Ben, a stray dog, escaped from his new home to travel 10 miles through snow to find his mate Jade at the animal shelter. When the couple who adopted Ben realized they couldn't be separated, they adopted Jade as well so the dogs could stay together.

1. It’s a Dog’s Life
AWeeklyPublicationfor Dog Lovers
by Russ Davis
August 18, 2013
Dog Travels 10 Miles in the Cold to Find His Mate
A story that first appeared in the Terre Haute Tribune-Star last week, and was later picked up
by several other news outlets, caught the attention of dog lovers all across the country. It was
about two stray (mixed German Shepherds) that had been living on the north end of Terre
Haute, Indiana. Neighbors had been feeding the dogs but when it became apparent the female
was pregnant they called the Humane Shelter who took them in so they could better care for
the mother-to-be. Four-year-old Ben (left) and the pregnant one-year old Jade (right) were
inseparable during the several months they spent at the shelter and
even shared the same pen. They were later torn apart however,
when a couple by the name of Lawler adopted Ben. But after about
three weeks Ben escaped the Lawler's home and traveled 10 miles
through the snow and went back to the shelter to find Jade. A
shelter staff member said, "He came out of nowhere and started
licking her through the fence, like they were kissing." The journey
took almost two days but Ben had found his way back to Jade. When
the Lawler’s realized that it wouldn’t be right to separate the pair
again, they adopted Jade and brought both dogs home. Ben and Jade “want to be together,"
Debbie Floyd, the Humane Society board's president, told the Tribune-Star. "There hasn’t been
a lot of human love in their lives. They found love with each other and that what’s makes them
happy … Hopefully, they will live their lives happily ever after.”
Cuddly Mutts Help Take the Stress Out of Travel
Specially trained therapy dogs will soon be greeting airline passengers at boarding gates,
baggage claim and ticketing areas at Los Angeles International Airport. With
increased crowdedness, longer lines, and flight delays some airports have implemented a new
way of helping their customers relax. It's a new program called PUPs, Pets Unstressing
Passengers. Experts say that interacting with a dog suppresses stress-making hormones and
lowers blood pressure. An airport spokesman said that all dogs and their handlers will
undergoboth classroom and "in-terminal" training. A mixture of mutts, Golden Retrievers,
Bichon Frises and other breeds, will be identified by red vests that read "Pet Me!" Similar
programs have been launched at the Miami International Airport and the San Jose
International Airport in the last several years. The friendly dogs undoubtedly bringing a more
welcome form of "pat down" than those currently offered by the Transportation Security
Administration. In the L.A. program, volunteers and their pets must undergo training and be
registered and certified by Therapy Dogs Inc. After that, volunteers
undergo four hours of training to learn about the airport and the
program. Currently there are 30 volunteers in PUPs. The program
costs the airport about $5,000 for vests (for dogs and their owners)
as well as training. It was further noted that dog handlers are trained
to make sure passengers want to play with their dog, and to steer
clear of anyone who indicates that they are not interested.
From Timber Wolf to Miniature Poodle
There are over 800 recognized breeds of dogs in the world, which makes dogs the most diverse
mammals on the planet. This vast diversity is the result of selective breeding over thousands of
years. There are recovered burial sites from ancient times that show man and dog buried as
companions, side by side. The deep bond between man and canine is apparent throughout
history. This makes it all the more interesting that the dog’s ancestor, the wolf, is often
portrayed as an icon of fear and ferocity. And all the more amazing that domesticated dogs and
wild wolves are still so closely related. Dogs possess many of the traits that make the wolf such
a proficient predator. Heightened abilities such as smell, hearing, agility and the ability to work
in a group are just a few of the things passed down from wolves to their canine counterparts.
Over thousands of years, these traits have been specifically bred into certain breeds, using the
dogs that excel the most in the desired skill to reproduce. This process of selective breeding
has led to finely tuned traits, such as water retrieving in Labrador Retrievers, scent and tracking
skills in Bloodhounds, guardian instincts in German Shepherds, herding instincts in Border
Collies, petite size in Chihuahuas, and silky coats in Afghan Hounds. While offering humans
countless ways to help make life easier, dogs are dependent on man for their well-being. When
faced with a difficult problem, a dog will eventually seek out his owner to help resolve the
problem. When placed in the same situation, a wolf will not. Wolves simply don’t view humans
as a source of help, while dogs view humans as a true provider and “pack leader.” So the next

2. time you’re looking at a little toy poodle, just remember that deep inside the DNA is the
genetic mappings of a great predator.
Remember Rocky’s Dog Butkus?
Any fan of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky movies would recognize Butkus, the slobbery 145-lb
bullmastiff that stars as Rocky’s pet. What some might not realize is that Butkus actually
belonged to the actor, and in many ways, the rags-to-riches tale of boxer Rocky
Balboa mirrored Stallone’s own life story. Before selling the script for the movie, Stallone was
down on his luck. He had no car, a pregnant wife, and $100 in the bank. He couldn’t afford to
keep his giant dog, and wound up selling Butkus to a dwarf named “Little Jimmy” for $50. After
selling the script, he asked Little Jimmy if he could buy his dog back.
According to Stallone, Jimmy was reluctant to give the dog up. He
became confrontational and wanted to fight. Stallone refused to
fight the little guy and after a considerable amount of haggling,
offered him $3,000 and a bit part in the movie and finally got his
dog back. When asked about Little Jimmy’s role Stallone said, “Do
you remember in Rocky where the little guy goes, 'Hey, did ya win?' and I go, 'What are you,
deaf?' and he goes, 'No, I'm short.' That's him.
More than 120 Dogs Hit the Road for the Trip of a Lifetime
Can we say road trip? While vacationers across the county hit the road last week in search of
grand adventures, one very lucky group of dogs also embarked on the trip of a lifetime.As part
of our national transport program, the ASPCA helped relocate 121 dogs from Southern
California to shelters in Oregon and Washington. In partnership with
the Shelter Transport Animal Rescue Team (START), we pulled the homeless
pets from overcrowded shelters and transported them to partners in the
Pacific Northwest, where they are more likely to be adopted. “Without
these life-saving transports, the majority of these dogs would be
euthanized,” says Kristen Limbert, Director of the ASPCA’s Animal Relocation program. “Thanks
to START’s tremendous efforts in their community, we have no doubt that this group of canines
will find loving homes—and we sure are happy to help give them that chance.” Special thanks
go out to Live Oak Bank for providing the funding to be used over the course of this year for
select animal transports across the country.
Drug-Sniffing Dogs for Hire
They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and that certainly applies to the number of
entrepreneurs that have found a way to help parents that suspect their children may be using
drugs. There is a new service in just about every major city in the country that now
provides trained drug-sniffing dogs from $100 to $200 an hour. The target customer is parents
who want to find out if their kids have stashed drugs somewhere in the house or garage. It is a
discreet way to confirm suspicions of children's’ drug use. The service is ideal for parents that
wish to discover a problem and deal with it, without the legal ramifications of a police
investigation. They can search private homes, businesses, public schools, charter
schools, universities and numerous other venues where drugs may be located. Canine
detection dogs can find illegal substances such as marijuana, cocaine (powder and crack),
heroin, MDMA (ecstasy), and methamphetamine (crystal meth) and some commonly abused
pharmacy drugs. If you’re worried that your kids are doing drugs you can find out by hiring a
trained sniffer dog who'll tell you for certain if they are up to no good.
Shelter Dog Demographics 101
Why do certain dog breeds wind up in shelters more than others?
Urban shelters tend to have large populations of powerful breeds, such as Pit Bulls and
Rottweilers, purchased for their intimidating looks. "Pit Bulls don't get dumped at shelters
because they are inherently bad dogs," says Trish McMillan, director of animal behavior at the
New York ASPCA. "Many people don't realize how much time, exercise and training a very
active, powerful breed requires. New owners may become overwhelmed and get rid of their
pets. Others think they'll make a lot of money breeding Pit Bulls. Then, when buyers don't line
up, both Mom and her litter end up in a shelter." Overrepresented dog breeds vary from region
to region. In Temple, Texas, home to a lot of ranches, cattle-herding dogs like the blue heeler or
the Great Pyrenees populate shelters. "But the dogs can wander off the farm, so we also get a
lot of mixes," says Krissy Whittington of the Association for a Pet Adoption Center. Rescue
centers in the Deep South take in an abundance of hunting breeds such as Labradors, beagles

3. and hounds. "People have misguided ideas, thinking spaying and neutering will take the heart
out of dogs or cause them get fat and lazy. Both concepts are totally false," says Bill Kidd,
director of the Northeast Arkansas Humane Society. "Folks living in rural areas often don't have
money for the operation and when giving pups to neighbors doesn't work, the owners call me
or bundle the animals up and leave them at a 'prosperous-looking' residence. In cruelty cases,
the puppies are either abandoned or killed." In every area of the country, "overrun shelters are
due to human neglect," Kidd says. "Above all else, folks thinking about getting a shelter dog
should understand the responsibilities and commit to the welfare and life of one of God's
creations before adopting."
Left-Pawed Dogs More Aggressive
Ever wonder why your dog can't seem to warm up to strangers? Being a left-pawed dog might
have something to do with it. New research published in the Journal of Veterinary
Behavior suggests that dogs that show a preference for their left paws are more likely
than dogs with no paw preference (ambilateral dogs) to show aggression toward people they
don't know. There did not appear to be a link with characteristics such as excitability and
attention seeking. Dogs are left and right pawed in the same way that humans are left or right
handed, preferring to use one over the other to assist in certain tasks. The study only involved
observing front paws, although dogs do also demonstrate preference in the hind limbs, with
one usually leading when the dog runs. Aggression in dogs is mediated
by many factors including the animals' age and health. But the
researchers say the results of the study may reflect the lateralization
of brain function in dogs. The right and left hemispheres of the brain
are known to control opposite sides of the body. The research found
no evidence to support a relationship between paw preference and
overall temperament however. Among pups, being left-pawed is not unusual. While only
about 10 percent of humans are left-handed, there appears to be an even split between left-
pawed, right-pawed, and ambilateral canines, Schneider said.How to determine if your dog is a
"leftie" or a "rightie"If your dog knows how to "shake," which paw does it offer first and most
often?If your dog is given a treat within a toy, which paw does it use to touch the toy first?
Which paw is used to hold the toy?Put a treat under something that is just out of reach of your
dog. Which paw does it use to try to retrieve it?If your dog wants in at the backdoor, which
paw does it use to "knock" with?
A Stump For A Tail
You can't buy loyalty, they say
I bought it though, the other day
You can't buy friendship, tried and true
Well just the same I bought that too
I made my bid, and on the spot
Bought love and faith and
A whole job lot of happiness
So all in all...
The purchase price was pretty small
I bought a single trusting heart
That gave devotion from the start
If you think these things are not for sale
Buy a brown-eyed puppy with a stump for a tail
A Puppy Poem By: Author Unknown
Please have your pets spayed or neutered