Guy de la Valdene

Staff members at the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center in Huntington, on Long Island, say 6-year-old Ingrid needs two of the little blue pills every day or she will risk heart failure. They say a vet suggested it.

The pills cost about $10 apiece, and the shelter has been asking Viagra users to pitch in and donate their unused pills.

Viagra was originally developed as a heart medication but is now used mainly by men to give their sex lives a boost.

Julie St. Gregory, a spokeswoman for the San Jose Animal Care Center, said today that the owner “surrendered” her pit bull to be put down, adding that the unlicensed dog had no previous record of violence with the agency.

San Jose police officers found the pit bull about 10 p.m. in the 500 block of Madera Avenue. The dog bit his owner all over her arms and legs, according to a report.

Family members were able to restrain Chaco until animal care services arrived to take him away, the police report states. The woman was treated for her injuries, which police say were not life-threatening.

petsugar.com

How much sugar and calories are in your pet’s treats?

• 1. Canine CarryOuts Chew-lotta (dextrose first ingredient)
• 2. Snausages SnawSomes! Beef and Chicken Flavor (sugars three of first four ingredients)
• 3. Pedigree Jumbone Mini Snack Food for Small Dogs (sugars two of three first ingredients)
• 4. Petrodex Dental Treats for Cats (dextrose second ingredient)
• 5. Pedigree Jumbone (sugar third ingredient)
• 6. Bil-Jac Gooberlicious Dog Treats (high-fructose corn syrup third ingredient)
• 7. Pup-Peroni Lean Beef Recipe (sugar third ingredient)
• 8. Science Diet Simple Essentials Treats Training Adult Treats with Real Beef (sugar third ingredient)
• 9. Cesar Softies Dog Treats (sugar third ingredient)
• 10. Milk-Bone Chewy Chicken Drumsticks (sugar third ingredient)
• 11. Meow Mix Moist Cat Treats (corn syrup fourth ingredient)
• 12. Pedigree Marrobone (sugar third ingredient)

Other too-sweet treats include:

• Pedigree Jumbone (sugar third ingredient)
• Milk Bone Essentials Plus Oral Care (sugar third ingredient)
• Beneful Snackin’ Slices (sugar fourth ingredient)
• Pit’r Pat Fresh Breath Mint Flavored Cat Treats (maltodextrin first ingredient)
• Three Dog Bakery Lick ‘n Crunch (dextrose third ingredient)
• Beneful Snackin Slices (sugar fourth ingredient)
• Busy Chewnola (maltodextrin second ingredient)
• Exclusively Dog Vanilla Flavor Sandwich Creme Dog Cookies (sugars first two ingredients)
• Canine Carryouts Dog Treats (corn syrup second ingredient)

The sugar problem is linked to money — and lots of it. With U.S. pet treat sales estimated to be a staggering $2 billion in 2010, the pet food bowl has turned to gold. Sugar is incredibly attractive to dogs. This means if our pooch gobbles down a treat, we’re more likely to hand out another — and another. So in the race for pet treat profits, our animals’ health is being slowly bankrupted.

Of course, pet treat manufacturers are quick to point the finger at pet owners, since our companion animals can’t binge on sugar-filled foods without some human help. Pet owners definitely have a feeding disorder when it comes to their pets. Why would sugar be a primary ingredient in a treat that claims to keep pets’ teeth healthy and clean (which several of the snacks listed above claim on their packaging)?

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/pets/index#ixzz0sOJcs2fy

Fruits and nuts that are toxic include grapes, raisins and macademia nuts. Feeding large amounts of rinds of citrus fruits can also cause toxicity due to increased ingestion of essential oils. All other fruits and nuts are not known to be toxic to dogs, but must be fed in moderation or else gastrointestinal issues could occur.

Do you need a protective dog that is intelligent and devoted to its owners? If so, you may want to consider buying a Rottweler. These big dogs were bred to be very versatile working dogs. They guard their homes and families, excel in agility training, and think that they are tiny lapdogs when they are with their owners.

The Rottweiler is fairly large and very muscular. These powerful dogs weigh between 85 to 130 pounds and stand 22 to 27 inches tall at the shoulder. A Rottweiler has a sleek black and brown coat and deep, soulful brown eyes.

The Rottweiler is a part of the American Kennel Club’s Working Group. These powerful dogs are often used as guard dogs. Unfortunately, some Rottweiler owners have mistreated their dogs in an attempt to make them more aggressive. These abused Rottweilers have given the breed an undeserved reputation as a dangerous breed. Rottweilers that are bred and raised properly are actually wonderful, loving family pets.

The Rottweiler is an extremely intelligent dog and this breed does best when it has something to do. Give your Rottweiler a job, such as keeping pests out of the garden, and you will have a happy dog. It is important to begin training a Rottweiler puppy at a young age, as these dogs quickly grow into large, powerful animals. Also, puppy obedience classes are a wonderful opportunity for you to provide your Rottweiler with plenty of socialization at a young age. Luckily, this breed enjoys learning, as long as the trainer uses love and patience. These dogs respond eagerly to new challenges, which is why the Rottweiler does well in agility trials.

Because of their size and strength, Rottweilers may not be the best choice for a family with a toddler. A six month old puppy may not realize his own strength and could accidentally injure small children while he is romping around. If your heart is set on a Rottweiler puppy, you may want to wait until your children are old enough to walk well.

Of course, a dog with the size and energy of a Rottweiler can burn up quite a few calories. You should be prepared to buy quite a lot of food for your puppy. Also, it is important to make sure that your puppy’s nutritional needs are being met, since Rottweilers can develop joint problems when they are older.

Since a Rottweiler has such a short coat, grooming one of these dogs is not very time consuming. Brush your dog once a week with a slicker brush to keep his coat looking shiny and glossy. Also, be sure you take the time to check his nails to be sure they become not too long. When your dog is a puppy, you may also want to accustom him to having his teeth brushed.

If the thought of having a hundred pound dog attempt to crawl into your lap as though he weighs ten pounds horrifies you, then a Rottweiler may not be the breed for you. After all, not everyone wants a dog who has the appearance of a killer and the heart of a marshmallow.

I am posting these two articles of “PROOF” of what’s happening right now in a city near you. Read on reader.

Owners would face fines of $100 for the first offense and more for subsequent ones. The action comes after four fatal attacks by the dogs in the county in the last five years.

After a rash of deadly pit bull attacks throughout the Inland Empire, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors approved a measure Tuesday requiring all pit bull owners to spay or neuter their animals or face fines.

In the last five years, pit bull attacks have killed four people in the county, including a 2-year-old San Bernardino boy who was mauled in May by one of the family’s two pit bulls — named Taliban — and a 3-year-old Apple Valley boy who died after a similar attack in January.

“It’s an imminent issue that we felt had to be addressed because of the recent attacks,’ ” Supervisor Neil Derry said.

Under the ordinance, owners of pit bulls or pit bull mixes would be required to spay or neuter dogs more than 4 months old. Owners who fail to do so would face a $100 fine for the first offense and more severe fines for subsequent offenses. A final vote on the ordinance, considered a formality, is scheduled for July.

For owners suffering financial hardship, the county will provide vouchers to help pay for the procedures.

Along with the two deaths, four other vicious attacks by pit bulls have been reported in the county since January. In April, three young children walking to a Fontana park with their mother were attacked by five pit bull mixes that escaped from a backyard. The children survived, but one suffered a punctured lung and the others suffered serious bite wounds.

“This year alone, we’ve had two human deaths, and four deaths in five years, because of pit bull attacks. No other death has been attributable to any other breed,” said Brian Cronin, chief of county animal care and control.

Of the 686 reported dog bites in the county in the 2008-09 fiscal year, 137 involved pit bulls, Cronin said.

Pit bull breeds account for 20% of the dogs being housed in county animal shelters. Because they are the least likely breed to be adopted, 77% of those dogs — about 1,300 animals — are euthanized a year, he said.

The ordinance provides exemptions for some licensed dog breeders and pure breeds, including American pit bull terriers and Staffordshire bull terriers, recognized by the American Kennel Club and other national dog registries.

That offered little comfort to Jaime Padilla of Apple Valley, who shows his pit bulls at competitions across the West. He arrived at Tuesday’s meeting with a picture of his dog Gordo on his T-shirt, telling the board that many of his dogs would have to be neutered or spayed under the ordinance, and that would disqualify them from competitions.

“I have no kids — these are my kids,” said Padilla, who moved to San Bernardino County from La Puente in part to have the freedom to raise his dogs.

Ed Shepherd of Rialto, who owns dogs of the American bully breed, criticized the ordinance for punishing responsible dog owners and breeders. Many of the owners responsible for the attacks abuse or fail to properly care for their dogs, he said, adding that such people already ignore licensing requirements and will likely do the same with the spay-and-neutering law.

“The real problem is the yokel down the street with a hole in the fence,” Shepherd said. “This isn’t going to stop those people.”

I am posting these two articles of “PROOF” of what’s happening right now in a city near you. Read on reader.

Pit bull owners in San Bernardino County’s unincorporated areas will soon have to have their dogs spayed or neutered or face county fines.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday gave initial approval to an ordinance requiring all pit bulls and “pit bull-type dogs” be spayed or neutered. Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt authored the ordinance, which he said aims to cut down on the number of pit bulls in county animal shelters and on the number of pit-bull attacks.

“In the past five years, four people in San Bernardino County have been killed by this breed, and just this year there have been seven attacks by pit bulls,” Mitzelfelt said. “No other breed has viciously attacked or killed anyone in that time.”

Although that’s Mitzelfelt’s take, state law prohibits any breed from being labeled as dangerous or vicious. The ordinance approved Tuesday, which is scheduled to get final approval next month and take effect in August, doesn’t claim that pit bulls are vicious. Rather, it seeks to control their numbers.

Mitzelfelt said pit bulls make up about one in five dogs in county animal shelters and are the most commonly euthanized breed at county shelters.

A handful of pit-bull owners and breeders spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, saying they were concerned that the ordinance would require them to spay or neuter purebred show dogs. “This would affect our hobby and our love for our breed,” said Jaime Padilla, who owns four pit bulls and lives in

an unincorporated area in the High Desert. “I can’t show my dogs if they’re neutered.”

But Mitzelfelt’s ordinance allows an exemption for purebred pit bulls – including Staffordshire bull terriers, American pit bull terriers and American Staffordshire terriers – registered with the American Kennel Club, United Kennel Club or any other national registry.

He said as long as the ordinance allows responsible owners with purebred dogs to continue raising their favorite breed, he doesn’t have any problems. He also said pit-bull attacks are almost assuredly committed by dogs with irresponsible owners.

Michelle Chavez, a Riverside County resident who often shows her pit bulls in San Bernardino County, said she went into Tuesday’s board meeting upset but left feeling much more comfortable.

“Coming out, I was glad they at least heard our concerns and already had backup for them – that they’re not going to bother you if you’re licensed and you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing and you have pedigreed dogs,” Chavez said.

The ordinance will go to the board for final approval on Tuesday  July 13.

Supervisor Neil Derry said he supports the measure, but added that he would like to see an ordinance requiring all breeds to be spayed or neutered.