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The skinny

By TIMES WIRES
Published March 30, 2007

Puppy power:

A skinny special report

Today we feature nothing but news about a human's best friend.

Scooby is from Utah, but heart is with Gators

The outlook for Scooby was bleak. The 6-year-old black Lab from West Jordan, Utah, below, was fainting from a heart blockage and likely had only weeks to live. Then Gary Anthon, Scooby's human, heard about a study at the University of Florida where they were fitting dogs with poochie pacemakers. So they cashed in frequent flier miles and flew to Gainesville. Since it's a study, the parts and labor are free and the Anthon family just has to spring for regular trips to Florida over the course of the next 18 months. "It's worth it," Anthon said. A healthy dog and trips to Florida? Of course it is. The study will help assess issues with human tickers.

Recalled food bad for humans, too

Elaine Larabie of Ottawa wanted to persuade her dog to eat a new kind of dog food, and tried to do it by eating a little of it herself. Boy, did she pick the worst time to do that. Yes, the food was one of the kinds that was recalled because it had rat poison in it. "I said, 'It's not going to kill me to take a little bite' ... but I guess it could have," Larabie told Canada's National Post. Missy, the 1-year-old puppy, needed vet care, but will be fine. Larabie started foaming at the mouth and had to be euthanized ... just kidding. She really did have some foaming at the mouth, among other symptoms, but she'll be fine. She's considering legal action. But who isn't?

Toby saves the day with the Heimlich

Debbie Parkhurst of Calvert, Md., had a totally different dining experience with her pup, Toby, above. Seems Parkhurst was eating an apple at home when a piece became lodged in her throat. Then the 2-year-old golden retriever sprang into action, pushing Parkhurst to the ground and jumping on her chest in a modified canine Heimlich maneuver. It worked. "I have pawprint-shaped bruises on my chest. I'm still a little hoarse, but otherwise, I'm okay," Parkhurst told the Cecil Whig. She isn't suing anyone.

Stud service is a tough occupation

The Chendu Evening News reports on an altogether different kind of dog story. Seems a woman named Wang - we sometimes embellish, but we never make anything up - had a lucrative business sending her very attractive and strong dog out to owners of female dogs who were interested in producing attractive and strong puppies. For the service, Wang got about $128 per session. To increase the number of sessions Fido could perform, she gave him Viagra. After a day with three sessions, he was so tired he had to be taken to the vet, and was given an IV to help him recover.

Compiled from Times wires and other sources by staff writer Jim Webster.

[Last modified March 30, 2007, 01:27:11]