Oldest Living Pup Retakes Title, California’s New Canine Protection Laws, R.I.P. Eclipse the Bus-Riding Dog, and More!
TobyKeith, a 21-year-old Chihuahua from Florida, is once again the world's oldest living dog, according to Guinness World Records. photo: Gisela Shore
Déjà Vu All Over Again: Florida Pup Retakes Title as Oldest Living Dog
Tobykeith, a 21-year-old Chihuahua from the Sunshine State, has recaptured the title of World’s Oldest Living Dog, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The diminutive champ, who’s named after country singer Toby Keith (minus the space), had been briefly deposed by Pebbles, a Toy Fox Terrier who died October 3rd, a few months shy of her 23rd birthday.
In fact, Tobykeith had already scored the title when Pebbles’s humans heard the news and realized that their dog was actually eight months older. They quickly contacted Guinness, which ruled in their favor last May, giving Pebbles several months of bragging rights before her passing when the crown officially reverted to Tobykeith (that is, unless any Bay Woof readers can prove they have a dog born before January 9, 2001).
But Tobykeith still has a way to go to beat the official oldest dog ever. That honor belongs to an Australian Cattle Dog named Bluey who died in 1939 at the miraculous age of 29 years and 5 months. If only all our pups could stay with us that long.
Sources: apple.news, usatoday.com, simplemost.com
A Vermont woman's Jack Russell Terrier helped stop a black bear that was biting her on a trail on her property, according to state wildlife officials. photo: Getty Images
Legal Beagles: California Leads the Way with New Dog Protection Laws
Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a passel of new laws increasing protections for California canines (okay cats, too – he’s a politician after all).
The PET Act (SB 879) prohibits toxicity testing on dogs and cats for pesticides, chemical substances, and other products, though it includes exemptions for products intended for use in dogs or cats, including medical treatments. While it doesn’t impact federally required testing, the new law makes California the first state in the nation to adopt such protections, earning plaudits from the Humane Society.
The gov also signed AB 1648, which requires kennel owners to create a natural disaster evacuation plan as a condition for a kennel license or permit, an increasingly important safeguard as California reels from climate change; and AB 1290, which clarifies that stealing or taking someone else’s companion animal is indeed theft (for tips on proving your pet is yours, see “You Belong To Me” in last month’s issue).
Finally, the governor signed SB 774, which will help facilitate the emotional support dog certification process for people experiencing homelessness, as well as AB 2723, which expands microchip registration requirements for dogs and cats to aid in the return of lost pets and to discourage the theft of our furry friends.
To the state leaders and everyday citizens who championed these important new laws, Bay Woof sends a big bark of thanks and an extra sloppy dog kiss.
Sources: gov.ca.gov, nbcnews.com
Eclipse looked out the window to know where to get off the bus. photo: Jeff Young
Last Ride: R.I.P. Eclipse, Prominent Canine Bus Patron
Eclipse, a Seattle-area dog who became famous for riding the city bus by herself, died peacefully in her sleep last month at the age of 10. The beefy black Lab first started taking the bus alone in 2015 when her human Jeff Young didn’t finish his cigarette in time and Eclipse decided to hop on board without him. Soon after, she began regularly taking the bus from the stop in front of their house to the local dog park, a few stops down the line.
“She gets on the bus without me and I catch up with her at the dog park,” Young told a local news station at the time. According to fellow passengers, the bus drivers recognized Eclipse and the dog always knew where to get off by looking out the window.
King County Metro soon embraced its famous canine rider and even made a music video celebrating Eclipse’s support of public transportation.
The transit service observed her passing with a touching Twitter tribute: “Eclipse was a super sweet, world-famous, bus-riding dog and true Seattle icon. You brought joy and happiness to everyone and showed us all that good dogs belong on the bus. Rest in peace, Eclipse. Thank you for bringing us so many smiles.”
Source: npr.org
We already knew that dogs can detect stress. photo: AdobeStock
Tell Us Something We Don’t Know: Dogs Can Detect Stress - and Knock It Out!
Two recent studies have confirmed the lived experience of many dog lovers: that dogs can detect stress in humans – and that petting our furry friends reduces it.
The first study, from Queen’s University in Belfast, found that dogs can identify stress in human sweat and breath. Researchers collected samples of each from human study participants before and after they performed difficult math problems that raised their blood pressure and heart rates, then presented the samples to a panel of trained canine super sniffers. In every test session, the dogs were able to correctly identify the samples taken when the humans were stressed after doing hard math problems, as opposed to the samples taken before when they were relaxed.
The second study, conducted at Switzerland’s University of Basel, found that viewing, feeling, and touching real dogs led to higher levels of activity in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that helps people regulate and process social and emotional interactions.
Results showed that brain activity was highest when the human participants actively petted the dogs (as opposed to sitting with them against their legs, for example). Brain activity did not increase when human participants petted a fake stuffed animal, even one weighted with a hot water bottle to replicate the weight and temperature of a real dog.
Both studies shed more light on the human-dog relationship and add to the body of knowledge about how dogs can benefit us psychologically. But, of course, if you’re a dog lover, you don't need a study to tell you that.
Sources: sciencedaily.com, sciencedaily.com
“Man Bites Dog” is shorthand for an unusual event. photo: houzz.com
Nipping News: Man Bites Dog!
You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘man bites dog’ before. If not, it’s journalistic shorthand for the fact that an unusual event (a man biting a dog) is more likely to make the news than an everyday one (a dog biting a man).
Well, it’s finally happened. Police in the German town of Ginsheim-Gustavsburg recently reported that a 29-year-old man did, in fact, bite a police dog. The incident took place in the course of an arrest that involved three inebriated people behaving in an “extremely aggressive and uncooperative fashion.”
Fortunately, the drunk dude’s chomp was no match for the dog’s thick fur and the canine officer emerged unharmed. As for the biter, he was detained with his friends and spent the rest of the night in the local jail, sobering up and, presumably, picking dog hair out of his teeth.
Source: apnews.com