Cloning beloved pets

Have y'all heard about the Florida couple who got their yellow Lab cloned in South Korea?

The original dog, who died last year, was named Sir Lancelot. Their clone is named Sir Lancelot Encore.

Read the full story here.

The whole idea of cloning pets freaks me out a little. I think it's wrong - from a moral perspective.

But besides that...some people who do it, like the couple in the article, say it's because they miss their old pet: their physical presence, their cute face, their loving personality.

But if cloning doesn't guarantee the pet will act the same way, why do it?

Isn't a pet's personality the reason why we really love them?

CeCe, my Boston terrier, is a cutie. But what I really love about her is her unique mannerisms: how she cocks her head to the side, how she puts her nose under my hand when she wants me to pet her.

Sorry, but a clone can't do that exactly the way she does.

So what do you think of this?

Ban pit bulls as family pets?

I feel so bad for pit bulls.

Of all the dog breeds out there, they are probably the ones that receive the most discrimination.

(Undeservingly, of course.)

Here is a great column from NBCPhiladelphia.com about the movement to ban these dogs as family pets.

I totally agree with the writer (she says cities shouldn't ban them.) For the cities that are doing this...their reasoning is totally flawed. The pits are not to blame, it's the heartless owners who train them to growl, bite, attack, etc. for dog fights.

I recently had a conversation with a staffer at PAWS Humane who said dog fights definitely happen in the Columbus area...and many times, people will come in looking to adopt a pit bull. Staffers usually can tell right off the bat what their intentions are and don't adopt them out, she said.

Good. I wonder how those people would feel if they had to fend for their lives in a ring...with a pit bull they've trained to fight.

New feline friend license plate

A while back, I posted something about voting for Georgia's newest animal license plate. If you remember, the winning plate featured a black and white kitty.

Anyway, it's available for sale now. Check it out on the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Web site: www.agr.georgia.gov.

Two February events

Want to support animals - and their rights?

Here are two upcoming local events where you can do that:

1) Chili's is holding PAWS Humane Day on Monday, Feb. 9. Between 11:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., if you eat at Chili's in Columbus (5555 Whittlesey Blvd. in Columbus Park Crossing), the restaurant will donate 10 percent of your bill to PAWS Humane. You MUST bring in the Chili's/PAWS Humane flyer, which is available at the new PAWS Humane center near Cooper Creek Park. Forget the flyer and they won't donate the 10 percent! :(

2) Cheryl McAuliffe, the Georgia director of the Humane Society of the United States, will be in town to talk about getting better animal protection legislation in our state. She'll be at the Macon Road Columbus Public Library (CB&T Room) Saturday, Feb. 14 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Cheryl says these events are like "condensed workshops on how to lobby for better animal protection laws." I believe she'll touch upon antifreeze safety laws during her talk. Check out the national Humane Society at www.hsus.org.

Top 10 dogs of 2008

The American Kennel Club released the top 10 most popular dogs in the U.S. in 2008.

Think yours made the list?

Check it out here:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28695663/

I'm not surprised Yorkies and Shih-Tzus made the list. Too bad Boston terriers didn't make the cut (sorry, CeCe!)

Recall: Grreat Choice Dog Biscuits

Just wanted to spread the word that PetSmart has voluntarily pulled Grreat Choice Dog Biscuits off shelves as the U.S. Drug and Food Administration investigates for possible salmonella contamination of peanut butter and paste.

PetSmart says there have been no reported cases they're aware of and they're doing this recall as a precaution.

Here's a list of applicable items from CNN Money:

The recalled products include only the following types of Grreat Choice Dog Biscuits sold between Aug. 21, 2008 and Jan. 19, 2009:

• Small Assorted 32 oz., UPC 73725702900

• Small/Medium Assorted 4 lb., UPC 73725700601

• Small/Medium Assorted 8 lb., UPC 73725700605

• Small/Medium Assorted 10 lb., UPC 73725702755

• Large Assorted 8 lb., UPC 73725700638

• Extra Large Assorted 8 lb., UPC 73725700779

• Peanut Butter 4 lb., UPC 73725700766

Read CNN Money's full article here.

Be careful out there, guys!

New parents hating their pets?

Hey everyone!

Just got back from a long birthday weekend in Atlanta. My girlfriends from California came to visit, and CeCe got to go to one of her favorite places, the farm!

Anyway, check out this column I found today from the San Francisco Chronicle. It's about the "epidemic" of new parents who start to hate their own pets (and eventually get rid of them) after a baby is born.

Have any of y'all ever seen this before?

A friend once told me a story of another friend who got rid of their Golden Retriever after their baby began crawling. The friend said the dog was shedding too much and she didn't want the baby getting into all the dog hair.

I have no kids so I've never been in the situation before. But it just seems really extreme - to go from loving on your dog to kicking him/her out.

Have any of you pet owners ever been in this situation? How did you work it out so both baby and doggy could co-habitate? Or was there another solution?

This is crazy...

A cross-dressing veterinarian in south Jersey is being held in jail for allegedly practicing without a license and duping dozens of pet owners.

Sound crazy to you?

Read the rest of the story here.

Seriously, what will these con men (or women) think of next?

Pets for free?

On Jan. 24, 300 animals shelters across the country are giving away a limited number of free pets as part of Change a Pet's Life Day.

I checked the list here and no local shelter is participating, but shelters in places as close as Montogomery and Milledgeville are.

Read the USA Today article here.

I can understand why there would be concerns about giving pets away. Adoptive parents may think because they didn't pay for the pet, it isn't highly valuable.

This reminds me of the classified ad the Muscogee County Humane Society usually runs in the pets section of the paper. It starts off with "What's Free?" and mentions the costs associated with accepting a free pet. Of course, a pet isn't free - having a pet means vet bills, food, shelter, toys and other pet costs...and handling that for the pet's whole life.

This sounds like a pretty cool program for people who don't want to pay a fee for an adopted dog, but I hope adoptive parents realize a shelter fee is just ONE of the things they must pay in a dog's lifetime.

Labradoodle or Portuguese water dog?

So what do y'all think? The Obamas are close to picking a dog for Malia and Sasha. (Check out the Chicago Tribune article here.) They're choosing between a labradoodle (top photo) and Portuguese water dog (bottom photo.) Personally, I like the Portuguese water dog. (Apparently the AKC is throwing its support behind that choice as well...check out the article here.) The coolest part about the Obamas' search is that they're looking to rescue a pup from an animal shelter (yay!)

Click here for more 411 on the Portuguese water dog breed.

Labradoodles - a cross between a labrador and poodle - have not been recognized as an actual breed. Click here for more 411 on them.

Working dogs

My friend Reggie recently told me about a very cool thing PAWS Humane is doing for her teen son Jeffrey.

PAWS has sponsored a Labradoodle named Sarah to be trained as a therapy working dog. Once Sarah completes her training, she'll go home with Jeffrey and become his "constant companion."

Here are a few photos Reggie sent me:

I don't think this is an established program at the center but hopefully if things work out with Jeffrey and Sarah, more pets can be trained to pair up with kids who need a helpful friend.

Holy matrimony & Fido

So over the holidays, my big sister Katrina broke some big news: she got engaged! Aaand...I am going to be the maid of honor!

I didn't realize planning a wedding takes so much work. She has already told me "I better do research on the duties of a maid of honor."

I asked her if she had a flower girl already because I had someone in mind (CeCe.) She promptly said the spot was already filled and my girl (CeCe) was not welcome.

Darn!

I've totally seen dogs participate in weddings...at least, on TV. On my wedding day I hope CeCe will be tame enough to walk down the aisle with a basket of flowers in her mouth.

Have any of your pets participated in your wedding? Or if you are not yet married, do you plan on letting Fido participate in your big day?

I found this cool article on wikiHow on how to include a pet in your wedding. Check it out here.

New Year's resolutions

GREETINGS! After a wonderful week with the bf in North Carolina, I am back in Columbus! It's a new year, I've taken on a new look (I have bangs now!) and I have some new goals...well, sorta.

Every new year, I always make the resolution to start exercising regularly. It works...for about two months. Then I stop, then I start again, then I stop, then I start again.

Does this sound like you too? Well, perhaps we can get the dogs involved this year.

Here's an article on ways you can involve Fifi in your resolutions to lose weight/eat healthier/exercise more/etc.