There are few things better in this life than time well-spent with a good dog. From the moment you meet eyes with a good boy, no matter the breed, you just feel this sense that everything in the world melts away and the only thing that matters is the time enjoyed with you and the dog. Today I had the privilege of meeting a three-year-old Alaskan Malamute named Stryker who, for all intents and purposes, was the greatest dog I’ve met in a very long time. It wasn’t just that he was adorable, but more so his demeanor was that of an old friend. From the moment we locked eyes with each other, we were connected. We spent the next few hours together, cuddling, eating snacks, and bonding. Alas, it was time for Stryker to go home, but he’ll be back soon, I hope.
I wish that each of you have a good dog in your life, here’s what you missed from the news over the weekend.
One Last Move Before You Go
With US Secretary of Defense James Mattis all packed up and ready to leave his position, following a formal resignation submitted late last week, it would seem that all he has left to do is turn in his gun and badge, and ride off into the sunset. However, that’s not how business works in the Trump administration. President Trump insisted that Mattis take charge of signing the orders to pull all American troops stationed in Syria over the course of the next few weeks. One last hurrah before he leaves. According to media reports over the weekend, Secretary Mattis and President Trump intend to conduct a “slow and highly coordinated” military withdrawal right after the new year.
Salmonella Fitzgerald
Aside from the incredibly punny title for this section, the news is actually quite serious. Jennie-O Turkey Store Sales Inc., the company responsible for a majority of the US, and Canada’s, meat supply, announced that they are recalling 164,210 pounds of raw ground turkey products because of a potential salmonella contamination, according to the US Department oil Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Per the official statement from FSIS:
“This investigation is part of a larger effort involving FSIS, the CDC, and state public health and agriculture partners, who have been working together on an illness cluster involving 216 case-patients in 38 states and the District of Columbia. Patients have reported eating different types and brands of turkey products purchased from many different stores, handling raw turkey pet food and/or raw turkey, or working with live turkeys or living with someone who handled live turkeys. FSIS continues to work with the CDC and state health and agriculture departments on this larger investigation and will provide updated information as it becomes available. Based on the continuing investigation, additional product from other companies may also be recalled.”
–USDA FSIS statement regarding Jennie-O salmonella outbreak
According to several sources, this is not the first time that products manufactured by Jennie-O have been recalled.
