The Dog Journal

The Lone Star Sanctuary for Animals has constructed a new half-mile dog trail for use by volunteers to walk shelter dogs.  Mywesttexas.com explains:

Volunteers wanting to walk and exercise dogs at a local animal shelter can now do so on a half-mile walking track.

The Lone Star Sanctuary for Animals has built a new trail behind its shelter to accommodate volunteers looking to help.

***

A road grader, purchased by French, was used to clear the half-mile track on some donated property to the shelter. It snakes around in a loop. Along the way, staff members have positioned a shed and shading area as a resting area. It is stocked with water for both dog walkers and dogs.

It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete the trail, approximate times of walking at a leisurely pace, and Armstrong said volunteers will sometimes walk it two or three times, switching out dogs after each lap to give all some exercise.

The program works for those who don’t want their own dog or do not have time for a pet. It also allows those who live in an apartment or rental property where animals aren’t allowed to interact with dogs.

Click here for the full story.  Hopefully the new trail will attract more volunteers and lead to increased adoptions of dogs.  I wish I had this kind of trail near my house too!

Here are just a few of the many events for dogs happening this weekend:

LOS ANGELES - If you are in the Los Angeles area and especially if you are a Dodgers fan, you can take part in the Bark in the Park and watch baseball at the same time this Saturday.  The official Dodgers website explains:

On Saturday, May 28th the Dodgers will hold their 2nd annual Bark in the Park at Dodger Stadium, presented by Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc. Fans that purchase a special event ticket in the All-You-Can-Eat Right Field Pavilion via the link below are invited to bring their dogs to the park and help cheer on their home team as the Dodgers host the Florida Marlins at 7:10 p.m.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Los Angeles.

MASSACHUSETTS - This Saturday, May 28th, there will be an event at a store called Dave’s Soda & Pet City to help raise funds to provide protective vests for police dogs in Massachusetts.  The event will include demonstrations on police dog searches, obedience, and agility exercises, in addition to displays by dog food vendors.  The proceeds will help an organization called Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog whose mission is described on their site as follows:

While law enforcement agencies provide bullet-resistant vests for their human officers, they are unable to fund vests for K-9 officers. As K-9s are trained to give up their lives to protect their partners and all of us, we believe it is every bit as important to protect them. 

Our goal is to provide a protective vest for every Massachusetts K-9.

One bullet-protective vest, which costs $735 each, also protects K-9s against blunt force trauma from being kicked, punched, or struck with an object like a bat.

WYOMING - As this article from the Casper Journal describes, the Central Wyoming Kennel Club will host its annual AKC Dog Show on May 27-28:

On May 27 and 28, the Central Wyoming Kennel Club (CWKC) will feature its annual AKC-sanctioned dog show. The show will feature almost all AKC recognized dog breeds for the conformation event and also mixed breeds or “All-American” breeds for obedience and rally obedience competition.

The Friday and Saturday competitions will run all day with several rings set up in the arena and different events going on simultaneously.

Sounds like a fun time for all in Wyoming!

NORTH CAROLINA - The Blue Ridge Agility Club is hosting a massive agility event at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center. The citizen-times.com explains:

More than 400 dogs are expected to run, jump, climb and perform other agility feats there Friday-Sunday during an American Kennel Club agility trial. The event will be hosted by the Blue Ridge Agility Club.

This event is one of four the Blue Ridge Agility Club hosts at the Ag Center each year, club President Brian Ferrand said.

“The dogs run through tunnels, they run across teeter-totters, weave between poles,” Ferrand said. “There’s a lot of running, also some climbing. The events are all timed, and basically the dog with the best time and the best score wins.”

CANADA - A nationwide event in Canada is happening this Sunday, May 29th.  The Purina Walk for Dog Guides is actually a collection of over 200 dog walk events across Canada.  The official website explains:

The Purina Walk for Dog Guides is a national event with more than 200 Walks across Canada. This is the Foundation’s largest annual fundraiser and raises funds to help train Dog Guides for Canadians with visual, hearing, medical or physical disabilities. Held primarily in the spring, the Walks are organized by local volunteers with support from Lions Foundation of Canada and have raised more than $7 million since it began. This year’s national Walk date is Sunday, May 29th, 2011.

There’s a search function here where you folks in Canada can locate a nearby dog walk event. 

VIRGINIA - The Virginia Memorial Day Cluster All-Breed Dog Show will be taking place this weekend, as described at the hamptonroads.com:

This May 27-30, 2011, the Hampton Roads Convention Center (HRCC) will once again welcome over 1,500 canine friends to The Virginia Memorial Day Cluster All-Breed Dog Show. Hosted by Langley and Gloucester Kennel Clubs, the event is expected to draw over 4,000 spectators within a four day period. This is the sixth consecutive year the event has been held at the HRCC.   This year’s highlights include four days worth of obedience trials, a Junior Showmanship clinic on Saturday, May 28, and over 30 vendors offering pet merchandise unique to the Hampton Roads region. In addition, the show will host an AKC Rally® (a special obedience trial segment and AKC’s fastest growing sport) each day. On Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 29, special guided tours of The Virginia Memorial Day Cluster All-Breed Dog Show are scheduled.

It’s time again to dude up your dog for the Best Costume contest as Downtown Crossville, Inc. presents their third annual Paw and Order event on Saturday, May 28 at the new Spirit Broadband Amphitheater behind the Cumberland County Courthouse.

Other contests at this popular event include Largest/Smallest Dog and the Peanut Butter Lick-off. A contest schedule is available at downtown merchants or the DCI office.

A new addition to this year’s Paw and Order will be a Home Again Microchipping Clinic. A microchip is invaluable in retrieving a lost pet as, not only do many vets and shelters have the availability to read the chip, but Home Again posts the lost dog notice online to other home again users in your community. The fee for microchip placement and one year’s registration will be $25, a significant saving from the regular cost of $45.  In an area where “no-kill” shelters are not common, a chip can very likely save your pet’s life.

Speaking of saving pets, several local rescue organizations will be set up on the west lawn of the courthouse with pets available for adoption. Vendors with dog-related items will be set up on the grounds surrounding the amphitheater. This is your chance to purchase homemade dog treats, a great outfit for your four-legged friend or to schedule a dog grooming appointment.

OHIO - For my friends in Ohio, you can take part in the Comics for Canines and Felines event this Saturday, May 28th as described by snponline.com:

“Comics for Canines and Felines” will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 28 at Rule (3), 650 Windmiller Drive in Pickerington.

The event will help support animals in Fairfield County and Central Ohio. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Fairfield County Citizens for Animal Rights and Ethical Standards.

Brittany Owens, a middle school student and her friends are hosting the event.

Hundreds of DC Comic books will be given away to donors at the event.

Other activities will include a “Smooches with Pooches” dog kissing booth, raffle baskets and individual prizes, CARES Pet First-Aid Kits, Best Super Hero Contest, and music.

Proceeds will help an organization called Fairfield County C.A.R.E.S. (Citizens for Animal Rights and Ethical Standards).  Click here for their website. If you love dogs AND comic books, this is an essential event for you!

These are just a few of the canine-related events happening in our world this weekend.  As always, go out and have fun with your dog even if there are no events in your area!

A study published in the Royal Society Biology Letters confirms that dogs drink water in a way similar to cats.  Dogs shape their tongues into scoop-like shapes and kind of pull up the water into their mouths.  Here’s more explanation from Discovery.com:

Dogs turn out to be much more sophisticated drinkers than previously realized, since new research explains how they seemingly defy gravity with each gulp.

The findings, published in the latest Royal Society Biology Letters, put dogs in the same lapping category as cats. Both can lift liquids into the air before they swallow the near-freestanding vertical column of water or other drink.

But there is one important difference between cats and dogs: “Dogs make much more mess,” co-author Alfred Crompton told Discovery News.

“Unlike cats that usually place their tongue tip on the liquid surface, dogs penetrate the liquid surface and consequently liquid is spread all around as the tongue is withdrawn,” Crompton, a professor emeritus in the department of Natural History at Harvard University, told Discovery News.

He and colleague Catherine Musinsky used high-speed video recordings, including X-ray video, to record a domestic dog drinking both broth and a milk-barium mixture.

Check out this slow-motion video here of a dog drinking water.  It’s kind of mesmerizing:

This site is for all things canine so I normally wouldn’t want to mention Nazis here, but this story is just too bizarre not to mention.  During World War II, the German army tried to train dogs to talk, read and spell.  This story from the Telegraph explains:

The Germans viewed canines as being almost as intelligent as humans and attempted to build an army of fearsome ‘speaking’ dogs, extraordinary new research shows.

Hitler hoped the clever creatures would learn to communicate with their SS masters - and he even had a special dog school set up to teach them to talk.

The incredible findings show Nazi officials recruited so-called educated dogs from all over Germany and trained them to speak and tap out signals using their paws.

One mutt was said to have uttered the words ‘Mein Fuhrer’ when asked who Adolf Hitler was.

Another ‘spoke’ by tapping letters of the alphabet with his paws and was said to have speculated about religion and learnt poetry.

The Germans hoped to use the animals for the war effort, such as getting them to work alongside the SS and guard concentration camps to free up officers.

The bizarre ‘Wooffan SS’ experiment has come to light after years of painstaking research by academic Dr Jan Bondeson into unique and amazing dogs in history.

Another thing I discovered through this story is a book about dogs by Dr. Jan Bondeson who is mentioned above.  He wrote a book called “Amazing Dogs: A Cabinet of Canine Curiosities,” which looks interesting (I haven’t read it yet). The product description on Amazon.com says:

Dogs have a cherished role as close companions, and their sometimes startling abilities have been a never-ending source of fascination for their observers and friends through the ages. In Amazing Dogs, Jan Bondeson uncovers the stories of some of the most extraordinary dogs in history.

***

Amazing Dogs, illustrated with more than 130 contemporary images, including thirty in color, suitably ends with a chapter on dog cemeteries and canine ghosts. A literary and visual treat for both dog lovers and those fascinated by the history of the strange and the uncanny, this book reaffirms the special bond between humans and dogs.

Click here for the description from Amazon.com.  If my dog could talk (using human words), I suspect most of the conversation would be about food.

The Humane Society of the United States is awarding a Golden Retriever named Yogi with the 2011 Valor Dog of the Year Award. This story from www.chron.com explains:

A golden retriever that saved the life of its master after the man fell from his mountain bike is being honored Tuesday with a crystal likeness of himself and customized silver dog tags.

The Humane Society of the United States will award the Austin pooch Yogi its 2011 Valor Dog of the Year award for saving Paul Horton. The 58-year-old retired mechanical engineer and Yogi have been together for about five years, since Yogi was a pup.

Last October, Yogi was out for a jog while Horton was riding his bike near Lake Travis when he jumped a curb on his bicycle.

“I’m sure I’ve done it 100 times, but this time my front wheel stopped and I went over the handlebars and landed on my head,” Horton told the Austin American-Statesman.

The helmetless Horton was knocked unconscious. When he came to, he couldn’t move and was bleeding from his nose and mouth. Yogi was at his side.

Horton could not yell, so he pleaded with Yogi for 45 minutes to go and get help. Finally, Yogi went back to the road and encountered Horton’s neighbors, Bruce and Maggie Tate. Normally mild mannered, Yogi barked at the Tates frantically. Realizing something was wrong, they followed him back to Horton.

You can find more information about Yogi and the other runners-up at the Humane Society website.  Congratulations to Yogi and all the other brave dogs!

I stumbled upon a new website called “Fallendogs.com” which is dedicated to military and service dogs.  The site has a collection of articles and stories about various canine heroes who have served their communities.  There is also an online store for dog products which helps support the site and several charities. The website describes itself as follows:

FallenDogs.com exists to celebrate and honor the memory of fallen dogs — dogs who have meaningfully served their country, their community, or their family.

FallenDogs.com celebrates the special bond between dog and humankind, and seeks to become a gathering place for those who appreciate that bond or want to memorialize a hero dog.

The site welcomes visitors to read fascinating and inspirational feature articles, as well as moderated stories submitted by other visitors and supporters. 

It’s always great to learn more about hard working dogs who help improve our lives.  Check out the website here.

A dog named Dozer escaped his yard and ran alongside human runners in the Maryland Half Marathon, as this article from ESPN.com describes:

…Dozer escaped his invisible fence and joined the 2,000-plus runners competing in the Maryland Half Marathon, which benefits the University of Maryland’s Greenebaum Cancer Center. Dozer joined the fray about five miles into the race, which is held in Howard County, Md., and he crossed the finish line at the 2:14:24 mark. Maryland Half Marathon co-founder Jon Sevel said many runners spotted Dozer in various places on the course, at times lapping up water from cups at rest areas, but nobody realized the dog was running solo. After running the final seven miles or so of the event, Dozer found his own way home Monday morning.

Dozer has his own page at the Maryland Half Marathon site here.  The race was held to benefit the University of Maryland’s Greenebaum Cancer Center.  Click here for the full story and a video of Dozer. Here’s a picture of Dozer crossing the finish line!(you may have to click on the box below to see the picture).

Here’s a story out of Alabama about another tough dog named Mason that survived a disaster. He was caught up in a tornado that hit the area and suffered two broken legs.  Despite his injuries, he crawled all the way home!  Here’s the story from wavy.com:

On April 27, Mason was hiding in a garage in North Smithfield when a storm picked him up and blew him away. His owners couldn’t find him and had about given up when they came back to their home and garage on Monday to sift through debris. They found Mason waiting for them on the porch.

“He’s got two broken legs and they’re distal radial unal fractures. They’ve not been able to be in alignment so neither one of them have healed so he had to crawl on two broken legs to get home,” said Dr. Barbara Benhart with the shelter.

***

“For an animal to go through what he’s gone through and not to be ugly, to be happy for any companionship is remarkable. We’re honored to be part of his recovery,” said Doster.

Let’s hope Mason recovers quickly!  I can’t imagine what that must have been like.  Dogs are tough.  Click here for the full story and a picture of Mason.

Here’s an astounding story from Canada.  A little dog named May who had been swept away and carried by an eagle or similar bird dropped out of the sky and was rescued.  This story from metronews.ca explains:

May, a six-year-old toy poodle, is being treated for painful gouges on her back and multiple broken ribs after being picked up by a large bird of prey and dropped from an unknown height.

Residents of the Shorncliff Nursing Home were shocked to see the dog fall from the sky and crash to the ground.

Nurses at the care facility assisted the dog until the B.C. SPCA arrived.

The SPCA says the dog had obviously been on its own and unattended for a while before being snatched by the bird.

Its teeth were badly decayed and its nails were so long they had grown into her paws.

“It’s ironic, but this bird may have saved her life,” SPCA Sunshine Coast branch manager Shannon Broderick.

May had no ID on her and attempts to find her possible owner have failed.

The branch is now trying to raise $4,000 to cover for two dental surgeries and other medical costs.

Click here for the full story and a picture of little May. The bird was probably going to eat the dog, who had been neglected anyway.  Although May has endured a strange journey, it appears there’s a sliver lining because now she has a chance to recover from her injuries and neglect, and be adopted by a kind family. 

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend here are just a few of the many canine-related options happening around the country:

WISCONSIN - The South Wood Humane Society is hosting its 15th Annual Walk, Run and Bike for Kindness event on May 14th.  The Wisconsin Rapids Tribune explains:

South Wood County Humane Society officials will host the 15th annual Walk, Run and Bike for Kindness fundraiser Saturday at the shelter’s new facility.

While the organization hosts a variety of fundraisers throughout the year that feature animals of all sorts, Executive Director Phil Hartley said this event focuses on canines.

“It’s basically a day for the dogs,” Hartley said. “We invite people to bring their dogs or to come take one of the shelter dogs for a walk.”

The organization’s employees and volunteers will have a mapped-out course ready for participants, who can, as the event’s name states, walk, run or pedal a bike.

HAWAII - The Hawaiian Humane Society is hosting a Canine Game Day on May 14th in Honolulu. The event will feature dogs for adoption, dog games and activities food for kids, and a Hawaii Weiner Derby!

New York - Those of you in the Saratoga Springs area can participate in the Dog-Friendly Downtown Spring Event on May 14th.  It’s promoted by Saratoga Arts and a boutique called Sloppy Kisses. The website for Sloppy Kisses describes the event as:

Come to the Dog-Friendly Downtown Spring Event on Saturday, May 14th in Downtown Saratoga Springs. Stroll, shop, eat and drink with your dog by your side. Get great discounts and win amazing prizes from Saratoga’s best businesses. From 11am to 3pm, there will be a dog-centric Scavenger Hunt at participating businesses. Then, from 3pm to 5pm, join us for Doggie Yappy Hour at The IceHouse (70 Putnam Street).

MICHIGAN - Every second Saturday (this coming Saturday), a non-profit dog kennel called Canine Safe Harbor hosts a dog-adoption event at its location in Kalamazoo.  mlive.com explains that you can “meet rescued dogs and take them for a walk through the kennel’s 10 acres of land.”  Canine Safe Harbor is described as follows:

Canine Safe Harbor was established in 2006 to give dogs who have lost their families a chance at a better life. Our dogs get comfortable, spacious living quarters, outside exercise areas and loving volunteers to help with their rehabilitation while they wait for their forever homes.

We typically accept owner surrendered animals. Since we do not have the income to provide extensive health care, we ask owners to have their dogs spayed or neutered and up to date on all medicines including the veterinarian paperwork to prove it before we take their dogs. However, all animals we rescue do not meet those requirements.

While with us, the animals enjoy walks on wooded trails, grooming, play times out of doors and lots of love and treats. They are fed twice a day and when volunteers are here, are walked twice a day. We do our best to give them a good time while waiting for their new home.

CALIFORNIA - There will be an event called Bark at the Park on May 14th for those of you in the Poway area.  It will be hosted by the Poway Kiwanis Club, and is described by the pomeradonews.com as:

The event will include several contests in which dogs can compete, more than 25 vendor booths, music and food.

Admission is free and dog owners may enter their canine friends in as many contests as they like for a flat $10 fee.

Contests will include: Cutest dog, dog who most looks like its owner, best dog trick, cutest puppy, and best pet costume (for dog owners 16 years and under.) There will also be agility contests for large, medium and small dogs.

CALIFORNIA, Orange County - This coming May 14th, there will be an adoption fair at Orange County Animal Care called the “Forever Friends for Free” which is sponsored by the Angels Baseball Foundation. Click here for an article from the OC Register about the event.

OKLAHOMA - The grand opening of the Mary Maxine Williamson Dog Park will be held this Saturday in the town of Shawnee.  There will be various attractions as described by the news-star.com:

Area residents are invited to attend the celebration, which will include festivities for humans as well as their four-legged canine friends.
The ribbon cutting will be held at 10:30 a.m. with City Commissioner John Winterringer speaking.
Also present for the celebration will be Canine Companions for Independence and there also will be games for dogs.
Representatives of Animal Rescue Center of Shawnee as well as Saving Pets at Risk also will be there.
In conjunction with the event, the city of Shawnee also will offer a convenient way for residents to license their pets with the city, which is required by ordinance.

There are many other events for dogs that I haven’t covered.  Click on the links above for more information.  Even if you are not in an area that has a dog event, go out with your dog and have some fun this weekend!

Jack, a German Shepherd from Oregon, is an escape artist.  He was staying at a vet’s office for treatment for an illness and was being kept in the vet’s kennel.  Somehow, he escaped as is described by the mailtribune.com:

A canine Houdini who unlocked his kennel door at a local veterinarian’s office confounded police by repeatedly tripping the clinic’s burglar alarm last week before slipping away on a cross-country jaunt to the Talent hills.

Marsha Billeci feared Jack was at death’s door last week when she brought her 6-year-old German shepherd on Monday to Dr. Shannon Sierra, a veterinarian at Best Friends Animal Hospital on West Main Street in Medford.

***

“Jack is a wonderful dog,” Sierra said. “But he was so sick he could barely walk. Then, 72 hours later, he’s on the lam.”

The clinic’s security company said police had been notified after motion detector alarms had been tripped at 10:30 p.m., 1:30 a.m. and again at 4:45 a.m., Billeci said.

Police had responded — at least to the first two alarms, she added.

“They saw a German shepherd running around inside the building. But they didn’t see anything else,” Billeci said.

But police didn’t have the advantage of knowing they were dealing with an extraordinarily canny canine, Billeci said. Jack is very smart, very stubborn and very tall. And he learned long ago how to open cupboard doors, drawers and other locked spaces at her home and find his doggy treats, she said.

“He knows where his treats are,” Billeci said. “He self-serves. He hooks his claw on the handle and pulls. He yanks super hard.”

Sometime between 1:30 and 4:45 a.m., Jack managed to trip the dead bolt on the clinic’s back door, pull down the lever handle, and push his way to freedom, Billeci said.

Click here for the full story and a picture of the canine Houdini.  I guess Jack really, REALLY, wanted to go home!  Very clever dog.

A veterinarian at the Yale Animal Clinic in Houston, Texas is using advanced technology to provide stem-cell treatments for dogs.  The treatments are meant to prolong the lives of dogs, as khou.com explains:

A Houston veterinarian is using a groundbreaking stem-cell technology on dogs, to give man’s best friend a longer and healthier life.

Yale Animal Clinic Mark Gasaway says the cutting edge surgery uses a patient’s own stem cells to help repair aging joints.

If you’re a dog lover, and you spend any amount of time in the Heights, chances are you’ve seen one of his patients. 

“Cooley is a local icon,” Gasaway said.  “All the locals know him.  He’s always out.  He really is cool.”

But Cooley, a 10-year-old Catahoula Leopard dog, has lost some of the spring in his step, the result of degenerative arthritis in his shoulder joints.  He’s come to the clinic for what some consider a revolutionary procedure. 

Click here for the full story and a video. The clinic’s website has an explanation of the treatment:

We now have and that means you now have available a stem cell treatment for your dog mainly aimed at arthritis but akso opening up to other tissue replacement treatments every day. The most common thing being done presently is along these lines: You bring your older hip arthritic dog into our clinic and we do blood profiles and assess the possibility of two short anesthetic events. If anesthesia risk is minimal then we set up a one day collection of fat tissue behind the shoulder and process that fat for 2.5 hours to harvest your dog’s adult adipose derived stem cells.  When we get your dog’s own stem cells finished from our in-house labortory then we anesthetize again and inject those cells directly into the hip joint &/or other joints.   Then we send him/her home.

Pretty technical explanation, but it sounds like the treatments are helping dogs live longer, healthier lives!

Here is yet another story about a dog (small chihuahua) who survived a devastating house fire.  The San Francisco Chronicle explains:

Firefighter-paramedic Fred Putt was searching the building when he came across the animal, said Mindy Talmadge, a Fire Department spokeswoman. Putt told Battalion Chief Michael Thompson of his find, and Thompson thought at first that Putt was joking and would bring out a stuffed animal, authorities said.

Instead, it was a real pooch, albeit slightly singed.

The dog, a male about a year old, was taken to San Francisco Animal Care and Control, where his owner, Rolando Walker, 47, picked him up Thursday afternoon.

Eric Zuercher, the shelter’s supervisor of animal care, said that aside from some smoke irritation, Paco is doing fine.

Walker had tried to save Paco but was forced to leave his beloved pet behind because of the flames, said a friend, Chris Usselman. Paco ran under the bed as firefighters pulled Walker out of his unit.

Looks like the little dog was able to hide in the closet while the house burned around him.  Glad to hear that he is a little singed, but ok!  Click here for the full story and a picture of Paco.

New York Mets catcher Josh Thole taught his dog to communicate via sign language after it was discovered that the dog is deaf.  NBC New York explains:

Mets catcher Josh Thole even gives signals at home.

The 24-year-old Amazin’ taught his deaf dog, Picca, to understand sign language commands for sitting and staying, among other directions.

Thole initially bought the adorable Maltese-poodle mix from an Oklahoma breeder to accompany his wife, Kathryn, on Mets road trips, reports the Daily News.

Two months later, they took the pup to the vet because she wasn’t responding to verbal commands. A veterinarian blew a specialized high-pitched whistle that only canines can hear, and Picca still didn’t respond.

The veterinarian told the Mets couple she was deaf.

Rather than return the dog, as some frustrated pet buyers who discover their animal has a disability are wont to do, Thole poured his energy and skills into teaching the dog to understand sign language. He told the News she caught on pretty quickly.

Too often, we hear about dogs being abandoned because of an impairment or injury.  I’m not a Mets fan, but props to Josh Thole for not giving up on Picca despite her hearing problem.

A sheepdog who lost one of his legs in an accident won the Farm Dog of the Year from the National Farmers Union in the U.K.  The BBC News explains:

Jack lost his rear right leg in an accident last year but still pulls his weight on Ian and Ruth Rees’s Powys farm.

They entered him in the canine competition run by the National Farmers Union (NFU).

NFU Cymru president Ed Bailey said the judges were impressed by Jack’s tenacity and battle against adversity.

The Rees family sent in a photo of Jack and explained in 150 words why Jack should be named top dog in the competition.

They told how Jack has suffered a serious leg injury last year resulting in the amputation but had recovered well enough to carry on working.

You can check out photos of the other contenders here at the NFU website. Despite his missing leg, it appears that Jack was able to do a great job on his farm!

The South Yorkshire Police Department in the U.K. recently had a bunch of new “recruits,” in the form of a litter of puppies.  They have set up a live webcam where you can check in on the puppies.  The police department’s website explains:

You can now watch ten of South Yorkshire Police’s latest recruits, live via the SYP website. The ten German shepherd pups were born between the evening of Monday 11 April and the early hours of Tuesday 12 April 2011 at South Yorkshire Police’s Dog Training Centre, Sheffield as part of the Force’s puppy breeding scheme.

The ten pups will remain at the Dog Training Centre with their mum, Goldie, until they are seven weeks old. They will then be homed with their ‘puppy walker’ volunteers who will act as their foster parents until they are approximately 12 months old and big enough to begin their initial police dog training.

Click here to watch the police puppies on the South Yorkshire Police Puppy Cam.