Animal House

Bonnie Folz -- who, since her Vivi stint, has kept tabs on virtually every lost critter in Queens -- sends this on. Sergeant was just sighted at 26th Avenue and 202nd Street corner near the Clearview Golf Course at 8:45 this morning:

“Sargeant”, the Coonhound mix has been missing for over a month. Sargeant’s owner, Joann, needs our help to find this poor lost boy.

There have been no sightings in weeks. It is possible that Sargeant was found by someone, or since he was lost wearing his collar and leash, may be caught on something somewhere.

We will be meeting on Sunday morning March 2nd, at 8am at the Alley Pond Park parking lot located at Springfield Blvd and 76th Avenue in Oakland Gardens, N.Y.

We need to expand the area of fliers that have been posted.

Limited items below will be available, if you have, please bring some along:

- Sargeant’s Lost Dog Fliers (please run off copies if you can)

- Maps of areas that need to be covered

- Packing tape

- Staple Gun & Staples

- Leash

- Treats

Hot coffee will be provided for all those kind souls that come to help.

For those out of town volunteers who would like to help, faxing and emailing Sargeant’s Lost Dog flier to businesses in the area, would be GREATLY appreciated!

For more information contact JoAnn at 718-968-5576 or Bonnie at 917-626-1374.

Or email Bonnie at Pawsativebf@aol.com >>

Beware that snake in the grass -- he might be looking for an entree.

Earlier this week, according to news reports from Australia, a 16-foot scrub python ate a family's Silky terrier/Chihuahua mix in front of its young owners, age 5 and 7. The snake had been stalking the dog for days, even lying in wait in the dog's bed.

Bonnie Folz sends this happy ending about Belle the missing Akita, who I blogged about this morning. Vivi veterans Honi and Carol Reisman headed right out after Bonnie told them that Belle was missing.

"Not 20 minutes later, Honi called to tell me they spotted Belle in a schoolyard not far from her home," Bonnie writes. "Belle was up in the stands but wouldn’t let Carol get close to her. Poor thing was probably so scared."

Carol sat with her to keep her calm for about a half-hour while Honi and Bonnie called owners Steve and Miriam Kisker.

"Steve brought one of his other dogs with him to coax Belle out and she is now home," Bonnie concludes.

We love happy -- and snappy! -- endings.

This came via email this morning:

"Last night, 2/25, our 2-year-old black & white brindle female Akita slipped out thru the gate which had not shut correctly because of the ice. She does not have a collar on. She is very friendly and can be picked up. She might be frightened she is very "Beta" in personality.She is not at all aggressive and is friendly to other dogs and people.

She was spotted in East Rockaway at the junction of Scranton Ave. & Atlantic Ave. We searched the entire area for hours with no success."

Steve and Miriam Lisker can be contacted at (516) 593-2553

It's a gimmic, but if it will help a local shelter get a makeover, you can spare the clicks.

Zootoo.com is running a contest for a shelter makeover. The more you participate on the site, the more points are awarded to a shelter of your choice. Right now, Little Shelter in Huntington is tied for the number-five spot, with 509,318 points, followed by Queens-based Bobbi & the Strays at #10 (Vivi fans will remember that group's help in the JFK-based search ) and the Freeport Animal Shelter at #14 (arguably one of Long Island's most down-at-the-heels private shelters).

No matter who you vote for, they are all deserving!

Is there anyone left on the planet who doesn't know that Uno the beagle lived up to his name by becoming the first dog of that merry breed to go Best in Show at the Garden?

The downside for any breed earning that Westminster win is the unintended popularity that follows. Among the beagle's drawbacks: They follow their noses to the exclusion of almost everything else, they can be vocal, and they counter-surf with a vengeance.

For those who watched the show on television on Monday, yup, that was yours-truly getting a mention by David Frei during the judging of the Ridgeback in the Hound group. Every other year he quotes my little observation that the ridge is where God stuffs the Ridgeback, then sews up it.

What's in your genome?

With DNA tests becoming increasingly available, owners of mixed-breed dogs can find out the heritage of their "All-Americans" with just a few cheek swabs.

And now a pitbull owner has used DNA identification to prove that his very pitbull-looking dog isn't a pitbull at all. (Boxer, it appears, was the culprit.)

In another story about troublesome pedigrees, check out last week's column about the roadblocks facing owners of wild-derived cat breeds such as Bengals and Savannahs in New York State: They must be six generations removed from their "wild" ancestor in order to be legal here.

Times change, people come and go, but Westminster stays the same. The same anticipation, the same whispers of sure-fire winners and come-from-behind dark horses.

Let me give you one of each: The toy poodle Vikki is the "duh" choice, given that she was the number-one dog in the country last year and has shattered all the breed records for Best in Show wins.

But Vikki, who won the Toy group here last year, is getting a little ho-hum. The hot new babe that everyone in the stands was whispering about today was Holly the pointer - if not to take the whole enchilada (a real long shot), at least to take the Sporting group.

Time for a couple of Long Island shout-outs.

The 516 crowd was well represented last night as the flowing Westminster ribbons were meted out: Barbara Miller of Old Brookville saw her Norfolk terrier, Champion Max-Well's Viper, take third place in the Terrier group. And earlier in the evening, Kim Pastella-Calvacca of Westbury did the same in the Hound group with the harrier she handles, Champion Downhome Family Tradition, sporting a Reagan-red suit and matching shoes.

But our biggest surbuban powerhouse arrives today: The top-winning Akita and number-two dog in the country, Champion Rewitch Reason to Believe. Owned by Roger Rechler of Mill Neck, who made his name in dogs with the Grandeur line of Afghan hounds, the English-imported Akita won the Working group here last year. And expectations are high that she'll neatly repeat that this time around.

Who should you root for tonight, as the Westminster Kennel Club show gets underway? All of the top-10 dogs in their respective breeds survived today's judging, including Remy the Standard Poodle (#3 dog in the country in 2007), Charmin the Sealyham terrier #4), Uno the 15-inch beagle (#6), the Geneva the German Shepherd (#7) and Lily the Irish terrier (#10). They'd be good bets.

What are commentator David Frei's picks? Not that he told us, but a little birdie hinted he's fond of the beagle, the chow-chow, the Pembroke corgi and the Kerry Blue terrier.

I am primped and primed and dressed in animal print for Ridgeback judging this morning at 8 a.m. But before I leave the sauna-like environs of my Manhattan hotel room, a word of warning to those who will watch the Westminster groups on TV tonight.

In deference to wrestling fans (who usually occupy the Monday-night berth at USA Network), the show will air on the cable channel from 8 and 9 p.m., then switches to CNBC for the rest of the evening.

Forewarned is fore-TiVoed.

Westminster hasn't even officially started, but already the show-downs are in high gear.

Traditionally, the Westminster winner has made an obligatory stop on the Wednesday after the show at the Dog Fanciers Club luncheon at Sardi's. There, this year's Best in Show judge, J. Donald Jones, will talk about the dog he selected, and owner Vincent Sardi Jr. will feed him -- the dog, not the judge -- steak tartare as the roomful of photographers get their photo op.

But this year, an upstart group, the Metropolitan Dog Club, has planned a competing event -- a Best-in-Show Brunch, featuring the very same draws as the Dog Fanciers luncheon, starting at the same time: 10:30 a.m.

How will it be possible for pooch and judge to be in two places simultaneously? Layering like some huge lasagna, probably. The Metropolitan Dog Club -- whose members were visible at tonight's Dog Writers Association dinner, waving their blue MDC mini-flags -- has the tactical advantage: Its brunch is being held at Cipriani Dolci, overlooking the main terminal at Grand Central Station, where, conveniently, the Best in Show dog will be doing a live telecast.

All that will be missing is some raw meat. Then again, we wouldn't be surprised if the pooch gets slipped some carpaccio (after all, Harry Cipiriani is credited for inventing it, way back in 1950). Which will make the Dog Fanciers luncheon feel like, well, leftovers.

Vivi fans are buzzing over the recent New York Times article about the wayward whippet and the psychic efforts to find her. (Not a new angle -- animal communicators were involved in the search, almost from day one. Remember the telepath who saw her on a ship with French sailors, and she was wearing a beret?)

There were, however, a couple of boo-boos, chief among them the statement that Vivi breeder Bo Bengtson skipped the Garden last year. If that is the case, then the tall blond fellow with the Swedish accent that I sat next to at the press table last February was some convincing apparition.

Also, despite what the piece said, Vivi's owner, Jil Walton, will not be at Westminster this year, as she doesn't own any show dogs now. But she did recently get another whippet puppy, and we wish her all the best.

Bo Bengtson was working on a book when best-in-show-winning Champion Bohem's C'est La Vie bolted from her crate at JFK Airport after Westminster two years ago.

Of course, as he followed the search for the brindle-and-white whippet, his concentration was shattered, and he missed the book deadline, setting the project back almost a year.

It was worth the wait. This year, Bo returns to the Garden on the heels of the publication of "Best in Show: The World of Show Dogs and Dog Shows" (Kennel Club Books, $34.95).

He will be at the Borders bookstore at Penn Station/Madison Square Garden today between 4 and 6 p.m. to sign the book.

"Best in Show" is currently anchored on my night table, a tremendous compendium of all things dog show, from the big winners (both two- and four-legged) to the big shows, this one included.

Blog visitor Ellen writes to ask:

"I was reading your blog posts from last year and thought maybe you could help me - I am going to the WKC Dog Show for the first time this year, just as a spectator (with tickets for the cheap seats) and wonder about the dress code. Is it okay to wear jeans if you are just there to watch? Or do you really have to dress up, if only for the night part?"

Fear not: Spectators can dress like slobs, and no one cares.

As for the evening dress code at Westminster, it correlates to the likelihood of you being seen on television.

For this reason, the phallanx of judges and AKC big wigs seated behind the trophy table are always in their formal best. The handlers usually bring a sequin-infused change of clothes for the group -- or, if they win the breed unexpectedly, run out to Saks, Amex card at the ready -- because the evening broadcast demends a glitzier outfit. Even the reporters and dog press seated at the end of the floor opposite the judge leave the Levis and Keds at home in the hopes of making it on TV, though in truth the best you can hope for is a flash of your forearm.

Everyone else can -- and does -- dress down.

If you have seats way up in the nosebleed section, let me let you in on a time-honored tradition at the Garden: Seat warming. It is more than acceptable, if slightly awkward, to grab any available seat, especially during the daytime breed judging, as long as you graciously relinquish it to the owner when asked. He or she will likely look vaguely pained and annoyed, an affect born of self-righteousness. Just apologize politely, vacate and move to another illegal seat.

The reason for this ubiquitous seat-squatting is simple: There are lots of available, if paid-for seats during the day, when judging is going on in six rings simultaneously and a given person's seat -- no matter how close to the action -- may be clear across the arena from a breed they want to be watching. If you are a Chinese crested person, are you going to watch Neopolitan mastiffs, just because that's where your seat is? Also, no one sits in their seat for the entire 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. judging time.

In the evening, however, you can bet that those box seats close to the ring will be occupied by their owners, who pay big bucks to reserve them and take their place among the canine cognoscenti. Instead, mid-level seats are usually available for the asking, as many of their owners come during the day to see specific breed judging, and leave before the groups because they get a better vantage point of the action on TV.

Got more Westminster queries? Email them to me at denise.flaim@newsday.com.

PETA compares AKC to the KKK -- how's that for a bunch of inflammatory acronyms?

A press release from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals hit my email box this morning, announcing that a television ad "showing a hooded Ku Klux Klan member making himself right at home at a meeting of the 'purebreds'-only American Kennel Club will hit New York TV stations just in time to make the hair stand up on the heads of participants featured in the annual telecast of the Westminster Dog Show."

To see the ad, click here.

Calling the show a "pageant," PETA considers the annual Westminster gathering "irresponsible" because it "promotes dog breeding and spurs interest in 'purebreds' while animal shelters overflow with unwanted mutts who are in desperate need of homes."

"When it comes to contempt for 'mixed breeds' and a fetish for 'pure bloodlines,' there's not much difference between the KKK and the AKC," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "Not only does the AKC promote breeding as a 'sport,' it also opposes spay-and-neuter laws that would save the lives of hundreds of thousands of animals."

Where to start?

First, if you're going to make a twisted, overreaching correlation between closed canine gene pools and unfortunate moments in human history, eugenics concepts put forth in Nazi Germany is the better fit. Steve Budiansky does an excellent recap of this in his book, "The Truth About Dogs."

As for the AKC aversion to mixed-breeds, PETA must have missed the memo about the AKC considering opening up performance events such as obedience and Rally to non-pedigree pooches. Cynics opine that this is as much an economic imperative than a moral one, and they'd be right. But I'll take a Boss Tweed over a Grand Wizard any day of the week.

Second, breeding is not the sport -- dog showing is.

Nachminovitch's last comment is a reference to AB 1634, the California law that was narrowly defeated after opposition by purebred dog and cat breeders because it required mandatory spaying and neutering of every puppy and kitten at 4 months -- an age considered too premature by many (yours truly included) because of potential health implications (increased risk of osteosarcoma among them). In truth, reputable breeders sell all their pet-quality puppies on contracts stipulating that they be spayed and neutered.

The PETA ad concludes with the message "All dogs are created equal."

PETA is buying airtime on New York cable stations this week and in local markets across the country.