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I found a few dog stories this week that I thought you might enjoy and I've given a nod to the pooties too with one story from here in Jacksonville. Now "roll over" the squiggle,"sit" and "stay" awhile.
John Unger with Schoep in Lake Superior
John recently took his dog Schoep to the vet because he was limping and the vet advised John that arthritis had begun to take its toll on Schoep and while there may be temporary improvement with pain medications, soon John may want to think about putting his best friend down.
That is how it came to be that on July 31st John Unger of Bayfield, Wisconsin asked photographer Hannah Stonehouse Hudson to take pictures of him with his beloved best friend of 19 years, Schoep while they took a nightly swim together - just in case there wouldn't be another chance to get a picture of them together. Little did either of them know that when Hannah posted the photo on facebook it would immediately go viral - it has been viewed over 2 million times.
John found that the temps in Lake Superior were perfect for a therapeutic swim for Schoep. Unger places his arm under his dog's head and they float together in the water. With no pressure on his aching joints, Schoep rests his head on John's chest and falls asleep. Sometimes they stay that way for hours.
Now that this story has gone national, Unger's dog is undergoing laser treatments thanks to some individuals who were moved by the tale.
"A woman from Virginia basically paid for the latest laser therapy on his joints. She paid for a full treatment, and I don’t know how much it is, but I know I couldn’t have done that," Unger told MSNBC.
"I have seen improvements in Schoep's ability to walk,' he told the MailOnline. 'He's walking faster. He's holding his head higher."
Schoep's veterinarian, Erik Haukaas said:
It's like putting oil on a rusty joint. Schoep will need these treatments every few weeks "forever", but should be able to spend his golden years pain-free.
Not only that, but photographer Hannah Hudson said women are also asking her if John is single. And it turns out that not only is he single, he is actively looking for a relationship.
This news article contains two videos of John and Schoep.
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Devo's digial single to be released on Aug 26,2012, National Dog Day.
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New Wave-punk rock group
Devo is set to release a digital single on August 26th, National Dog Day. It is entitled "Don't Roof Rack Me, Bro! (Remember Seamus)" which was inspired by Mitt Romney's notorious road trip from Massachusetts to Ontario, during which he transported the family dog, Seamus, in a kennel strapped to the roof of his station wagon.
Devo's Jerry Casale wants to be clear that the song is not meant as a partisan statement:
This isn't a red-state thing or Devo stumping for Obama. But I think any animal lover that hears the story will learn so much about the character flaw of Romney. It's just a deal-breaker about the man. My God, the world is a scary place with seven billion people. What you want in a leader is a guy with some humanity at his core. I just don't feel that Mitt does.
Along with the song, Casale kicks off his
Remember Seamus Campaign which he hopes will help "make 2012 the year where animals like Seamus are valued and honesty is praised."
In order to help back Dogs Against Romney Casale designed a special edition t-shirt for the group. He is also involved in an upcoming smart phone game called The Crate Escape which is also scheduled to be released on August 26th.
Now to a sad pootie story with a happy ending. In February this year there was a Shocking Raid at Famed Caboodle Cat Ranch where final reports said over 750 cats were removed from the property which is located in Lee, Florida, approximately 64 miles east of Tallahassee. This is the largest number of cats the ASPCA has ever removed from one location in an animal cruelty investigation. The link provided has some shocking videos with graphic images.
Removing the cats was a mammoth undertaking involving multiple agencies.
Jacksonville Animal Care and Protective Services allowed the ASPCA to use its old facility to care for the cats for nearly six months. The ASPCA’s rescue efforts have exceeded more than $1.7 million, which includes: more than 150,000 cans of food; 140,000 pounds of cat litter; 5,000 doses of antibiotics; and 85,000 man-hours to ensure these cats receive the care they deserve. Thirty-four animal welfare agencies sent staff and volunteers from around the country/state throughout the operation to support the ASPCA’s rescue and sheltering efforts.
On August 10th and 11th, The ASPCA assisted multiple local animal welfare groups in Florida to find homes for nearly 300 cats during three major adoption events hosted by the Jacksonville Humane Society, Cat Depot and Humane Society of Pinellas (with assistance from Bay Area DART) which drew more than 1,600 people to cities across the Sunshine state to adopt hundreds of cats rescued in late February from Caboodle Ranch.
This weekend, the Halifax Humane Society, as part of its “Plan Alive” partnership with Flagler Humane Society and Southeast Volusia Humane Society to reduce animal overpopulation, will be hosting an adoption event to find homes for some of the remaining cats on Saturday, August 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Let's hope all the cats find loving homes.
Maggie the boxer wears the cone of shame
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A final note, my boxer girl, Maggie had an eye injury in July and it was not healing properly. I've since learned that boxers are known for having difficulty in healing eye ulcers and injuries. After our vet did everything he could, we were sent to a specialist two weeks ago who performed a minor surgery. The upshot was that Maggie had to wear the dreaded "cone of shame". In this photo she is sporting the replacement cone that I bought 5 days into the ordeal. I knew the first one wouldn't last and sure enough when I came home with the new one, there was a good size chunk missing and a tear beginning in the old one.
We went back for the first follow up on Thursday and it looks very good. Good enough to retire the cone of shame. I told Maggie I had to have a photo to memorialize the occasion, but I haven't told her I'm sharing it with you guys, so mum's the word, okay?