Animal Radio® Show #641 March 17, 2012       Tribute to Davy Jones 12/30/45 – 2/29/12  It is with the deepest sadness that Davy Jones' family announced his passing away on February 29th.  It is our understanding that Davy spent his final moments in his stable surrounded by his beloved horses at the time of his death.  We are running this pre-recorded interview with him as a tribute. Maintaining his allure as a sexy icon through generations of fans, Davy Jones first invaded teen hearts as the international idol of millions in the 1960s Emmy Award winning television classic The Monkees. Since the show hit the small screen, Davy has triumphed as both a serious actor and a comedian on the theatrical stage; as a rock musician, composer and artist; and, true to his first love, as an extremely able horseman. In fact, if it wasn't for the success of the Monkees, Davy would have been a horse jockey. Davy maintained a stable in Florida with a number of horses.  He was well known around Indian Town, Florida and felt quite at home, while still being pretty famous in the suburbs!  He mentioned he was much more comfortable riding his horses around a racetrack than he was on the red carpet and dealing with the Hollywood baloney!  Davy states that he got a bigger buzz from going into his local market where someone would stop him in the cheese department and say, "What are you doing here?  Do you know who you are?" To which he would reply, "Yes, I do know who I am!" They would then ask him why he was in there, to which he would say to them, "It's called food!"  It's as if they expected him to moonwalk into the bread department and then jump into his Rolls Royce driven by his chauffer!  Davy has had a number of dogs over the years, with the Labrador Retriever being his favorite.  He also had several cats.  He called himself an animal lover and someone who truly cared about the animals.  He mentions one barn cat that he had that was never very affectionate.   Davy then realized it was because of him, in that he didn't give her that affection.  But as she got older, she wanted to be hugged.  He then started to pick her up every morning and give her a big hug! He said all cats and dogs just want to be a part of a community. When it is all said and done, Davy was just a pretty down to earth guy!  Combining all facets of his diverse talents, Davy saw himself as both a Daydream Believer and a cowboy.  He will be missed! http://www.DavyJones.net     Animal Radio® News with Stacey Cohen  Worst Pet Teeth In America  To root out those areas in the United States with the highest rates of pet dental disease, Banfield Pet Hospital’s internal research team, Banfield Applied Research & Knowledge (BARK), determined a list of states with the "Worst Pet Teeth in America." Using Banfield’s patient database of over 800 hospitals, states were ranked by the percent of dogs and cats diagnosed with dental disease in Banfield Pet Hospitals in 2011.  Topping the list is Minnesota, where in 2011, Banfield diagnosed 69% of dogs and 73% of cats with dental disease. Worst Pet Teeth in America: 1. Minnesota; 2. Utah; 3. South Carolina; 4. South Dakota; and 5. Rhode Island. Magical Dog-Pig Beast  Residents in Northern Namibia, on the southwest coast of Africa, have reported being terrorized by a bizarre dog-pig hybrid creature. The animal is said to be mostly white and unlike anything the villagers have ever seen, with a doglike head and the broad, round, nearly hairless back and shoulders of a giant pig. The beast was spotted chasing and attacking dogs, goats and other domestic animals in this arid region not far from the Kalahari Desert.  Some people in the area trace the beast to one old man rumored to be a warlock or witch doctor, suggesting it's his pet (or, what witch-hunters hundreds of years ago would have called a "familiar"). The assumption that the beast has magical origins is not surprising. A 2010 Gallup poll found belief in magic widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with more than half of respondents saying they personally believe in witchcraft and sorcery. Public Slaughter of Chickens Banned Officials have banned an artist from publicly slaughtering chickens, saying the proposed art installation would amount to animal cruelty.  Artist Amber Hansen said she intended to abide by the city's animal cruelty ordinance. Violating it could lead to a fine of up to $1,000 and six months in jail.  Hansen, an artist in residence at the University of Kansas, is considering alternatives to draw attention to the process of slaughtering animals, including a public sculpture.  The project, called "The Story of Chickens: A Revolution," had Hansen originally planning to display coops of chickens at locations across Lawrence, where they would be cared for by volunteers. The birds would later be publicly slaughtered by a local farmer and served as a meal. "By building a relationship with the birds, the project will transform the contemporary view of chickens as merely 'livestock' to the beautiful and unique creatures they are, while promoting alternative and healthy processes of caring for them," she wrote on her project's website. Digital ID Pet Tags Helping bring pet ID tags into the Smartphone and Web-centric 21st century, PetHub announced it will be the exclusive digital pet ID tag provider for the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS).  NAPPS members gain immediate access to PetHub’s next generation of Smartphone and online protection and recovery services to differentiate their business, while also advocating the welfare of the animals in their care. PetHub's solution leverages Smartphones, QR codes, GPS technology, and its website to help provide critical information to anyone trying to help a lost or injured animal get home faster and safer. Labrador Retriever is Still Top Dog After 21 Years  The Labrador Retriever is still America's top dog but the Beagle has overtaken the Golden Retriever in popularity and the Rottweiler has made a comeback, according to the American Kennel Club.  In its annual list of the country's most popular dogs, the powerful, protective Rottweiler edged into the top 10 breeds, knocking the much smaller, sweet and playful Shih Tzu out of the rankings, where it had been firmly placed for more than a decade.  For the 21st consecutive year, the Labrador Retriever clinched the No. 1 spot in 2011. For a complete list go to www.americankennelclub.com. Pet Custody Cases On Rise Custody cases involving pets are on the rise across the country.  In a 2006 survey by the 1,600-member American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a quarter of respondents said pet custody cases had increased noticeably since 2001.  If there is a child involved in a divorce, many judges will keep the pet with the child, attorneys said. "But what do you do when the pet is the child?"  Breakups in same-sex marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships are among reasons pet custody fights have become more common, attorneys said.  Pets are considered property in every state in the country. For years, they have been divvied up like furniture during divorce proceedings. But times are changing. In years past, pets could not be protected in domestic violence restraining orders in any state. But because abusers can use pets to threaten victims, maybe even kill the animals, the laws have changed in states like Maine, New York, California and Illinois. Other states are looking into changes. And there will be changes in other laws too, there will one day be statutes for pets, much like there are for children, giving judges guidelines to rule by. NEWS UPDATE Brought To You By PetzLife.com.  Use the code "RADIO" to receive 20% off!     Listen to the entire Podcast of this show (#641)

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