Chihuahuas removed

When I was a kid growing up in Clifford, Ont., our dog was a chihuahua - decades before they became purse pooches.
I'll never forget two things. One, on the day my uncle delivered him he pronounced the puppy was already named Tippy for the white tip on the end of his tail.
Two, was a visit back to the 1960s-era breeder. It was shocking to a child. Chihuahuas were scatting around at ankle height everywhere. Entire rooms were covered in newspapers. The house, which might've been a "modernized" log cabin was dark and ominous.
Clearly, this was a puppy breeder who needed to do it for the money and not for the love of the breed. Today we'd call it a puppy mill.
I'm thinking about this today as this story is published in the Toronto Star.

Sled dogs to be exhumed

Remember the healthy BC sled dogs shot for business reasons following the Winter Olympics? The investigation continues and will include exhuming the canine corpses, according to the Globe & Mail.

Pet shot in backyard

Seriously. Want kind of person would randomly shoot a Yorkie? Read the Toronto Star story.

Dogs poisoned in Alberta

What prompts people do to this? Calgary Sun reports nine dogs appeared to have been poisoned in Alberta.

Coyote ugly

And relatives wondered why I kept our Wheaten on her leash while walking around my brother-in-law's farm and woodlot. Coyotes! Here's what happened near Whitby, Ont.

Reality bites

Maybe it would've been better just to let the dog pee on the lawn instead of going through this.

Dogs rescued before reaching dinner table

Eating dogs is common in some parts of China. One truckload destined for a market was stopped by a citizen, purchased by a vet clinic for $15,000 and saved from the table. The dogs were nobody's pets - they were semi-wild mongrels. Came across the story in the Toronto Star.

That bites

After a greeter was bitten on the nose by a lap dog with issues, Home Depot has banned all pets from its stores, according to canoe.ca. It's nice to bring behaved pets into warehouse-style stores, but not those that bark or bite. And, yes, the greeter made a mistake by leaning her face into the cart where the cute canine was riding.
Read the story by clicking here.

New trends for dog owners

OK, I admit to some of these trends. But doggie birthday parties?

Home Depot dog policy reconsidered

This is a terrible incident at Home Depot - a staff member had the tip of her nose bitten off by a customer's dog, according to the Toronto Star.
The incident has Home Depot reconsidering whether dogs should be allowed in its stores. The current policy says it's OK as long as the dog is under the owner's control.
The dog in this incident was a Shih Tzu.

Harry Potter amid lavender plants

Harry Potter, a golden retriever, patrols the lavender plants at Steed and Company near Sparta, Ont., Canada.
(Wayne Newton photo)

Dog speak in North Vancouver

Twitter network yields this cute photo from a North Vancouver, B.C., park.