Mountaintop Natural Pets

Source: PRWeb.com, October 9, 2009

CANIDAE Pet Foods, Inc. (www.canidae.com), a manufacturer of all natural holistic pet foods that are fed and recommended by thousands of certified breeders and rescue organizations throughout North America, will attend the American Kennel Club Meet the Breeds event on October 17-18, 2009 at the Javits Center in New York City where they will be handing out free product samples, coupons, and helping to raise funds for cancer research in pets.

The largest event of its kind in the world, the Meet the Breeds showcase is a chance to get to know 160 breeds of dog and 41 breeds of cat. Each breed will be presented in its own designated space, decorated to reflect its heritage, characteristics and unique attributes as a pet, while allowing attendees to literally “Meet the Breeds” by petting the dogs, cats, puppies and kittens and learning about them directly from the experts.

The event will also feature demonstrations such as law enforcement K9s, grooming, agility, obedience, an educational cat show, plus booths where the public can come talk to trainers, groomers, vets and other pet experts, one-on-one.

CANIDAE Pet Foods will be at booth 419 for the event which is expected to draw a crowd of over 35,000 dog and cat lovers from across North America. In addition to offering free samples of CANIDAE® dog food, FELIDAE® cat food, and SNAP-BISCUIT® and SNAP-BITS™ gourmet dog treats, CANIDAE has created a special event-only coupon good toward $3 off any size bag of CANIDAE or FELIDAE natural, holistic pet foods.

Continuing their mission of supporting Responsible Pet Ownership and helping animals in need, CANIDAE will conduct a charity raffle with all proceeds benefitting cancer research in pets. One grand prize winner each day will each receive a Felt X-City 5 bicycle, valued at $500. The X-City-5 is designed for urban riding and is fun to ride no matter what type of abuse the streets dish out.

Tickets for the raffle are $2 for one, or $5 for three. 100% of all proceeds, including the cost of the Felt bicycles supplied by CANIDAE, will be donated to the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation for cancer research in pets. “If you’re in the New York area that weekend, please come visit us and experience this amazing showcase of animals, and buy a raffle ticket to support cancer research,” said Dennis VanEtten, CANIDAE Sales Manager.

Source: Salina Journal, September 13, 2009

Animal-control officers knew the dog they saw looked like a pit bull.

It didn’t matter that the dog in question, Angie Cartwright’s family pet Lucey, had never bitten anyone. Nor had she ever acted aggressively.

Lucey’s troubles began when Cartwright was pet-sitting her brother’s dog, which got loose. Someone called animal-control officers, who picked up the brother’s dog and collared Lucey in the process.

The officers explained that they were taking Lucey to a veterinarian for a breed check — a professional opinion to determine Lucey’s breed. Since 2005, Salina has had a ban on owning unregistered pit bulls and mixed breeds that are predominantly pit bull.

Today, Lucey is home, and Cartwright credits a genetic test kit that helps pet owners identify the heritage of their mixed-breed dogs.

The test found that a minor amount of Lucey’s DNA came from Staffordshire bull terrier genes — a little more than 12 percent, not close to a predominant percentage.

“Maybe this can save someone’s animal, hopefully,” Cartwright said.

Without the test results, Cartwright and her family would have been faced with finding Lucey a home outside Salina, or leaving her at the animal shelter where she might be have to be destroyed.

At least three retail genetic tests are on the market for dogs. One is the Wisdom Panel MX mixed breed analysis, which is offered by a Salina clinic, Town & Country Animal Hospital.

Wisdom Panel is the only one that uses a blood test; two others use cheek swabs for DNA samples.

Cartwright asked the animal control officers who were taking Lucey away if she could check with her own vet, Karen Hale Young, owner of Town & Country, for a second opinion. Cartwright didn’t know then that the clinic had the genetic test available.

Town & Country charges $168 for the service.

“I was actually pretty desperate and I watch a lot of medical shows,” Cartwright said. “I said, ‘Do you guys do DNA testing on dogs?’ It was actually just a grasp (at a solution). We didn’t want her to go, we didn’t want her to be put to sleep. I was angry and upset, and I was just trying to find a different solution.”

The family had acquired Lucey as a puppy just a couple of months earlier from a family in Hutchinson that couldn’t care for her anymore.

Young said she thought that, given the shape of Lucey’s head and ears, particularly, Lucey was predominantly pit bull.

“She said, ‘Prove me wrong — please prove me wrong.’ ” Cartwright said. “I said, ‘I hope I do.’ ”

The test showed that Lucey had no more than 12.5 percent each of bull terrier DNA, boxer, and Staffordshire bull terrier. The largest percentage of DNA, 25 percent, was Bernese mountain dog.

“Berners” are a Swiss breed originally bred as farm dogs and companion animals, used for driving cattle.

The American Kennel Club defines pit bulls as American pit bull terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers or any mix of those breeds.

All of the genetic testing companies, in their literature, urge that their products not be used to enforce breed bans. None have reached the point of being challenged in court.

Still, Rose Base, director of the Salina Animal Shelter, accepts the test results.

“It’s provided through a veterinary clinic. And if they’re that strongly supporting something like that, we feel it must be a quality product,” Base said.

Salina veterinarian David Atherton offers the Wisdom Panel test to his customers curious about their dog’s characteristics. He said he thinks the test has validity.

“If I was going to have a beloved dog taken away, I would demand it,” he said.

Posted: October 6, 2008, 5 a.m. EDT

“Beverly Hills Chihuahua” release prompts reminder to potential owners.

The Chihuahuas are out in movie theaters, and the American Kennel Club is urging potential dog owners not to get star struck.

With the release of “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” the AKC reminds moviegoers about the importance of making careful, educated decisions when adding a dog to their home. The new film follows the story of “Chloe,” a pampered Chihuahua from Beverly Hills, Calif., who finds herself lost in Mexico. Alone for the first time, Chloe must rely on new friends to lend her a paw and help her to find her way back home.

The AKC and the Chihuahua Club of America would like to lend moviegoers a paw in finding a breed that suits their lifestyle. The groups advise people to research a breed when buying or adopting a puppy and to only buy from reputable breeders.

“Chihuahuas are very delicate as puppies, and can be inadvertently injured by being dropped, stepped on, or having a small item fall on them,” said Bruce Shirky, Chihuahua Club of America president. “For this reason, we recommend that families with very small children perhaps consider a larger breed. The Chihuahua Club of America hopes that anyone who becomes interested in owning a Chihuahua as a result of seeing this movie will educate themselves on responsible dog ownership and all that it entails.”

People who see the film may think about owning a dog like “Chloe,” said Lisa Peterson, AKC spokeswoman. “Chihuahuas are also known for longevity – so remember, before you add a new member to your family, dog ownership can be a 15- to 20-year commitment for the life of your dog.”