News » Dogs In The News

Well, Pope Francis is stirring the pot again…in a good way.  He made some recent comments that have renewed the debate about whether or not dogs (and other animals) go to heaven. 

He said: “The Holy Scripture teaches us that the fulfillment of this wonderful design also affects everything around us,” which was interpreted to mean he believes animals go to heaven.  At least that’s how a LOT of people are interpreting it.

“My inbox got flooded,” said Christine Gutleben, senior director of faith outreach at the Humane Society, the largest animal protection group in the United States. “Almost immediately, everybody was talking about it.”

Typically, Catholic doctrine has it that animals cannot go to heaven because they have no soul.  But Pope Francis is giving that notion a run for its money.  Here at Phebe-n-Me, we’re siding with the Pope.

It’s interesting to note that he has an approval rating in the U.S. of 78% according to the Washington Post .  With all this going on, we bet his approval rating among dog owners is around 99%.

Read more at:

USA Today

New York Times

OK, we admit this is a beautiful dog:

But would you pay $2,000,000 for it?!? That’s “two mmm…mmm…mmm…million” dollars.

Apparently, last month, some guy in the eastern China province of Zhejiang did, setting a record price for a dog. The Associated Press writes that Tibetan Mastiffs are the ”dog of the moment. Its ownership has come to symbolize wealth and status as much as a new car or an ostentatious mansion.”

According to Sui Huizheng, the breeder who made the sale, his dogs “have lion’s blood and are top-of-the-range mastiff studs. Pure Tibetan mastiffs are very rare, just like our nationally treasured pandas, so the prices are so high.”

Yeah, right.

I don’t know about you, but this one certainly has us scratching our heads…

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The Washington Post

Fox News

As you might imagine, we talk about dogs all the time here at Phebe 'n' Me.  And so have some very famous people throughout the years.  Here are some witty and heartwarming favorites of ours.

“If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went.”  — Will Rogers

“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”  ― Mark Twain

“If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons. ”  ― James Thurber

“You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, ‘Wow, you’re right! I never would’ve thought of that!’”  — Dave Barry

“I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source.”  ― Doris Day

“Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell.”  — Emily Dickinson

“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.”  — Robert A. Heinlein

“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”  ― Groucho Marx

“Dogs never bite me. Just humans.”  ― Marilyn Monroe

“The more boys I meet the more I love my dog.”  ― Carrie Underwood

“The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.”  — Andy Rooney

“Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.”  — Ann Landers

“To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.”  ― Aldous Huxley

(These are notable, true stories from the mainstream press. Whether heartwarming, funny, perplexing, or touching, they all serve to remind us how dogs are so entwined in our lives, and sometimes in unique and unusual ways.)

OK, what could you do with $500?  Buy a new coat?  Make a couple car payments?  Have dinner for two at a world-class 5-star restaurant?  Put it in the bank?  How about let your dog eat it?

That’s what accidentally happened in Helena Montana to Wayne Klinkel when his golden retriever, Sundance, ate a wad worth $500.  According to newspaper reports, nothing was left but “one intact dollar bill and a small piece of a single $100 note.”

So Wayne did what every dog owner does when something gets eaten that shouldn't: he collected Sundance’s droppings to get back his money.  He cleaned it, taped together many of the pieces and he returned it to the U.S. Government.  Seriously.  There’s a Mutilated Currency Division within the U.S. Treasury, that made good on Wayne’s efforts and sent him $500 to replace the mutilated notes.

I never knew about this.  According to the U.S. Treasury website, “Each case is carefully examined by an experienced mutilated currency examiner.”  I bet THAT examiner had a bad day at the office when he or she opened Wayne’s package.

I wonder if the U.S. Government has a division that replaces dog-digested homework?!?

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Reuters 

ABC News

(These are notable, true stories from the mainstream press. Whether heartwarming, funny, perplexing, or touching, they all serve to remind us how dogs are so entwined in our lives, and sometimes in unique and unusual ways.)

I don't mean “dummy” as in “dumb”, I mean “dummy” as in crash test dummies.  Subaru and the Center for Pet Safety in Reston, Va., are together working on a new line of pet restraint systems and to test them they need to do what auto and safety experts have been doing all along: crash the cars and measure the effects.  On dummies. Dog crash test dummies.

They made a 45-pound border collie, a 25-pound terrier mix, and a 75-pound golden retriever.  (Which got me thinking, “What…they don’t care about my Aussies?!?”)

Bark Buckle Up,  a pet safety advocacy group claims “A 60-pound pet becomes a 2,700 pound projectile, at just 35 mph.” And according to the Wall St. Journal  claims a calculation by motorist-advocacy group AAA, shows that a 10-pound unrestrained dog in a 30 mph crash will exert around 300 pounds of force.

I remember when cars didn’t have seatbelts and when they did, people often didn’t use them.  With an estimated 85% of drivers now using seatbelts, maybe the day isn’t far off when we’ll all buckle up our pets as well.

Let's hear from our readers: Do you buckle up your pets?

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Wall Street Journal

USA Today

(These are notable, true stories from the mainstream press. Whether heartwarming, funny, perplexing, or touching, they all serve to remind us how dogs are so entwined in our lives, and sometimes in unique and unusual ways.)

I’ve always wanted to use ‘dog poop’ and ‘Congress’ in the same sentence.  I knew if I waited long enough I would get my chance, and here it is.

A recent poll by Public Policy Polling, a Democrat-favorable North Carolina firm that promotes itself as "highly accurate polling across the country" surveyed 502 voters this past week on their opinions of Congress.  

Of the respondents, 47% had a more favorable opinion of dog poop while only 40% preferred Congress.  13% were undecided, which might lead one to wonder how people like that are allowed to vote.  

We think that’s pretty funny, and certainly in keeping with my views.  But at Phebe-n-Me we all love dogs, so just about anything having to do with them is better than Congress in my opinion, even the nasty bits.

Interestingly, people had such a low opinion of Congress that witches, hemorrhoids, cockroaches and toenail fungus all scored higher.  Again, all of which I personally agree with, except for the toenail fungus.  That stuff is GROSS!  So I’m told…

NOTE: As of this writing, we're in the midst of a government shutdown due to Congress' inability to pass a budget.

Read the full story:

USA Today

CBS

See the survey results:

Public Policy Polling Survey

(These are notable, true stories from the mainstream press. Whether heartwarming, funny, perplexing, or touching, they all serve to remind us how dogs are so entwined in our lives, and sometimes in unique and unusual ways.)

Another world record has been shattered! At coffee shops, hair salons, bars and even on the floor of the U.S. Senate (really), people are talking. No it’s not some incredible Olympic feat. It’s not some major league sports figure hitting another home run or completing another touchdown pass.

In an upset the likes of which will have dog lovers reeling, Boo Boo the reigning smallest living dog in the world (based on height) according to the Guinness Book of World Records has been unseated by Miracle Milly, a 2 year-old, 3.8 inch Chihuahua from Puerto Rico.

Wow…that’s small!

BTW, in case you’re wondering: the tallest dog in the world is Zeus, a Great Dane that measures 3’8” standing.

And speaking of Chihuahuas and Great Danes, here’s an interesting pic of both:

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NBC News

Huffington Post

Milly’s Facebook page

(These are notable, true stories from the mainstream press. Whether heartwarming, funny, perplexing, or touching, they all serve to remind us how dogs are so entwined in our lives, and sometimes in unique and unusual ways.)

I admit, I’m not a big art lover.  I think a black light and a poster of a unicorn by a waterfall is pretty cool.  Fine art?  I can enjoy it.  A museum?  Sure.  The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC?  Loved it.  I saw Michelangelo’s David in Florence, along with the Sistine Chapel and works by Botticelli and da Vinci.  Amazing stuff that everyone can appreciate.  At the other end of the spectrum, I really enjoyed the Museum of Bad Art right down the road from my home here in Somerville, MA.  But c’mon…how much would you pay for THIS?!?

How about $55M? 

No kidding.  That’s what this sculpture called “Balloon Dog” is expected to fetch when well-known American artist Jeff Koons puts it up for sale later this year.  And people in the know think he can get it.  After all, he sold a piece called “Tulips”  for $33.7M last year.

And get this: he made 5 Balloon Dog sculptures.  He’s selling just one of them.  $55M and it’s not even a one-of-a-kind.  Who in their right mind would pay that kind of money for this?   Crazy stuff.

Read the full story:

The Inquisitr

New York Post

(These are notable, true stories from the mainstream press. Whether heartwarming, funny, perplexing, or touching, they all serve to remind us how dogs are so entwined in our lives, and sometimes in unique and unusual ways.)

When I go to a zoo, I’m awed when I come face-to-face with an African lion. I imagine that’s true for many people the world over, except for visitors at The People’s Park of Luohe in the Chinese province Henan, (click here for map) many of whom who were shocked when their African Lion barked! It turns out they didn’t have a lion on display because they couldn’t afford one. So they did what any reasonable person in that position would do: they put a Tibetan mastiff in the lion cage. And their deception didn’t stop there, instead of exotic animals, dogs were found posing as a timber wolf and a leopard.

At least one mother was furious. Liu Wen who was at the zoo, said: “I had my young son with me so I tried to play along and told him it was a special kind of lion.

“But then the dog barked and he knew straight away what it was and that I'd lied to him.”

Zoo staff apologized, and to make amends, Mr. Liu Suya, chief of the park's animal department offered refunds to angry visitors.

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The Huffington Post

ABC News

TNT Magazine

(These are notable, true stories from the mainstream press. Whether heartwarming, funny, perplexing, or touching, they all serve to remind us how dogs are so entwined in our lives, and sometimes in unique and unusual ways.)

At The Devon Wood Condominiums in Braintree, Massachusetts, a town of 36,000 residents, located about 10 miles south of Boston, (click here for map) General Manager Barbara Kansky now demands that all owners pay $50 and submit a sample of their dog’s feces so that they can have a DNA database with which to catch owners who don’t clean up after their pet. Offenders get slapped with a fine of $150.

“Some people thought it was a joke.” Kansky told a reporter.

Rather than being outraged, some residents are taking it in stride, like dog owner Jim Burke who said “I was a little upset at first having to pay for it, but I do understand it was a problem."

And here’s my favorite part. Apparently, this is happening all over: the DNA matching is done by a national company called PooPrints. If you think this is the start of something big you can get a piece of it.  They are looking for home-based distributors.  Check it out at http://www.pooprints.com/start-a-pet-business

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CBS Local - Boston

The Patriot Ledger newspaper

Wicked Local