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A TRUE *SUPERSHELTIE*

Dog saves girl from attacker
published in the Asbury Park Press 4/02/01

RUMSON -- Police are searching for a suspect in an assault of a 15-year-old borough girl who managed to escape her attacker after her dog bit him.

The suspect was seen hanging out in Victory Park, West River Road, for an hour Friday before he started following the teen shortly before 4 p.m., police said. As he approached the girl from behind and grabbed her arm, the victim's Shetland Sheepdog bit him in the leg, police said. The victim was able to leave the park without further incident, police said.


POOCHES POUND THE PAVEMENT

Dogwalkers Provide Essential Services
San Francisco Examiner, CA, March 2001

There are 50 million dogs in this country. That's 200 million little feet that need -- crave -- to be exercised.

    But in urban centers like San Francisco, dog owners often have neither the time nor the patience to attend to their dogs' needs. Studies show that the No. 1 reason owners surrender their dogs to shelters is the animals' excessive energy.

    That's where dogwalkers come in. However many dog walkers believe there is a social stigma attached to the work because it's a service job. They feel nervous. When people see a pack of dogs, they immediately think these are dangerous animals destroying nature. Professional dogwalkers must walk a thin line. Owners have to get educated about what their dogs need. All dogs need to be socialized and integrated into society. You can't take an antisocial dog and put it into an apartment in Pacific Heights or into the back yard.

    "Without social outlets dogs become frustrated and destructive," say representatives from dog walker groups "They dig and chew and escape, bark and lunge and mutilate themselves. A tired dog is a good dog.

    ;Many cities are starting to regulate dog walkers; maintaining lists of dogwalkers who follow a professional code of conduct, including humane handling, use of proper restraints and cleaning up after the dogs. Some states also regulate where dog walkers may exercise dogs and how many dogs may be taken out by a single walker.

     As pet populations increase and available leisure time decreases dog walking will continue to grow as an essential service--proportionately, so will it's regulation.


FIDO BECOMES TARGET FOR HIGH TECH GADGETS

From cell-locating collars to implanted identifying chips, new canine products pull in $100M annually.
Salt Lake Tribune, March, 2001

   The Jetson's cartoon canine isn't the only dog sporting high-tech gadgetry. Across the South, red bone hounds, blue ticks and black and tans are as wired and connected as a cellular phone. Many have identification chips implanted beneath their skin so if they are lost they can be scanned and identified using a national database. Dogs can wear flexible antennas that allow owners to zero in on their location from as far as 10 miles away. The technology isn't satellite-based, but it does give a reasonably good idea of where the dogs are.

    Manufacturing and sales of electronic dog equipment have grown into a $100 million-a-year business with new companies sprouting across the country, Discretionary income for sportsmen has been very good, and demand is at an all-time high. Most of the items have been on the market for several years, but recent technological improvements have made them more reliable and more durable.

4/02/01