There are many victims of domestic violence, including pets, who are often caught in the crossfire and wind up either victims of abuse at the hands of the domestic abuser, or used as pawns to keep victims from leaving.

It may sound incredible to some people, but there are many women who will not leave an abusive situation if they can’t stay somewhere that allows animals–and most shelters do not. (You would have to drag me kicking and screaming from my dog and cats, so I sympathize.)

According to American Humane, 71% of pet-owning women entering women’s shelters reported that their batterer had injured, maimed, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or to psychologically control victims; 68% of battered women reported violence towards their animals, 87% of these incidents occurred in the presence of the women, and 75% in the presence of the children, to psychologically control and coerce them; 13% of intentional animal abuse cases involve domestic violence; and between 25% and 40% of battered women are unable to escape abusive situations because they worry about what will happen to their pets or livestock should they leave.

Battered women have even been known to live in their cars with their pets for as long as four months until an opening was available at a pet-friendly safe house.

Fortunately, many women’s shelters are establishing “safe haven” foster care programs for the animal victims of domestic violence–some women’s shelters are even building kennels at their facilities.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, three states — Maine, New York and Vermont — have already enacted laws permitting family pets to be included in protective court orders involving cases of domestic violence. Such court orders are meant to shield animals as well as spouses and domestic partners from abusers. An additional 12 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey,  Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia, have considered “pet protection” legislation.

With over 100 safe haven programs currently operating today in the U.S., many victims no longer have to choose between their safety and their pets.

One of my husband’s biggest issues with getting a dog was the fact that said dog would inevitably “burn” our back yard when it went potty.

Urine contains excess nitrogen resulting from the natural metabolism of protein in the body. And dogs, especially females, urinate anywhere and usually all at once, often causing dead brown patches or lawn burn.

So I did some research and found that there are many products available to fight the burn.

Among the products is Nutri-Vet Grass Guard, which neutralizes the potential for high pH (alkaline) urine that can damage grass. It’s available in a wafer and a soft chew.

Luckily, because I’m home with our dog all day, most of the time I can take her on a walk to go to the bathroom, so I have the ability to ensure she’s not marking the same spots over and over. And when she does, I simply dilute the area with water from our hose.

For those who aren’t home to monitor potty breaks all day, especially those who have doggie doors that allow pooches to relieve themselves whenever they wantto, Nutri-Vet Grass Guard should help keep lawns in the green.

It’s not often that something free has the potential to save a loved one’s life. But leave it to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to come up with something!

Click here to sign up for a sticker that lets people who need to know (firefighters, police, rescue workers, etc.) know pets are in your home. Place the sticker in a visible place and be sure to include the types and number of pets in your household, the name of your veterinarian and your veterinarian’s phone number.

For more disaster preparedness tips, click here.

It’s bad enough to go on vacation with your family and come home to find your home has been broken in to. Now imagine that the robbers also harm your pets before or after they take all of your worldly possessions.

That’s exactly what happened to a family in the Salt Lake City area earlier this month.

Salt Lake County Sheriff’s deputies say robbers broke into a Riverton home while the family was on vacation.  When they got home, the owners found their 13-pound dog, Ranger, in a pool of blood. Ranger had been severely beaten and had a fractured skull.

The Humane Society of Utah stepped in to offer a $5,000 reward to anyone with information on the crime (anyone with information about the incident is directed to call HSU Chief Investigator John Paul Fox at 261-2919, ext. 210).

In addition, the Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah is also offering a $2,000 reward, and there’s also a fund to help pay for Ranger’s medical bills.  Those wanting to help with Ranger’s hospital bills can donate to the “Ranger Fund” c/o the Humane Society of Utah, P.O. Box 573659, Salt Lake City, UT 84157, or at the Humane Society offices at 4242 S. 300 West, Murray.

Ranger has since returned home and is expected to make a recovery, but unfortunately the robbers are still at large.

We have a joke in our house that our dog, Greta, isn’t the brightest bulb because she often does silly things. But is that her personality, or is she really a bit of an airhead?

According to Stanley Coren, psychology professor at the University of British Columbia and a best-selling author of The Intelligence of Dogs, dogs display intelligence by reading social cues, learning new tasks, understanding language and solving problems.

Here’s what the experts say you can do if you’re curious about your dog’s IQ.

Problem Solving:
Hide something your dog loves underneath a sofa, and see if it can figure out how to retrieve the object. Score five points for getting the item with its paws in less than 30 seconds; four points if it uses paws and takes more than 30 seconds; three if it uses paws but fails; two if it uses its head but doesn’t try paws, and one point for dogs that try to use their head but then give up. It gets no points if it does nothing.

Learning Rate:
How many times do you have to repeat a task with your dog before he/she masters it? Try the detour-taking test. Find a fence that your dog can see through with a gate open at one end. With you on the other side of the fence, call your dog and see whether it can figure out how to get around to the other side. Score five points if it goes around the fence in a minute or less; four points if it succeeds right away after you take a few steps in that direction and gesture; three if it succeeds in 30 seconds after the prompts; two if it succeeds between 30-60 seconds after prompts, and one if it succeeds but requires even more prompting and time than that.

Social Cues:
Try the smile test to see how smart your dog is at picking up social cues from humans. Start with your pet sitting a few yards away from you. Stare at your pet’s face. Once you make eye contact, count to three and then smile very broadly. Score five points for coming to you with its tail wagging; four points for coming part way; three points for standing or rising; two points for moving; and one if he/she pays no attention at all.

Inference Challenge:
In this version of the shell game, with your dog on a leash or in the stay position, use treats and two different bowls set a few feet apart. Smear the treat on both bowls. Then very dramatically put the treat underneath one bowl. Release your pet and see what happens. Repeat this 10 times changing which bowl you put the treat under. Repeat another 10 times without letting your dog see where you’re stashing the treat, but DO let the pup see you enthusiastically lift the other bowl up each time. Score five points if the dog goes to the correct bowl and gets the treat each time; four points if it masters the first 10 and improves over the course of the second 10; three if the first set is perfect but not the second set; two if the dog improves during the first and second rounds; and one if the dog is initially not very good but improves over the first round and completes the second round by going to the bowl you lifted.

Language Comprehension:
Start with your dog sitting in front of you. Using the tone of voice you use to call your dog’s name, call “refrigerator.” Try this again, calling “movies.” Score five points if the dog doesn’t respond to those words but comes after you call its name; four points if the dog comes the second time you call its name; three if the dog starts to come; two if the dog comes to “movies” but not “refrigerator”; and one if the dog simply doesn’t come to any of the calls.

Your Dog’s Score
Gifted and Talented (25-31)
Clever Canine (18-25)
Sharp, But Slow (10-18)
Doggie Dropout (Less than 10)

Greta scored in the (low) “clever” range. How smart is your dog?

When people say fashion has gone to the dogs, they are right on the money, as August 23 and 24 is New York Pet Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building, 125-135 West 18th Steet in New York City.

The show’s mission is to create an inspiring and unique tradeshow venue for national and international pet lifestyle exhibitors and buyers.

The following product categories are represented:

• Fashion, Jewelry and Accessories
• Collars and Leashes
• Toys
• Foods and Treats
• Bedding
• Fragrances
• Grooming Products
• Health Products
• Specialty Items

Pet Fashion Week is not only a trade show but also a designer platform. The designer platform objective is to nurture the development of new ideas and innovation in the pet industry and features multiple design awards, special events and runway shows. The show provides a high-profile environment in which upcoming designers are being presented alongside established ones in front of a high concentration of international media and buyers.

Those of you in the area planning to attend the show, take note–I am jealous!

For more information, click here.

If you’re like me, you probably wonder just what your dog does all day when you’re not around. Sure, the evidence is probably waiting for you when you get home–a chewed up magazine or book, a pillow or blanket pulled to the floor. But between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (or whenever you’re away), surely there’s more going on than meets the eye.

That’s where the Panasonic PetCam comes in to play.

Panasonic Network Cameras allow you to watch via a secure browser window on your desktop, laptop, PDA or cell phone, so you can see what your pet does when you’re not around.

Easy installation allows PetCam to be placed anywhere in your home, automatically detected by your home network and viewed on your PC without any additional software. A camera specific URL lets you view and operate the camera from any location on a PC or compatible cell phone from work, while on vacation or just out on the go.

The cameras are relatively cheap (the model above runs about $85), and allow for peace of mind, or at least the ability to solve the mystery of how the dog manages to turn on the TV when you’re not home. 

The recently released Dog Heroes of September 11th is the first major publication to salute the canines that served the nation in the recovery missions following the terrorists’ attacks on America. The book provides an excellent overview of the mission and requirements of these search and rescue dogs and serves as a lasting tribute to these noble American heroes.

In addition to purchasing the book, there’s another way to recognize four-legged heroes. Nutro Natural Choice dog food is sponsoring a contest to elect a canine search team to represent the face of the Natural Choice Brand.

The candidates are:

Annie, a Yellow Lab who came to Search Dog Foundation and was eventually paired with firefighter Shani Richeson with the Sacramento Metro Fire Department in November 2007.

Mace, s Yellow Lab from Fremont, California, who was found tied him to a railroad track, sprayed with mace and left to die. He was found and taken to an animal shelter, where he was scheduled to be euthanized. Mace was rescued by one of SDF’s firefighters and renamed Ace. By the end of six months of training, he was partnered with Teresa Ortenberger with California Task Force 7. Teresa and Ace eventually achieved FEMA Certification together. In September of 2005 they were deployed to Hurricane Katrina.

Rob Cima, a fellow SDF handler and Assistant Fire Chief with El Dorado County Fire near Sacramento, lost his Search Dog Harley to cancer in November of 2006. Teresa had two certified dogs (Ace and Remi), and out of respect and admiration for Rob, decided to give Ace to him. They were an excellent match, and in March of 2007, Rob and Ace achieved FEMA Advanced Certification.

Jester, an Aussie-border collie mix, is now paired with Davis Doty of Yorba Linda, CA, working with California Task Force 5 in Orange County. They are currently training for FEMA Certification.

Cast your vote here.

The next time I’m in Healdsburg, Calif., I am making a point to stop by Mutt Lynch Winery.

Owners Brenda and Chris Lynch started the winery in 1995, and as if their company name isn’t enough, they also care for Patch, a rescue ex-racing Greyhound from New Zealand.

Mutt Lynch Winery sources its grapes from several vineyards that neighbor their winery in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County:

• Perotti Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley (owned by Bruce and Ed Perotti) produces varietals for the Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah.
• Unti Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley (owned by George Unti) produces varietals for the Syrah, and Petite Sirah.
• Stryker Estate Vineyard in Alexander Valley (owned by Pat Stryker) produces varietals for the Merlot.
• Stone Vineyard in Alexander Valley (owned by Jim Furlong) produces varietals for the Carignane.

I already have my eye on this wine, and not just because the bottle label is so darn cute!

Hubka’s police dog, Forrest, a five-year-old Belgian Malinois, died after Hubka left it for hours in his police car outside his home on a day when the temperature exceeded 100 degrees. A necropsy determined that the dog had died of heat stroke.

Hubka faces a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a fine if convicted. He is to be arraigned in Superior Court on Aug. 28. After his dog’s death, he was assigned to desk duty.

Maybe Hubka should read this while sitting in a hot car all day and see how he feels.

Keep up on the latest on this horrific story here and follow the case here. And hope that Hubka is held accountable.