Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

via Windsor Star

LONDON - A man who set a ferocious dog on a 16-year-old boy in a London park before stabbing him to death was jailed Friday after police used DNA profiling to identify the animal.

Chrisdian Johnson, 22, was put behind bars for at least 24 years after being found guilty of the murder of rival gang member Seyi Ogunyemi and the attempted murder of his friend Hurui Hiyabu.

Johnson was convicted after forensic analysis showed blood found on him and at the scene of the attack in south London came from his dog Tyson, a Staffordshire bull terrier-bull mastiff cross.

"You used two fearsome weapons. The first was your pitbull cross dog, which I have no doubt you had trained to attack and bring down your prey," Judge Christopher Moss said. "The second was the knife with which you stabbed Seyi Ogunyemi to death."

It is thought to be the first time that police in Britain have used recently developed "dog DNA" techniques to secure the conviction of a killer.

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Ever wondered how smart your dog is? New research says he/she could be as intelligent as a 2-year-old child.

This news comes from canine researcher Stanley Coren who insists that dogs are more like humans than we think.

Dogs are very intelligent, and have the ability to learn commands over time if trained by somebody who knows what they are doing. Dogs play a huge role in society, both as pets and therapy dogs, to bomb detecting and rescue work.

Speaking at the American Psychological Association’s convention in Toronto, Coren stated that our beloved 4-legged friends may even have the ability to perform basic math.

Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

via It's Hip, It's Here

A Brazilian company "PetSmiling" launched The Doggie Lover Doll, available for purchase now to placate your randy canine.
That’s right, a doll for dogs to practice safe sex. The majority of non-neutered dogs spend a good chunk of time looking for something to hump. They try pillows, furry creatures, people’s legs and even other animals.

To put an end to this nonsense and improve the little ones' lives, PetSmiling, headquartered in Miami and in São Paulo is bringing to the market the Doggie Lover Doll. Equipped with an easy-to-clean reservoir and a tube of water-based intimate lubricant, this doll comes in three sizes: small, medium and large, to satisfy all existing breeds.

“I had the idea to make this doll when my Maltese started to grab everybody’s legs. I did some research and couldn’t find anything like it, anywhere in the world. I decided to make it!”, reveals Marco Giroto, the owner of PetSmiling.

According to the company: "during the doll’s test period with a few canines, including the Maltese Flock (responsible for the idea), the pets showed a better quality of life based on less anxiety, less barking, and less territorial demarcation. In other words, the dogs live a better life, satisfying their repressed sexuality, in some cases for many years."

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy said Thursday that it would launch a talking version of its Bowlingual gadget that can "translate" dog barks into the human language.

The new model analyses six emotions, including joy, sadness and frustration, and speaks phrases such as "Play with me!" - an improvement on the original which just showed them on a screen.

"Dog owners can enjoy the toy at a dog run and a park," said Tomy spokeswoman Chie Yamada.

The original version of the toy, which has a handset and a microphone attached to a dog collar, won the Ig Nobel Prize in 2002. The awards, a parody of the Nobel Prizes, celebrate achievements that make people laugh and think.

The new Bowlingual Voice, priced at 19,950 yen (212 dollars), will be launched in Japan next month, Yamada said. It will be only available in Japanese at present. The original non-speaking version is also available in English and Korean.

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

A University of Cincinnati researcher thinks he is getting close to developing a canine hearing aid that could hit the market by the end of the year.

Pete Scheifele started his research after his own 17-year-old dog lost his hearing. The highly trained miniature pinscher/beagle mix has appeared on television and performed for schools and didn't seem to mind wearing the prototype. In fact, he would seek it out and nudge it when he wasn't wearing it, according to Scheifele.

Researchers are now working on modifications to make the prototype version smaller and more comfortable. The hearing aid would only work on dogs with acquired hearing loss, says Scheifele, director of the University of Cincinnati's Facility for Education and Testing of Canine Hearing Laboratory for Animal Acoustics.

Scheifele says he is in discussions for commercialization of the prototype now and hopes is might be available for sale sometime later this year.



Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

A Harvard University professor says a study at his Massachusetts school is focused on dogs' thinking to better understand human behavior. Harvard Professor Marc Hauser said by studying canines, scientists at the prestigious university's Canine Cognition Lab hope to gain insights into the human mind, The Boston Globe said Monday.

"Here's this species we live with. Everyone has their views about how smart they are. No doubt we are overinterpreting - and in some cases underinterpreting," the head of the new lab said. "To what extent is an animal that's really been bred to be with humans capable of some of the same psychological mechanisms?"

The Harvard study includes tests to determine if dogs can understand basic communicative gestures including gesturing to a food bucket, the Globe said. University of Florida psychology professor Clive Wynne told the newspaper such studies on canines have been been a long time coming.

"Psychologists have been ignoring animals that were sleeping quietly at their feet while they were doing work on rats and pigeons," Wynne said.


Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink