| Good dogs get good homes
Brody, an adolescent yellow Labrador retriever, has his chestnut-colored eyes fixed on a tennis ball in Richard Claus' hand. The fluorescent yellow ball calls to the dog, and he's crazy with excitement to squeeze it in his mouth. His tail thumps and whisks side to side as he shifts forward ever so slightly in full-body anticipation of getting some fuzzy felt and rubber to gum. But Brody doesn't bark. And while he's struggling to retain self-control, he doesn't jump up and paw at Willamette Humane Society volunteer Claus' thighs, nor does he drool on his shoes. Instead, the dog waits patiently for the man's appropriate command and continues to model a new training program begun at the shelter in February. The program is called Open Paw, and it was founded in California in 2000 by animal behaviorist Kelly Gorman and her husband, veterinarian Ian Dunbar.
Snakes not charming to dogs
This is the most dangerous time of year for dog owners who love to take their dogs for hikes on secluded trails or gun dog owners whose pet is also their hunting companion. It's rattlesnake time, when rattlers are showing more and more as the weather heats up. And any dog owner who has ever paid a veterinarian bill for a rattlesnake-bitten dog knows this can also be a costly time of year. Vet bills can run between $700 and $2,000 for a snake bite. "Dogs need to know that if they see a snake, it can hurt them," said Tracy Jenson-Presson, who trains both pets and hunting dogs on her High On Kennels in Mesa Grande and specializes in snake-avoidance training. "It's a conditioned response, and they can be conditioned to avoid snakes." Jenson-Presson uses live rattlesnakes in her training sessions.
Police Dog Suspended After Biting Dispatcher
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. -- A prominent member of the North Andover police force has been suspended, though the department did not take away a gun or a badge. The department's police dog, Kyzer, bit a police dispatcher for no apparent reason. Kyzer bolted from his handler, Sgt. Chuck Gray, and attacked dispatcher Nathan Kenney. The dog could be sent for retraining. Or nothing could happen to the dog, if it's found to have been acting according to its training. Kenney was treated at Lawrence General Hospital for a minor bite and was released. He was placed on injury leave with a sore arm. Gray told the Eagle Tribune newspaper that the dog is "more social'' than his previous canine partner. .
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