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THIS WEEK'S TOPICS:

• TSA laid off these working dogs, and now you can adopt them 🥹 💕

• Canine kryptonite: Chocolate, and why exactly dogs can’t eat it 🙅‍♀️🍫

• This dog has a nose built for mussels 👃🦪

DOGGYDEX™

Winner 🏆: Bitcoin

Proudly introducing the DoggyDex™, an index comprised of 10 publicly traded companies whose primary focus is the dog/pet industry.

The yellow line-plot in the chart represents these companies above (DoggyDex™) and their combined performance against both the S&P 500 and Bitcoin on a weekly basis.

Pawformance is measured by % gains & losses.

TSA LAID OFF THESE WORKING DOGS, AND NOW YOU CAN ADOPT THEM 🥹 💕

As much as we want to see every dog achieve nothing but success in life, sometimes things just don’t shake out that way.

TSA is constantly recruiting dogs from all different backgrounds (Pointers, Labs, German Shepherds, Malinois, etc.) and not all recruits land full-time gigs protecting our airports.

There can be a multitude of reasons for a pooch not to pass, or be up to sniff (😏) for the line of duty.

Some might simply not have the discipline and prefer to chase balls 🎾 not bombs 💣, and some may be retiring from old age. Others could be medically discharged⚕️.

The great news is when the service door closes, the furever home door opens, which gives lucky individuals the opportunity to adopt these newly freed souls for free!

TSA’s canine adoption program is based out of San Antonio, TX and requires an application of course. But before heading down to the lone star state be sure you meet the following criteria:

• You must have a fenced in yard at the time of applying. 🏡

• There should be no intentions of moving within six months of adopting a dog. ❌ 📦

• Homes must abide by all local pet ordinances.

• You must agree to provide the dog with appropriate medical care, exercise, training and companionship.

• All existing pets in the home must have current vaccinations and preventive care. 💉🐕

• The age of children in the home will be taken into consideration when selecting a dog. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Currently they’re adopting out dogs with medical needs. Below are a few that are currently available!

Check out the rest of the adoptable dogs!

CANINE KRYPTONITE: CHOCOLATE, AND WHY EXACTLY DOGS CAN’T EAT IT 🙅‍♀️🍫

Raise your hand if you didn't know that chocolate was bad for dogs (looks around the room, no hands are raised).

Now raise your hand if you know why exactly chocolate is bad for dogs 🙋 (⬅ that's us raising our hands).

It's pretty clear that everyone understands that dogs and chocolate don’t mix, but we realized that we had no true scientific understanding of why that is.

Behind the sweet, rich exterior of wonderful chocolate lies a devious little molecule called Theobromine. Theobromine is a molecule made by plants and is one of the compounds found in cocoa beans (there's also a little bit in tea🍵).

If you want to get nerdy about it, it is in the alkaloid family of compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen (weirdly enough there is not actually any bromine in it 🤷‍♂️).

The issue boils down to the fact that dogs don't easily metabolize theobromine like people do.

So if a dog eats chocolate, theobromine builds up in their systems, revs up their bodily functions, and creates symptoms such as panting, thirst, vomiting, and diarrhea.

In more severe cases, irregular heart beat, low circulation, and seizures can occur. Yikes.

This also applies to caffeine, which is also commonly found in chocolate (or at a little place called Starbucks, though the puppaccinos are dog safe).

Not all chocolate is created equal, and the levels of toxicity do vary. The most toxic to least toxic types are:

1. Bakers chocolate 🤢🤢🤢🤢

2. Dark chocolate 🤢🤢🤢

3. Milk chocolate 🤢🤢

4. White chocolate 🤢

You've probably come across multiple dogs who've eaten chocolate and seem just fine despite their brush with this sweet devil 😈. This is likely due to the other variables, such as the weight of the dog and the amount consumed.

PetMD has a useful toxicity calculator to see about the effects on your pup.

What should you do if your dog eats chocolate? 🍫

This isn't a wait and see type of situation, so call your vet immediately. While there are a number of variables like we mentioned, theobromine has a long half life, meaning that the effects can last and grow in severity the longer you wait.

Try to get an idea of how much, the type, and when your dog ate the chocolate as treatments can differ based on those things.

A common vet treatment will be active charcoal or a supplement to induce vomiting in order to clear the dogs system.

Don't try this at home! Calling your vet or an animal hospital is the best thing you can do.

Oh chocolate, you taste so good, but now we kinda love-hate you(?) with our newfound understanding.

THIS DOG HAS A NOSE BUILT FOR MUSSELS 👃🦪

The boat looked clean.

The smooth hull was scrubbed and brightly painted, and the conservation officer at the highway checkpoint didn't see anything that was amiss.

But Kilo wasn't so sure. After a quick sniff and a look back at his handler, the black haired German shepherd sat down and stared at the boat. A sure sign that a mussel was hiding somewhere on the vessel.

Does that sound like the intro to a whodunit or crime novel ☝️?

Ok, maybe we overdid it a little, but it's always fascinating to learn about unique ways our four legged friends help out in this world.

This story comes to us from up north in Canada, where two dogs (Kilo & Major) are helping keep invasive mussels at bay.

Freshwater mussels like the ones Kilo helps sniff out, originated in the Black and Caspian seas, but at some point in the 80's made their way into the Great Lakes and rapidly took hold, affecting everything from irrigation lines to hydroelectric dams.

British Columbia is one of the few places the mussels haven't permeated, thanks to Kilo, Major and about 45 conservation officers.

With thousands of boats passing through checkpoints each year, the two pups are practically indispensable to the provinces efforts to keep the mollusks out.

KIBBLE BITS:

• Dog mows the lawn: This dog was recorded cutting the grass on his riding lawn mower.

• Bulldog uses buttons to communicate: We’ve heard of FluentPet buttons, and this Bulldog’s favorite phrase is “Wanna Fight?” and after pressing it he then wrestles with his dad 😂.

• Official dog of Boston Marathon honored: Spencer, the official dog of the Boston Marathon passed in February, and all of the dogs and runners came out to mile 3 to honor him.

Every week we love to shoutout a pooch that has made another trip around the sun. Happy 9th Birthday 🎂 to the magnificent bulldog that is Meatball!

That's all there is to bark about this week.

If you want more, be sure to follow our Twitter (@dogonomist).