Chinese dye their dogs to resemble other animals

by Darren Jamieson on September 2, 2010

When I was a child I always wanted a panda. I was too young to realise that pandas were endangered, lived in China and ate more than I weighed in a day – I still wanted one. I had to make do with a toy panda that my sister brought back from Bristol Zoo, and I was happy with that.

However, Chinese children don’t have to put up with small toys as a placebo for pandas – they can just paint their dogs to look like pandas, as that’s the latest craze sweeping China. The panda, sorry dog, pictured above is named ‘Kung Fu’ (as in Kung Fu Panda, get it?) and he’s become something of a local celebrity around his neighbourhood in Beijing.

The dog was bleached and dyed to look like a panda by his owners, Yang Kun and Li Changxian, because they’re very interested in pandas. His fur has been dyed black in places, and bleached white in others, to give the appearance of a panda… presumably his dog groomer also does his roots every month.

Li Changxian commented:

“I think he loves it. Since he’s been dyed, he gets lots of love and attention.”

Kung Fu isn’t the only do in China to be dyed to look like another animal – it’s becoming something of a fad. Haibo, for instance, is a mascot for the Shanghai World Expo and he’s been dyed (more…)

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Dog ensures his abuser is refused parole

by Lianne Wilkinson on August 31, 2010

louis vittonWe at Dream Dogs believe the laws regarded abusing dogs are far too lenient the world over – with custodial sentences very rarely handed out and dog abusers very rarely even being given lifetime bans from owning dogs again. However, one dog abuser in Alabama in the USA has received a sentence worthy of his crime, and his victim (a pitbull nicknamed Louis Vuitton) helped to ensure he stays behind bars.

Juan Daniels was convicted of abusing a dog in 2009. He beat the dog, and even set fire to it. For his crimes he was given a custodial sentence, but alarmingly was up for parole last week. Juan Daniels stood before the ‘Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles’ and could have been released early – had it not been for the star witness, the dog itself.

Louis Vuitton entered the parole hearing, looking much better than he did directly after his ordeal, and acted as a witness against his abuser. After his shock appearance, Juan Daniels was refused parole and was told he would not be eligible again until (more…)

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Pet insurance company pays out after dog eats a beehive

by Darren Jamieson on August 29, 2010

As any dog owner will tell you, it’s important to have an adequate pet insurance policy. Dogs can get into all sorts of strife, and without comprehensive dog insurance you could be landed with an out of control bill from your vets. However, there are some things that you wouldn’t think a pet insurance policy would cover – such as if your dog became ill after eating an entire beehive full of bees.

That’s just what happened recently to a dog in America, obviously. Ellie, a Labrador, recently ate an entire beehive full of dead bees, and the pesticides that killed them. Naturally, after eating this strange lunch she became very ill and required veterinary care, but thankfully was fine after a few weeks. In true American style, Ellie has been awarded the official prize of the most unusual pet insurance claim in America, given out by the Veterinary Pet Insurance Co (VPI).

Ellie’s beehive eating antics won her first place amid stiff competition from other danger seeking dogs such as the border collie who, attempting to get at the postman, ran straight through a window and the terrier who decided to bite into a (more…)

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Drew Barrymore mourns passing of dog Flossie

by Lianne Wilkinson on August 27, 2010

Drew Barrymore, who appeared recently in our list of the top 5 actresses who own dogs, is mourning the passing of her dog Flossie. Flossie wasn’t just any ordinary dog, as she once saved Drew’s life 12 years ago, in 1998, when she awoke the household and alerted them to a fire.

drew-barrymore-flossieFlossie, a cross between a Labrador and a Chow, saved both Drew Barrymore and her then husband Tom Green as they slept through a fire in their home in Beverly Hills. The dog sadly passed away in July – aged 16 – and Drew honoured her lifelong pal by spreading her ashes on the Ganges in India, during a recent trip.

Now that Flossie has passed away, Drew has a new puppy that she is training. While speaking on a recent interview on the David Letterman show, Drew revealed a (more…)

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7 things you didn’t know about Cesar Millan

by Mark Glenning on August 24, 2010

Cesar Millan, for those who may not have heard of him, is better known as ‘The Dog Whisperer’. The twinkly eyed Mexican with the perfect set of gnashers has risen to worldwide fame due to his seemingly supernatural ability to tame the most vicious, neurotic or disobedient dog. You may have caught him on TV as he silences a howling pooch with a look and a stern “Tsst!”, instructs a clueless owner in the application of ‘calm, assertive energy‘ or out rollerblading with a pack of his dogs. Let’s face it, he’s such a dude that he’s made rollerskating cool again, after Cliff Richard killed it off in the video for ‘Wired for Sound‘.

Cesar doesn’t talk much about his private life in his show, so we at Dream Dogs are going to take a peek at the guy behind the curtain operating the wheels and levers.

1) Cesar grew up on a farm

Born in 1969 in Culiacán, Mexico, to father Felipe Millán Guillen and mother María Teresa Favela de Millán, young Cesar grew up on a farm owned by his grandfather. He displayed a natural affinity with animals, but more so with dogs. Such was his skill, he was nicknamed el Perrero, or ‘the dog boy‘. Cesar credits his love of animals to his grandfather. He said:

“To him, everything about an animal was beautiful. He adored them. He didn’t love animals in the way Americans love animals – to see a birthday party for a dog, he would get a kick out of that.”

“He was the epitome of honesty, integrity, loyalty. And that’s what he loved about animals.”

2) Cesar remembers the exact moment that he wanted to work with dogs

He was 13 years old and was being accompanied by his mother to a judo competition. He stopped in front of a statue, and declared to her that he wanted to be the best dog trainer in the world. He admits that at the time he was unaware that you could (more…)

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Top 5 Cartoon Dogs

by Mark Glenning on August 22, 2010

As all good things must inevitably come to an end, so does Dream Dogs’ week long pageant of pooches. If there’s one common theme that’s been present, it’s that each dog we’ve talked about has been a real dog. However, the moment is upon us to look at the staple of kids animated TV shows – the cartoon dog.

There are so many animated shows featuring dogs that this was a hard one to trim down to five. Inevitably, the results are controversial. There are some that you may have thought as an obvious shoe-in that cruelly didn’t make the cut. There was much discussion here at Dream Dogs Towers over who should be included. Other technicalities arose, such as whether K-9, Doctor Who’s radar-eared sidekick should count as a dog at all – after all, he was real in some sense – or Dino, Fred Flintstone’s pet who acted like a dog but looked like a Brontosaurus.

Fisticuffs ensued and noses were bloodied, but after the dust settled we were left with this, our list of the top five cartoon dogs.

Scooby Doo

Arguably Hanna Barbera’s flagship cartoon show; the show stuck to a tried and tested format, with dull-as-ditchwater Fred, minx Daphne and spectacles-dropping frump Velma playing the straight man to Scooby and Norville ‘Shaggy’ Rodgers. Scooby and Shaggy would split from the rest of the gang on the hunt for ‘Scooby snacks’ (whatever they were), and what would follow was predictable. Scooby and Shaggy would try to escape the monster by pretending to be chefs or barbers, Scooby would fall into a trap laid by Fred and someone would appear behind a secret wall panel.

Scooby Doo and the gang

Scooby Doo and the gang

Don’t even think of mentioning (more…)

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Top 5 real life hero dogs

by Mark Glenning on August 21, 2010

Here at Dream Dogs, we’ve been looking at celebrity dog owners. All of the pets that we have looked at have been famous by dint of the fact that their owners are famous, but what of dogs that are famous in their own right, standing on their own four paws?

Centuries of domestication and selective breeding have made the dog our closest pal in the animal kingdom. Of course, some would argue that cats are, but have you ever seen a cat wag its tail when you get home from work? Whether it’s someone who is lonely finding companionship in their pet, a child whose dog is his best playmate or a riot policeman, looking on in pride as his German shepherd sinks its teeth into a tie-dye shirt wearing climate protester, it’s not for nothing that we’re known as a nation of dog lovers.

Those with a close relationship to their pet sometimes find that their dog is very protective towards them. For some, this simply entails a daily barking session at the mail dropping through the letterbox, but for others it means them throwing life and limb in harm’s way to defend their master. Let’s have a look at the top five dogs that have done just that.

Rats the Soldier Dog of UlsterRats

Known as the Soldier Dog of Ulster, Rats was an unassuming white and brown mongrel. He accompanied British troops out on manoeuvres day and night, including helicopter missions, and much front line action.

In fact, Rats became such a morale booster that he became a target for the IRA. He was run over, blown up, had his leg broken, was shot and had shrapnel lodged in his spine, but it didn’t stop him in the slightest. He had a nose for danger, and on many occasions he warned a patrol that something was wrong, saving lives in the process.

Rats was eventually given an army number. He was awarded a medal inscribed with ‘Rats, Delta 777’ in a ceremony attended by his whole company and a piper, who in his honour played Scotland the Brave. The plucky pooch was eventually retired to (more…)

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Top 5 UK Soap Opera actors who own dogs

by Mark Glenning on August 20, 2010

I have to make a confession: I’m not a huge fan of soap operas. My knowledge of Coronation Street begins and ends with Albert Tatlock, and the last time I watched EastEnders, Nick Cotton had broken in Reg Cox’s flat to nick his war medals.

Despite my indifference, soap operas are huge everywhere. Whether it’s a dour Mancunian grumpfest like Albion Market, the ten-gallon, shoulder padded exploits of everyday Texan oil barons or wigged out Mexican daytime soaps about doctors, inheritance battles and unwitting incest, there’s no mistaking their popularity. In salutation to the humble soap actor, we at Dream Dogs give you our top 5 UK soap star dog owners.

Patsy and LaylaPatsy Palmer

The 38 year old actress, who found fame playing Bianca, the freckled foghorn and bedeviller of cockernee thickie Ricky in EastEnders, owns a Shar Pei called Layla. Although you may think that she’s only ever been in the soap, she’s also starred in Grange Hill, Drop the Dead Donkey and The Bill, but ‘let’s face it, who hasn’t been in The Bill? She also played a teen with a face like a welder’s bench in (more…)

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Top 5 singers who have dogs

by Mark Glenning on August 19, 2010

Continuing our week long list of lists, today we turn the spotlight on singers.

It’s funny old life being a rock star or a member of a band. When you’re not holed up in a studio, recording your 152nd take on a backing vocal because you still can’t get it right, filming a reality TV series about your dysfunctional kerr-azy family or twitching in a gutter outside a nightclub after overdoing the Columbian marching powder, you’re more than likely you’re on tour, spending months away from your home and family.

This hardly seems like the behaviour of a conscientious dog owner. We all know that your pet needs love and attention, not to mention feeding, watering and exercise. Luckily for the average rock multi millionaire, he’ll have hired help on hand to assist with the day to day care of his pet, whether it’s an elderly English retainer or a young Filipino manservant. This leaves you free to pose with your pooch for photographs for Hello’s exclusive 8 page spread of your brand new Hampshire mansion.

Of course, this is a sweeping generalisation. In a profession where image is everything, sycophancy abounds, teen idols have a shelf life measurable in weeks and talented people never seem to get the success you think they deserve; the unquestioning loyalty and friendship that your dog will give you can be beyond compare. Let’s have a gander at some of the more famous warblers who have a pet dog.

Robbie and his dogsRobbie Williams

Not long back in the UK after his American UFO hunting jaunt, the one time Take That bad boy and now new Take That bad boy owns several dogs. Due to quarantine laws, he had to leave his pets in Los Angeles for six months when he moved back to Blighty, but this didn’t stop him from spending time with his Labrador/Pitbull cross, German Shepherd, Bull Mastiff, Rottweiler and a wolf called Sid. He shelled out £4,000 per month on first class, 11 hour flights to see his pets. The dogs were (more…)

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Top 5 Actresses who own dogs

by Mark Glenning on August 18, 2010

So far in our week-long look at famous dog owners, we’ve cast a beady eye on Premiership football players and actors, but today we address this gender imbalance by looking at famous actresses who own a pooch.

As I surmised in yesterday’s article, the top of the acting profession is a cold, lonely place that fosters suspicion, mistrust, paranoia and a host of medium-grade mental illnesses. This is even more so for actresses, as they are judged more harshly on their looks than their male counterparts. Although there has always been a steady stream of young, good looking actors, it seems that it’s only the women who have to look over their shoulder and keep a wary eye on the next bright young thing foisted upon moviegoers.

Even though both actors and actresses resort to plastic surgery to keep ahead of the competition in the looks department, it seems that less fuss is made about the guys. It would be interesting to total up the column inches devoted to Nicole Kidman’s alleged Botox treatment compared to Michael Douglas’ alleged (more…)

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