[01] Pet Owners Too Forgiving of Bad Behavior?
'Tis the season to give, and pet owners are in a giving frame of mind. According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Merial, a leading global animal health company, many pets are in for a treat this season. Despite some pets exhibiting "naughty" (and sometimes even aggressive) behavior, most pet owners say their furry friends are "nice" (75%) and many intend to buy them a holiday present (59%). A new on-line resource launched today might help improve the behavior grades pets get next year. (PR Newswire via Yahoo!)

[02] San Mateo pet store barred from selling animals
There will be no more pets at Laurelwood Pets. That's the upshot of a ruling last Wednesday by San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Carl Holm that pet store owner Mohammad Olfat violated his probation by continuing to keep animals in unsanitary conditions. (San Mateo Country Times)

[03] Dog Runs Under Train, Comes Out OK
His owners are calling their pet Max the Miracle Dog because he escaped unharmed after being run over by a commuter train. (WSBTV)

[04] Farmer: Cloned Cows May Be Sold for Meat
For nearly four years, dairy farmer Greg Wiles has poured milk from his cloned cows down the drain in compliance with a voluntary ban on food from cloned livestock. Now in financial straits, Wiles says he may be forced to sell his cloned cows for hamburger. (Washington Post)

[05] Family offers five deer for sale as pets
Dubai: The best place for a deer is probably a forest. However the taste for more exotic pets means these animals are now for sale in the UAE, and it is perfectly legal. (Gulf News)

[06] Hemingway Cats
A federal judge dismissed a complaint in an ongoing dispute between the caretakers of Ernest Hemingway's Key West home and the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the six-toed cats that roam the property. (WINK TV)

[07] Woman faces jail for killing cat in washing machine
A woman was warned that she may face jail today after she admitted killing her boyfriend's cat by putting it in a washing machine. (Daily Mail)

[08] Animal rescuer injured in fire
A longtime animal rescue volunteer was critically burned and 12 of her cats were killed Monday morning when a fire engulfed her home in the east San Jose foothills. (San Mateo Country Times)

[09] Knowledge not enough
A man killed early Saturday by a pet python was an experienced snake handler who loved animals. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

[10] Reconsider giving pets as presents this holiday
Call me Scrooge. Every holiday humans celebrate, with laughter, food and parties. Yet these days of fun and frivolity for us can be frightful, panic-inducing and dangerous for our pets. (Albuquerque Tribune)

[11] New Hanover approves first pet-friendly emergency shelter
The first pet-friendly emergency shelter in coastal New Hanover County should be available before hurricane season next year. (McDowell News)

[12] Orcas show 'social complexity' as Russia issues capture quota
As the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Fradkov, approves a quota of eight orcas (killer whales) for capture in Russian waters in 2007, WDCS is at least pleased to report that the 2006 season for live orca captures in Russian waters has ended without a single animal being caught. (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society)

[13] Brave Aussie dog gets award
A german shepherd, shot twice as he defended his owner and his Sydney home from three intruders, received Australia’s highest award for pet bravery yesterday. (Daily Dispatch)

[14] Puppy love: Dogs, cats and children help the elderly
Four dogs wandered back and forth from the front lobby to the day room, tails wagging as they mingled with residents and greeted new visitors walking through the door. "Animals are a lot of company to people, especially sick people," said Lois Hopper, 85, as she patted Rusty, a soft-coated Irish wheaten terrier on the head. (Hanford Sentinel)

[15] What We're Reading

Christmas Cats
by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Cat lovers should enjoy reading these selections (some original, some previously published) if they find this eclectic assortment under the Christmas tree. Murphy, the author of a popular mystery series featuring a feline crime-solver (Cat Cross Their Graves) presents 19 short stories, essays and poems that commemorate cats at Christmastime. Amy D. Shojai leads off with a lighthearted memoir of how her husband, Mahmoud, definitely not a cat fancier, came to adjust to his wife's feisty and energetic Siamese kitten just in time for the holiday. Far more sobering is a recollection by Renie Burghardt: during WWII her 19-year-old mother died shortly after giving birth to her. She left behind Paprika, her 10-year-old cat, who consoled the young child when she and her grandparents sought safety in rural war-torn Hungary. Instead of offering a sample from one of her mysteries, editor Murphy's sentimental and well-written story "The Noel Cat" describes how a librarian and her brother, the town vagrant, reunite a cat family on Christmas Eve. There's something for everyone, including an informative piece by Christine Church on holiday safety for cats. Dog fanciers might prefer the companion volume, Christmas Dogs, by Laurien Berenson.

[16] Notable Quotables
Good for the body is the work of the body, and good for the soul is the work of the soul, and good for either is the work of the other.
~Henry David Thoreau

Until next time,
we remain yours for the animals,
News Editor

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