Anyone following dog news on the web can’t help but notice a trend in the States: dog parks are springing up across the small towns and cities of the USA.

Here in grim old Blighty, Preston City Council is considering something different: dog-free zones in parks.

Actually, Preston’s plans raise a serious point: dog muck left by irresponsible owners causes no end of problems, not least for children. It’s sad, though, that some dog owners are so lazy that they ruin it for everyone else.

Paris Hilton is, apparently, planning to rent a dog during her visit to London, later this week.

Whatever you may think of Ms Hilton, one question remains: who the hell has a dog for hire?

From Channel 4 News.

A Beagle in Florida has saved her owner’s life by calling the emergency services.

Belle – who has undergone $8,000 worth of special training – is able to detect when her owner, Kevin Weaver, is ill. By smelling the minute changes in the sweetness of his breath, Belle recognises the changes in Kevin’s blood sugar levels.

Recently, the training paid off when Kevin’s blood sugar levels dropped to a dangerous level. Belle clawed at Kevin, telling him he was about to pass out. As he began to have a seizure, the other part of Belle’s training kicked in. Amazingly, she found her human pal’s mobile phone and bit down on the 9 key, automatically connecting her to the emergency services.

Presumably, Kevin has an arrangement with the local ambulance service as they recognised his caller ID, along with Belle’s barking, and sent help!

Video and picture at KUTV .

Mongrels now have the chance to show their intelligence, thanks to a new study in Scotland.

With a shortage of pedigree dogs available for Guide Dog and police work, Dr David Smith of Aberdeen University has set out to prove whether cross-bred dogs are as intelligent as their pedigree chums.

Dr Smith explained his motivation to BBC News:

“Pure bred dogs are used as police dogs and they can sometimes have problems such as joint problems.”

Intelligence tests will largely include the retrieval of hidden food.

Of course, dog lovers are well aware that mongrels are amongst the most intelligent of dogs. Let’s not forget that, in the human world, we take a dim view of inbreeding, not least due to the genetic problems it can lead to.

Duke, a two year old Border Collie from Boylestone, Derbyshire, has made an twenty mile journey home alone.

Following a trip to Derby’s cattle market with his owner, Katherine Riordan, Duke took his place in the trailer pulled by her Land Rover. When Katherine reached home, Duke was no longer there.

“We only stopped once on the way out of Derby, to clean the trailer’s wheels, and we think that’s when he jumped out.

“It wasn’t until we got all the way back to the farm that we noticed he had gone. We were devastated. We thought we would never see him again”, she told the Telegraph.

She continued:

“Just when we thought we had lost him forever and that he had been run over or something terrible like that, there he was. We were getting ready for bed when he suddenly turned up at the door and just wandered in, pretty much as if nothing had happened.

“We couldn’t believe it. He actually gave us a hug – he leaps on you and wraps his paws around you – then he had a big feed and just went to bed.”

Sophie Wilkinson, of the RSPCA, said:

“We know most breeds have an excellent sense of direction, but this sort of journey is rare for a dog.”

Duke is now resting at home, with painkillers to soothe his sore paws.

Jack Russells are known for their pluck. How many really get the chance to show it, though?

Bundy, a Jack Russell belonging to Australian Jack Skrzelinski, has been rescued 3 Km out to sea, near Melbourne. After leaping from his owner’s fishing boat, Bundy kept himself afloat for 45 minutes in the 1.5 meter waves.

“We saw a few birds and penguins out there afterwards, so I reckon he might have made a bolt for them”, Jack Skrzelinski told the Herald Sun newspaper.

South African, Clive Andenorff, one of an international party that rescued Bundy, said:

“I thought it was a seal or maybe a shark, but when we stopped it was a dog that swam towards us, and we picked him up and wrapped him in a towel. He was pretty tired.”

Jack Skrzelinski told newspaper The Sunday Mail that he and Bundy would soon be back at sea, adding:

“Only this time he’ll be wearing a life jacket.”

Bundy gets in too deep – in Australia’s The Age newspaper.

Gone to the Dogs is an independent British film about Jack, an old rogue whose life is abruptly ended by a heart attack.

Recincarnated as a scruffy dog, Jack goes on to be adopted by his unwitting widow, Rose. The film tells the story of Jack’s realisation of what makes a good husband; shame he’s now a dog.

The trailer makes the film look like good fun – plenty of dog thoughts voiced by actors and at least one scene featuring a pack of dogs racing down a narrow street. Starring classic British comedy actors Tony Booth – Cherie‘s dad – and Dora Bryan, Gone to the Dogs is available to buy on DVD now.

We’ll have a review next week.

Want to take your dog to work? Move to the US and you might be in luck!

American jobs website, SimplyHired, has teamed up with dog news and community website Dogster, to offer a dog friendly job search! Large employers, including Google and Amazon encourage their employees to bring their dogs to the office, with many others joining the list.

Phil Carpenter, dog owner and SimplyHired VP of Marketing explained the benefits of a dog-friendly office:

“Ironically, most dog-friendly companies don’t realize how important the benefits they offer are to prospective dog-owning employees, and neglect to advertise the perk on their website,” said Phil Carpenter, dog owner and SimplyHired VP of Marketing. “But now with the help of the Dogster community, we’ve made it simple for dog-friendly employers and employees to sniff each other out.”

Do any UK employers allow dogs in the office? Let me know!

It’s been a fairly standard week for dog news, with the usual happy rescue tails, not so happy stories and yet more journalists making strenuous “year of the dog” connections.

The one common theme has been the vast gulf between the different ends of the spectrum of human behaviour towards dogs.

Texan hicks shoot mystery dog-like creature dead – A hairless dog-like creature, which had been spotted over the years in East Texas woods, has been shot dead by a delightful pair out hunting squirrles. When interviewed, they laughed like cartoon character Goofy, mumbling incoherently about “da funny doggie what we done shot” – KLTV.

Dog door bells better than dog flaps? – “You could be in another room of the house, and still hear your dog asking to be let out.” – Doggienews.

Sony ditch Aibo robotic dog – “…on Thursday the Japanese electronics firm announced that, after six years and sales of 150,000 units, it is putting Aibo to sleep…” – BBC News.

MidWest Airlines allows small dogs in aircraft cabin – “…with the exception of flights to Toronto” – Yahoo! via BloggingPet.

Sponsor a Valentine for a chained or penned dog – “We are striving to raise awareness for chained and penned dogs in a positive way, by delivering Valentines, a brochure and a treat coupon to dogs living outside” – via You Are a Dog.

Warning: you may be distressed by pictures on the linked page. Chinese continue to eat dogs – Forget the Year of the Dog propaganda, dogs remain on the menu in China – BloggingPet.

Both the RSPCA and Dogs Trust are on the look-out for homes for deaf Collies, all under nine months old.

Blue, at the RSCPA’s Little Valley Animal Shelter in Exeter, along with Blanche and Lass at Dogs Trust’s Roden Rehoming Centre, are all responding well to sign language training.

Despite their extreme cuteness and young age, all three dogs are struggling to find homes. Although they’ve attracted plenty of interest from potential owners, families have been reluctant after learning of their deafness.

Louise Campbell, manager of Dogs Trust Roden, said:

“Blanche and Lass are lovely young dogs. Although they are deaf, they have no other health issues and given the right training, there is no reason why they won?€™t make fabulous pets.”

Gill Hodge, an Animal Behavioural Assistant who has been working with Blue, explained why deaf dogs can respond well to sign language:

“Dogs naturally use their own form of sign or body language, such as tail wagging when they are happy, raising their hackles when they feel threatened – and they do this far more than they use their voices.”

So far, Blue has learnt seven signs, with a thumbs up for “good boy” being his favourite.

Border Collie Rescue Online has an interesting article explaining how to train deaf Collies with sign language.

Both the RSPCA and Dogs Trust say that experienced dog owners would be preferred but that it’s most importnat that prospective owners have plenty of time and energy.

RSPCA Exeter: 01392 439898
Dogs Trust Roden (Telford): 01952 770 225