This story about Max, whose behavior prompted his owner to visit her doctor, led me to this video:

Friendship card from Dogstuff

Two seventh-grade students in Washington state have spent the last couple of years urging the Legislature to pass laws against puppy mills.

The students, Theresa Edwards and Audrey Long, have written multiple times to legislators for the 36th District about the poor conditions, inbreeding, diseases, and other health hazards that puppy mills produce.

Art print from Dogstuff

In January, authorities seized over 600 dogs from two kennels in Snohomish and Skagit counties. All the dogs were maltreated, and many were in need of medical attention.

An early bill designed to protect consumers who unknowingly buy sick or dying animals from pet stores, breeders, or directly from puppy mills died in committee. Undeterred, Edwards and Long continued to press for reform.

Puzzle from Dogstuff

Their efforts were rewarded when Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles sponsored a bill, Senate Bill 5651, to prohibit a person from owning, possessing, controlling, or otherwise having charge or custody of more than 25 dogs with intact sexual organs over the age of four months at a time.

Edwards and Long are hopeful that the bill will pass without too many changes and give dogs the protection they need. Both students have received the PAWS Youth Helping Animals Award for their work.

Peanuts, that is.

8-year-old Riley Mers has a peanut allergy so severe it’s life-threatening. A peanut shell that slipped into her sandal at a park burned like acid, leaving a scar on her foot. Peanut fumes too faint for others to smell can send her into anaphylactic shock.

Riley’s parents hope a dog will change all that.

Rock’O, a Portuguese water dog, has been specially trained to detect the scent of peanuts before Riley can. With his help, Riley should be able to leave her house and have something resembling a normal life.

Portuguese water dog shoulder tote from Dogstuff

Rock’O was trained at the Florida Canine Academy. Master Trainer Bill Whitstine has trained dogs to detect bombs, drugs, flammable materials and bedbugs. He says,

This really is a bomb dog for this child, because the peanut is a bomb for her.

The cost of training Rock’O was about $10,000. Whitstine donated his services to the family.

Here’s hoping Rock’O is a life-saving change for Riley.

Authorities rescued 360 dogs and a Bengal tiger from a dog breeder near Seneca, Missouri.

This is the second time this facility has been raided. In July 2007, over 150 dogs were seized.

At the time, the kennel operator, Jewel Bond, agreed to surrender both the animals and her breeder’s license in exchange for charges not being brought against her.

Why was the “nearly perfect” Sussex Spaniel back in the ring at Westminster at age 10, after a 5-year absence from dog shows?

Stump at home

All that and more in this article about Stump and his trainer, Scott Sommer.

Mark Steinberg remembers the first dog that came into his life:

Notecard from Dogstuff

The dachshund arrived when I was 6. A cousin’s dog had given birth to a litter of five, and our relative was determined that every one of them would stay in the family. She appeared unannounced at our kitchen door one morning carrying a female puppy, a doggy bed, biscuits, a chewable rat and smug optimism. She stepped into the kitchen, put the puppy on the floor to roam free, folded her arms and waited.

The dog recognized immediately that there was only one Decider in our house, my mother, and she targeted her routine at that one-person audience. First, she did the puppy “boing boing” thing, jumping up and down because she’d found the most lovable, sensitive human being on Earth. Then she threw herself at my mother’s feet and licked her toes. As a finale, she walked over to the doggie bed, flopped down and went to sleep.

By sunset, the puppy had been named Lisa and listed first on my mother’s “preferred organ recipient” card.

The rest of Steinberg’s reflections on living with dogs are here.

Nearly indestructible stuffable toy from Dogstuff

Does your dog chew more than his food? Does she eat wool and other fibers, non-digestible plant material, rubber, plastic, wood, or even her own hair?

Dogs may exhibit a number of compulsive behaviors. In addition to eating non-food substances, they may lick themselves excessively or spin in circles.

Scientists don’t know exactly what causes these behaviors, but stress in the home – competition with other pets, constant punishment, confinement in small cages – is a possible cause.

Other possibilities include lack of socialization, too much attention, or even a nutritional imbalance.

This article from K9 magazine has 8 tips for coping with your dog’s compulsive behavior (details at the link):

1. Identify the cause

2/3. Don’t reinforce

4/5. Make favorite objects unattractive

6. Keep dangerous objects out of reach

7. Check with your vet for possible medical causes

8. Drug therapy is a last resort

It can be frustrating when dogs do things that are harmful to themselves or to property, so it’s especially important for us to be patient with them and work to find solutions.

Veggie Wiener Dog

…and as long as we’re being healthy with a veggie dog, why not go further with a Dachsie Doc?

Doc Dachshund

These are only two of a large and hilarious collection of wacky Dachshund  figurines from Hot Diggity Dog.  Click this link to see them all:

Hot Diggity Dog Figurines

And be sure not to miss our “kissing” Dachshund magnetic salt and pepper shaker sets, like this “Bee and Blossonm.”

Bee and Blossom Magnetic Dachshund Shaker Set

Angels and Devils, hearts, hotdogs and plain – you can see the whole collection of kissing Dachsies if you Click Here.

In fact, there’s always a world of Dachsie stuff at Dogstuff.com – we usually have 200-300 Dachshund-specific items in stock.

Petitpoint and Needlepoint Pillow

Dachshund Trio Apron

Click here to browse them all.