Rabies isn't really something we think about here in the U.S. -- at least not when it comes to our pets, since rabies vaccination is so standard.

But according to the Alliance for Rabies Control, it's still a major problem worldwide, killing more than 55,000 people a year, mostly in Asia and Africa.

So the organization is holding its second annual World Rabies Day on Sept. 28. Vaccinating animals against rabies in developing countries will not only prevent human suffering, it may well improve the treatment of animals -- especially stray dogs -- in those countries by raising awareness of their health needs and the relationship between animals' well-being and humans'.

To learn more, visit the World Rabies Day Web site.

Logan likes tennis balls "about as much as he likes roast beef treats," according to his Petfinder profile.

Last week we shared how Logan, winner of our second Victoria Stilwell contest, nearly had a great escape the night before his big win.

This week Logan's foster mom, Carol Tutzauer from New York's Buffalo Humane, tells us about her phone consultation with the It's Me or the Dog star:

I awoke in the morning, looking forward to the scheduled telephone conference with Victoria Stilwell later that afternoon. Things were looking up.

Logan had a family that wanted to give him a home. Their experiences with their previous dog demonstrated their commitment to and understanding of a dog with special behavioral needs. More than anything, they met Logan out at our home and found him to be wonderful. Logan, too, seemed just as taken with them.

But I worried. How could we ensure that this placement would work? How should his new family handle him in the event he gave a "back off!" nip?

It's Deaf Dog Awareness Week and we're happy to bring you an interview with Melissa McDaniel, an avid deaf-dog advocate and blogger, as well as photographer for The Photo Book Projects, a stunning series of soon-to-be-published books calling attention to deaf and rescue dogs.

(Don't miss the great giveaway at the end of this post!)

What is the purpose of The Photo Book Projects?
I wanted to do something to raise awareness and money for deaf-dog advocacy [and rescue] groups and to show these dogs for the beautiful animals that they are. In many respects, deaf dogs are just like hearing dogs. [My deaf dog] Sadie has a great life. She has no idea she's deaf and if she does, she doesn't let it hold her back. Humans could learn a lot from deaf dogs.

What inspired you to create the books?
My dog Sadie is a deaf Border Collie mix that I adopted. Her mother was deaf and she passed this trait along to the puppies. After getting Sadie, I learned all about the issues deaf dogs face, including the horrible statistic that thousands of deaf dogs are put to sleep each year simply because they are deaf.

Why do you think deaf dogs are singled out?
There are many myths circulating about deaf dogs, including that they are untrainable, dumb, stubborn and aggressive, and these just aren't true. Many of the dogs appearing in the books are better-trained than most hearing dogs I know and some are even therapy dogs and/or compete in agility.

We can tell people how great shelter dogs are until we're blue in the face, but nothing changes people's opinions like seeing it in person. That's the thinking behind The Dog Saving Network, a Chicago-based organization dedicated to "us[ing] fun, creative mediums to promote the benefits of positive reinforcement training, generate compassion and encourage shelter adoptions!"

One of the group's coolest initiatives is the Life's Ruff stage show, featured in the MSNBC clip above. The show features adopted former shelter dogs performing tricks they learned in just a few months of twice-a-week training sessions with their regular-folks owners.

What an original, entertaining way to prove to people that shelter dogs are not "damaged goods" -- and that just a little bit of positive-reinforcement-based training can turn any dog into a star!   

A Better Place, a New Boston, MI-based rescue group, produced this great video about two Springer Spaniels found living in filthy conditions who went on to thrive in foster care and at their new forever home. The story of Duke and Spike shows what's possible with a little grooming, a little affection and a lot of love.

You might also like:

Learn about English Springer Spaniels

Adoptable English Springer Spaniels listed on Petfinder now

Learn about Welsh Springer Spaniels

Adoptable Welsh Springer Spaniels listed on Petfinder now

Pets available for adoption at A Better Place

Last month we ran our second Victoria Stilwell contest, in which rescue groups nominated dogs in their care who could benefit from a phone consultation with the It's Me or the Dog star.

Visitors voted on our five finalists, and Logan, a Hound-Lab mix at New York's Buffalo Humane, won. (Meet Logan and the other finalists here.)

We'll be following Logan's progress here on the blog, as we did with our previous winner, Pit Bull Liza Bean.

Here's the first update from Logan's foster mom, Carol Tutzauer, in which she tells us about Logan's great escape the night before she learned of his big win:

I was steeling myself for the likelihood that wonderful Logan would not win the Petfinder/Victoria Stilwell contest. After all, his profile appeared as the last entry, not a good position for getting votes, having to cursor down the screen to find him. "Too bad," I thought. "Logan would benefit so much."

My husband and I, educators at the State University of New York at Buffalo, had just survived the first few days of the semester. Exhausted and tired from dealing with the throng of students, we arrived home to our farmhouse, gathered up all eight dogs (our four and the four fosters), stoked up the propane heater in the pole barn and sat down with the dog gang and a nice cold beer.

iStockphoto

The San Diego Union-Tribune (via Paw Nation) reports that there's something in your refrigerator (or purse) that sounds as dangerous to your pets as anti-freeze and is even more accessible: sugar-free snacks and gum.

That's if they contain the sweetener xylitol, which is harmless to humans and found in many foods.

"Two pieces of sugarless gum can be harmful or fatal for a 20-lb. dog," vet Ashley Weinberg tells the Union-Tribune. Adds vet Valerie Caskey: "One pudding cup can cause harm to a 90-pound Rottweiler."

If you think your pet has eaten something containing xylitol, take him or her to the vet or call the ASPCA's poison control hotline immediately at (888) 426-4435:

Symptoms are vomiting, weak and wobbly appearance or extreme lethargy. A dog's blood sugar can bottom out in 30 minutes, and a pet can fall into a coma, veterinarians say.

These symptoms can be observed from 30 minutes to 12 hours. The longer the pet goes without help, the more grave the condition becomes. (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Still, this doesn't mean you need to trash all your sugarless foods: Many don't use xylitol at all. Just check the label and, if a food does contain xylitol, be sure to keep it well out of your dog's reach.

This week's guest blogger, Colleen Mihelich, is the founder and creative director of Peternity.com, which sells pet memorials, grave markers, urns and other items.

We all love our pets madly. They are a constant source of unconditional love, friendship, affection and often of great entertainment. But unfortunately, their life spans are usually much shorter than our own.

As the owner of a pet memorials company, I talk daily with people who have just lost their beloved animal companions, and one of the things I hear most is, "I wish I had prepared for this."

Here are some things you can think about in advance to make it easier when the inevitable occurs:

1. Do you believe in cremation or burial? The answer determines how you will handle your pet's remains, but it's a very heavy question to deal with when your grief is fresh, so be clear about it ahead of time.
   

2. If cremation feels right to you, do you want to preserve the ashes in a pet urn, bury them, spread them somewhere meaningful -- or would you prefer that your veterinarian dispose of your pet's remains? There is no right or wrong answer. Whatever feels right to you is okay.

All better now: Read Grace's story in her adoptive mom's own words.

The tiny kitten had been abandoned by his mother and hand fed until he was seven weeks old. Now he was getting a second chance.

Lisa Driscoll had seen the kitten on Petfinder and contacted the rescue group, Pet Guardian, in Virginia Beach, VA, which had listed him on the site. She arranged to meet the kitty at his foster home.

"There were several kittens in foster care, but we still loved the one that we had seen online," Lisa says. "We took him home with us that night."

All the events in this kitten's short life had thus far been traumatic, but now everything seemed rosy. He had a new home and loving pet parents. Two days into his new life, however, Lisa noticed that something wasn't right. Her new kitten was sick.