David Prior reports what happens when one of your dogs gets loose and decides to go after a skunk, which does what skunks do, after which the dog runs right into the house. You know it's pretty bad when National Grid shows up because the downstairs neighbor called to report what he thought was a gas leak.

The Herald reports the Boston City Council voted (when?) to ban dog rentals in Boston - even as pet abandonments in the state rise threefold.

Ed. English-usage question: The Herald calls city councilors "solons." When did that happen? I thought only senators were "solons." And now I find myself wishing for a story involving solons and jakes.

Fabulously Out There, who does not have air conditioning, came home last night to find her dog really, really hot:

... So I did what any normal person would do....I opened the freezer and made him stand in it.

Worked like a charm.

No, I did NOT close the door on him. He was standing right next to my ice cream and you could tell he was totally cooling down. All that was missing was steam coming off his fur. Once he felt sufficiently cool to the touch, I took him out and made him sleep in front of the fan. ...

They get very specific on their kitten-adoption posters in Framingham.

Michael Pahre reports getting a robo-call from some company asking if he knew the whereabouts of some lost cat in his neighborhood:

... How much does this service cost? A lot! Prices range from $65 for 250 robo-calls (suitable for a low-density rural location) to $425 for 5000 robo-calls in a dense, urban environment.

Note that the organization's website claims that they are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry, which would explain why their call went through to my house despite having registered my phone number with the list.

Roslindale's Pet Cabaret provides links for people who want to ban dog rentals in Massachusetts:

... If you think dogs and cats should not be used and returned like ZipCars, now's the time to do something about it. Waiting even a few weeks could be too late. FlexPetz, which rents companion dogs by the hour or day, is poised to open in Boston soon. Once the door is open, other pet rental businesses will follow. All aggressively promote the "disposable pet" mindset, to the detriment of animals--and those of us dedicated to rescuing them. ...

Ashley reports seeing a guy taking a pig for a walk through Boston Common this afternoon:

... This might not have fazed me if I had been in Cambridge, but I am more used to seeing horses or stockbrokers on this side of the Charles. ...

Carver Just Became a 3-Legged Dog tells the story of a Jamaica Plain dog who lost a leg to cancer.

Spatch posts the bulletin that Abbie the cat is back where he belongs tonight - and eating up a storm, but otherwise none the worse for wear.

Apparently, Abbie never went very far even as Spatch, his roommates and a whole lot of other people fanned out across greater Davis Square looking for him - he was holed up in the "bahn" of the house next door:

Tracy was at home so once I got the message and told him, he dashed out to check. Abbie had, at that point, wandered past our house to the house on the other side and was busy in their side yard. Tracy got the cat's attention, whereupon Abbie walked right by him and up our driveway. Tracy then carefully followed the cat, knowing full well there was probably Scared Cat going on, but near the back of the driveway, Abbie turned around and let the big-but-not-so-scary-guy-who-looks-kinda-familiar approach.

Once inside, Abbie quickly ran up the stairs, over to the dining room where his food dish was supposed to be (it was still in the house trap at that point) and began to loudly complain. ...

Another dog gets shocked, in South Boston, but lives.