12/13/13: They Don’t Only Shoot Them: Sheriff’s Deputy Bret Wood Saves Raccoon Stuck in Tree

FLORIDA -- The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office took quite a bit of flack earlier this year for being too quick to shoot raccoons that appeared to be in distress rather than aiding them.

One resident of Palm Coast’s R-Section was so distressed by one such incident that she wrote the sheriff, prompting a discussion and a reply from the Sheriff’s Office, which re-examined its approach of animals in distress.

Friday morning, it was a different story. The Sheriff’s Office released this account this afternoon:
“Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies wrangled a raccoon rescue Friday morning after a young raccoon got stuck in a tree on Florida Park Drive in Palm Coast. The errant animal owes the rescue to the keen eye of a 12-year-old boy who spied the stranded raccoon as he was walking to his bus stop around 7 a.m. this morning.” The raccoon was hanging upside down, according to reports to 911.

“The small raccoon had managed to get his back right leg wedged between two large branches of a crape myrtle tree. When Animal Control could not respond Deputy Bret Wood arrived on the scene and used a car jack from his patrol car to separate the branches far enough apart to free the animal’s leg. The raccoon was aggressive toward Wood, but no one was injured.”

 

And no Tasers were used to calm the animal. Rather, in an effort to encourage the animal to escape the tree, Deputy Daniel Parthemore stepped in and gently lifted the raccoon’s leg with his extendable baton.

“The raccoon then departed the area and appeared to be in good health,” Wood said. The sheriff’s release also notes that “after being freed from the three the raccoon looked back as if saying ‘thank you’ to its rescuers as it departed the area.”

(Flagler Live - Dec 13, 2013)

Great-grandmother fended off two snarling Staffordshire bull terriers with her walking stick as they savaged her pet 'like a rag doll'

UNITED KINGDOM -- A great-grandmother was forced to fight off two raging dogs with her walking stick in a desperate bid to save herself after they savaged her pet Yorkshire terrier.

Marjorie Cartwright, 80, had been walking her six-year-old dog Chucky down the street in Stoke-On-Trent when two Staffordshire bull terriers 'came out of nowhere'.

 

With no owner in sight, the dogs charged at the pensioner before turning on Chucky and tearing at his throat.

Mrs Cartwright tried to beat them off with her walking stick but could not rescue her beloved pet before one ran off with him hanging from its mouth 'like a rag doll'.

The terrifying attack only ended when the owner drove past and the dogs jumped in the car.

Hours from death, Chucky was rushed to the vets covered in blood and had an emergency operation which saved his life. Vets said he would have died if he hadn't been wearing a coat.

Mrs Cartwright said: 'I was terrified the dog was going to rip Chucky's throat. I had a stroke three years ago and I thought I was going to have another one when I saw one of them drag him down the street.

'I can't walk very far because I have problems with my spine but I went as fast as I could - hitting the dogs with my walking stick.

'The biggest one grabbed Chucky by the neck and ran about a quarter of a mile with him in its mouth before the owner arrived in a white car. He is my life and I would have been devastated if they killed him.'

Staffordshire Police are now hunting for the dogs' owner, who gave Mrs Cartwright a false address.

Mrs Cartwright added: 'She called them off and I pleaded with her to take Chucky to the vets because he was covered in blood but she refused. I asked for her address but when police visited the home, it turned out to be a false address.

'The vets have told me Chucky would have died if he hadn't been wearing his little coat as the bites would have punctured a main artery.  I think these dogs are likely to attack again and it might be a child they go for next time.'

Staffordshire Police are now appealing for any witnesses to the incident, which happened at around 3pm on Thursday.

A police spokesman said: 'The owner of the Yorkshire Terrier spoke to a lady at the scene who provided her with false details. We have now launched an appeal to try to trace the owner of the other dogs involved.'

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101.

(Daily Mail - Dec 23, 2013)

Vermont: Animal cruelty investigation saves 2 dogs 'within 24 hours of death' from unheated camper in Vermont; Randall Sheperd, 52, and Casey Sheperd, 19, charged with animal cruelty

VERMONT -- An animal cruelty investigation has two Vermont residents facing charges, while troopers saved two emaciated dogs from a freezing-cold camper in a small town near the Canadian border.

 

According to Vermont State Police, they were called to a home in the town of approximately 2,300 residents on Dec. 16 and found two dogs which were said to be "within 24 hours of death" locked in an unheated camper on the property.

 

Feeding an emaciated animal is dangerous - it can kill the animal. Also, it
could jeopardize the criminal case - you need to take the animal in the
condition you found it directly to a veterinarian to weigh and examine
the animal and then put it on a strict, monitored feeding schedule.

The dogs, who didn't have access to any food or water, according to troopers, were taken to the Newport Animal Hospital by animal control officers. It was there police say they were found to not only be emaciated but suffering from a severe case of hookworms.

Police say the staff also determined that within 24 hours of the dogs remaining in the freezing-cold camper with temperatures outside in the single digits, the dogs would have died.

 

Police have charged 52-year-old Randall Sheperd and 19-year-old Casey Sheperd with two counts of animal cruelty each. They were taken into custody on Friday, processed at the St. Albans barracks and released to appear in court on Feb. 18.

The two dogs survived and have been placed in the care of the Franklin County Human Society in St. Albans for further treatment.

(MassLive - Dec 27, 2013)

Carmel Woman, Kathryn DeStefano, Accused of Starving Her Dog

NEW YORK --  A 26-year-old Carmel woman has been charged in what enforcement officers of the Putnam County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are calling one of the worst cases of emaciation they’ve ever seen.

 

Kathryn DeStefano was charged with animal cruelty after SPCA officers said she failed to feed her 15-year-old female mixed-breed dog, Suzy.

Ken Ross, chief of the Putnam County SPCA Humane Law Enforcement Department, called it “one of the worst cases of an emaciated animal that I have ever seen.

The dog was taken to a veterinary hospital in northern Westchester two weeks ago in what the hospital staff called a severely neglected state. Ross said Destefano actually thought the dog was dead but it was barely alive and died at the hospital.

Ross said Suzy suffered from severe emaciation, infected pressure sores on the sternum and scabbed-over ulcers on the face and hind legs. Destefano told veterinarians that the dog was eating but still losing weight.

“At that point, she should have gotten the dog to a vet,” Ross said.

On her Facebook page, DeStefano portrayed herself as an avid animal lover, encouraging friends to adopt shelter animals, and said she was a participant in multiple animal rescue and breed-specific groups. She posted frequently about her work with animal rescue organizations. Her Facebook page has since been removed.

SPCA officers said they investigated for two weeks before arresting DeStefano. She is due to be arraigned Jan. 6 in Carmel Town Court.

(Hudson Valley Reporter - Dec 13, 2013)

Sheriff's Investigate After Emaciated Dog Was Taken in West Odessa

TEXAS -- The Ector County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a dog was taken from its owner. The people who took the dog say they had to rescue this dog because it looked like it was dying.

Sara Couch says she saw a sick dog lying in the alley after neighbors called her and brought the Boxer to Angel Veterinary hospital to be treated.

 

"When she saw water it looked like she'd never seen it before," says Couch.

"We were treating her and trying to keep her away from other dogs," says the son-in-law of the owner’s family, Hector Jimenez.

Family members who say they own the dog tell us they didn’t want to put the dog down because it was their daughters. They say they were giving it medicine, which says to limit the dog’s food intake. Jimenez says the dog was eating, but not gaining weight.

The family called the sheriff's office and filed a report that two of their dogs were stolen. They say they will be pressing charges on the person who took them.

The dog is being treated at the veterinarian hospital.

(KOSA - Dec 31, 2013)

Two matted dogs dropped off at shelter, neglected for more than a year

INDIANA -- Johnson County Animal Control is investigating after two matted dogs were surrendered to the shelter Friday. Staff call it the worst case they’ve seen in years.

 

 

With no names, and their teeth too deteriorated to determine an age, animal control officers can only estimate the shih tzus are about eight years old. The two pups were found emaciated, their eyes, mouths, bodies covered in mats, and their legs too weak to even stand up.

Shelter staff spent hours clipping and cleaning the dogs.

“Just horror. This is not something that happened overnight,” said Michael Delp, Director of Johnson County Animal Control. “We just don’t know how long their mouths were completely shut by mats. How she survived is just a miracle.”

The man who found the pups told officials they were left on his front porch in a cage covered in urine and feces. Veterinarians suspect the dogs had been neglected for more than a year.

“They were obviously kept in a space where they couldn’t move at all because they literally have no muscle,’ said Tess Axe, a registered vet tech at Hillview Veterinary Clinic. “It’s unfortunate that somebody would let them get this bad, but we’re here to make them better. We’re on that.”

Axe expects it’ll take six to eight weeks until the dogs are in better shape. They’re currently behind held as evidence at the shelter.

If you have any information on who the owner may be, you’re asked to call Johnson County Animal Control.

(Fox 59 - Dec 31, 2013)

Letter to Editor: "Neighbors knew cat was a pet"

TENNESSEE -- Although I no longer live in Sebring I do keep up with the news from there and with my friends and family. A couple that I love there are heartbroken right now over the loss of their precious cat.

Like many cats, Juliet was one that loved to wander. She had not been spayed because she was sterile and had never given birth. A very sweet feline that was dearly loved. All the neighbors knew whose pet she was and there was never a complaint about her.

[Unless the cat was examined by a vet and declared 'sterile', this woman would not know it. Just because a cat hasn't given birth doesn't mean it's sterile.]

Jaquae and Roger Sands spent 10 days looking for their beloved pet and asking neighbors if they had seen her. Finally, one neighbor admitted that he and his wife had contacted Animal Control and had a cat trap set up. She was caught in it and then was put to sleep.

[Why didn't this couple go to the shelter to look for their cat? The neighbor didn't want the cat 'killed'. The shelter didn't want to 'kill' the cat. It is the owners' fault that this cat was euthanized. The owners could have prevented this by 1) keeping their cat indoors and 2) micro chipping their cat.]

These neighbors not only knew who Juliet belonged to but kept it secret while the devastated owners looked for her. What a cruel thing to do! This was not a stray cat that was not being cared for. It was a beloved pet and the neighbors that called Animal Control knew it.

For Jaquae and Roger, my condolences over the loss of their beloved pet. To the neighbors that lack compassion for others and did this deed, may Santa fill your stockings with cat litter.

Diane Thibodeau, Dandridge, Tenn.

(News Sun - Dec 27, 2013)

Deal allows Knox County woman to keep pet deer, raccoons

OHIO -- Carol Deyo lived for nearly a year with the fear that the state would seize and destroy the two deer she saved from serious injury and raised from fawns.

On Monday, the state unexpectedly agreed to drop its two counts of possessing wild animals against Deyo, who lives with her two deer and four rescued raccoons on a farm just outside Mount Vernon.

“We’re thrilled to death,” said Deyo. “What a perfect Christmas gift.”

Deyo was charged by the Ohio Division of Wildlife on Jan. 22 with possessing wild animals, a fourth-degree misdemeanor. A Mount Vernon Municipal Court judge was scheduled to rule on Friday on a motion from the state to force Deyo to turn over her deer — one named Trooper, who had lost a leg to a mower, and Patch, who probably had been hit by a car — and the raccoons.

Deyo’s attorney, Phil Lehmkuhl, called her on Monday and said that Mount Vernon Law Director Chip McConville had offered a settlement. It was filed with the court yesterday.

McConville said he was contacted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources late last week. “I was asked by the charging agency to negotiate a conclusion to this, so I did,” he said.

Calls to ODNR seeking comment yesterday were not returned.

Under the settlement, Deyo is forbidden from taking in more wild animals. She also agreed to withdraw her requests for a wildlife educator’s license from ODNR and a captive-deer propagation permit from the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Deyo’s case drew widespread attention from animal lovers around the country. Her Facebook page, Saving Trooper, had more than 8,000 users, while her petition to save her animals had garnered more than 15,000 signatures. Deyo said she had planned to submit those petitions at the Ohio Statehouse this week.

“I took the attitude that we had to win this some way or other,” said Deyo, 66. “We have to teach children compassion. It’s normal for humans to want to help things to heal. You can’t take that away.”

Deyo said she plans to use the deer for educational purposes. She wants to install a web camera in the barn and invite classroom visits.

(Columbus Dispatch - Dec 18, 2013)

Earlier:

• Woman Wants To Keep Rescued Deer On Farm
• Former vet tech faces fine, jail for saving raccoons, deer

Bluff City woman faces 28 counts of animal cruelty

TENNESSEE -- A Sullivan County woman is facing 28 counts of animal cruelty after 23 cats and 12 dogs were found in poor health on her property.

The Sullivan County sheriff’s office received a tip that a number of dogs and cats were not properly cared for inside a home on Turner Road in Bluff City. The animals were in the care of 55-year-old Kathy Sullivan.

Detectives searched the home on September 9 and found unsuitable living conditions. Officers say the home had no circulating air and was "extremely hot". Trash and feces were found in the areas where the animals were kept and, according to officers, the home was infested with fleas.

All the cats and dogs were dehydrated.

 

The animals were taken to the shelter in Blountville. According to Tom Parham, this is the largest amount of animals to come in at one time.

Kathy Sullivan was taken to the Sullivan County Correctional Facility on December 17.

 

To help cover the medical costs of caring for the animals, the animal shelter was awarded nearly $7,000, after Assistant District Attorney Julie Caner applied for an emergency relief grant.

(WATE-TV - Dec 31, 2013)

United Kindgom: Labrador puppy Gypsy undergoes emergency surgery after X-ray revealed she had swallowed piece of cutlery

UNITED KINGDOM -- She’s only seven months old, so naturally Gypsy the Labrador still has plenty of life lessons to learn.

First up? The difference between food and a spoon, as the astonishing X-ray image on the left shows.

Gypsy had to have life-saving emergency surgery after swallowing a spoon her owner, Diane Harman, had left on the kitchen worktop while she went upstairs.

'The pot in which I kept all the teabags had been tipped over, so I thought at first she had eaten a teabag,' said Ms Harman.

'It was then I noticed the spoon was missing from the pot. I do get the odd senior moments, but I knew it was in there before.

'I looked everywhere for it, under the bed, in the dish washing bowl, outside and in Gypsy’s bed.
'Gypsy seemed fine, but I began to wonder whether she could have swallowed it.'

Ms Harman was due to take another one of her six dogs to the vet so decided to bring Gypsy along for a once-over.

After seeing the spoon in Gypsy's stomach during an X-ray, vets quickly rushed the puppy off for an emergency operation.

'The vet joked he had heard of the saying 'born with a silver spoon in their mouth' but not going the other way,' said Ms Harman.

'She needed an emergency operation, as it could have ended in serious problems. There was a risk of infection. At the time, you do have horror thoughts through your head, but I did trust the vets.'

Vet David Robinson who performed the procedure added: 'The spoon had worked its way through her stomach and into her intestines. If we had not operated straight away, there would have been a high risk of it perforating the intestine, which could have been fatal.

'We’ve taken all kinds of foreign objects out of dogs, but this is the first time we have had to remove a piece of cutlery.'

According to her owner, Gypsy is prone to bringing strange objects in from the garden.

'You never know what she is going to bring in when she comes through the dog flap. To be honest, there isn’t much more I can do to stop her getting things, apart from hanging items off hooks off the ceiling. I try to push things to the back, so she can’t get to them.'

Since having surgery Gypsy has made a full recovery and is 'full of beans' again.

(Daily Mail - Dec 30, 2013)

A pony named Princess was mauled by two pit bulls and had to be euthanized ...

FLORIDA -- Hillsborough County Animal Service officers say two pit bulls mauled a pony Monday morning in Riverview.  The pony, named Princess, had to be euthanized.

Officers are still looking for one dog but believe they have the other in quarantine.

It happened around 10:30 a.m. at 13108 Melissa Court in Riverview.

"It was trembling with shock," said James Baxley, a horse breeder.

"I've been around horses forever and that is the most gruesome I've seen ever."

Baxley rushed to the Riverview home to help but ended up having to euthanizing Princess.  She suffered severe injuries to the head and neck.

"Oh I was upset but I hold my tears in," said Deborah Johnson, who gifted the pony to her five-year-old granddaughter last year for Christmas.

The owners of the pony say the dogs dug a hole under their fence and got into their yard.

Johnson's granddaughter, Josie, has not been told her beloved pet was put down and buried.

"I don't know what to tell my baby," Johnson added.

 

A neighbor, who spoke through an interpreter, told officers she witnessed the attack and identified Peso, a neighbor's pit bull, as one of the attacking dogs.

"They saw what they saw," said Ron Spiller with Hillsborough County Code Enforcement.

"The animals left and they followed the animal, who we have here in custody, back to the residence where it was picked up."

Peso's owner, Carrie An Ingram, showed up at the home on Melissa Court just minutes after her dog was taken into custody.  A confrontation ensued where Ingram denied her dog was involved in the attack, noting that with the brutality of the attack, it was odd that her dog had no traces of blood on him.

Ingram and her husband showed up to Hillsborough County Animal Services Monday night with pictures showing Peso playing with their other animals, including new puppies, baby chickens, two horses and a bunny.

Peso's owner, Carrie An Ingram, says pictures prove
her beloved pit bull is gentle toward other animals

Ingram also showed ABC Action News a picture of the kennel she say they keep Peso in.  It is raised up on concrete slabs and completely enclosed by fencing.  She added that her husband was in the yard with Peso and he is never allowed in their yard alone.

"This is my dog and I know he didn't do it," declared Ingram.

Spiller said there is no way for them to run a test to determine if Peso is one of the responsible dogs.  He said they will go off of witness accounts and observations.

[Incorrect. They can do DNA swabs on the pit and compare to the bite wounds on the dead pony. In fact, the owner of the pit bull -- if she's so sure it's not her dog - should pay to have it done to prove its innocence.]

Peso will be quarantined for the next 10 days to check for rabies, Spiller explained.

He added that animal control officers will also continue investigating and talking to other neighbors about dogs in the area.

Under Florida law, Peso cannot be taken away from his owners unless their is documented proof Peso has bit an animal before.

Ingram said her dog has no biting history.   She expects to have him returned home following the ten day quarantine.

[So they have to attack, maul, disembowel and kill animals on TWO separate occasions before anyone will do anything about it?]

She said she plans to take the case to court if Peso is not returned.

Spiller did not say whether the animal had a history, only that officers would look into the dog's background.

Meanwhile, Ingram says two other dogs in the neighborhood have been responsible for other attacks on animals.  She says she has reported them in the past.

Officers say they will look into her claims.

(ABC Action News  - ‎Dec 30, 2013‎)

Child recovering after hardware store dog attack

CALIFORNIA --A 3-year-old boy bitten by an Akita inside the Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Murrieta on Saturday morning is being treated for injuries suffered in the attack and the dog has been quarantined.

The dog bit the child in the head area, inflicting serious damage to his jaw, neck, forehead and right eye, according to the Murrieta Police Department.

The child received around 50 stitches at Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar and was later sent to a children’s hospital in San Diego, said Mo Middleton, animal control supervisor with Animal Friends of the Valleys.

The owner of the dog, who had the animal on a leash, left the store following the incident, sparking a brief manhunt that ended on Sunday when the owner, a 62-year-old man who has not been identified by the department, was contacted by a Murrieta Police Department detective.

“He did have a conversation with one of the parents and the child and then left quickly,” said Murrieta Police Lt. Ron Driscoll. “He should have stayed. … Why he left, that I don’t know.”

The 62-year-old man is not being identified because the department has not yet decided whether or not to file charges.

Middleton said the dog, a 3-year-old Japanese Akita named Chester, could be immediately euthanized if the owner decides to waive his right to a vicious dog hearing.

Middleton, who plans to meet with the owner Tuesday, said it’s unclear if a hearing will be held, however, because there is still an open investigation by the police department.

In addition, she said, there is an unconfirmed report that the dog may have been involved in another biting incident and there is work underway to corroborate that information.

“Someone has told us there was,” she said.

Dogs that have been quarantined are generally held for 10 days. If they are released, they are sometimes released on condition of the owner muzzling the dog in public and/or employing other safeguards. In the event the dog is determined to be a “danger to the public,” it will be put down, Middleton said.

Asked about the condition of the child, Middleton said she has been told he is in stable condition and could be released on Tuesday.

Driscoll said Monday night that the report of a previous bite that Middleton mentioned is being looked into.

Asked about the possibility of criminal charges against the owner, Driscoll said the case is under investigation.

The incident has prompted a vigorous online debate about people who bring non-service dogs into stores, which Lowe’s does not officially allow, and the proper way to approach a dog.

“Our policy is that for safety and sanitary reasons, only service animals are allowed in the store, and that’s nationwide,” said Karen Cobb, a Lowe’s spokeswoman.

Cobb said there should be a sign posted at the front entrance of every store that makes that policy known.

Asked to comment on the incident, Cobb said Lowe’s is cooperating with local law enforcement authorities who are looking into this situation.

Asked if Lowe’s has reached out to the family, she said, “Of course.” Cobb did not provide any further details about the outreach and said she could provide no update on the status of the youth.

On the debate about how to approach a dog, Middleton said any expert advice or handed-down wisdom may not always protect a dog owner from liability for an attack or a potential victim.

“Dogs act different in different situations,” she said, adding that she’s seen the friendliest dogs turn aggressive when guarding their owner’s truck or home.

Talking about Akitas specifically, Middleton said they are both protective and loyal dogs, which does not make them the ideal companion for public jaunts.

“An Akita is not a dog you walk and allow people to pet in an open environment,” she said.

John Welsh, spokesman for the Riverside County Department of Animal Services, said an attack by an Akita in the unincorporated part of the county is fairly rare, in part, because of the cost of the animals and the care taken by their owners to protect that investment.

“They’re pretty good about keeping the dog in a restrained manner,” he said, talking about Akita owners.

According to the socalakitas.com website, the operators of the site, Akita breeders, note that an Akita is not the right choice for everyone.

From the site: “They are gorgeous, smart, loyal, and make great family dogs with the right family. They need a strong leader, and plenty of training. Akitas can become aggressive towards strangers, other animals they don’t know and sometimes even food aggressive towards other pets. I strongly recommend researching this breed to enable you to be well-educated in what it means to have a beautiful creature like an Akita. With beauty comes work.”

Ben Metcalf, a spokesman for Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, said the facility treats many children throughout the year who have been the victims of dog bites.

In many cases, he said, a child will attempt to hug a dog and that will trigger an aggressive response from the animal, who will strike out and bite a child’s face.

(pe.com - Dec 30, 2013)

A morning dog attack leaves a Tupelo woman shaken

MISSISSIPPI -- A routine trip to the post office turned into a morning of fear and panic for one Tupelo resident.

"Screaming. I was just screaming real loud," said Ms. Brenda Tramontine.

Ms. Tramontine says she has walked on the sideway in front of a South Church Street home dozens of times and adds that before Tuesday, she never had a close encounter with any of the dogs inside the fenced front lawn.

"They’ve always come to the fence and barked, but they’ve been chained up. But evidently, he broke the chain,” said Ms. Tramontine.

Ms. Tramontine says after breaking the chain, the dog jumped over the fence and bit her leg. 

Moments later, a good Samaritan came to her rescue and helped calm the animal.

"Thank goodness he came along. I didn’t even know who he was, but he just started talking to the dog, and about that time, the police came up," said Ms. Tramontine.

After law enforcement arrived on the scene, the dog then turned on a police officer.

"As the officer was taking the dog to the truck, he sustained a minor bite to his right leg," said Lt. Trey Weaver.

According to members of animal control, Tuesday was not the first time they have been called to this particular residence.

"We’ve been out a couple of times. First few times was concerning the health of the dogs and how close they were tethered to the street,” said William Whitehead.

Although animal control has been called to the home before, officials note they've never been called for a dog bite.

"Any bully breed is a dangerous dog, but any dog that bites someone is deemed a dangerous dog,” said Summer Knight, interim executive director of the Tupelo-Lee Humane Society.

Officials note because the Labrador has bitten two people, he is now considered a dangerous dog, and his owners will have to comply with the city's dangerous dog laws.

(WTVA - Dec 31, 2013)

Deputy says his K9 partner was 'guardian angel'

SOUTH CAROLINA -- Master Deputy Doug Wannemacher and his late partner, Roscoe, had a special bond.

Roscoe, a black German shepherd who died in November, was his friend and protector, his “guardian angel,” said Wannemacher, who is training coordinator for Greenville County Sheriff’s Office K9 Services.

Together, over a period of eight years, the pair arrested hundreds of criminals, and Roscoe helped with the seizure of guns and drugs and stolen property.

Roscoe was shot during one apprehension, for which he received the Medal of Valor from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office and the North America Police Work Dog Association.

He was such a revered law enforcement officer that the Sheriff’s Office held a memorial service in the dog’s honor.

Wannemacher, who came to work for the Sheriff’s Office in 1999, began working with K9 Services in 2002, and Roscoe was his first partner.

“He rode with me every day,” said Wannemacher, who became K9 Services training coordinator in 2006. “Everywhere we went, he went. The adage I always use is that Roscoe was like my American Express: I never left home without him.”

He’s not exaggerating; Roscoe slept in a bed next to Wannemacher’s and was a buddy to Wannemacher’s toddler daughter. The dog was, he said, “literally part of the family.”

Wannemacher, who also has German shepherds and Belgian Malinois as pets, said the bond is hard to explain.

“People see me, I’m talking in the car. They think I’m talking on the radio; no, I’m talking to the dog,” Wannemacher said. “That’s the bond. The thing about a police dog, they know all your secrets. They know everything, they don’t tell on you. They help you. My first dog, Roscoe, I was a young handler. He saved me more than once because he was just, like, ‘No, we can’t do this.’ And you could tell, he was my protector, like my guardian angel.”

Wannemacher’s new partner is a Belgian Malinois named Striker. They’re still in the bonding stages, but Striker is beginning to pick up his handler’s habits.

“His personality is starting to change and mesh with mine because I’m a Type A, and he’s learning how to make spreadsheets,” Wannemacher joked. “He’s just starting to get serious and understands the job.”

The Sheriff’s Office has about 15 working dogs, Wannemacher said.

Ten are “utility dogs,” German shepherds and Belgian Malinois trained for tasks such as tracking, narcotics detection and building searches. In addition, there are two black Labrador retrievers, one for school narcotics enforcement and the other for bomb detection; a Belgian Malinois used in arson detection; and two bloodhounds that are deployed in missing persons cases or in long-range tracking for criminals.

The utility dogs, of which Roscoe was one, are “a full-service dog.”

“They’ll do everything. If somebody breaks into a house, and there’s a forced entry, we’ll allow the dog to search that,” Wannemacher said. “A perfect example is, Roscoe got shot in the line of duty May 19, 2004.

“Basically, an individual tried to run a deputy over, and he fled and bailed out of his car. Instead of the deputies running after him, we deployed Roscoe to apprehend him. ... The guy was armed and eventually shot Roscoe. If that were a deputy, the deputy would have been shot.”

The K9 Services program is important because it helps protect the people in Greenville County, Wannemacher said, but also because the animals are trained in Greenville, saving the taxpayers money.

Trainers begin working with the dogs when the animals are 18 months to 2 years old. To send a dog elsewhere for training is costly; at least $12,500 per dog, not counting the expenses incurred by the handler accompanying the dog, Wannemacher said.

This way, the dogs receive 600 hours of training by Greenville County Sheriff’s Office trainers, without the additional costs, he said. And the deputies are able to adjust or modify the training if the dog has problems with the work.

German shepherds have traditionally been the first choice for police dogs, but they are prone to hip dysplasia that causes pain and leads to early retirement, so Belgian Malinois are becoming more popular, Wannemacher said.

In fact, hip problems were what sparked Roscoe’s retirement in 2010.

But even in retirement, Roscoe, who often visited schools with Wannemacher and gave out paw prints as autographs, didn’t want to merely lie in the sun and sleep.

“Roscoe, even at the age of 13, would block my patrol car every day and try to get into it. He lived to work. That was his love, to be next to me, to go to work and to protect the citizens of Greenville,” Wannemacher said.

“To the very end, which was the hardest part for me, he was completely selfless. He wanted to be out there, he wanted to just work. The last day, we took him out for a ride in the patrol car, turned the lights on, he was like, ‘Wow.’

“That’s what he wanted to do. His demeanor changed. He just wanted to be out there again.”

(Greeneville Online - Dec 30, 2013)

Dog shot by police officer at 'Tent City,' authorities say

SOUTH CAROLINA -- An aggressive pit bull was shot by a Greenville County sheriff’s deputy at “Tent City” in Greenville, authorities said today.

The incident occurred at around 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon, according to an incident report.

Deputies responded to the campsite at 900 Pete Hollis Boulevard, home of many members of Greenville’s homeless population, in reference to a disturbance, according to deputy Drew Pinciaro, Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

While searching the campsite for the alleged suspect, one of the deputies was approached by the pit bull, which was not on a leash, Pinciaro said.

The deputy attempted to retreat and yelled at the dog but the animal continued to charge, Pinciaro said. The deputy then fired at and struck the dog, which ran away, he said.

Residents of the area said that the deputies were advised that the dog was aggressive, Pinciaro said.

(Greeneville Online - Dec 30, 2013)

DJ's dog left fighting for its life after an out of control Staffie attacked them both while they were out walking

UNITED KINGDOM -- A DJ was seriously injured and his dog was left fighting for its life after a Staffordshire bull terrier attacked them while they were out on a walk.

Musician Dan Baxter was left in hospital for three days after he needed surgery when his hands were bitten by the out of control dog.

His King Charles spaniel Giz meanwhile had a chunk bitten out of his stomach during the attack.

Mr Baxter, aka Peter Parker, a DJ and turntablist with jazz outfit Fingathing, was forced to pull out of his band's tour because of his injuries.

 

The attack took place as he was coming to the end of a walk in Alexandra Park, Manchester, last Wednesday.

Mr Baxter said: 'I called Giz but noticed a big dog between us. The dude walking him was on his phone nearby. The Staffie was wagging his tail at first - but then he stopped, and I began calling Giz more sternly.'

The Staffordshire bull terrier then ran at Giz and grabbed the dog between its teeth.

Mr Baxter, 37, from Whalley Range, jumped on the two dogs in an attempt to break them up while the man walking the Staffie stayed on his phone.

Mr Baxter said: 'The Staffie clearly wasn’t this guy’s dog - he was on the phone asking someone how to control it. There was no command he could use.

'It was horrible and just went on and on. In the end I ran out of strength trying to get him off - the guy walking it tried too, he was pulling at the Staffie, but we couldn’t do anything.'

When the dog finally let go of Giz it turned on Mr Baxter and sank its teeth into his hands.

He said: 'Its eyes were bulging out of its head. When he let go I looked down and blood was gushing from the puncture holes. I was in shock, holding Giz by me and telling him it was going to be okay.'

After the staffie let go it was punched in the face by its walker, before it was walked off.

Residents rallied to help Mr Baxter and his dog, offering towels and taking them to the vet. Mr Baxter was later referred to Wythenshawe Hospital for surgery.

Giz died on the operating table but was resuscitated. With the vet bill at £1,000 and rising, friends have set up fundraising sites to help pay for it.

Mr Baxter hopes to use any extra money to fund ‘Paws for thought’ signs for Alexandra Park, warning dog walkers against letting potentially dangerous pets off their leads.

Mr Baxter and girlfriend Fiona Daniel, 30, who is also a musician, have had Giz since he was a puppy.

He said: 'The vet has warned us it will get worse before it’s better. I can’t use my hands to DJ so I’m spending all my time caring for Giz. I’m even sleeping with him on a mattress downstairs.

'What’s shocking is that when I was in hospital three out of the four beds had people with dog attacks in. One had had his ear bitten off.

'These kids are buying dogs for the same price as a knife and training them as weapons. It needs to be stopped. It’s not the dogs - it’s the owners.'

Police confirmed the incident and said officers are investigating.

(Daily Mail - Dec 13, 2013)