Bill Campbell used to have a near-phobia about dogs based on a bad childhood experience. But after suffering brain injuries from repeated explosions in Iraq and dealing with the resulting mental challenges, he might find that a dog raised by an inmate in New York is his best friend.

Even his wife, Domenica Campbell, thinks so.

Starting in February, Stevi, a 17-month-old golden Labrador retriever, will be by Bill Campbell’s side at all times as his specially trained assistant, protector and companion.

Campbell, 46, lives with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder. He will be the first service member diagnosed with PTSD to receive a dog under a new program started by Puppies Behind Bars, a New York-based nonprofit that trains inmates to raise service dogs.

The 10-year-old organization has raised 190 specially trained canines that are working a variety of jobs, including “seeing” for the blind and sniffing out explosives.

Gloria Gilbert Stoga, the organization’s founder and president, wanted to donate one or more dogs to service members wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq.

On the other side of the country, Domenica Campbell arrives at the only explanation plausible for why her husband was the first chosen.

“For whatever reason, fate put this dog in his way,” his wife said.

Wine, roses, chocolate; all of these gifts help impress our better halves. I for one am partial to the romantic “gift certificate” for backrubs and other tasks, mostly because I’m forgetful and cheap.

Male dolphins in the mood for love need none of these things. It turns out that THE gift in your classier dolphin circles is the ever popular clump of weeds or twigs. Bring your fine lady dolphin friend a bunch of organic material in your mouth and you’ll be blowhole deep in dolphin action in no time. Just remember to surface every once in a while.

Researchers previously thought that dolphins attracted mates with that playful behaviour we find so cute. I’m glad I didn’t know this before today. I used to love Sea World, and the thought that those adorably scampering dolphins were engaging in foreplay probably would have affected me in a negative way.

The discovery of object presentation as a mating behaviour sheds new light on dolphins and allows researchers to describe dolphin groups in a new way. Some researchers are starting to use the word “culture”, although that description is proving controversial.

Culture, as defined by this study, is a non-instinctual complex skill which can be passed on to future generations and other individuals through teaching by others. Dr. Tony Martin and Dr. Vera da Silva believe that this can apply to the dolphin groups they observed. Isolated groups of river dolphins throughout South America were observed using the behaviour, which suggested to the researchers that the behaviour was taught by members of the groups that displayed the behaviour. The behaviour cannot be considered instinctual because many dolphin groups did not exhibit the behaviour.

Martin and Da Silva found that in the groups that exhibited the behaviour, the dolphins that practiced object carrying were the most prolific breeders. Martin said: “I was struck by how many of the most frequent object-carriers were on the list of probable fathers of individual calves. It’s so unusual that many of my colleagues were sceptical when I first suggested the idea, but now I think the evidence is overwhelming.”

Martin and Da Silva aren’t the only ones to talk about dolphins while using the term culture. Other researchers in Australia noticed that certain groups of bottlenose dolphins are actually using tools. They break off pieces of sponge to carry around on their noses, which protects their snouts. The scientists who discovered this claim that it is evidence of social learning, and therefore the term culture is correctly used.

Dolphins are not the only animal species that has been bandied about with the word culture. In fact, they’re not even the only species that exhibits the object carrying behaviour as part of mating. Obviously humans do, but it has also been observed in chimpanzees. When male chimps are feeling lonely, they’ll often do a little courtship ritual that involves grabbing a branch and waving it about while they walk around with an erect penis. I’ve been assured this is considered very attractive in chimpanzee society.

Does this mean humans are no longer the only ones with a culture? It’s hard to tell. It really boils down to how you define culture. While the scientists who reported these behaviours in dolphins and chimps seem sure they are evidence of culture, the idea is still controversial and by no means universally accepted. It’s just one of the many scientific debates you’ll have to decide on for yourself.

A HORSE was rescued from a swimming pool in Rudgwick , UK.

Fire crews from Horsham and Storrington arrived at a house off Guildford Road at around 7.45pm where the animal was unable to get out of the pool.

The water level was reduced by pumps and firefighters lifted the horse out with the use of lines.

A vet checked the animal over and it was returned to a local stable at around 9.20pm.

For comprehensive coverage of all the stories making the local news, read Friday’s edition of the West Sussex County Times newspaper. Website users who wish to purchase a copy of the County Times newspaper but live outside our circulation area can do so by telephoning 01403 751200 and asking for reception. The cost of the newspaper plus postage in England is £1.53 which can be paid for by credit card. Overseas rates are also available, on request.

Police officer Rebecca Rosenblatt has a new partner. His name is Reese, and he cost $9,500.

He came to the police department courtesy of the Millbrae Community Foundation.

Reese is a 17-month-old German shepherd who is trained to track, search and protect, said Millbrae Police Cmdr. Marc Farber.

Reese and Rosenblatt are now on the beat after spending four weeks training at Tyson Kennels in Newark.

“He’s as good (or better than) a human partner,” said Rosenblatt, a

25-year-old Millbrae resident. “But the benefit of having a dog is, you don’t have to worry if he is in a bad mood, or don’t have to worry about him being mad at you.”

The Police Department hasn’t had a K-9 unit in five years, said Farber, who was once a canine handler.

Farber worked with and took care of K-9 Tino for years. Tino, a 13-year-old, has since retired and still lives with Farber. The other police dog — Rex — took ill and was put to sleep.

For the department to buy Reese — who originally came from Czechoslovakia — the foundation received the money from a donor who wanted to remain anonymous, said Catherine Quigg, the nonprofit’s president.

Rosenblatt said that when Reese turns 2 years old, he will need a bulletproof vest, should anyone want to donate money. The vest runs about $1,000, she added. Farber said the community foundation is still fund-raising for the department to get another police dog next summer.

Rosenblatt was one of three officerswho applied to be canine handlers. She was chosen because she went to canine training on her own time, Farber said.

She choose Reese because he is friendly. But like her, during work, it’s strictly business.

Next year, the duo will be trained in narcotics detection.

Rosenblatt said she’s happy because she knows Reese has her back.

“You get what you put in (from training),” she said. “He’s a really good partner.”

The next time you see someone pushing a stroller, take a closer look.

The occupant might be furry, four-legged and diaper-free.

Dog strollers are the newest trend to hit the streets of Toronto. And the reasons range from all-out glamour to the more mundane.

“We sell more when the weather gets nasty,” says Mike Fitzpatrick, co-owner of Bark & Fitz, a chain of pet boutiques based in Mississauga. “People don’t want to drag their perfectly coiffed dogs through the slush. And the salt can sting their paws. I’ve seen dogs roll over on their side because they don’t want to walk.

“It’s something that started in California, New York, Miami and Chicago and has become more mainstream in Canada in the last three years. At first we were hesitant to bring strollers into the market because we thought they were a little over the top.”

But once you get beyond the Paris Hilton-indulgence factor, there are practical issues that make pet strollers appealing.

“High-quality food is extending the life of dogs, but they are getting hip ailments and can’t walk,” Fitzpatrick says.

Even healthy toy dogs can get too tuckered out to keep up with their owners. In the summer scorching pavement can burn bare paws. And crowds can be treacherous for small dogs and nerve-wracking for their walkers who fear they may get trampled.

“And there are places where dogs aren’t allowed, so a carrier or stroller comes in handy,” Fitzpatrick says. “If the flaps are down people won’t even realize there’s a dog in there.”

Pet strollers at Bark & Fitz range from $150 to $400, from bare bones to sturdier models with high-end windbreakers and waterproof covers. “They’re not all pink and frilly,” Fitzpatrick says. “Jeep makes a pet jogger that even a guy would be fine with.”

Jeep strollers are distributed by Vermont-based Pet Gear Inc. (petgearinc.com) which also offers ultra-lights and an all-terrain pet vehicle.

Kittywalk.com has double deckers for situations where pets are better off travelling in separate quarters.

“There really is something for everyone now,” says Connie Wilson, publisher of Vancouver-based Modern Dog magazine.

She got a pet trailer this summer so she could cycle to work with her 65-pound Wiemaraner-pointer cross, Kaya, attached to the bike. The Burley brand pet trailer is built to withstand a larger dog’s heft. “And it has a flat bed with easy access and different ventilation than a baby stroller.”

Another option is the Tutto carrier on wheels, which resembles a big black lawyer’s briefcase and would be ideal in a situation that requires a professional image.

A stroller came in handy at Modern Dog when another office companion, a miniature dachsund named Esther, suffered a partially ruptured disc.

“She’s only 11 pounds, so it’s easy to pick her up, but if you go any distance it’s a burden. That’s when you really appreciate a stroller,” Wilson says.

“Prior to this, people had to make do and convert baby strollers, but now there is something for all kinds of different needs. And you can even colour co-ordinate.

“It all stems back to the fact that pets are integrated into people’s lives,” Wilson says. “They hold a spot in the family that is equivalent to a child. They give so much to us; it’s a way for us to give back to them.”

But is there a danger dogs might not get the exercise they need?

“Any responsible dog owner will understand a dog can’t be contained 24/7,” Wilson says. “But if you are out on a mission and you want your dog to be safe, then a pet stroller is a useful tool.”

A dog and his owner have been reunited after last Friday’s horrific tanker crash along Interstate 95 in Waterford.

The pit bull in a tractor-trailer struck by a tanker truck on the highway was reunited with his owner over the weekend.

As chaos broke out on I-95, a heroic pit bull remained calm, sitting in the front seat of a tractor-trailer hit by a tanker truck. As the truck crumbled, the dog stood tall, staying beside his owner until help arrived.

“I was calling to him, but he was just standing there and just guarding his person,” said Phyllis Martino, a witness at the scene.

That’s when another hero was standing by to step in. Vincent Gagliardi said the pit bull was frantic as his owner was carried away. So, Gagliardi took off his belt, ran to the dog, fashioned a leash and got the dog out of there.

“This guy was still sitting in the passenger seat, and there was diesel fuel all around, so I took him out of there,” Gagliardi said.