Kanune's tiara is made with emeralds and diamonds

A Thai jewelry designer has created a tiara for his Maltese dog using precious stones left to him by his mother.

Kanune’s tiara, which was made by Riwin Jirapolsek, includes 153 karats of emeralds built with a titanium body and decorated with more than 100 karats of diamonds.

Jirapolsek has no plans to sell the tiara, which Kanune wore at a dog show recently (see video below). He now plans to make Kanune jewelled hair clips.

As Dorothy watched, her little dog was swept away by the wind.

No, not that Dorothy — a woman named Dorothy Utley. And her dog is not Toto but Tinkerbelle, a 5-pound Chihuahua.

The Utleys were at a flea market in Waterford, Michigan when a storm blew in with winds over 70 miles per hour. One of the gusts lifted Tinkerbelle right off the ground and carried her away. People tried to catch her, but the wind was too strong.

Tinkerbelle’s collar was found across the road, but there was no sign of her. The family searched the area through the weekend, but without success.

Then they went on a local radio show and received a call — from a psychic. According to Dorothy Utley, the woman told them where to find their dog. “She told us what to do and we went and found her … she came running out of the woods like a little rabbit.”

So Tinkerbelle, unhurt but “very hungry,” is back home. The Utleys did not say whether she had visited Never Never Land during her absence.

Hooked rug from Dogstuff

Well, yes. It’s true. A South Korean research team has created Ruppy (short for Ruby Puppy), the first “transgenic” dog, and the glow is proof that their engineering worked. (Photos at the link.)

The scientists created Ruppy’s special effect by adding a fluorescent protein to a cell, which they then implanted. They say that this method could eventually allow them to identify and eradicate diseases in both dogs and humans.

Notecards from Dogstuff

With all the media attention given to Bo, the First Family’s new Portuguese Water Dog, we’ve heard a lot about allergies.

But what are hypoallergenic dogs, and do they really solve the problem? What should dog lovers with allergies do?

The Seattle Times has the lowdown. And as long as we’re talking about Bo, USA Today has a profile of his trainer, Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz.

We saw not long ago that scientists are studying dogs’ social behaviors to see how they overlap with those of humans. Turns out that goes for their thinking, too.

Harvard University has started a new Canine Cognition Lab, hoping to use clues from dogs’ thinking to help understand what makes humans unique.

Researchers are testing, for example, whether dogs understand the concept of “same,” and whether they can interpret pictures (given a bucket with a picture of a steak on it and another bucket with a picture of a hammer, which will the dog choose?).

For animals who have been so close to humans for so long, dogs are still surprisingly mysterious to us. Scientists hope that their findings may result in new therapies for misbehaving dogs, or tips for owners on how to best interact with their pets.

If you’d like your dog to take part in the studies, more information is available at the lab’s website.

More and more people are microchipping their dogs, and many happy reunions have resulted. But a product about to hit the shelves will allow owners to see real-time data on where a wandering pooch has gone.

A company called Positioning Animals Worldwide is introducing Spotlight, which will clip to an animal’s collar and use satellites and cell phone towers to transmit its location. It will even send a text message if a dog travels outside a predetermined “safe zone.”

Spotlight is also lightweight — less than 2.5 ounces — waterproof, and has a light owners can remotely activate if they’re searching for a dog at night.

The price tag is not inconsiderable: $250 plus a monthly service fee. But Tom Sharp, CEO of AKC Companion Animal Recovery, which is partnering with PAW to sell Spotlight, thinks owners will be willing to pay for the additional peace of mind.

The newly sworn dogs and their human partners

Doug Nurse of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution asks the questions:

How exactly does one swear in a dog?

Does he raise his right paw? Does the city clerk tell him, “Bark after me”? Will there be a reception? What will be served? Pig ears and faux bacon treats?

And one more question: why, exactly, does one swear in a police dog? Nurse has the answer:

Johns Creek on Monday had two canine recruits, Nico and Dano, take the oath of office so they would be legally sworn police officers, empowered to make arrests and detain people. As sworn officers, evidence they find is admissible in court. Smacking a police dog is akin to taking a poke at a two-legged officer.

All right then. May Nico and Dano and their partners have long and successful careers.

Dominant or not?

Trainer and author Lee Charles Kelley has a 3-part series on the topic, beginning here.