Rachael Ray Creates “Mutt Madness”

Rachael Ray announced yesterday that she’s launching a pet charity contest to support “no-kill animal wellness.” She’s looking for 64 qualified organizations to compete in a brackets-style program in which the public will vote for what they feel is the most deserving pet cause in the country. (Entries must be submitted to her website by September 30th.)

Rachael with her first dog, a pit bull named Boo. Jim Wright/AP

According to the Associated Press, “Each of the top 64 groups gets $1,000. Winners of the next several rounds, chosen by online votes, will get another $1,000. The final voting showdown is worth $25,000 for second place and $50,000 for the winner. The champ will be announced in early December, Ray said.”

Rachael—whose first dog was a pit bull named Boo—also started Rachael's Rescue, an organization committed to helping at-risk animals through adoption, medical care, training and outreach.

For more information, read the AP story here, or go to Rachael’s website.

Foster a Dog in New York City

A new blog, Foster Dogs in New York City, is updated daily with dogs from shelters around the city looking for a foster or permanent home. Check out the site here: http://fosterdogsnyc.blogspot.com/. Once you read their stories, you’ll understand just how dire their situation really is. Many face euthanasia within days or even hours.

Beau and Jolie, two NYC dogs currently looking for foster homes.

Please, please think of fostering a dog if you can. Many of these dogs have such little time left, and they just need a chance and some love. And definitely forward a link to the Foster Dogs blog to your friends!

For When Your Dog is a Fur Machine

Riley is a little bit like Pigpen from the Snoopy cartoons. Not in the sense that she smells or is covered in dirt, but because she forever has a cloud of little hairs coming off of her. The shedding is so intense that I’m often surprised she doesn’t wake up one day completely naked, with no fur suit at all.

I grew up with Wheaten Terriers, a non-shedding breed. So, I had no clue what kind of mess shedding dogs are capable of. I’m so hypersensitive about having little caramel-colored dog hairs on my clothes and furniture that I vacuum my apartment three times a week. (Pretty sure my neighbors think I’m insane.)

I recently discovered the Pledge Fabric Sweeper for upholstered furniture. It is, in a word, glorious. It gets every single hair off of furniture, and you can even use it on your coats if you don’t have a roll-y brush. However, some people criticize the product because the hair collection container is not reusable. Once it’s full, you’re supposed to dispose of the product. (Yes, SC Johnson, shame on you. Why not just up the price slightly and make it reusable? We’re in a recession, damn it. And whatever happened to your claims of running a “green” business?) But, with a little creativity, you can jimmy open the top with a knife, pull the hair out, reattach the top, and use the product over and over again. (I learned a lot about how to do this by reading the product reviews on Amazon.com.)

The Pledge Fabric Sweeper usually retails for about $9. If you can’t find it at your local Walgreen’s or Duane Reade, you can get it on Amazon here.

Snuggies, Now For Dogs

OMFG, this made me laugh. The company that created the Snuggie has come out with a new version for canines.

Image courtesy of Allstar Products

Anne Flynn, director of marketing for the company, told People Pets, "Snuggie stands for cozy, warmth and functionality…and dogs need to stay comfy on their morning walks and on those chilly winter evenings too. Many Snuggie customers are also dog owners, and we didn't want the owners feeling bad about the jealous glances from their pets any longer."

I’m pretty sure Riley wouldn’t go for this—and she’d probably be mildly horrified by it—but you never know. Sure, I admit it. She does have a cute (not cheesy) coat, but it’s for when New York temps reach the 30s.

What do you think? Would you guys buy one for your pet?

Some Pet Hospitals Ban Tail Docking, Ear Cropping

USA Today recently reported that one of the country’s largest network of animal hospitals—Banfield, the Pet Hospital, which has more than 730 hospitals nationwide—will no longer crop dog’s ears and tails, nor will they devocalize dogs. The controversial practices were also recently opposed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

Boxers often have their tails docked and their ears cropped.

Tail docking, a cosmetic procedure which involves a veterinarian lopping off part of a dog’s tail when they are a few days old, has long been supported by the American Kennel Club. (Ear cropping generally happens at about 12 weeks.) According to the USA Today article: “the AKC says that ‘as prescribed in certain breed standards, (they) are acceptable practices integral to defining and preserving breed character, enhancing good health and preventing injuries,’ and that ‘any inference that these procedures are cosmetic and unnecessary is a severe mischaracterization that connotes a lack of respect and knowledge of history and the function of purebred dogs.’”

Devocalization is more rare and entails the full or partial removal of a dog’s vocal chords to prevent it from barking.

Where do you guys stand on these procedures? Do you think they’re cruel and unnecessary, a way to maintain breed standards and integrity, or something else entirely?