Reveling in all things canine
Published 4:17 pm Thursday, August 27, 2009
No worries if you missed National Dog Day on Wednesday, because as everyone knows, every day is dog day. Who else automatically gets treats when they go through a drive-through?
National Dog Day is designed to educate the public about how many dogs need to be rescued each year and to recognize working dogs and their families.
These twin goals coincide nicely with Everett’s eighth annual Mutt Strut on Saturday, for the first time at Langus Riverfront Park, site of Everett’s new animal shelter, which serves the county. Pet lovers parading around with their dogs will have a hard time not thinking about the animals inside, waiting to be adopted. If that’s not possible, a donation is always welcome.
In addition to fun stuff, the event offers free microchipping for dogs, and a search and rescue dog demonstration.
The Pet Showcase is a must see. Contests include: Dog/owner look-a-like, musical sit, and most tricks in one minute. (Dog tricks, not stupid human tricks.)
With the event now at Langus, the Pet Showcase could include some riverfront-specific contests: Who can spot the seal first? Who can bark it back under the water first? Who can find the fisherman’s discarded lunch remains in the blackberry bushes first? Who doesn’t mind walking past the sewer lagoons on a breezy day? Wait, that’s not a contest, that’s a prize. (On the other hand, humans could compete in a What’s That Smell contest to identify different substances dogs have rolled in …)
In a study published this week, researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Insitutes of Health, reported that three genes combine for seven different kinds of coats that canines sport. Only a few breeds’ fur can’t be explained by these genes.
By looking at how genes work together, “We think this approach will help pinpoint multiple genes involved in complex human conditions, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity,” said Dr. Elaine A. Ostrander, chief of the cancer genetics branch.
Oh, sure, cure your diseases. But it also explains why fuzzy Bo Obama is so darn cute. Like about half of Portuguese water dogs, Bo has two mutant genes that contribute to his curly hair. He lacks a third gene that would have given him the “furnishings,” or a moustache and eyebrows, that are typically seen in dogs with wiry hair.
Besides the seven variations identified, the genes are also responsible for the well-known “extra sheddy” and “extra stinky” coats, with or without mustache and eyebrows. Revel in them all at Mutt Strut.
Mutt Strut runs from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. For more information, click here.
