Fluff, buff, and puff your pooch for a free haute photo op! Each participating pooch will receive a Haute Doggie Bag packed with tail-wagging goodies! Each photo qualifies for a chance to win a diamond puppy pendant valued at $1500! For more info visit the PawPawrazzi website.
The Gazette’s Phil Carpenter discovers there are alternatives to putting down a disabled Dachshund. Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) can affect as many as 1 in 5 Dachshunds. Many owners of dogs affected by IVDD manage this condition and their dogs lead full and happy lives. Watch this short heart warming video and get a glimpse of a life with a disabled Dachshund.
Life stories: Fixing broken dogs, by Phil Carpenter
For more information about IVDD visit Dodger’s List, a website dedicated to dogs living with IVDD.
Baird Dog Park Construction Cancelled
In January 2010 the city of Toronto announced the approval of 10 new off leash parks. Baird Park was one of the parks where the review, design and public consultation processes were announced as completed and construction of the site was to commence some time this year. A happy announcement for the local dog owners, unfortunately this news was not welcomed by the remainder of their community.
A group of park users felt outraged by the plans, denouncing dogs as “unpredictable no matter how well behaved” and an unacceptable danger to the near by children’s playground. Area residents believed the site was too small to accomodate an already existing playground, lawn bowling club, and the dogs. Concerns were voiced over uncontrolled off leash dogs in the park, un-scooped dog poop, nuisance barking, and the destruction of existing grass, adding that dog owners could use the already existing off leash area in the near by High Park. Area residents also complained that they were never notified about the original public consultation meeting that took place in November 2009 when the decision to approve the area was made.
By June 2010, the City’s Parks Department received considerable feedback in regard to the off-leash area designation at Baird Park and as such a second public meeting was scheduled to provide opportunity for residents to voice concerns in an effort to reach a reasonable compromise for all park users. The public meeting took place on July 13, 2010. By July 30th, the posts already erected for the off leash area’s fencing were removed.
Paws in the Park 2010
Paws in the Park is an annual walk-a-thon to benefit the Toronto Humane Society. The event traditionally took place every fall in Sunnybrook Park. This year however, there will be no grand joined walk planned. Those who wish to participate are encouraged to celebrate this year’s event “where ever you and your canine companion walk– whether it’s your local park, around the block, a special trail”.
Participants have been asked to register as a team or as individuals on the new Paws in the Park Online Registration Site. The registration site is used by the participants and by their sponsors to collect all donated funds, this way no printed pledge forms are necessary and the participants don’t need to collect and keep track of any funds themselves. All donations are made directly to the Toronto Humane Society through the registration site. The registration site displays the total amount of money raised so far, as well as who the top contributing teams and individuals are.
Top 10 Weirdest Dog Names of 2010
For the third year running, Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI),a provider of pet health insurance, is saluting those four-legged friends with names of a truly unforgettable nature. VPI employees selected 50 unusual dog and cat names from the company’s database of more than 485,000 insured pets and narrowed them down by voting for the 10 most unusual names for each species. The top 10 Most Unusual Dog Names for 2010 are:
1. Pickle Von Corndog
2. Lord Chubby Pruneface
3. Badonkadonk
4. Ninjastar Dangerrock
5. Molly Mcboozehound
6. Dog Vadar
7. Flopsy Squeakerton
8. Bettie Poops
9. Geez Louise
10. Barnaby Bones
For the full lists of 50 unusual dog and cat names, pictures of pets who made the Top 10, and stories on the origin of each unusual name, visit www.wackypetnames.com.
Pickle Von Corndog, the 1-year-old mixed breed holder of the VPI Weirdest Dog Name title of 2010
