my paper, Oct 05, 2009, Sia Ling Xin

It aims to reduce animal abandonment and to help abandoned animals find new homes.

Straits Times, 5 Oct 2009, PADANG (WEST SUMATRA) - FOUR Singapore search and rescue dogs were put to work in the quake-hit city of Padang on Sunday, sniffing for signs of life under the rubble of a collapsed library and hotel.

The canines came with the 42-member Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) contingent that arrived in Padang to help in the international rescue effort following last Wednesday's 7.6 magnitude quake in the West Sumatra province.

According to the National Disaster Management Agency, 83,712 houses, 200 public buildings and 285 schools were destroyed. Another 100,000 buildings and 31 km of road were badly damaged, and five bridges collapsed across the disaster zone.

The SCDF team arrived in Padang on Friday evening and spent Saturday conducting an assessment of the sites in the city where search and rescue work was needed.

Yesterday, SCDF search and rescue dogs - Rocky, Bailey and Tommy - were sent in to comb the rubble of the city's four-storey library that had collapsed, trapping at least three people.

Only the library's distinctive uptilted roofs, in the shape of bull horns, remained intact.

AsiaOne, 12th Aug 2009

First case of ICA using sniffer dog used to detect contraband cigarettes.

telegraph.co.uk, 9th Aug 2009

An owner has told how his pet cat was "crushed, asphyxiated and consumed whole" by a 13ft python belonging to a neighbour.

Wilbur, a four-year-old tabby, was devoured after straying into a nearby garden in Brislington, Bristol, where the Burmese python was lurking.

The cat's owners, Martin and Helen Wadey, heard "blood-chilling cries" and rushed to the neighbouring property to help. But after getting no reply from the house they were powerless to save Wilbur.

An RSPCA inspector later issued the snake's owner, Darren Bishop, with a verbal warning about appropriate housing and care requirements.

Now Mr and Mrs Wade are calling for a change in the law so that pythons are officially classed as dangerous animals, requiring a licence.

Mr Wade, 44, writing on his website "Justice for Wilbur", describes the cat as "beautiful, strong, soft, with a purr like a dynamo".

"We don't know whether Wilbur stumbled across the snake and it was an opportunistic kill, or if the snake was actively hunting him, but either way, we heard the python's strike from the terrified scream that came from Wilbur and the subsequent blood-chilling cries as he fought for his life," he said.

"Then in less than a minute, all was silent. He never stood a chance against a creature over 13 times his weight with such immense power. Wilbur was crushed, asphyxiated and consumed whole.

"Helen and I were both standing on our deck hearing everything, but unable to see what had happened, other than it involved Wilbur and it was something awful. From an upstairs window, I was able to make out movement in the garden in question, but no detail."

Pythons, which usually feed on birds and small mammals, wrap themselves around their victims. They can be bought as domestic pets for around £100. Last month a two-year-old girl was reportedly crushed to death by an 8ft Burmese python.

Mr and Mrs Wadey, who have three other cats and no children, want to introduce a "Wilbur's amendment" to the Dangerous and Wild Animals Act and are petitioning No. 10 Downing Street.

The RSPCA said that all the evidence suggested that Wilbur had indeed been swallowed by the snake.

A spokeswoman said: "The cat was swallowed on June 25. The RSPCA attended the following day. The snake was scanned and we can confirm that a microchip was found inside.

"The owner was issued with a written warning about appropriate housing and care equipment. We can't know for certain that it was Wilbur, but it is very, very likely."

Mr Bishop has so far been unavailable for comment.

Larry Berreth, Eximiner.com, 1 May 2009

The media has been overrun with stories about Swine Flu (or its new PC moniker “H1N1”) but what about Dog Flu?

Canine influenza is when the flu occurs in dogs. It can be caused by different types of the influenza A virus, including equine influenza virus H3N8. The relationship with a mutated strain of H3N8 has been dated to 2004. Due to a lack of previous long term exposure to this virus, dogs have no natural immunity to it.

Dog flu can be spread rapidly between individual dogs. It is can have a high incidence, especially in certain regions of the U.S., but fortunately, a low level of mortality.

There is no certain evidence that the dog flu virus can be transferred to people, horses, cats, or other species.  H5N1, the infamous avain influenza or bird flu, was linked to the death of a dog in Thailand after it ate an infected duck.

At this time, there is no incidence of the current “swine flu”, influenza A strain H1N1, infecting any dogs.

The symptoms of dog flu may be similar to a respiratory infection, including a lasting cough and possible greenish nasal discharge. Severe cases may include a high fever or pneumonia brought on by secondary bacterial infections.

While the normal mortality due to dog flu itself is only around 1% in the general and shelter populations, fatalities due to secondary pneumonia can be as high as 50%, if proper treatment is not given.

If pneumonia or any respiratory conditions develop, it is best to seek medical attention immediately so that they do not progress.

Direct treatment for dog flu is given as supportive care and antibiotics for secondary bacterial infections. Currently, there is no canine equivalent of the human flu shot.

The canine influenza virus can easily be rendered moot by thoroughly cleaning your dog’s environment with common disinfectants such as bleach solutions and limiting exposure to other contaminated animals. 

Liew Hanqing, New Paper, 24 April 2009

IT WAS a brief advertisement to sell a dog on a local classifieds website.

But the ad, posted by a 15-year-old student, caused a stir online after pictures of the dog were leaked.

In pictures posted on the forums, the dog is shown locked in a small cage. Its fur looks dirty and matted.
The write-up on the advertisement describes the dog as 'a one-year-old female' which 'does not bark much'.

Diane C. Lade, Sun Sentinel, 17 April 2009

A 5.5-ounce can of "holistic pheasant" cat food sells for $1.73 at a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., specialty pet food store. Three blocks away, you can get the same sized can of a supermarket chain brand cat food for 39 cents. Is the more expensive one better for your cat than the supermarket food?

Not necessarily, at least according to eight dog and cat nutrition experts at seven well-known veterinary medical schools who were interviewed by Consumer Reports.

BEN LEUBSDORF, Associated Press, 10 April 2009 

Seeing-eye dogs are a nonstarter among many Muslims who consider the animals unclean, but a horse the size of a dog just might work.

"This is a really awesome little horse," Mona Ramouni said this week as she put Cali, a 3-year-old miniature horse, through her paces and rode the bus to work with her for the first time.