Snooper-visor Rosemary JOY! Water quality inspector☺

Good things come in small packages!

PeoplePets.com Residents of Boynton Beach, Fla., beware! There's a new sheriff in town and she's a 4-lb. Chihuahua named Bella — the diminutive 3-year-old pooch is credited with helping to apprehend a burglary suspect.

It happened last Monday when Bella was out for a walk with her owner, John Bonafair, who happens to be a sergeant in the Boynton Beach Police Department. "I had just gotten back from dropping my police vehicle off to be serviced," Sergeant Bonafair tells PEOPLEPets.com. "The first thing I do when I go home is to walk the dog."

Bonafair and his girlfriend adopted Bella, the runt of the litter, when a fellow police officer's dog had puppies three years ago this Christmas. "I wasn't even sure I would like a small dog," Bonafair admits. "I had larger animals in the past, but Bella's just a really fun dog and very smart."

Wearing plain clothes and with his police radio on his hip, Bonafair took Bella for a stroll in the neighborhood. "I was walking Bella and this guy came running out of the bushes towards our general direction," recalls Bonafair. "I thought, 'This doesn’t look right.' I turned on my radio and heard other officers saying they were in foot pursuit of a suspect."

Bonafair identified himself as a police officer and yelled at the guy to get down on the ground. Instead, the suspect took off running, with Bonafair giving chase in a full-on sprint. "I totally forgot for that moment that Bella was with me," Bonafair says. "As I ran around a couple corners, I saw Bella out of the corner of my eye trying to outpace me."

What about Bella's leash? Had Bonafair dropped it while running after the suspect? "Bella does not like to wear a Ieash," reveals Bonafair. "I've taught her to stay with me. I can take her in public and she'll stick right by my side."

The tiny dog, whose favorite past time is chasing lizards, kept up with Bonafair as he chased the suspect for several blocks. "I’m not sure if she thought this guy was a lizard, or whether she was worried about me because I'd been yelling at him and she was trying to protect me," says Bonafair. "Either way, she was right beside me keeping up. She was fearless. We chased the guy for a few blocks and I tackled him off in some bushes."

Bonafair grappled with the suspect and relayed his location by radio as Bella ran around the struggling pair, barking furiously. "I wasn't readily visible from the road and had a hard time describing where I was because I was on the grounds of an apartment complex and it all looked the same," says Bonafair. Bella's barking attracted the attention of police officers who were on foot, and they came running to help take the suspect into custody.

"I said, 'Come here, puppy. Good job!'" remembers Bonafair, who gave Bella a little, gold police badge to wear on her harness. "It's the kind that detectives wear on the lapels of their suits," says Bonafair. "I'd give her a regular size badge, but I think she’d have trouble walking." Bella is, after all, only four pounds!

Freyja says: How about a little cheesecake for Christmas dessert?

☺Freyja wants Santy Paws to take her to Cosumel for a little sun 'n fun☺

Cats v dogs v snow = ☺

A picture is worth a 1000 words for Scout 'n Freyja

The Cousins are coming! A happy ending to a puppy's struggle with CMD

Biggyfy the photo for a better view

In the spring of last year, my son Jeff and his family decided that it was time to add a pooch into their family. Fully two years before, they had lost their Retriever/Newfie X, Angie, at the age of 15.5 years. They loved Angie so dearly that it took quite a while for them to think about adopting again.

Shortly after Cody arrived they heard about a little retriever mix pup at our animal shelter and thought that as long as they were training one - heck, they could train two. Little did they know that when they adopted Suzie they were getting more than a puppy. They were getting a puppy with canine muscular dystrophy. Not fatal and not progressive after the first year, they kept Suzie even though the shelter said they would take her back. After all, Jeff told me, you just don't get rid of a family member when they run into a rough patch.

Canine muscular dystrophy can be really, really bad or it can be mild. Thankfully, Suzie's case is mild. She receives special vitamins and nutrition as well as loads of love from her human family and her furry brofur.

Jeff was out running errands last week and had his pups (now 18 months old) with him. Needless to say, a round of happy play in the snow took place with my two and their furry cousins. What is beautiful about Cody's relationship with his sisfur is that he senses that she is more delicate and will compensate for her disability when they play. It's sweet to watch and it's sweet for me to have a son that doesn't give up on an animal just because it isn't PURRfect. And - especially sweet was watching Suzie smile and play in my yard with Scout, Freyja and her doggy sibling.

We must ALL stand up for Little Brown Dog because he can't! DO IT NOW!

This little dog needs your help and you can give yours with just a couple clicks of your mouse. Read the story. Get mad as h*ll and stand up for that is right and for justice and for compassion and for humane treatment of all living beings. There is a link at the bottom of this post. Click - sign - you area all done and I promise, you will feel better after you do. We can't remain silent. We must speak up for this little sweetheart. ~Mimi

Photo by Adam Brimer

A terrier mix known as “Little Brown Dog” is hand fed by University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine student Lauren Donovan on Wednesday.

But her attending physician, Dr. Patricia Sura, says she's just "perfect."

The 17-pound terrier mix loves all the attention she's getting at the University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine. On Wednesday morning, she repeatedly rolled over on her back, making sure the veterinary students and residents scratched her belly, and posed as students took pictures of her to document her recovery from last Thursday's skin grafts on her paws.

But three weeks ago, the outlook was much more grim for the sweet-natured canine, nicknamed "Little Brown Dog" by the veterinarians and students who took her in.

The Knoxville Police Department's Animal Control Unit brought the young adult dog in Nov. 3, shortly after arresting 45-year-old Jimmy Lovell of Pilkay Road. Authorities allege that Lovell dragged the dog for several miles on Liberty Street behind a pickup truck.

"Little Brown Dog" arrived in pain, her chest and all four paw pads badly burned. Some wounds were so deep her bones and joints were actually ground down.

After the dog healed from most of her wounds, Sura performed skin graft surgery to her paws Thursday.

"There's all different kinds of skin grafts that you can take," Sura said. "And we took full-thickness grafts. And the reason for that is because they should grow hair normally, to give her the most cosmetic outcome. ... But also this gives the firmest healing. So it's not going to be fragile."

That's the medical side of the case.

There's also the human-dog bond and the special temperament of "Little Brown Dog," or LBD, as the dog's nickname has evolved, UT staffers said.

Sura, along with UT veterinary hospital resident Dr. Rebecca Hodshon and veterinary student Lauren Donovan, changed LBD's bandages Wednesday.

They put her paws in turkey-decorated casts so she could celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in style. Over the four-day break, she will be fostered at the home of one of the doctors at the hospital.

Sura is happy with how fast LBD has recovered.

"I am pleased that we are here now, rather than months from now," Sura said of the skin graft procedure. "Because these either go really well, or they're a disaster. So I'm happy that they went really well."

LBD's left front paw has healed so well that it no longer has to be bandaged. And Sura was pleased to "downsize" from four bandages to three Wednesday.

Hodshon said she has learned a lot while working with "Little Brown Dog."

"It's amazing," she said. "I've never seen a case from very start to finish of contaminated, fresh wounds to them being completely healed and closed. So watching all the stages of wound healing actually happen is pretty amazing. Especially because she's done it so quickly.

"And she's wonderful. She's a sweetie. It's amazing in itself that she has so much trust in everyone."

Hodshon is surprised that LDB has not had trouble trusting humans after the Nov. 3 incident.

"I saw her the night that she came in," Hodshon said. "And she has these horrible wounds all over her. You'd go up to the cage, and she comes to you. Wants to be held, even though she's been through this horrible ordeal. She's a really special dog. ... Even in horrible pain, with these horrible wounds, she still has the trust."

Unfortunately, "Little Brown Dog" is not alone. This year, the Young-Williams Animal Center has reported 35 cases of neglect or misdemeanor cruelty, said Xan Rawls, director of shelter operations.

LBD, though, is a bit of a rock star.

A fund was set up for her care. After covering LBD's current expenses and spaying, some of the almost $13,000 donated to that fund will go toward an animal abuse education program.

LBD "is the most famous dog in the hospital," said Sandra Harbison, a College of Veterinary Medicine spokeswoman.

Kristen Letsinger may be reached at 865-342-6432.

Go here to sign a petition to speak for this little dog when this case goes to court. Collectively we must ROAR AND ROAR AS LOUDLY AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.

Teeny Crime Fighter! Chihuahua/ terrier X is a Stand-Out in Law Enforcement

Just goes to show you. No matter what the size of the body, the ♥ of the dog is all the same - HUGE! This story should give little dog people some ammunition when others tell them that their dog is nothing but a dust bunny that barks. ~Mimi

 

Louise Murray/Rex USA Every morning, Midge stretches her 11-in. frame, puts on her special work shirt emblazoned with a star designating her as an official police dog, and prepares for a full day working as a narcotics-detecting K-9.

The Guinness World Record holder for "smallest dog used for law enforcement," the 8-lb. Chihuahua/rat terrier mix works closely with her partner, Sheriff Dan McClelland at the Geauga County Police Department in Ohio.

When he first got an e-mail from Guinness inquiring about Midge, McClelland tells PEOPLEPets.com, "Frankly I stepped out into the hallway to see if anyone was giggling." Fortunately the message turned out to be authentic, and the pooch has held the record for nearly three years.

"It's not real macho to be seen with a dog that looks like it belongs to Paris Hilton," laughs McClelland, who began looking for a smaller police dog after noting the incidence of damage to cars that were searched by unwieldy German shepherds. (Mimi's note: I beg your pardon. Unwieldly German Shepherd Dogs? Uhm...)

Since earning her certification in narcotics three years ago, the 4-year-old Midge has bragging rights to two arrests. "A dog doesn't get credit for an arrest unless they make a detection that we didn't know was there," explains McClelland. "In one case, Midgey searched a burglar's getaway car and alerted us to the seat cushions." Once she finds the drugs, her reward is simple — her partner throws a ball for her and gives her a big hug!

And how does she get along with her more sizeable canine coworkers? "She has her favorites — not unlike you when you go to work!" says McClelland of the four other German shepherds on the force. (Mimi's note: the correct term is German Shepherd Dogs. They are the only AKC breed that insists on the word "dog" to be included in the name.) Sometimes they'll play chase, and Midgey is extremely fast. She can zig and zag."

And when she's on the field, with her nose to the ground, it's not treats or toys that are most likely to affect her focus. "Bring a 4-year-old and she just lights up," admits McClelland. "Children are the hardest distraction for her to work through."

When she's not giving lessons to students on substance abuse and ridding the world of bad guys, Midge plays with McClelland at home, sometimes nipping on to his pant legs. And at night, she goes to sleep buried beneath blankets year-round. Sounds like a fitting end to a hard day's work!