DENVER, CO - Cate Clark dropped her dog, Ruby, off at the 29th Avenue Animal Clinic last Thursday so she could be treated for dehydration.Two hours later, Ruby was dead -- not because the veterinarian made a mistake in treating the dog but because her staff allowed Ruby to escape her kennel and then the clinic altogether.

She wandered 18 blocks from the Stapleton clinic north toward Interstate 70 where she was hit by a car and killed.

"The negligence, the carelessness, it's just infuriating," said Clark. "I'm so sad, but I'm so angry at the same time."

Dr. Michele Smith, the veterinarian at 29th Avenue Animal Clinic, is taking responsibility for Ruby's death and has already fired the employee who left the clinic's back door propped open, allowing Ruby to escape.But that escape wouldn't have been possible had Ruby been in a kennel with a working latch.

"The kennel was broken," said Clark. "When we took Ruby in on Monday, the tech kept joking that Ruby keeps getting out of her kennel. And maybe that was funny at the time, but why wasn't she in a secure kennel? And when we went back to look at it, they'd already put another dog in the same kennel even though they could have gotten out just as easily."

Smith has refunded Clark's bill, paid for Ruby's cremation and even sent her flowers. But, it's little solace to Clark, her partner, Kelly and Harley, the couple's other dog who has been mourning the loss of his "best buddy" ever since Ruby failed to come home from the vet.

"Ruby was a great dog, she was a protector, she was a guardian, she was a great companion, she was a very gentle dog," Clark said. "We all miss her and you can't replace her. Nothing in this world will replace her."

News drops from the Dog Whisper website that our favorite canine coach and his wife of sixteen years are seperating.

"We are sad to announce that after 16 years of marriage we have decided to file for divorce," reads a statement on posted Cesar's Web site Friday. "The decision was made after much consideration and time. We remain caring friends, and are fully committed to the co-parenting of our two boys."

Ilusion Millan filed for divorce at Los Angeles court Friday, citing irreconcilable differences, legal documents show. She is seeking primary physical custody of the kids with visitation for Cesar, 40, as well as spousal support.

Millan is the longtime host of the National Geographic Channel's Dog Whisperer. He famously came to the U.S. as a young man from his native Mexico with $100 in his pocket and a dream of becoming a famous dog trainer. He succeeded "“ with the help of some famous clients such as Jada Pinkett Smith. In addition to hosting his television show, Millan has authored several best-selling books.

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn -- Miss Ellie, a small, bug-eyed Chinese Crested Hairless dog whose pimples and lolling tongue helped her win Animal Planet's "World's Ugliest Dog" contest in 2009, has died at age 17 after a career in resort show business in the Smoky Mountains.

The Mountain Press reported Thursday that Ellie starred in shows at the Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge.

She also appeared on The Animal Planet cable show "Dogs 101" and was on billboards and in a commercial.

Pigeon Forge Mayor Keith Whaley proclaimed Nov. 12 as "Miss Ellie Day" for her owner's efforts to raise money for the local humane society. Over the years, Ellie helped raise more than $100,000 for the Sevier County Humane Society.

She will be cremated.

Through the last six years of his life, Parley Nichols, 81, never left his Hartville, Ohio, home without his dog Lady. The two were best friends, soul mates and constant companions who took care of each other.

So when Parley, who had developed dementia, went missing on April 8, it was no surprise that Lady, his 6-year-old golden retriever that he bought as a puppy, was also gone.

"Dad had been wandering around, and we kept looking for him for a solid week, sending out flyers, doing whatever we could," Terry Nichols, one of Parley's two sons, tells PEOPLEPets.com. "With his dementia, he would struggle to hear you talk to him, then four hours later he seemed okay. We were very worried."

Finally, a neighbor called saying someone had driven by a field outside of town and heard a dog barking, trying to attract attention. But when Nichols and other family members drove to the area, they found nothing.

"When we went a second time to a different place by a creek, we found Lady and my dad, who was already dead," Nichols tells PEOPLEPets.com. "Lady was standing by his side protecting him. We are sure that she never left my dad for seven days, staying alive by drinking water from the creek."

Lady didn't know what to do when she saw other members of the Nichols family arrive at the scene on April 14. They had to pull her away from her master and place her in the back of their pickup truck.

"I don't know how dogs perceive things but she knew she had to stay with dad no matter what," says Nichols. "And she did."

"Do it, Say it, Wear it!" That is the motto of Studio250.com, an online store. Unforunately they don't have any other canine items other than these luggage tags at this time. If you like their store, let them know and send them a note stating you'd like to see more dog-centic accessories.

Make your bag stand out with this adorable luggage tag. Made of durable rubber and 4" x 2" large size will easily seen. Reverse side contains a plastic protected card to fill out our personal contact information. Don't leave home without it!

We went and checked these out for you. In addition to what is pictured above, they also have tags representing a Terrier and Dachshund. They have a price tag of $12

At the Miami (South Beach) location of the Ritz-Carlton, you're not the only guest that has the ability to be pampered.

For a prices starting at $250 (in addition to the human price tag), the Ritz is offering quite an experience for your pooch.

Rooms feature a luxurious four-poster dog bed with Italian Frette sheets, made-to-order doggie treats from the kitchen, and water bowls filled with Fiji or Evian water.

Why not finish with a relaxing massage, color enhancement, and grooming?

Nature's Variety has recalled their Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet for dogs and cats with a "Best If Used By"� date of 11/10/10 because these products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The only products affected are limited to chicken medallions, patties, and chubs with a "Best If Used By"� date of 11/10/10. No other Nature's Variety products are affected.
The affected products are limited to the Nature's Variety Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet packaged in the following forms:

* 3 lb chicken medallions (UPC# 7 69949 60130 2) with a "Best If Used By"� date of 11/10/10
* 6 lb chicken patties (UPC# 7 69949 60120 3) with a "Best If Used By"� date of 11/10/10
* 2 lb chicken chubs (UPC# 7 69949 60121 0) with a "Best If Used By"� date of 11/10/10

The "Best If Used By"� date is located on the back of the package above the safe handling instructions. The affected product was distributed through retail stores and internet sales in the United States, and in limited distribution in Canada.

If you are a consumer and have purchased one of the affected products, please return the unopened product to your retailer for a full refund or replacement. If your package has been opened, please dispose of the raw food in a safe manner by securing it in a covered trash receptacle. Then, bring your receipt (or the empty package in a sealed bag) to your local retailer for a full refund or replacement.

Nature's Variety became aware of a potential problem after receiving a consumer complaint. Subsequent testing indicated that the lot code related to the consumer complaint tested negative for Salmonella. However, additional subsequent testing found the "Best If Used By"� date of 11/10/10 to be contaminated with Salmonella.

If you're not a sports fan, tune in to Animal Planet on Sunday for some adorable puppy action! On February 7, Puppy Bowl will be back for its sixth year, showing from 3-5PM and then repeating throughout the night.

An all-star, all-adorable cast will mix it up on the gridiron, and this year, the network is bringing the cuteness to a new level with bunny cheerleaders and a kitten half-time show!

All of the precious puppies come from shelters, including the SPCA of Anne Arundel County (Maryland), Pennsylvania SPCA, All Star Pet Rescue (New Jersey), Waveland Animal Shelter (Mississippi) and All Paws Rescue (Missouri).

If you're interested in adopting your own rescue pup, you can visit Petfinder.com.

To vote for this year's MVP (Most Valuable Puppy),visit AnimalPlanet.com. But before you vote, click through to get a glimpse of this year's starting lineup!

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Social networking is going to the dogs.

In its first-ever toy created for the canine community, Mattel is introducing a product called "Puppy Tweets" that meshes the hugely popular Twitter with consumers' love of pets.

Puppy Tweets is a plastic tag with a sound and motion sensor that you attach to your pet's dog collar and connect its USB receiver to your computer. Then you create a Twitter account for your dog and enjoy updates all day from Sparky or whatever its name is on your computer or smartphone.

The tag is set with several pre-recorded tweets that are triggered by the dog's activities. So if he's running around, you might get a tweet that says "I finally caught that tail I've been chasing and...OOUUUCHH!"

If Sparky is napping, he'll tweet "Somedays it feels like my paw is permanently on the snooze button!" If he's making a ruckus, his tweet will let you know that as well, saying"YAHOOOOOOO! Somedays you just gotta get your bark on."

"Puppy Tweets capitalizes on two popular trends - the use of social media and real time communication, as well as peoples' extreme love for their dogs," said Susan Russo, Mattel's director of marketing.

Puppy Tweets is part of the No. 1 toymaker's line-up of new products for 2010 that it showcased to members of the media Thursday ahead of the industry's annual Toy Fair in New York next month.

Jim Silver, a toy industry analyst and editor-in-chief of TimetoPlayMag.com, said he was "curious" about Puppy Tweets when he first saw it.

"I thought that a 5-year-old doesn't know about Twitter," he said. But he said that Mattel is going after an entirely different market and "expanding beyond kids" with Puppy Tweets. "This is a product for adults."

"It's a good thing to try especially since no one else has come up with a pet product quite like this."

Puppy Tweets will be available at retailers in the fall, and will carry a suggested retail price of $29.99.

I know this isn't a dog story, but it's disturbing none the less as it demonstrates that no matter how many times animal cruetly is reported and profiled on the news, there are just some people that just don't seem to get it.

Not only are we disturbed and greatly saddened by outcome for the pet in question, but also for the child that was asked to perform this task by his parent. What kind of world are we living in where this is deemed acceptable as a just corrective message by any parent. How will this affect the child later in life in social setting and his own development? And what state of mind is this parent in?


WARM SRPINGS, Ga. "” A Georgia woman is in jail after police say she forced her son to kill his pet hamster with a hammer as punishment for bad grades.

The sheriff of rural Meriwether County told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday that the 12-year-old boy told his teacher about the killing. The teacher reported it to the Division of Family and Child Services, who contacted police.

Sheriff Steve Whitlock said 38-year-old Lynn Middlebrooks Geter of Warm Springs faces one charge each of animal cruelty, child cruelty and battery.

The sheriff's office said she remained in the Meriwether County jail early Friday. It was not immediately known if she had a lawyer.

Meriwether County is located about 90 minutes southwest of Atlanta.