What to do this weekend? Rent a movie or a dog?

Shame on The New York Times.

They ran a total fluff piece on FlexPetz, the San Diego-based company that rents dogs. There was nothing in the article about how this might affect the living, breathing animals.

My take on this terrible idea is here, but I'll reiterate:

Yes, I know there are probably some people for whom this might be a good idea. But, there are too many negatives to think that this is good for anyone other than the person running the business.

For one thing, it costs over $1,800 for a year's commitment. Why not donate that money to your local dog shelter if you have that much disposable case. How about volunteering to walk dogs at the shelter?

And while some dogs might not mind having a different person on the other end of the leash every day, do you think the dog will be really happy sitting in a cage for five days after a weekend out?

A mandatory one-hour training session? Puh-leez.

What do you think is going to happen when the dog makes a mistake on the parquet floors? How is that one-hour training session going to help that poor animal when the renter loses his or her temper?

This is such a bad idea.

Test driving the FURminator

Faith manages

If this story doesn't move you, nothing will.

Faith, a 5-year-old chow mix, has only two back legs.

She gets around pretty well.

Even without her handlers' positioning of Faith as essentially a 27-pound self-help book -- "If a dog can do it, so can a person," [Faith's agent Mike] Maguire says -- the experience offers a rare license to gawk, touch and find inspiration in a soft take on missing limbs and human hardships.

Here is the story from the Washington Post. Be sure and see the photo gallery and the video.

Another brush off

I don't read Woman's Day, but a Google alert brought the following that piqued my interest.

It's the FURminator, which looks a bit like a mini ice scraper for a car’s windshield, except instead of a rubber blade, there’s a fine-tooth metal comb.

Sounds a bit pricey, with the smallest size starting at $34.95, but if I can cut back my vacuuming to three or four times a week, I might consider it.

Dog ban postponed in Alaska

They are getting tough in Anchorage, Alaska, about people cleaning up after their pets.

It was almost to the point where dogs were going to be banned from fenced city ball parks. A previous version of a law had dogs banned from all sports fields, fenced or not. Fines were going to be jacked up for scofflaws.

Dog lovers bought themselves a year to work on informing people about their responsibility.

A group calling itself AADOG (Anchorage Alaska Dog Owners Group), whose members get together for dog play dates at one fenced fields thinks residents will do the right thing — by always cleaning up after their pets.

"We are absolutely fastidious about that," AADOG member Steve Kreinbrink said. "We want to be good stewards."

Here is the complete article from the Anchorage Daily News.

I hope that some of my neighbors read this and stop allowing their dogs to relieve themselves all over our street.

Is it so difficult to pick up after your dog?

Ready for adoption — video edition

Here is the Dutchess County SPCA Pet of the Week — Ready for adoption. What are you waiting for?

This week's featured pet:
Honey — Terrier
"Sweet as honey ... she certainly is! This young female terrier is very affectionate and is top of the class. Don't take our word for it — just watch this video (above) of her practicing her basic commands with our trainer. With continued obedience training and lots of love, she will make the perfect companion for a feline-free family without small children."

Honey — ready for her close up, too.

The Dutchess County SPCA is located at 636 Violet Avenue, Hyde Park, NY 12538. The shelter is open Sunday, Monday, Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Wednesdays. Call 845-452-SPCA (7722). Browse our adoptable animals today!

Shelter pets rule.

Prisoners train dogs to help disabled

My story about the Puppies Behind Bars program, which is going on at Fishkill Correctional Facility and other prisons in the area, is in the paper today.

Here's an excerpt:

Edward Stoll, 51, originally from Warwick, Orange County, is training Midas, a 13-month-old male golden retriever.

Stoll, who is serving 20-years-to-life for second-degree murder, has been with the program for five years.

"I haven't regretted it yet," he said. "If you've got to be in prison, what better way to spend your time?"

Stoll talked about the various tasks the dogs will hopefully master, including taking off someone's socks, opening doors, taking clothes out of dryers and turning light switches on and off.

Midas, on cue, jumped up and flipped a wall switch.

"We teach them all kinds of things," Stoll said.

And the dogs give back companionship and affection, not only to the inmates who work with them, but to other inmates. Stoll said just about every day another prisoner will ask if they can pet his dog.

"There they are looking pretty miserable," he said, "and then they go away smiling."

Read the whole article and see the photo gallery and video created by Lee Ferris and Chrissie Williams, respectively, here.

Puppies Behind Bars story might really run

According to the latest information, my Puppies Behind Bars story is scheduled to run tomorrow (Wednesday).

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know what you're thinking. You've heard this before.

Here is the link to the blog entry with Chrissie Williams' video and Lee Ferris' photos.

Adopt-a-thon a success

I just heard from the Dutchess County SPCA that the second annual Miracle Ford Adoption Day did better than car dealership manager Anthony Marzano had hoped.

A total of nine cats, eight dogs and four rabbits were adopted out to loving homes — 21 in all.

Marzano had wanted to see at least 20 pets go to new homes during the all-day event on Route 9 in Poughkeepsie.

See the video I took Saturday here.

So many sweaters, so little time

A British couple has been spinning yarn out of their dogs' hair and making sweaters out of it since 1977.

Here the story from the London Daily Mail.

After 13 years with Kate, I think I could have opened a clothing store.