Pet Monologues

As breeders test DNA, dogs become guinea pigs. FORT MOTT STATE PARK, N.J. — When mutant, muscle-bound puppies started showing up in litters of champion racing whippets, the breeders of the normally sleek dogs invited scientists to take DNA samples at race meets here and across the country. They hoped to find a genetic cause for the condition and a way to purge it from the breed.

It worked. “Bully whippets,” as the heavyset dogs are known, turn out to have a genetic mutation that enhances muscle development. And breeders may not want to eliminate the “bully” gene after all. The scientists found that the same mutation that pumps up some whippets makes others among the fastest dogs on the track. Read the rest of this entry »

Drug firms check out pets. According to London-based Animal Pharm, world animal health business which had a 5 percent growth in 2006, to $2.3 billion, for which there seems to be greater prospects on the horizon. These figures are largely driven by so-called companion animals: dogs, cats, and horses, which make up 56% of the animal health market. Two big U.S. firms on the animal health bandwagon are Pfizer and Abbott. Dr. Bonnie Beaver, past president of the American Veterinary Medical Society, says “A lot of what we see parallels human medicine. Obesity, a problem in human medicine. Diabetes, a problem in human medicine. For more information, visit animalpharmnews.com

May 3, 2007. Today, President Bush signed into law a bill that will help law enforcement rid the United States of dogfighting, cockfighting, and other forms of animal fighting.

Dogfighting and cockfighting crimes are rampant in the United States, with individuals arrested every week in scores of locations under state laws. The vast underground networks generate pervasive animal cruelty, drug trafficking, illegal gambling, public corruption and even violence and murder. The Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, which passed Congress with large bi-partisan support, will give law enforcement a stronger tool to crack down on this illegal activity. Here is what happened:

On April 11, 2007, the Senate unanimously passed the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act! Thank you to everyone who contacted their senators and encouraged them to support this vital legislation.

On March 26, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act by a landslide vote of 368-39! Thanks to all who called and wrote to their representatives to encourage support of this important legislation—click here to see how your representative voted!

About the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2007:

HR 137/S 261—Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2007
Sponsor(s): Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA); Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
ASPCA Position: Support
Action Needed: None

Similar bills introduced in 2006 were never voted on, so they died when Congress recessed for the year.

One of three dogs removed from a house owned by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is shown Tuesday, May 22, 2007, in Surry County, Va. (AP Photo/Daily Press, Joe Fudge, File)

SURRY, Va. (AP) – The centerpiece of this sleepy southeastern Virginia town challenges the definition of ‘’stoplight” – the lone signal blinks red on two sides, yellow on the others. ”It’s a caution light,” Surry County court clerk Gail Clayton explains. These days, it’s a spot featuring plenty of action.

Not far away, next to a gas station on the corner, the unmarked office of Surry County Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter stands in need of a coat of paint.

It also needs a bigger parking lot to accommodate media from all over following the highest-profile case of Poindexter’s 12-year career.

On April 25, a search of a house owned by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick – and inhabited by Vick’s cousin, Davon Boddie – uncovered drug paraphernalia and 66 dogs in the backyard. A search warrant affidavit said some of the dogs were in individual kennels and about 30 were tethered with ”heavy logging-type chains” buried in the ground. Read the rest of this entry »