Panto

This story made me cry... Quoting a description from the article update from Sticky in case anyone can't access the link from their device:

Happy Birthday birthday buddy!! Panto is 9 today too!!!

Done. And sent the link on to a bunch of people and asked them to spread the word too. Poor lil fella

gorgeous! thanks for sharing. pasted below for those who are not able to link across: Brave in fire but ‘scared of cats’: Beloved pit bull who saved girl from house inferno wins National Hero Dog Award Diamond had to overcome fire, smoke and her breed’s reputation to become a hero. The 15-month-old dog is a pit bull – the canine of choice in dogfights, the dog most often cited in the news about vicious attacks and the most abandoned and euthanized dog in the country. But on Wednesday, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles presented Diamond with their 29th annual National Hero Dog award. Diamond’s owner, Darryl Steen, and his two daughters were asleep in their Hayward, California apartment on Oct. 24 when the dog started barking. The apartment was on fire.Mr Steen said: ‘She means everything to me. If it hadn’t been for this dog, me and my girls wouldn’t be alive’. Steen grabbed his 9-year-old daughter Darahne and dropped her to safety out of a second story window. He said he couldn’t find his 16-year-old daughter, Sierra, who was hiding under a mattress in her father’s room. Diamond had found her; firefighters spotted the gray-and-white pit bull on the mattress shielding Sierra, Mr Steen said.Mr Steen and Sierra were hospitalized for weeks with burns, and had to have skin grafts. Diamond spent six weeks at a pet hospital, being treated for burns and smoke inhalation. Good girl: After saving Sierra’s life in a fire, Diamond the pit bull wins National Hero Dog Award from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los AngelesThe bill was over $5,500, but people were so generous and there were so many donations, some money had to be sent back, Mr Steen said. The 15-month-old pit bull had been with the Steen family about a year before the fire, Mr Steen said. She was protective of his girls, but her allegiance had never been tested. Mr Steen and his daughters are living with his sister in Hayward, and Diamond is staying with their other relatives because they haven’t been able to find an affordable apartment that will take Diamond. Some people worry that she weighs nearly 50 pounds and others are concerned about her breed, he said. But Mr Steen, who will be able to return to his job at a warehouse in June, won’t give Diamond up, so he keeps looking. Best friends: Darryl Steen kisses Diamond, who is currently staying with members of his extended family until the father of two can rent a new pet-friendly apartmentHe hopes the award helps the apartment search: ‘Hopefully it will, and I’ll be able to get a decent place with my dog. With her title, Diamond gets a plaque, dog food for a year, air fare to and from Los Angeles and hotel accommodations for her and her family. The spca LA for 29 years has been recognizing the heroic efforts of a dog that is not formally trained for rescue or law enforcement. But for all her heroics, Diamond isn’t without an Achilles’ heel. Mr Steen said: ‘She likes the dog park and playing with me and the girls. But she doesn’t like cats. She is scared of cats’.

Guangdong province in China could learn something from the rabies program in Bali...

News Release 7 September 2011 Celebrity Dog Lovers Join Paws To Help End Animal Cruelty A pack of Australian celebrity dog lovers including Leisel Jones, Chris Cheney, Daniel Johns, Gail Elliott, Bondi Lifeguard Andrew Reid and media personalities Kyly Boldy, Dr Melissa Meehan, India-Rose Madderom and Kylie Speer have joined forces to support WSPA's Dollars for Collars, dollarsforcollars.org.au, a fundraising campaign to help improve the lives of tens of thousands of street dogs around the globe. The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is behind the campaign, which also commissioned a national dog lovers survey confirming Australia as a nation of devoted dog lovers, with 14% of dog owners ranking their dog as their favourite family member, 53% preferring their dogs to their siblings, and 18% saying they love their dog more than their partner! Leisel Jones, Australian Olympic gold medalist swimmer and Dollars for Collars ambassador said "I love the Dollars for Collars campaign because it's just a great way to get the world involved in treating dogs better. Australians clearly love their dogs and pamper them." "A small donation to dollarsforcollars.org.au can help ensure other dogs around the world get treated the way they deserve." Joanna Tuckwell, Project Manager for the WSPA humane rabies control project in Bali said, "Thanks to a pioneering rabies vaccination program in Bali, we've prevented the inhumane culling of over 300,000 dogs on the island and demonstrated that mass vaccination is the humane and effective way to protect communities from the disease." "WSPA programs deal with immediate issues like these, as well as addressing the root causes of poor dog welfare. Community education programs across some of our global projects, for example, help ensure long-term change and encourage neighboring communities and governments to take lasting action." "This includes providing real solutions such as equipment, training, medicines and veterinary outreach services to ensure that local authorities and veterinary officers are able to manage stray dogs humanely." "Our work is practical and effective, but our programs in places like Sierra Leone, Zanzibar and Sri Lanka desperately need more funding to continue – we're calling on dog lovers around the country to help make that happen by visiting dollarsforcollars.org.au." Some of WSPA's dog-owning ambassadors have also participated in a new match the owner to the dog Facebook game called 'Paw Play', accessible through www.facebook.com/WSPAAustralia, which also allows players to be part of the game by uploading photos of themselves and their dogs. -ENDS- Additional Dollars for Collars ambassadors available for photography or interviews include: Leisel Jones, Gail Elliott, Kyly Boldy, Dr Melissa Meehan, India-Rose Madderom, Kylie Speer and Andrew 'Reidy' Reid. Survey results summary overleaf. FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE WSPA DOG LOVERS SURVEY The WSPA Dog Lovers survey was a nationwide poll of 1002 Australians aged 18 and over, commissioned by WSPA and conducted by Lonergan Research in July 2011. We asked dog owners how much they spent on their pets annually, and how their dog ranked in popularity compared to other family members. Key findings included: • The average Australian dog owner spent $923.71 on their dog last year. The majority of this was spent on food ($377.53), vet bills ($281.40) and hygiene & grooming ($98.31). • Female dog owners ($1036.71) spend more than male dog owners ($793.23). • Dog owners in NSW ($994.26) and Queensland ($990.84) spent more on their dogs last year than those living in Victoria ($878.75) and other states ($790.76). • NSW dog owners have the highest vet bills ($329.70; cf. VIC $262.84, QLD $282.92, others $217.90). • NSW dog owners spend the most on their dog's clothing ($17.96) – almost twice as much as Queensland dog owners ($9.68) and more than 2.5 times that of Victorian dog owners ($7.03). • Male dog owners ($18.30) spend more on training their dogs than female dog owners ($9.54). • Female dog owners ($46.09) spend more than twice as much on their dog's houses as male dog owners ($19.73). • 14% of dog owners ranked their dog as their favourite family member. • More than three in five dog owners say they like their dog more than their grandfather (68%) and grandmother (63%). • Most dog owners like their dog more than their brother (53%) and sister (53%). • A smaller proportion prefer their dog to their father (39%), mother (30%), grandchildren (29%), children (18%) and partner (18%).

awww gorgeous!

would have loved to have been a fly on the wall... If only kids knew better before applying for a job at a pet shop that sells pets.

I was warned to go armed with a box of tissues and heeded the warning. I wish I could have seen it at open air cinema with my dog so I could cuddle her whilst I watched. Incredibly moving. Definitely a tear jerker for any dog sap (as I am sure many DOLers are!). saxonpup - i loved 8 below too... and that was based on a true story as well. I also liked Bolt... even though it was animated. Oh, and cats and dogs... darn i could just keep going...

That's just messed up... guard dogs are allowed, but pet dogs not?! Really not fair for the responsible pet owners there. It would be good for them to listen to the disease control expert.

consider references from: groomer vet daycare neighbours (**this one in particular as this will put you in good stead and can be less subjective than the other animal oriented professions) previous agents/landlords (**a previous landlord was happy to provide verbal references over the phone - a godsend) ahhh... to not have to worry about all this though...

My thoughts exactly KL!

Good to hear he has a loving and familiar home to go to. So sad for all the families of the 30 soldiers that perished.

A new article, a new story, yet this is the same photo they used a couple for the story in this thread... It should not have been used for either story. Dog caught after killing pug in Sydney 10:47am Council officers have caught a dog that escaped from its owner and mauled to death a pug in a neighbouring yard in northwest Sydney. The pug died of its injuries after being taken to a vet for treatment.

Oh my goodness how terrifying!! This could have come off a lot worse, good thing everyone involved safe and well. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/alaska-woman-punches-bear-in-snout-to-save-dog-20110902-1jos2.html Alaska woman punches bear in snout to save dog September 2, 2011 - 7:06AM Bear boxer ... Brooke Collins and her dog Fudge. An Alaskan woman says she knows it was stupid to punch a black bear in the snout to save her dog. But Brooke Collins says the attack happened so fast that all she could think about is keeping her dachshund, Fudge, from being killed. The 22-year-old says as soon as she let her dogs out Sunday, Fudge started barking and she saw the bear carrying him like a salmon. Collins told the Juneau Empire she did the first thing she thought of and punched the bear's face and scooped away her dog when it let go. The startled bear took off through bushes to a mountain. Fudge suffered some claw and bite marks, but they weren't deep. Collins says he appeared to be more shocked than injured. AP Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/alaska-woman-punches-bear-in-snout-to-save-dog-20110902-1jos2.html#ixzz1WkaFfhyM

This SMH article says Emma has been caught: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/dog-caught-after-killing-pug-in-sydney-20110902-1jowy.html

awesome photos!! my previous girl (GSD x) used to eat chillis straight off the plant... lips closed delicately and firmly over the chilli, then walked backwards till PLUCK it came off the tree, followed by very satisfied munching...

I think on the ipad if you delete your history it's like deleting your cookies... have you tried that?

For PC: On your internet browser - go to Tools>Internet Options. From this screen under the General tab, there should be something on browsing history and you should either have a 'delete cookies' button or 'delete' (which will lead you to another screen to choose what you want to delete, including 'cookies').

I really hope that anyone in a position to make decisions on these outlaw matters will have enough smarts to recognise quality journalism at its finest. Sit back down yahoo - it ain't you with this poll. Having said that, I do know that the bottom line for what appears on the yahoo7 news page is what appeals to the masses - they're just interested in hits to the web page so they can sell advertising.

SMH article, and link to a video at the end - may be the same as the other videos but I cannot view it at the moment. http://www.smh.com.a...0831-1jkn2.html ETA pic:

haha.. brilliant. you said the sort of thing that I usually bite my tongue at and wish I had said in hindsight! Did she have a dog of her own in the park?

baaaahahahaha... love it. thank you. Was inspired to searching... check this out: http://www.sloppykisscards.com/dog-fathers-day-ecards.php

Exactly this... I keep checking in here. Thanks for all your hard work and your beautiful updates on gorgeous Bonnie.

wow so gorgeous!! love the photo with the butterfly and the expression on his face!!