RT @Fudgelump

RT @Fudgelump I'm glad my poop sign is being put to good use #yay #poop #dogpoop #sign pic.twitter.com/zCE7QTzHEH
— No Poo Left Behind™ (@PickUpThatPoop) January 31, 2014

Betty White's 92nd Birthday

In honor of Betty White's 92nd birthday today I found this clip from the Golden Girls where she uses a word that is supposedly Greek for the precise moment dog poop turns white.  I was able to find this entry in the Urban Dictionary for "garconanokin," which is exactly as Rose describes it.  The entry does not give a source, but you can buy "garconanokin" shirts and mugs according to a link on the site.  I loved The Golden Girls but was only able to watch it with my aunt; I was a little kid when it first aired and my parents thought it was too racy.  They were probably right, but it being restricted made me love the show all the more.  I'm sure I understood very little of it. Happy birthday Ms. White!

Dallas Man Murders Neighbors Over Dog Poop

Here's another sad story about a 76-year-old Dallas man who took the law into his own hands and murdered his two upstairs neighbors.  Chung Kim was tired of his neighbors allowing their dog to urinate and defecate on their apartment's porch, causing it to drip below.  He shot and killed 31-year-old  Michelle Jackson as she was standing on her porch, then went upstairs and killed her boyfriend, Jaime Stafford.  The couple had 5 children.

The video below is from CBS 11 Dallas when the trial was just beginning.  

These two videos are also from CBS 11 Dallas, but the story starts to get a little confused:


According to this Reuters article the man was convicted of capital murder, carrying an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole.  

Dogs Poop in Alignment with Earth's Magnetic Field

Here's a story that has been making headlines around the country and world.  Scientists have discovered that like several species of mammal, dogs poop in alignment with the Earth's magnetic field. They studied 70 dogs and 1,893 poops (and 5,582 pees).

The article was published in the academic journal Frontiers in Zoology on December 27, 2013 and entitled "Dogs are sensitive to small variations of the Earth’s magnetic field."  There were many contributing authors: Vlastimil Hart, Petra Nováková, Erich Pascal Malkemper, Sabine Begall, Vladimír Hanzal, Miloš Ježek, Tomáš Kušta, Veronika Němcová, Jana Adámková, Kateřina Benediktová, Jaroslav Červený and Hynek Burdal.  The article's abstract gives a summary of the findings: dogs prefer to align themselves along the north - south axis as long as the magnetic field is stable.  The results change when the magnetic field is unstable.  The full text of the article is also available.

Here are all of the stories I've found about this breakthrough for modern science (so far):

Of course the New York Post has the story.
PBS Newshour covered the story.
Here's the story in the L.A. Times.
The Raw Story picked it up.
And the Huffington Post.
This version of the story is from a website called Motherboard Vice.
DogHeirs covered it.

I'm sure there are more versions of the story out there, but by now you probably get the gist of it.  I find it funny how many reputable news sources picked up the story.  Part of the fun is all the images on these sites.  I've embedded some below for your enjoyment.

Becky Perry's post on Vine

Apparently stepping in dog shit before practice is good luck, at least for Becky Perry who posted this to vine.  She also says "Stepped in dog sh*t on the way to pre game practice.  That's good luck isn't it? #winning #dogshit"

Four Dead in India in Fight over Dog Poop

Here's a youtube video report about the story from India where four people died in a fight that began over dog poop.  It happened in the Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, India.  I find this video eerie, because the narrator's tone doesn't really match the seriousness of the story.  He seems almost happy to be reading it.  Imagine a fight over dog poop escalating to the point where four people were killed.  Pick up after your dog!

Here's the description from youtube:

A fight over dog excrement has left four dead in the Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, India.

Further, four people were seriously injured and four policemen suspended as a result of the skirmish.

The battle began when a family's pet defecated in front of a neighbor's door.

It appears that the location had become one of the canine's preferred spots.

The homeowner and the dog's keeper became embroiled in an argument, which quickly escalated into a physical battle involving additional family members, sticks, and knives.

Before long, the two sides engaged in an exchange of gunfire.

All were rushed to a nearby hospital, but reportedly there was no staff available to tend to them.

By the time they were seen, two were declared dead on arrival and two more people died soon after due to excessive blood loss.

The others who sought medical attention were sent to a different hospital and treated for their injuries.

Four policemen have been suspended pending an investigation into why they failed to respond to the altercation and resulting violence when alerted multiple times.

One doctor is also under review for the delay in medical assistance.

Montreal New Year's 2014

Dog poop near the Palais des congrès de Montréal 

The same dog turd with the restaurant where we had dinner in the background.

This is wordless wednesday, but I have to mention that these are my first pictures from Canada!  We went to Montreal for a few days, which was a beautiful city, but not immune to the ravages of irresponsible dog owners.