Dogs have been performing parachute jumps in the name of military service since WW2, but never from such a great altitude, where oxygen deprivation and pressure changes can become an issue. Presumably, the dogs will be fitted with an oxygen mask in addition to their head-mounted camera, which will probably account for some pretty bad-ass looking head gear. [Telegraph via Geekologie]

Yikes. To make you feel better, might I suggest revisiting the adorable bionic puppy? [Environmental Graffiti via io9]

[DailyMail via Best Week Ever via Jezebel]

Wan Love Yu's micro bubble technology can stably produce bubbles with a 20μm average diameter, that's roughly 600,000 bubbles in one square centimeter. The bubbles are negatively charged so that they attach to positively charged organic particles and lift them off. The result—foam that reaches way down into a dog's hair to dissolve dirt and grime.

The Wan Love Yu generator attaches to a regular hose in the bathtub, so it doesn't require any additional piping work. IDEC is planning on releasing Wan Love on June 20 in Japan for between $6,000 to $7,000. Though if that's the price for shampoo free doggy eyes, I say Fido ought to just suck it up and bathe the old fashioned way. [Fareastgizmos]

Laika's statue resides outside the Moscow military research facility where her flight team prepared the original space mission in 1957. Reuters reports the monument features the hot dog standing atop a rocket.

Like all dogs used in the Soviet space program Laika was a stray. Strays were selected because Soviet doctors apparently believed the mean streets of Moscow were similar to conditions experienced in space. Small dogs were selected due to the size constraints of the Sputnik 2 capsule, but at least Laika got to travel in style with this custom space suit-complete with euthanasia needle and feeding trough!

"Laika was quiet and charming," Dr. Vladimir Yazdovsky wrote in his book about Soviet space medicine. He even took the dog home to play with his children. "I wanted to do something nice for her: She had so little time left to live," he said. After fetch with the kids, Yazdovsky launched Laika into space, attached to a fuel-filled tin can with no parachute, and into history. We should all be so lucky. [Images: Telstar Logistics and Reuters]

A few years ago, when she and my brother's relationship was in its infancy, and she just seven months pregnant, they went off to an agricultural show. As you do. It was a hot day and they left the three dogs they owned in the back of their SUV. On their return to the car several hours later, they found a window smashed and no mutts.

"A dognapping!" they shrieked, hotfooting it (or, in her case, waddling) to the information tent as quickly as they could. On arrival, they had their details taken, including names, address and license plates. The man on the front desk, after casting a knowing glance at his colleagues, sent them off to the SPCA tent.

They got there to find the three dogs lolling about behind three very stern-looking women d'un certain age who informed my brother and his horrible, moustachioed girlfiend (sic) that, no, the dogs had not been stolen, that the SPCA had received several calls from concerned show visitors that they had seen three very distressed-looking mutts barking in the back of a steamed-up car, and so their officers had broken a window and liberated the dogs from their prison-cum-sauna.

And the irony of all of this? My dearly demented ex-sister-in-law has a Ph.D from Oxford University in Animal Behaviorism. Her specialist subject is, apparently, the wild dogs of Zimbabwe. Anyway, I think that $366.45 is too much for a present for someone you're not very keen on. [Criminalistics Inc via Nerd Approved]

The horrifying and ugly sweaters were made by gathering "thousands of dog hairs from brushes and carpets," which makes you wonder how often they vacuumed their house. Apparently, they're quite warm and waterproof in addition to being so goddamned creepy. And they have enough fur left over for a jumper, which is currently being made.

Taking the concept to its logical conclusion, the couple plans to have their skin made into fashionable hats for their children when they die. It's the circle of life! [BBC via Treehugger]

Dog Rides Comfortably in Sack on Running Board

When you take your dog along for a ride, but prefer not having it inside the car, it can ride safely and comfortably in this sack, which is carried on the running board. The bottom of the sack is clamped to the running board and the top is fastened to the lower part of an open window with hooks, covered with small rubber tubing to prevent marring the car.

That's because, apparently, dogs have six types of barks depending on what they want or are doing. There's the "stranger" bark, the "fight" bark, the "walk" bark, the "alone" bark, the "ball" bark and the "play" bark. Knowing what these barks all sound like will allow software that decodes them to be built and, presumably, stuck in small devices on their collars. That way, when your dog barks, you'll know exactly what they want. Not that it's ever that hard to figure out anyways. They're just stupid dogs, after all, it's not like they ever want anything other than meat or a good scratch behind the ears. But hey, at least you'll know. [Tom's Hardware]

The controls are only operable by animals with opposable thumbs, but it is suitable for any gender of dog, not just bitches, as the fantastic title of this article suggests. If your canine compadre is the very apple of your eye, or you are Legend, we recommend paying out the highly unreasonable, 18,500 yen ($173.) Be warned though; your little mutt (not a euphemism), is likely to rip through the Cool&Hot pad with its teeth, piss on the exposed electric wiring of the heating element and then scorch its face off as it collapses in a horrific electrifying spasm due to electrocution. You just can't buy that kind of publicity. (No animals were harmed in the making of this article.) [Dvice]

Apparently dogs all over New Zealand are tilting back and howling their fool heads off at the $3 CD, because "A Very Silent Night" has reached number three on the pop charts in New Zealand. Its success is understandable, because there's nothing quite as hilarious and entertaining as a dog howling away at a siren, other dogs howling, the moon, or our favorite, a harmonica.

We're pretty sure the dogs are howling because of pleasure, not pain. It must not be too unpleasant for dogs—the fund-raising single was sponsored by New Zealand's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. For us, it sure beats the hell out of those dogs barking out "Jingle Bells." [Daily Mail, via Spluch]

The dogs' first unlucky victims were busted at three joints in the Jamaica area of Queens: Electronic Electroshack, Leather Wholesale and Flava. Boxes of counterfeit DVDs of The Simpsons Movie; Knocked Up; The Bourne Ultimatum; Rush Hour 3; and The Invasion were stacked "floor to ceiling," according to MPAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Kaltman.

According to authorities, the arrested men were Ibrahima Diallo, 19, of Queens: Mohamed Sene, 20 of the Bronx; and Michael Williams, 20, of Queens. If found guilty of trademark counterfeiting charges, they could each face four years in prison. [Wired]

The Motion Picture Association of America has declared itself so pleased with the canine division's results that it is to donate two more dogs to Malaysia's Anti-Piracy Unit at the end of the year. And it's not the first time that the MPAA has intervened in Malaysia.The new recruits will be trained in the art of sniffing out the chemicals used in the manufacture of DVDs.

Meanwhile, Lucky and Flo are on their way to North America, where they will embark on a promotional tour. First up is New York, then Toronto, where they will make an appearance at a film festival. [Reuters]

"The engineers behind the Aibo are doing the PS3. We are talking about making something like the new Aibo."

I ask if it will connect to the PS3. Because that's what I really want: A robotic dog for my PS3.

"I don't know. Connection is not hard. I'm sure some engineer could do that."

At the moment it's just a concept (and given that rather tooty tartan fabric that looks like it should be wrapped around Jessica Fletcher's knees in Murder, She Wrote it will probably stay a concept) but it's quite a fine idea. Let's hope the Will It Blend? team don't get their hands on it. [Hands via CubeMe]

Best Dog Suit Ever. By a Longshot [Spinwall]

To be more precise, you alligator clip two forks, which you shove into the hot dog, into a wall socket (or power strip, which would be moderately safer). Wait about two minutes for a snap, crackle and pop—you have yourself a cooked dog, which you can eat or shove LEDs into (pictured).

Definitely recommended if your barbecue gets rained out and you can't shoot any fireworks to spark that annual family trip the emergency room.

Cooking hot dogs via electrocution [Evil Mad Scientist via Neatorama]