Georgia: Woman pays tribute to her beloved cat which was killed four years ago by two pit bulls

GEORGIA -- "I miss you Mama...can never forget that horrible night.... you got killed by the two pit bulls ...I tried to save you... :("

Four years ago, her cat was mauled to death by two pit bulls.

"The outside cat that I call Mama was brutally killed last night by two pit bulls heard her scream's inside the house when I open the door I tried to make them let her go but they wouldn't horrible night.... RiP Mama When you didn't have nobody I took you in and fed you everyday you will be miss....Being a outside cat she didn't like to come into the house...I'm so devastated ...for people who have animal's you would only understand how I feel....."

 

  

 

Viewer captures photos of deer swimming in Lake Erie far from Cleveland shore

This is a news story from 2012, but I saw it had been posted on reddit and thought it was something different to read... and it's nice to see good news every now and then :)

OHIO -- A NewsChannel5 viewer captured photos of a deer swimming about 1,000 yards off the Lake Erie shoreline Thursday.

Ralph Stock told NewsChannel5 he was perch fishing out of Cleveland near the lighthouse, when the deer started swimming toward his boat.

 

 

 

Here's Stock's account of what happened:

"We immediately pulled north of him to try to convince him to swim back to shore and then a pontoon boat came and tried to help us as well. We called the Coast Guard and a ODNR boat came to help him. We left when he got on the inside breakwall, but we saw him climb back down lakeside as we were leaving."

Stock said he saw the deer eventually make it to shore.

 

 

A birdwatcher who was at Wendy Park saw come back in toward land. He said once the deer was within 15 feet of the shore and able to stand in the water, it just stood there for about a half hour, nearly falling asleep from exhaustion.

Meteorologist Trent Magill said the temperature of the lake Thursday was a chilly 59 degrees.

(NewsNet5 - Oct 28, 2012)

12/24/12: The dogs given a new life for Christmas

UNITED KINGDOM -- Three dogs who were neglected so badly that they could not see or walk have all been re-homed with loving families in time for Christmas.

The three shih-tzus had to be rescued from squalid conditions which left their coats so overgrown and matted with food and feces that they could not see properly and had to drag their back legs when they tried to move around.

Lacy, Molly and Angus, who are now healthy, have each gone to new homes after it was estimated that they had been neglected for at least six months.

Diane Dixon works at Frankham Fell Farm boarding kennels in Fourstones, Northumberland, where the three shih-tzus were housed after they were rescued by the RSPCA.

Despite having no intention of getting a dog, after getting to know Lacy, who is believed to be four-years-old, Diane decided she just had to give her a new home.

Diane, 56, from Newborough, Northumberland, said: 'I lost my German Shepherd last year and didn't think I was ready to replace him but when I met Lacy, I realised there was a big hole in my life.

'All three of them have been shaved after their fur was so drastically matted and they were very nervous. But it didn't take long [for them] to trust people again and we gave them lots of love and care. They hadn't seen anything for years and they had to get used to going for a walk.

'Lacy is brilliant. I take her to work with me every day now and she just runs around the place, she's such a happy dog now and she's getting much more used to people. Her hair has grown back to a normal length now and she is so beautiful. Her temperament is just lovely, you would understand her being aggressive now and again, but I've never seen a side to her at all.'

Lacy, Molly and Angus were saved after neighbours complained about an 'incredible odour' outside the property.

RSPCA officers found the animals living in 'quite disgusting' conditions, which left one inspector 'gagging' because of the stench.

A specialist dog groomer removed huge amounts of matted fur from the shih-tzus, who struggled to walk due to the weight of their overgrown coats. The groomer said the dogs' coats were in the worst condition of any he had ever seen.

Molly, believed to be around five years old, was adopted by Kay and David Cooke from Hexham, Northumberland. The couple were looking for another dog as company for their border terrier, Oscar.

Kay, 49, said: 'We saw an advert for Molly and I fell in love with her straight away. She was adorable.  We wanted a friend for Oscar and so decided to meet Molly to see if the pair of them would get on.  We knew that we would like a rescue dog as we wanted to give a dog who really needed to be loved, a good home.

She added: 'When we first saw Molly, we took her for a walk. She was very tense so we stopped and I picked her up.

Before: Angus

'As soon as she was in my arms, she just melted, and that's when I knew that I was going to love her very much. I would like to think that was the moment she felt safe.

After: Angus

'When Molly first came to live with us, she had no sensory experiences. I can't imagine how it must have been for all three of them living in those conditions.

'We have had a lot of work to do with her, as it's harder to teach an older dog the basic skills you would easily drill into a puppy. But she has been worth every minute of it, and I'd like to think she is happier than she has ever been.'

Tina Bolton, 47, decided to re-home Angus, as her daughter May, 11, had always wanted a pet.

Tina, from Gosforth, Newcastle, said she was looking for a dog for May and, seeing Angus enquired about his background.

'We heard he had been living in really bad conditions, but we weren't told too many details - I think so it wouldn't have clouded our judgement of him,' she said.

'But, we found out later on how Angus and the other two dogs had been treated and it was such a shock.

'I don't know how anybody could neglect an animal like that.

'We didn't really know what we were taking on when we re-homed Angus, because we had no idea how his past might have affected his behaviour, and that's something I was of course wary of with a child in the house.

'But he has been nothing but fun. We've had no problems at all and he's just brought sheer joy into our lives'

Ms Bolton said the family has seen a big difference in Angus already.

'I don't consider myself to be a natural dog lover but Angus is adorable,' she said. 'We quite quickly came to see that he was really happy living with us and I don't think that it will ever come back to haunt us. He gets excited when I come home but I'm nothing compared to my daughter to him. He lives by her side, they're like soul mates.'

Ms Bolton said she felt 'humbled' to think that she and her family had given him a better life.

The shih-tzus' previous owner, Pauline Kinghorn, 62, appeared at Bedlington Magistrates Court in November where she admitted four charges of failing to ensure the welfare of the animals in her care.

When sentenced, she was banned from keeping animals for life and also given an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

During proceedings, the court was told by Clive McKeag, prosecuting for the RSPCA, that it was 'a case of the most extreme neglect you are ever likely to come across', and warned magistrates that the DVD showing the animals would fill them with 'revulsion, disgust and probably anger'.

Kinghorn was also given a two-month curfew order, which involves her having to stay at home between 7pm and 7am and be electronically tagged.

She was previously banned from owning cats for five years in 2003. She admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the three shih-tzus and the German Shepherd between October last year and April this year.

Kinghorn also admitted four charges of failing to ensure the welfare of the four dogs and 12 cats in her care.

Paul Watson, defending, said in court that Kinghorn had health problems, including visual impairment caused by dense cataracts and had no-one to help her look after the animals. He said: 'This is not a case of deliberate cruelty, but one of neglect. She didn't know where to turn for assistance.'

Kinghorn was also ordered to pay £250 towards the RSPCA costs and the magistrates ordered the transfer of all of her animals to the charity.

(dailymail.co.uk - Dec 24, 2012)

Earlier:

• British woman convicted of cruelty to animals for second time

10/30/12: Fort Wayne cat hoarders sent to prison

INDIANA -- The man and woman who admitted to hoarding more than 100 cats in two different city houses were given prison time Monday for the property destruction they wrought.

Constance J. Anderson, 50, and Jeffrey G. Tourney, 45, were both sentenced in Allen Superior Court to serve 1-1/2 years in prison on felony charges of criminal mischief.

They also received sentences for several misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty which will be served at the time as that sentence, an Allen Superior Court Judge ruled.

Animal care and neighborhood code enforcement officers were called to the Elmer Avenue home – rented by the pair – on March 1 after city officials received a report of abandoned cats inside.

Court documents and testimony Monday detail what they found inside:

• Countertops, furniture and floors covered in feces, 3 to 4 inches deep in some places.
• Eighty-five living cats, which had multiplied through inbreeding, fighting for survival, some of which even resorted to eating their young to live.
• The remains of at least 23 cats – some were scattered throughout the house, like the skull of one kitten, while some were carefully wrapped in tissue and placed in boxes in the refrigerator and freezer.

Investigators found more cats at a second home rented by Anderson and Tourney.

At the second house, on St. Marys Avenue, there were 23 living cats and the remains of 20 dead ones.

Again, many of the cats' remains were wrapped in tissue, placed in boxes and then set in the freezer or refrigerator.

In the corners of rooms of the home the cats began to defecate and urinate, and officials said it wouldn't be long before that home ended up like the one on Elmer Avenue.

Usually, hoarding cases do not result in criminal charges but instead wind up being taken care of through fines from violation of city ordinances, said Belinda Lewis, director of Animal Care and Control.

This case, though, rose to another level because of the sheer volume of animals and the pain these animals suffered.

None of the cats had any human interaction or socialization, she said, and the vast majority had to be euthanized because they could not be adopted.

The animals also suffered from the same physical, mental and emotional maladies any other mammal would suffer as the result of extreme inbreeding, she said.

The ammonia levels in the home were at 150 parts per million, above any home that Lewis, who has worked in the animal field for more than 20 years, has ever encountered.

It took days to get the cats out of the home, and no one could enter without protective equipment.

"It just breaks your heart," Lewis said. "They lived their entire life in that environment. They knew nothing better."

Lewis said the hoarding may have been going on for upwards of two years, which is an unusual span of time for animal care and control to hear no complaints.

During Monday's sentencing hearing, Anderson and Tourney said little other than they were sorry for what they did and how things became out of control.

Anderson said she wrapped the remains of dead cats in tissue and stored them in the freezer and refrigerator so as to give them a burial sometime later.

She claimed at the time the ground outside was too frozen for digging.

"I know that sounds insane," she said.

Previously, she admitted to going inside the home for only a few minutes at a time on occasions and dumping out a bag of food on the floor, allowing the cats to fend for themselves.

By doing this, Lewis said the strong cats were fed while the weaker cats became malnourished.

"Some of my workers described them as skeletons wrapped in a skin covering," Lewis said.

Allen County Prosecutor Karen Richards admonished both Anderson and Tourney during their sentencing hearing.

She noted that Anderson has a college degree in mental health counseling and that Tourney himself had some college education, which meant if anyone should've known what they were doing was wrong, it was them.

And while they did cause damage to property, Richards pointed out the case also required animal care workers to euthanize nearly 100 cats which could not be adopted.

Richards asked the pair rhetorically what they thought those workers went through during all that killing.

"The problem is they don't care and are completely insensitive to the damage they've done," Richards said in arguing the two deserved some prison time.

[These two should be forced to sit and watch a video that shows - in real time - the trauma the shelter workers suffered having to do this. How long does it take to collect 100 cats from their cages, hold them one by one while they are tranquilized, watch them and periodically touch them to see if the drug has taken effect before injecting it with the final drug? Even then it's not over. They have to monitor its heartbeat to ensure that it has died. Then its body would need to be moved... why? Because there is a never-ending line of cats belonging to these two idiots who are doomed.

They should have been forced to watch all that.]

The Elmer Avenue home, valued at $45,000, is scheduled for demolition, according to court testimony.

The St. Marys Avenue home sustained more than $13,000 worth of damage.

Both Anderson and Tourney said they were remorseful for what happened.

In her sentencing, Judge Wendy Davis gave the pair three years in prison for the two felony counts of criminal mischief, but suspended half that sentence.

She then gave them one year in prison for each of the five misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty they pleaded guilty to, but Davis ordered that time served concurrently with the other sentence.

Davis also ordered them to pay nearly $50,000 total in restitution to the property owners for damages to the homes, the fire department and animal care and control for equipment used.

The two will also have to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, do community service involving animals or cleaning upon their release, and can own no more than two cats, Davis ruled.

Both Anderson and Tourney said they planned to appeal their sentence and asked for bond so they could be let out of jail while their appeal winds its way through the legal system.

Davis set that bond at $50,000, but as of 9 p.m. Monday, the pair remained in the Allen County jail.

(The Journal Gazette - October 30, 2012)

Earlier:

• 50+ cats found in feces-covered Fort Wayne home
• Couple face charges for cat damage to 2 rentals

10/15/12: Cottonwood Heights police shoot pit bull: Owner says it was wrong

UTAH -- Cottonwood Heights Police shot a pit bull outside its home Sunday night. They say he was attacking Border Collie and was dangerous. But, the pit bull’s owner says he was simply protecting his family.

Nova Guymon says her two-year-old pit bull, Rednose, is a good, family dog.

“He's just protecting his territory,” said Guymon.

Last night Guymon says her granddaughter opened the front door and Rednose bolted when he spotted a Border Collie outside.

“He protects the little kids. And when she came out and he saw the other dogs he was protecting her,” said Guymon.

Rednose attacked. A police officer in the neighborhood heard the commotion and reacted. He shot his tazer, missed Rednose and hit the Border Collie. That’s when he pulled his gun and shot Rednose in the shoulder. Rednose took off to the backyard of his house.

“He was gushing blood out of his shoulder and he just knelt down and he just wanted his daddy. He's our baby,” said Guymon.

Where the question lies is did this happen on Guymon’s property or did Rednose leave his area and pose a threat to the public? Guymon says it happened on the side of her driveway on her property.

“So, why is the dog hair in my yard if it didn't happen here?” asked Guymon.

Police say that’s just not the case.

“That would be inaccurate. The two people who were walking their dog on leash legally minding their own business,” said Sgt. Gary Young of Cottonwood Heights Police Dept.

Police say they had to shoot Rednose to stop it from being a danger to the public or other pets.

“There was no way he had left this property and he wouldn't have bolted if the dog hadn't been on the property. It's a lie,” said Guymon.

The good news is Rednose and the Border Collie are said to be okay.

Now, Guymon has talked to an attorney and wants Cottonwood Heights Police to pay for her $4,000 vet bill because she says it’s their fault.

Police say they did what they had to do and will not be footing the bill.

(ABC 4 - Oct 15, 2012)

Earlier:

• Officer shoots dog after it allegedly attacked another dog

10/26/12: Firefighters rescue squirrel

GERMANY -- It's got to be one of the nuttiest rescues these firefighters have ever had to cope with.

A squirrel burying his nuts managed to get his head stuck in a manhole cover in Munich, Germany.
 

Concerned passers by called the fire brigade when they spotted the distressed rodent trapped in the middle of the street as cars thundered by.

Firefighters and vets eventually freed the squirrel - usually one of nature's great escape artists - with special metal cutting equipment after an attempt to ease him out with soapy water failed.

"Apart from being a bit grumpy, which is understandable, he was fine and ran straight up the nearest tree," said a fire service spokesman.

"As it's autumn we think he'd been looking for places to bury his nuts but had taken a bit of a wrong turn," they added.

(Austrian Times - Oct 26, 2012)

10/27/12: Morgan County man charged with animal cruelty

KENTUCKY -- An animal shelter reached max capacity after taking dozens of dogs from a Morgan County home.

It was said to have all started with good intentions, but the conditions at a Morgan County home have now turned deadly for many stray dogs.

“When he first started people said he was going to find these stray dogs homes, that was fine. He wasn't doing that; to me he was just hoarding them up,” said neighbor Christina Goodpaster.

A total of 82 dogs were found at the home of Gary Roberson Friday.

Dozens were taken to the Morgan County Animal Shelter and 26 had to be euthanized.

Officials say Roberson was no longer caring for the animals.

“Apparently he fell on financial difficulties and hard times, and due to this he's unable to take care of these dogs,” said Chief Deputy Anthony Gullett.

Shelter officials said there were such a big number of dogs that they were overwhelmed and didn’t have enough food or recourses to take care for them.

“He had an overwhelming number, too many for one person to try and take on,” said Gullett.
Neighbors said they were glad officials stepped in to help.

“His intention might have been in the right place in the beginning, but once you see you can't take care of them, you need to do something,” said Goodpaster.

As a result, Roberson has been charged with 20 counts of animal cruelty.

(WYMT - Oct 27, 2012)

10/29/12: Woman stabbed family dog with butcher knife

FLORIDA -- A 22-year-old woman stabbed her family's dog seven times with an 8-inch butcher knife for the thrill of it, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

Police said Mariessa Caggiano found her family's 10-year-old female Labrador Retriever lying in its usual place in the driveway of the home in the 1100 block of Cove Landing Drive at Mayport just after 9 p.m.

Mariessa Caggiano

Police said Caggiano stabbed the dog once, and the dog ran off with the knife still in it. Caggiano chased the dog into a neighbor's yard and stabbed it about six more times, police said.

Officers found the dog in the front yard of a home on Cypress Landing Drive, where it had finally collapsed. The dog was still alive, but was suffering from multiple severe stab wounds that were visibly open. The dog was rushed to an emergency veterinary hospital, but was not expected to live, police said.

Officers said Caggiano freely admitted to stabbing the dog and said she did it because she wanted to and just "wanted to see" what it felt like.

Caggiano was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals.

(News4Jax - Oct 29, 2012)

10/29/12: Multiple counts of animal cruelty charged

LOUISIANA -- A Union Parish man has been charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty after complaints were received by the Sheriff's Department.

Investigators from the Union Parish Sheriff's Office ad gone to 611 E. Jackson St. Farmerville, La., after receiving complaints regarding several dogs that were being starved and neglected.

 

During the course of the investigation detectives spoke with Tommy Hull, B/M 05/15/1970, 611 E. Jackson St. Farmerville, La., 71241, who was the owner of the dogs. During the course of the interview Hull admitted to neglecting the animals.

Hull stated that he owned six dogs four of which were female and two male. Hull stated that he bred the dogs to sell for hog hunting and three of the female dogs had recently had litters. In the interview Hull told investigators that most of the puppies have died.

Hull agreed to voluntarily surrender all the animals located at 611. E Jackson, Farmerville, La., to the Union Parish Sheriff's Office. The Union Parish Humane Society was contacted as well as a local veterinarian.

Investigators then met with Hull and the veterinarian at 611 E. Jackson. There they located one black and tan female hound, one pit bull female mix, one red bone hound female, one white pit bull female, one black and white male, and one white male pit bull in various stages of starvation.

The animals were taken to the veterinarian's office for treatment of various illnesses related to their condition.

Hull was charged with multiple counts of cruelty to animals.

(KNOE - Oct 29, 2012)

10/29/12: Animal-cruelty suspect charged with elder abuse

CALIFORNIA -- A woman accused a year ago of animal cruelty after more than a dozen skinny horses were seized from her 5-acre property west of Murrieta has now been charged with mistreating her elderly mother, court records show.

Janice Susan Deutsch

Janice Susan Deutsch, 47, was charged Oct. 3 with causing great bodily injury on an elderly person, a felony, court records show. She was arrested Oct. 3 and released the next day on $250,000 bond, jail records show. Deutsch is scheduled for arraignment Nov. 29.

Efforts to reach Deutsch on Monday were unsuccessful.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department began investigating Deutsch after she brought her 86-year-old mother, covered in urine and feces, to a hospital in Mission Viejo on Sept. 30, court documents stated.

Deutsch’s mother had bleeding bedsores and her legs were locked in a bent position, according to an investigator’s written statement in support of an arrest warrant filed in Riverside County court. She also was dehydrated, sunburned and had feces under her fingernails, court records stated.

Deutsch, who identified herself as her mother’s caregiver, told the investigator her mother became ill Sept. 22 and laid down on a vinyl chaise lounge on the patio of their home on Hitt Road. The house sits on several acres in the rural La Cresta area. Deutsch told the investigator her mother had refused to move for more than a week, soiling herself.

Deutsch said her mother spent hours in the sun on days when temperatures exceeded 100 degrees, the investigator wrote. During that period, Deutsch told the investigator, she hosed her mother down and fed her a small amount of food. Deutsch said her mother had refused medical care and would not cooperate with efforts to help her.

Deutsch told the investigator she didn’t have the strength to move the chaise but later said the gardener had helped move her mother, court records say.

Deutsch said she didn’t call 911 for help because she did not want her mother to be taken to any of the local hospitals, which were not up to her standards, the investigator wrote. On Sept. 30, she enlisted a friend to help drive her mother to Mission Viejo.

Court records indicated Deutsch’s mother was due to be released from the hospital Oct. 3, but it’s unclear where she is living now.

John Hall, a spokesman for the Riverside County district attorney’s office, said the mother is not living with Deutsch.

When animal control officials searched Deutsch’s property Sept. 22, 2011, a representative from Adult Protective Services also came to inspect her house and check on the condition of her elderly mother, Deutsch said at the time.

Deutsch said then she was bullied by authorities and was indignant over the suggestion that her mother and her horses were not receiving proper care.

Animal control officials said authorities were notified in late 2010 that Deutsch’s horses were being neglected and that she failed for months to heed their warnings that she needed to feed them more.

When the horses were seized last year, several had become extremely emaciated, authorities said. Animal control officials said they had found no evidence of illness. They said they found poorly maintained stalls, empty water barrels and inadequate hoof care.

Deutsch initially was charged with felony animal cruelty but the charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor.

She has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in that case, court records show.

Hall said the horses are still in the custody of animal control.

If convicted, Deutsch faces up to nine years in custody in the elder abuse case and one year in the animal cruelty case, Hall said.

[Hmm, wonder what Norman Lindsay has to say about this most recent charge? He acted like a fool, arguing with Animal Control officers the day they removed the horses, defending Deutsch, until they finallly tired of his antics and kicked him off the property. Wonder if he's the "friend" who drove the poor woman to the hospital? OR maybe he came over and helped hose off the fecal matter from the elderly woman? What's the saying? Birds of a feather...]

Norman Lindsay of Chino, who owns one of the ranch's
boarding horses, was critical of the county animal control
officers. "This isn't a horse rescue, it's a horse rip-off,"
Lindsay shouted over the ranch's closed gates

(pe.com - Oct 29, 2012)

Earlier:

• 16 horses seized from La Cresta ranch

10/30/12: Pit Bull Battle Rages in North Fort Worth Neighborhood

TEXAS -- A battle over two pit bulls seized by the city as dangerous animals has erupted into a heated neighborhood squabble in North Fort Worth.

"They're adorable. They're sweet-natured," said the dogs' owner, Rana Soluri.

She blames vindictive neighbors for reporting her dogs, Lilo and Stitch, to animal control officers.

"They're innocent. They didn't do anything," she said. "They're used as pawns. It's simple. And it hurts."

But her neighbors on both sides of her home say the dogs are aggressive and have gotten out several times.

"I do know they have shown aggressive tendencies that I have seen before," said neighbor Jason Walraven.

The disagreement is complicated by Soluri's claim that her neighbors are targeting her because of her religion.

Soluri, who was born in Jordan, is Muslim.

"It's obvious," she said. "It's been going on for six years. They've made it very clear they don't like the likes of me around here. They've made it very clear about my race and about my religion."

Her neighbors adamantly deny the claim.

"That's not right," Walraven said. "None of us here have a problem with her religion."

Soluri has appealed a judge's ruling that her dogs are vicious, and she has gathered thousands of signatures on a website to try to stop the city from euthanizing the dogs.

"I want my time in court in front of a jury," she said. "I want a fair trial. This is the United States."

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price tweeted a statement Tuesday saying: "When issues such as these enter the court system, we must always carry out the orders of the court when a dog is declared 'dangerous.'"

Soluri and her neighbors both say they have squabbled for years. Each has called police on the other numerous times about various issues. Even the FBI recently investigated Soluri's claim she was the victim of a hate crime.

Soluri said she won't give up her fight for her pit bulls.

"If my dogs were guilty, I'm a big person to admit they are guilty," she said. "But they didn't do anything."

(NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth - Oct 30, 2012)

10/29/12: Couple stunned after pet maimed, another killed by dog

AUSTRALIA -- A Tweed couple is devastated at losing a member of the family after a dog attack in Tweed Heads South.

Peter and Suzanne Constantas can't help but say "if only" when reliving the events of October 9 when one of their two miniature poodles was mauled to death and the other was seriously injured.

"If only I had been at that gate to let her in," Mrs Constantas said.

Mr Constantas added: "You blame all sorts of things when something like this happens."

Mr Constantas was walking his two poodles, Muffin and Gidget, along Shallow Bay Dr when he noticed a fellow dog walker with two muzzled greyhounds approach. One greyhound wrestled out of its muzzle and attacked Muffin.

Gidget panicked and ran towards home but the greyhound ran her down and mauled her.

"I ran as hard as I could but what chance did I have," Mr Constantas said.

Gidget died after three days on life support while Muffin is still recovering from her abdominal injuries. "They were my children," Mrs Constantas said. "I have never had any of my own."

Mr Constantas said the family would move because they couldn't live with the memories of the attack.

Tweed Shire Council regulatory services co-ordinator Paul Brouwer said the owner of the greyhound surrendered the animal to be destroyed.

"The main concern in this incident was that the muzzle and lead were not affixed to the dog appropriately and therefore the dog slipped the lead and muzzle," Mr Constantas said. "It highlights the need to ensure that dogs are walked on leads and that the lead is appropriate to restrain the dog, as any circumstance may arise while you are walking in a public place with your dog."

Mr Brouwer said three animals were seized and euthanised in the 2011-12 financial year because of attacks. Friends of the Hound fostered out the greyhound responsible for the attack.

The adoption group's president Lisa White said she was unsure if the dog was a former racing dog because it was a pound rescue. "This really is an awful situation," she said.

"I had this particular dog home with me, my three young children, two cats, and six other dogs, including a jack russell, for four weeks without an incident. We put our dogs through a very comprehensive fostering program."

Mrs Constantas said each dog should have its own walker.

(MY Daily News - Oct 29, 2012)

10/31/12: Hurricane Sandy Animals Rescues

NEW JERSEY -- Firefighters and rescue workers have saved thousands of lives over the last two days -- both human and animal. As Hurricane Sandy wanes and the East Coast goes into repair mode, images and accounts of pet rescues are beginning to emerge -- of shelters set up for animals alone, and of firemen immersing themselves in chest-deep water for dogs and cats.

Below, we've put together some of the most heartwarming images we've found.

(Photo 1) A dog named Shaggy is handed from a National Guard truck to National Guard personnel after the dog and his owner left a flooded building in Hoboken, N.J., Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Some residents and pets are being plucked from their homes by large trucks as parts of the city are still covered in standing water.

(Photo 2) A fireman carries a resident's dog to safety from flood waters brought on by Hurricane Sandy in Little Ferry, New Jersey, October 30, 2012.

(Photo 3) Fireman rescues a dog from Hurricane Sandy.

(Photo 4) Many animal shelters had to evacuate and transport the animals to temporary shelters.

(Photo 5) A resident and his dog are evacuated on Tuesday from a neighborhood in Little Ferry, N.J., one day after Hurricane Sandy slammed the East Coast.

(Photo 6) With the aid of New Jersey state police, a man walks with his dog to a National Guard vehicle after leaving his flooded home at the Metropolitan Trailer Park in Moonachie, N.J., on Tuesday.

(Huffington Post - Oct 31, 2012)

10/31/12: Dog shot after attacking, killing pet rabbits. Dog owner expects rabbit owner to pay vet bill(!)

VIRGINIA -- A [dog] is shot after she allegedly kills a neighbor's rabbit. Snuggles, a young German Shepard mix, is said to have gotten loose Monday afternoon. Now, Chesterfield Police and Animal Control are investigating.

Snuggles is said to be doing fine after being shot twice in the leg.

Ashley Price is the one who fired the shots. "I fired one shot over there and one of the dogs ran off but the other dog was still not leaving."

Monday afternoon, she says her neighbor's two dogs tried to get her uncle's pet rabbits. One rabbit was killed.

Price insists, she didn't want to kill the dog and shooting it was a last resort in order to protect her family's beloved animals.

While Price is a self-professed animal lover, the rabbits belong to her mentally-disabled uncle.

Still, her neighbors want Price to pay their vet bill.

"I know it wasn't the dog's fault," Price said. "I feel bad about shooting it but I did what I thought was best."

NBC12 tried to speak to Snuggles' owners to confirm whether they want Price to pay the vet bill or if they intend to press charges but no one was home.

The rabbits owners say they don't owe a thing.

(WWBT - Oct 31, 2012)

Police kill dog that 'playfully' ripped off owner's clothes

TEXAS -- Police shot and killed a dog on the East Side Saturday, after officers said it ripped off its owner's pants and bit a man who tried to intervene.

The bizarre scene began around 2 p.m., when a woman's dog got loose from her home's front yard on J Street, said Sgt. Gary Pelfrey.

“According to her, in a playful manner, the dog started ripping her clothes off,” Pelfrey said. “An innocent bystander who was walking down the street didn't know they were being playful, and he tried to help.”

Hauling the dog's body home

The dog, described as pit bull-like, bit the man in the leg, and ran down the street, the sergeant said.

Paramedics were called to treat the man's injuries. They called police to the scene, he said.

When the officer arrived, the woman was “walking down the street in a thong,” still trying to regain control of her pet, he said.

The dog approached the officer in an aggressive manner, Pelfrey said. The officer fired one shot from about seven feet away and killed the animal.

The owner appeared again, dressed, and police told her it would take a couple of days for city officials to retrieve the dog's body. Instead, she and two others carried it home in a sheet to give it a proper burial, Pelfrey said.

The man who was bitten was not hospitalized. He declined to comment, except to say, “I got bit by a dog,” as he walked home.

(My San Antonio - October 27, 2012)

Dogs maul man, kill poodle

SOUTH AFRICA -- Uncontrolled vicious dogs mauled a man and killed a Maltese poodle in two separate incidents in Durban at the weekend.

In the first incident, a man was attacked in Chatsworth and admitted to the RK Khan Hospital, where he had surgery. Hospital spokeswoman Kamla Chetty said he was bitten on his arms and left leg.

“He could only recall that it was a big dog that attacked him,” Chetty said.

The owner approaches a dog that killed the poodle of
 the owner's neighbour, who saw her pet being killed.

In the second incident, in Sherwood, a 70-year-old pensioner watched in horror as her neighbour’s dog killed her beloved Maltese poodle, Honey.

Janice Aucamp, a swimming coach, said she had opened her gates when she arrived home and was greeted by her dog, Sheeba.

On her heels was Honey, who came rushing out to greet her owner when she heard the car.

What Aucamp did not realise was that the neighbour’s gates had been left open and two dogs ran out.
The big male grabbed Honey, which took shelter under her car.

“One bite and she was dead. Honey did not even cry,” an emotional Aucamp said on Tuesday.
The incident was a “gross act of negligence”, Aucamp said.

However, the owner of the two dogs refused to give her name and denied negligence.

The woman said she was not at home at the time of the incident, but that her son and nephew had been cleaning the garage.

“My dogs are not murderers. They are guard dogs that are put out at night,” she said.

(The Mercury - Oct 31, 2012)

Great-gran dies after being mauled by daughter's five dogs

UNITED KINGDOM -- A granmother has been savaged to death by a pack of dogs belonging to her daughter.

Horrified neighbours told yesterday how they heard “hysterical screams”.

But no one took any action – because they thought it was just a child playfully shrieking and teasing the pets.

Widow Gloria Knowles, 71, suffered a fatal heart attack as she was mauled by the five dogs – including two Bordeaux French mastiffs – after going into a back garden to feed them.

 

 

She was found by her shocked son-in-law when he returned from work. He called an ambulance, but Gloria was already dead.

Kevin Hamilton, 65, who lives next door, said he heard screams coming from the house at about 5.15pm on Tuesday, but assumed it was Gloria’s young grandson larking about.

He said: “I just didn’t think to do anything about it as I often hear noise from the grandchildren as they wind the dogs up. I heard barking too, but again I thought nothing of it.

“Now I know what happened I feel terrible. But what could I have done? – I am not Superman and those two mastiffs are huge, powerful dogs.

“They always seemed friendly when I saw them being walked. You could pat them and they were always fine with children.”

Gloria, who has two children, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild lived next door to daughter Beverley in Morden, South London.

Yesterday the blood-spattered patio was clearly visible across the back garden fence as police launched an investigation into the tragedy.

Mr Hamilton said animal-lover Gloria regularly nipped through a gate between the gardens to feed the dogs.

He added: “They’re a close-knit family and it was quite common for her to go round there.
“But no one ever expected anything like this. It is absolutely devastating. Beverley must be beside herself. I’m sure she is feeling terrible.”

Mr Hamilton said police who spoke to him were trying to establish whether Gloria suffered a heart attack before or after the dogs attacked. He said: “I don’t think she can have been on the ground beforehand.

“I heard her screaming so they must have attacked her first then she had the heart attack. Gloria was by no means frail, but if one of these dogs jumped on her there’s no way she would have stood up to that – they would knock most people over.”

He described the dogs as “tall and muscular”.

He added: “They could easily get their paws on your shoulders and drag you down, even if they were just playing around.”

Last night it emerged the pets had killed Beverley’s cat just weeks earlier.

Mr Hamilton said: “It was a white cat that used to sleep curled up next to the two mastiffs. It would get in the basket with the dogs and they would put their paws around it. They all got on.

“Then one day one of the mastiffs got the cat and threw it in the air. It wasn’t biting, just throwing it around. Then all the dogs joined in. It was a pack mentality. The poor cat died from shock. The family was very upset.”

Other neighbours told how Gloria’s husband Vic died a few years ago after a battle with cancer.
Her granddaughter Jasmine-Jade had recently moved in to the property with her partner and their newborn baby.

The family, who were regularly seen walking their pets, own Harringtons pie and mash shop in nearby Tooting.

Staff there were stunned at the news. One said: “She was a lovely lady. It’s a real shock. Beverley runs the shop and has had dogs for years. She takes them to shows and has won rosettes.

“I don’t know what kind of dogs they are, but they are big. I first saw them when they were puppies a couple of years ago, but they are massive now.”

Last night Gloria’s sister Dawn Bennett, from Sittingbourne in Kent, said the family was too upset to comment.

Scotland Yard confirmed that officers had seized five dogs, including a small mongrel and two bulldogs. A spokesman added: “An investigation is under way into establishing the cause of death.”

A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “We were called to an address in Morden at 6.12pm to a patient in cardiac arrest. Sadly, she was dead at the scene.”

A postmortem is due to be held today.

The tragedy is the latest in a long line of horrific dog attacks. In 2010 Barbara Williams, 52, was killed by an 8st Belgian mastiff as she opened the gate to the house where she was lodging in Wallington, Surrey.

In January Leslie Trotman, 83, died after being savaged by a pit bull-type pet that broke out of a neighbour’s garden in Brentford, West London.

And in July, 10 people were injured at Hastings, East Sussex, when two crazed bull terriers went on the rampage.

(Daily Record - Oct 31, 2012)

Taunton dog euthanized after fatal attack on terrier

MASSACHUSETTS -- The owner of a dog that attacked and killed a much smaller dog Tuesday morning has decided to have her pet euthanized.

Police say the woman opted to have her dog put down following the incident.

The dog, who has already been killed, was described Taunton Animal Control Officer Manny Massa as a Shepherd mix.

Massa said the woman explained that she and her dog were walking together up basement steps at around 11 a.m., when the dog became excited and jumped a fence enclosing the backyard at 93 Hart St.

The animal attacked a Yorkshire Terrier, biting its neck and shaking it, police said.

The Yorkie was taken to Wessels Animal Hospital on Summer Street where it was pronounced dead, Massa said.

He was not able to confirm whether the larger dog had been euthanized at Wessels, which was closed on Wednesday.

The tiny terrier was attacked while being walked on a leash by its owner’s daughter, Massa said.

Massa said he spoke to the respective owners, both of whom he said were visibly upset.

“I don’t wish this upon anybody. It’s just a sad thing,” he said.

Massa said the Shepherd mix was a female. He did not know the Yorkie’s gender.

(Taunton Daily Gazette - Oct 31, 2012)

Man loses testicle in bulldog attack

CANADA -- A man has lost a testicle after being bitten by his girlfriend’s pet bulldog.

The 52-year-old man was attacked by the 70-kilogram (appx 150-lbs) American Bulldog, Bully, in the Avenue Rd. and Davenport Rd. area on Tuesday.

Toronto police Det. Murray Barnes said the man was feeding the dog treats when the 3-year-old bulldog attacked his face, neck and groin.

“The animal had to be beaten off him with a mop,” said Barnes, “and it was eventually secured in a bedroom by the owner.”

Paramedics were called and the man was treated for his injuries. He is well on his way to recovery, police said.

The dog was removed from the home and placed under quarantine for 10 days and an investigation is underway.

Toronto Public Health will gather details about the incident and the animal to determine if the animal is rabid.

When there are issues related to animal neglect and abuse, enforcement officials can take custody of the animal and a court order to permanently remove the dog from its owners could be filed.

(Toronto Star - October 31, 2012)

Residents on alert, 'dangerous dog' loose in Orange City

FLORIDA -- A dangerous dog is on the loose in Orange City on the same night kids will hit the streets to go trick-or-treating.

The dog is one of three blamed for viciously mauling several animals.

Two of the dogs were caught, but the third one is still out there.

Now, those two pit bulls may seem harmless, caged in an animal shelter, but Orange City police say the dogs were part of a trio that killed five of Patricia Brock's goats.

One of the goats was just a few weeks old.

“They're not hungry, this is sport. This is a spree killing," described Brock.

A neighbor, Harold Sauer, witnessed the attack.

"And all of a sudden a little baby goat come out. And the three dogs spotted it and immediately started attacking it," said Sauer.

A neighbor's surveillance video captured on camera the same three dogs killing a cat.

Orange City lawmakers ordered animal control to capture the dogs responsible.

Two were captured Sunday and labeled aggressive.

Because of that classification, authorities say both will be put down.

"Oh, there's still one out there. It's Halloween," said Sauer.

Police plan more patrols to prevent that dog from attacking innocent trick-or-treaters.

Brock has her own plan to protect her remaining goats.

"I go out with a shotgun when I let my dogs out in the backyard. I don't know where they may be hiding. They're stealthy, they're sneaky and they will attack," said Brock.

Homeowners said those same three dogs attacked a horse and a donkey in the neighborhood as well.

(Central Florida News 13 - Oct 31, 2012)