Golden Retrievers

Once again, just like the nine lives saying, nobody seems to know exactly where the man's best friend saying originated. Since last week's article centered on cats' specialties, this week's is devoted to the hierarchy of dogs. No one ever disputes that dogs are man's best friend because of their unconditional love and loyalty.  

About 1,200 purebred dogs, including 33 golden retrievers, will be competing at the annual Western Pennsylvania Kennel Association dog shows next weekend. For the 20th year the show will be held Downtown in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Show dogs will strut their stuff in "conformation," which is the canine equivalent of a beauty pageant.  

FarmVille's been hinting -- rather pointedly -- that dogs will be arriving soon, and we also got a sneak peek at a few more details courtesy of PetVille and players who were privy to a quick glance at a Golden Retriever in the in-game market. Recently, we met with FarmVille GM Bill Mooney, who says he was looking forward to satisfying player's overwhelming request for dogs. Mooney was tight lipped about more details except that these dogs will do more than "be passive," i.e. sit and look cute on your farm.  

Bernard Vinther lost his vision years ago, and now he's lost his best friend and guide dog, Kaber. Vinther, 65, was hit by a car about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Washington Street and Sixth Avenue in Kennewick while walking home.  

Ricochet is a service dog dropout. It's not that she wasn't dog enough. To the contrary, there was way too much dog in her.  

Mahoning County 4-H Community Day aims to showcase the best of some of the area's top 4-H clubs. Beth Stefura, director of the Ohio State University Extension in Canfield, said the Community Day, from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 550 N. Broad St., was created to get the community more involved.  

Dogs perform lifesaving jobs every day. They sniff out bombs, locate lost children and even find people buried by avalanches. Now another type of specially trained working dog has emerged in recent years.  

Wendy Going noticed her son Kegan had a natural inclination toward animals. Whenever Kegan saw an animal he would start making sounds — talking in his own way. This was unusual for the boy because most of the time he's silent, his mother said.  

A 9-year-old Little Neck pup was named as one of the top 10 national finalists by the Humane Society of the United States as a 2010 "dog of valor" after he saved an 89-year-old neighbor's life in August. Tina DiLuca, of Glenwood Street in Little Neck, fell face-first in her garden during an extremely hot day in August and could not get back on her feet, said Maria DiLuca, her daughter. The 89-year-old spent several weeks recovering from four fractured ribs and a few abrasions at North Shore University Hospital on Long Island.