by Chad Love

Does your dog have a soul? And if you answered yes, should you be able to sue an unscrupulous breeder for your dog's pain and suffering caused by genetic defects?

These are just a few of the interesting questions being raised by a lawsuit now making its way through the New York legal system. This lawsuit seeks to reclassify dogs as "living souls" so their breeders can be held accountable for any pain and suffering the dog endures from genetic defects (A big hat tip to Patrick Burns at the always provocative and entertaining Terrierman's Daily Dose dog blog for the find).
 

From this story on cbsnews.com:

When Elena Zakharova took home her 2-month-old female Brussels Griffon from the Raising Rover pet store in Manhattan, she was excited about the new addition to her family. But, according to the New York Daily News, just a few months later in July 2011, the dog began whimpering and limping in pain. Now, her owner says despite expensive surgery, she will never run or walk like other dogs. Zakharova is claiming that the pet store sold her a dog with genetic abnormalities that could have been avoided if the pup were not bred from other dogs with disabilities. She is suing the business in a New York small claims court for the pain and suffering of the now year-old dog, which she named Umka.

by Chad Love

There are tradition-steeped sacred cows so deeply ingrained in the American sporting psyche, that to admit you haven't actually done them is grounds for turning in your red-blooded American male card and setting sail for France. Things like: shooting a deer with a lever-action .30-30. or owning at least one Zebco 33. However, one of these "musts" I've never completed is hunting rabbits behind dogs.

Pointing dogs, retrievers and flushers are what first come to mind when you think gundogs, and as such they - fairly or unfairly - get the vast majority of the sporting dog press (and this blog is as guilty of it as any). But at one time, back in the sepia-tinged days of yore when small-game hunting reigned supreme, there was only one way to hunt rabbits - with beagles. Sadly, this is no longer the case. For better or worse, we are now a deer nation and the idea of driving out to a small, idyllic family-owned farm, loading up a plain ol' walnut-and-steel shotgun and letting a pack of beagles out of the back of the wood-paneled station wagon is as quaint and old-fashioned as the rotary-dial phone, letter-writing or three channels of television.

By David DiBenedetto

I’ve said it many times: I’d do just about anything for Pritch. Even if she seems to pick up one bad habit (chasing deer) just about the time I eradicate a different annoying habit (whimpering in the blind). But I might draw the line at spending some time in the clink.

According to a report from NewsOK, a man from Hydro, Oklahoma took the law into his own hands when his dog was picked up and sent to the pound. Edwin Fry, 73, rode his lawnmower to the pound and used a pair of bolt cutters to free his poodle, Buddy Tough. He told a reporter he was fearful that Buddy Tough would be killed. During his getaway, however, he was stopped by the police. (I’m thinking a lawnmower isn’t the best getaway vehicle.)

By David DiBenedetto

Amateur trainers (myself included) often worry most about the holy trinity of gun dog problems—water shyness, gun shyness, and bird shyness. Oodles of manpower have gone into making sure pups never show any of these dirty traits. But often overlooked is a problem that’s more common than all three...a lack of a desire to retrieve. And like most problems encountered in the gun dog game it’s often the result of poor training practices. (For a point of focus we’ll zero in on dogs that are roughly 6 to 8 months.)