Happy Take Your Dog To Work Day!

It's that time of year again: Take Your Dog To Work Day, an annual event founded by the group Pet Sitters International in 1999. 

Take Your Dog To Work Day was created to celebrate the human-animal bond and promote pet adoption, but there are other notable benefits to having animals in the workplace. One recent study out of Virginia Commonwealth University noted a correlation between the presence of an employee's pet and a lowering of stress levels. Times science writer Eryn Brown reported:

The VCU researchers divided 76 employees into three groups: those who brought their dogs to work, those who owned dogs but left them home and those who didn't have pets. For one week, the scientists measured levels of the stress hormone cortisol in samples of the workers' saliva and used surveys to gauge their stress levels four times during a workday.

There was no significant difference in cortisol levels among the study participants. But by the end of the day, the average stress level scores fell about 11% among people who had brought their dogs to work, while they rose as much as 70% for members of the other groups.

So which workplace is the dog-friendliest in the U.S.? Dog magazine The Bark recently bestowed that honor on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," where staffers' dogs roam freely throughout the office, have designated treat stations and lots of comfortable couches on which to nap. 

As for Stewart himself, he's a big dog lover. Though his own dogs don't come to work with him, his office is a frequent stop for staffers' dogs -- and he didn't even mind when The Bark's photographer took some shots of dogs sitting on his desk. 

One interesting aspect to bringing his dog Ally to work, supervising producer Tim Greenberg notes, is that she "seems to meet an inordinate number of our celebrity guests. I only know any of this because people show me pictures later. She met Betty White and I found out about it when I saw the video on YouTube."

Patrick the pit bull: Judge decides abused dog should stay at animal hospital for now

NEWARK, N.J. -- Accusations of greedy motives and arguments over visitation rights made it easy to forget that a recent court hearing centered not on the child of warring parents but on a four-legged animal, albeit one with his own Facebook page and thousands of fans worldwide.

When the rancor had subsided, state Superior Court Judge Joseph Cassini III on Thursday ruled that Patrick the pit bull, the popular pooch found nearly starved to death in a Newark trash chute in March, will stay at an animal hospital while the criminal case against his owner proceeds.

The ruling ended -- for now -- a custody battle that has raged since the end of April, when Cassini issued an order that Patrick would stay at Garden State Veterinary Specialists, the Tinton Falls facility where he underwent surgery after he was discovered in mid-March at Newark's Garden Spires apartment complex.

"The judge considered the law and the evidence and ruled accordingly, and that means justice for Patrick," hospital administrator Patricia Smillie-Scavelli, who has been overseeing the dog's recovery, said outside court.

Patrick the pit bull: New Jersey woman pleads not guilty to charges relating to animal cruelty

NEWARK, N.J. — A New Jersey woman pleaded not guilty in court Friday to charges of starving and abandoning a 1-year-old pit bull that has since become an Internet celebrity.

The judge in the case judge warned animal advocates that he would not let emotion rule the case.

Kisha Curtis entered her plea through an attorney during a brief hearing in state Superior Court attended by several news outlets and some members of an advocacy group that is seeking stronger animal abuse laws. About 40 people demonstrated outside Essex County Veterans Courthouse in support of the dog, nicknamed Patrick because he was found the day before St. Patrick's Day.

Curtis didn't speak in court, but  Superior Court Judge William Cassini departed from protocol and addressed the notoriety the case has attracted.

Missouri governor signs compromise on voter-approved Prop. B, 'Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act'

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri officials pushed through new regulations for the state's dog breeders in a flurry of legislative activity Wednesday that started with Gov. Jay Nixon signing one bill repealing sections of a voter-approved dog-breeding law and ended with the governor signing another measure that implemented a deal between dog breeders and welfare groups.

The maneuvering was needed to pass a compromise on new rules for Missouri dog breeders that was brokered by Nixon's administration and supported by several state-based agriculture and animal-welfare groups. Nixon called the new legislation "a dramatic, important, significant step" that would improve the care of dogs while ensuring breeders can continue to operate. The industry has an estimated $1-billion impact in Missouri.

In the end, Nixon and lawmakers eliminated parts of the "Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act" passed last November by voters, including a limit of 50 breeding dogs per business. Other portions were changed. The new law seeks potential middle ground on the specifics of the living-space requirements, and it gives breeders more time to comply with the new rules.

Greyhound racing in steep decline in the U.S.

For years, fans of greyhound races have faced off against animal welfare activists who say the dogs are kept muzzled in small cages, fed inferior food, injected with steroids and frequently injured at the track. Dog breeders, owners and racing lobbyists counter that the dogs are well-tended and love to run.

Despite their disagreement on conditions for the dogs, there is no disputing this: Greyhound racing is in a steep decline. Racing fans blame the economy and competition from instant gambling like slot machines. Activists say it's time to end the races altogether.

Ten years ago, there were 50 greyhound tracks in 15 states. Today there are just 25 tracks in seven states, with 13 of them in Florida, once considered the hub of dog racing.

Nationally, money bet on greyhound races dropped from $3.5 billion to $1.1 billion between 1991 and 2007, said Gary Thompson, director of corporate communications for Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas. Caesars owns Bluffs Run Greyhound Park in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Patrick, 'miracle' pit bull who survived fall down garbage chute, is on the road to recovery

A New Jersey pit bull named Patrick, starved and subjected to horrific abuse before his rescue last month, is being called a "miracle dog" after he survived being placed in a trash bag and thrown down the garbage chute of a Newark apartment building.

A maintenance worker removing the garbage to put it in a trash compactor noticed a bag moving slightly, opened it and discovered the emaciated dog inside. Patrick -- so named when he survived through the night into St. Patrick's Day after being found in the garbage chute March 16 -- was rushed to the local Associated Humane Societies shelter, where "veterinary staff immediately put him on intravenous fluid," according to a post on the society's website. "His temperature was so low that it did not even register on the thermometer. He was covered with heating pads and blankets. Society vet tech Gina DeSalvo held the pit bull in her arms -- she soothed him, gave him warmth, comfort and bits of food. From that moment on, he looked up with gratitude in his eyes to all of the staff."

Patrick was soon moved to a 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital, where he received a blood transfusion and other treatment. His condition is reportedly improving. Kisha Curtis, 27, the woman identified as his owner at the time of his abuse, has been charged with two counts of tormenting and torturing a living creature by failing to provide sustenance and two counts of abandonment, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger. She has pleaded not guilty to the cruelty charges and maintains she didn't throw Patrick down the garbage chute, but has reportedly admitted that she failed to provide proper care for the year-old dog, New Jersey Newsroom reported.

Ohio man, charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly barking at a police dog, claims 'the dog started it'

MASON, Ohio — Police say an Ohio man has been charged with a misdemeanor for barking at a police dog.

A police report says 25-year-old Ryan James Stephens was charged with teasing a police dog in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason.

Officer Bradley Walker wrote that he heard the K9 unit dog barking uncontrollably inside his patrol car while he was investigating a traffic accident at a pub early Sunday morning. Walker says Stephens was making barking noises and hissing at the animal.

Walker reported that Stephens, when asked why he was harassing the animal, said, "The dog started it." The officer said Stephens appeared to be highly intoxicated.

Stephens could not be reached for comment. He is to appear April 21 in municipal court.

MORE IDEAS TO AVOID:
• Drunk Australian man is injured while trying to pet 16-foot saltwater crocodile
• Man arrested for drunkenness after giving mouth-to-mouth to roadkill

-- Associated Press

Dog plucked from debris in dramatic Japan rescue is reunited with her owner

TOKYO — A dog rescued from drifting ocean debris immediately jumped to her owner and wagged her tail at their reunion more than three weeks after Japan's tsunami.

Toshio Suzuki described Monday's reunion at the animal shelter he heads in the tsunami-wrecked Miyagi region of northern Japan. The owner of the 2-year-old mixed breed named Ban saw Friday's rescue on television.

The woman was not identified for privacy reasons. Suzuki said she has an adult daughter and that the family suffered tsunami damage but was not specific.

Public broadcaster NHK aired images of the reunion with the woman hugging Ban and the dog warmly wagging her tail.

A coast guard helicopter crew spotted Ban more than a mile (2 kilometers) off the tsunami-hit town of Kesennuma in Miyagi. It wasn't known how long the dog had been at sea.

Suzuki says the shelter keeps 19 dogs and several cats separated from their owners after the March 11 tsunami.

RELATED GOOD NEWS ABOUT ANIMALS:
• Japanese rescuers save finless porpoise stranded in rice paddy by tsunami
• Animal lovers clamor to adopt Oklahoma puppy that survived euthanasia attempt

-- Associated Press

Video: Associated Press

Photo: Ban, carried by a member of the Japan Coast Guard, arrives at Japan's Shiogama port on April 2. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Video goodness: Dog rides a scooter

We were mesmerized the moment we first glimpsed Norman, a dog with a remarkable scooter-riding ability, in a post on Urlesque. At the time, we were unaware of his growing stardom -- he's appeared on "Good Morning America" and "Late Night with David Letterman" and is actively seeking film and TV work, according to his Facebook page.

Norman is a Briard, a very old French breed whose original purpose was herding and guarding flocks of sheep. Like many herding breeds, the Briard is typically very intelligent, but the American Kennel Club points out that it is "an independent thinker, so patience is necessary when training." (We can only imagine how much patience was required to teach Norman here how to ride a scooter!)

One of the earliest American fans of this French breed was Thomas Jefferson, who first encountered Briards while working in France.

Fun fact about Briards: Many breeders follow a tradition in which all puppies born in a given year have names beginning with a particular letter of the alphabet designated for that year. The years cycle through the alphabet (skipping some letters that aren't found at the beginning of many words, like Q), so if you meet a Briard whose name starts with B, you'll know it's a year younger than a Briard whose name starts with A.

RELATED FUNNY DOG VIDEOS:
• Video goodness: Confused dog moos like a cow
• Video goodness: Hey, that's no midfielder! Terrier crashes soccer game, tries to catch the ball

-- Lindsay Barnett

Video: courteous1 via YouTube

Video goodness: Confused dog moos like a cow

When the news stories of the day are less than uplifting, we often find that it brightens our mood substantially to take a short funny-animal-video break.

We think we've found the perfect spirit-lifting video, in which a little dog seems to think he's a cow when surrounded by a mooing herd.

This pup's immersion in bovine culture seems to have an immediate effect on his vocalizations, rather like a trip to Canada can make an American start ending declaritive sentences like questions.

We dare you to watch this and not crack a smile. Go ahead and try!

RELATED FUNNY DOG VIDEOS:
• Your morning adorable: Pembroke Welsh corgis play tetherball
• Video goodness: Hey, that's no midfielder! Terrier crashes soccer game, tries to catch the ball

— Lindsay Barnett

Video: cycone via YouTube