Police dogs trained not to sniff out marijuana in Washington State.

Share this image

If You Carry Marijuana in Washington State, Police Dogs Will Sniff Right Past You

Small amounts of pot are now legal in the state, so drug-sniffing dogs are being trained to ignore it.

---

Washington's Bremerton Police Department will no longer be training their drug-sniffing dogs to detect marijuana, according to the Columbian. And law enforcement agencies around the state are doing the same, after voters approved an initiative legalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana in November.

Share this image

A police officer and his dog by Shutterstock.

One of the first of those dogs is Dusty, an 18-month-old black Lab. After her training is completed, she'll be the first drug-sniffing dog who is as clueless around pot as a 1950s grandmother. Dusty, who was bred at North Bend Retriever Kennel to be a champion birding dog, switched gears after her restless nature proved incompatible with birding.

Her partner, Bremerton Police Officer Dahle "Duke" Roessel, called Dusty's insatiable drive to look for things "perfect for what we need."

And what they don't need is a dog busting people for pot.

"It's problematic because the dogs could alert on a legal amount of marijuana," said Washington State Patrol spokesman Bob Calkins. "And then we're violating someone's privacy."

Also, let's say Dusty scores a truckload of illegal meth alongside a tiny, legal amount of pot -- all of it could get thrown out in court. Calkins says that even a gun used in a murder could be thrown out if the dog found it while going after a joint.

"It will just complicate things so much in doing the search and trying to get a warrant," he said.

Share this image

Airport canine by Shutterstock.

If the laws change, don't worry. While it's difficult to remove pot sniffing from a dog's repertoire, it's easy to add.

"We can train them on marijuana in a weekend," said Roessel

The practice is becoming widespread among law-enforcement agencies in Washington, including the Seattle Police Department and Washington State Patrol. In December, the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys sent out a memo advising the state's law-enforcement agencies that narcotics dogs are no longer required to be trained to alert for marijuana, according to KomoNews.com. In January, the drug was removed from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission's Canine Performance Standards test.

The issue is affecting other states around the country who are grappling with their new marijuana laws, such as Colorado.

"Basically, there is no way to untrain the dogs to not do marijuana," John Schulz, spokesman for the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, told Denver Westword last month. "So it really hamstrings the use of the dogs. What it boils down to is, we can't use the dog sniff any more as a reason for probable cause."

Via the Columbian

Posted in IN THE NEWS, DOGS WITH JOBS, TRAINING

BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday (Cody)

After last weeks photo of Cody's funny sleeping position above photo.

Here's another one of his funny positions watching telly.

I don't know what i would without a camera on my mobile phone, i would miss out on all these shots I've always got my phone to hand to try and capture any funny moments.

Meet Petey. Up for Adoption.

Petey Petey was brought in after he was found tied up but we believe he was probably abandoned. Petey is a great dog, young, handsome, friendly - what more could you ask for! Petey quickly found a home but has sadly been returned because he was too much for his owners to manage. Petey is a fun-loving, enteusiastic boy but he is also an adolescent and as a result he is always pushing the boundaries and quite simply doesn't know his own strength. His previous home mentioned that he was far more responsive to men than women which is important for anyone wishing to adopt him. As a young boy, he will need somebody home for most of the day and he is also going to need an experienced home who will help him to calm down and behave sensibly in a home. Petey also needs a home with no young children as he can be mouthy when excited. He will be a fun dog, that will entertain you and make a great companion with someone who can dedicate the time into settling him down. Petey's Update 2/1/13: Petey is finally settling into kennels life and he realy is a lovely young boy! He is very energetic and you have to have quick wits in order to keep up with him, but if you have the energy to match his he really will make a wonderfully entertaining friend! Petey is certainly not a family dog as he is very boisterous and quite mouthy at times. He would best suit an active home where someone has the patience and kindness to help him de-stress and relax into a normal way of life. This won't happen overnight but this lovely boy is really worth it!

Petey's details Admitted: 16 Mar 2012 Status: Looking for a home Breed/Type: Staffy Sex: Male Age: 18 Months Colour: Brindle & White Vaccinated: Yes Neutered: Yes Used to Kids: Older Used to Cats Unknown Used to Dogs Unknown History of Biting No Choose a centre to browse The Wales Centre The Liverpool Centre

Memorial Day in United States

Memorial Day commemorates all Americans, who have died in military service for the United States.

Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May. It was formally known as Decoration Day and commemorates all men and women, who have died in military service for the United States. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day and it is traditionally seen as the start of the summer season.

Memorial Day remembers those who died serving the United States military.

©iStockphoto.com/ Alan Crosthwaite

What do people do?

It is traditional to fly the flag of the United States at half mast from dawn until noon. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries. Memorial Day is combined with Jefferson Davis' Birthday in Mississippi.

Memorial Day has become less of an occasion of remembrance. Many people choose to hold picnics, sports events and family gatherings on this weekend. This day is traditionally seen as the start of the summer season for cultural events. For the fashion conscious, it is seen as acceptable to wear white clothing, particularly shoes from Memorial Day until Labor Day. However, fewer and fewer people follow this rule and many wear white clothing throughout the year.

Public life

Memorial Day is a federal holiday. All non-essential Government offices are closed, as are schools, businesses and other organizations. Most public transit systems do not run on their regular schedule. Many people see Memorial Day weekend as an opportunity to go on a short vacation or visit family or friends. This can cause some congestion on highways and at airports.

Background

Memorial Day started as an event to honor Union soldiers, who had died during the American Civil War. It was inspired by the way people in the Southern states honored their dead. After World War I, it was extended to include all men and women, who died in any war or military action.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. The current name for this day did not come into use until after World War II. Decoration Day and then Memorial Day used to be held on May 30, regardless of the day of the week, on which it fell. In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed as part of a move to use federal holidays to create three-day weekends. This meant that that, from 1971, Memorial Day holiday has been officially observed on the last Monday in May. However, it took a longer period for all American states to recognize the new date.

Happy Memorial day from the UK.

Therapy dogs at Airports/

Share this image

Flying Is Stressful, So Packs of "Pet Me" Dogs Now Patrol LAX

These therapy dogs at Los Angeles International Airport look for love, not drugs.

---

Typically when you see a dog wearing an official-looking vest at an airport, you're on high alert. You don't run up to the dog requesting kisses. You don't kneel before the animal and say, "WHO'S A WIDDLE BOY?" You don't scratch the dog in that "sweet spot" near the tail, right there in front of TCBY.

Until now.

Well, you still don't want to do those things to an airport security dog, because you might be arrested. But you do want to do those things to the therapy dogs patrolling LAX, because that's their job.

Share this image

Launched this week, the Pets Unstressing Passengers program -- PUP for short (hah!) -- is sending wagging tails throughout the terminals to create a less stressful environment for travelers.

"It’s a great opportunity to spread happiness to millions of travelers from all over the world," said Los Angeles World Airports Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey in a statement. "Expect to see the PUPs on a regular basis in Terminals at LAX.”

The dogs come in a variety of breeds -- mutts, Dobermans, Bichons, and others -- and wear red vests that say -- what else? -- "Pet me." And people are taking them up on it, as you might well expect.

“When you walk in with the dogs, you feel the stress level drop immediately,” Heidi Huebner, director of volunteers at LAX, told CBSLA.com. “People start smiling, people start talking to each other, they’re taking pictures, they’re hugging the dogs."

You can find the dogs at boarding gates, baggage claim, ticketing lobbies, and other areas throughout LAX. The dogs are trained, registered, and certified by Therapy Dogs Inc. Currently, LAX has about 30 volunteers working with the dogs, and about two or three dogs are on the job at any one time.

Via the Los Angeles Times; images via Los Angeles International Airport's Facebook

Posted in IN THE NEWS, DOGS WITH JOBS, THERAPY DOGS

Trunking, the new wave in dog brutality.

What is the world coming to.

Is the Brutal Practice Called "Trunking" Real? We Asked an Expert

It does happen, but trunking "has nothing to do with the sport of dog fighting," the ASPCA's Randall Lockwood tells us. "It's just brutality."

---

Earlier in the month, Dogster's news writer Michael Leaverton shared a story that made everyone on our team cringe. It was the first time we'd heard of "trunking," a disgusting practice where two dogs are put into the trunk of a car and driven around, expected to fight until one "wins" and the other dies. This post included quotes from a video report filed by a Miami news station, WPLG Local 10, which featured group of dogs rescued from a trunking situation by the Miami-Dade Animal Services Department.

A screen grab from the WPLG Local 10 report about the trunking incident in Miami.

The story struck a nerve well outside our regular readership and has been the most-trafficked story of the month thus far. More than 6,000 readers shared it on Facebook, and the response we've gotten in the comments section, on our Facebook wall, and in emails was overwhelming. Many were furious with the practice itself, and others were mad at us for "sensationalizing" a report they did not believe to be true.

Over the weekend, Dogster Community Manager Lori Malm and I attended the Blogpaws conference in Virginia, and we were invited to a private viewing of the ASPCA's dog fighting exhibit at the National Museum of Crime and Punishment in Washington, D.C. Before the tour (which included a startling map of the number of dog fighting arrests made in the U.S., and a selection of sinister-looking contraptions used by dog fighters), we met with Dr. Randall Lockwood, senior vice president of the ASPCA's Forensic Sciences and Anti-Cruelty Projects.

Dr. Randall Lockwood talks to us at the Museum of Crime and Punishment on Sunday.

Lockwood has a ridiculously long and impressive resume, and has worked with humane societies and law-enforcement agencies for more than 30 years. He has testified in numerous trials involving cruelty to animals or the treatment of animals in the context of other crimes such as dog fighting, domestic violence, and homicide. He also helped orchestrate the exhibit we were there to see.

Before the tour, he talked about his work on the forensics team, and he called dog fighting "the greatest violation of that relationship between people and dogs."

Dr. Lockwood's jacket. Photo by Lori Malm.

"Dogfighting does not occur in a vacuum," Lockwood told us. "It almost always involves illegal drugs and illegal weapons." And getting those in law enforcement to see the correlation between the sick sport and other crimes has helped make shutting down dog fighting rings more of a priority.

But trunking isn't something dogfighters necessarily do. After our tour of the exhibit, we took Lockwood aside to ask about the practice, which he confirmed is real (albeit not widespread) and not a Snopes-worthy prank or urban legend. The first time Lockwood heard of an official trunking case was two years ago, and there were rumors about it for years before that.

A map of dog fighting incidents around the U.S. Trunking isn't classified as dog fighting according to Dr. Lockwood.

"We are hearing some reports of trunking. We had recent reports from Texas, some from, I believe, New Jersey and Missouri, but it seemed to be a relatively [isolated] phenomenon," he said. "Unfortunately it's one of those things that goes viral on the web, that then idiots hear about and think 'Y'know, that might be interesting to try.'"

"It has nothing to do with the 'sport' of dog fighting," Lockwood continued. "It's nothing that a professional or hobbyist would engage in, because it defeats the purpose of recognizing a well-trained dog and breeding a successful fighter. It's just brutality."

A sad image used in the ASPCA's dog fighting exhibit.

"I still hear very few confirmed cases, but I will no longer say 'Now I've heard everything,' not in this business. There's no limit to the depths of idiocy that some people will go to."
If you hear of a trunking or dog fighting incident in your area, the first step is to alert your local authorities or law enforcement agency. The ASPCA also offers a 96-page dog fighting toolkit for law enforcement.

Stray dogs take train in search of food.

I read this story on facebook and thought i would share it, it just goes to show how remarkable dogs are.

Wild dogs take Chewbilee Line

Canine commuter ... wild dog waits on the platform

STRAY dogs are commuting to and from a city centre on underground trains in search of food scraps.

The clever canines board the Tube each morning.

After a hard day scavenging and begging on the streets, they hop back on the train and return to the suburbs where they spend the night.

Experts studying the dogs say they even work together to make sure they get off at the right stop — after learning to judge the length of time they need to spend on the train.

The mutts choose the quietest carriages at the front and back of the train.
They have also developed tactics to hustle humans into giving them more food on the streets of Moscow.

Well train-ed ... dog enjoys a nap on the underground

Scientists believe the phenomenon began after the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, and Russia’s new capitalists moved industrial complexes from the city centre to the suburbs.

Dr Andrei Poiarkov, of the Moscow Ecology and Evolution Institute, said: “These complexes were used by homeless dogs as shelters, so the dogs had to move together with their houses. Because the best scavenging for food is in the city centre, the dogs had to learn how to travel on the subway — to get to the centre in the morning, then back home in the evening, just like people.”

Dog tired ... mutt kips on tube seat in Moscow

Dr Poiarkov told how the dogs like to play during their daily commute. He said: “They jump on the train seconds before the doors shut, risking their tails getting jammed. They do it for fun. And sometimes they fall asleep and get off at the wrong stop.”

The dogs have learned to use traffic lights to cross the road safely, said Dr Poiarkov. And they use cunning tactics to obtain tasty morsels of shawarma, a kebab-like snack popular in Moscow.

They sneak up behind people eating shawarmas — then bark loudly to shock them into dropping their food.

With children the dogs “play cute” by putting their heads on youngsters’ knees and staring pleadingly into their eyes to win sympathy — and scraps.

Dr Poiarkov added: “Dogs are surprisingly good psychologists.”

BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday ( Cuddles )

How can Cody be comfortable sleeping like this.

Come on Dad cuddle time.

Oakley and Ralph 2 lovely Dogue de Bordeaux's up for adoption.

Can you please share and try and help these two guys find there furever homes.

If you are interested  please call Doreen Joy on 07812357740.
Or
Please email ddbrescue@gmail.com If you can offer them a home.

Dogue de Bordeaux welfare facebook page.

This is a new blog hop!  If you want more information you can visit  Tuesday’s Tails Blog Hop page.
Grab there badge and join the fun....

Bogville Auction and Raffle in aid of Leo.

Mollie at Mollie and Alfie are mad busy trying to get everything ready for tomorrow's Auction and are desperately in need of volunteers to help out. See above poster.

It's all in need of a very good cause to help with Leo's medical bills, you can read all about Leo's situation over at Savannah's blog.

Auction.

You may have seen over at Mollie's yesterday that were having a Blogville auction to raise money to help Savannah's peeps pay for Leos medical bills. If you have no idea what I'm talking about ,head over to Savvy's and read up on her foster brother Leo's situation.

Mollie has come up with the pawesome idea of having an Auction and Raffle. And already she has been so inundated with people donating items she's asked me to help!

Do you have anything you can donate to the Auction? It could be an unwanted Christmas present, something you've had in the attic for years or even something you've made. You'll need to post the item to the winning bidder so It's worth considering the size and weight of the item in question before pledging it.

Please send in a photo, description and a price in Dollars what the starting bid should be to me at misadnenturesof misaki@yahoo.co.uk by Friday 17th.

It should be a really fun event so i hope you will all get involved, whether by donating something or bidding on some of the items for Auction. And most of all we'll be supporting our good friend Savannah save the life of poor Leo.
Thank you all in advance.

Raffle.

As well as the auction we’re also holding a raffle to raise funds for Leo. You can read all about Leo over at
Savannah’s.

1st prize  – a £50 (or $ equivalent) Amazon voucher donated by My Three Moggies

2nd prize – A cartooned Mouse Pad of your pet from Mollie and Alfie

Tickets cost $2 each or $9 dollars for 5 (All proceeds are going directly to Savannah for the vet bills of Leo.

To get your tickets, email me at misadventuresofmisaki@yahoo.co.ukI will then issue you your raffle ticket number and will supply you with the paypal details to make your payment.

Everyone can enter, so don’t delay join in today!

The winner’s will be announced on Wednesday 22nd May.

Don’t forget about the auction, we’re still open for donations. The auction will take place on Monday 20th, so please stop by to take a look and hopefully buy something.

You can also buy tickets and donate to the auction over at Mollie’s. And Sammy is taking donations too.

Thank you to everyone who has got involved so far.

I'm sorry I've been to busy to do a blog post of my own so I've had to copy and paste off Mollie & Alfie's and The Misadventures of Misaki Blog i hope they don't mind. This is for a really worthwhile good cause

Saturday funnies.

Dog Proofing Your Computer. (Infograph)

Infographic kindly provided by SurDoc.com https://www.surdoc.com/dogproof/