Salvador Dali and His Pet Anteater

An important message from the White House

On a more serious note, President Obama speaks out against BSL stating that targeting a dogs breed is ineffective and a waste of resources-

We don’t support breed-specific legislation — research shows that bans on certain types of dogs are largely ineffective and often a waste of public resources.
In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at twenty years of data about dog bites and human fatalities in the United States. They found that fatal attacks represent a very small proportion of dog bite injuries to people and that it’s virtually impossible to calculate bite rates for specific breeds.
The CDC also noted that the types of people who look to exploit dogs aren’t deterred by breed regulations — when their communities establish a ban, these people just seek out new, unregulated breeds. And the simple fact is that dogs of any breed can become dangerous when they’re intentionally or unintentionally raised to be aggressive.
For all those reasons, the CDC officially recommends against breed-specific legislation — which they call inappropriate. You can read more from them here.
As an alternative to breed-specific policies, the CDC recommends a community-based approach to prevent dog bites. And ultimately, we think that’s a much more promising way to build stronger communities of pets and pet owners.

 A huge victory for ALL dog owners and dog lovers who have fought tirelessly against the monster that is BSL. Hopefully this will lead to more effective solutions and the reversal of state level BSL regulations.

Sources: LifeWithDogs.tv

TailsInc.com

Dancing With the Stars Judge Starts Animal Foundation

Just call her Captain Elf! Carrie Ann Inaba may be a Dancing with the Stars judge by day, but most other waking hours are spent caring for animals, including six dogs and cats she calls her own. This year, Inaba also fulfilled a lifelong goal of starting an animal foundation when she launched The Carrie Ann Inaba Animal Project, which aims to support the rescue, welfare and well-being of animals.

Source: People.com 

'Padfoot' For Adoption

Forgotten: Harry Potter star Berry is looking for a new home

Homeless after Harry Potter: Canine movie star Padfoot needs a loving family (and they can even be muggles)
By Mary Mcconnell
Last updated at 3:27 PM on 26th September 2011

While Daniel Radcliffe has gone on to forge an illustrious career on the stage and screen, the fortunes of one of his Harry Potter co-stars have not been quite as lofty.

Black German shepherd Berry, known to millions of children around the world as Padfoot from Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban, is looking for a new home.

The ten-year-old mutt, who played the animal version of Gary Oldman's character Sirius Black and the godfather to Radcliffe's character Harry, can no longer be looked after by his owner, Paul Thompson.

Trained stuntman Mr Thompson, said he spends too much time away from home to give Berry the attention he deserves.

He told the Sunday Express he is also looking for a new home for Berry's life-long pal Porridge, a German Shepherd cross.

Porridge is also a star of the screen, with roles in The Bill and the TV adaptation of Zadie Smith's novel White Teeth but at the age of 13 the roles have now dried up.

Mr Thompson, said: 'I found myself spending a lot of time away from home. The dogs needed more attention then I could give. It was a difficult decision to make but one I had to accept was best for the dogs.'

The 52-year-old from Elstree, Herts, said he had arranged for the pair, who have been together since they were puppies and cannot be separated, to be fostered by animal re-homing charity German Shepherd Dog Rescue but so far no one has offered them a home.

For more information go to www.germanshepherdrescue.co.uk

Screen star: Berry played the canine version of Gary Oldman in Harry Potter And the Prisoner of Azkaban

Dog Trainer Receives Tony Award

Dog Trainer Makes History at Tonight's Tony Awards

Tonight’s Tony Awards telecast will be eye and ear candy for fans of the New York theater. But even if Broadway show business isn’t your thing, there’s one feature of tonight’s program that’s sure to appeal to Dogsters. In a historic first, the prestigious Tony Honor for Excellence in Theater will be awarded to … a dog trainer.

William Berloni – Bill to his friends – is the founder of William Berloni Theatrical Animals and director of animal behavior at the Humane Society of New York. His specialty is discovering K9 stage stars at animal shelters, then prepping them for a run on the Great White Way.

He’s so modest, and he makes it look easy, but it’s a lot harder than it sounds, as Bill’s memoir “Broadway Tails,” explains. Dog trainers who work in movies have the luxury of re-takes. Dogs who perform in live stage productions only get one shot at stardom: You mess up on stage, your career is over. Berloni’s dogs never mess up. They are the creme de la creme of K9 talent – true professionals who work hard to earn every ovation they get. And to get his dogs to achieve their best, Bill uses only positive, gentle training methods.

The story of how Bill secured his unique niche in dog training reads like a Broadway-bound play itself. Back in 1976, director Martin Charnin was getting ready for the opening of a musical based on a popular comic strip about an orphan girl and her best friend, a sandy-haired mutt. Charnin charged Bill, then a 19-year-old aspiring actor, with securing a dog for the production, and training the K9 to do tricks on cue.

Bill, who had loved and worked with dogs since childhood, was happy to volunteer as the trainer in exchange for his actor’s card. After visiting various animal shelters in his home state of Connecticut, he discovered the perfect dog to play Sandy. A dog star was born. Sandy the mutt charmed and delighted fans of the musical “Annie,” on and off the stage.

As everyone knows, the musical “Annie” became a blockbuster. Berloni’s professional destiny was sealed. He wouldn’t act after all; instead, he’d be the force behind Broadway’s fabulous, four-footed stage performers, motivating and guiding his proteges all the way to superstar status.

Today, Bill has a stable of some 30 Sandy mutts, all veterans of various “Annie” revivals, and all adopted from animal shelters (that’s one of them in the photo above, taken at last year’s Tonys). He works with many other breeds and mixes as well, from pit bulls to poodles (like the toy poodle he trained for “Gypsy,” starring Bernadette Peters). Remember Chico, the famous Chihuahua who starred as Bruiser in the Broadway blockbuster “Legally Blonde”? He’s a Berloni discovery, as is Toto in Broadway’s “The Wizard of Oz” and Pi the Boston Terrier, the sweet scene-stealer in Susan Stroman’s “Double Feature” for the New York City Ballet.

He’s soft-spoken and modest, but Bill is a legend – and other legends have tipped their hats to him. Documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles of “Grey Gardens” and “Gimme Shelter” fame has a doc in the works about Berloni; famed photographer Elliott Erwitt shot an iconic image of Berloni and Sandy sitting on a park bench; director Mike Nichols tapped Berloni to train the animals (dogs plus a cat) for the Tom Hanks movie “Charlie Wilson’s War.”

But the thing we love most about Bill Berloni is this: He’s steadfast in his loyalty to shelter animals, and remains dedicated to raising awareness of the heartbreaking numbers of dogs in animal shelters across the country whose talents too often go unnoticed. He always gently urges everyone he meets to try following his proven m.o. for success: Find and adopt pets from animal shelters. Whether they perform on Broadway or just do tricks for you and your family, those dogs are the ones with star quality to spare.

Bravo, Bill - Dogsters will be cheering as you pick up your richly deserved award tonight. Knock ‘em dead!

Paula Deen Gives Rescue Chickens a Home

Paula's Chicken Coop from Paula Deen on Vimeo.

She's one of my favorite cooks and this just bumped her up a few more notches on the awesome scale! And take a look at that amazing coop! Those are some spoiled chickens, yall!

All sorts of critters are in need of loving homes. You can find them all on Petfinder.com!!

Rainn Wilson adopts bait dog

Meet the newest member of our family
Billy! He's a rescue dog from 'Voice for the animals' (vftafoundation.org) that was used as a bait dog in dog fighting. He's riddled with scars and his back is [messed] up but he's the sweetest creature ever.
Walter put his scarf on him.

From Rainn’s posterous

Lady DogDog

Lady GaGa seems to be the talk of the town, and here she is spotted on her current Monster Ball tour with her new Shiba Inu puppy. Super cute! Shibas are extremely intelligent little buggers so this one is bound to keep her on her toes!

First Pets

Portugese Water Dog
A finalist for the Obama's first pet, the Portuguese Water Dog is, as one might expect, originally from Portugal and an excellent swimmer.


Labradoodle
The Labradoodle, another Obama finalist, is a mix between a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle. It is a "hybrid" dog and not recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club.


Scottish Terrier
Scottish Terriers Barney and Miss Beazley were the most famous of the pets of George W. Bush and his wife, Laura. They also owned Spot Fetcher, whose mother was George Bush Sr.'s Springer Spaniel.


Springer Spaniel
Millie, a Springer Spaniel belonging to George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, was also the author of Millie's Book.


Clinton's Pets
Bill Clinton's pets, Socks the cat and Buddy the dog, did not quite get along. They were kept in separate quarters in the White House, and when the Clintons moved to Westchester County, Socks went to the home of Clinton's secretary, Betty Currie.


Bouvier des Flandres
Ronald Reagan's dog, Lucky, was the exotic breed called Bouvier des Flandres. Claire McLean, founder of the Presidential Pets Museum, once groomed the dog.


Siamese Cat
The Carter family's Siamese cat, Misty Malarky Ying Yang, is here pictured with first daughter, Amy. Two more presidencies passed without a White House cat until the Clintons moved in with Socks.


Parakeets
The Kennedy family had a virtual menagerie in the White House, including two parakeets, Bluebell and Marybelle (here pictured with Jacqueline, Caroline and John Jr.).


Raccoon
Grace Coolidge, wife of Calvin, is pictured here with Rebecca the raccoon. The Coolidge family could give Michael Jackson a run for weird pet ownership--they also had a donkey, a pygmy hippo, a wallaby, a bobcat and a black bear.


Cow
Pauline Wayne, William Howard Taft's pet cow, here grazes on the lawn of the State, War and Navy Building (now known as the Executive Office Building). Taft drank her milk each morning until his doctor told him he was getting too fat.

All the Presidents' Pets

HSM Star with Poochie Pal

"High School Musical" star Ashley Tisdale takes her tiny pooch and new nose shopping at an upscale outdoor mall in Century City, CA.

JK Rowling Adopts Retired Greyhound

New Pet for JKR No Mere Padfoot

Posted by: Sue
October 08, 2007, 06:41 PM

There is a new addition to the Murray family to tell you about tonight, as author J.K. Rowling has now adopted a four year old former race dog. The Herald reports that Jo and her family visited the Greyhound Rescue Fife agency in Scotland, and chose the female dog, making a generous donation to the business in the process. The owner of the agency said:

It was only when she asked for a £30 donation to Greyhound Rescue Fife, which the 61-year-old runs with her husband, Jimmy, near Kirkcaldy, that she realised she had been dealing with the world’s most famous children’s author.

At the bottom of a cheque for £1000 was the signature millions of Harry Potter fans would die for. “When I looked at the cheque I couldn’t believe it. The first thing I noticed was the amount she had made it out for,” Mrs Fernie said yesterday.

“Then I spotted her name and realised who it was. I just said Oh, I didn’t recognise you,’ and she just smiled politely. She was a lovely woman – the whole family were very nice.”

The new member of the family, named Sapphire (no word if she is a Ravenclaw ;) joins their other pet, a Jack Russell named Butch, at the Murray home in Edinburgh, Scotland. The owner of the dog rescue center said that she “always ask a person a bit about their lifestyle – what size their house is, do they have a garden and quite importantly does it have a wall at least 6ft high, because I would hate for the dog to get out and run off,” Mrs Fernie recalled…I could see Sapphire was going to a good home. Now I know just how good,” she said.”

You can see photos of JKR and her new addition, here in our galleries courtesy of Greyhound Rescue. Congratulations Jo and family!