Unleashed

Collared today: Chapin, who's 17-years-old!

2009-11-12T12:11:13Z

NAME: Chapin (as in Mary Chapin Carpenter).

OWNER: Jane Ballentine.

HOW THEY MET: We met in the reception area of the Baltimore Zoo, (now Maryland Zoo) Mansion House. Chapin had been tossed out of a car in front of the Reptile House in Druid Hill Park and was rescued by zoo staff. She was being cuddled while waiting for a ride to the SPCA. I walked in, and saw this “little black dog with little brown ears” and fell in love. I begged my husband to let us adopt her, and 5 days later she came home with us. That was 17 years ago this month.

AGE: 17+.

HOME: Baltimore.

BREED: Long-haired dachshund/border collie mix, we think!

BEST TRICK: Before arthritis kicked in, Chapin would dance in circles on her hind feet for a treat.

To see more pets that have been Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com. Share your pets' stories with us!

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Long ago – herding other dogs. Now, it’s napping.

FAVORITE FOOD: iceberg lettuce, the crunchier the better.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: When I picked her up at the SPCA, she would not stay in the passenger seat of my car. She kept crawling into my lap. I would pull over, put her back in her seat and drive on. After the 3rd time, I just left her in my lap. To this day she prefers to ride in a lap while in car.

BROUGHT MOM AN EARLY PRESENT: She is the immediate cause for the early birth of my son. I was 8 ½ months pregnant. Chapin snuck out of the house and got into a squabble with a neighborhood dog. I tripped and fell while trying to break up the fight. I broke it up and the only injury was to me – my placenta was abrupted and I had to be induced and deliver my son that day. Oh, I ended up with a C-section and a broken arm too.

IF CHAPIN HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Don’t touch my food!

Happy Vets Day: Dogs greet those returning from war

2009-11-11T20:21:41Z

In honor of Veterans Day, the Mental Floss blog posted a series of videos showing servicemen and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq being greeted (extremely enthusiastically) by their dogs who missed them. Here's one. Find more here. Get your tissues ready....

DWTS vet, snowboarder Louie Vito adopts pup

2009-11-11T19:03:14Z

Snowboarder dude and Dancing with the Stars contestant Louie Vito can add "dogowner" to his resume. He just adopted a young pit bull mix named Darla from the Animal Advocate Alliance. Vito renamed Darla Gucci, telling People "Gucci Vito just sounded right."

Hopefully Vito and the spotted Gucci will have more chemistry than the snowboarder showed with his partner on the dance show.

"We no longer have to wonder why our sweet little Darla keeps getting overlooked at adoption events as the perfect match for Darla fell in love with her and she is now living in her new home," the rescue said on its website, announcing Vito adopted the dog.

"We miss Darla incredibly but are thrilled that she found the perfect home. Send us a postcard from the slopes Darla girl and have a great life!"

Photo of Gucci (once Darla) and Louie Vito courtesy of Animal Advocates Alliance.

Want more pet access at state parks? Weigh in!

2009-11-11T16:04:43Z

The Maryland Park Service is considering changing its policies to make it easier for people to bring their pets to state parks.

A lot of people have apparently requested the change and now state officials are asking for even more public comment before they make a final decision. Changes include pets being allowed at Assateague at certain times and pets allowed in more parts of Gunpowder Falls. There's a lot more, too. To view the proposed policy, click here.

To make your voice heard, go to this website for more information. Public comment will be accepted until Nov. 30.

Linda Eckhardt of Abingdon, along with dog Cookie, enjoys watching her sons and nephews play in the Gunpowder river near Jerusalem Mill. Sun File photo/BARBARA HADDOCK TAYLOR.

'House of horrors' for animals found in New York

2009-11-11T14:19:49Z

Jill Rosen

Rescued fighting dogs get second chance

2009-11-11T13:16:15Z

Dozens of American pit bull terriers netted in the largest dogfighting raid in U.S. history are finding homes despite nay-sayers who predicted aggression or trauma would make them unsuitable as pets.

More than 120 of the animals have been placed in foster homes or are headed there this week through the efforts of pit bull rescue groups throughout the U.S. An additional 117, await their turn.

"They are not a vicious animal. They are the victims of abuse," said Debbie Hill, vice president of operations for the Humane Society of Missouri. "They only want to be in someone's home, on a couch, or sleeping at someone's feet, maybe chew up a rug or two for entertainment."

In the days leading up to the July 8 raid, the Humane Society secured an industrial warehouse in St. Louis that it transformed into an emergency shelter for the hundreds of dogs seized in Missouri and Illinois. About 100 dogs seized in other states were taken by other rescue groups.

Once at the Missouri shelter, dogs were tested by animal behaviorists, taken on walks, and allowed to chew on bowling balls stuffed with peanut butter.

The Human Society offered The Associated Press first access to the site Tuesday.

Read more here.

Linda Campbell plays with dogs at an emergency shelter that has been housing hundreds of pit bulls seized as part of the largest dogfighting raid in U.S. history Tuesday, Nov. 10, in St. Louis. Dozens of American pit bull terriers netted in the largest dogfighting raid in U.S. history are finding homes despite naysayers who predicted aggression or trauma would make them unsuitable as pets. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Blade, the shot police dog, recovering well

2009-11-10T19:13:46Z

Crime reporter Peter Hermann just got back to the office after a quick visit with Blade, the Baltimore police dog shot on Sunday by a fellow officer.

Peter shares this photo of the German Shepherd, who's recovering at Falls Road Animal Hospital. He says the dog is doing quite well and might be able to go back to work.

Here's more details from Peter.

The Dewey look-alike contest: We have a winner!

2009-11-10T16:33:28Z

Drumroll, please! After six submissions of absolutely beautiful orange kitties, we've named one the winner in the Dewey look-alike contest.

Kim, my editor, deliberated carefully over the contestants, considering both resemblence to Dewey, the cat made famous in the book, Dewey: The Small-town Library Cat Who Touched the World, and how each kitty's personality paralleled The Dew's.

The winner of the new Dewey children's book is: Sydney!! Marge's 11-year-old kitty not only looked like Dewey, but his story similarly tugged on a cat-lover's heart-strings. Someone cut off the tips of Syd's ears and a portion of her tail. Congrats to Marge and Syd.

However, because such an overwhelming flurry of support came in for Oscar, the fluffy one who passed away two years ago, his owner is getting a copy of Cats' A.B.C. -- which happens to be about three cats, one of which is named Oscar! Plus, the little guy is pictured sitting on a folded up copy of The Sun -- how could we resist that. Congrats Teri!

Now we wait for the Dewey movie starring Meryl Streep!!....

What went wrong that the police dog got shot?

2009-11-10T15:09:41Z

The Sun has been covering this week an incident that involved a Baltimore City police dog getting shot by an officer while out on a case.

The dog, a German Shepherd named Blade, is recovering, but how exactly he got shot is something of a head scratcher. (See a new photo of the recovering Blade here.)

As Blade chased after a motorist who failed to stop at a speed checkpoint, he attacked an officer chasing from another direction. The dog didn't recognize the officer and the officer didn't know Blade, who wasn't wearing any police identification.

Why was Blade not wearing a police vest or something? Isn't that like an officer on duty without wearing a uniform? And why was the dog out of sight of his partner officer?

What's the right protocol here? Any police officers out there who can enlighten us? It really seems like this was a shooting that easily could have been prevented.

In the photo, a K-9 for the Harford County Sheriff's office named Sabre works an obstacle course with his human partner, Capt. John Seilback. Sun photo Ken Lam.

Puppy mill rescues arrive in D.C. area

2009-11-10T13:35:43Z

More than 100 dogs and puppies rescued from a Missouri puppy mill arrived in Beltsville yesterday. All of them will be looking for homes. The Virginia-based A Forever-Home Rescue paid for their airlift to our area.

Update on the shot Baltimore police dog

2009-11-09T21:58:41Z

Reporter Brent Jones has an update of the police dog shot Sunday by an officer:

A police dog shot by a city officer during a foot pursuit of a motorist who authorities say drove through a speed checkpoint was expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery Monday, according to staff at the Baltimore animal hospital where the German shepherd was being treated.

The dog, named Blade, should be released this week from Falls Road Animal Hospital in Mount Washington, said Dr. Keisha Adkins, who performed the surgery. The dog faces four to six weeks of restricted movement but should be able to comfortably walk after that, according to Adkins.

The shooting happened about 6 p.m. Sunday after a speeding motorist failed to stop when ordered by officers manning the checkpoint in the 2600 block of Wegworth Lane near Hollins Ferry Road, police said. The man got out of the car moments later, and as he fled, officers at the checkpoint enlisted the aid of a K-9 unit, according to police.

The dog attacked an officer approaching the scene from a different direction, apparently mistaking him for the motorist, police said. That officer, not knowing Blade was a police dog, shot the animal at least once, according to police. The dog was not wearing any type of Police Department identification.

Adkins said the surgery involved removing bullet fragments from the dog's shoulder.

"He's a real trooper," Adkins said. "There could have been a lot more damage. He was pretty lucky with where the bullet hit him."

Cities moving to outlaw cat declawing

2009-11-09T14:32:45Z

San Francisco has become the first major city in the nation to outlaw the declawing of cats, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Some pet owners declaw their felines to protect themselves, or their furniture, from scratches. But pet advocates condemn the practice as animal cruelty.

“It is well-documented and well-understood from a medical prospective that [declawing] is torture. It is a form of animal cruelty,” said Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who introduced the legislation.

Other California cities are considering adopting similar bans. The Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote on whether to enact a ban by the end of the year.

West Hollywood banned declawing in 2003. Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Berkeley are considering similar ordinances. Declawing is illegal in 20 countries, including most of Europe, Brazil, Japan and Israel.

Baltimore officer shoots on-the-job K9

2009-11-09T13:04:25Z

A Baltimore police dog was shot Sunday evening by a police officer during a foot pursuit of a motorist who drove through a speed checkpoint in South Baltimore, said a Police Department spokesman.

About 6 p.m., police were manning the checkpoint in the 2600 block of Wegworth Lane near Hollins Ferry Road, near Wegworth Park, when a male motorist failed to stop when ordered and drove through the stop, said Anthony Guglielmi, chief spokesman for the Police Department.

Guglielmi said the motorist got out of the car a few moments later and was fleeing on foot when officers at the checkpoint enlisted the aid of a K-9 unit to chase the man down. Shortly after the K-9 unit arrived and the dog, a German shepherd named Blade, was pursuing the motorist, an officer arrived on the scene from a different direction. That officer was approaching the scene when the dog apparently mistook him for the motorist and attacked him, biting the officer in the upper body.
Guglielmi said the officer, not knowing the dog was a police dog, pulled out his 40-caliber Glock semiautomatic handgun and shot the dog at least once in the face. Guglielmi said the officer's body armor prevented him from being seriously injured. He said the dog was not wearing any type of Police Department identification, such as a vest.

Guglielmi said the dog was taken by a police vehicle to Falls Road Animal Hospital in Mount Washington, where it underwent emergency surgery for a bullet wound. He did not know how many times the dog was shot. The dog's condition was not available last night.

The incident remains under investigation.

Collared today: Nani

2009-11-09T12:14:34Z

NAME: Nani.

OWNER: Lorinda.

HOW THEY MET: The story begins like this… One day a friend of my children came home from school and called her mom at work all excited yelling, "Mommy, mommy we got puppies!!" Mom quickly replied, “You better take them back where you got them!!” They yelled back, "No mommy, Nellie had puppies!"

Sure enough, the mom came home to find nine beautiful puppies. Here is where I come in. After hearing about these puppies I just had to see for myself. You see the mom is a German Shepherd and the dad is a daschund. A daschund!

The children brought all the puppies and put them on the sofa for me to see. I sat on one end of the sofa and they played happily at the other end. While sitting there talking to my friend, I felt this warmth crawl across my lap. I look down and there was this beautiful little black and brown puppy sitting in my lap. She looked at me and puts her head down and went to sleep.

That is how Nani and I came to be. Nani picked me. So of course I had to take her home. Her name means beautiful in Hawaiian.

AGE: 3.

HOME: Baltimore County.

BREED: Mixed German Shepherd/Daschund.

BEST TRICK: Catching tossed things.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Flyball.

FAVORITE FOOD: Cheese and chicken.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: When I play with her squeaky toy she sings.

HEALTH GUARD DOG: When my blood sugar drops below 80 during the night, she wakes me up.

IF NANI HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Telling other dogs, “Don’t smell my butt please.”

CREDIT FOR PHOTOGRAPH: Lorinda and Jim Geiser.

To see more pets that have been Collared, click here.

Win a book if your kitty's a Dewey look-alike

2009-11-08T14:30:00Z

Legions of cat lovers have fallen for Dewey, the famous Iowa library cat immortalized last year in Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World.

I noted on Unleashed a few months ago that the author who wrote about Dewey got more big contracts to write about him again -- at least one for a children's book. The kiddie book is out and I'm offering a copy to whoever has the kitty who most resembles the adorable, orange, furball that was the Dew.

Personally, I think with Pumpkin I'm a contender myself, but I'm not technically competing. (Seriously -- you have to click on the link. My little P is a Dewey RINGER!!)

Anyway, send me your pictures and whoever has the kitty with the closest resemblence gets the new Dewey book for kids: Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library!

1) ..Ooh, check it out -- already got the first Dewey look-alike contender. This beauty is Isaac:

Here's a bit more on Isaac, who's 9, from his owner JDK: Although not nearly as famous as Dewey, Isaac has had his moments in the spotlight thanks to my husband's photo skills. He has been on the front of a birthday card (which I discovered by accident at Eddie's on Charles Street) and in a couple of print ads. The birthday card was rather insulting to the poor boy because the card company made him into a "wide-body" to make the photo look funny. But he got over it when we gave him some treats.

Unlike Dewey, Isaac is not very outgoing. In fact, he is pretty much a "scairdy cat". He can be ingratiating, though, when he wants something. And Isaac does like books and newspapers...he likes to LIE on them!

We inherited Isaac from our son when Isaac was two. No one ever told me that cats do not like to go in cars and Isaac travels in the car all the time, between our two houses. People always seem to be surprised at this and at the fact that he does not ride in a cat carrier. He somehow always knows when we are within a half-mile of either house because he puts his paws on the dashboard and peers out the window. I think this makes him a winner.

2) Here's Oscar, another contender. Though he passed away two years ago, his owner, Teri sent him in cause of his obvious Dewey-esque charms. Plus, he's sitting on The Sun, which shows Oscar and The Dew both liked to hang around the printed word. ....

3. I think we've got another contender here in Fluffy:

4) Here's Sydney, another contestant. Her adoring mom Marge says: "Sydney is even striking a Dewey-esque pose in this picture. She's a lot like Dewey in that she brings people together, is very social and likes to curl up with a newspaper or good book — preferably the one I'm trying to read. Syd was a rescue cat. She was badly abused in her first few months — someone cut off the tips of her ears and about a third of her tail. She's almost 11 and she's still sensitive about having her tail touched. She may not have nearly frozen to death in a book drop box, but her early days were not easy. She would love to honor Dewey's memory, to say nothing of being able to brag to her little brother Beijing that she won a beauty contest!"

5) Val nominates Eddie. She says: Eddie is sweet as can be, but an avowed scaredy-cat. (Some friends doubt his existence, since they never see him. He runs away as soon as someone steps on the front porch.) He is quite literate, as you can see from the photo. (He's also on the Sun! Points for Eddie!!)

Eddie is a rescue - found in Pigtown when he was only two weeks old - alone and in the remains of a torn-down rowhouse. He weighed only a pound when I got him at eight weeks of age. He had a cold, a sore on his nose, and a bloated belly from worms. Now, at the ripe old age of 10 ½ years, he is a happy, healthy bruiser at 15 pounds. I love him (and his sisters, Cleo and Aurora).

6) Darlene knows her Sydney (another Sydney!!), who like Dewey came from humble beginnings and LOVES his food, has Dewey-ness. She writes: One of my best friends trapped some feral kittens behind her husband’s business when the mother was killed on the road in June of 2008. I was on business in Sydney, Australia at the time, and I was getting emails that she’d picked one of them out for me. This sweet kitten was loving and sweet and I just had to adopt him. I’d been home for a day when she brought him over, a tiny orange fluffball that we named Sydney since that was where we’d been when we learned about him. Little did I know… that tiny boy has grown into 16 pound beast with the longest, fluffiest tail I’ve ever seen.

When I read the book Dewey, I realized that they looked so much alike! Sydney is also the alpha cat in our house with a purr so loud you can hear him in the next room. I swear the floors vibrate. I loves to play, watch movies with my husband (they have whole conversations on movie reviews) and hates when we have company. His “time out” spot is the first step in the basement, which is also his safe place where he hides when we have company. He’s not too keen on other people unless they are going to feed him. Don’t dare leave the kitchen without feeding him when he tells you – he will bite your ankles all the way out of the room!