Ugly story. Two pit bulls who were going to be shipped overseas on a Korean Air flight, got into a “vicious fight” in an air cargo building at Dulles; a cop tried to break up the fight with pepper spray, but it didn’t work and he wound up shooting the dogs.

These dogs were originally in separate kennels – but one chewed his way out, then chewed his way in to the other dog’s container – and the fight was on.

It’s not clear where these dogs were going, or what they were supposed to do when they got there…

Just read a killer article by Brendan Ross for Wired.

For those that don’t know, Brian is on assignment for Wired, flying all over on his JetBlue “All You Can Jet” pass and blogging about it. He seems to be having a pretty good time – or was.

Then sat next to “Shauna”.

Clearly, Shauna (fake name) was full of surprises. One of the first things she did was, inquire if Brendan was allegoric to dogs, as she proceeded to pull a pop-eyed little mutt out of her purse.

Then she insisted that Brendan entertain her for the whole trip (the TV wasn’t working); she also announced her bathroom visits to one and all (“I have to PEE!”); she also discussed her former career as a Hooters waitress.

My only objection to the article is that Brendan never asked me if I required an alias.

Pamela Anderson as a TSA officer?

Yes, that’s in the new TV commercial by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) – and that’s not all. Look for plenty of washboard abs, zipper pulling and naked couples.

Tons of visual overload in this one – only, it’s not playing in airports as PETA envisioned -no one will run it. Or is that what they had in mind all along? Making it a viral sensation instead?

If you must see the ad, I’m sure you can find it, but don’t look for it here. I like to think of this as a family values blog, the main value being, don’t do naked stuff for the cameras.

In September, the skies will be filled with cats and dogs – so says USA Today.

It’s not a bizarre weather forecast – it’s an effort by private pilots to remove some 5,000 dogs and cats (and other creatures) from overcrowded shelters and bring them to other parts of the country where there is “space and demand for them.” In other words, they’re being removed from facilities where euthanasia is the answer to overcrowding, in favor of “no kill” shelters.

Nice. Don’t know if you know this, but about 6 million shelter animals are put to death each year.

I don’t want to sound like Bob Barker or anything, but you can blame all these deaths on stupid pet owners. Anyone who refuses to have their animal spayed/neutered shouldn’t have a pet. Can’t afford the procedure? Then you can’t afford a pet.

Good news for those of us who will be traveling with pets through the American Airlines Terminal at JFK: the carrier has installed a new “Pet Relief Area”.

It’s a grassy patch of…well, grass…located on the departure level and it includes a lovely red fire hydrant and a “Mutt Mitt” dispenser (and trash barrel) for getting rid of Sparky’s work product.

Don’t you love PR-speak? A sample: “Pets that travel have comfort needs, too.” The press release goes on to say this gives our “canine or feline friends a final chance to relieve themselves” before hopping on the plane.

Have you ever tried to get a dog to go? Taken Sparky outside at midnight – and begged him to hurry up because you were desperate to get to bed? Of course you have. And did he go? Of course he didn’t.

Yes, only in Idaho (I think) can you stay in a giant Beagle.

Just go to the Dog Bark Park Inn in Cottonwood, Idaho (population 942); the inn only has the one unit – the giant dog (seen at left, with smaller “decorative” dog beside it) – but they call it a B&B anyway, and it’s yours for $92 a night.

Amenities? Well – they have no phones, no TV – but they do have a nice breakfast, thick fluffy towels – and a nifty gift shop, where you can buy wooden Beagle statues (or other dogs) – all hand-carved by the proprietors using chainsaws. They’re a manly breed out in Idaho, you better believe it.

And yes, the Dog Bark Park Inn is pet-friendly. Bring Sparky and BoBo.

So retro – in a good way. And why not? Beagles are the most charming of dogs.

Thanks to the Los Angeles Times for finding this gem.

Yes, snakes on a plane – a plane in Australia, wouldn’t ya know.

But alas, no Samuel L. Jackson. On the plus side, nobody got snake bit. Not that it would have mattered. The snakes – four baby Stimson pythons – are non-venomous – they were also non-materializing when Qantas employees went to look for them in the cargo bay. Yikes.

They never did find them – and eventually the plane was fumigated and returned to service.

Poor snakes – they met nearly as ignominious an end as Mr. Jackson’s movie.

I’ll bet you’ve heard about the complaint letter of the year by now – if not, read all about it here on brother-blog RickSeaney.com.

It was written by some guy who thought the food on a recent Virgin flight was really, really bad.

Well sometimes, it pays to complain: Virgin now says they want him to help select the food on future Virgin flights! But, as of this writing, it’s unclear if he’ll accept Richard Branson’s kind offer.

Among the things this guy hated about the food was the way it looked – which was a nasty surprise, he said, since it looked like…well, let’s let him tell it:

“Imagine being a 12-year-old boy Richard,” our complainer wrote. “Now imagine it’s Christmas morning and you’re sat there with your final present to open. It’s a big one, and you know what it is. It’s that [stereo set] you picked out of the catalogue and wrote to Santa about. Only you open the present and it’s not in there. It’s your hamster, Richard. It’s your hamster in the box and it’s not breathing. That’s how I felt when I peeled back the foil.”

Hope the new food doesn’t taste like rodent.

You’ve got airline tickets (purchased in June) for a big trip to Rio de Janeiro – for travel this month. Then, according to the Los Angeles Times, tragedy strikes:

“About a month ago, Biffy*, our 27-year-old cat (that is not a typo) was diagnosed with chronic renal failure. The vet said he had two weeks. [But] the next thing you know, he’s at least 90% of what he used to be. But he requires intensive care. The airline tells me that I have only one year from the date of my ticket purchase to travel. Can anything be done?” –LA Times Reader

The answer given was: unless these were refundable tickets – there’s not much that can be done. In other words, use it or lose it.

Alright, wait a sec here: Biffy* is already 27-freakin’ years old! Not to be cruel, but – how much longer can he last?

Then I do a Google search for “oldest cats” and – it turns out the Bifster* is a spring chicken. You see, not too long ago, there was a certain Creme Puff of Austin, Texas who didn’t go to his reward until he was 38…

Get well soon, Biffy*.

*not his real name

If you like baby animals, your heart will stop when you see the inspired “travel tip” on how-to-pack-a-puppy.

THERE IS A PICTURE! And, step-by-step directions.

This super tip comes to you courtesy of Cute Overload and if you don’t like this site, your heart has already stopped because clearly you quit breathing long ago.

What can I say? This – is cute. ]]> http://standarduprightposition.com/2008/10/22/packing-tips-from-cute-overload-for-hassle-free-pet-travel/feed/ 0