And the award for 'Greatest Place on Earth' goes to...

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.

No, I haven't been there. But I have been on their website all afternoon and having read several Sanctuary Stories, I can say with certainty that every heart beating in their corner of Angel Canyon is made of pure gold.

Dog Days of Summer

I realize that this is a wee bit off-topic but I can't help the fact that thinking about dogs enjoying ice cream on a hot summer day fills my heart with joy.

The Daily Mail reports that the truck will debut this Saturday at the Boomerang Pets Party in Regents Park, London. They'll be serving up two cleverly created flavors: Dog Eat Hog World (ham and chicken sorbet topped with a biscuit and served in a cone) and Canine Cookie Crunch (a simpler combination of various dog biscuits and ice cream).

Can you guess what tune the truck plays? Scooby Doo theme song. Yeppers. Anyone else wishing they could take their canine there?!

Slumdog Brazilianarre

The NGO Sociedade Amiga dos Animais (SOAMA, Friends of Animals Society) built about a thousand of these little houses for abandoned dogs and cats in the slums of Caxias do Sul, Brazil. These areas, called "favelas," are home to millions of poor urban and rural job seekers and plagued by violence - mostly linked to drug trafficking. Animals that used to roam helpless and abandoned in the southern city may now find shelter in these shacks. Incredible.

Another Amazing Earth Day Video

Thank you to all our supporters!!

SPCA Walk is this Sunday

Just a little reminder that the JustSaying mascot (pictured to the left) will be participating in the annual SPCA March for the Animals this Sunday and he still needs a few more donations to meet his fundraising goal. Please visit his donation page for more informaation and if you enjoyed the Pedigree commercial about shelter dogs, donate or adopt a pet through their program here.

Slow Motion Doggie Goodness

My bro-in-law sent me this awesomeness this morning. Love it.



(thnx Troy)

Uh oh... Jack's meaty pet food may have to go...

The inevitable has happened: Slate's Green Lantern has looked into the enviromental impact of puppy chow causing we pet owners concern about the enviromental impact of what they intake on top of what they output (click here to learn about the greenest doggie doodoo disposal methods).

It turns out that most of the food our pets eat (that includes meat) is made from the parts of livestock that we humans do not eat such as organs, scraps, and rendered bones and tissues. So on one hand, considering the fact that we raise livestock for human consumption and only the leftovers (about 15%) are purposed to pet food, little of the carbon footprint should really be assigned to the pet food. However, if you ask the pair of sustainable architecture experts from New Zealand, Robert and Brenda Vale (authors of Time To Eat the Dog?) "a medium-size dog has roughly twice the ecological footprint of a Toyota Land Cruiser."

Thankfully, the Lantern is a lover of animals and suggests the following:

"...The way the Lantern sees it, there are two options worth exploring. The first is a variation on one of our cardinal rules for humans: Eat less meat. Some vegans and vegetarians put their cats and dogs on equally abstemious diets. The Lantern doesn't believe humans should be required to give up all meat, so she's not going to suggest that your pet should, either. But according to Marion Nestle—a public-health and nutrition expert who's recently been focusing her attention on pet food—the research clearly shows that dogs and cats can get all the nutrients they need from complete-and-balanced, all-veggie commercial foods. (No one has done any long-term clinical trials comparing various diet options, however.) Even if you don't want to take meat out of the equation entirely, you might be able to cut back, by replacing some of your pet's fleshy fare with grain-and-vegetable-based meals.... The other option is to enlist your pet in your own food recycling efforts. As we've noted before, one of the most straightforward ways to make your diet more eco-friendly is to consume everything you buy, whatever it is. We Americans waste a lot of food—around 30 percent to 40 percent, according to recent estimates—which means we also waste all the resources that went into producing that food. Now, the Lantern isn't advocating you treat your pet like a dumpster, filling its bowl with ossifying Oreos and rotting Chinese takeout. But if you have more meat or vegetables in your fridge than you know what to do with, consider turning that excess food into some pet chow. There are plenty of books on the market to show you how. Just make sure that any changes to your pet's diet are made gradually, and keep your vet apprised of your experimentation."

Read the full article here.

Dogs in China

Adam Minter wrote an interesting albeit disturbing article for Foreign Policy about the newest class struggle in China between rich dogs and poor dogs. The debate on whether to care for or to eat dogs pits younger, educated pet owners against the traditional rural Chinese. I am far too biased to offer an opinion on this issue but nonethessless it is a topic worth following and if you can stomach it, find the article here.

Let's get ready tooo pupppppy boooowl!!

Been so busy with "Snowmageddon" I almost forgot about the big game tomorrow!

The Awesomest JS Post Ever: Doggie DNA Results

Thank you for your patience, readers. I know everyone has been on the edge of their seats so without further delay, check out the results on this handy-dandy chart:

I know what you're thinking: "Chow Chow!?! Rhodesian WHAT?!?" Before we get into just how shocking these results are, let's talk about how the test was done, how the results were presented, and what they mean. If anyone has a greater understanding of DNA testing, I urge you to weigh in via the comment section on this post. Here goes.

The BioPet Vet Lab DNA Breen Identification Test required two cheek swabs - at least ten seconds of swabbing each - with lots of time, space and distance from food and other dogs in the hours before the swabs. The directions were followed extremely carefully. A few weeks later, the Ancestry Analysis Certificate arrived with the following explanation/disclaimer:

The breeds listed in the following report include the breeds that we detected in your dog. In processing, breeds are detected as ranges rather than absolute values. These are then listed on your certificate as values, which are defined as follows:

Level 1: Over 75% of the DNA found in your dog is from the breed listed (Most mixed breeds will not show any breeds listed under Level 1 unless the dog has a purebred parent)

Level 2: Each breed listed represents between 37-74% of your dog's DNA

Level 3: Each breed listed represents between 20-36% of your dog's DNA

Level 4: Each breed listed represents between 10-19% of your dog's DNA

Level 5: Each breed listed represents less than 10% of your dog's DNA

Jack's ancestry certificate lists his breeds as follows:

LEVEL 3: CHOW CHOW

LEVEL 3: COLLIE

LEVEL 4: BOSTON TERRIER

LEVEL 4: BULLDOG

LEVEL 4: RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK

The percentages in the pie chart up above are approximate and for the purpose of JustSaying's short-attention-spanned readers only. BioPet Vet Lab did not provide such an easy to understand visual. They only sent horoscope-sounding personality assessments of the detected breeds and potential associated health problems. No photos or specifics (like whether Jack has American or English Bulldog, Border or Welsh Collie, etc). Here are some highlights - some applicable, some ironic - from those summaries:

The Chow Chow has an innate sense of dignity and may seem aloof and detached. They may be restrained with their affections and are very independent. They can learn, but do not have a strong desire to please their masters and must see the point of commands given.

Highly intelligent and easy to train, the Collie is extremely loyal, devoted and protective. They are sensitive and sweet. May be suspicious of strangers. They may nip at people's heels, due to their herding nature.

Although originally bred for dog fights, the Boston Terrier of today is much less aggressive. They are enthusiastic, have a sense of humor and like being a part of their family.

The bulldog is kind and resolute. The can be very persistent, especially when seeking out attention. Their digestive systems are very active, which may result in flatulence.

A ferocious hunter, the Rhodesian Ridgeback is calm and gentle in the home. They are loyal, straighforward, and very protective of their families. A very healthy breed that is able to withstand extremes in temperatures.

Here's my assessment:

Doggie DNA Results Arrived!!

I know you folks are just as eager to know the breeds present in the little furry one as I am but - in an effort to boost blog traffic to an all-time high this week - we won't be posting the results until Friday. Isn't it more fun to get everyone's predicitons?!? I'll go first. I predict: German Short-Haired Pointer, Pit Bull, Jack Russell Terrier, and Dalmation. I believe the test will reveal the top breeds present up to ten.

I'm posting a photo of Jack for those of you who may not know him personally but would like to participate in the fun (and because he is so gosh darn cute!). Jack is considered a medium-sized dog, weighing in between 38 and 43 pounds since he was adopted when he was approximately one year old in March of 2004. He has two other large spots like those on his face - one on his back hip and one centered around his stubby, seemingly-clipped, tail.


****UPDATES****

6:16 PM - AF has opened the results and will be keeping them a secret until Friday so that I may continue to guess along with readers. Here is what she has shared with me: Two breeds make up about half of Jack. Three breeds make up the other half. This does not mean he has five parents, but just that neither parent was a purebred.

6:18 PM - AF has shared with me that NONE of my guesses are in these top five dominant breeds. Wowsers.

6:28 PM - AF shares: "Out of the five, there is one that I have no idea what it looks like and three that I'd be able to draw." "Does the length of hair matter? Cause I am surprised he doesn't have longer hair."

6:32 PM - BioPet VetLab disclaimer: It is important to remember that the physical and behavioral traits of the breeds desribed in your analysis may not necessarily be evident in your dog. Hmph.

7:34 PM - Made it through dinner but not dessert before convincing AF to tell me the results. All I will say is: I may seek out a second opinion. The three lesser-dominant breeds make sense, but the most dominant are quite surprising. Keep guessing guys!

9:40 PM - Text, BBM, FB, email and Tweet at me all you want, folks. The results are top secret until  Friday. Without revealing AF's identity (for fear she will be overwhelmed by texts from inquiring minds), I will share this picture taken as we opened the envelope: