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EDITOR'S DESK

Dogs and dolphins

by Judi McLeod

March 31, 2003

If my cute dog Kiko were a little boy, instead of a canine, he’d get us both kicked out of daycare. Kiko doesn’t share. Because he’s the only male among the female dogs that sometimes visit the office, I joke that Kiko’s not sharing is "a guy thing."

Pam, supreme restaurant critic for Toronto Free Press, and research analyst bar none, is owner of two adorable dogs as different in personality as they are in looks. Bijou is adventurous, independent, and distinguished by an adorable teddybear face, complete with the most compassionate of eyes. When Bijoux went AWOL in the bedroom at a party for TFP staff, she was discovered going through the pockets of the coats on the bed, knowing that’s where the doggie treats were bound to be kept. Scout is the one-eyed Heinz 57 variety, adopted by Pam from the Toronto Humane Society. Not nearly as independent as her sister, Scout keeps her one eye trained on her loving mistress at all times. Like Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, Scout counts on the kindness of strangers. Named after the tomboyish daughter in the film To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout won’t be found going through pockets, but cuddled up on the lap of just about anybody.

When Pam recently brought a large smoked-bone to the office, Kiko, who adores bones, refused to go near it so long as Bijou and Scout were gnawing at it. Not only is Kiko a non-sharer, he feigns the air of a prince when he’s out for walks in nearby College Park. When dogs of all ages and sizes come too close during his daily walks, Kiko growls at them. All 12 lbs. of him once jumped an adult German Shepherd, frightening off both dog and owner. "It’s a guy thing," I comforted myself.

Along with his cousins Bijou and Scout, Kiko, it was recently discovered, has a neighbourhood blood relative.

The discovery happened during another one of those chance encounters at College Park. Kiko was in the park with his favourite person, TFP office manager Brian Thompson, when a lady stopped to inquire about the prince’s breed.

"He's a cross between a Bichon Frise and a Yorkshire terrier," explained Brian.

"We have one of those at home, and we always tell people that we have a Borkie," the lady informed him.

"Will Kiko turn five on April 16th this year?" she asked.

As things turned out, the lady was no psychic but the owner of the only female born in the same puppy litter as Kiko. The puppy grew up as Zoey; Kiko’s long lost sister.

Brian gave Zoey’s mistress TFP’s telephone number, hoping she will some day soon bring Zoey along to meet her brother, the Prince of College Park.

Because Bijou, Scout, and Kiko are treated like people in our office, all of us were intrigued to hear about the dolphins used for mine detecting in the war with Iraq.

Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins were scheduled to arrive in the southern Iraqi port of Umm Qasr on Tuesday, and were to be used for their natural sonar abilities to search the Iraqi coastline for hidden mines before humanitarian aid ships docked. Dolphins have a four-decades-long history of assisting the U.S. Navy.

"They will be fed "restaurant-quality food and vitamins" during their tour of duty." U.S. Navy Capt. Mike Tillotson said.

A team of sea lions has also been deployed to the Gulf to guard against enemy saboteurs. Part of the Navy’s Shallow Water Intruder Detection System (SWIDS), they are being used in Bahrain to seek enemy swimmers or divers trying to approach naval vessels. The stealthy, 180-kilogram lions carry clamps in their mouths. They sneak up on enemies from behind and quietly snap the clamp on their legs. The clamps are attached to ropes, allowing troops to haul intruders out of the water, just like fish that have been hooked.

Sea lions are ideally suited for the job because they have acute directional underwater hearing, can see in almost total darkness, and have an ability to make long, repeated dives of up to 300 metres.

But animal rights activists are staunchly against using the talent of the creatures for something so, well… unworthy as saving human lives.

It seems that the animals did not sign up to join the U.S. Navy.

"These are animals that, number one, have not volunteered to take part in this whatsoever. Number two, they are being put in harm’s way…when they don’t even know they are in harm’s way," Stephanie Boyles, a wildlife biologist with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) told CNN News.

Meanwhile, talent abounds in the animals around us, including the U.S. Navy whose newest members sport flippers and fins, rather than legs.


Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com


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