Dogs

The Michigan House Regulatory Reform Committee opened hearings Thursday on a bill to outlaw medical research and testing on dogs if it could cause “pain or distress.”

She uses her sense of smell to detect American foulbrood, bacteria that, left undisturbed, mean certain death for an entire honeybee colony.

The Grand Traverse Kennel Club began its annual “Cherry Capital Classic” Friday, a multi-event dog show featuring dogs of every shape and size. Taking place at the Northwestern Michigan Fairgrounds, the weekend-long event ranks dogs based on conformation, rally and obedience.

The unit is made up of dogs and their owners working as civilians. The new group fills the need for the county after the previous group disbanded.

Pawsitive Connections, a dog training program at the Central Michigan Correctional Facility in St. Louis, is helping teach inmates valuable life skills.

What makes the decision important is the determination that a violation of any single element of Michigan’s animal cruelty law can justify a conviction.

Michigan’s longest dog sled race has been canceled for the first time in history.The Upper Peninsula Dog Sled Association announced today the UP200 - along with its Midnight Run and Jack Pine 30 - are all canceled due to poor weather conditions.Association President Darlene Walch said days of warm weather and rain showers last night melted too much snow on sections of the 220-mile track.

After the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab confirmed the parvo-like illness impacting dozens of dogs in northern Michigan was parvovirus, a new set of questions emerged: Is it a new strain of the virus? Why did so many dogs test negative when they were in fact positive?

The Michigan State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory says their testing has confirmed the illness is parvovirus and that initial testing was not as precise for detecting the virus.

At least 30 dogs have died from the virus. Many of them were puppies or young dogs not up to date on their vaccinations.