Family Reunion

A flea-bitten dog rescued from a squalid Melbourne, Australia, backyard is to be reunited with her ecstatic owner nine years after she disappeared.

And 17-year-old Chloe Rushby, who was only eight when her furry friend disappeared, can't wait to have Muffy back in her arms.

Chloe and her family screamed with joy when the RSPCA called to say Muffy was alive - much older, very scruffy and 1,250 miles away in Melbourne.

"It would be fair to say that they were extremely elated and extremely excited by the call," RSPCA inspector Gail Coulter, who found an emaciated Muffy after an anonymous tip, told The Daily Telegraph.

"They were initially shocked and confused, but when we mentioned the name Muffy - which is part of the microchip information - and gave them a description of her, they knew it was their pet lost so many years ago."

What happened in between is largely a mystery.

The fluffy white bitser is known to have been kept in a filthy back yard for the past two years.

Rescued 5-Legged Puppy Has Extra Limb Removed

Lilly, the five-legged puppy at the center of a tug of war this week between a Charlotte, N.C., dog-lover and a Coney Island, N.Y., freak-show owner, had her extra appendage removed Thursday.

The dog's new owner, Allyson Siegel — who purchased Lilly for $4,000 from Calvin Owensby, and outbid freak-show owner John Strong — says the 6-week-old terrier-Chihuahua mix had the surgery at a veterinarian's office, but preferred not to disclose the location.

The operation took place amid reports that Strong was planning to file a lawsuit to get the dog back. "Last night I called the surgeon and said, 'Will you take a look at her to see if she's healthy enough, see if you think that she could possibly have the surgery now?' And he did, and she did," Siegel said.

Though the dog is still recovering and will not return home for another 24 to 36 hours, Siegel says she's "doing great. She's recovering well, no complications."Siegel, whose story was originally reported in the New York Daily News, says she will pay for the surgery bill — which could total up to $2,000 — with donations that she's received from several people who've heard the dog's plight.

"In my mind it's kind of over. Just let it be over," she says, referring to Strong's legal threats.

"I'm very happy that Lilly is fine and that she's going to be a normal dog. And get to have a normal life and not be in a cage. I don't personally have anything against him, Mr. Strong, I don't know him. This was really always about Lilly."

Prior to the surgery, the puppy couldn't sit, walk or lay properly because of the extra leg (which had six toes). "She'd struggle to run up a hill or walk up a hill because she had to tug that thing behind her," says Siegel. When she returns home, the dog will be running around like any other puppy — though she'll have to wear a cone to prevent her from biting her stitches. "She's got a lot of energy,” Siegel says of the Lilly's personality. "She plays hard and sleeps hard."

by Amy Jamieson.

Humor: Codependence

Got a better caption? Then by all means, leave it in the comments for all to enjoy.

Franken Looks to Increase Number of Service Dogs for Veterans in First Legislation

In his first piece of legislation as Minnesota's junior senator, Al Franken is looking to expand the number of service dogs available to wounded veterans.

Franken wrote in an opinion published Monday in the Star Tribune that his proposed pilot program will train "a statistically significant number of dogs" to measure the benefits to veterans living with devastating injuries sustained on the battlefield.

The dogs' companionship, Franken said, provides invaluable health benefits -- both physical and emotional -- to veterans suffering from debilitating injuries and psychological disorders. The service dogs will help "reduce the suicide rate among veterans, decrease the number of hospitalizations, and lower the cost of medications and human care," he said.

Franken's legislation was inspired by a meeting he had last January with a wounded former Iraqi intelligence officer and his golden retriever, "Tuesday."

"Service dogs like Tuesday can be of immense benefit to vets suffering from physical and emotional wounds," wrote Franken.

Franken said service dogs typically cost about $20,000 to train and another $5,000 to place with a veteran -- a cost that is well worth the investment, he said.

"It is my strong belief that a service dog will more than pay for itself over its life, and my bill is designed to determine the return on investment with a pilot program that provides service dogs to hundreds of veterans," said Franken.

Humor

Spam is indeed removed here.

Just a note.

We do indeed read every comment left on our entries, and if it's Spam...it's gone.

So if you're going to leave a comment, at least 'attempt' to make it personal, (i.e. get our name right) and don't make it so obvious to redirect others to some ponzi scheme site, or 'make money fast' with pets.

Just saying......

Pets as a source of income.

PEACHTREE CITY, Georgia (CNN) -- Lori Lawrence has been laid off twice since ending her 20-year career with the U.S. Air Force in 2001. But after losing her most recent job in February, she felt liberated.

"I started thinking, I'm tired of going through this," she said. So Lawrence, who last worked at a staffing firm, contemplated what she would enjoy doing most.

"It was obvious," she said. "Something with pets."

Inspired by Cody, her 14-year-old Siberian husky, Lawrence set her sights on opening a dog-grooming business in the upscale Atlanta suburb of Peachtree City, Georgia.

"My Pampered Pooch offers the opportunity for dog owners to show their four-legged friends just how much they enjoy their unconditional love and friendship, by pampering them," Lawrence said, reading her mission statement.

"People spent $42 billion last year on their pets alone," Lawrence said. "You know [the money is] there. How do I get in? I want in!"

She attended Small Business Administration seminars and researched business plans of other startups before she drafted her own.

With help from community small business experts Lawrence reduced her startup costs from $147,000 to $35,000.

She has not yet secured all that money, but is counting on $4,000 from savings; $6,000 from donations, which she will solicit from dog washes and social networking; and $10,000 from investors, including peer-to-peer loans and microloans from services such as Kiva.org.

Lawrence's plan also outlines other services such as pet sitting, a dog taxi, retail options and a doggie bakery.

"All these things are ways of adding more revenue than just the basic dog wash," he said.
To spread the word, Lawrence is organizing free dog washes to help to build up her customer base, before she even opens the doors to her shop.

With her friends and neighbors by her side, Lawrence hopes to be serving all the pampered pooches in her area by the end of next month.

TDW would like to praise Lawrence for her entrepreneurial drive and spirit and point out that when times are tough, people with a little creativity, vision, and a bit of elbow grease can accomplish anything. We bet she'll be much happier working with dogs than back in the corporate world.

Recipe: XV Beacon Dog Biscuit Recipe

Thanks to Kate Shamon for this Bostonian recipe...

XV Beacon Dog Biscuit Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Whole Wheat flour
• 1 Cup Graham Flour
• ½ Cup Rolled Oats
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 ½ Cup Milk
• 1 ¼ Cup Peanut Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Molasses
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flours, oats & baking powder.Mix milk, peanut butter, molasses & vanilla until smooth.Add to dry ingredients. Dough will be stiff. Knead dough w/hands.Roll out to ¼ inch & cut into shapes (bones, sticks, balls)Bake 20 mins until lightly browned. Turn off oven & leave inuntil crisp & dry. Cool & store in airtight container.

Lullaby book for your pooch

I'd like to thank reader Andrea Lechner-Becker for letting us know about this book.

"Ron Burns’ new book was inspired by his relationship with his adopted pup Rufus and is titled Rufus Rhymes – Modern Lullabies for Dog Lovers. It contains nostalgic lullabies whose lyrics have been changed to be dog-centric. So, instead of “Rock a bye baby on a tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock” it’s “Rock a bye Rufus on top of my head, the dog trainer says you need your own bed.” It’s 24 perfect bound 8.5” x 8.5” pages of delight retailing for $8.99. They go on sale starting July 13th, so I was wondering if you would like to feature the book and maybe do a story about Ron on your page around that time."

You will be able to purchase the books on-line at http://www.rufusrhymes.com/. Check out this site for pre-orders and other available titles.

We'll be back next week

Thanks for sticking around and checking in with us here at The Daily Woof on a regular basis.

We'll be taking the next few days off to recharge our batteries and do the whole vacation thing. Look for us to return next week, with new articles and stories, and hopefully a more regularly publishing schedule...

-Chief Barker & Frankie, power schnauzer.