8th Annual Desert Museum Butterfly Festival: Sept 27-28, 2008

8th Annual Desert Museum Butterfly Festival & Plant Sale!
September 27 & 28, 2008

Delight in the Beauty of Butterflies at the Desert Museum Butterfly Festival and Plant Sale

Come check out the Butterfly Festival! There are a lot of fun activities for the entire family. Spend the day at the Museum learning about these 'jewels of the air'. There will be butterfly walks, a plant sale, children's activities and gardening classes happening throughout the day.

More details...

Doberman Service Dogs in WW2

Dobermans have served our country as soldiers and saved thousands of lives.

Not a single platoon with Dobermans was ever caught by surprise and ambushed.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/7109/wardogs.html

http://www.uswardogs.org/id187.html

http://www.doberman.ws/ww2.php

The Doberman is valuable to Military and police organizations, they have advantages over other working type breeds. And they are still used by many service organizations.

"War dog"

Tucson Greyhound Park

STOMPING GROUNDS: Tucson Greyhound Park

Posted by College Publication at Thursday, September 18, 2008 By Deana Pruitt
Pima Community College Aztec Press



Matthew Henry, Aztec Press

Greyhounds burst out of the starting gates.

Bats and Music Under a Tucson Bridge

Bat Country Under Tucson Bridges!

by FrankHarris on 09/18/08 at 7:44 pm

I have to say, it was just a series of little pink signs with clever rhymes, but seeing them day by day up and down Campbell Avenue definitely did a good job of intriguing me. I’d long seen bats flitting around at twilight in my neighborhood, and had wondered where it was they might sleep during the day. I definitely hadn’t been able to imagine any caves within the city, and I didn’t think they’d fly so far as to come from open desert…but under any of the bridges crossing the Rillito River? There was only one way to find out, and that was to attend Bat Night!

Tucson's Hummingbird Feeder Bats Movie

Some of the most unusual visitors to Tucson, Arizona hummingbird feeders are bats

watch the video here:

http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2008/09/18/tucsons-hummingbird-feeder-bats-movie/

Doberman Rescue of Arizona

Doberman Rescue of Arizona
Dorothy Lechuga, 2618 E. Sweetwater Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85032 480-951-1155

Selectmen order doberman banished or euthanized

Selectmen order doberman banished or euthanized
September 11, 2008 2:35 PM


By CINDY DOW
Associate Editor

LAKEVILLE — After a public hearing Monday night describing an attack on a neighbor's dog, the Board of Selectmen gave Ronald Brown and Darlene Costa-Brown a choice: surrender their five-year-old Doberman Pinscher, Drake, to Doberman Rescue and have him removed from town, or the dog will be euthanized.

"Send the dog over to the dog officer, at the shelter. He'll contact Doberman Rescue; if they don't want him, he'll be euthanized," Chairman of Selectmen Charles Evirs said.

The board also ordered measures to ensure that Brandy, a second Doberman owned by the Browns that was not believed to be involved in the attack, would not be able to escape from the fenced in yard.

The hearing is the first time in recent years that a dog has been ordered out of town or destroyed. Recent vicious dog hearings involving dog attacks on other dogs include Fatboy, an English Bulldog who attacked a neighborhood dog who was being walked on a leash in January. Fatboy was ordered to wear a muzzle while off of his property and take obedience training, with the muzzle order to be reconsidered once the training had been completed.

Another dog, a Great Dane owned by Keith Boucher, of Laurel Street, has been before the selectmen twice in the past year for attacking other dogs. In December, the board ordered a fence adequate to contain the dog constructed around the property. Until the fence was built, the dog was to be on a run and muzzled any time she was out of the house.

In May, a second hearing was held to address another attack, and the board learned that Mr. Boucher had not fulfilled the terms of the previous order. At that time the board ordered the dog "permanently restrained," ordered Mr. Boucher to construct a 20 foot by 20 foot kennel six feet high to contain the dog, requiring that the dog be on a run or chain and muzzled until the kennel was constructed, and to and from the kennel once it was constructed. Mr. Boucher was alerted that, "if another incident occurs with your dog, the selectmen will order that the dog be removed from the town of Lakeville and you will be fined $100."

The euthanasia order was a result of an attack on a North Precinct Street neighbor's miniature schnauzer August 21. Thomas Furlong said he took his two small dogs for a walk around 6:45 a.m., but noticed the Brown's two Dobermans loose down the street. He turned to return to his house, but one of the Dobermans ran "about 100 yards" toward them and attacked the schnauzer.

The schnauzer received eight bite wounds and had to undergo emergency surgery at Tufts Veterinary Hospital. Veterinary bills to date have totaled $4,597.

Mr. Furlong said he went to see the Browns the night of the attack. The Browns expressed their concern and offered immediately to pay the veterinary bill.

"My husband made an honest mistake, he left the gate open, and the dogs were out on the morning of August 21," Ms. Costa-Brown said. "When I noticed the dogs were out of the yard, I called them and they came"¦I was not aware at this time that anything had happened"¦we do not know what happened. We do not know if this incident was unprovoked, we were not present. Did the dogs bark at each other? Was there some sort of aggression on the part of the dogs? We don't know. All my husband and I know is that two dogs were in a fight."

Within days the Browns began installing a six-foot high stockade fence around the front and side of the yard, which had previously had kennel fencing around it. Ms. Brown said they did this because Mr. Furlong expressed his fear of walking past the house after the attack on his dog. They also installed an auto-latching gate to prevent a similar incident from occurring again. The Browns have already paid the initial veterinary bill of $2879.

The Browns adopted Drake from Doberman Rescue three years ago, when he was two. They also have a female, Brandy, who is three. There have not been any documented complaints about either of the dogs prior to this incident.

Mr. Furlong said that he delivered letters to 48 homes in the neighborhood to tell neighbors about the attack, and then met with 27 families to ask support before the Board of Selectmen for the dog hearing Monday night. About a dozen emails and letters were sent to the board, expressing fear of another incident and requesting that the dog be put down.

"My wife, Barbara, and I respectfully request that the Board of Selectmen, that you order humane euthanization soon, so that a child, an adult, or a family pet is not slaughtered, or maimed, or killed," Mr. Furlong said.

Neighbors crowding the room argued that human error cannot be ruled out in the future, and that once a dog attacks, it will do so again. They expressed fear for their children's and pets' safety if the dog was allowed to remain in its home.

Ms. Brown said she and her husband are responsible dog owners, and suggested that the additional measures they have taken would ensure the safety of the neighborhood. They do not feel that the dog is a danger.

"While I completely understand Mr. and Mrs. Furlong are frightened and upset"¦I don't think one honest mistake warrants death," Ms. Brown said.

Due to potential conflict of interest from the Furlong's house being listed for sale with the real estate company Selectman Derek Maksy's wife works with, Mr. Maksy recused himself from the discussion, leaving Mr. Evirs and Ms. Yeatts to determine sentencing.

Ms. Yeatts was not comfortable sentencing the dog to death. She suggested finding a way to get the dog out of town, but Mr. Evirs did not want to give a problem dog to another town. After determining to send the dog to the rescue organization, which will have record of the attack and take that into consideration when adopting the animal out again, the two turned their attention to the remaining Doberman in the Brown's home.

Mr. Furlong had explained that the second Doberman had not participated in the attack, but had held back toward its own property. Ms. Brown said the female dog was timid, which was a primary reason she believed the male to have been the one involved in the fight.

The board ordered that the automatically latching gate, which currently swings out of the yard, be changed so that it swings into the fenced area, to prevent the dog from being able to accidentally push the gate open if the latch were to fail. Selectmen also ordered the dog to either wear a muzzle, be on a run, or in a kennel inside of the fenced area, in order to have a "second layer of insurance" against another incident.

The Browns surrendered Drake Monday night after the hearing, and waived the ten-day appeal period. Doberman Rescue was to have picked the dog up from the shelter yesterday.

When questioned about the apparent arbitrary manner if which dogs are sentenced, Ms. Yeatts agreed that there did not seem to be a standard the board uses to determine how to decide a case.

"I can't disagree — I find it really hard. I know we're the executive board, but now we also have to be experts on dog hearings, and what to do if there's a problem," she said. "Maybe this is the beginning of setting a standard. I think we have been way too lenient in the past."

Copyright © 1995-2008 South Coast Media Group

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/...UB04/809110452

We Started our Arizona Animal, Pet and Wildlife Blog

Welcome to our new Animal, Pet and Wildlife Blog for Arizona .. looks like most of the pictures stopped working in our first set of posts, we'll add them a different way next time.

More reviews, photos along with our thoughts on the way..

the Labrador Retriever

the Labrador Retriever
Posted By: Above and Beyond Pools
Posted: Sun Jul 13 2008
The Labrador may be the most popular breed of dog in the world. They are gentle, intelligent, energetic and good natured. Lab ...Click Here for full article

Dog Drinking Fountain

Dog Drinking Fountain
Posted By: Bubba
Posted: Mon Apr 14 2008
We took a few pictures of a dog drinking fountain at a Tucson Park. This dog really seemed to like having a source of cool wa ...Click Here for full article

Michael Perry Park in East Tucson

Michael Perry Park in East Tucson
Posted By: Above and Beyond Pools
Posted: Sat Apr 12 2008
Michael Perry Park borders the Pantano Wash and is accessible from 22nd Street. This 35-acre park has little league fields wi ...Click Here for full article

Humane Society of Southern Arizona

Humane Society of Southern Arizona
Posted By: JeepPro
Posted: Sun Mar 23 2008
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona is a private nonprofit organization, which receives and adopts homeless animals ...Click Here for full article

Saguaro Scramblers Agility Club

Saguaro Scramblers Agility Club
Posted By: JiveOne
Posted: Fri Dec 14 2007
The Saguaro Scramblers Agility Club, Tucson, AZ hosted an agility competition in December 2007. Here are some pictures and a ...Click Here for full article

Dobermans at Play

Dobermans at Play
Posted By: Joe F
Posted: Sun Nov 18 2007
Two Doberman cousins got together for a visit and to play. These are two pups almost three years old. They have a lot of fun ...Click Here for full article

Pet Turtle - Red Ear Slider

Pet Turtle - Red Ear Slider
Posted By: JiveOne
Posted: Sun Sep 9 2007
This is one of the most common pet turtles. the Red Ear Slider. This one lives in Tucson, Arizona. Outside n a nice size pond ...Click Here for full article

Off-Leash Dog Areas

Off-Leash Dog Areas
Posted By: KVH
Posted: Mon May 28 2007
The City of Tucson currently operates six designated off-leash dog areas. ...Click Here for full article

Safety Around Animals - Why Might A Dog Bite

Safety Around Animals - Why Might A Dog Bite
Posted By: Spear-Bar Kennels
Posted: Sun Apr 29 2007
The Humane Society of the United States offers some Safety Tips Around Animals
Why Might A Dog Bite?, Preventing Your ...Click Here for full article

Oro's visit to Spear Bar Kennel in Tucson, AZ

Oro's visit to Spear Bar Kennel in Tucson, AZ
Posted By: Spear-Bar Kennels
Posted: Aug 2005
Oro and his sister Kimber durring a visit to Spear Bar Kennel in Tucson, AZ

The pups were about 7 months ol ...Click Here for full article

Pet Adoption in Southern Arizona

Pet Adoption in Southern Arizona
Posted By: Bubba
Posted: Tue Jan 30 2007 1: 21 am
Here are some places to Adopt your new pet in the Tucson area ...Click Here for full article

Shipping a Pet or Animal

Shipping a Pet or Animal
Posted By: Joe F
Posted: Sun Jan 28 2007 10: 38 pm
Here is some information we collected about shipping animals ...Click Here for full article

Your Doberman’s Diet

Your Doberman’s Diet
Posted By: Spear-Bar Kennels
Posted: Fri Aug 25 2006
As you may know, each breed of dog has its own unique set of nutritional requirements which have been passed on from generati ...Click Here for full article

Instructions For Care Of Ears Following Cropping

Instructions For Care Of Ears Following Cropping
Posted By: Spear-Bar Kennels
Posted: Fri Aug 25 2006 2: 01 am
1. Sutures will probably be removed from the edge of the ear about 7-10 days after surgery. The ears are usually re-taped 2-3 ...Click Here for full article

Baby and Dobe Puppies

Baby and Dobe Puppies
Posted By: Joe F
Posted: Wed Aug 2 2006 10: 53 pm
Here is the baby and a litter of dobe puppies playing in July 2006. ...Click Here for full article