Dogs! In the News!
The Search for Amelia Earhart Continues
The search for the famous aviatrix has been in the news a lot lately. The History Channel presented what it considers evidence that she’d been captured by the Japanese. And Urban Dog did a story a few weeks back about a team of dogs that was going to be dispatched to sniff for her remains on a Pacific island. This week we have an update. According to National Geographic the dogs got to work right away:
Within moments of beginning to work the site, Berkeley, a curly red male, lay down at the base of a ren tree, eyes locked on his handler, Lynne Angeloro. The dog was alerting, indicating to Angeloro that he had detected the scent of human remains. Next up was Kayle, a fluffy, eager-to-please female. She also alerted on the same spot. The next day Marcy and Piper, two black-and-white collies, were brought to the site. Both dogs alerted. The signals were clear: Someone perhaps Earhart or her navigator, Fred Noonan had died beneath the ren tree.
Photo: Susanne martini for National Geographic.
Dog Flu Outbreak in Florida Worsens
The dog flu outbreak in Florida is getting worse. According to the University of Florida, there are now about 100 cases of the disease across 12 countries confirmed in the state. The first case in Palm Beach county was identified last week. The outbreak originally started in northern Florida.
It’s very important to get your animal vaccinated. The disease can be deadly. Read more here from WPEC in Palm Beach county.
The Origin of Dogs
Urban Dog reports from time-to-time on the search for the origin of dogs. A new paper was presented last week in which researchers claim that dogs were domesticated only once. That’s a different conclusion than what was reached by another term of researchers who recently said there were two instances of dogs being domesticated. From Science News:
New data from ancient dogs indicates that dogs became distinct from wolves between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago, researchers report July 18 in Nature Communications. Dogs then formed genetically distinct eastern and western groups 17,000 to 24,000 years ago, the researchers calculate. That timing and other genetic data point to dogs being domesticated just once.
The new study says dogs became man’s best friend in Asia. The previous study posited two domestication events: one in Asia and one in Europe. You can read more here.
National Dog Day Fundraiser at Painting with a Twist | Miami Beach
Celebrate National Dog at the Miami Beach branch of Painting with a Twist. They’re hosting a fundraiser to benefit Miami Beach pet services programs. We’ve attended a Paint Your Pet event at Painting with a Twist before and it was a lot of fun.
The event is Saturday, August 26 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. To get details and to reserve your seats click here.
