1. An Australian shepherd called Viking has been crowned best in show at the 2024 Crufts dog show at the NEC in Birmingham. The three-year-old from Solihull beat 24,000 dogs from around the world to claim the show's top honour on Sunday. Viking, co-owned by Melanie Raymond, John Shaw and Kerry Kirtley, was the winner of the pastoral group earlier in the four-day show. Ms Raymond is a third generation dog breeder who lives just three miles from the showground, asked if he lived up to expectation, she said: "He did actually, I should never doubt him because he always gives me everything and you come in and he's like 'yep, come on let's do this'. "So he loves every minute of it." (via BBC)
2. On a property out of Tamworth in country New South Wales, the uncle of the Australian shepherd Viking – winner of the most prestigious title at the 2024 Crufts dog competition in the UK – is a champion in his own right. Bradley, who was born in Russia to the same litter as Viking’s mother, is nine years old and a semi-retired multi-champion of dog shows overseas and in Australia. Contrary to their name, Australian shepherds are not originally from Australia. It is widely believed they come from the US, where they were bred as sheepdogs to work on ranches, but other accounts suggest a more complicated lineage. Shirley and Jeff Ford are recorded as the first to reintroduce the breed to Australia in the 1990s, when they emigrated from England. By January 1994, the Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) officially recognised the Australian shepherd, which are now one of the largest in the working dog group. (via The Guardian)
3. In the mountains of Utah, the Rancho Luna Lobos race team is gearing up for its next competition as one of the top-ranked dog sled teams in the world. Each of the all-star canines is an underdog who has overcome significant challenges to reach their winning status. Most were abandoned or abused before being rescued by Fernando and Dana Ramirez, who helped them find new footing in life. The couple and their five children foster nearly 100 dogs on the 55-acre ranch, giving the pups a second chance at life and love. Fernando Ramirez began racing at just 8 years old alongside his rescue dog named Yellow, and sees his current life as an extension of those early years. (via CBS News)
4. The Iditarod, a 1,000-mile sled-dog race across Alaska, from Anchorage to Nome, is one of those iconic events that have of late come under scrutiny. Objectors complain that the race, conducted over mountains and frozen oceanscapes, is tantamount to cruelty toward animals. Lee Morgan, a veterinarian who has volunteered to care for the dogs of more than a dozen Iditarods, would beg to differ. “Four Thousand Paws” is his engaging account of the many years he has spent on the arduous trail. He puts to rest any argument about how inhumane the race is. From extensive prerace physical exams to almost-daily health checks, the dogs’ health and safety, Dr. Morgan makes clear, is the top concern of veterinarians and mushers alike. (via The Wall Street Journal)
5. If you have a dog, you’ll already know that your pup can make you wildly happy. But a new study says spending time with a dog can actually boost your brain – including improving your concentration and even your creativity. Many studies have investigated people’s mood and hormone levels while playing with a dog. Though not the first to do it, this new study went one step further, using electroencephalography (EEG) scans to record electrical activity in participants’ brains. The researchers discovered that the strength of the participants’ brain waves increased when they were interacting with the dog. What’s more, the benefits to the brain changed depending on what activity the human-dog duos were enjoying together. (via BBC Science Focus)
6. For five years, an elusive tormentor of animals hid from authorities in east Riverside County as 10 dogs were injured and another killed. The victims hailed from Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties, while the suspect maintained a strong alibi: It had never visited California. It took authorities years to discover the one key detail linking the abuser with those abused: time spent at the Colorado River at or near the California-Arizona border town of Blythe. That’s where professor Adler R. Dillman, chair of UC Riverside’s Department of Nematology (study of roundworms) and an expert on parasitology, and a team of researchers and students recently unmasked their culprit. A parasite called Heterobilharzia americana, a flatworm commonly referred to as liver fluke, was behind the illness of the 11 dogs. (via The Los Angeles Times)
7. Three well-trained border collies named Tab, Rue and Spot are paying their rent by helping Detroit assuage its ever-worsening geese problem. Geese overrun the city's parks, especially near the riverfront, leaving poop that harms water quality and makes for unpleasant experiences. To control the pestering birds, City Council approved an $86,000 contract this month with Detroit-based Goodbye Geese through the end of 2025. The city has been working with the company for more than five years. The dog-centric method for geese control is called hazing. Working dogs pressure geese — without harming them — into leaving a property and taking flight, says Gordon Ligon, founder of Goodbye Geese with his wife, Nicole Cross. (via Axios)
8. Sometimes you see them, while other times they are working behind the scenes. Airport security dogs play a vital role in maintaining the safety and security of airports everywhere, including at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. They have a remarkable sense of smell, allowing them to sniff out even the faintest traces of explosives, narcotics or other prohibited substances. “I like to say it takes about a year for you to really get to know your dog and for your dog to get comfortable with you too,” said Joe Bagnall, a canine handler with the Transportation Security Administration at Dulles Airport. Bagnall primarily handles a German shorthaired pointer. The dog, named Hulk, is trained to detect dozens of different scents related to explosives. (via WTOP News)
9. When the owners of two New York canine cafes announced they were closing last month, it was a shock to their customers. So much, in fact, they refused to accept it. “I knew people were going to be sad, I knew I was going to hear some nice things about the cafe, but I didn’t realize that people were going to mobilize to change the outcome,” said Logan Mikhly, who founded Boris & Horton with her father, Coppy Holzman, in 2018. Gerzog, a social media marketer, often works remotely at the cafe. She knew other New Yorkers felt the same. So Gerzog started a GoFundMe campaign to save the small business. In only a few days, more than $20,000 poured in. With that in mind, Mikhly and her father started their own fundraising effort and drew in more than $250,000 — all from individuals. “We’re so, so grateful,” said Mikhly, adding that they temporarily closed both cafes for repairs and upgrades. Both Boris & Horton locations reopened Monday. (via The Washington Post)
10. We close this week’s newsletter with a special contribution by acclaimed author and journalist (and DNI reader!), Jill Abramson: Only four months after my daughter married her husband Rob, a young surgeon, he was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor.
After surviving a difficult operation, he faced months of recovery. We thought the perfect therapy for him during this challenging time would be, naturally, a puppy. And that's how Magic, a wonderful three-month old Golden Retriever, came into our lives.
You can put away the Kleenex. Rob, my son-in-law--and Magic-- are still very much with us ten years later. Both of them are cancer-free. We just celebrated Magic turning ten and Rob forty.
I racked my brain about what to give Rob for this big birthday, one he thought he would never see. Then it hit me. Rob thinks Magic and the care she needed from him when she was a pup, are what saved him and forced him to recover.
So, for his birthday, what better gift than to have Magic's portrait painted for him?
Through our groomer, I found Michele Trifiro, the Da Vinci of dog painters. After visiting her website, micheletifero.com, I instantly recognized talent. She seemed to capture the personality of the dogs she painted as well as their likeness. I emailed her and we quickly struck a deal.
My daughter and I sent Michele our three favorite pictures of Magic and we settled on one where she appears to be smiling, her eyes shining.
Two weeks later, in time for Rob's birthday, I drove to Concord, Mass. to pick up the painting and meet Michele.
Over a quick lunch, I learned that Michele, an amiable and interesting woman, used to show dogs, Afghans, but stopped after the death of her partner. As part of her grief therapy, she started painting dogs and discovered her new passion. Then, she made it her profession.
After lunch, we took the portrait of Magic out of her car. Peeking inside the box, I was thrilled to see that Michele had captured Magic's essence--her loving, affectionate personality, perfectly. I would put the quality of the painting on a par with those produced by other great dog painters including my favorite, former President George W. Bush (he is certainly not my favorite President, but I'm a huge fan of his post-Presidency and his art).
Great art, including Magic's painting, does not come cheap. Michele's prices range $6-$10 a square inch. We splurged and ordered 12X16. After all, the occasion--Rob's 40th--was not only big but also, frankly, unexpected.
Now, Magic's happy face looks out on us from a dining room wall. This is her rightful place, after all. It's where, from under the table, she begs for her favorite thing in life----food.
To commission a custom portrait, please contact Michele Trifero: looselead@aol.com
Dog Photo of the Week
Photo by Holly Andres, “My Goldendoodle Spent a Week at Some Luxury Dog ‘Hotels.’ I Tagged Along” (via The New York Times)
Dog Video of the Week
Video by Crufts, “Incredible Afghan Hound WOWs The Crowd”.
I particularly like this issue of Dog News Items.