Merry Christmas - TDW to return in January

We here at the TDW would like to wish everyone who stops on by here either daily, weekly, or once in a blue moon a very Merry Christmas.

I know I look forward to spending the next two weeks with power schnauzer Frankie as we adventure together on exciting new trails, playing with Christmas toys, and many hours of fetch or tug-o-sock.

Remember, the holidays can be a special bonding time between you and your pet, and they're a part of the family too. Here's your chance to make a difference and improve the quality of their lives, as they improve ours every single day.

With that being said, The Daily Woof, will be going on a two week hiatus, returning the week of January 5th, 2009. Hope you all can come back and visit us again in the new year.

Review: Dog Food Review website

Here's a pretty informative site on dog food that you may want to check out: Dog Food Review.

They have a pretty comprehensive rating system (based on 10 stars) of the majority of dog food brands...both well known OTC and the more obscure foods you'll have to find in specialty shops. The profiles of individual foods is broken down and key components are highlighted in a snap shop of the product after the review (including: the first five ingredients, meat content, use of grains, etc.)

There's also links to manufacturer sites where available and you can leave comments as well. The listings are pretty impressive and we assume will continually grow. If you just want to learn about the food and it's makeup, it pretty darn good place to start and gets down to brass tacks.

The one thing we noticed is that review ranking are dependant on user votes, which is highly subjective to individual tastes, education, and the number of votes a product may receive. Some products may only receive 10 votes while others may be based upon 30, and that doesn't translate to scientific accuracy. So as a note, just because a food may rank high on their list, please read the review yourself and do some of your own research.

They have a nice and extensive forum section as well you can participate in as well.

The website is definitely a work in progress. We noticed 'test html' words present in the sponsor and disclaimer sections of the site indicating that things are still be worked on. The site is 'moderate' on advertising. We didn't experience any pop-ups, but noticed banners, and margin ads on each page. The links page is categorized under different animal directories, and many of the links turn out to be web based store fronts.

In the end, TDW gives the Dog Food Review site: 3.5/5 paws.

Win $ prizes in the Anamigo pet phot contest

Anamigo.com is conducting an impressive photo contest. There's a daily prize of $25 and a weekly prise of $125, totaling $300 a-week for the cutest pet photos (voted by users).

Anamigo.com is a new online community for pet lovers and their pets. It doesn't cost a thing and all you have to do is join.

You can create profiles for your pets, discuss topics in their forums, find loca services to you using their advanced search engine, check out user generated blogs, and of course peruse the cute pictures.

Humor: MySpace

Next Presedential Pup

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Americans' picks for a potential first puppy vary widely, but a CNN poll out Tuesday finds broad support on one aspect of the incoming Obama family's decision.

By a 2-to-1 margin, those surveyed in the CNN-Opinion Research Corp. poll said the Obamas should rescue an animal from a shelter rather than buy one from a breeder or pet store to put in the White Doghouse.

President-elect Barack Obama promised his daughters, Sasha and Malia, a puppy if he won November's election.

After the vote, he said the question of what kind of dog had generated more interest than almost any other topic on his campaign's Web site.

Obama said the family wanted a breed that was safer for people with allergies and preferred a shelter dog.

They should have no trouble finding one: The American Humane Association says about 7 million animals end up in shelters every year.

Those polled suggested more than 70 breeds as candidates for the Obamas. Labrador retrievers topped the list with 13 percent, followed by mutts -- mixed-breed animals -- and poodles at 9 percent.

Michael Vick house up for auction - again.

SURRY, Va. (AP) — The house that was the headquarters for Michael Vick's dogfighting operation is on the auction block again.

Motley's Auction and Realty Group is handling the sale of the five-bedroom house in Surry County. The company's Web site says the bidding Friday will start at $590,000.
Developer Wilbur Ray Todd Jr. bought the house from Vick for $450,000.

At an auction last December, he rejected a bid of $747,000, which is the assessed value of the property for tax purposes. The house was put on the market but remained unsold.

Vick, the 28-year-old suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback, is serving a 23-month sentence for a dogfighting conspiracy.

Comics: Krypto - Super Dog (nostalgia)

Footage from a traffic camera overlooking a busy freeway in Santiago, Chile captured a dog performing a heroic act — pulling an injured friend from oncoming traffic.

The video, from Azteca America Colorado, shows an injured dog lying in the middle of a freeway after being hit by a car, while a rescue dog dodges traffic to run to its side. The rescue dog then drags the severely injured canine across lanes of traffic as cars swerve around it.

No motorists stopped to help either dog, but a highway crew arrives at the end of the video.
The translation of the announcer is as follows:

"These images seen from the surveillance cameras show a very common situation with our overpopulated highways. It is normal for us to see dogs run over. In the video, we can see this dog fighting for his life because he was run over by the vehicle.

"What is very touching is to see the very heroic actions of this other dog who is trying to pull him to the side of the highway. We are going to keep seeing things like this until we find a solution to the dogs living on the streets."

TDW: Stories like this just break my heart. Never ceases to amaze me the commitment that animals have towards us and themselves. Further proof to me that dogs are higher thinking animals with ranges of emotions and empathy.

How to treat an injured nail.

-Dr. Eric Barchas, DVM

Nail injuries are very common in dogs. They occur when nails snag on carpet or vegetation, or when a nail catches on any stationary object.

In some instances, trauma to the nail causes the nail to come completely off. In other cases, the nail is torn partially off.

In either case, a trip to the vet is in order. Nails that have been partially torn off may need to be removed. Both types of injury can lead to infection. Bad odors can emanate from your dog’s nail if infected. Antibiotics may be necessary to aid in healing.

Also, both types of injury can be painful. Your vet can recommend pain killers to make your dog feel better.

Most nails grow back normally after nail injuries. However, in rare cases the nail grows back in an irregular fashion. This rarely harms the affected dog. However, you may have to pay special attention to the nail in question. It may require frequent trimming.

For more information on injured nails in pets, click here.

Poetry: Dear Master

I explained to Saint Peter

I 'd rather stay here

Outside the pearly gates

I wont be a nusiance,

I won't even bark,

I'll be very patient and wait.

I'll be here,chewing on a celestial bone,

No matter how long you may be

I'd miss you so much

If I went in alone

It wouldn't be heaven for me.

-Unknown