THE "DOG" FRIENDLY SKIES
Plane stops to rescue dog from cargo hold
USA Today; June 6, 2000

WASHINGTON - The pilot of a United Airlines flight from Washington to San Jose, Calif., made an unscheduled landing in Denver when it was discovered that a dog mistakenly had been loaded into an unheated cargo hold. Dakota, a 10-year-old Basenji, emerged shivering but unhurt on the tarmac in Denver, concluding a tension-filled flight for his owner, Mike Bell of Santa Clara, Calif. Swaddled in blankets, Dakota flew with his owner in coach the rest of the way - a departure from airline policy. Bell said the dog seemed to have survived nicely and "is in good spirits."

"LET 'EM EAT CAKE": A DOGGY WEDDING TALE
Nicole Veash National Post; May 25, 2000

Let them eat cake! Socialite says her dog's nuptials are worth any excess. Brazilian socialite Vera Loyola makes no apology for the lavish wedding planned for her Shih-tzu, Pepezinha, left, to Winner, a cairn terrier, in a country where poverty is so rampant.

RIO DE JANEIRO - Plans are well underway for the city's high society wedding of the year, set for Oct. 4. Flower arrangements are being concocted by a top local florist, and a banquet is being prepared for the 1,000 guests. But the affair's extravagance is not what's attracting so much attention. It's the fact the bride and groom are dogs. In a country where the richest 1% has more wealth than the poorest 50%, the marriage of Pepezinha, a female Shih-tzu, to Winner, a cairn terrier, has become the talk of the town.

Pepezinha is owned by Vera Loyola, a socialite from Barra da Tijuca, a Rio suburb called "Brazil's Miami" because of its materialistic lifestyle. "I love animals, and I see nothing wrong with treating Pepezinha as though she were my daughter," says Mrs. Loyola, who made her fortune running a chain of bakeries. The guest list includes not only an officiating priest but also 1,000 of Mrs. Loyola's closest friends -- and their dogs. And in case the canine friends get hungry during the bash, a local dog food manufacturer has agreed to provide all the nibbles free of charge. Until the big day, the pair are said to be enjoying a formal courtship because their owners "don't want them to get excited before the time is right," says Mrs. Loyola. The doggy sweethearts met at Pepizinha's high-profile 12th birthday party last October. At that party, her owner spent more than US$300 -- three times the average monthly wage in Brazil -- entertaining 43 guests and their dogs. "It wasn't that much money to spend on a birthday party," she insists. "I believe my little Pepezinha is worth every cent and that's all that matters to me. "More important, the party afforded the Shih-tzu, who has three doctors and is served meals on silver platters, the pick of the litter for a future partner. "There were a number of candidates suitable for marriage, but she definitely liked Winner best of all," says Mrs. Loyola. I don't understand what all the fuss is about," she says. "This wedding has got a social element as well, because I am asking all the guests to donate money to the Society for the Protection of Animals."

SUPERSHELTIES *BIG* JUNE NEWS
From the home of Jaspaar Frangeaux Menthe