Art or something more repulsive?

TDW would like to thank Andrea for pointing out this story for us she found in the Yahoo sports section. In the comments section, let us know what you think..

Article written by MJD

"The image you're looking at was painted on the side of a tire shop in Philadelphia. That's Michael Vick(notes), sporting his number seven Eagles jersey, choking the life out of a puppy dressed in a Dallas Cowboys jersey.

If you're a frequent visitor to Shutdown Corner, you know that I think Michael Vick jokes are inbounds. I'll make fun of Michael Vick all day long, but I don't think that's what we're looking at here. The "art" above equates the domination of the Dallas Cowboys with the physical domination and likely murder of a puppy dog, both as things that are worthy of celebration. Looking at it makes me feel a little icky.

It can't come as a huge shock to anyone, though. There were always people out there who thought Vick's crimes were no big deal, and never in the history of the world has there been a shortage of people willing to make twisted jokes.

Priscilla's connection to Puppy Mills

All eyes were on Priscilla Presley on Saturday evening as she was honored at Much Love Animal Rescue’s Third Annual Bow Wow Wow Dinner in Hollywood, in front of a star-studded crowd including Denise Richards, Tori Spelling, Jerry O’Connell and Jason Lewis.

The former wife of Elvis Presley actually admitted she was quite "embarrassed" to take home the Icon Activist’s Award as she felt there were people in the audience who had devoted much more to the cause, but nonetheless became quite emotional as she accepted the prestigious honor.

But being embarrassed wasn’t Presley's only confession — it turns out she also committed the cardinal sin of naively purchasing her three pooches from Bel Air’s infamous puppy mill (where Paris and Britney also reportedly bought their canines) which is the very thing the organization is attempting to prevent.

Mills are mass operations that keep dogs in cages for their entire lives for breeding purposes only, with very little veterinary care or human companionship. Once their reproductive ability dwindles, they are generally killed, abandoned or sold to another mill.

"I didn't know at the time but I’m glad I did that because I was able to rescue them, they would have died. It was like having a newborn baby. One was so sick I had it sleeping with me," Presley said, adding that her "baby" has turned out to be the "most loving and amazing" animal imaginable and that’s she’s type the person who worries about everything, including the well being of Elvis’s favorite animal — horses.

According to a source close to the former actress, her passion for rescuing animals has been pivotal in helping her thru the dark days in missing her late husband.

"I’ve now got rescue horses at Graceland," Presley proudly announced. "Especially now with the economy, this has really opened my eyes to what’s going on out there. We need to give a voice to these animals."

Dog perishes inoverheated car - Surprising owner.

RICHMOND, Va. — A dog belonging to the CEO of the Richmond, Va., Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals died after accidentally being left alone for four hours in her hot car.

Robin Starr's husband Ed told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he put the 16-year-old mutt named Louie, who was deaf and blind, into his wife's vehicle on Aug. 19 as she was getting ready for work. Starr often took the dog to the office with her.

But on that day, she arrived at work without realizing Louie was in the car. Several hours later, at about noon, she saw the dog when she went out for lunch.

She took her pet inside to the SPCA clinic and then to an emergency veterinary hospital, where he later died of kidney failure.

The National Weather Service says the temperature had reached 91 degrees by noon that day.
The board of the SPCA says it still supports Starr, who has been CEO since 1997 and does not plan to resign. It was unclear whether she would be charged.

National Dog Day - For children

In addition to it being National Dog Day today, how about some coloring fun for the kids? What better way to have a sit down with today's youngsters and have an educational conversation with them about all things dog and what they mean to us and how to be treated and respected.

Have your child pick his or hers favorite dog coloring pages and turn them into their own personal dog book. On the other hand, if you own a dog try to find some free dog coloring pages that represent your dog. Here are the top websites with free dog coloring pages for National Dog Day.

Go here: http://www.coloring.ws/dogs.htm

On this webiste, you have over 25 fun free dog coloring pages to choose. Some of the dog breeds you will find on this website are Poodles, Terriers, Dalmatians and Guard dogs. Then you also have funny dogs, sleepy dogs, dog with bone, dog with food, connect the dot dog, Frisbee dog, barking dog, dog with hearts, and dog with butterfly. These dog-coloring pages are cute and the kids will enjoy.

Here's a few other you may want to look at as well:

http://www.freeprintablecoloringpages.net/category/Dogs

http://www.lucylearns.com/coloring-dog-sheet.html

Enjoy!

Aug 26, 2009 - National Dog Day

August 26 is National Dog Day.

Started by self-styled “pet lifestyle expert”/interior designer Colleen Paige, National Dog Day is intended to raise awareness of all the ways in which dogs enrich our lives, and to get people to donate to shelters.

The organizers’ website encourages people to host a variety of events to celebrate, including dog costume parties, adoption fairs, or buy things from their sponsors such as photo sessions, boutique items and treats.

They also created National Puppy Day, National Mutt Day and National Pet Day.

Flu vaccine for dogs

-Leslie Mann

A new vaccine from Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health lets dog owners protect their four-legged friends from this illness. Conditionally licensed in May by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for dogs age 6 weeks and older, the vaccine includes two injections, then an annual booster.

Full licensure may follow, pending further studies. The vaccine was tested on 746 dogs from 30 breeds, age 6 weeks to 10 years. No side effects resulted, Intervet says."It's a 'lifestyle vaccine' for dogs who are in communal places such as dog parks, day care, shows, boarding kennels, spas," said veterinarian Cynda Crawford, who identified the canine influenza virus in 2004 with veterinarian Edward Dubovi from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University.

"Dogs who stay at home and just walk around the block are not at risk. Before 2004, it was thought that dogs were not susceptible to the influenza virus," said Crawford, who is a clinical assistant professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville. "Then we saw it that year among racing greyhounds." The virus, known among scientists as H3N8, mutated from an equine virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since 2004, thousands of cases have been laboratory-confirmed in 30 states and in the District of Columbia, Crawford said. The states that have been hit the hardest are Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

A two-sample blood test, taken while the dog is sick and again two to three weeks later, confirms the virus.

Howeverm "It's still new, so we don't yet know about all the side effects, and most dogs recover from it if they do get it. So I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for every dog,".

The canine virus behaves a lot like human flu viruses, Crawford said. "The symptoms are similar -- coughing, runny nose, sneezing. And it spreads the same way, through direct contact," she said. Fortunately, she added, the virus is easily inactivated by washing hands, clothes and items such as dog bowls.

"While sick, the dog should be quarantined," Crawford said. "You should call your vet, but you have to let it run its course, just like when you have the flu."Only 10 to 20 percent of dogs that acquire canine flu progress to a more serious disease such as pneumonia, according to the CDC. Only 5 to 8 percent die.

Unlike the human flu, canine flu is not seasonal. Dogs in communal facilities can be vulnerable year round. The vaccine contains a "killed," not "live" virus, so it is a myth that it "causes the flu," Crawford said. She said the cost of the vaccine is on par with the commonly used distemper vaccine. Crawford said there is no evidence that humans or other pets can catch the canine flu. "But we know that cats can get influenza viruses from birds, so it is prudent to keep your cats away from your infected dog," she said, adding that canine flu is not linked to swine flu.