CatDogBlog

This must be a new form of low. Colombian drug dealers turned puppies into couriers by surgically implanting them with packets of heroin, federal authorities said Wednesday. Investigators believe the ring used the dogs, as well as human drug swallowers, to conceal millions of dollars in liquid heroin on commercial flights into New York City for distribution on the East Coast.

Ten puppies, including Labrador retrievers, were rescued during a 2004 raid on a farm in Colombia, the Drug Enforcement Administration said, while announcing more than 30 arrests. A veterinarian had stitched a total of 3 kilograms of heroin into the bellies of six pups. Three later died from infections after the drugs were removed.

It was unclear how many dogs were used in the overall scheme, and investigators do not know their fate after they arrived on U.S. soil, said John P. Gilbride, head of the DEA’s New York office. “I think it’s outrageous and heinous that they’d use small, innocent puppies in this way,” he said.

“Another four puppies were found with no drugs inside them,” DEA spokeswoman Erin McKenzie-Mulvey said, continuing: “The surviving dogs are now, “living happily with families in Colombia.”

The world’s first mass-marketed robot, Sony’s Aibo, recognizes its owners’ faces and is programmed for sympathy, like a canine companion. Its eyes light up in red to show anger, green to convey happiness. It even learns its own name.

Aibo owners tend to be fiercely loyal, too. The robots have even been hacked by tinkerers seeking to add their own modifications. But none of that prevented Sony from announcing last week that it was scrapping the four-legged robot pet as part of the company’s bid to reverse flagging fortunes and cut costs.

It’s disappointing for Aibo fans, who bought 150,000 of the toy poodle-sized machines since they were first introduced in 1999 and now worry they won’t be able to get spare parts. “The robot is like a real dog. It responds when I call it,” he says. “It’s so cute. It sulks. And it looks sad when things don’t go right.”

Paul Wallingford, the owner of a Los Angeles-based Internet business, owns four Aibos. Lately, he’s been keeping them turned off often so they’re less likely to have problems. “I think you do develop an attachment to them,” he said.

The Aibo, which costs about 200,000 yen or $2,000 delivers an amusing illusion of spontaneity and personality. It comes in black, white, brown and gray and is programmed to move about on its own. It has image-recognition capabilities and a digital camera in its head that allows it to chase a special pink ball and avoid bumping into walls.

To many, the Aibo represented the tradition of innovation at Sony, which gave the world the Walkman portable music player and PlayStation video game machine. I guess if you don’t have enough time to care for a real pet this was a great solution, but I think once the Aibos start braking down, a lot of these people would enjoy a puppy.

Dog experts at Battersea Dogs Home are warning owners to make sure their pooches are wrapped up warm in coats and blankets this winter. Since most pet dogs are used to sleeping in heated homes, they may need to wear a small coat or fleece when taken outside for walks.

The dog experts say owners should get advice from vets on suitable coats for their pets. Weather forecasters, this month, have predicted the coldest winter in 10 years so people and pets will need particularly warm clothing.

President George W. Bush invited a famed German shepherd, called Rex, to his State of the Union address. The five-year-old canine captured the hearts of Washington policy hacks when he was separated from Air Force Technical Sergeant Jamie Dana when he was injured in a roadside bombing in Iraq.

Military practice forbade Dana from adopting his canine comrade, as the dog was still considered a highly trained military asset. But after their plight hit the headlines, Congress passed, and Bush signed, a new law lifting the prohibition on adopting dogs before their working lives were over. The Air Force then let the adoption go ahead.

Rex’s work in Iraq included searching vehicles at checkpoints and scouring buildings for booby traps and explosives. The pair was riding in a Humvee vehicle together last June when the bomb went off.

It’s said to be the first time an animal had been allowed into the hallowed halls of the House of Representatives to hear a president in action. Both Dana and Rex were listed as guests in First Lady Laura Bush’s box by an official White House press release.

For a 13-pound (6kilo) bichon frise, life as Diane Jansey’s dog is luxurious. “She runs me about $500 a month,” Jansey said of the tab for Amy’s products and services.

Jansey, of Orange, Calif., is among a growing number of pet owners lavishing glitzy collars, leopard-print stoles and spa services on pets. The result: The almost $36 billion-a-year pet industry has doubled from a decade ago, surpassing U.S. spending on children’s toys and triggering a tidal wave of products.

“It’s not about walking the dog anymore. It’s about pampering,” said Linda Grimsley of Kyjen Co., a designer of high-end pet products.

While Grimsley declined to talk about Kyjen sales, she said the 10-year-old company’s travel gear, strollers and dog toys are “extremely” popular, especially among baby boomers, considered the industry’s chief splurgers.

“The pets are their children. They’re taking them camping and traveling, so everything we develop is with that in mind,” she said.

In America the average pet owner spends about $2,100 a year on dogs and $1,350 on cats, according to a 2005 survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. Among the fastest-growing segments: pet services and supplies, where spending reached $11.2 billion in 2005.

“Consumer demand for pet products and services is expanding into almost every corner of what has typically been reserved for human consumption,” said Bob Vetere, the association’s chief financial officer.