Hound of the Moment
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Overheard on Hound Talk
Where can I find therapy dog training?

Anything I can do to reduce our Basset Hound's crazy shedding?

I'm looking for a nearby B&B that allows dogs. Any recommendations?

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Does Your Hound Have What it Takes to be a Therapy Dog?
Friday, January 11, noon to 2 PM
Live chat
ASPCA Animal Assisted Therapy expert Greer Griffith will answer questions on just who makes a good therapy dog, and where to find training if your dog has the right stuff.

Pet Parenting Workshop
Saturday, January 19, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
ASPCA, 424 E. 92nd St., Manhattan
If you have a new hound in the family or are thinking of adopting one, the ASPCA is providing a free workshop to help you deal with the challenges that arrive with a new pet. The class will cover such issues as pet-proofing your home, being a responsible neighbor, and house training. If you can't make this date, check here for other dates in the coming months. Please make a reservation by calling 212-876-7700, ext. 4400 or emailing education@aspca.org.

Barking Mad Bingo
Friday, January 25, doors open 6 PM, show starts 7 PM
Animal Haven Soho, 251 Centre St., Manhattan
A fund raiser for the Animal Haven shelter, with performaces by Sybil Bruncheon, Fabio Gorgissimo, and Gefil Tefish. Tickets are $20. Please leave your hound at home!

Super Dog Party Bowl
Sunday, January 27, 3 PM
Animal Haven Soho, 251 Centre St., Manhattan
Get in the spirit of the Super Bowl one week early at this party to benefit Animal Haven. There will be food and drink, games, and an auction. Tickets are $25 for people, $10 for hounds. (Dogs in NFL attire admitted free.)

Coffee Bark
Saturday, February 2, 7 AM to 9 AM
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Held in rain or in shine, in the park's Long Meadow, behind the Picnic House (enter at Prospect Park West and 4th Street, then go left around the Picnic House), the monthly Coffee Bark includes muffins for humans and dog biscuits for hounds. The long standing social is sponsored by Brooklyn's FIDO, officially known as the Fellowship In the Interest of Dogs and Their Owners.

St. Nick's Dog Park Coffee Bark
Saturday, February 2, 9 AM to 11 PM
Mid-park between the 135th St. staircase and 136th St., Manhattan
Coffee and other refreshments are served at this gathering, which happens on the first Saturday of every month in St. Nicholas Park. For more information or if you'd like to volunteer, write dogpark@stnicholaspark.org.

Sir William's Dog Run Coffee Bark
Sunday, February 3, 8 AM to 10 AM
Sir William's Dog Run, Fort Tryon Park, 190th St. and Fort Washington Ave., Manhattan
The Fort Tryon Dog Owner's Group invites everyone to this gathering the first Sunday of each month at their beautiful run. Free coffee and donuts. If you'd like to help out with maintenance of the run, stick around after the event.

Bideawee Mix and Mingle Yappy Hour Paw-ty
Friday, February 8, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Proof Lounge, 239 Third Ave., Manhattan
We made a New Year's resolution never to use the words "yappy hour" or "paw-ty" ever again but it's for a good cause, so here goes. A cocktail party (hounds are invited) to raise funds for the Bideawee shelter. Tickets are $20 in advance or $30 at the door.

Fables & Fairy Tales
Saturday, February 9, 3:30 PM
Animal Haven Soho, 251 Centre St., Manhattan
This reading of short plays by emerging playwrights will benefit the Animal Haven shelter. Suggested donation is $10 for adults, $5 for children. For more information and reservations, call 718-768-4213 or email gracomal@pipeline.com.

Valentine Cocktail Party
Tuesday, February 12, 7 PM to 10 PM
Crash Mansion, 199 Bowery at Spring St., Manhattan
Join Leashes and Lovers for this fete which will feature cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and live music. Well-behaved dogs are welcome, but not required. Cost is $30 in advance, $40 at the door.

Staten Island Companion Dog Club 56th Annual Obedience Trial
Saturday, February 16, 9 AM to 3 PM
The Cromwell Center, Pier 6 and Hannah Center, Staten Island
Staten Island's most obedient hounds and their proud trainers will strut their stuff at this event. More information at 718-761-8048.

If there's an event you'd like us to mention in the next NewsHound, please email us.

Vick's Dogs Find Sanctuary. Best Friends Animal Society, a 33-acre no-kill sanctuary in Utah, has become home to 22 of the dogs Michael Vick bred for fighting. Some 25 other dogs have been sent to other shelters and rescue organizations nationwide. Meanwhile, as Georgia considers a new law that will make it possible to prosecute spectators at dog fights (not just those who organize and host them) country crooner Willie Nelson has filmed a PSA urging support and passage of the bill. Best Friends is soliciting donations to get the PSA aired.

A New Way to Help the City Shelter. If you've thought about volunteering at Animal Care and Control but worry that you'll get too attached to the animals there, this new volunteer program is for you. Safety Net Program volunteers work with families that have adopted pets to make sure the arrangement works out well for all and the hound doesn't end up back at the shelter.

We Heart Technology. According to the New York Times, this month Case Western Reserve School of Medicine will end its longstanding practice of performing surgery on live dogs to study the workings of the heart. Case was the last medical school in the US to use dogs for this purpose. In November, New York Medical College also stopped the practice. Schools now favor high tech solutions, including echocardiography (in which students can watch a classmate's heart function on a monitor) and computer simulations.

The Bull Moose Dog Run, at 81st and Columbus, has a lovely new web site.

What's On. The National Geographic Channel has begun a new series, DogTown, focusing on the Best Friends Animal Shelter in Kanab, Utah. The shelter is the largest no-kill shelter in the country, and the show follows the travails of dogs rescued from puppy mills and the efforts undertaken to rehabilitate them and get them adopted. New episodes air on Friday nights at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times, with rebroadcasts throughout the week. And just in time for winter, Animal Planet has begun a series called Avalanche Dogs, spotlighting hounds who perform rescues in dangerous mountainous terrain. For those of you into advance planning, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will air on USA Network on February 11 and 12.