Animal House

Last Sunday, Sargeant -- newly adopted from Elmsford Animal shelter in Westchester -- pulled away from his new owner at 64th Avenue and Springfield Boulevard in Oakland Gardens, Queens.

Sargeant is light brown (wheaten) in color, with a white marking on his chest. He looks almost like a small-sized ridgeless Ridgeback.

He was wearing a black/gray checked leash and matching collar with red dog bones and dishes on it. He was also wearing his shelter collar, which was clear with the shelter's 914 number on it. He is not microchipped.

Sargeant was last sighted near Alley Pond Park.

If you see him, contact is distraught owner JoAnn at 718-968-5576 and 845-656-3187, or email prescoj@nationwide.com.

There is a $1,000 reward.

When last we left the animal-friendly folks at the Port Authority in October, they had arranged to have the estimated 250 to 500 feral cats living at JFK International Airport trapped and then euthanized.

Huge public outcry led to a suspension of the trapping, and the Port Authority is now having conversations with various animal-welfare groups "to develop a pilot -- if you'll pardon the pun -- trap, neuter and release program," says Patrick Kwan, New York state director for The Humane Society of the United States.

Meanwhile, some of the cats captured in the first rounds of trapping are headed to the Catskills. Susan Marino of Angel's Gate Hospice in Fort Salonga says she is taking about 16 of the cats in her new upstate outpost in Delhi.

The hospice has winterized and converted a garage for the feral cats to use as shelter, and created an outdoor enclosure for them as well. Susan's goal is to build an enclosed "catwalk" that will lead to to the woods on the 100-acre property, allowing the cats to take a walk on the wild side, but still be contained.

Set your TiVo. The AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Show -- which took place in December in Long Beach, Calif. -- airs on "Superbowl Saturday" on Animal Planet at 8 p.m.

This is the seventh edition of the show fanciers informally call the "Invitational" because the top dogs in each breed are invited. New to the show this year is the Eukanuba World Challenge, featuring the top dogs from 40 countries and six continents. (What, Antarctica had no husky or Malamute contenders?)

The Agility competition airs next Sunday, Feb. 10, at 8 p.m.

Over the years, the Invitational's tugging at the cape of the Westminster Kennel Club show has hardly gone unnoticed. Billing itself as "The Planet's Greatest Dog Show," the Invitational has become a not-so-subtle rival of the silver-haired fellows in morning coats who put on that little show at Madison Square Garden on the second Monday and Tuesday of February for the last 130-odd years.

Bonnie Folz shares this email from Laura, Lexi's owner:

"YES Lexi is coming home today. ... I found out a fund has been set up for Lexi's medical expenses at the vets office. I can’t stop crying. I am filled with so many emotions I feel like I’m going to burst. I have no idea how I’m even getting any work done. This whole experience has changed my life. The kindness of total strangers is overwhelming. I’m sorry for blubbering but I can’t help myself today..."

Lexi was 80 pounds when she went missing on Thanksgiving Day. She weighed 38 pounds when she was this week. A huge gash near her armpit resulted surgery and 400 stitches to close up six layers of muscle and tendon.

Bonnie adds this unfortunate side note about the hoopla surrounding Lexi's return:

"Unfortunately, thinking Lexi would not be found, Laura just canceled Lexi’s pet health insurance with VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance) on Tuesday, January 15th. Lexi was found only five days later, on January 20th. When Laura called about Lexi’s insurance, she was told that a cancellation is a cancellation, and if she were to re-instate Lexi’s policy, the injuries Lexi sustained while being lost, would be considered a pre-existing condition!!!!!!! ...

Some kind soul set up a fund to help cover Lexi’s medical expenses at:

The New Hyde Park Animal Hospital

615 Jericho Tpke

New Hyde Park, NY 11040

516-352-7007

So very happy Lexi is coming home to recover!!!"

Alaska leads the country in dog bites, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

From 1991 to 2002, nine people died and 288 were hospitalized for dog-related injuries.

For those who were involved in the search for Vivi the whippet, calls at one point came in about her being sighted near the Queens Farm Museum in Floral Park. They were likely red herrings.

But yesterday, after sightings of a skinny yellow dog at the site, another missing dog was trapped there, bringing a measure of relief and joy to Vivi searchers who had taken on her search.

Lexi the Labrador retriever was caught in a trap that had been lent by Little Shelter and set up at the working farm in Queens. Lexi's owner, Laura, walked around the area where the trap was set with her other dog to leave their scent. The trap was filled with food.

Lexi is much the worse for wear after her adventure. She is less than half her weight -- 38 pounds, down from 80 pounds on the day she pulled away from her owner on Thanksgiving Day.

Lexi still had a collar and a portion of her leash attached. At some point, she must have gotten caught on something, and in her manuevering to get free, she pulled her collar over her front leg. The pressure from the collar created a deep wound that was seriously infected.

Now, this is devotion.

The Times of London reported the story of Oscar, an 18-month-old Lancashire Heeler from England, who lost his best friend, a cat named Arthur.

As his owners slept, Oscar dug up Arthur's body, brought it into the house through the cat door, licked all the dirt off Arthur's white coat, and then curled up to his deceased buddy.

Arthur has since been reburied, and Oscar has a new kitten named Limpet.

The Westminster Kennel Club has just announced its judging schedule for the the 132nd iteration of its world-famous show.

If you make it a habit to visit the Garden on the second week of February, note that this year the breed and Group judging has been shuffled.

Monday, Feb. 11: Hounds, Terriers, Non-Sporting and Herding

Tuesday, Feb. 12: Sporting, Working, Toy and Best in Show

As years go, fledgling 2008 has been a lousy one for local dogs.

First there's the Doberman who killed an 8-month-old boy by crushing his skull.

Then there's the cop who had to shoot his own dogs to keep them from attacking him after he broke up a dog fight. (Very atypical pitbull behavior -- fanciers would call it untypey -- from a breed that was bred to never react aggressively to the touch of any human, even a stranger, in the thick of battle.)

Betti, the missing Pennsylvania Pharaoh hound, has been found!

But taking her place is this newly MIA male Husky, lost in Bohemia, Long Island, after being spooked by fireworks near Connectquot State Park.

"Zoro" was wearing a chain collar, which may not be seen under his hair, but no tags.

Contact Zoro's owner through Craig’s list posting comm-527995935@craigslist.org or Barbara Lukowski at huskyhousenyc@hotmail.com.

Betty, a 1-year-old Pharaoh hound, needs your help.

She was lost near Township Line Road and Collegeville Road in Collegeville, Pa., on Thursday afternoon.

She is microchipped and is wearing an invisible fence collar. (I hate those things, at least for unsupervised dogs: Once a dog breaks out, she cannot break back in!)

Call 484-431-1115 or 917-626-1374.

call 484-431-1115

or 917-626-1374