New Computer can translate a dog's bark

Posted on Friday, 18 January, 2008 | 5:07 | Comments: 6
What would a dog say if it could talk? "Stranger", "fight", "walk", "alone", "ball" and "play", according to scientists who have developed a computer programme to translate dog barks. The special programme analysed more than 6,000 barks from 14 Hungarian sheepdogs in six different situations. In a series of tests the team of scientists, from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary led by Csaba Molnár, discovered that a computer could recognise whether a dog was in a stranger, fight, walk, alone, ball or play scenario. Computer can tell what kind of situation a dog is in by how it barks The barks were tape recorded and then digitized on a computer, which used software to study their differences. The computer correctly identified the different situations 43 per cent of the time. Although it was not a high success rate it was far better than human recognition, the researchers said. The computer was most accurate in identifying the "fight" and "stranger" contexts, and was least effective at matching the "play" bark. The results appear in the journal Animal Cognition, and suggest that dogs have acoustically different barks depending on their emotional state. The researchers also performed a second test, in which the computer identified individual dogs by their bark.

The software correctly identified the dogs 52 per cent of the time, again much better than the human result, suggesting there are individual differences in barks even though humans are not able to recognize them. The team also plans to compare the barks of different breeds to discover what they have in common.

Source: Web news

Missing Cat found in man's suitecase

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - The last time cat-owner Kelly Levy saw her tiger-striped feline was before she took her husband to the airport. The 24-year-old came back to her house late Friday to find the bottom step, where Gracie Mae would usually be waiting, empty.
Levy tore the house apart looking for the 10-month-old tabby who had been spayed just days before. She and her dad took out bathroom tiles and part of a cabinet to check a crawl space and papered the neighborhood with "lost cat" signs.
Then she got a phone call.
"Hi, you're not going to believe this, but I am calling from Fort Worth, Texas, and I accidentally picked up your husband's luggage. And when I opened the luggage, a cat jumped out," Levy recalled the caller saying, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
Rob Carter, of Fort Worth, told The Dallas Morning News for its online edition Tuesday that he made it home with the suitcase.
"I went to unpack and saw some of the clothes and saw it wasn't my suitcase," Carter said. "I was going to close it, and a kitten jumped out and ran under the bed. I screamed like a little girl."
Carter said that he eventually was able to get the cat to come out from under the bed.
"In the morning, I got close enough to see its collar and the phone number on it," he said. "So I called the number and got a hold of the crying wife of the traveler."
Gracie Mae had crawled into Seth Levy's black suitcase undetected, been put through an X-ray machine, loaded onto an airplane, thrown onto a baggage claim conveyor belt and picked up by a stranger.
Carter delivered Gracie Mae to Seth Levy and the tabby made the 1,300-mile trip home on an $80 plane ticket Sunday night.
Carter said that he considered keeping the cat before he knew she had a home.
"If I couldn't have found a good home, I would have kept it," he said. "We were going to name it Suitcase."

Abseiler saves pet dog from gorge

Abseiler saves pet dog from gorge

Crown had fallen down the gorge while walking with his owner
An abseiler who went 50ft into a ravine to save an injured dog trapped in a rising river for more than 18 hours has been hailed a hero.
Craig Tinney, 28, from Acharn, near Kenmore, was one of 22 villagers involved in the search for the six-year-old Labrador Crown.

Crown plunged into the gorge during a walk with owner Tony May on Monday.

Despite efforts by villagers, the dog was not rescued until Mr Tinney descended into the ravine on Tuesday.

Carol May, owner of the family pet, paid tribute to Mr Tinney's bravery and said he had managed to reach Crown in the nick of time.

She said: "The vet confirmed that Crown could not possibly have spent another night in the water.

"What everybody did for us, particularly Craig, is just wonderful."

Cliff face

Mrs May first became aware of the dog's disappearance on Monday evening.

She said: "My husband Tony was out walking our two black labs at the Falls of Acharn, as he always does.

"It was about 6pm and pitch black when he noticed Crown was missing. Tony immediately sensed he had gone off the cliff face."

I don't know how he did it but my family will be eternally grateful

Carol May

Friends and neighbours of the family turned out to help look for the dog but after four hours of trying the search was called off for the night.

On Tuesday morning, Mr Tinney who is an experienced abseiler and gorge walker, decided to lower himself into the ravine to find Crown.

He spotted the injured dog in the water and lowered himself down.

Eventually, after calming the animal and checking his injuries, he was able to lift the dog out.

Mrs May said: "By some super-human effort Craig managed to climb back up the cliff while he was holding onto Crown.

"I don't know how he did it but my family will be eternally grateful."

Crown was immediately taken to a local vet, who confirmed he had dislocated a hip.

He is expected to make a full recovery.

Kiefer Sutherland Action Hero Scared of Lap Dogs

The '24' star recoiled in terror when a fan recently approached him in a Beverly Hills restaurant carrying a tiny Yorkshire Terrier to ask him for an autograph.

A source told the National Enquirer magazine: "When Kiefer jumped the pooch went berserk, growling, yapping and snapping.

"The lady giggled and told him, 'He doesn't bite.'"

Kiefer replied: "I'm sure, but let's not take the chance. I'll give you the autograph, but why don't you and your doggie go back to your table."

The action hero then signed a napkin the woman had brought over and got a waiter to deliver it to her table.

Meanwhile, Kiefer has confessed he sabotaged the release of his own action figure after setting fire to the prototype on a drunken night out.

Source:National Enquire

Car thieves make off with pet dog

A disabled man was left devastated when thieves made off with his car and unwittingly stole his pet dog.
The 59-year-old man was using a sunbed when his jacket containing his car keys was stolen from a coat hook in the tanning shop in Poole, Dorset.
His silver Vauxhall Zafira was then taken from a car park behind the shop on Commercial Road, in the Parkstone, area at about 1100 BST on Tuesday.
Police are now trying to trace the car and the black and white Jack Russell.
He is a single man and his dog is his only companion
Pc Liz RenshawDorset Police
Pc Liz Renshaw, of Dorset Police, said: "The victim is understandably shocked and devastated and just wants his dog returned.
"He is a single man and his dog is his only companion."
The six-year-old dog was described as long-haired and "looking shaggy".
The man, who has not been named, is from Poole and has difficulty walking.
Police would like to speak to two men who were seen in the Sunsational tanning shop around the time of the theft.
The first man is described as white, 5'10" tall, of stocky build, aged in his mid-20s, and was wearing a cap and had a dark coloured beard.
The second man is described as white, tall, of slim build, aged in his mid-20s, and was wearing blue jeans and a coat. Source: K9 news

Author of Harry Potter Books GIves large Donation

JK Rowling has named the greyhound 'Sapphire'
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has provided a magical new home for a rescued dog in Fife.
Celia Fernie, who runs Greyhound Rescue near Kinghorn, said she had no idea who the customer was until she handed over a signed cheque.

The new family member, called Sapphire, is in addition to the author's Jack Russell terrier Butch.

Mrs Fernie said she had asked the whole family to come to the rescue centre to ensure they could provide a good home.

Generous offer

She asked Ms Rowling for a standard contribution of £30. However the author made out a cheque for £1,000.

"She was just a lovely person. We were chit-chatting and she was saying that other members of her family had dogs. They were just a very nice family," said Mrs Fernie.

The money has been used to provide veterinary help for some of the rescue centre's residents.

The pet rehoming service was established in 2005 and is celebrating providing a new family for its 100th dog. News

Greyfriar Bobby loyal to his master even after death

Friends: everytime I read about this story it brings tears to my eyes . Even after his best friend had died he refused to leave his side come rain or shine he laid there near him. His friends grave was now his home and he was happy til the day he died just to be near his friend. This little dog was truely loyal to his master and ppossed a love that would not die even after his master and friend had gone to their grave. Here I shall tell you a bit of what I know about the story of this little dog whos love for his friend and master went beyond death... John Gray died on February 8, 1858 in Edinburgh, Scotland, leaving very little behind except for a little Skye terrier named Bobby. The day after the burial, the curator noticed Bobby lying on the fresh mound of dirt. He immediately chased the little dog away, but the next day he was back. Again, the curator chased him day, but on the third day-despite the cold and the rain-Bobby was back. Finally, the curator took pity on the poor dog and allowed him to stay.


For the next fourteen years, Bobby kept constant watch over his owner's grave, rarely leaving except to take his noontime meal at exactly one o'clock. After a while, he came to be known as Greyfriars Bobby, after the cemetery in which his master was buried.

Bobby outlasted his master by fourteen years. When he died, he was buried just inside the gate at Greyfriars Kirkyard. He could not be buried with his master because it was consecrated ground. His headstone reads, "Greyfriars Bobby - died 14th January 1872 - aged 16 years - Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all."

Greyfriars Bobby may be gone, but he has not been forgotten. Shortly after his passing, a statue was resurrected in his honor. His story was also passed down and eventually a fictional version of the tale was published in a book titled Greyfriars Bobby by Eleanor Atkinson. In 1961, the book was made into a movie titled Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog. Another movie was released in 2006 titled The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby and starred Oliver Golding and Christopher Lee.

From a book by Eleanor Atkinson