Mutts: The $120,000 TITAN Protector Ultra
From baltimoresun.com - Mutts:
The TITAN Protector Ultra may sound like a condom for men with high self-esteem, but it's actually a dog, now available (kinda) from Lifestyle (really) Pets -- a company that is creeping me out a little more each time I read about it
Lifestyle Pets, makers of hypo-allergenic dogs and exotic “Ashera” cats, this week announced the “availability” of the TITAN Family Protector Dog, the description of which sounds eerily similar to what most of us have long called German Shepherds.“The TITAN Family Protector dog ... aims to provides a frontline deterrent to any criminal or harmful intent,” the company announced. “A TITAN Family Protector Dog provides an
extra level of security where it is needed most. At the same time, the TITAN Family Protector is a friendly, lovable and loyal canine companion for all the family.”
The Wilmington-based company's founder, Simon Brodie, says there is already a waiting list of more than six months to get a TITAN Family Protector Dog. (So much for that "availability.")
What exactly is a TITAN Family Protector dog?
A German Shepherd that has been trained, the company says, for two years.Mutts: Looking for love on Craigslist
From baltimoresun.com - Mutts:
Down in North Carolina, there's a woman seeking love on Craigslist -- not for herself, but for the dogs that come into the rescue organization where she volunteers.
Amy Murphy, a volunteer at North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue, near Charlotte, asked the organization's director, Beth Phillips, what more she could do to help find homes for the dogs -- most of them either abandoned or surrendered by families that have moved.
Phillips suggested Murphy post information about available dogs on Craigslist. Phillips had done that sporadically, when she had time.
Murphy, who loves to write, jumped into the task with both feet, and ever since her Craigslist dispatches have not just helped find homes for the dogs, but developed a bit of a following.
We'll introduce you to Murphy properly, but here's an example of her most recent work:
Lonely Boy Still Lookin for LOVE....
Hello, my name is Brewster. One of the volunteers decided to write down my story, as she felt there had to be a loving human out there who would be willing to help. I'm the kind of pup who flies under the radar, and this lady said "enough of that, let's get the world to know about this sweet guy and see what happens!" So, here is my story, as dictated to said human...read more ...
Mutts: The starving dog as art
It's an email that is raising the ire of animal lovers around the world: A Costa Rican artist picked a starving dog off the streets of Managua, Nicaragua, then used him as part of an art exhibit that allowed him to continue starving.
According to the email, the dog -- chained in the shadow of the words "You are what you read," spelled out in dog food -- died a day into the exhibit.
The artist, Guillermo Vargas, also known as Habacuc, said the purpose of the exhibit, in part, was to bring attention to the fact that, in some countries, tens of thousands of stray dogs die in the streets, with no one paying them a second thought.
"Now, if you publicly display one of these starving creatures, such as the case with Nativity, it creates a backlash that brings out a big of hypocrisy in all of us," one blog quoted him as saying. "Nativity was a very sick creature and would have died in the streets anyway."
Mutts: The dog lovers' guide to the presidential election
Today, we bring you the Democratic front runners. Tomorrow, in addition to wishing you a Super Tuesday, we'll unveil the Republicans. And on Wednesday, in the belief that every candidate should get his doggie due, we'll show you the lesser-knowns and also-rans.
The decisions on which breed the individual candidates most closely resemble were based both on physical appearance and personality, and the breed descriptions and behavioral characteristics that follow all come directly and without alteration from reputable sources including the American Kennel Club, the Kennel Club in London and Petplanet.co.uk.
Please feel free, even before we finish, to send in your own selections, or bark and snarl at those we have made, via our comments section.
In a moment, the Democrats -- Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.