Posted: August 7, 2009, 5 a.m. EDT
Making a Federal Case Out of a Dog Park
In an era when dog whisperers tout the benefits of socializing dogs with other dogs, leash-free areas are the stuff of many a municipal agenda, often not without controversy. But here in the highlands of a Massachusetts suburb, the radical tenor of the anti-dog park campaign has taken many by surprise, the Boston Globe reports.
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Dog Suspected Source of China Plague
A dog is suspected to be the origin of an outbreak of pneumonic plague in northwest China that has killed three people and left 10,000 under strict quarantine, state media reported. Ziketan, a remote town in a Tibetan area of Qinghai province, has been locked down since Saturday in an effort to contain the spread of the highly virulent disease, AFP reports.
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‘Dog Lard Sale’ Probed in Poland
Polish police are questioning a woman suspected of fattening up dogs and slaughtering them to sell the lard as a health supplement, reports say. The police said 28 well-fed dogs, including Saint Bernards and puppies, were found in cages on a farm, along with bottles of lard, BBC News reports.
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Dog Collar ‘Translates’ Dog Barks
Later this month, TakaraTomy, a Japanese toy company, will release in Japan the Bowlingual Voice dog collar. The device includes a microphone worn around a dog's neck and a separate digital reader that – the company says – translates barks into one of six emotional states: happy, sad, frustrated, threatening, needy or assertive, ABC News reports.
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