Cute Pet of the Day – March 19, 2010

Filed under: Cute Pet of the Day

Don't worry, Madison; we're sure you'll find the remote just in time to watch Dog Whisperer!

Congratulations to our submitter, mblazowich. If you'd like to submit your pet, upload your favorite pet photos to our Flickr pool!

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Golden Retriever Eats Three-Carat Diamond Worth $20,000

Filed under: Pets News

Talk about a diamond in the ruff!

A hungry golden retriever made headlines when he swallowed a three-carat diamond worth $20,000, reports WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C.

The expensive meal was eaten at Robert Bernard Jewelry Store in Rockville, Md., where Sollie goes to work everyday with his owner, George Kaufmann, who co-owns the store with his business partner, Robert Rosin. When a visiting diamond dealer was showing the men some loose diamonds, one of the glittering gemstones dropped to the ground, according to WTTG-TV.

What occurred next was stunning. "Saw Sollie go for the diamond -- gobbled it up," Rosin told WJLA. "Tried to get it, couldn't get it -- gone!"

"Stones have dropped before and [Sollie] doesn't pay attention," Kaufmann, the dog's owner, told WTTG. But this particular diamond fell and landed right in front of his mouth.

The men quickly called the veterinarian, who had some sage advice: Let nature takes its course.

Kaufmann walked Sollie morning and night, collecting the dog's stool for inspection. On the third day, the diamond surfaced. "It was 7 a.m. and they had just come back from their morning walk," Rosin tells Paw Nation. "George was going through everything on his deck and, eureka, there it was!"

Sollie still goes to the jewelry store every day, but now Kaufmann and Rosin make sure to have lots of doggie treats on hand. "It wasn't so funny then, but I guess it's funny now," laughs Rosin.

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In the News: Mike Tyson’s Gone to the Birds, Ellen and Portia’s Good Deeds and More

Filed under: Pets News

Mike Tyson is entering the realm of reality TV. This doesn't surprise us one iota. Nor does it surprise us that there has been some controversy. What does surprise us is that the show will be on Animal Planet and is based on pigeons. Yes, really.

Not every dog lays around all day, waiting for you to come home. Take Rosie the Newfie, for example. When her neighbor became seriously ill, she found a way to lend a paw and give a dying woman a reason to smile by leaping a fence to visit the sick neighbor every single day. And her owners had no idea.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are really doing their part to make tails wag across the country. Ellen has teamed up with the USPS and her dog food company, Halo, to raise awareness and feed homeless pets a million meals -- all you have to do to help is buy some stamps! Portia, on the other hand, is focusing on the feral cat population by working with Alley Cat Allies to tell people why the trap-neuter-return is the best policy.

If you're seriously hurt, you get yourself to the emergency room, right? Sure -- because you're human. Well, an injured German shepherd did just that after wandering away from home. Fortunately, the ER staff took pity on the pup and he's since been treated by the local animal shelter and returned to his owners.

The illegal trade of endangered animals is common in the Middle East, but the UN is taking measures to eliminate the practice. Delegates at a conference to discuss endangered species are looking at everything from animal abuse on a small scale to the sale of highly specialized species. It's going to be a hard (and heartbreaking) battle, but we're glad to see the UN addressing the issue.

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The Doggie Diaries: At the Dog Park, Part 2 — The Lonely Loner

Filed under: Dogs

This week's guest columnist is my wife Anna.

There's as wide an array of doggie personalities as human personalities. The dog park taught me that.

It turns out our 9-month-old puppy Pippi's a wimp. At home, she exhibits alpha-dog tendencies such as teasing the cat, attempting to jump up on people and pulling on her leash. But at the dog park I see a different side of her.

In our park visits so far, Pippi's remained silent while many of the other dogs bark, snarl and make a racket. She does not enjoy roughhousing in the midst of a whirling canine cluster. (This is understandable because, as we've seen, it can turn quickly into a fight.)

Instead, Pippi prefers to make friends with a single pooch to engage in nice, one-on-one play at the edge of the field. She prefers dogs her own size or smaller. It was a real hoot to watch leggy Pippi befriend a short and stocky English bulldog who followed her around and whose owner told us had never run for that long or that fast in her life. They were two mismatched peas in a pod.

Pippi keeps a close eye on us as she plays, and we sometimes have to run alongside her to get her in motion. Otherwise, she just hovers around our legs. Unlike at home, she is generous with her toys in the dog park, even when another dog appropriates her red Frisbee. Maybe she just trusts that we'll retrieve it before we all head back home.

All in all, the dog park has helped me see what a peach of a pup we have. She suits us, and to some degree matches our personalities.

Have you learned anything surprising about your dog after observing him or her in a group setting?

Follow "The Doggie Diaries" on Twitter.

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Cute Pet of the Day – March 18, 2010

Filed under: Cute Pet of the Day

Devo's best friend may be a stuffed animal, but the two pups are inseparable!

Congratulations to our submitter, Pups The Traveling Labrador. If you'd like to submit your pet, upload your favorite pet photos to our Flickr pool!

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Weimaraner Puppy Party!

Filed under: Funny Animal Videos

With so many puppy videos and so little time, we've gone the extra mile and begun cataloging some of the finest YouTube offerings, separating each collection by breed in a feature called Puppy Party!

Today's round-up features the wonderful Weimaraner!

Continue reading Weimaraner Puppy Party!

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Weimaraner Puppy Party!

Filed under: Funny Animal Videos

With so many puppy videos and so little time, we've gone the extra mile and begun cataloging some of the finest YouTube offerings, separating each collection by breed in a feature called Puppy Party!

Today's round-up features the wonderful Weimaraner!

Continue reading Weimaraner Puppy Party!

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Ask the AKC Animal Behaviorist: Help! My Dog Won’t Stop Barking

Filed under: Ask the AKC

Meet Mary Burch, American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Director and Paw Nation's new expert columnist addressing your questions on animal behavior. Dr. Burch has over 25 years of experience working with dogs and she is one of less than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists based in the United States. She is the author of ten books including the new official book on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, "Citizen Canine: 10 Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know."

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Dear Dr. Burch,
Our dog Quigley is a very yappy Shetland sheepdog who barks at everything -- air, cars, leaves, vacuum cleaners, brooms, snow, people, other dogs, etc. He is the sweetest, most lovable dog ever, but the noise is driving us crazy. What do you recommend to tame his incessant barking?

Dr. Burch Says: As a Shetland sheepdog, Quigley's actually got a long heritage of barking. Shelties originally were used by farmers to herd livestock. Because Shelties are smaller dogs, they often use their voices to get the livestock moving, so your problem isn't unusual.

There are a number of reasons dogs bark. The most common include:

• Alerting behavior, such as when a stranger is at the front door.
• To show excitement, like you would see during an active play session.
• To communicate with you when he wants something, as in, "Let's go outside!"
• To communicate with other dogs when he wants to say hello or something else.
• Separation behavior, such as when dogs bark, bark, bark when their owners are gone.

Some herding breeds, like the Shetland sheepdog, will also bark when something is moving. This can be caused by excitement or a desire to herd the object. You've mentioned several situations that sound like moving objects are an issue, including cars, falling leaves, vacuum cleaners, brooms, snow, and other dogs.

Continue reading Ask the AKC Animal Behaviorist: Help! My Dog Won't Stop Barking

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Lend a Paw: 3 Easy Ways You Can Help Animals

Filed under: Pets News, Pet Adoption

We know you love animals and want to improve their lives. But we also know how busy you are. That's why Paw Nation is making it easy for you to get involved in the paws cause by sharing ways people are helping animals across the country and around the world. Use these ideas as inspiration for projects in your own community or as a way get involved directly with animal causes.

Hands-On Help: Rational Animal's Mother's Comfort Project aims to provide homemade beds to cats and dogs at Animal Care & Control of New York City shelters. The beds, along with catnip toys, are made by Rational Animal volunteers as well as partnering school clubs who meet in a sewing studio. To date, over 700 beds and 400 toys have been made and delivered. Get involved by volunteering, donating, or making a purchase -- or consider doing something similar in your hometown.

Sign the Pledge: Believe it or not, Simon Cowell has interests outside of making "American Idol" contestants cry. The show's meanest judge has lent his support to and recorded a PSA for the World Society for the Protection of Animals. The organization envisions "a world where animal welfare matters, and animal cruelty ends." You can help Cowell show governments, corporations and other decision makers that animals do matter. All it takes is a signature!

Buy the Product: Baltimore-based artist Matt Snow is selling keychain bottle openers through Ex-Boyfriend, an online boutique, and donating 100 percent of proceeds through April 17, 2010, to the Maryland SPCA. There are a few super fun options (and they're just $6.50 a piece!), but we're kind of partial to "Fuzz Aldrin."

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Dogs on St. Patrick’s Day

Filed under: Dogs, Photo Galleries

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