Can you spot the hoax?
Answers on Wednesday.

1.) Is this the world's biggest dog?

2.)Is this the world's biggest cat?

3.) Are dogs being taught to use ATM's?

4.) Dog Island
Can you send your dog to live free on an island off the coast of Florida?

"Over 2,500 dogs are already enjoying a better life at Dog Island. Separated from the anxieties of urban life, dogs on Dog Island are healthy dogs who live a natural, healthy and happy life, free from the stress and hardship associated with daily live among humans".

5.) A poodle in sheep's clothes?
"thousands of pet owners in Japan paid upwards of $1600.00 for baby lambs after being told they were poodles". (thanks Kathy)

6.) Is the Panda Dog one of the latest designer dogs?

7.) Meet Herman the world's largest rabbit. He weighs in at 22 pounds and measures a little over 3 feet long. Do you think he is real?

8.) Can you really purchase a "Hotdoll" humping toy for dogs?

9.) Did these dogs really charter an airplane?

10.) Is it true that only 16 pets have been killed by poison pet food in the biggest pet food recall in history?
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The rules-No cheating! If you don't know the answer and go surfing to look it up, it does not count as correct!

The scoring:

All wrong- time to take a self help internet course.

You don't come here very often do you?

1 correct
It had better have been the pet food question!

2-4 correct
not to worry, some of them were tough. Only a true pet surfer would do well.

5 -7 correct
ok, so you got a bunch wrong. At least you don't spend all your time on the Internet

8 or more right.
You spend as much time on the net as I do.
Go, go outside now. Right now - and take your dog with you!

Update, 4/26: 4,515 pets have been reported as deceased into the Pet Connection database.

If you are a dog or cat owner you should be very angry today. Six weeks after the initial Menu Foods recall we have received news of SIX new recall companies since yesterday.
Yesterday we learned that companies like Blue Buffalo who have sourced out their food production, have had poison in the form of melamine tainted rice protein added to their recipes. This is food tampering, and as consumers, we can no longer trust pet food labels. Rice protein is not even listed on the labels. Blue Buffalo is not alone.
As consumers, how the heck are we supposed to know what to buy and what is safe?

This is outrageous!

Yesterday we learned that Costco pulled food off their shelves after one of their products tested positive for melamine by the FDA, well before the FDA was holding a press conference telling the world that everything was under control and that the public should not be expecting any more recalls.
There were 6 more soon after the briefing.

This is outrageous!

The latest six with tainted rice protein are:

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul
Costco's Kirkland brand canned food
Natural Balance recalled more food
Diamond
Lick your Chops
Blue Buffalo recalled more food

update more recalls added-
Harmony Farms Recalls Cans and Biscuits
April 27th, 2007

Harmony Farms food is made by American Nutrition. They are recalling cans and biscuits due to “tampering” by American Nutrition.
and
Mulligan Stew and Canine Caviar Dog Food Recalled for the same reaason of tampering by Anerican Nutrition

Isn't that outrageous?

When I originally signed on to sponsor the KOPS Walk (Keep Our Pets Safe) last week, it was because I was tired of reading about only 16 dead pets in the news, and I was in a position to help to bring the walk to Portland...so I did. Just last week I never dreamed the pet food story would have taken such a dramatic turn. I knew there were thousands of dead pets and I felt it was important to keep the story in the news and evoke change in the pet food industry.

But this morning? I am stunned.

Let us send a big message to Washington.
Join us in the KOPS March tomorrow, April 28th at 12:00 noon.
rain or shine
Meet on Preble Street across from Hannafords in the field next to the parking lot.

March as long or as short as you like. There is no end - just like this pet food nightmare.

We are marching in memory of our pets that have lost their lives, we are marching in memory of those pets that are fighting for their lives, we march as pet owners, dog lovers, cat lovers and average citizens that are tired of the lowered safety standards for goods coming in to this country. We are marching for a national reporting system for veterinarians.

To view the National KOPS Keep Our Pets Safe march page. click here
To view the local flyer, print it out and distribute, click here.
To see a list of all recalled food on Pet Food Tracker, click here

As usual for the latest information, check Pet Connection.com, and Itchmo.com

From the Foster and Smith web site:

the rest is here:
Everyone is wondering....is this numbmer 5? If it is....why did they only hear about the recall today?

************************************************

Portland has joined the nation wide KOPS - Keep Our Pets Safe March
This Saturday April 28th @ 12:00 on the Back Cove.
Meet across from Hannafords on Preble Street. The walk will be held rain or shine.

More info here.

Live Smart Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice Recall

press release here

FDA is looking into hogs and chickens and an array of glutens.

Sorry no time to blog today, you will have to go read it yourselves at Itcmo.com and Pet Connection.

Training and "fluff" blogs will return next week!

************************************************

Portland has joined the nation wide KOPS - Keep Our Pets Safe March
This Saturday April 28th @ 12:00 on the Back Cove.
Meet across from Hannafords on Preble Street. The walk will be held rain or shine.

More info here.

Have you lost a pet due to the recent pet food recall?
Are you sick of hearing that there are only 16 dead pets from the pet food recalls?
Head on over to Itchmo's pet forum and join the Pile -O-Death mass postcard mailing.
Members of the Pile- 0-Death forum are asking pet owners to mail postcards to senators and media with pictures of their deceased pets on April 28th , the day of the KOPS Pet March.

Names, address and more information here.

Pass it on

Yeti passed away on 3-31-2007 after eating recalled dog food. He was a very good boy, and will be missed. Yeti is not one of the official 16 dead pets.

Update, 4/23: 4,458 pets have been reported as deceased into the Pet Connection database.

After nearly 6 weeks of pet recalls, we are still waiting for more.
The FDA has yet name the other two pet food companies that Wilbur-Ellis shipped the tainted rice protein to, and now there is a second US distributor that is being checked into as well. The second distributor has come to our attention via inside information shared with the senate investigators NOT the FDA.

As we have come to expect, Pet Connection, has the latest scoops.
They have done a great job disseminating all the information,and there is a lot of new information this morning.

To read the most current Pet Connection blog click here.

To read:
Pet food recall: Congressional committee hearing on pet food recall
click here

To read
Pet-food recall: Senators say second batch of tainted rice powder imported

click here

***********************************************************
Portland has joined the nation wide pet KOPS - Keep Our Pets Safe March
This Saturday April 28th @ 12:00 on the Back Cove.
Meet across from Hannafords on Preble Street. The walk will be held rain or shine.

More info here.

Abigail, Alex and Allie (June 15, 2001- Feb. 17, 2007)
Allie is not one of the official 16 dead pets.

Update, 4/22: 4,444 pets have been reported as deceased into the Pet Connection database.

This pet food recall has had many of us asking:
Has anything like this ever this happened before and been swept under the rug?
What else don't we know?
and
What would have happened if blogs hadn't picked up on the story and made it front page news?

After all it was bloggers that kept this story going. Did you know that it was a commentor on the Pet Connection blog who alerted the public to the Chinese importers of wheat gluten? That single post started an entire new series of recalls, which in turn led to the realization that the poison melamine has reached the human food chain. Let us not forget that the FDA official number has gone from "16 dead pets" to "at least 16 dead". That is ludicrous and I find it personally insulting. We understand that currently there is no way to accurately tally the numbers of sick and dead pets, but at the very least they should change the number to reflect the very public death of the sweet Golden Retriever from the CBS story.

Take a look at this story, posted by commenter in Pet Connections blog-

Pet Food Express sues firm over kibble scare in 2003
Chain seeks money for discounts and vet bills it paid after animal deathsBy Paul T. Rosynsky
MEDIANEWS STAFF

Article Launched: 04/06/2007 03:16:21 AM PDT

OAKLAND -- As the nationwide pet food scare continues, the details of a similar Bay Area scare in fall 2003 will be revealed in court next week.
Pet Food Express, an independent chain with 31 stores in the Bay Area, is suing the manufacturer of the Go Natural brand of pet food, which the retailer says caused the deaths of at least 20 dogs more than three years ago.

Similar to the fears now being felt by consumers who fed their pets Menu Foods-produced pet food, the case in 2003 scared owners who had fed their animals dry kibble under the Go Natural brand.

... soon after the food's manufacturer, Petcurean, contracted out production of the Go Natural brand to another firm, Merrick Petfoods, dogs and cats eating the kibble began falling ill with liver problems.

As the complaints started piling in, Petcurean agreed to a voluntary recall
...

A federal Food and Drug Administration study conducted soon after the scare was reported found that "a definitive cause of the ill effects of the dogs and cats has not been determined."

Studies by the government did not find anything in the food that was above regulations or abnormal.

However, it did find the presence of BHA, a preservative that is allowed in pet food but one that Petcurean had not listed as an ingredient.

Although the FDA found higher than acceptable levels of BHA in some samples, scientists could not say that it was the cause of deaths.

Nevertheless, pet owners filed a class-action lawsuit against Petcurean and Pet Food Express. The lawsuit was thrown out of court.

The entire article can be found here.
Very interesting....and all the more reason to join the National March to Keep Our Pets Safe on April 28th @ 12:00 noon on the Back cove.

The Portland flyer can be found here.

On the Keep Our Pets Home page Jen, the march's organizer, has added a Frappr map. At last check there were 40 pets posted as dead by their owners and she only posted it yesterday. No pets from Maine were represented on the map (yet).

Update-On her Dogged blog, Christie Keith calls for the FDA to come forward and name the other two companies that got the melamine rice protein.
A good read here.
says Christie:
"I suppose I'm a really strange person, because I'd like to make up my own mind about whether or not I want to risk buying something that may or may not contain a contaminant that can kill my dog or cat. Or, you know, me, since I'm also quite fond of being alive, and extremely attached to my kidneys".

Update 7:00 PM-
Royal Canin recalls more food. This time it was for cyanuric acid-not melamine.
This is brand new recall.
More info on Royal Canin's web site here.

We still await the news of the next two pet food companies.

The Washington Post is reporting that the FDA has (finally!!!) opened a criminal investigation.

The Food and Drug Administration has opened a criminal investigation in the widening pet food contamination scandal, officials said yesterday, as it was confirmed that tainted pork might have made its way onto human dinner plates in California.

More than 100 hogs that ate contaminated food at a custom slaughterhouse in California's Central Valley were sold to private individuals and to an unnamed licensed facility in Northern California during the past 2 1/2 weeks. The hogs consumed feed that contained rice protein tainted with melamine, the industrial chemical that has sickened and killed dogs and cats around the world.

Almost a dozen companies have found that they have used melamine-contaminated ingredients from China in their animal foods, either wheat gluten, corn gluten or rice protein concentrate. In the United States, more than 60 million containers of cat and dog food have been pulled from the market in the past five weeks.

People who bought pork from the American Hog Farm, a 1,500-animal facility in Ceres, Calif., between April 3 and April 18 are being advised not to eat the meat, California health officials said yesterday, although there have been no reports of illness in either people or the hogs. Authorities are tracking down all the purchasers.

Full story here.

The Boston Globe reports:

WASHINGTON -- An industrial chemical linked to kidney failure in dogs and cats has found its way into the human food supply chain. California officials quarantined 1,500 animals at the American Hog Farm and are tracking who purchased nearly 100 hogs from the farm this month, when the animals' feed included pet food that had been tainted with melamine .

In addition, 26 hogs were sold and slaughtered at an unnamed processing plant in northern California . Federal authorities quarantined those unprocessed carcasses at that plant, but state officials expect to identify more California processing plants that purchased the hogs.

You can fetch the rest of the article here.

--------------------
Portland has joined KOPS the Nationwide March to Keep Our Pets Safe
April 28th 12:00 noon
Meet in the field across from Hannafords on the Back Cove-Portlland

You can view and print the flyer here.

Please help to spread the word by distributing flyers in your area

This mere blogger doesn't even know where to begin.

The story has crossed big time into main stream media. Reports that hogs were fed feed with tainted melamine that may have trickled into the human food chain is rampant this morning. As many of us have been saying since this story first broke, this is NOT just a pet food story. This story has major and very serious global implications about the safety of the food chain.

*****Researchers have identified 3 other toxins in pet food.
Karen Roebuck'seport in the Pittsburgh Times-Review is well worth reading in it's entirety.

*****The Washington Post has a good summary of current events here.

*****By now you all may have read that the melamine may have been added on purpose to spike the protein level for a higher profit. Sure seems plausible to me. You can read more about that here in the LA Times.

*****Royal Canin has recalled DRY food due to RICE protein concentrate contaminated with melamine. That makes 3 out of five off the companies identified. Stay tuned for the next two. (Natural Balance, Blue Buffalo and Royal Canin)

Can you imagine if the FDA issued a press release that they were investigating 5 brands of baby food that may contain poison and then told us they were still conducting tests and would get back to us in a week or so?
Why is this delay in information ok for pet food?

Latest on the recall list:
ROYAL CANIN SENSIBLE CHOICE (available in pet specialty stores nationwide)

Dry Dog Food
- Chicken Meal & Rice Formula Senior
- Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Puppy
- Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Adult
- Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Senior
- Rice & Catfish Meal Formula Adult

ROYAL CANIN VETERINARY DIET (available only in veterinary clinics)

Dry Dog Food
- Canine Early Cardiac EC 22™
- Canine Skin Support SS21™

Dry Cat Food
- Feline Hypoallergenic HP23™

What you can do-

Contact Senator Durbin's office with your concerns and suggestions @
David_Lazarus@durbin.senate.gov

It is more important than ever to join the Nationwide pet walk in Portland
Walk to Keep our Pets Safe (KOPS)
Saturday April 28th @ 12:00 noon on the Back cove.
Meet across from Hannafords.

. You can view and print the flyer here.
Please help to spread the word by distributing flyers in your area.

Update, 4/19: 4,346 pets have been reported as deceased into the Pet Connection database.

If your head is starting to spin in regards to pet food and pet food recalls--- join the club. Mine is to.

Here is a very brief overview of the current situation.

The FDA is testing 5 companies' food for tainted RICE protein concentrate contaminated with melamine that has been traced to the San Francisco company Wilbur-Ellis who imported it from China. Wilbur Ellis has voluntarily recalled all their products using the rice protein concentrate , but no companies have come forward to do so (yet) and we the buying public have no way to find out who they sold it to.
Go now and check your pet food (again) for rice protein concentrate.

Nutro says it ain't them in this press release.

CORN gluten contaminated with melamine has been recalled in South Africa after 29 pets report renal failure.

As we have come to expect, Pet Connection, Itchmo.com and Howl911.com are all on top this breaking story. Be sure to check them all for the latest and for more in depth information.

Thanks to Silvia, who tipped me off that Everlasting Treat Balls seen here, list wheat gluten as the # 1 ingredient. A Premier toy, the Bouncy Bone, that I highly recommended not too long ago also lists wheat gluten as an ingredient for it's nawhide. Pill Pickets do to.
Of course not all wheat gluten is contaminated, however, at this time, it is advisable to store items with wheat gluten until we get to the route of the problem of our contaminated food source.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is more important than ever to join the Nationwide pet walk in Portland
Walk to Keep our Pets Safe (KOPS)
Saturday April 28th @ 12:00 noon on the Back cove.
Meet across from Hannafords.

You can view and print the flyer here.
Please help to spread the word by distributing flyers in your area.

Update 9:00 pm-Blue Buffalo recalled a cat formula
That's one company--- 3 more to go.

Christie Keith live blogged the FDA news conference on Pet Connection, where we learned that melamine may have been fed to hogs which in turn may have been eaten by humans.

The massive pet food recall has lots of people scrambling for healthy alternatives to store bought pet food for their dogs. People are even more nervous now that Natural Balance has recalled food due to a problem with rice protein.
The Sacramento Bee is reporting that:

Local veterinarians who’ve been tracking kidney ailments nationwide also have tentatively identified five more foods, not at this point under any recall, that they plan to have tested as soon as possible.

This months free online version of Housepet Magazine has several recipes and ideas to help to get you started.

The chicken soup recipe listed below is from their latest issue, available on line.

Click here to view the latest House Magazine. It's free!

Chicken Soup For Me and My Dog

Makes 8 servings


1 (4-pund) package chicken pieces OR 1 WHOLE CHICKEN
1 TABLESPOON CRUMBLED DRIED SEAWEED, SEAKELP, or SEA VEGETABLE (find in natural food stores, in the ASIAN products aisle or where condiments are sold)

6 CLOVES GARLIC, PEELED AND SMASHED
KOSHER SALT ABD FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE
1 (16 ounce) CAN CHICKEN BROTH (LOW SODIUM)

3 RIBS CELERY, CHOPPED
3 CARROTS, SCRAPED AND CUT INTO ROUNDS
1 CUP BROWN RICE OR WHEAT PASTA OR BARLEY


Season the chicken with the seaweed, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Place it in the Crock-pot, and add the broth and enough water to cover. Cook on high until tender, about 5 hours. Add the celery, carrots, and rice (or other leftover veggies) and cook for 45 minutes more. remove bones from the chicken. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

I have been hesitant to post any recipes because I do not want people to take only a little nutritional information and run with it in the wrong direction. These recipes do not stand alone, and there is quite a bit to learn you will need to learn before you can meet your dog's nutritional needs. You will need to purchase a book to learn how to meet your dog nutritional needs correctly.

Dog cook books have been flying off the shelf and a great place to start is

Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats.
If you plan to prepare your dogs diet, I urge you to buy this book.

If you have recommendations for other home prepared dog food books, you can post them in the comment section.
Bone appetite!

Don't forget Portland is walking to KEEP OUR PETS SAFE on April 28th, 12 noon on the Back cove.
I am looking for help in organizing this event.

You can view and print the flyer here.

Email me! march@goodogztraing.com if you would like to get invovled.

Natural Balance has recalled the following:

* Venison and Brown Rice Treats for Dogs (New today)
* Venison and Brown Rice Canned Formula for Dogs (New today)
* Venison and Brown Rice Dry Food for Dogs (Reported Sunday)
* Venison and Green Pea Dry Food for Cats (Reported Sunday)

You can read the rest here on Itchmo.com, and here on Usa Today.

Brown ribbons with or without tags of deceased pets will be displayed by participants

Update 4/16: 4,211 pets have been reported as deceased into the Pet Connection database.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead

After nearly a month of non stop blogging about the recent pet food recalls, deaths and disasters, I have decided to do something about it! Portland Maine has joined KOPS- Keep Our Pets Safe Nationwide March on April 28th on the Back Cove at 12:00 Noon I am the one holding the permit to march!

From the web site:

We are marching in memory of our pets that have lost their lives, we are marching in memory of those pets that are fighting for their lives, we march as pet owners, dog lovers, cat lovers and average citizens that are tired of the lowered safety standards for goods coming in to this country.

The march is the brain child of Jen Hoeflein of Bastrop Texas who lost her cat Timber to poisoned cat food. She has channeled her grief and anger into something positive that I am proud to be part of.

What you can do.

Because I have never organized anything this large before, and because the date is just 12 days away- I need your help!

* Help spread the word!!

* Here is the link to a PDF file. Please download and distribute widely to your vets, parks, groomers, your work place, and pet stores or anywhere you think pet people will read it.

* If you would like to help, be a part of the planning , join the walk, or memorial service, I have set up a separate email address to handle the inquiries. Please email me at this address march@gooddogztraining.com

A special thank you goes out to the City of Portland Parks Department for accommodating us on such short notice.

I snapped this photo with my crap cam (as Dave Barry would call it!) while I was in Pet Quarters in Scarborough this morning. The store is collecting food donations for the Animal Refuge League, and the staff told me that people have been "ultra" generous. Customers are coming in to buy food for their own pets and then purchasing a second bag or can of food for the shelter.

Shelters have been hard hit by the recall and have lost a huge inventory of food supplies. Donate to your local animal shelters! Do it!

Senate hearings were held in Washington today. From Christie Keith on Pet Connection:

Sen. Durbin opened with remarks that bloggers and Web sites – the volunteer efforts of pet owners — are spreading more information, and better information, than our government. If sites like VIN and petconnection.com can do this, he said, so can the government.

Here is a link to a "live" blog transcript from Itchmo.

And I am home blogging tonight because for the second Thursday night in a row, I have had to cancel class in Freeport due to snow! In April!

Snow... hail...slush...sleet....freezing rain.....cold....ice.....

Finally! A media outlet has picked up on the bigger picture-unsafe imported food for humans.
"China's food safety woes expand overseas" A must read here on Yahoo.

4/13 update-From Senator Durbin

Update-Pet Connection - 4,069 deaths reported on their web site.

Brady at his graduation

The disturbing story linked below has been circulating on all my doggie group lists all week to very heated discussions. It is a fairly biased account of the charges against Ami Moore, the self proclaimed Chicago Dog Whisperer. Amy is charged with cruelty by excessive force - applying shock collars to the neck and groin area of her canine clients.

I have decided to post it here, not as a "presumed guilty" but as an eye opener to the consumer that all dog trainers are not created equal, and that dog training is a buyer beware industry.

We (trainers) are currently a self regulated industry, and just about anyone can say they are a dog trainer.

If your trainer is doing something to your dog that makes you uncomfortable. Speak up! If you are paying for your dog to be trained in your absence, you had better be very sure about the trainer's methods.

Click here to read the article from the Chicago Reader, "Who should you trust to train your dog"...

If you are looking for a dog trainer who uses only positive methods try the Truly Friendly dog trainers list for a trainer in your area. Those of us on this list have pledged to train force free. Also on this page are links to wonderful articles on force free training. Check them out!

The American Humane Association and Suzanne Hetts, PhD offer the following recommendations and precautions for owners to take in choosing a dog trainer.

7. Shun cruel collars. Stay away from trainers who insist you use a choke chain or prong collar. There are now many humane alternatives such as head halters. Shock collars should be avoided. If, during training, you have any doubts about the way your pet is being treated, tell the trainer to stop.

Update: 4/11: 3,907 pets have been reported as deceased into the Pet Connection database.

Update 4/12 -Menu Foods says clerical error is the reason behind latest recall From Usa Today

Less than a week after the FDA assured us of this:

"We are pretty much coming to a conclusion on this," Stephen Sundlof, head of the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, had said in a news conference Thursday. "The public should feel secure in purchasing pet foods that are not subject to this recall."

The recall expands again! Menu Foods apparently shipped tainted wheat gluten to their Canadian plant, but only came forward to inform the public YESTERDAY.

It is getting very hard to keep up to what is safe and what is not. As a precaution, many pet owners are not feeding any foods with the ingredient wheat gluten. Please remember that this is still an ongoing investigation and the sources of contamination have not been 100% identified at this time.

* There is also much speculation that wheat gluten is not the sole contaminant.

Dr. Richard Goldstein, associate professor of medicine at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine and a kidney specialist who is researching the outbreak's health impact on pets, said he and other researchers saw what they believe is a second contaminant in the gluten and the urine of infected animals, but have yet to identify it. Cornell is among labs working with the FDA.

* Nutro has recalled all wet foods with the ingredient wheat gluten. Press release here.
* ">A list of all Nutro recalled products can be found here.
* Royal Canin Canada has recalled Medi-Cal Feline Dissolution Formula canned food
* The AVMA has posted a very easy to read recall list here.

* Senate hearings begin tomorrow! Thank you Senator Durbin.

Udate-
Click here to email Senator Durbin
and Senator Kohl to express your support.

Thank you Monique for the picture of your adorable Border Collie puppy -Blizzard.

*Chicken Cacciatore, UPC 79105352055
*California Chicken Supreme, UPC 79105300117
*Lamb & Turkey Cutlets, UPC 79105300148
Three 3-ounce varieties of Nutra Max Cat Gourmet Classics tested positive for melamine by UC Davis

For the third time in less than a week, I received an email recall alert from Itchmo about more tainted pet food.

You can read the story here in the Marin Journal, a first hand account from a pet owner here on Itchmo, and on of course great coverage also on
Pet Connection.

And it looks like executives at Menu Foods will be in more trouble than just the tainted food. Check out it this article about insider trading and stocks sold just before the press release. Interesting to note that a reader of A Dog's Life posted the same thing on this blog two weeks ago. Money and greed airs it's ugly head yet again. Anyone surprised?

Interesting article in Sunday's Portland Press Herald about pet friendly products for the home. It reminded me that I haven't shared with you all my latest and greatest home improvement.

Meet my new front storm/screen door.

The original storm door which appeared brand new at the closing, appeared solid enough, but we demolished it in less than two years. The old door had an all glass front panel that we replaced with a full size screen for warmer months. The screen didn't last the first summer without being shredded,and it wasn't just the dogs who did it in either. The kids went right through it on several occasions. Plus I never could trust just a screen to contain dogs at the front door, so we have spent most summers with the front door completely shut.
The door's glass blew out one fall day in a gust of wind that smashed the door violently against the house. It was really scary for all the kids outside that day as it sounded like an explosion and the glass flew everywhere.

Ahhh! But my new storm door, is everything a house with kids and dogs could need. It is heavy duty and best of all the screen pulls down from the top. Even if a dog was to jump on it, or a kids fall on it, all is secure with the ventilation just at the top.
I LOVE it!

Another great feature is the heavy duty key entry lock that we utilize on days that the kids are flying in and out of the house to cut down on the risk canine escapees.
And as an extra bonus we are eligible for a tax credit. Good thing, because I am going to need it!

For more info on my awesome door, click here.

Before next winter I will need to replace the sliding glass back door. We are looking into doors that have blinds built right in. Another perfect invention for homes with kids and dogs.

"Indulge your family."

Shot this afternoon with my cell phone at the end of my street for my Dad in Florida to show to all his friends. When I spoke to my parents the other day while it was snowing, somehow they kept translating to each other that we only got 5 inches of snow. So I ask you Dad....does that look like 5 inches of snow to you?
Does it look like it melted by morning? And does it really look like I didn't have to shovel it? Does it look like it is going away any time soon?

Official measure by my next door neighbor....13 inches!

Last night on Anderson Cooper 360 it was announced that the FDA is looking into the possibility that melamine was added to the wheat gluten INTENTIONALLY as a cost cutter.

From the transcript:

How and where the melamine got into the wheat gluten is still a mystery. But the investigation took a new turn today, when the FDA told CNN it is looking whether there could have been a profit motive for deliberately introducing melamine into the wheat gluten. In other words, it might not have been an accident and may have been about money.

Thank you CNN for being the first investigative reporters on the block to cover this story. I should imagine that the press and FDA was getting tired of being trumped by blog posters. Did you know that a poster on Pet Connection was the first to release the Chinese distributors names? This in turn started a snowball effect of press releases and more recalls. Why didn't the FDA do their job?

Senator Durbin held a press conference yesterday calling for Senate hearings.
Thank you very much Senator Durbin.

Let us remember that 63% of the American public are pet owners and we vote!
The FDA has received 12000 complaints about sick pets. That is more than they got in the last two years.

It is time to start writing letters (if you haven't already). Gina at Pet Connection advises that we do no just email, but write and mail letters to get our point across.

Click here for information of where to reach you elected officials.

Widespread mishandling, The FDA's overall ineffectualness, lack of labeling, and poor if any quality control of pet food has put pets in a position of being our canaries in coal mines. Our pets have alerted us , and now we need to effect change both on national level and in our own lives.

Last night on CNN it was reported that it is now doubtful (although still not 100 % certain ) that the tainted plastics got into the human food supply. CNN reported pet food manufacturers bought THE cheapest bottom line product labeled human grade, so that they then could turn around and sell pet food labeled "Human grade" to keep up with the current trend of people wanting the best for their pets. Disgusting!

Itchmo.com has started a email list to alert people to current recalls.
You can join it here. I joined yesterday and already got this unrelated bully stick/ salmonella recall warning.

UPDATE!
Itcho adds a recall page. Great info all there in one place!
Click here!
Note-This was a rushed blog written while getting three kids ready for school, caring for 4 dogs, and getting myself ready for work. Please excuse typo's or incorrect grammar. It was more important to get it out NOW!

another update- For those wondering who the extra two dogs are. Brewster is still here! and he is doing really well, and my Aunt's Beagle staying for the weekend.

Sunshine Mills has recalled treats made with wheat gluten, and Menu Foods has pushed their recall date back to November 8th.

To view products from Sunshine Mills, click here to be taken to their web site.. Due to heavy usage, that site may be down. Itchmo.com also has pictures of the treats on their blog. Ol'Roy Biscuits are included in this recall.

More info as it becomes available.

UPDATE- 5:35pm
product code info on the FDA site here.
Sunshine Mill Biscuit brands: Nurture Chicken & Rice, Nurture Lamb & Rice, Pet Life Large, Pet Life Extra Large, Pet Life Large Variety, Pet Life Large Peanut Butter, Lassie Lamb and Rice, and Pet Life People Pleasers Dog Treats

Private label: Companion’s Best Multi Flavor Biscuit, Stater Brothers Large Biscuit, Ol’Roy Peanut Butter Biscuit, Ol’Roy 4 Flavor Large Biscuit, Ol’Roy Puppy Biscuit, Champion Breed Peanut Butter Biscuit, Champion Breed Large Biscuit, Perfect Pals Large Biscuit, Stater Brothers Large Biscuit

More news via Anderson Cooper 360 from China tonight @ 10.

Click here to see CNN video report from China earlier today.

Kudos to CNN and to everyone who has worked hard to kept this story in the news.
It is far from over.

update-4/5
CNN has an update here

For those ofyou who missed Anderson Cooper 360 with Pet Connection's Christie Keith last night click here for a transcript and scroll way down.

Christie Keith has written a wonderful article for the San Francisco Gate that pretty much sums up the whole tainted pet food mess. Says Christie:

Because kidney failure causes nausea, it's often hard to get recovering pets to eat. So a lot of these owners got down on their hands and knees and coaxed and begged and eventually hand-fed their pets the very same food that had made them sick. Those animals ended up right back in the hospital and died, because their loving owners didn't know that the food was tainted.

To many pet owners, the pet food recall story is a personal tragedy about the potentially avoidable loss of a beloved dog or cat. Others have a hard time seeing the story as anything more than that -- with implications beyond the feelings of those grieving pet owners. Which brings us to the bigger picture, and questions -- not about what happened but about the system.

How did this problem, now involving almost every large pet food company in the United States, including some of the most trusted -- and expensive -- brands, get so out of hand? How come pet owners weren't informed more rapidly about the contaminated pet food? Why is it so hard to get accurate numbers of affected animals? Why didn't veterinarians get any notification? Where did the system break down?

The issue may not be that the system broke down, but that there isn't really a system.

Read the rest here.

Just prior to the whole pet food story breaking, she wrote a wonderful piece on home prepared dog food.

And just after that, she wrote a story called The Cost of Miracles. Very moving-must read.

Chem Nutra recalls wheat gluten. Press release here. Just about a month too late, don't ya think?

UPDATE!
CNN goes to China research the Wheat gluten source. Video here

"Snark" of the day award goes to Itchmo (furbaby for itch me more!) in Seattle for their cheeky online replies to the Pet Food Institute's latest press release spin.

At this time I would like to share my favorite line.

Them: …pet food industry and FDA regulators are doing everything humanly possible to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

Us: For real? You serious? Please do tell us what you are doing other than writing stuff like this.

Please read the rest here.

Ok, now let's get real.

Below is a list compiled by Pet Connection of the basic demands for action and change in the pet food industry.

Complete Congressional investigation into how this event was handled, followed by a full and fully public report. ...

-New labeling requirements:

Product labels should be required to list not only the company that’s marketing the food, but also the company that made it. With full addresses and 800 numbers.
Product labels should be required to list the country of origin of the ingredients. It’s clear now that this information is every bit as important to a consumer trying to make an intelligent decision as the ingredients and nutritional analysis on those labels now.
- A true, national system for getting information to veterinarians and collecting information from veterinarians. This is important not only for our animals, but for ourselves. It’s quite possible a problem in animals can signify a developing threat for humans. (Ever hear of bird flu?) Veterinarians are an essential link in our national security and public-health systems...

The above list can be found here on Pet Connection.

Please remember that the FDA number of 16 pets reported dead is impossible and insulting.

Can someone please explain to me why pet food stock is up?

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of pet food makers and sellers rose Tuesday morning, although an investigation into a contamination that killed pets continued and one company recalled some of its dog treats.

....

Del Monte stock rose 14 cents to $11.42 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Procter & Gamble shares gained 24 cents, to $63.26 on the Big Board.

Colgate-Palmolive Co., which makes Hills Science Diet, rose 16 cents to $66.22 on the NYSE.

PetSmart Inc., which makes the recalled Authority, Award and Sophisticats brands, climbed 38 cents to $33.26 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Earlier, shares traded at a 52-week high of $33.34, above a previous peak of $33.

Store brands from Kroger Co., Safeway Inc., and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. were involved in the recall, and all three stocks were up in morning NYSE trading Tuesday. Kroger hit a seven-year high after a Citigroup analyst initiated coverage with a "Buy" rating. Shares added 57 cents, or 2 percent, to $29.12, after earlier trading as high as $29.37. Kroger's previous 52-week high of $28.71 was set March 26.

Safeway shares advanced 23 cents to $37.20 and Wal-Mart shares added 75 cents to $48.15, both on the NYSE.

update-
Anderson Cooper is covering the story tonight on CNN @ 10:00PM

Thanks to P. Burns, AKA Terrierman for posting in the comment section pointing A Dog's Life readers to his blog about Wheat Gluten and PETA. I have been reading his blog for some time and I especially like his articles about breeding and what we have done to working dog breeds in the name of dog shows.

From the blog:

The poor quality of the reporting on this dog food story is amazing. For example, in all of the writing, no one has taken the time to ask a basic question: What the hell is wheat gluten, and why is it in our dog food?

Here's the answer: Wheat gluten is synthetic meat made from processed wheat.

In vegetarian cuisine, this stuff is called Seiten, and if PETA had its way, not only would your dogs and cats be eating nothing else, but so would you.

The picture at the top of this post is a Taiwanese can of "mock duck" made from 100 percent wheat gluten.

Kind of makes you wonder even a more about the human food supply doesn't it?

Update 4/2 (7:35 a.m. PT): More than 2,900 pets have been reported as deceased to the self reported PetConnection database.

oh brother!

Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company Ltd. was named in a notice issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as the source of wheat gluten containing a chemical found in plastics and pesticides.

Geng Xiujuan, Xuzhou Anying’s sales manager, said the company was aware of the notice and was looking into the accusation that large concentrations of melamine had been found in its wheat gluten, a protein source used as an ingredient in the pet food.

However, Geng said the company based in the eastern province of Jiangsu had not manufactured the gluten but had instead bought it from companies in neighbouring provinces. She said Xuzhou Anying sold it onward to another Jiangsu company, Suzhou Textile Import and Export Co.

“There are many other exporters and I don’t see why they would just blame us,” Geng said.The rest of the story is here.

Read about it in the Huffington Post and here at USA Today.

Delmonte recalls products.
This is no longer just about wet food!

This is getting very confusing. For a list of current recalls, and general information, please check Pet Connections info page here.

The latest from their self reported data base.
(3/31 8:45 p.m. PT): 2,797 deceased pets
1,546 cats and 1,251 dogs

update 4/6 Delmonte has expanded code dates since info below was posted. Check here

Jerky Treats Beef Flavor Code: TP7C05 TP7B07 TP7B08 TP7B09 TP6B10
Dog Snacks Best By: Aug 05 Aug 07 Aug 08 Aug 09 Aug 10
08 08 08 08 08
Code: TP7B15 TP7C05 TP7C06
Best By: Aug 15 Sep 02 Sep 03
08 08 08

Gravy Train Beef Sticks Code: TP7B19 TP7B20 TP7B21
Dog Snacks Best By: Aug 19 Aug 20 Aug 21
08 08 08

Pounce Meaty Morsels Code: TP7C07 TP7C12
Moist
Chicken Flavor Cat Treats Best By: Sep 04 Sep 09
08 08

PRIVATE LABEL
————————-
Ol’ Roy Beef Flavor Jerky Code: TP7B06 TP7B07 TP7C05 TP7C06 TP7C07
Strips
Dog Treats Best By: Aug 06 Aug 07 Sep 02 Sep 03 Sep 04
08 08 08 08 08

Code: TP7C08
Best By: Sep 05
08

Ol’ Roy Beef Flavor Snack Code: TP7B19 TP7B20 TP7B21 TP7C08 TP7C09
Sticks Dog Treats Best By: Aug 19 Aug 20 Aug 21 Sep 05 Sep 06
08 08 08 08 08

Ol’ Roy Bark’n Bac’n Beef Code: TP7C14
&
Bacon Flavor Dog Treats Best By: Sep 11
08

Ol’ Roy with Beef Hearty Code: BC6M21
Cuts
in Gravy Dog Food Best By: Dec 21
09

Ol’ Roy with Beef Hearty Code: BC7A19
Strips
in Gravy Dog Food Best By: Jan 19
10

Ol’ Roy Country Stew Code: BC6M15
Hearty
Cuts in Gravy Dog Food Best By: Dec 15
09

Dollar General Beef Code: TP7C06
Flavored
Jerky Strips Dog Treats Best By: Sep 03
08

Dollar General Beef Code: TP7B20 TP7B21
Flavored
Beef Sticks Dog Treats Best By: Aug 20 Aug 21
08 08

Happy Tails Beef Flavor Code: TPY7B08 TP7B09
Jerky Strips Best By: Aug 08 Aug 09
08 08

Happy Tails Meaty Cuts Code: BC7A29
with Beef
in Gravy Dog Food Best By: Jan 29
10