Globe and Mail top 10 pet stories

10 TALES FROM THE WILD SIDE (AND ONE FROM THE FUTURE)
The humble beagle won big, human weirdness trumped veterinary advances and cuteness reigned supreme in 2008. Pets deserve year-end lists just like everyone else, so here are the topten animal stories of the year, followed by a not-so-psychic prediction for the biggest pet story of 2009. Rebecca Dube reports
REBECCA DUBE
December 30, 2008
ECONOMY GOES TO THE DOGS, DOGS ... GO SHOPPING?
What happened The economy tanked.
What it means For pets, not much - at first. The pet supply industry proved surprisingly resilient in a weak economy. Who would have thought that gourmet dog biscuits and rhinestone kitty collars were recession-proof? Unfortunately, when things go from bad to worse, pets do suffer. In U.S. counties that have been hard hit by home foreclosures, animal shelters are being overwhelmed with abandoned pets.
HAVE NO FEAR, UNDERDOG IS HERE

What happened A lively 38-centimetre beagle named Uno bayed his way into the hearts of millions when he became the first beagle to win the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
What it means Score one for Snoopy! Uno's victory over more rarefied breeds sparked unprecedented interest in the Westminster show as the general public cheered to see a "real dog" chosen as champion. Who will the Westminster judges pick to follow this act in February, when they choose a new best in show? A Labrador retriever would be a great people's choice, but no doubt poodles are out for
revenge.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE CLONES AND THE KIDNAPPER
What happened South Korean scientists successfully complete the first commercial cloning of a dog, a dead pit bull named Booger.
What it means Truth is definitely stranger than fiction. After photos of Booger's clones' proud owner, Joyce Bernann McKinney, circulated worldwide, she was quickly outed as the same woman who, 31 years earlier, was accused of kidnapping a Mormon missionary in England, handcuffing him to a bed in a Devon cottage and forcing him to have sex with her.
She skipped bail back then and fled from justice, only to resurface for the love of Booger.
OH, THE HUMANITY ... OF DOGS
What happened Scientists demonstrate that dogs feel empathy (through contagious yawns) and envy (they get sulky when other dogs are rewarded for tricks and they are not).
What it means Not much to dog owners, who don't need much persuading that dogs feel and express a full range of complex emotions. The research is pretty interesting, though, in context of the rapidly diminishing list of traits that were previously believed to exist only in primates (tool making, language etc.). We're just not as special as we like to think. Research on animal emotions may also lead to breakthroughs in our understanding of human emotions and conditions such as autism.
DROP THE LEASH, ROMEO
What happened The Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh banned the selling of dogs and cats, as well as walking them in public.
What it means The Saudi religious police finally cottoned on to what single people have known for years - puppy equals babe magnet. In the interest of preserving separation between the sexes, they instituted the ban, which is enforced by agents of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. Similar bans in the cities of Mecca and Jiddah have failed to curb pet buying and walking (and presumably the associated "ooh, what a cute puppy!" flirting).
My babies may look funny, but I love 'em
What happened Interspecies mothering was all the rage this year, with a golden retriever nursing white tiger cubs, a tabby cat nursing baby red pandas, and a pig nursing tigers.
What it means Lots of photos of cute interspecies snorgling, and proof that maternal instincts can trump biological ties (and perhaps common sense - my, what big teeth your babies have). And apparently tigers are the deadbeat mothers of the animal kingdom.
WE'RE NOT HAPPY UNTIL YOUR DOG'S NOT HAPPY
What happened A federal agency overturned Air Canada's ban on pets as checked baggage.
What it means In 2007, Air Canada banned pets as checked baggage, forcing customers travelling with pets to ship them as cargo. Then this spring, the Canadian Transportation Agency overturned the ban, saying the rule was "giving advantages to the carrier while exposing pet owners to many significant disadvantages." Air Canada is appealing that ruling in federal court, and expects a court date in the new year. In the meantime, pets can still travel in the luggage compartment except during certain summer and holiday blackout dates.
FACING THE FUTURE
What happened A veterinarian in Boston reattaches a cat's face after it cuddled up to a car's fan belt.
What it means Only eight more lives to go for Edgar, the four-year-old female cat, who is recovering quite well from her face-reattachment surgery. And her owners may want to look into pet insurance.
KILLER KIBBLES
What happened A U.S. judge approved a $24-million (U.S.) settlement for the Canadian and U.S. owners of cats and dogs who were sickened or died from eating pet food tainted with melamine, a chemical used to make plastics.
What it means Pet owners start scrutinizing the labels on their animals' food, and the once-oxymoronic notion of gourmet and organic pet chow moves into the mainstream. The settlement compensates owners for veterinary costs, but doesn't pay "pain and suffering" damages.
CUTE OVERLOAD
What happened Lots of cute stuff. A pig who refused to walk in the mud without boots made headlines, the Shiba Inu puppy cam racked up 13 million views, and the CuteOverload.com calendar shot to the top of Amazon's bestseller list.
What it means When it comes to finding ways to waste time at work, people's love of soft, furry and cuddly things knows no bounds. Words such as "smooshable" and "prosh" enter the lexicon. Meanwhile, Playboy Enterprises Inc. is laying off staff as its stock price suffers. Forget sex: Cute sells.
And the top pet story of 2009:
BARACK OBAMA AND HIS FAMILY CHOOSE A DOG
Will it be a so-called "designer dog," such as the hypoallergenic goldendoodle (a golden retriever-poodle mix) that his allergy-prone daughter favours, or a more image-friendly mutt from the pound? At the very least, Mr. Obama should be able to avoid the missteps of his gaffe-magnet vice president-elect Joe Biden, who purchased a German shepherd puppy from a Pennsylvania dog breeder whose kennel, it turned out, had been cited for multiple violations. With animal rescue groups across the country ready to shiv each other for the chance to supply a presidential pup, my money's on the Obamas finding a goldendoodle to adopt from a pound or rescue group. Cute and ethical - isn't that the Obama way?