The World Small Animal Veterinary Association isn’t breaking any ground with their new goals.  They want to vaccinate every animal with core vaccines. They’re also careful about avoiding needless vaccinations. That’s why they make it clear that we’re talking about what they classify as “core vaccines.” The WSAVA also makes a big deal out of annual check-ups. We’re not the kind of animal owners who think that’s some kind of scam. Veterinarians can do more than ever for our pets. We still have to get our pets to the veterinarians.

As a quick puppy primer:  The WSAVA recommends that all puppies should have their initial vaccines against distemper, parvovirus and hepatitis. They also like to add that rabies vaccination is considered a core treatment, “even when it is not required by law.” We’ve always assumed it was required by law, anyway.

We’re very interested to learn that the organization suggests that the  final puppy vaccine against core diseases should be given at 14-16 weeks of age. That’s to avoid the vaccination working against the maternal immunity that puppies acquire from their mothers. That’s something we never gave thought to, either. Also pretty important: 98% of core puppy vaccines given between 14-16 weeks of age will provide immunity against parvovirus, distemper and adenovirus for many years–and probably for the life of the animal.

All dogs should also receive a first booster for core vaccines 12 months after completion of the primary vaccination course–according to these new guidelines, which explain that the 12-month booster will provide immunity for dogs that might not adequately respond to the puppy vaccinations.

The link also address non-core vaccinations, like precautions against kennel cough. The WSAVA also addresses leptospirosis–which is that flu-like illness also known as  Weil’s syndrome, 7-day fever, Rat Catcher’s Yellows, black jaundice, and other scary names. As always, the emphasis stays on avoiding non-essential vaccinations, so the WSAVA has geographical guidelines. That’s where we get past puppies and learn some important things about vaccinations for all dogs. It’s some vital reading, and should be pretty gripping news to any pet owner. Follow up with your own vet, of course, but it’s always great to go to the doctor with some real knowledge. Your puppy will appreciate it, too. They sure don’t want unnecessary vaccinations.

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The actual dogs–before they were all customized were created by a British design house called Lazerian. That link will take you to all of the paper dogs in the series. Most are amazingly cute, but watch out for the occasional shocking image like “Gerald,” who’s kind of skeletal. All these dogs hit Manhattan yesterday, so we were expecting to spend a lot of time this weekend trying to find each of them for some petting. At least, we’re hoping it’s okay to touch some of them. One of them is designed by an artist named Felt Mistress. Yes, her dog is covered in felt. 

Anyway, it turns out that the full collection of unique doggy designs is actually gathered until Sunday at the Gerald and James exhibition–which is open to art and dog lovers at 60 Reade Street in Manhattan until Sunday. This New York exhibition also marks the launch of a limited edition book. We might be tempted to get that, too. Check out a few of the dogs here, then go on over to the link to enjoy all these artistic animals. Who’s a good expensive piece of art? Yes, they’re good expensive pieces of art! 

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We’d like to think that our own dogs would be able to figure out the idea of dropping the stick on the ground and then carrying it out before picking it back up again in their teeth. That’s not really fair, though. Any dog would already know that idea involves dropping the stick! Which is clearly insane. It’s a heck of a stick, after all. There’s no telling what kind of creature might come rushing up at the first opportunity to swipe a stick like this.

Yes, it’s a great (and snowy) start to 2013 for this dog. You’ll enjoy the mounting challenge and tension as the proud pet faces an epic challenge. And, as suggested, watch the whole thing to see the dog enjoy his triumph. He might be sleeping with that stick even now…

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The video coverage is set to be a daily event at the official World Dog Show website. And you can go ahead and choose your personal favorites with a look at the World Dog Show’s Facebook page.

The first World Dog Show was held back in 1971, so we’re talking about an established event that’s a really big deal. That first show was also held in Budapest, as well. The city must be pretty excited to have the show return again, since it’s a traveling dog show. The closest it ever came to the U.S. was a 1997 stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We didn’t get to attend that one, either.

But as our bosses would probably tell us, it seems that the fine folks of the Eukanuba dog food brand are providing live streaming of this year’s event. You can check in on the World Dog Show as it happens right here–or you can catch up later at the Eukanuba YouTube Channel. This’ll probably take up a lot of our daily news reporting, and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity. Although it would be more thrilling to be in Budapest. Yeah.

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Well, frankly, no–and we live with cats. Anyway, enjoy this splendor for yourself, and try to get the word out about this fantastic feline. The poor pet’s been denied fame for nearly a month now…

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Mikki counts as a pet, too, since the circus performer was trained to take photographs in the late ’90s by two important Russian artists. Here’s the complete write-up of Mikki’s part of the auction–called “Moscow Through the Eyes of Our Mickey”–courtesy of the Sotheby’s site:

Vitaliy Komar and Alexander Melamid are among the founding members of the Moscow Conceptualist movement of the 1970s, who sought to subvert the Soviet ideology through art and performance. Together they trained Mikki the chimpanzee, a popular performer at the Moscow Circus, to take photographs. The blurry snapshots he captured of Red Square, similar to those taken by thousands of tourists on a daily basis, presented a radical new photographic concept. The auction will comprise a series of photographs of Mikki alongside images taken by the chimpanzee himself. Playing on the notions of art and its value, the artists questioned the role of the human race and the relevance and exclusivity of artistic talent. 

Those pics are selling for a lot of cash, too. At least the minimum bid seems like it’ll buy a lot of bananas. The actual prints are kind of blurry, though. (You can see some here.) We’re more interested in seeing what Komar and Melamid ended up with when they got a dog to do some drawing. Maybe we’ll have to wait for another auction for that one, though. Anyway, now you know what to spend your money on if you’re feeling really rich on this upcoming June 5th. Sadly, nobody seems to know if Mikki himself is still around to cash in on his newfound fame. At least Mikki got to enjoy some serious freedom as an artist–and someone’s made a good capitalist out of this monkey….

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We usually go out of our way to be clear that we’re not endorsing any dog food brands. We’re paranoid about big corporate dog foods, even if they do a lot of fine charity work. Still, let’s go ahead and conceded that Purina Dog Chow might very well have been on the cutting edge of dog food back in the ’70s. The dogs certainly seem enthused–but the closer we look, the more we think that the trick here is part peanut butter and part creative editing of the happy Purina consumers. Anyway, we kind of wish the ad industry would go back to this kind of thing…

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We’re also happy to report that the Best Friends Proms are raising money for local pet charities. (Things are happening fast in over a dozen cities, so check in via their Facebook page.) You don’t have to have a pet at the facility to attend, either. In fact, the Proms are actually being broadcast over the internet, so you don’t even have to be there to chaperone your dog. That’ll also help you avoid a few dozen jokes about spiking the water bowl. Just go and enjoy an evening that’s probably better than the prom you had. Or, you know, more fun than the prom we had. But why bring that up?

And speaking of fun, here are some videos to promote the event. Charming stuff, but we should warn you that Chicago has already had their Doggy Prom. That was the big launch, and surely the most romantic evening of several doggy lives…

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Anyway, Emily and Rishi are currently in the news because their story is coming to a sad-but-happy end. It turns out that a 6-year-old girl and a 6-year-old orangutan mature at different speeds. Emily has maintained her long-distance relationship with her favorite pri-mate for a long time, but her most recent visit with Rishi in North Carolina (where Rishi lives at Myrtle Beach Safari)  will be her last. That’s because Rishi now weighs 65 pounds, and is already strong enough to pick up Emily’s father. Rishi is going to double his weight over the next 18 months, too.

You can look at the video below and figure that Rishi is still far from aggressive. Sadly, it’s just realistic to decide that Emily and Rishi have grown apart. We’re still going to enjoy a nice daydream about the two reuniting in about ten years–but we’re also good parents who’d already be awful nervous about Rishi coming over to visit our own kids nowadays. So we’ll look at these pics of the pair’s final meeting, and get an idea of why the music is so bittersweet…

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