South Bay Pets

South Bay Christian Church will offer a blessing of the animals ceremony from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11.

All pets are welcome, so long as they are properly restrained, of course.

The church is at 128 N. Broadway Ave. in Redondo Beach.

Returning soldier sees his dogs for the first time after serving in Iraq for 14 months. I admit it, I got a little misty eyed.

 First it was hot, then it was cool, then it was hot again. It's been a weather roller coaster for all of us, but horses have an unusual problem.

 We were forwarded an e-mail from Jim Moor of Cowboy Boot Camp in Rolling Hills Estatesm, who explains the problem. What's a horse to do? "Unlike human hair which can grow about a half inch a month, a healthy equine's winter coat can develop quickly over a few days," Moore wrote.

"A horse's natural coat is their first defense in cold weather. When allowed to grow, a horse's heavier winter haircoat acts as a very effective thermal blanket, it increases both in length and density as days grow cooler and shorter. With temps in triple digits in some areas, responsible horse owners should be aware of horses overheating and check them for dehydration.

"Because of Southern California's unpredictable weather changes, people are having to begin their grooming regimen sooner this year to accommodate for their horse's early thick coats."

 You can find out more about this vexing problem at www.cowboybootcamp.net.

The Los Angeles Times reports  today that a coyote bit a 25-year-old female jogger near the Griffith Park carousel early Tuesday morning. Parks officials believe people feeding animals in the area can prompt such attacks.

Even though the bite was described as a small puncture wound, a park ranger advised the woman to seek medical treatment.

Chief Park Ranger Albert Torres said the woman was caught by surprise.

"She didn't notice the coyote, the coyote noticed her," he said.

Coyote attacks are rare but not unprecedented in Griffith Park. In 1995, a 15-month-old girl from Nevada suffered several puncture wounds on her thigh when a coyote attacked in the same area where the jogger was bitten.

About a month ago, there were reports of coyote sightings in Torrance, in the vicinity of Crest and Highcliff roads.  Coyotes also have been spotted on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Hundreds of species of fish have been discovered off the coast of Australia. I wonder how long before they start appearing on the menu at Captain Kidd's.

A rare species of sting ray, 2000-year-old coral and extinct underwater volcanoes are among hundreds of marine discoveries found 1.2 miles (2km) under the ocean by scientists off the coast of Australia.

Over 270 new marine species - including fish, crustaceans, molluscs, sponges and corals - and 80 previously unknown seamounts, or underwater mountains, were discovered in a marine park 100 nautical miles off the coast of Tasmania in the Southern Ocean.

Marine experts say the discoveries will rewrite scientific textbooks because of the importance of the findings, which shine a new light on what they say are some of the most biologically important oceanic habitats in the world.

Here are a couple photos. More can be found on the link above.

I present this without commentary. What could I possibly add to this?

This undated mug shot released by the Middletown, Ohio, police department shows Michelle Allen, 32. Allen was arrested Sept. 27, 2008 after she allegedly impeded traffic, urinated on a neighbor's porch and chased children while wearing a cow suit, according to a Middletown police report.(AP Photo/Middletown Ohio Police department via Dayton Daily News)

You always have to be on the lookout for snakes while walking through the brush that dots t he South Bay -- especially on hot days like today. They like to sun themselves on open pathways.

But snakes are quiet, sneaky and low to the ground. They're not always  easy to spot.

So this morning, me and the idiot dog were walking out on the trails in RPV when I looked down and noticed that Rocket was STANDING ON A SNAKE! He was standing right on top of its little snake body.

I yanked him hard and beat a hasty retreat into the other direction. The snake and the dog never seemed to notice each other.

Thank you Mr. Snake for not biting my dog. I owe you one.

Los Angeles city animal shelter workers and activists renewed their calls for the resignation of animal control manager Ed Boks at a hearing Tuesday night. A story in today's Daily News provides the recap.

Last month, a petition of no confidence was filed, with signatures from half the department's employees. From the Daily News story:

An estimated 200 animal shelter workers, activists and concerned residents packed the Tuesday evening Personnel Committee meeting at Van Nuys city Hall. (Capt. Keith Kramer of the department talks to Councilman Dennis Zine about the problems in photo above.)

The public forum was called by Zine, chairman of the committee, in response to workers' concerns ... "We just are trying to get to the bottom line of what's happening in the department," Zine said after the meeting.

On Thursday, Boks is scheduled to meet with officials from the mayor's office and shelter worker unions to plan how to address the concerns.

In a letter to employees Monday, Boks said he values employee input.

"It is important to me that we identify problems, confirm facts and resolve whatever differences may exist among us -- and that we continue to work as a team," wrote Boks, who didn't attend the meeting.

Critics charge that too many pets are being "warehoused" in the city's expanded shelter system. As a result, they say, dogs and cats attack one another, get sick and must ultimately be put down. Euthanasia is up 37 percent this year in the city.

A story about the hearing also ran in today's Los Angeles Times.

Photo by Gene Blevins/Daily News staff photographer 

Related posts: Countdown to Oct. 1;  LA Animal Shelter unrest; Spay and neuter efforts.

Forget the debates. Forget the polls.

For dog lovers, this is the most closely watched political decision of the season: -- What kind of dog will the Obama family choose? 

Well, we're still not sure about that.

But this much we do know as of this past weekend: Michelle Obama announced on Entertainment Tonight that the family will "adopt a rescue dog."

You may recall how the American Kennel Club rallied around the call last summer to find  just the right match for the Obama family as they prepare to pick out their first dog. After much begging from the kids, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama promised they would get a dog, win or lose, after election day.

There were allergy issues with Obama's two young daughters, so a vote conducted by the AKC concluded that a poodle would be the best choice. (Poodles, currently the eight most popular dog breed in the U.S., are good for people with pet allergies.)  

But the debate hardly ended there.

Enter the Best Friends Animal Society. Worried that the Obamas might wind up purchasing a puppy rather than adopting a dog from a shelter or rescue group, the organization launched the Obama family dog website along with a petition drive to encourage the Obamas to adopt their dog.

Whichever dog the Obamas choose to adopt, we wish the family many years of muddy paws, sloppy kisses and best-friend happiness.

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Of course, that being said, dogs threaten to make quite a mess of presidential decorum.

Check out this You Tube video of what happened when a couple of GOP candidate John McCain's (several) dogs decided to burst onto the scene uninvited -- right in the middle of an important sit-down interview at home.

Can anyone say awkward?

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I think we can safely say that no matter who wins this November, we'll at least have a dog (or dogs) in the White House. For better or worse. 

Woo-hoo!  And woof-woof!  Dogs rule. (Yeah, and cats too.) 

Related posts:

campaign silliness abounds; partisan dogs; the fun never stops;   red dog, blue dog; red bowl, blue bowl; campaign going to the dogs?

I received an urgent email today from Lisa Petrich of San Pedro.

Her neighbor, Mary, recently had to go into a care facility after falling and breaking her hip.

It appears Mary won't be able to care for her cat, Chester, in the future, so Lisa's trying to find a new home for Chester. The cat for now remains in Mary's home alone and is being fed and looked after by Lisa.

"He is desperate for some loving," Lisa writes. "Her family has put me in charge of finding him a home. I have put up fliers at Centinela Feed, Kelly's Korner in RHE and the Empty Saddle Club where I ride, but I need more help."

Here's Chester's info; contact Lisa at the email or phone # below if you can help: