Issue #22
Did you know… dogs can donate blood? Just like people, dogs can sometimes require blood transfusions. Anemia, cancer, surgical procedures and serious accidents are all cases in which your dog, or someone else’s, may need blood. The process of collecting blood from dogs is similar to that of humans - the only difference is canine blood is drawn from the jugular vein in the neck since this is the most accessible and least sensitive site in the dog’s body.
There’s an AI robot named Cozmo that can imitate your dog. Created by consumer robotics and artificial intelligence company Anki, the AI-powered toy robot is capable of learning your face and name, playing games and singing songs. The robot has been programmed with a mischievous personality which demands human interaction to unlock new abilities. Unlike other toy robots, Cozmo’s facial expressions and mood depend on how you treat him - feeding him makes him happy, shaking him makes him grumpy, and leaving him alone for too long will upset him.
Nonprofit trains dogs specifically to help disabled farmers. PHARM Dog, founded by Jackie Allenbrand, custom trains each of their dogs to partner with a disabled farmer. The acronym stands for Pets Helping Agriculture in Rural Missouri. PHARM’s dogs come in two main categories: herding dogs (usually Border Collies), and service dogs (usually Labradors or Lab-mixes), to help farmers manage their livestock and pick up dropped tools or even act as a brace for stability.
Only 10 more days to get this box ? Available until Oct. 8th, this box has: ? Pork Loin, ? Lamb Liver, ? Whole Smelt, ? Beef Aorta, ? Duck Wing & ? Pig Ear - Checkout the unboxing!! Did someone refer you? Let us know and we’ll send BOTH of you a FREE bag of treats or chews!
Dog grooming schools may be cheating you. The state of Illinois has filed a lawsuit against the Academy of Dog Grooming Arts and its owner in November, accusing them of cheating students out of $85,000 by misrepresenting that they ran a school in good standing. According to the lawsuit, the school operated with an expired permit since 2014 and allegedly hadn’t completed an application for a new one. Personally, if you can cut hair, you can cut hair - I don’t need to see a permit for that.
Yahoo’s former VP of Mobile launches YaDoggie, a dog wellness startup. YaDoggie’s core offerings are healthy, grain-free kibble, treats and a smart scoop. The Bluetooth-enabled smart scoop, which will launch in November, connects with your smartphone to let everyone in the house know when the dog has been fed. When you pick up the scoop, an LED light will flash green if the dog needs to be fed or red if the dog has already been fed. YaDoggie’s algorithms also predict when you’re about to run out of food and then proceeds to ship it.
Singapore pet food company launches art exhibit for dogs. “This first-of-its-kind art exhibition is designed to create a positive art appreciation experience for pets as they make their way through the various art installations," the brand said. The exhibit includes a room designed to give dogs the illusion they are floating on a magic carpet through a sky full of toys and flying treats and chicken drumsticks.
Mars antitrust remedy 'not even a drop in the bucket'? Last week, the FTC required Mars, Inc. to divest 12 veterinary clinics following its $9.1B acquisition of VCA hospitals. But that’s only 12 of the 2,000+ hospitals in the U.S. and Canada that Mars still owns, effectively giving Mars a monopoly on all every veterinary hospital in North America. The collective Mars-owned veterinary practices operate under the brand names Banfield Pet Hospitals, BluePearl, Pet Partners and now, VCA -- and is leaving some independent practitioners wondering if the FTC’s remedy will be effective at all. Further, the 12 clinics were divested among 3 companies of Mar’s choice, each of which has a history with VCA.