Helping Soldiers Bring Home Dogs from Afghanistan, Iraq
Recently DogTipper.com received an email from a US soldier named Cody stationed in Afghanistan who was working to find a way to bring home his adopted dog, Jack. He'd read some news on DogTipper.com about Dogpile.com's program to bring home dogs from war zones and asked for information on bringing home a dog.
We've been doing some research on programs to help soldiers bring home dogs from war zones. An excellent program by the SPCA called Operation Baghdad Pups works to bring home dogs for soldiers stationed in both Iraq and in Afghanistan.
Help for Soldiers
If you're a soldier looking for information on the program, visit the Operation Baghdad Pups page; near the bottom of that page, you'll find a link titled 'Operation Baghdad Pup Criteria.' Click on it and there's a downloadable PDF about the program and the criteria for dogs.
If you'd like to help the program either through donations or by helping to sponsor a dog rescue, you'll find links on Operation Baghdad Pups as well. There's even a Wish List of items the program is in search of...everything from dog collars to heartworm preventative to frequent flier miles. Other Ideas?
Do you know of additional programs we could pass along to Cody to help bring home Jack from Afghanistan? Please leave your ideas in the comments section or email them to editors@dogtipper.com and we'll forward them to Cody in Afghanistan. Let's help a soldier bring home his faithful four-legged friend!
Special attention is being paid to preventing dog bites this week thanks to National Dog Bite Prevention Week...but it's a problem that meter readers face every day. Recently San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) announced that 20 percent of its employees' injuries every year are due to dog bites and some of those bites were very serious.
How can you make sure your dog doesn't bite a meter reader? Do some pre-planning. The SDG&E suggests that dog owners securely confine dogs inside, away from the door, in another room on the day the meter is scheduled to be read. SDG&E indicates on its bills the day of the next scheduled reading.
Don't plan to just hold your dog back while the meter reader enters your yard. SDG&E reports that its employees are instructed to leave the yard if the owner is holding onto the dog because dogs can become protective, more aggressive and difficult to handle, often breaking free from the owner's control.
Look at your utility bill and check with your local gas and electric company to pinpoint your meter reading dates!
Do you and your dog have travel plans for Memorial Day weekend? It's just around the corner so now's the time to make those hotel reservations and pack those bags! Here are some great tips from PurinaCare® Pet Health Insurance when traveling with your dog over the holiday:
Take updated vaccinations / medical records with you on the trip.
Carry a copy of your veterinarian's business card or phone number.
Pack any medications (including heartworm prevention).
Make sure your pet's collar has updated I.D. information.
Have a leash and harness easily accessible.
Pack containers of water for rest stops; plan to stop at least every two hours.
Have an adequate supply of pet food in a watertight container.
Never leave your pet in the car. Plan stops at pet friendly locations.
Look for pet friendly hotels and call ahead to make reservations.
To those tips, we'd add some important considerations just in case your dog should be lost on the trip. Pack a good photo of your dog along with his microchip number and the phone number to call if you've registered his chip number with a lost pet service. An alternative to carrying these items with you is to email the photo and information to a web-accessible email account such as Yahoo or gMail; you'll have access to the materials while traveling.
Knowing Whether You Should Genetically Test Your Dog
If you, like us, have a mixed breed dog, you've probably wondered whether you should have your dog genetically tested. Often you'll get a dog from a shelter and, from the guesses at the shelter, at your vet's office, and from your own experience, have an idea about your dog's background...but is it correct?
We posed the question of knowing whether you should genetically test your mixed breed dog to Dr. Marty Becker, the resident vet on "Good Morning America," and geneticist Dr. Neale Fretwell who spoke about the Wisdom Panel MX DNA test. Just click on the video below to hear more from the doctors about deciding whether you should opt for such a test.
You might remember a few months ago we had our dog DNA tested using this test. The DNA test, which covers 157 dog breeds came back with surprising results that we turned over to our vet for our dog's permanent file.
Recently DogTipper.com received an email from a US soldier named Cody stationed in Afghanistan who was working to find a way to bring home his adopted dog, Jack. He'd read some news on DogTipper.com about Dogpile.com's program to bring home dogs from war zones and asked for information on bringing home a dog.
