Chicago Snow Dogs

February 5, 2011 - Chicago - While their human servants are busy digging out from this week's blizzard, dogs in Chicago are enjoying the white stuff. We all know that dogs love snow, and there is now plenty of it for them to romp around in. These canines, at Pratt Beach in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, were busy playing a game that only they understand. See more photos, of both the morning-after and today, at our online photo album. Click on the images below to enlarge them.

Dog Beach Afternoon

Chicago - It was a beautiful afternoon at the dog beach in Uptown, north of of Montrose Beach, in Lincoln Park.

Injured Dog Getting Better (Updated)

Happy Update! My friend's injured puppy, "Rock N Roll," is getting better. On July 16, the little guy was viciously attacked by a big dog and it looked grim for him. RNR's dad, Bill Morton, wrote this update to me: Rock N Roll is recovering and taking his first steps. Due to an enlarged heart, spinal surgery was a decided to be a final option. Rock N Roll is currently on anti-inflammatory medication and antibiotics. Pain relievers will be available to him as soon as tomorrow. We have a check up this Wednesday [July 21] at the vet. Read more about this at Bill's own blog, "Rogers Park in 1000 Words." Previously: July 16, 2010 - Friend and fellow blogger Bill Morton makes an urgent plea for help:

This afternoon my dog Rock N Roll was attacked by a large German shepard. Rock N Roll was grabbed by the neck and shaken. After the attack, Rock N. Roll lost the movement of his legs and he needs to be treated by a specialist for spinal injuries immediately to walk again. The hospital stated that every hour counts in this kind of situation.

Rock N Roll is currently at: VCA Misener-Holley Animal Hospital 1545 W. Devon Avenue Chicago, IL. 60660 773 743-3322 under the care of Medical Director, Katie Baldwin, DVM. The current estimate is $450.00 for the initial emergency treatment and it is estimated that the neurologist will cost several thousand dollars. Please call me immediately or contact the Animal Hospital directly to save Rock N. Roll. 773 824-7400. Thank you, Bill

Please Adopt Cato the Dog! (Updated)

UPDATED: I met a little dog named "Cato" at Rep. Harry Osterman's Furry Friends Summerfest in Edgewater and fell in love with him. He was up for adoption, but we're happy to report that he's found a good home... UPDATE: Laura wrote, "Tom, I just wanted to let me know that Cato found his forever home this week. He was adopted by a very sweet woman who will adore him. Thanks for taking interest in Cato and trying to find him his person." To help rescue more pets like Cato from Chicago Animal Care & Control, please consider fostering a cat or dog in your home, or making a donation to FCACC by contacting Kathy at kbwilson60612@yahoo.com. To see other pets for adoption, please visit http://www.petraits.petfinder.com/. Photo of Cato by Sheri of Petraits Pet Photography.

Videos Show Human-Dog Hybrid Eating Lunch!

Did scientists finally succeed in mixing humans and dogs? You be the judge.
Human Dog Hybrid Eats Its Lunch - Watch more Funny Videos Leave a Comment * Conservative T-Shirts * Follow CNB on Twitter * RSS Feed

Updated: Dog Meets Girl, Dog Gets Girl

India has a space program, did you know that? Even so, it's hard to find people who know how to read in many villages. It is apparently not unusual for Indians to marry dogs in weird rituals, usually to ward off evil spirits or change a streak of bad luck. Did you know that India has a space program? They do. Really. India: Woman marries snake, another marries dog FOXNews.com - Man in India Marries Dog... BBC NEWS South Asia Man 'marries' dog to beat curse Indian Girl Marries Dog In Bizarre Ritual Weird Asia News India is not the only place where this kind of thing happens. Similar weirdness in Great Britain and Oak Park, Illinois: Man bites dog? No, woman weds dolphin - Weird news- msnbc.com Dogs before gays? - The News Peg CNB RSS Feed

282 More Photographs

The Bench took over 40,000 photos in 2008. To be exact, 40,079. So, picking our favorites was a chore that took several weeks of selection and editing. Here is Part Two (of Three total), all in chronological order. Part Two, presented below as a slideshow, has 282 photos taken in March, April, May and June of 2008. (Also see Part One) Some of the things you will see in Part Two: Illinois Sec. of State Jesse White and his Tumblers, sunsets, sunrises, police in action, dogs and more dogs, beach scenes, anti-war protesters, a clown, Chicago City Council in action, a passed-out drunk, homeless people, tulips, an artist polluting our water supply, blighted commercial districts and more. Note: You can view the slideshow in autoplay, or you can click through it manually. You can turn captions on or off by clicking on the little caption icon in the lower left corner. You are also invited to go directly to our online album by clicking on this link. Enjoy. Subscribe to Chicago News Bench

Dog Owners Gone Bad

Craig Gernhardt's got a good (but disturbing) post about dogs and their owners. The dogs are ususally better behaved. I had the pleasure of spending some time with Craig the other day at Loyola Park and observed some very nice dogs and dog owners. (Photo: Craig with friends.) Craig points out today that not all humans are good custodians to our canine friends.

Excerpt:

The ambush dog owner was sitting on the bench talking with a couple of other non-leashed dog owners. Basically none of the dog owners had their dogs on the leash. The dog that got ambushed, yelped. The owner of the startled dog that got ambushed was startled too. This is where the disturbing part happens. WOOF...

Health Alert: Blastomycosis

I am writing about a serious and relatively rare fungal infection [blastomycosis] one of our dogs contracted. It might be a good idea to alert the neighborhood given that the fungus lives in the soil and can be contracted by people and animals. It is fatal if not treated and is difficult to diagnose.

The Bench note: Blastomycosis is a fungal infection that can be airborne, and contracted by inhalation.

Allegra, our 10.5 year old Newfoundland dog, got a tear on the pad of one of her paws at the end of Nov. The vet saw it and gave some ointment and said that it should heal within a week or so. It seemed to heal but by the end of Dec. the tear seemed to be back and was worse. We took her to the vet who determined that the tear was actually a tumor and it needed to be surgically removed (by amputating the entire toe). After running tests (foot and chest xrays, bloodwork, and a full exam), surgery was schedule for 4 days later. The day of the surgery the vet called to tell us that he could not operate because Alle's heart was acting up. Her heart rate was 300 (it should be closer to 100) and she had atrial fibrillation. Now we had another problem. We needed to treat her heart. She went on digoxin and a beta blocker. Meanwhile, the tumor was causing her great discomfort. She could barely walk, had to wear bandaging 24/7 which had to be changed every other day, and had to suffer us putting some kind of bootie on her sore paw just to go outside to do her business. We felt so helpless: the tumor shouldn't have been fatal but the heart problem prevented us from treating the tumor. Allegra was sleeping a lot but otherwise had a zest for life. She wanted to go on walks. She wanted to chase the cats. She wanted to run to the kitchen for treats. But the tumor was preventing her from movement. My gut said that the heart problem could be managed -- we couldn't know for how long -- but Alle wasn't ready to check out. I thought about it for a week or so and called the vet, insisting on a referral to the surgical hospital in Buffalo Grove . Perhaps someone there would be willing to remove the toe under a local anesthesia. We'd take the chance that we'd fix her paw but her heart would give out later. We got an appointment, Alle was examined, and the cardiologist on staff decided that her heart rate was now low enough (190) that they could risk surgery by sedating her and then giving her a twilight anesthesia that immobilized her but did not entirely knock her out. The vet ran a biopsy on the tumor at which point it was discovered that Alle has a serious fungal infection called blastomycosis. Blastomycosis (or blasto, as it is commonly referred to) is a fungal infection that is typically contracted through the soil by inhalation and is diagnosed through chest xrays showing lesions and/or under microscope by taking cells from skin lesions that often present. Alle had none of those symptoms, or other common symptoms such as coughing. Apparently blasto is difficult to diagnose because it can present as other problems such as a skin rash or weight loss. In Alle's case it's likely it would have continued to go undetected (and would have led to death) unless we forced the toe removal issue and the tumor was biopsied. We have no idea where or how Allegra contracted this and how it is that none of the other dogs did. Given the tumor on the paw pad, it's likely she stepped in it. Did she tear her paw and then get it or did she get it before and the tear was never really a tear but a blasto lesion that became a tumor? We can't know. It also can’t be known how long she has had the infection. The infection should not be contagious between Alle and other animals or us unless she develops lesions that ooze pus in which case we'll want to wear gloves when cleaning it and keep it bandaged so the other dogs don't come in contact with it. It is also remotely possible that the blasto could be causing the atrial fibrillation which would explain the sudden onset of heart problems (not there one day but present a few days later). Blasto has not been particularly common to Chicago . There is a blasto zone in WI and a few in Canada . It is also known to be present in the environment along the Ohio and Mississippi river valley areas and in some parts of IL. How is it that a dog that has not left the area in several years contracted it? Is blasto now present in Rogers Park? Or did Allegra pick it up at some other location in the metro area? Has it been introduced through soil matter brought in from other areas for landscaping and/or plant containers? Hard to know. The good news is that our vet has previously treated blasto successfully. The treatment involves heavy duty antibiotics, 100 mg. x 3 of itraconazole/day for 2 months. The drugs are very expensive. Allegra is not out of the woods but she’s not ready to quit the party quite yet either. Hopefully she will respond positively to the treatment. I share this with neighborhood residents because people can also contract blasto. If you, your children, or your pet have a weird illness, keep pushing for a diagnosis and do mention to your medic that blasto has presented in the neighborhood. If you have been in WI or near a lake or river system (the fungus likes sandy, acidic soil), tell the doctor or vet. Blasto is fatal if not treated but the recovery rate is high if caught early and treated aggressively.

Blastomycosis Blastomycosis is acquired via inhalation; Blastomycosis may coexist or mimic a bronchogenic carcinoma and tuberculosis.

Blastomycosis Blastomycosis is an uncommon, but potentially serious fungal infection.

No Pussies

Cats kill, you know. In fact, more mice and sparrows are killed every year by cats than by cigarettes. A developer has won resource consent to build 150 houses in the "green belt" that stops urban Auckland pushing further north, promising to ban cats and create public access to its remote coastal fringes. MORE...

Lawyer's Cache of Poop

News and Photographs Thomas J. Westgard Doesn't Want You To See. Which is why, you see, he deleted the following within the past 24 hours. He is referring to the mounds of poop on the public parkway in front of his office. TJ habitually lets his leash-free pit bull crap on the parkway, and then not pick it up. You don't have to be a genius to find this cached on Google. You'd think by now TJ would know about the caching feature. (See all of Westgard's cached poop!) Thursday, December 20, 2007 Poop Confession Okay, you caught me. You just don't know at what. It's true, I am responsible for the large piles of poop in front of my office. For the last several days, the guilt has been eating away at my soul, and I just have to confess. My heart has been torn out of my chest at the thought of my poor little dog being unfairly accused of leaving messes. He is not to blame - I am. You see, some strange impulse has taken over me this last month, and every morning at 3:20 a.m., I venture out into the parkway on Sheridan for my daily, um, bodily activity. Something about it just feels so right, so complete. I can't explain it - you just wouldn't understand. But, fear not, you are in no danger of stepping in dog poop. Please stop wrongfully blaming my dog. Those are piles of human excrement that Mannis has been poking through. It's true, and you can verify it. I promise I'll start eating more peanuts and maybe some corn, so that Jocelyn doesn't have to put her latex gloves on again... Posted by twestgard at 8:42 AM

No Leash, No Poop Pickup

This Rogers Park resident lets his pit bull crap on the public parkway - without a leash.

Here's the proof. These photos were taken at 1:00 p.m. today. But he does this nearly everyday. The short woman with him watched without objecting.

The scofflaw, rumored to be a local attorney or something, did not pick up the doggie doo doo. That is also his usual modus operandus.