animal rights

PHOENIX--- Man's best friend saved his own best friend in North Phoenix this week.

 

An eight-year-old chocolate lab jumped in when a pit bull attacked his companion, a smaller dog named Reese.
The Epperson family lives near Interstate 17 and Bell Road, and had a back gate open to move some equipment out over the weekend. Lea Epperson says an off-leash pit bull ran through the gate, and toward Reese.
"Travis ran in, cut the dog off, and it was on," Lea said. Her husband eventually pulled the pit bull off Travis. His wounds required dozens of stitches.
"It's heartbreaking because he doesn't know why this happened. I've cried a few tears," Lea said. Vet bills crossed $2,000, and they're looking for the owner of the pit bull, who was walking his dog off-leash.

The St. Johns County Pet Center is undergoing decontamination over the next few weeks because of a canine infectious respiratory disease outbreak at the shelter.

The bacteria is not contagious to cats or humans.
In order to protect healthy dogs from possible infection, the center has temporarily stopped accepting dogs, limited Animal Control canine call responses to emergency cases with aggressive or ill animals and waived adoption fees for dogs that are already there, according to a news release.
"The great news is that we had a record day for canine adoptions on Saturday [Nov. 16] with 17 dogs finding a home. The public has stepped up to help us and our four-legged friends," said county spokesman Michael Ryan.
The center ceased canine intake operations Nov. 15 through Nov. 29 to fully decontaminate the facility. The shelter will renew full canine operations on Nov. 30.
The adoption fee waiver runs through 4 p.m. Saturday.
As a precaution, anyone who adopt St. Johns dogs during the waiver period will receive medication and instructions to treat their new pet. The treatment has a high success rate, but dogs adopted during this period should be isolated from other canines, according to the release.
Anyone who finds a stray dog should contact other shelters and rescue groups.
The center's feline operations and adoptions will not be affected.

No charges will be filed in the case of a 4-year-old boy who died after he was attacked by several dogs.

The White County sheriff’s office issued a statement Tuesday afternoon that its investigation into the matter concluded that neither the dogs' owner, Justin Corbit, nor the child’s mother, Deborah Sizemore, would be charged in the attack on Levi Watson that occurred at a residence in Bradford.
Levi died from his injuries in the attack, which occurred Nov. 8 around 3:30 p.m. as he was visiting the residence with his mother, Arkansas Online previously reported. White County Chief Deputy Phillip Miller previously told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Corbit was cooperating with authorities during the investigation.
Miller previously stated that Levi was attacked after he exited the house. The dogs responsible for the child’s death — which police described as adult pit bulls — have since been destroyed, according to the statement.
“This tragic accident underscores just how quickly something like this can happen and reminds us all of the need to be ever-vigilant around animals regardless of what breed or temperament they are,” Miller said in a statement.

Former President George W. Bush appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday night for a wide-ranging interview about life after the presidency. The former president discussed his health scare, his painting, Vladimir Putin insulting his dog, and his mother telling the press that she did not want to see another Bush in the White House.

Leno opened by asking about President Bush’s sagging poll numbers at this point in his presidency – something that President Barack Obama is wrestling with right now. “The only poll that really mattered was on election day,” Bush assured Leno.
“My first election was a little closer than I wanted,” he conceded.
After discussing his presidential library, Leno turned to the president’s mother, former first lady Barbara Bush. Leno noted that she requested that her son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, not run for president in 2016.
“I was surprised she even answered the question,” Bush observed. He related a story about how his mother told him that he could not win in an election against then Texas Gov. Ann Richards. “Jeb should run for president if he wants to,” Bush added. “He’d be a great president.”
“I am a painter,” Bush said when asked about his new hobbies. Leno featured a painting of one of Bush’s dogs that he had recently composed. “I can’t even see where you painted over the number,” Leno remarked.
Bush related a story about how he was offended by President Vladimir Putin’s body language when he introduced his dog, Barney, to the Russian president. A year later, Bush said, Putin introduced his dog who he said was “bigger, stronger, and faster than Barney.”
“You should have nuked him,” Leno suggested.
At the end of the first segment, Bush presented Leno an original portrait of himself. “I can’t make fun of him now,” Leno conceded.

Maryville police officers are investigating what led an officer to shoot and kill a homeowner's dog.

 

According to Maryville's chief, the officers responded to a call on Wheatmoor Drive for a possible prowler. The officers checked around the house but found nothing.
As one of the officers was leaving, he said three dogs approached him and he felt threatened. He said he was pinned against the house and the dogs were blocking his way. The officer fired one shot and the dogs ran away.
A short time later, someone found one of the dogs dead at a nearby house.
Chief Tony Crisp says the initial investigation found the officer firing his gun was reasonable.

Twenty-seven-year-old Chad Boyles of Pierce County was out for a late night walk when he was attacked by a Lakewood Police K-9 named Astor.  

 

Twenty-seven-year-old Chad Boyles of Pierce County was out for a late night walk when he was attacked by a Lakewood Police K-9 named Astor. 
Boyles said that the dog “started chewing and ripping at my wrist, trying to get a grip on my neck.”  Boyles, a mechanic who makes airplane parts, said he felt powerless as listened to the big black dog chewing into muscles and tendons.  

Boyles wasn’t the man police were after.  He didn’t match the description either.  Boyles is Caucasian and police were looking for a Hispanic male suspected in a domestic violence case.

A year before Boyles was attacked, it happened to Noel Saldana.  Saldana was suspected in a domestic violence assault on his wife.  Saldana was never charged, but he claims Astor’s police handler, Officer James Syler, allowed the dog to chew on him for so long he nearly lost his leg.

Saldana said he heard Officer Syler telling the dog repeatedly to “get him boy, get him boy, while the dog was chewing on the leg.”

Boyles and Saldana are both suing, alleging poor training and oversight of Lakewood’s K-9’s and a pattern of excessive force by Officer Syler and Astor.

“The City of Lakewood denies the allegations, but the city council recently approved a resolution to sell Astor as “surplus property” to Officer Syler.  The price?  One dollar.

So far the only reason given for the sale is that Astor is no longer serviceable as a police dog.  No one at either city hall or the police department would explain why.

It’s not unusual for retiring K-9’s to be sold to their police handlers.  But Astor has been named in four lawsuits against the city.  One was dismissed, one settled and two are set for trial.

Saldana’s case is scheduled for trial on December 9th.  A federal judge recently rejected efforts to dismiss the case.  U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton in Tacoma said there was enough evidence that Officer Syler had used excessive force in deploying Syler, that the case should go on to trial. 

Brent Champaco, Communications Manager for the City of Lakewood said the mayor, city council and city manager were all unavailable to comment on the sale of Astor or the allegations of excessive force. 

After KING 5 exposed the pattern of injuries and complaints last February, Police Chief Bret Fararr defended the K-9 team on KIRO radio.  Farrar called Astor one of the department's best tracking dogs. The chief did not respond to KING 5’s request for an interview back then, or today.

A Nelson man has 16 stitches to his leg after being bitten by a police dog released by its handler. 

 

Tasman police district commander Superintendent Richard Chambers says he is confident the right decisions were made and is referring the issues to Independent Police Conduct Authority.
It is the second case in the public spotlight after a member of the public has been attacked by a police dog.
Auckland businessman Hamish McCourtie has been through a three-year battle to hold police to account for a police dog attack in his own driveway, suffering severe injuries after he went to investigate a noise outside thinking it was a car crash.
Nelson man Kyle McArtney said he was busting to go to the toilet and running toward bushes by Trafalgar Park when a police dog attacked him at midnight on Sunday.
He said its handler had to choke the dog to get it off him because it did not respond to the handler's commands.
"I just think the dog and his handler should have to do a bit more training," he said. "If you are going to control a dog to attack, you have to be able to stop it attacking."
Chambers said police were responding to a report from a woman of an intruder in her home at Hathaway Court, and when a police dog was following a scent and a man was seen running, the handler released the dog.
A teenage girl has since been charged with burglary and unlawfully taking a vehicle and the police investigation is continuing.
McArtney has been in pain and finding it hard to walk on his injured leg following the police dog attack.
He said he was with friends in a car and needing to go to the toilet but public toilets were closed so they stopped in the car park area between Trafalgar Park and the rugby clubrooms.
The police dog ran up, without its handler, and attacked him, he said.
"I was trying to fend it off with my arm but it latched on to my leg. I remember lying on the ground, I was trying to hold its jaw open on my leg. It was chewing on my leg, right around it. I could feel it crunching on the bone.
"The handler was yelling at his dog but it kept chewing on my leg. He could not get his dog off for a minute, a minute and a half. Then I went into a bit of shock."
He said the handler had to choke his dog to get it off. He was then asked who he was and was told there had been a burglary from the flats by the Trailways hotel.
"I just wanted some water because I was bleeding quite heavily. They were not prepared to help me very much. They did call St John and he turned up in an SUV, wrapped me up, and advised me to see my GP in the morning

Dear Dog Lady,

 

I’m considering getting a whippet or greyhound. They say both are laid back and don’t require so much exercise. Can you tell me, what is the more obedient, less active, more loving and quiet dog? Whippet or greyhound? Hope you can help us.
Jonly
A: Don’t go into the dog adventure by getting a type of dog that “doesn’t need much exercise.” No matter what breed of dog you eventually bring home, you must remember that all dogs need outdoor activity the way the flowers need sunshine. Dogs also need socialization with other dogs because it reminds them of who and what they are. This is important for a healthy, sane pet. There is no dog out there that doesn’t want a walk; no dog that willingly does its business indoors on piddle pads; no dog that doesn’t want to nuzzle and sniff one of its own species. Only the humans are lazy about these things, not the dogs.
Now, between a whippet and a greyhound? Well, Dog Lady suggests all dogs are great and no dog is a robot that performs predictably. The whippet is smaller so if space is an issue, you might want to consider the whippet. Still, greyhounds are love buckets and one of these could be the dog for you.

More than 30 dogs were rescued after raids on suspected dog fighting operations in Tallapoosa County, according to the Humane Society of the United State

Authorities rescued 31 dogs and puppies found in deplorable conditions Tuesday, often without clean water or shelter, at three different sites in Tallapoosa County. Many dogs were chained up and suffered injuries consisted with dog fighting, among other medical issues, according to the humane society.
"Today marks the beginning for these dogs -- they'll never again have to fight for entertainment or live at the end of a chain," Janette Reever, the deputy manager of animal fighting investigations for the Humane Society, said. "We're grateful to Alabama law enforcement for their continued efforts to end dog fighting and for allowing us to help rescue these dogs."
The dogs are now being treated by veterinarians. After the case is resolved, the dogs will be evaluated for placement with Humane Society Dog fighting Rescue Coalition placement partners, according to the news release.
The operation included federal, state and local agencies, including the New Site Police Department, the Tallapoosa County Sheriff's Department, Alexander City Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.
"We're determined to put an end to the barbaric practice of dog fighting in our state," New Site Police Chief John McKelvey said in the release. "We couldn't have saved these dogs without the help of The Humane Society of the United States and the Montgomery Humane Society."

 A man walking his dog spotted wads of notes floating in the Spalding River in the United Kingdom last month.

Hot Chip-style synthpop that sounds simultaneously despondent and jolly

 

About 70 people and a half-dozen service dogs squeezed into a downtown courtroom Tuesday to support a Carrboro dog trainer charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Debra Cunningham, the program director at Eyes Ears Nose and Paws, entered an Alford plea in Orange County District Court. An Alford plea lets someone accept punishment without admitting guilt. Her case was continued to May 20.
If Cunningham fulfills the terms of a deal with the District Attorney’s Office – 100 hours of community volunteer work and continuing to train dogs under supervision – she could receive a prayer for judgment, avoiding conviction and a criminal record.
Stopping often to force back tears, Cunningham spoke for 10 minutes about her terrible mistake and what the golden retriever named Worthy meant to her.
“I will never forget cradling him in my arms. This was a puppy that I had woken up with that morning. He had walked with me, tugging his leash,” she said. “This was a puppy, I had cleaned off his muddy paws when I would come inside, and now he was limp in my arms.”
Carrboro police charged Cunningham last summer after she left the 2-year-old dog in her car for two hours on June 10. When she returned to the car, Worthy was unconscious and panting, according to records and EENP. He died the next day from hyperthermia, or elevated body temperature.
Defense attorney Bill Massengale said the temperature that day reached 70 degrees.
Cunningham has been under supervision at work and forbidden from traveling with dogs since she was charged. EENP secretary and board member Gretchen Aylsworth and Julie Jenkins, training manager with the animal welfare group Paws4ever, will choose a new person to supervise her.
If the case had gone to trial, Assistant District Attorney Jason Murphy said, prosecutors would have had to convince a jury that Cunningham willingly or knowingly exposed Worthy to harm. Instead, she will share her story with others to show how the simplest acts can cause unintended harm, he said.
Charlene Hayes, the “puppy parent” who raised Worthy, and his breeder were in court but declined to speak.

A major dog fighting ring is busted in Baltimore City. More than two dozen dogs have been seized by Animal Control. Investigators say the animals were forced to fight.

Meghan McCorkell has more on the investigation.
Police raided two locations in West Baltimore and found 26 dogs–one of them dead.
A sign on a West Baltimore home warns about a dog inside, but behind the blacked-out basement windows, investigators say they made a horrifying discovery.
“Blood splattered on carpets and walls. An actual ring where the dogs were being fought. Dogs were chained to the walls,” said Baltimore City Police Detective Patrick Huter.
Eleven dogs and four puppies were found chained up inside. Animal Control collected evidence after one man was arrested.

Empty buildings that could be used to train police dogs are being sought by the "desperate" Cumbria force.

 

The dog unit has to quit the premises it is currently using, as the former school is due to be renovated.
Houses, shops, commercial properties, yards, or smallholdings are needed to help hone the animals' crime-fighting skills.
Buildings such as disused schools or nursing homes would be particularly beneficial, a police spokesman said.
The force's general purpose dogs - German Shepherds or Malinois - are used for crowd control, to search buildings and open spaces, and to locate and detain suspects.
Training starts when they are puppies and they are exposed to as many new people, places and experiences as possible.
'Firework noises' Sgt Mark Yielder, from the dog unit, said: "We spend a lot more time playing with the dogs than you would a family pet.
"But rather than fluffy animals and balls, they have sets of keys and tools as toys, so that they get used to the kinds of materials and objects they will be expected to search for at crime scenes in the future.
"They are also exposed to loud noises by playing recordings of thunder, lightning and firework noises on a stereo so that they get used to the unexpected, and grow into bold working dogs."
Empty premises are used to replicate crime situations.
PC Stuart Woodward from the dog unit said: "We are absolutely desperate at the moment.
"Previously we used an old school at Harraby, which has now been demolished.
"Now it is an old school in Kirkby Lonsdale, which is due to be renovated in the next couple of weeks.
"We want our dogs to be top notch and can't do that without the training and venues."

 

A 10-year-old Detroit-area girl is suing to try to get her dog back from her mom's former boyfriend.

 

"This has made her not trust adults," Lenhoff said. "A big part of her innocence has been taken from her because of this. These are lessons that no child 10 years old should have to be learning.

Jonathan Byler Dann's home was among the 400 lost to the tornado that ravaged Washington, Ill., on Sunday, but a discovery yesterday made for a beautiful silver lining.

Maggie, Byler Dann's 11-year-old dog who was thought to have perished during the disaster, was discovered alive in the rubble of his home.
 
The father of four had attempted to shelter Maggie along with his wife and kids in their basement, but the frightened pooch wouldn't leave her kennel, according to Weather.com's exclusive story. When the family finally surfaced, Byler Dann feared the worst for Maggie -- but after digging through the remains of the building the next day, he found her injured but in stable condition beneath the debris.