All Things Dog - October 22, 2008

The Trib reported on an event called Pets in the Park that took place last week in Lykes Gaslight Park in downtown Tampa. It was sponsored by the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and Hillsborough County Animal Services to bring adoptable pets to downtown. HCAS will also be hosting an adoption expo, Nov. 15 at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

Also in the Trib, I read about a website called Petside. Last Thursday they hosted a event for pet bloggers and online pet sites to get together and support shelter adoption. Petside is an interesting commercially supported site with some useful information.

Today, Duncan Strauss is interviewing author Jon Katz on WMNF radio's Talking Animals show. Katz has written 17 books, among them; "The Dogs of Bedlam Farm", "A Dog Year", and "Dog Days". His latest book is "Izzy and Lenore, Two Dogs, An Unexpected Journey and Me". You can hear this interview on your FM dial at 88.5 or via the internet at 11:30 a.m.

From the Associated Press we have a follow up on Ratchet, the Iraqi dog that Army Spc. Gwen Beberg was desperately trying to get shipped to the U.S. Ratchet was due to land on American soil Monday, thanks to the efforts of SPCA's Operation Baghdad Pups.

And one last snippet from the Tribune. Two people were arrested in separate locations in Hillsborough County last weekend for shooting animals. James Fisher has been released on $2000 bail with one count of animal cruelty. He shot a basset hound who dared to come into his yard. The dog has survived and is recovering in the care of Hillsborough County Animal Services. The owner has not been located. The cat Miles Clayton Shirley shot was not so lucky. It died. Shirley was also released on $2000 bail with an animal cruelty charge. Shirley's excuse for shooting the cat from a distance of 50 - 70 feet away, was that he feared for his life. I hope the judge recommends psychiatric evaluation as part of his sentence.