Mutts Creator Returns
Patrick McDonnell

Called one of the best comic strips of all time by Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, MUTTS has a fan base of more than 55 million people and newspaper publication in over 700 newspapers in 20 countries.

In his new book, "BONK," Patrick has collected a year's worth of color Sunday strips and black and white dailies.

He also has a holiday gift book called "A Shtinky Little Christmas" about an orphan kitty found in a garbage can by Earl the dog and Mooch the cat. As they try to find a home for this kitty, they catch the sense of what home really means to our four-legged friends and that, "One can purchase unconditional love" at any shelter for a small fee!

Patrick has two formerly feral cats at home, MeeMow who is about 15 years old and a new cat name NotUdie (you have to tune in to get the meaning behind this name!) Both are a big inspiration for his comic strip. Their Jack Russell, Earl, who was the inspiration and constant muse for the Mutts character of the same name, died in November 2007 after living with Patrick for over 18 years.

Visit www.muttscomics.com to get the cartoon strip sent to you every day on your computer. Look for a Mutts Movie in the next couple of years through Fox Entertainment.

Patrick McDonnell is a dedicated animal advocate and regularly lends his talents to animal protection groups and issues, including the Humane Society of the United States, where he has been serving on the national board of directors for 12 years.
http://www.muttscomics.com

http://www.muttscomics.com

Winter Pet Care & First Aid
Dr. Hank Cerny, Vetericyn

Dr. Cerny is a veterinarian in Lincoln, Nebraska. He has worked in mixed animal and small animal practice, emergency practice and diagnostic microbiology. Currently he is exclusively small animal medicine and surgery.

With the cold weather setting in, you need to be a little extra careful with your pets.

When they are outside, keep an eye on them and don't leave them out there too long. The cold can cause many problems including frostbite on their extremities, such as the tips of their ears and tails. If it is snowing, you can get snow impacted in their feet, which can lead to yeast infections.

The best things to have in you winter first aid kits are things to create a bandage, such as sterile 4x4's; vet wrap, which is a self-adhesive bandage to hold things in place; a blood-stop powder such as styptic powder for nail trimming; a flashlight, because if your pet starts limping or licking, you need to see what's going on; and Vetericyn spray, which is a good disinfectant, for any type of wound or cut.

Vetericyn works great pretty much everywhere on the skin and is also great for their ears. It is perfect for hot spots, rashes, any type of cut or dog bite wound. It is non-irritating, even if you get it into their eyes. And if they lick it, it won't harm them. Vetericyn kills 99.9% of bacteria, viruses and fungi.

Vetericyn is one item we keep on hand at Animal Radio in our first aid kits year round!

http://www.vetericyn.com

Dogs Take 4,000 Bike Ride
Roy and Lynn's Rodins' Parkinson's Ride Across America! "PD Challenge 2012"

We will be checking in weekly with Roy & Lynn Rodin who are traveling by bicycle from Seattle, Washington to Miami, Florida to raise awareness for Parkinson's Disease. They are just starting out their 4,500-mile journey with their two dogs, Oliver (a 65 pound Springer Spaniel) and Samantha (a 90 pound Labradoodle).

Roy's Story: Cat's out of the bag.... so here's my Story. It all started several years ago with a thumb twitch on my right hand, not always...just when I positioned my palm face up. It was a nurse practitioner that mentioned the possibility of Essential tremors or possibly even Parkinson's Disease. The findings were conclusive to a 99% probability of accuracy. My twitch now had a name. Parkinson's Disease (PD).

I became an active advocate for Parkinson's Disease. I've organized fundraisers for the National Parkinson's Foundation as well as the University of Miami /Miller School of Medicine at Olympia Gym in Aventura.

I'm making it my charge to educate people living with PD and their caregivers about the opportunity to participate in clinical studies that will hopefully better treat or better yet, cure Parkinson's.

On July 18 2012, I underwent Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in an effort to reduce my physical motor symptoms caused by Parkinson's' and hopefully to cut down on the dozens of medications I was taking every day. Embarking on this journey, I hope to prove to myself and others that I may have Parkinson's, but Parkinson's does not have me. Together we can make a difference and find a cure.

Lynn's Story: Having been married for a little over 4 years and struggling with Roy's Parkinson's diagnosis as our 1st year anniversary present, we have decided, with our dogs, Oliver and Samantha, to take a 4,000 mile cross-country journey via bicycle to help put in perspective our personal struggles, both individually and as a couple

This journey, through the grueling physical trial of biking cross-country, will mold our confidence of ourselves and each other and strengthen our bond that together we can overcome our obstacles. In the hopes that by being selfless, we may find ourselves and find our way through this new and wonderful world of Parkinson's.

The Cause: The more our message gets out there, the more help, awareness and education we can provide to facilitate people living with PD and their caregivers about the opportunity to participate in clinical studies that will hopefully better treat or better yet, cure Parkinson's.

Have a clean T-shirt? A place to stay? A warm meal? All efforts are welcome. The more contributions we receive the more donations go directly toward Parkinson's foundations for research. The ultimate goal is to give the maximum amount to charity to support this great cause.

In addition, we absolutely welcome the opportunity to have others ride with us for this great cause. View our journey route and if we are coming through, or near your town, please contact us for details on where we can share this journey together.
PD FACTS

- It is estimated that about 1.5 million Americans have Parkinson Disease.
- Approximately 60,000 people are diagnosed each year.
- About 10%-20% of those diagnosed with PD are under the age of 50, and about half of those are diagnosed before age 40. Some are even diagnosed as early as the age of 21.
- Someone is diagnosed with Parkinson Disease every 9 minutes.

To donate or sponsor the PD Challenge 2012, please visit http://www.pdchallenge.com.
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The Dogfather's Grooming Tip with Joey Villani

Will Cutting The Coat Change It When It Grows Back?
If you cut a dog down short that is about 8-months-old, will it change the way the hair grows back? Unfortunately, Joey doesn't know.

When a dog is going to compete at a dog show, like Westminster, most breeders will cut the coat down on a dog at a very young age to make it come back nicer and more adult looking. They will cut it down until there is only about ¼ inch left on the dog. This will bring their adult coat in quicker. So when these dogs are shown, they are showing a young dog with a very mature coat.

The same thing can happen when you do this to your dog at home. The only difference is the bloodline. You don't know the quality of the pet that you have. You may have purchased your dog from a reputable breeder, but you still truly don't know how far back the history of their bloodlines go.

If your dog has a very thin coat to begin with, cutting it down is probably he best thing to do, because it will grow back thicker. If your dog has thick coat that is unruly to begin with, it can go either way. It can get worse or it can get better.

So, it is almost a crapshoot. If you do cut it down short, you may or may not like the way it grows back.

Animal Radio® News with Stacey Cohen

$16,000 To Re-Stuff 120-Year-Old Snake
The British Government is catching heat for spending over $16,000 to re-stuff a 120-year-old dead snake. The snake is a 20-foot-long anaconda that was supposedly a gift of a bishop in Guyana sometime in the 19th Century. The British Foreign Office says the stuffed snake that currently hangs in a Foreign Office Library was in need of "Essential maintenance." Many are criticizing the decision to repair the snake at a time when many areas of government are being forced to cut spending. In response to the criticism, the Foreign Office issued a statement saying that they "Will not be constricted," nor will they "Scale back, in their dedication to preserve this historic national treasure."

The Talking Elephant
An Asian elephant named Koshik can imitate human speech, saying words in Korean that can be understood by speakers of the language, researchers from the University of Vienna say. It is unclear why Koshik started mimicking human speech, but cognitive biologists Angela Stoeger and Tecumseh Fitch suggest in research published in the journal Current Biology that it might be related to his experiences as a juvenile. Koshik was the only elephant living at the Everland Zoo in South Korea for about five years in his youth, with only people for company during an important phase for bonding and development. "We suggest that Koshik started to adapt his vocalizations to his human companions to strengthen his social affiliation with them, something that is also seen in other vocal-learning species and in very special cases, even across species," said Stoeger. They found that by sticking his trunk in his mouth to help form the sounds, he has a vocabulary of the five Korean words for 'hello', 'sit down', 'no', 'lie down' and 'good'. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that Koshik understands the meaning of the words he is using.

Drunk Birds Crash In Mid-Air
British researchers are blaming the deaths of more than a dozen blackbirds on alcohol. According to "The New York Daily News," the 14 birds were found dead last summer at a school in England and at first authorities thought foul play was involved. Scientists concluded that the birds were intoxicated after eating fermented berries. They then collided with other birds in mid-air and died. After dissecting the birds, they discovered all the birds had stomachs full of rowan berries accompanied with a strong smell of alcohol. One bird was captured at the scene alive. Researchers said that bird exhibited signs of being drunk, such as leaning against its cage to stay on its feet. The symptoms went away after two days when the alcohol was out of its system.

Lab Animals Lost During Hurricane Sandy
The loss of lab animals at New York University's Langone Medical Center to Hurricane Sandy has the potential to be devastating to medical research there. However, a scientist from Houston who has been through something similar says there's a silver lining to this cloud. "It was really an opportunity to think differently and work differently, and once we did get the mice back and our colonies going, I think our research is stronger and better for it," said Michael Blackburn, a scientist at the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston. Blackburn lost all of his laboratory mice to a flood from Tropical Storm Allison in 2001.

Ohio Regulates Wildlife Ownership
Four owners of exotic animals in Ohio are suing the state's agriculture department and its director over a new law regulating dangerous wildlife, contending the restrictions threaten their First Amendment and property rights. The lawsuit was filed in Columbus federal court. It comes as the owners faced a deadline to register their animals with the state. The owners' attorney said that the state has agreed not to enforce certain provisions of the law until there's a hearing on the lawsuit. Attorney Robert Owens said lawyers were still reviewing the agreement, but a court order detailing the arrangement was expected in the coming days.

Blimp To Search For Bigfoot
An Idaho scientist has plans to float a blimp over the mountain west to search for Bigfoot. Idaho State University has approved anatomy and anthropology professor Jeffrey Meldrum's proposal to raise more than $300,000 in private donations to build a remote-controlled airship. Meldrum intends to equip the blimp with a thermal-imaging camera and send it up with the aim of capturing an image of the mythic ape-like creature also known as Sasquatch, which might or might not actually exist. Meldrum is the author of a book entitled "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science."

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Listen to the entire Podcast of this show (#677)