More Dogs in the News

Okay.  I’m obsessed.  I admit it.  I just happen to love dogs.  Plus, I love writing about them. 

And that’s why I always zero in on things in the news about them. 

Last week I blogged about pet-flipping, a really nasty thing that some people do to make money. 

This week, I’ve seen all over the news a terrible thing that happened very near where I live, in Studio City, California.  A family left their dog in their van with the engine running while they made a brief trip into a store.  I suppose that keeping the engine on was intended to leave the air conditioning on for their pup.  The problem was that some villainous thief decided to steal the van.  The theft got publicized, so the person dumped the vehicle.  The problem was that he didn’t leave the air conditioning on or allow the dog out--so the poor dog died inside the hot car.  I was glad to hear that there were fingerprints, at least, inside the car.  I just hope they identify that horrible person and prosecute him for murder--well, okay, I guess the best they may be able to do is something like animal cruelty, but he did murder that poor, beloved dog.

But there’s also been good news.

I’ve seen the first official photos of new Prince George of England, along with his parents William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.  With them is their dog, the cocker spaniel Lupo, and in the background is the Middletons’ family dog, a retriever named Tilly.  They’ve been hanging out with the Middletons as they all get acclimated to being a family, and Kate’s father was the photographer.  Of course the dogs have a presence there, too.

And then there’s a new member of the First Family of the U.S.  The Obamas have adopted another Portuguese Water Dog like Bo--a beautiful young girl named Sunny, who’ll be Bo’s best canine buddy.  They kept to the same breed because one of the Obama daughters has allergies and Portuguese Water Dogs are reputed to be hypoallergenic.  They Obamas did make a contribution to a humane society, though, in celebration, possibly because it’s more PC to adopt from a shelter than from a breeder.

What’s the latest news you’ve heard about dogs--preferably good news?