Surf Dogs

Dogs from around the country took part in this SoCal competition, which also served as a fundraiser for the San Diego Police Department's canine unit. Here's TJ letting loose on a wave. He sure is one cool cat ... errr, dog.

Each dog had 10 minutes to show its stuff while judges noted the length of the dog's ride, its confidence and whether or not it could "grip it and rip it."

There were three different heats for the dogs to compete in: small dogs, large dogs and tandem. Ranging from 5-pound Pomeranians to 85-pound Bernese Mountain Dogs.

The Surf Dog Competition is an extension of Loews Hotels’ Loews Loves Pets program and has become a successful fundraiser for local pet-related charities.

Dog ear facts

A few interesting tidbits of canine trivia:

• A dog's level attention can be determined by ear behavior. Erect ears facing forward indicate that your pooch is engaged. Slightly back eaers signal friendliness and ears folded back tightly against the head suggest fear or timidness.
• In the still of a night when the rest of us are asleep, a dog can can hear the bodily vibrations of termites in your walls.
• While domestic dogs can hear frequncies much high than that of us, they can't hear as high as cats can.
• A dogs' ears move independently of one another.
• The canine ear canal is L-shaped as it turns towards the ear drum, making them predisposed to yeast infections and parasites and sometimes hard to diagnose.
• The longest ears ever recorded according to the Guinness Book belong to a bloodhound named Tiger from IL. His right ear measures 13.75" while his left is 13.5".

Horse saved by other horses!

An amazing story I wanted to include here:

A horse shot twice with a crossbow by unknown vandals survived after four fellow mares spent three hours taking turns — to lick the wound clean, The Sun reported Tuesday.

The 20-year-old horse, Zeta, was in critical condition after one of the arrows bounced off her rib, while another lodged an inch from her lung as she grazed in a field in the U.K. Owner Jo Young, 39, said the four other horses saved Zeta's life.

"It was really touching that when she was found the other horses in the field were nuzzling her for comfort and licking the wound,” Young said. "They kept the wound clean which would have prevented it from being infected by bacteria. It also helped to stem the blood flow.”

"There was definitely a herd instinct kicking in among the horses. They knew Zeta was in need and they rallied round to save her," he said.

Witnesses saw a group of teenage boys running away from the field at the time of the attack.
The police and RSPCA launched an investigation into the shooting.