Kiko's Pet Page

Canadafreepress.com office mascot Kiko is mighty miffed that Barney Bush, the irascible ink black Scottish terrier, who has the run of the White House, has his very own Web page.

Kiko may not have Barney's pedigree, but he is afterall, a "printz." Not a capital `P' printz, but a small `p printz'.

While our printz may not be able to run freely through the Oval Office, he's a fully-fledged newspaper mascot with the right amount of printer's ink running through his veins.

With a Mom who's a high-class bichon frisee and a pure Yorkshire terrier Dad, Kiko is only a halfbreed. But, hey in multiculturally driven Canada, it's not a bad thing to be.

There are no "crown jewels" to verify that Kiko is a full-blooded printz—a vet took them away a couple of years back when he was neutered.

But with or without his crown jewels, Kiko still attracts all of the foxiest girl dogs, including the lively and luscious Chiquita, a shiatsu with an absolutely adorable face. Chiquita is definitely the Nicole Kidman of the canine world.

No mere princess, Chiquita is queen of College Park, where she sniffs out all of the trees, constantly on the lookout for a tryst with her beloved. It's a relationship that's lasted more than four years, and next thing you know, Kiko will be writing poems to her.

The much bigger male dogs are on the watch for Kiko, the park printz. Only 12 lbs., he growls first and quickly jumps—even rotweillers—if only to prove his machochismo. Funny how he only attacks the canines who have somehow managed to keep their crown jewels away from the vets.

Kiko makes it clear that he regards politicians of all political stripes as so many trees.

Once the snow flies, Kiko too little for real winter boots, gets a paw smear from a jar of a product called Invisible Boots before his walks to the park.

Benny Bullies and Rollovers are Kiko's favourite store-bought treats. His favourite homemade treats are the cookies made from liver ground in the blender, mixed with a package of cornmeal, and plenty of garlic. This treat, shared with other College Park pals, is particularly useful in summer months as garlic is said to ward off fleas.

You can read some of Kiko's favourite animal stories on this web page. Other pet owners are invited to send in photos of their pets, which Kiko promises to have posted on the Canadafreepress.com site.

Kiko's Pals

Izzy Everyone who knows canadafreepress.com Sports Editor and author Edward Zawadski knows hes a big guy. Eddie would be the kind of guy youd like beside you if you happened to find yourself having to travel down a dark alleyway.

But when it comes to "Izzy", his pet dog, Eddie is one big marshmallow.

Indeed, ever since the day Izzy came into his life, the two have been inseparable.

When Eddie took his Mom to Poland last year to reunite with a long lost sister, it was difficult to leave Izzy behind. Upon Eddies return, Izzy let him know he wasnt too happy with the absence.

Izzy is a part Bichon, Yorkie and Jack Russell mix.

As you can see in his photo, not only one of Izzys white ears always seems to stand up, but Izzy is a stand-up kind of guy.

The CFP gang happen to agree with his proud master, who sent this accompanying note along with the picture: "Pretty cute, huh?"

Lyka: The highly-trained U.S. border patrol dog broke hearts when she went missing near Surrey, B.C. There was a happy ending in store when the seven-year-old Australian shepherd was found about five kilometres from where she went AWOL. Lyka and her worried handler became separated while searching for smugglers in heavy bush. There was no word about her for two days straight. Then, a farmer who read about Lyka in a local newspaper spotted the dog who came to him when he called out her name. In the sheer relief of finding her none the less for wear, Lyka was given one big bone and a two-week holiday from patrol duty.

Pets Links

• Caring Canines

Pets

Until Hurricane Katrina blew her way, “Cupcake” was handled as tenderly at home as the confection she was named for.

For this tiny black cat, who lost her cupcake status to become a stray, survival must not have come easy. Forced to forage in her hurricane-ravaged neighbourhood without family or friend, Cupcake had to dodge hungry stray dogs, parasites and starvation.

They're much cuter than the guys in uniform are. The 10 German shepherd puppies born at the Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail, Alberta, that is.

The tumbling, bumbling, rolling over each other, playful, sleepy pups who appear to be all paws in endearing puppy hood are waiting for names.

War-serving kings of the 'Tailwagging Society' will be immortalized in bronze in the first official war memorial on American soil.

Joyful barking will be heard throughout the land.

The state of New Jersey will place an official war dog memorial alongside the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial, in Holmdel, N.J.

Theres a Queen ruling the roost at the White House. Her cape may not be genuine Russian sable, but her loving eyes are more steadfast and brighter than any crown jewel.

Born on January 6, 2005, this is Miss Beazleys first Christmas.

Miss Bea arrived at the White House to keep the handsome and inky black Barney company. Both Scottish terriers have the run of the house and human hearts.

According to reports, The President and First Lady showed off the then 10-week-old First Pup at official press availability and "the little one quickly won over the gathered media throng."

&Selling real estate may be a tough call. There was the heart attack a couple of months ago, and then the car crash.

Luck may be a lady for some, but for Michael Bosch, of Nicasio, Calif., luck is a gangly-legged, floppy-eared cocker spaniel puppy, that comes on the run to the name of Honey.

Tail-wagging puppies are supposed to be more interested in hugs, good leather shoes and bone-shaped cookies. But Honey, a-few-months-old-going-on-5, is a proven true-life hero.

Bosch, a 63-year-old real-estate broker, was backing down his driveway off Nicasio Valley Road recently, when his car slipped 50 feet down an 80-degree slope, pinning him in the overturned vehicle.

You didnt have to be a pet owner to cringe when you came upon mainline media photos of the forlorn little dog wandering along a street in Chalmette, Louisiana so covered in oil, he couldnt open his eyes.

The pain of the lost little dog shouted from the newspaper photo and would have brought tears to the eyes of anyone with a heart.

Guide Dogs For The Blind, is an amazing corporation that is dedicated to providing skilled guide dogs and training for the visually impaired. Guide Dogs, works with visually impaired people in Canada and the United States. This company has been helping the visually impaired have a sense of mobility and independence since 1942.

Elephants can't fly but they sure can paint!
by Judi McLeod
Monday, February 21, 2005

Kamala, one of the Calgary Zoos four elephants, really DOES paint. And according to Canada Free Press business manager Brian Thompson who visited the Calgary Zoo, Kamalas art is more Van Gogh than kindergarten.

In the wild, elephants have been observed picking up sticks or rocks to draw in the sand or soil, proving that doodling is not just a human pastime.

Those in the know say that giving an opportunity to paint provides Kamala with an interesting activity that stimulates a natural behaviour.
More...

The Ghost of Bobo
by Judi McLeod
Monday, February 7, 2005
With Easter coming on, its easy to understand the unending heartache of Crystal Nikolich and Carl Schuetz. It was five days before Christmas when their little Pomeranian, Bobo went missing.

The two-and-a-half-year-old Bobo, once one of the family of dogs who frolic in College Park, is still missing.

Not knowing what happened to him is the waking nightmare of the two downtown lawyers who made Bobo part of their lives when he was the tiniest of puppies.

On a couple of occasions at the park, Carl briefly left the leashed Bobo with me while running errands at a nearby store. So reading about Bobos poignant Christmas week disappearance in The Bulletin left a personal mark.
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Smokey the Life Saving Cat
by Judi McLeod
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
My daughter had her parenting cut out for her.  Only two days after my grandsons Josh and Jarod, identical twins, were born, my daughter brought them home from the hospital.  The babies weighed only about four pounds each, and my daughter had dressed them in Cabbage Patch nightgowns, the only clothes she could find to fit them.
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Winking Bobo lures pet owners to College Park Pet Boutique
by Judi McLeod
Wednesday, December 1, 2004
They can press their black-button noses up against the windowpane and their tail-wagging tells their owners that they actually know its there, in the mall. Pebbles, Scout, Bijoux, Chiquita, and Kiko, some of the four-legged regulars, who cavort at the end of their leashes in College Park now have their very own store. Its called Bobo Canada Pet Boutique, and its conveniently located in the lower level of College Park, right across from the Dominion Stores floral department. Now that they now about it, Pebbles and Company want in.
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A place to spoil your pooch
by Robin Pierro, Darya Kotova, Noriyuki Sato Friday, October 29, 2004
Princessfield is a spectacular boutique that sells high end, fashionable, products for dogs. They sell products such as leashes, toys, doggy carrying bags and basically any accessory imaginable for a dog. If you want to spoil your dog, Princessfeild is definitely the place to go.

Kazumi Himeda, a Japanese woman, who came to Canada four years ago to learn English, owns Princessfield. Kazumi barely passed high school while she was in Japan, and she never went to college, that is why her story is so captivating. It is rare to find a person with so much determination and so much passion.

When we spoke to Kazumi she said, "I was just lucky", but we would say her ability and efforts made the achievement.

When she first arrived in Canada, Kazumi had no intentions of opening a dog boutique, she was struggling to learn English and get accustomed to the new society.
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Tiny doggie heaven comes to Holt Renfrew
Judi McLeod Friday, October 15, 2004
Not all of the stylish shoppers flooding Toronto's Holt Renfrew leave wafts of Channel No. 5 in their wake. And some of Holt's newest customers are sporting coifs that are downright fluffy.

Bountiful Love
From petfinder.com
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
I'm in love with someone with matted hair and bad breath. I've forgiven him these failings, as he's forgiven me mine. It's all about unconditional love, a state of grace that I knew nothing about until he came into my life.

Toronto Area Pets Find Homes Via the Internet
petfinder.com
Saturday, October 9, 2004
Tucson, October 8, 2004--Homeless pets in the area stand a greater chance of being adopted since Big On Beagles (B.O.B.); Village Gate Animal Hospital; Affection Connection and Cat Busters Animal Rescue, all of Toronto, joined Petfinder.com, the oldest and largest online database of homeless pets.

Other Pet Stories

• Loyal to the end
  
• 00-woof
  
• Beautiful Joe Park
  
• Pebbles comes home
  
• Farmer's terrier belongs in same category as Greyfriar's Bobby
  
• Of elevator angels and Greyfriar's Bobby
  
  

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