in addition, the "dog set to vote" story went national.

These dog days of the election process are quite interesting because it would

seem that getting a false voter card was easy. This is despite the fact that I

have been told many times the registration process insures only legitimate

voters are on the rolls. When I questioned if that statement is true, I have

been told LOUDLY that there are no instances of voter fraud in New Mexico so the

integrity of the voting process has been proven. However, that statement is a

hard sell now with the advent of Dog-and-Husband-Gate.

Yes, the perpetrator of this voter outrage has his head down and is very, very

sorry. So is his master, the person who actually filled out the forms and got

his wife in a sticky situation. The wife works for a candidate in the upcoming

election, so the sins of the dog and husband have come back to rest upon the

wife. Gosh, does it not always happen that way?

Guy and dog deserve a medal

Still, it would seem sending the dog to the pound and the husband to the

judicial woodshed is not what should happen. Yes, they are a bad dog and a bad

husband. All together, "BAD DOG, BAD HUSBAND." The authorities are talking about

a charge of felony for the one person who registers illegally and then does not

vote. How stupid.

Truth be known, I think this guy and his dog deserve a medal, because one of the

most contentious debates each year involves the voting process. The authorities

claim no one but a qualified voter can vote.

So this dog and man settled the issue. We now know without a doubt that people

(and dogs) of evil intent can vote thousands of times each election. In fact, I

suspect there are technically more dogs and cats in Albuquerque than people,

though I have not tried to confirm that data point. New Mexico may have already

gone to the dogs and we, the people, just did not know.

The one thing I know for sure is that no one can sanctimoniously sniff and say

that there never has been a proven case of voter fraud in the state. A dog got a

voter card. The dog did not vote, of course, since the reason for the exercise

was to show how loosely the voter rolls were protected. And no candidate offered

a viable treat for the vote. Another library? Another school? Phooey, the dog

was looking for real pork.

Is a pack of dogs controlling our state?

Seriously folks, and I guess I should be serious for a moment. In elections

where there are just a few hundred votes between winner and loser, we now have

to wonder if a pack of dogs is controlling our state. We will never know until

we have photo voter ID. Or fingerprint voting. That would stop some of the

problem. I do not think we have to sniff each other (how rude) as we come into

the polls the way dogs would if they ran the elections. The mental picture is

gruesome, eh?

So now what? We, as a society, can law this dog and his master to a frazzle and

then sweep the lesson under the outhouse door, or we can grab this opportunity

to make our elections more valid. Know this: Those who are in office often will

not want to change a thing because they were elected under those rules.

Still, this story may have a life of its own with one political party in New

Mexico being the Dog Bone Party and the other political party, since they are at

the other end of the dog's alimentary canal, will quaintly be known as the...

well, you get the idea.

Swickard is co-host of the radio talk show News New Mexico, which airs from 6 to

9 a.m. Monday through Friday on a number of New Mexico radio stations and

through streaming. His e-mail address is michael@swickard.com

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CompaniesandMarkets.com

March 7, 2012 Wednesday 6:10 PM EST

Dog Food in Romania - Market Report

LENGTH: 294 words

The gap between prepared and non-prepared dog food continues to be very wide,

even though prepared food is expected to gain some share and reach 12% in 2011.

Sales of prepared dog food continue to be restricted to large cities, where pet

owners are more interested in their pets' wellbeing and have higher disposable

incomes than owners in smaller cities or rural areas. However, in villages most

dogs are still fed with scraps, which prevents considerable growth in the share

of prepared dog food.

Euromonitor International's Dog Food in Romania report offers a comprehensive

guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the

latest retail sales data 2007-2011, allowing you to identify the sectors driving

growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers

strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new product

developments, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2016 illustrate how

the market is set to change.

Product coverage: Cat Food by Price Platform, Cat Treats and Mixers, Dog Food by

Price Platform, Dog Treats and Mixers, Dry Cat Food, Dry Dog and Cat Food, Dry

Dog Food, Economy Dog and Cat Food, Mid-Priced Dog and Cat Food, Non-Therapeutic

Dog and Cat Food, Premium Dog and Cat Food, Therapeutic Dog and Cat Food, Wet

Cat Food, Wet Dog and Cat Food, Wet Dog Food.

Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand

shares and distribution data.

Why buy this report?

* Get a detailed picture of the Dog Food market;

* Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;

* Understand the competitive environment, the market's major players and leading

brands;

* Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.

LOAD-DATE: March 07, 2012

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12 of 1000 DOCUMENTS

Philly Dawg

March 5, 2012 Monday 5:18 PM EST

BLOG: Philly Dawg: Greig: Dog law fund will be $1.3m in red in 2013, fee

increase discussed

BYLINE: Amy Worden

LENGTH: 674 words

March 05--The fund designed to protect tens of thousands of dogs in licensed

kennels, collect hundreds of stray dogs lost and abandoned statewide, enforce

the dog law and reimburse shelters for the partial cost of caring strays will be

$1.3 million in the red by mid-2013.

That was the grim news delivered by state Agriculture Secretary George Greig

during legislative budget hearings last week.

"We're in situation where very soon we won't have enough money to sustain

operations," Greig told lawmakers during a Senate hearing.

The fund, which in two years has shrunk from $11 million to just over $2

million, was hit with a double blow in 2010: decline in interest income and a

pilfering by Gov. Rendell and the legislature, which removed $4 million to cover

a budget shortfall.

Auditor General Jack Wagner, in a June audit, accused another entity of wrongly

raiding the the fund: the Department of Agriculture. Wagner said a total of $1.2

million used for payroll and administrative expenses for positions unrelated to

dog law should be repaid. The agency denies the charge.

Lawmakers suggested it may be time -- for the first time in 15 years -- to raise

the cost of a dog license, the main source of income for the fund.

"It concerns me for certain. We don't have the funds to enforce the law as it

should be," said Sen. Judy Schwank (D., Berks). "Certainly [raising fees} ought

to be one of the options we need to consider or another funding stream. Why did

we pass the law if we don't intend to enforce it?"

Brace yourself, the dog license fee is $6.45 for a spayed/neutered dog ($8.45

for an intact dog). There are discounts for seniors and a lifetime license for

an altered dog costs $31.45. There are roughly 1 million license holders, but

officials say that's only a fraction of dog owners in the state.

Under questioning by Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Phila.) Greig declined to say

whether he supported that idea, nor did Greig offer any other revenue-raising

idea. Gov. Corbett has been almost steadfast in his campaign pledge not to raise

taxes or fees (Corbett ultimately supported the imposition of a natural gas

drilling fee.)

Greig suggested the agency may look at doing "robo calls" to remind dog owners

of the need to buy a license but gave no details. Right now dog wardens in some

areas are beginning door-to-door canvassing to check to see if dogs are

licensed. (A slow way to raise revenue and a waste of dog warden time, some

say.)

"The Dog Law was passed to ensure a more humane existence for Pennsylvania's

commercial breeding dogs," said Cori Menkin, senior director of the puppy mills

campaign for the ASPCA, who was a leading advocate in the effort to pass the

2008 dog law. "Without proper funding, this critical law is unenforceable and

these dogs will continue to suffer."

Revenue flow to the dog law fund has been stymied by another act of the

legislature -- a decision years ago to funnel all proceeds of fines collected

after $78,000 to the judicial branch for computer upgrades.

The losses to the fund because of this arrangement easily total in the millions,

officials say. (It also makes one wonder what the agriculture agency's incentive

is to pursue violators -- spending time and resources doing so -- if they know

the funds go elsewhere).

It would take an act of the legislature to change the system and direct all fine

payments into the fund.

Meanwhile, the belt-tightening continues at the Department of Agriculture; it

slashed grants to humane societies (telling the shelters the grant program would

be zeroed out next year) that take in stray dogs picked up by dog wardens, and

has 19 unfilled vacancies in the Dog Law Enforcement Office. As a result dog

wardens who once covered a single county are being assigned to cover two and

three counties, some covering hundreds of miles.

Add to that the fact more and more shelters are closing doors to strays forcing

dog wardens to travel much farther to place animals -- using more gas and

lessening the chance the animal would be reunited with their owner.

LOAD-DATE: March 05, 2012

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

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13 of 1000 DOCUMENTS

socalTECH.com

March 5, 2012 Monday 6:19 PM EST

Interview with Aaron Hirschhorn, DogVacay.com

LENGTH: 1455 words

Do you have a pet dog, and do you travel a lot? If so, you're probably familiar

with the travails of having to find a kennel to place your dog into, are

constantly worrying about how your dog is doing in that kennel, and probably are

feeling a little guilty, too, about having them locked up all week while you are

away. To address that worry, Los Angeles-based DogVacay (www.dogvacay.com)

lauched last week -- just in time for SXSW -- to help connect dog owners with

individual dog lovers to help watch their dogs at their homes. The

company--which was founded by husband and wife team Aaron Hirschhorn and Karine

Nissim Hirschhorn--is the latest company to come out of Science, Inc., the

business incubator and studio headed by former MySpace CEO Mike Jones. We spoke

to Aaron about the company.

Can you explain how DogVacay works?

Aaron Hirschhorn: We're forming a community marketplace that matches trusted dog

lovers--who we are calling dog hosts--with the unique needs of dog owners. This

is something that I've experienced myself with my dogs and my family. You're a

dog owner, and when you travel you have two options. Once, is you can go and put

your dog in the kennel, which tends to be overpriced, where your dogs are

generally in a cage 23 hours a day, and where the owner feels really guilty.

That's option one. Option two, is you can ask friends or family members to pet

sit. Although that often works out, you're having to call in a favor, which

makes you feel bad, you might have to drive a lot, and there's guilt associated

with doing that as well. We believe we've come up with a solution. We help find

both professional pet sitters, as well as casual but trusted dog lovers, who are

willing to open up their home and watch your dogs. On our platform, we allow

them to set their own rate, and have complete control over the dogs they will

accept, and their schedule. Dog owners can browse through the site, and find the

best options for their pet. If you want a one bedroom apartment in Silverlake

for your Chihuahua, you can get that for $15.00. If you need a 12 acre ranch in

Malibu for your Great Dane, with an animal trainer on staff, that's $75.00. It's

really about providing a customized approach, and the best experience for both