The hunt for the missing dog in Dulles continues

by Grant Martin on

For those of you following the story of the the solider’s dog that was lost by United Airlines earlier this week, you can now get updates on the unfolding events on the website helpfindjeddah.com or via a Twitter feed that they set up.

Apparently, enough people had caught wind of the story via the web such that there’s a serious movement towards finding the animal — well over five hundred people are now following the feed, garnering enough attention to get the Washington Post to run an article this morning.

In it, we learn some new facts about the debacle, including the interesting note that the owners only fed the dog people food and are concerned about her ability to fend for her self on her own.

Judging from some of the intense comments we got on our earlier story, there seem to be two schools of thought on the attention and resources that this search is getting: either you think we should shut down DC tomorrow and form a human chain across the the metropolitan area or you think we should sack up and let things sort themselves out — haven’t you ever seen that movie Homeward Bound?

I personally am a bit divided. I do hope that we find the dog quickly and think that all of the effort that people have put into finding her is quite touching. At some point, however, we’ll probably need to stop consuming resources and leave the rest up to fate.

Reward for missing dog at Washington Dulles

by Grant Martin on

If you happen to be riding around in one of the Moon Rovers at Washington Dulles in the next couple days, keep your eyes peeled for any four legged creatures running around the tarmac.

John and Ronia Weisner, two owners of a dog that was traveling with John, an active member of the armed forces, en route to Saudi Arabia, were horrified to find that their pet was lost at Washington DC‘s Dulles airport, not an hour after they turned her over to United Airlines‘ airport authorities for luggage check in.

The culprit, they suggest, is the substandard cage that the FAA required them to use — apparently the new kennel that they purchased had to have screws in it but was still not structurally sound enough to handle the baggage system.

But how did the dog escape? Once the dog and cage went down into the luggage system, it appears that something struck its side and the dog broke free. As to whether the dog could have broken itself free, the Weisner’s state:

“There’s no way, no something hit it, bended it inward.”

Now, in an effort to find the missing animal and restore peace to John and Ronia, the two have offered a $2500 reward, while United has put up another matching $2500. The pair have been scouring the tarmac with escorts looking for the dog and apparently have still yet to find the animal.

My bet is that it will show up in someone’s luggage in Abu Dhabi.

5 steps to smarter packing

How Much is that Spider Monkey in the Window?

by Brett Atkinson on

Being a pet lover and a frequent traveller can sometimes be pretty challenging. Personal experience has shown that a well-adjusted Siamese cat can sometimes turn into a ratbag when left with a newbie house-sitter (that’ll teach me for naming the cat Havoc in the first place….).

If you’re living in Japan, help is at hand in the form of pet rental companies. Yep, if you (or your landlord…) doesn’t approve of you having a regular four-legged and furry companion, companies like Zoo Japan and Janet Village will let you share in the joys of pet ownership for periods as short as an hour. It’s not just cats and dogs either. Six hours with a hamster will set you pack 1000 yen (around US$9 ) while a sojourn with a spider monkey goes for 100,000 yen (around $US900).

There’s no word if you really form a bond with your new non-human buddy if the companies also offer a rent to buy scheme.

The World’s Messiest Cars

by Justin Glow on

You know that feeling you get after a long road trip? You pull into the driveway, finally home, and look around your car to see that every consumable product you’ve touched over the course of the trip is strewn about your car — empty soda cans, bags of half-eaten chips, fast food sacks filled with trash. The owners of the cars in this photo collection have been on a perpetual road trip, where they never really make it home to clean out the car. Take the guy above for instance — look what he found after cleaning out his SAAB!

This isn’t that messy, but I love me some White Castle!

I’m not even sure what I’m looking at here — I’m just so glad it’s behind glass.


This guy is AWESOME! Check out his backseat below:


Yes, please handle with care.


Bottles of rum, vodka, wine, some flip-flops….and a bikini. Why wasn’t I invited?


The toilet paper is there for emergencies, man. Emergencies! Oh and hey — is that OJ’s glove?


Is this thing even driveable?


Volvos are the best!


Care for some Snapple? No? I’ve got some Dr. Pepper too.


This car is so dirty, the trash juice is seeping through the metal.


Mmm…donuts.


Five minutes, give me five minutes and this car would be on fire.


Big Gulp, eh? Well, see ya later!


Aside from having a large pile of rubbish on top of it, this car is actually pretty cool. I mean, check out the vanity plate on that bad boy. Awesome!.

“Man Bites Dog”: Dining on Dog Meat in Nigeria

by Willy Volk on

According to Nigerian “chef” Bassey Umoh, eating dog meat can improve your sex life. Other common beliefs concerning canine cuisine include:

  • It offers special protection against withcraft.
  • It prevents poison from killing a person.
  • It can cure malaria.

As a result of so much (mis-)information circling throughout Abuja, dogs are now becoming scarce in the capital city. In fact, many of Abuja’s dog owners complain that their dogs have gone missing, suspicious that they’re winding up in local dishes, like big dog pepper soup pot, which sells for roughly 80¢/plate.

Personally, I’d never dream of eating dog, as I would only be able to imagine the face of my own dear, sweet pup staring back at me. Further, I assume most Western travelers would have a reaction much like mine. For some Nigerians, however, eating dog meat is a question of culture. According to one man, “I hear they eat frogs in certain parts of the world. But I tell you, no matter how you cook or dress a frog, I can never eat it.” Well…okay.

According to this bizarre but informative piece on the BBC, dog meat is so ingrained in Abuja’s culture, that a substantial amount of slang slang has developed to support it, including the disarmingly amusing:

404: A dog is also called 404 after the French-built Peugeot pick-up van, a tribute to a dog’s ability to run fast.
Headlights: A dish with the eyes of a dog as the most prominent component.
Gear Box: Dog’s liver, heart and kidneys (usually more expensive than ordinary meat).
Tyre: A dog’s legs. Mr Umoh claims that eating a ‘tyre’ makes you a fast runner.
Telephone: A dog’s tail.
Sentencing: The act of clubbing a dog to death rather than slaughtering it.

Before you get all up-in-arms about Nigerains dining on dogs, be reminded that Nigeria isn’t the only place in the world where dog is eaten. Would you eat it?

[Via Neatorama]