Back in July, I wrote a post about the new mobile volunteering iPhone app “The Extraordinaries”. In the post, I mentioned that GoodDogz.org had signed up to be part of the pilot program and we were awaiting word of our acceptance.

Well, I’m super excited to announce that we were accepted as part of the pilot program and are now included in the The Extraordinaries iPhone app. The app enables “micro-volunteers” to support nonprofit organizations by doing micro-tasks like tagging photos, uploading images, tagging GPS locations, etc.  through their iPhone. The thought is that you can do good while waiting on a bus, standing in line for coffee or sitting in the doctor’s office – philanthropy in a few minutes.

The GoodDogz.org actions ask users to:

• Help us build a database of dog shelters and rescues in the U.S. by tagging them when the user visits them.
• Sharing information about homeless dogs that need homes.
• Share photos of their own dogs.

There are also actions for organizations like KaBoom!, Library of Congress and the Smithsonian. GoodDogz.org currently has 33 followers but has a goal of 100 followers by the end of October. So if you love dogs and have an iPhone, please download The Extraordinaries free from the iPhone app store and become a micro-volunteer!

The whole world seems to want to know what kind of breed the Obamas are getting. Michelle Obama told People Magazine that they will be getting the dog when the Obama daughters Sasha and Malia come back from Spring break in April. But the question everyone’s dying to know is, what kind?

The choice has finally been narrowed down to one breed! Mrs. Obama says the family is looking for a rescue Portuguese water dog who is “old enough” and a “match” for the family dynamic. “Frank” and “Moose” are two name choices the girls have come up with.

“Temperamentally they’re supposed to be pretty good,” Michelle Obama said. “From the size perspective, they’re sort of middle of the road – it’s not small, but it’s not a huge dog. And the folks that we know who own them have raved about them. So that’s where we’re leaning.”

So what does the first lady think of all the attention from the public regarding the family dog search? Michelle says “One of the things I didn’t anticipate is the level of the excitement about the dog. I knew my kids were excited. They’ve been excited for years. They’ve even calmed down, because they feel like, ‘They said we’re going to get one, so let’s just shut up about it.’ “

She adds, “It’s all great and gracious attention. People are just being as helpful as you can imagine. So I know that we will find the perfect breed. And we’ll find people who are caring folks who will help us find the dog of our dreams.”

Good luck on the search!

Last month, Obama has announced that the First Family has decided to adopt a dog that would live with them at the White House. The family wants a dog from a shelter, but they need one that will not trigger 10-year-old Malia’s allergies. But here are some updates on their search of the future First Family Pet.

During an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, President Barack Obama said that the family is still undecided on what kind of dog they want to get, and that the decision would not be made until spring of this year. That means the girls are almost getting that puppy their dad promised them.

Last month, Obama revealed that his daughters, Malia and Sasha, had narrowed down their list of dog choices into two breeds: a Portuguese Water Hound or a Labradoodle. Labradoodles were originally a cross between the Labrador Retriever and the Standard Poodle, now they are a breed of their own! Labradoodle-Dogs.Net is currently the largest breeder directory in the Internet dedicated to the Labradoodle breed! They are committed to helping breeders and owners connect in a safe and secure environment.

Is it just pure coincidence, or is there really such a thing as dog discrimination?

Melissa Dahl, a health writer for msnbc.com, recently wrote an article about the so-called “black dog syndrome” – a phenomenon in pet rescue circles where “big, black dogs are often the last to be adopted from animal shelters.”

Gregg, 49, from Xenia, Ohio talks about a banner he’d seen on an Ohio animal shelter’s website containing words similar to “We know that you people prefer colors, but we’ve got wonderful black dogs here, won’t you please consider them?” Evidently, this suggests how difficult it is for big dogs with black coats to be adopted or find new homes.

Madeline Bernstein, the president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal, has plenty of theories about why adopters tend to rule out black dogs in most animal shelters. “It’s mostly an unconscious thing” she says, which is also true for black cats who have the same problems being adopted. People who are aware of superstitions about black cats being associated with “bad luck” may also be unconsciously passing this existing superstition about black dogs.

Reading this news about black dog discrimination made me sad and made my stomach churn a little. If there is indeed an absolute truth to this matter, then there has to be some sort of psychological explanation behind it. I have always thought black dogs are adorable, and I actually like how shinier their coats tend to appear compared to white or brown dogs.

For obvious reasons, the kinds of dogs that are less likely to be adopted in animal shelters are the older or the abused ones, or the sick and the injured ones. Apparently, little did we know that it has something to do with color as well. Whether or not this ongoing syndrome is associated with coincidence, superstition, or the color black, for some reason, just don’t appeal to potential adopters is still a big question.

Black is beautiful, but beauty is only skin deep. Give the black one a chance. It might just be the best thing that could ever happen to you.

After a 50,000 signature petition by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the family of the new president elect are planning to adopt their new puppy. Keep up on the progress at http://obamafamilydog.com!

GoodDogz.org rocked the Reston Town Center last Saturday at our Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption event. The weather was gorgeous and we had a steady flow of foot traffic. The event hosted about 20 dog and cat rescue organizations as well as 10 pet retailers selling their holiday wares.

We’ll be compiling the number of animals that were adopted over the next few weeks, but we do know that a new group, K9 Lifesavers, have adopted 20 of the 30 dogs that they brought to the event. A success unto itself.

Subscribe to our RSS feed to get more information about the results of Home 4 the Holidays as well as all the latest information on GoodDogz.org!

This just in…Best Friends Animal Society has helped to save 1000+ puppy mill dogs from a mill in Parkersburg, WV. They desperately need help. Kudos to Best Friends for helping to give these dogs a second chance at a happy life. Here’s the article in full.

My husband and I were having brunch yesterday and reading the Washington Post. We were both disturbed and disappointed to read that during a suspected drug bust, Prince George’s county sheriffs shot and killed PG county mayor Cheye Calvo’s two Labrador retrievers, Payton and Chase, one while it was running to a back room to get away. A sheriff’s spokesperson stated that “deputies on the scene felt threatened by the pets.”

I have a lot of respect for police and what they do. I certainly wouldn’t want to do that kind of work and I appreciate the risks involved. However, I find it very sad that officers would have felt a need to shoot and kill two dogs that meant them absolutely no harm.

In the article, it is mentioned that Calvo’s mother-in-law was home when the suspicious package was delivered (by an undercover police officer). She chose to not open the door and asked that the package be left on the porch. If she had opened the door, would the police have shot her too?

When I was in high school, we lived in a quiet suburban neighborhood in FL and much to our alarm, their was a house where drugs were being sold down the street. Police raided the house and the first thing they did was shoot and kill the rottweiler that lived in the house. The suspects weren’t even home.

Maybe someone can explain to me – why was it necessary to shoot and kill two Labrador retrievers? I can understand that if the dogs were attacking the officer there being a need to use force to subdue the dogs. But, one was running away. Is it just me, or does this seem terribly wrong?

Here is the article in it’s entirety.

You may have seen the Verizon commercial depicting the man and the Pit Bull running for the cell phone. The man makes it to the phone just in time for the dog to get yanked on his chain and snap at the man. The commercial was in terrible taste and Verizon caught a lot of heat for it. Care2 and the ASPCA circulated a petition that got traction and Verizon pulled the ad. Here’s the summary:

Dear Beth J.,

You signed the petition, Make Verizon Accountable. Can They Hear Us Now?, on Jul 17, 2008. The petition received 5083 signatures. The petition author, R. Brace and the ASPCA online community, has now closed the petition and posted the results:

Message from the petition author, R. Brace and the ASPCA online community:

———————————

I have just spoken with Steve Schwartzman, Executive Coordinator, who told me that the offensive ad has been pulled in all markets. Thank you to all who signed this petition and made the calls! Mr. Schwartzman was very understanding of our feelings, and admitted that they have received quite a bit of heat over this commercial.

Each and every one of you made the difference.

Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Renee Brace and the ASPCA Online Community

GoodDogz.org will be participating in the 2008 Combined Federal Campaign. We just received our charity number – 200416698. If you are a federal employee and want to support animal welfare, please consider participating in the CFC and designate GoodDogz.org as your charity of choice!