Between Hillary and filibusters, Flavor Flav and great white sharks, you’re probably feeling stressed out. We’ve collected a few of the most uplifting stories, like a fully recovered dieting dachshund, and your daily dose of awww, like Brody the whispering dog to cheer you up. Sit back and relax with our rundown of the top dog stories of the past week collected from all over the Internet.
1. Dachshund Sheds The Pounds – Imgur/Reddit
Dennis the dieting dachshund’s before and after pictures impressed even the most die-hard fitness enthusiasts. After being rescued from his former owner who fed him a horrible diet of burgers and pizza, he’s lost over 44 pounds! That’s like losing four dachshunds worth of weight! Looking good, little guy.
2. Doggie Photographers – Qz.com
Nikon created a camera case that lets your dog take photos of all his or her favorite things. It works by connecting to a heart rate monitor, then snapping a photo when the heartbeat rises. Before you know it, our pups will be Snapchatting all of their buddies about the best places to sniff.
3. Victory For Veteran – 3MillionDogs.com
Courts dropped charges against a veteran who saved a dog from a hot car. Michael Hammons broke a window to save the Yorkie and was arrested for criminal trespass. Even though the dog owner originally pressed charges, she agreed with the decision, and so do we!
4. Dog Whisperer – IHeartDogs.com
Brody doesn’t just know how to speak on command, he can whisper. He can lower the volume of his bark to a hushed rumble, like he’s got a secret he wants only you to hear. We’ve heard of the Dog Whisperer, but this is the first we’ve heard of a dog who whispers.
5. Police Save Drowning Dog – LifeWithDogs.com
Police officers in Columbia jumped in a flooded river to save a drowning dog. The video is scary, but they pulled the pooch from the water and gave him CPR. He’s making a full recovery, and the officers have named him Principe (Prince). If they can’t find his family, they plan to adopt the pup as part of their unit.
6. Seeing Eye Dogs – thedodo.com
After going blind, a dog’s siblings are stepping up as seeing eye dogs. Kiaya the Akita lost her sight to glaucoma, and since then Cass and Keller have stayed by her side, keeping her steady and staying close during nap time so she knows that they’re still next to her. They’re great, loyal pals!
7. Pups On iPads – CNN.com
A dog training school in New York City is teaching pups to use iPads. The trainer says it’s not so different from learning any other skill. Her students are able to use their noses to take selfies and even make some works of art with drawing programs, even though they aren’t exactly masterpieces.
8. Hero Dog In Peru – DogTime.com
We reported that a family dog saved a little girl in Peru by helping police find her home. Officers found the girl crying next to a barking dog. She was unable to tell them her name or where she lived. Seeing that the police were there to help, the family pup led them through the streets to their home, safe and sound.
9. Pooch Patrol – Q13Fox.com
Police in Arlington, WA are recruiting dog walkers to join the Pooch Patrol. It will be a neighborhood watch program to report any suspicious activity. They are looking for volunteers to learn how to spot and report anything out of the ordinary while out for a walk with their furry friends.
10. Ancestors Of Dogs – NYTimes.com
Scientists have found that modern dogs and wolves may have split in the evolutionary tree much earlier than previously thought. Thanks to a jawbone fossil from a Taimyr wolf, scientists believe the species may have diverged anywhere from 27K to 30K years ago, much earlier than 11K to 16K as a study in 2014 concluded.
What’s your favorite doggone news storiy of the week? Send me links on Twitter and you might make it into next week’s roundup!