Here are your Pet Headlines for Tuesday. Woof!
Rescue dogs, trainers strut their stuff
The county’s Urban Search and Rescue team conducted a demonstration of its skills at Orange County Fire Authority headquarters Tuesday. Four of the OCFA’s search dog teams were on hand to demonstrate the search dogs’ agility, obedience and control.
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Free pet food for seniors and jobless Saturday
Seniors and the unemployed can get free food for their pets this Saturday thanks to several South County pet charities. The free pet food giveaway – sponsored by Rescuing Unwanted Furry Friends – will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the Pet Rescue Center located in the Alicia Pet Care Center, 25800 Jeronimo Rd, Ste 100, in Mission Viejo.
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Dana Point’s trails doggone puzzling for some
The city of Dana Point is informing the public about rules for dogs on trails in the Headlands area. While the city says that all of the trails in the Headlands area are open, the City Council has yet to give final approval to allow dogs on the South Strand Switchback Trail and the concrete revetment along Strand Beach Park.
Clean up your dog’s act: Forest officials cracking down
A smelly problem is piling at trails around Jackson, Wyo., where people go hiking and cross-country skiing with their dogs. How big is this problem? Bridger-Teton National Forest officials say they recently counted 173 piles of dog waste around just one trail head.
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Homeless man offers reward for missing cat
Daniel Harlan, a slight man with a wispy beard going gray, is just another face in the crowd in San Francisco. He is homeless, a street panhandler. Most people wouldn’t give him a second glance except for his constant companion, a pug-nosed Himalayan cat named Samantha.
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Exotic pet owners turn over animals on Amnesty Day
Miami Metrozoo accepted exotic pets from owners who could no longer care for them — no questions asked and no penalties assessed. Most were greeted by a biologist who took notes on a laptop about each animal — name, weight, and special needs like favorite foods, personality traits or that special spot the animal liked to be scratched.
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Recent Pet Tales headlines:
If only our pets could talk.
A federal judge has sentenced the owners of a Las Vegas-based ingredients broker to three years probation for distributing a tainted ingredient to pet food companies that led to the mass pet food recall in 2007.
Dear Marie, As a lot of people do, I started a project without reading the owner’s manual. I started the self-cleaning action on my oven, opened the windows and the patio door, and told my husband I’d be back in a little while.
Take it from someone who knows: Train your puppy young and everyone will be happier in the long run.
Friends of Lake Forest Animals (FOLFA) will hold a pet treat giveaway Saturday to show their thanks to residents who have supported the nonprofit organization.
Meet a cougar, help save a homeless pet
$15,000 cat goes missing in San Diego
File this one under “Don’t try this at home.”
Never mind that pesky 
Build a fort: Most cats like boxes or bags. To keep things safe, avoid the plastic bags, and instead find a box and create a play area. Cut holes — some small and for paws only — and an exit/entrance and then engage in a bit of cat and mouse. Soon enough, your furry feline will be zonked out in his new castle.
