Pembrokeshire man shot in bungled robbery

2:20pm Sunday 13th March 2011

A Pembrokeshire man says he thought his “number was up” after he was shot during a bungled robbery while visiting his wife’s family in South Africa.

Darren Prinsloo-Thomas’ life was saved by the brave family dog Jessie who attacked the gun-wielding robber, forcing him to flee.

Darren, aged 39, was on holiday in the Schoemansville area of Hartsbeespoort with his wife Natascha, introducing their 15-month-old son Ruan to his grandparents and great-grandparents.

He recalled the moment at around 11.45pm on February 10th when a man appeared at the door holding a gun.

“A guy appeared at the door and fired a shot at me straight away, which missed completely. I fell to my knees with my hands in the air asked him what he wanted and he said money. I said I’ll get you money, just don’t hurt us.”

Darren got up to get his wallet from the bedroom, where Ruan was screaming having been woken by the gunshot.

At that moment, Jessie, Darren’s mother-in-law’s dog, arrived on the scene and went straight for the robber.

“She was sleeping nearby. Jessie came around the corner of the door and bit him in the thigh and he shot at the dog’s head.”

He continued: “Then he turned, aimed at my head, let a shot off, which I thought had hit my wrist but that was the exit wound. Then the dog attacked him again and he ran off.

“The bullet went in between my little finger and my next finger, went through my hand hit the scaphoid bone in my thumb and exited in my wrist and then grazed me on the leg on the way out.”

“The dog saved our lives, and it’s not the first time she’s attacked people who have broken into the house either,” said Darren.

Jessie, the nine-year-old Boerboel escaped with a graze to the face, but is said to be healing well.

“It was in the aftermath I was thinking I’m losing a lot of blood, is my number up? I lost that much blood it was like something out of a Tarantino film, it was everywhere.”

Darren was patched up in a hospital in nearby Brits, before being taken to hand specialist Dr Imran Mohammed Khan in Pretoria, who Darren described as “out of this world”.

He was released from hospital the next day and doctors here have told him he may require surgery on his thumb.

Although the family could have been flown back earlier, they decided to stay and complete their holiday, returning home on St David’s Day.

“Obviously it did have a bit of a bearing on the holiday, I didn’t spend much time on the beach afterwards,” he said.

On returning he said: “I’ve never been so glad to see Solva in my life.”

Darren and Natascha, who celebrated their sixth anniversary while in South Africa, both work as chefs at Solva’s Cambrian Inn.

He added: “All the doctors I have seen have told me I will feel it when I’m older!”

http://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/8905375.Dog_saves_family_from_gun_robbery_terror/?ref=ms

San Francisco considers banning the sale of all pets

Reporting from San Francisco — The first vision was simple and straightforward: To curtail puppy mills and kitten factories, the sale of cats and dogs should be banned in San Francisco, where the loving guardians of animal companions come to regular blows — politically — with the loving parents of children.The ban was put on hold last year after animal advocates broadened it to include anything with fur or feathers. Now it's back, with a new name and a new strategy: More is more. The Humane Pet Acquisition Proposal is on its way to the Board of Supervisors, and it hopes to protect everything from Great Danes to goldfish.

Read on...

Dam Busters dog renamed for movie remake

The black Labrador was run over and killed
during the planning of the raids

10 June 2011

The Dam Busters' dog will be renamed for a new version of the classic war movie, it has emerged.

Stephen Fry, who is writing the film's screenplay, said there was "no question in America that you could ever have a dog called the N-word".

In the remake, the dog will be called "Digger" instead of "Nigger".

The black Labrador was the mascot for RAF 617 squadron, which during World War II destroyed dams in Germany with Barnes Wallis's famous bouncing bomb.

Owned by the squadron's wing commander, Guy Gibson, the animal was run over and killed during the planning of the Dambuster raids, and was buried at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire - from where the operation was launched.

Fry told BBC Radio 5 live: "It's no good saying that it is the Latin word for black or that it didn't have the meaning that it does now - you just can't go back, which is unfortunate.

"You can go to RAF Scampton and see the dog's grave and there he is with his name, and it's an important part of the film.

"The name of the dog was a code word to show that the dam had been successfully breached.

"In the film, you're constantly hearing 'N-word, N-word, N-word, hurray' and Barnes Wallis is punching the air. But obviously that's not going to happen now.

"So Digger seems OK, I reckon."

Phil Bonner, from Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire, said: "I think for the Second World War generation that word was acceptable.

"But with my daughters growing up in Lincolnshire, they have been taught that the word is unacceptable now.

"The film is not about the dog. My big concern would be if they watered down what the Dam Busters had achieved."

The 1955 film, which starred Sir Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd, told the story of Barnes Wallis' struggle to develop the bomb and the subsequent raids on Nazi Germany - codenamed Operation Chastise.

The remake is being produced by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-13727908

Yorkshire restaurant owners’ fears over dog chip rumours

Published on Monday 6 June 2011 14:28

The boss of a Chinese restaurant fears false rumours that a dog’s microchip had been found wedged in a customer’s teeth could mean the end of his business..

Wai Wing Lee, manager of Eastern Court Cantonese Restaurant in Glasshoughton, said hundreds of diners have been driven away.

The vicious rumours – spread on social networking websites – claimed that a dentist recovered a chip from between a diner’s teeth when he complained of toothache after eating at the Oriental buffet.

Mr Lee now says the business had made a loss for the last three weeks as the rumours spread on Facebook and Twitter.

Mr Lee said: “When I first heard it I thought it was so ridiculous that no-one would believe it, but it’s driving away customers and if things carry on like this we will go bankrupt. Customers started calling to ask if we were closed. It just couldn’t believe it – it’s total nonsense.”

A Wakefield Council spokesman said: “We have had no complaints related to the restaurant and have no evidence to support what appear to be malicious rumours.”

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/yorkshire_restaurant_owners_fears_over_dog_chip_rumours_1_3453105

First stage play with dog and cat cast debuts in Bangkok

Khoomsap is one of the stars of Thailand
Fantasy The Musichong (EPA)

Theatregoers in Bangkok were treated to the premiere of what was billed as the first ever stage play performed by dogs and cats on Saturday.

METRO WEB REPORTER - 21st May, 2011

'Dog and Cat First on Stage: Thailand Fantasy The Musichong' debuted at M Theatre with a cast that included 11 canines, one feline and six humans.

The charity show, which is raising money for Kasetsart University's animal hospital, tells the story of a group of dogs who help to save Thailand's tourism industry and their owners' travel company.

Scriptwriter and director Wanwilai Boonlon was delighted to put on a groundbreaking play for a good cause, but told the Bangkok Post working with the animal cast had posed some unusual problems.

'There's the challenge of getting man and dog to perform together, and so the human cast have to be animal lovers, who understand and can communicate with the dogs,' she said.

'In addition, the actors as well as the voiceover team have to promptly deal with any mishaps on stage.'

Despite the lack of opportunities for pets who wish to pursue a career on stage, 140 ambitious animals turned up for the auditions.

Some were looking to branch out from their film work, while others were trying to secure their first break in show business.

The male lead eventually went to mongrel Richard, a veteran of soaps and horror movies, while Maltese Porjai grabbed the female lead.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/863998-first-stage-play-with-dog-and-cat-cast-debuts-in-bangkok

Mutant turtles terrorising London ponds

Evening Standard
25 May 2011

Hybrid turtles are taking hold of London's parks and ponds.

Experts studying 1,600 square kilometres of London and the home counties were shocked to find 10 species and several hybrids. They even found rare African turtles in a Camden park.

Despite culls, numbers are growing. Tom Langton of the London Natural History Society said: "We found a big increase in the sightings of terrapins, a type of turtle popular in the Eighties due to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cartoon series."

A government ban in 1997 has led to "lookalike" species being sold cheaply in pet shops. Mr Langton said he hoped all terrapins would be banned in the UK.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23953408-mutant-turtles-terrorising-london-ponds.do

'Deadly' spider forces Crosby family from home

20 May 2011

A spider found in a bunch of bananas forced a Merseyside family to leave their home after they learnt it could be one the world's most poisonous.

Mandy and Darryl Ryan and their three young children moved out of their house in Crosby for eight days.

Mrs Ryan thought the spider was dead and before it ran off she took a photo of it. The picture showed it could be a deadly Brazilian wandering spider.

The family moved back in after Mr Ryan trapped it in a sandwich box.

He wore protective gloves and used a small mirror to look behind kitchen units at the family home on College Road North.

Pet shop

After setting sticky insect traps, the spider was found alive in the dishwasher.

Mrs Ryan said: "I brought the shopping home and noticed in a little bag of bananas that it was all black.

"It looked like one had rotted, so I opened the bag and the spider was sitting on top.

"I thought it was dead so I took a few photos of it. Then all of a sudden it jumped over my hand.

"I tried to catch it with a glass but it escaped into the dishwasher."

The spider is to be passed on to a pet shop which specialises in spiders and lizards.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-13476690

The real Pink Panther: The kittens whose fur changed colour after being bathed in cement

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 5:35 PM on 18th May 2011

This adorable sight is one that could have easily been a tale of tragedy.

Four kittens were found abandoned in a concrete factory in Redruth, Cornwall, weak and malnourished.

But they are now being nursed back to health and are very much in the pink - in more ways than one.

Staff at the Cats Protection charity were given quite a shock when they tried to wash the four-week-old cats and they couldn't remove the reddish hue from one, earning it the nickname 'Pink Panther'.

She was rescued by workers along with her two sisters and a tom cat - called Clouseau, Dusty and Cerise. It is thought that they came into contact with red pigment used in concrete manufacturing which had caused their unusual appearance.

The dying is less obvious in three of the cats but Pink Panther has a creamy fur so she appears bright pink.

Attempts have been made to wash the dye out because different variations of red are seen as 'danger colours' to animals but they failed.

Instead, Cats Protection manager Claire Rowe says they will have to wait until the pink fur has grown out.

She said:'They are absolutely adorable, but Pink Panther is probably the pick of the bunch. It's amazing. Until we washed her we had no idea what her natural colour was.

'As we shampooed her, the pink has slowly started to fade, although it may be that the fur has to grow out before we see her full colour, which could take months.

'It appears as though she's actually a creamy beige, and she has been dyed by the red pigment used in the concrete.

'We think the kittens were abandoned by their mum but we're hopeful they will fully recover and be able to enjoy a bright, but preferably not pink, future.'

The kittens were rescued from Ladds Concrete Factory in Redruth after staff heard their faint meows. They were spotted cowering between a set of pallets and have been temporarily fostered until they are strong enough to be rehomed.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1388227/Pink-kitten-The-real-Pink-Panthers-fur-changed-colour-bathed-cement.html
(Submitted by Dawn Holloway)

Russian newsreader gets giggles over cannabis guarded by pot-bellied pigs

Alistair Potter - 12th May, 2011

Newsreader Tatiana Subbotina managed to get through a report about a marijuana farm in Canada - but only after corpsing, pretty dramatically, several times while trying to read out the story.

Fortunately for Ms Subbotina, the broadcast wasn't live so she got the chance to have another go after breaking down into fits of laughter when she told readers a cannabis farm had been guarded by a few different kinds of animals - including bears, dogs and pot-bellied pigs.

Unfortunately, that didn't change the fact she still found the entire story hilarious - so it took her several goes to finally make it through without collapsing into fits of laughter.

The story itself concerned a somewhat worrying find in British Columbia, Canada, where police uncovered a 2,500-plat cannabis farm that was being guarded by 13 bears.

Police also found 'a big dog' and 'a pot-bellied pig' on the premises, and it was the swine that caused Ms Subbotina such merriment.

'What the hell is a pig doing there?!' she exclaimed, after breaking down for a third time.

It seems the newscaster's laughter was infectious, as she was then repeatedly put off by studio staff off-camera failing to keep a straight face.

She eventually made it through, but still felt moved to crack a few jokes along the way (her particular favourite being about the bears sitting next to the marijuana plants and puffing on spliffs).

It's compelling watching.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/863138-newsreader-gets-giggles-over-cannabis-guarded-by-pot-bellied-pigs

Iran: Dog Ownership to Be Outlawed Under Lawmakers' Plan

By AZADEH MOAVENI Azadeh Moaveni – Tue Apr 19, 2:15 pm ET

For much of the past decade, the Iranian government has tolerated what it considers a particularly depraved and un-Islamic vice: the keeping of pet dogs.

During periodic crackdowns, police have confiscated dogs from their owners right off the street; and state media has lectured Iranians on the diseases spread by canines. The cleric Gholamreza Hassani, from the city of Urmia, has been satirized for his sermons railing against "short-legged" and "holdable" dogs. But as with the policing of many other practices (like imbibing alcoholic drinks) that are deemed impure by the mullahs but perfectly fine to many Iranians, the state has eventually relaxed and let dog lovers be.

Those days of tacit acceptance may soon be over, however. Lawmakers in Tehran have recently proposed a bill in parliament that would criminalize dog ownership, formally enshrining its punishment within the country's Islamic penal code. The bill warns that that in addition to posing public health hazards, the popularity of dog ownership "also poses a cultural problem, a blind imitation of the vulgar culture of the West." The proposed legislation for the first time outlines specific punishments for "the walking and keeping" of "impure and dangerous animals," a definition that could feasibly include cats but for the time being seems targeted at dogs. The law would see the offending animal confiscated, the leveling of a $100-to-$500 fine on the owner, but leaves the fate of confiscated dogs uncertain. "Considering the several thousand dogs [that are kept] in Tehran alone, the problem arises as to what is going to happen to these animals," Hooman Malekpour, a veterinarian in Tehran, said to the BBC's Persian service. If passed, the law would ultimately energize police and volunteer militias to enforce the ban systematically.

In past years, animal-rights activists in Iran have persuasively argued that sporadic campaigns against dog ownership are politically motivated and unlawful, since the prohibition surfaces in neither the country's civil laws nor its Islamic criminal codes. But if Iran's laws were silent for decades on the question of dogs, that is because the animals - in the capacity of pet - were as irrelevant to daily life as dinosaurs. Islam, by custom, considers dogs najes, or unclean, and for the past century cultural mores kept dog ownership down to minuscule numbers. In rural areas, dogs have traditionally aided shepherds and farmers, but as Iranians got urbanized in the past century, their dogs did not come along. In cities, aristocrats kept dogs for hunting and French-speaking dowagers kept lap dogs for company, but the vast majority of traditional Iranians, following the advice of the clergy, were leery of dogs and considered them best avoided. (Read "Can Animal Rights Go Too Far?")

That has changed in the past 15 years with the rise of an urban middle class plugged into and eager to mimic Western culture. Satellite television and Western movies opened up a world where happy children frolicked with dogs in parks and affluent families treated them like adorable children. These days, lap dogs rival designer sunglasses as the upper-middle-class Iranian's accessory of choice. "Global norms and values capture the heart of people all around the world, and Iran is no exception," says Omid Memarian, a prominent Iranian journalist specializing in human rights. "This is very frightening for Iranian officials, who find themselves in a cultural war with the West and see what they're offering as an 'Islamic lifestyle' failing measurably."

The widening acceptability of dog ownership, and its popularity among a specific slice of Iran's population - young, urban, educated and frustrated with the Islamic government - partly explains why dogs are now generating more official hostility. In 2007, two years into the tenure of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, security forces targeted dog owners alongside a crackdown on women's attire and men's "Westernized" hairstyles. In the regime's eyes, owning a dog had become on par with wearing capri pants or sporting a mullet - a rebellious act.

The government's tolerance for this low-level lifestyle dissidence fizzled after Ahmadinejad's contested electoral victory in 2009, which sparked massive demonstrations and the most serious challenge to Islamic rule since the 1979 revolution. In the aftermath of that upheaval, the state has moved to tighten its control over a wide range of Iranians' private activities, from establishing NGOs to accessing the Internet, to individual lifestyle decisions, according to Hadi Ghaemi, the director for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. "No doubt such attempts are motivated by a desire to squash acts of criticism and protests, even if through symbolic individual decisions that simply don't conform to officially sanctioned lifestyles," Ghaemi says.

The criminalizing of dogs, in this context, helps the government address the legal gray areas concerning lifestyle behavior. When authorities found it difficult to police what it termed Westernized hairstyles worn by young men, it solved the problem last year by releasing a poster of specifically banned styles.

For many young people, these measures are a firm reminder that the government will brook no disobedience, whether it be chanting antigovernment slogans in the streets or sporting excessively long sideburns. Dog owners in Iran, like much of the population, are mostly preoccupied these days with inflation, joblessness and the parlous state of the country's economy. But they will soon need to consider whether keeping their shih tzu or poodle is worth the added worry. Their dogs may face the same fate as the hundreds of street dogs that the government regularly sweeps from the streets of Tehran. "Many in Tehran and other big cities find the killing of street dogs offensive and cruel," says Memarian. "It's like the Iranian people and officials live in two different worlds."

View this article on Time.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110419/wl_time/08599206587300

Bill mandates 'fixing' of cats, dogs before sale

By Rob Shikina

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 17, 2011

State lawmakers are looking at a bill that would require pet retailers in Hawaii to sterilize all cats and dogs before selling them.

Passing such a law would lessen the suffering of feral cats because of overpopulation and reduce the number of animals euthanized in shelters, said Inga Gibson, state director of the Humane Society of the United States. Many feral cats are the offspring of abandoned house cats that haven't been sterilized, she added.

House Bill 243 notes that an unsterilized female cat can give birth to two litters a year, which, extrapolated over seven years, could lead to 400,000 cats.

Feral cat colonies continue to grow despite various efforts to control the cat population, and the pressures of overpopulation lead to starvation of the weakest and the spread of disease and mange, a form of animal cruelty when uncontrolled, the bill says.

"It's a tremendous issue," Gibson said. "We have a large feral cat issue throughout the state. One of the contributing factors is the sale of unsterilized cats."

Feral cats are also a threat to Hawaii's endangered birds, according to the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

The bill is just one version of animal cruelty legislation that is heading to a conference committee to work out differences between House and Senate versions.

State laws mandating the spaying or neutering of dogs or cats appear to be rare. At least one state, Rhode Island, mandates it if the animals are released from a shelter. Some counties on the mainland, however, completely ban the sale of cats or dogs, while a Los Angeles ordinance from 2008 requires pet owners to sterilize their dogs or cats by the age of 4 months.

Despite the large feral cat population, the Humane Society opposes euthanasia and supports managed cat colonies for unsocialized cats, where a caretaker will get the animals sterilized, microchipped, vaccinated, fed and looked after.

"It's not an easy life for a cat that's not part of a managed colony," Gibson said.

Theresa Donnelly, who breeds boxers and is secretary of the Boxer Club of Hawaii, said the bill wouldn't affect purebred dogs because hobby breeders usually sell person to person, which is not regulated by the bill.

"Any reputable breeder would never sell to a pet store anyway," she said. Hobby breeders want to meet potential owners to make sure their dogs will have a safe home and possibly establish a relationship with the new owners to promote ethical breeding, she said. "People who want to breed animals should be mentored."

Tish Rothwell, owner of the Pet Depot in Ewa Beach, said her business has been fixing cats before adopting them out ever since hundreds of animals were rescued from a Waianae no-kill shelter when the owner died in July 2009.

After the rescue, shelters were full and couldn't take animals from people who were trying to give up their pets. Rather than see cats euthanized in shelters, Rothwell's store took the animals and sterilized them before adopting them out for a fee that covered medical costs.

"We want to be responsible and keep that out-of-control cat population down," Rothwell said.

However, she has concerns about mandating the fixing of dogs. They recover slower than cats after being spayed or neutered and require more care, raising the cost of the animals.

Brent Chung, manager of Kalihi Pet Center, said some customers may not mind if the bill becomes law, but pet stores may require breeders to have dogs fixed before selling them to the retailer, reducing the supply of dogs in stores. He said some veterinarians are backlogged and the dogs may be months old by the time an animal can be sterilized, frustrating customers that want dogs as young as 6 weeks old that are easier to train. He suspected the bill could also boost sales of unsterilized dogs outside of stores. "They'll beat the system, no matter what," he said.

The bill has an effective date of January.

Honolulu Star Advertiser: http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110417__Bill_mandates_fixing_of_cats_dogs_before_sale.html

Mo. lawmakers overhaul law aimed at puppy mills

Thursday, Apr. 14, 2011

By CHRIS BLANK - Associated Press

Missouri voters thought they scored a big win against some of the nation's most notorious puppy mills when they approved strict new dog breeding regulations last year. Now state lawmakers are changing the rules.

A state law aimed at cracking down on disreputable breeders and improving animal care has been overhauled by lawmakers who say the voter-approved version is too costly, and punished legitimate dog-breeders who generate an estimated $1 billion annually in the state. Animal advocates complain elected officials are overruling the will of the people and some are prepared to put the issue on the ballot again next year.

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, said public confidence is undercut when about 100 lawmakers change a law backed by about 1 million voters.

"The effort in Jefferson City is a piece-by-piece dismantling of every core provision," Pacelle said. "It suggests to me that this is an industry that wants deregulation. They want to do things that they want and to heck with the people who care about dogs or consumers as long as there are enough dogs purchased."

Missouri Rep. Jerry Nolte, who represents part of a county that passed the ballot measure, said he voted for the bill because it will help protect dogs by increasing funding for enforcement.

"What I was trying to do was interpret what the voter intent was, and what they wanted to do was to lessen the suffering of these animals," said Nolte, a Republican. "And I believe that this, on balance, will reduce the suffering of these animals."

A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon said Thursday the bill would get a careful review and declined comment on whether he planned to sign it.

Missouri's law passed last November on the strength of residents from heavily populated Kansas City and St. Louis but failed in rural areas where many dog breeders operate. But swayed by breeders who argued the law would close them down and concerned about possible future regulation for other agricultural industries, a bipartisan group of mostly rural lawmakers voted to change most of the law's provisions. For example, a 50-dog cap is scrapped but breeders would pay more to boost state oversight of the industry.

The Humane Society of Missouri and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were among the animal advocates who pushed for ballot measure, pointing to emaciated and flea-infested dogs that lived in filthy conditions. Even breeders who followed the rules, proponents said, have been allowed to keep dogs in wire cages not much larger than their bodies and exposed to excess heat and cold.

Advocates say more than a dozen states have approved stiffer dog-breeding laws in recent years, and like Missouri, Oklahoma lawmakers are considering changes to that new law.

Many of Missouri's roughly 1,300 licensed breeders pushed back, warning lawmakers the voter-approved law could shutter the industry by limiting the number of the breeding dogs they can own and forcing costly housing upgrades. They said some requirements also could worsen care, including mandating solid floors in indoor enclosures that could slow the draining of fluids and lead to cold and sick dogs.

Critics of the law contend the industry's worst has tainted public perception and blame many problems on unlicensed breeders.

The voter-approved measure "is just going to put the law-abiding, licensed, legitimate, conscientious, caring breeders out of business, and the only ones remaining will be the illegal people already flying under the radar," said Mindy Patterson with the Missouri Federation of Animal Owners.

Over the past decade, several state audits have criticized Missouri's dog regulation efforts. But the state is working to do better, now employing 12 inspectors, who each on average cover a region with 225 licensees. The governor also has proposed adding $1.1 million to the budget to hire more personnel.

Supporters of the voter-approved law said insufficient regulations remained a problem. Last year, the Better Business Bureau in Missouri reported receiving 352 complaints and reports against dog breeders and sellers over three years - including many about ill dogs.

"It is interesting to hear some of the statements that are made now that somehow this industry has been wronged," said Barbara Schmitz, campaign manager for the measure. "This industry has had a very long time to voluntarily correct the problems that exist. They have not done so. Lawmakers have failed to act, and the voters stepped in."

Numerous Missouri breeders raise dogs on their farms, selling puppies through Internet ads and word-of-mouth, while others sell to pet stores and to brokers that buy dogs nationwide.

One of those breeders, Hubert Lavy, said people who wrote the law don't fully understand the business and shouldn't develop rules to regulate it. Lavy, 68, whose family raises Labrador retrievers, Maltese, Yorkshire terriers and French bulldogs, said dogs - like employees - are most productive when treated well.

Outdoor pens are cleaned daily and connected to a building with heaters at Lavy's Tenderheart Kennels in Silex about 70 miles northwest of St. Louis. Indoor cages connect through a doggy door to an elevated outdoor cage and have a coated mesh pattern that allows waste to drain.

The kennel donates some dogs and sells roughly 200 puppies per year to earn about $20,000, Lavy said. He estimates it would cost $50,000 to comply with the voter-approved law, which would include expanding indoor space and building solid floors. However, he said he's more likely to just go out of business if the voter-backed law stands.

"There is a place for what I do. There (are) people who want what I do, and I just don't think they should be able to take it away," Lavy said.

http://www.bradenton.com/2011/04/14/3115459_p2/mo-lawmakers-overhaul-law-aimed.html

Dotty the donkey saves sheep from savage dog

Stanley, pictured with Dotty

8:54am Tuesday 5th April 2011

A donkey who saved a sheep from a dog attack in North Yorkshire is to receive an animal bravery award.

Dotty the donkey stepped in when her stable mate, Stanley the sheep, was attacked by a dog in a paddock at Row Brow Farm, near Scarborough.

Dotty will be presented with her award today, by representatives from pets charity PDSA.

Dotty’s owner, Ann Rogers, 63, said: “Dotty saw her friend in distress and charged down the field to rescue him from the dog’s jaws.”

Dotty then pinned the dog to the ground until it let go of Stanley, who was orphaned as a lamb. As a result of the attack, the sheep lost two teeth and suffered facial paralysis.

Ms Rogers said Stanley has now recovered and is never far from his rescuer.

PDSA vet Elaine Pendlebury said Dotty’s behaviour was outstanding.

She said: “Often when faced with a threat, donkeys will rise up to face their enemy, in this case an aggressive dog. Dotty showed herself to be a true protector of the animals she sees as her family.”

See video at: http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8954032.Donkey_to_receive_animal_bravery_award/
(Via Colin Meddings)

Stranded tsunami dog rescued in Japan

Stranded tsunami dog rescued in Japan

ITN, itn.co.uk, Updated: 01/04/2011 22:18

The Japanese coast guard have rescued a dog believed to have survived the massive tsunami of March 11 and also three weeks at sea.

The dog was found on the floating roof of a house that had been washed out to sea, nearly two kilometers from the coast of Kesennuma in northern Japan. It evaded capture for several hours as it scrambled over the large floating rubble raft.

Friday was the first day of an intensive operation to search for and recover the 18,000 people still missing and now presumed dead three weeks after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake triggered a killer tsunami. A total of 27,500 people were either killed or are still missing.

US forces, Japan's Self Defense force, Japanese police and coast guards launched a three day operation involving 120 aircraft and 65 vessels over three northern Japanese prefectures.

Japanese broadcaster NTV said the Japanese Coast Guard had been hoping the dog would lead them to the pet's owner.

Once rescued, the dog captured the hearts of the coast guard when it licked its rescuers hands.

The coast guard could only speculate who the dog belonged to - they could not find a name tag or ID on the collar.

http://news.uk.msn.com//world/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=156837999

Police: Video Shows Animal Rights Activist Beating Dog

Ottumwa Police Charge Woman With Animal Cruelty

POSTED: 9:30 pm CDT March 29, 2011
UPDATED: 10:11 am CDT March 30, 2011

OTTUMWA, Iowa -- Ottumwa police said they have a shocking video that shows a local animal rights activist beating a dog with a club.

Investigators said what happened on the video is not only cruel but criminal.

"Fifteen times taking a club to an animal, nearly pulling its leg out of a socket, in my mind -- that's abuse," Ottumwa police Chief Jim Clark said.

Officers said 41-year-old Noelle Stanbridge faces one count of cruelty to animals.

"Unfortunately, with our state laws, if you beat your own dog and it does not suffer serious injuries, it's just a simple misdemeanor," Clark said. "It appeared that she was going beyond disciplining the animals and actually abusing them."

Detectives said a concerned resident videotaped the incident.

"It appears she was disciplining the dog for digging in the backyard," Clark said. "I think it's, frankly, pretty hypocritical of her to turn around and treat the animals like you see on this video."

Clark said Stanbridge identifies herself as an animal rights activist and is very critical of his department's policy on stray dogs.

"We put them down after seven days, which is very common around the state. And yet, you can see for yourself on the video how she treats her animals," Clark said.

Stanbridge refused to comment about the video or her arrest.

Officers accompanied by a licensed veterinarian served a search warrant at her home Tuesday afternoon and discovered 10 dogs inside.

Investigators said none of them showed obvious signs of injury and will be allowed to stay for now.

Stanbridge will appear in court Wednesday morning and if convicted, she could face a $500 fine.

The case is far from complete. Investigators expect more charges to be filed and a judge will decide whether the 10 dogs in her home should remain there.

Video at: http://www.kcci.com/r/27365120/detail.html

Flathead Co. wants couple to relinquish control of their cats

Posted: Mar 30, 2011 4:11 PM by Katy Harris (KAJ News)
Updated: Mar 30, 2011 6:43 PM

COLUMBIA FALLS- Back in December, animal wardens seized over 100 cats from a remote location in Marion. Animal Cruelty charges are pending for Cheryl and Edwin Criswell, meanwhile The Flathead County Spay and Neuter Task Force is spending hundreds of dollars still caring for the cats.

The county wants the Criswell's to relinquish control so that they can now start to be adopted.

The Criswells want to keep anywhere from 15 to 45 of their 100 cats that are currently housed in the task force shelter but the county says they will not have any of the cats back in their possession.

The Criswells are charged with cruelty to animals and aggravated animal cruelty. Because of the crowded and poor conditions the cats were living in, one was put down, 2 cats are blind in both eyes due to conjunctivitis and 6 have only one eye. 5 cats had to get surgery to remove teeth due to an immune disorder.

The task force had to purchase a trailer for $500 to specifically accommodate the Criswell's cats. Flathead County pays for food and litter for the cats, which should be paid in restitution costs by the Criswells.

Until the Criswells release control over the animals it will cost the Spay and Neuter Task $150 a day to take care of them.

http://www.kpax.com/news/flathead-co-wants-couple-to-relinquish-control-of-their-cats/

Cat with thunderous purr makes record attempt in UK

In this handout photo released by Northampton College,
Smokey, a gray and white tabby cat prepares to receive a treat
from owner Ruth Adams, in Northampton , England. A British
community college says it has a recorded a house cat whose
lawnmower-like purr hit 73 decibels, 16 times louder than the
average feline. Northampton College in central England said
Wednesday, March 30, 2011, that it had dispatched a music
team with specialist sound equipment to record 12-year-old
Smokey. The recording has been submitted to the Guinness
World Records. (AP Photo, Alisdair Tait, Northampton College)

March 30, 2011
LONDON (AP) -- A British community college has recorded a house cat named Smokey whose lawnmower-like purr hit 73 decibels, which is 16 times louder than the average feline.

Northampton College in central England said Wednesday it received a request from Smokey's owner, Ruth Adams, to provide the equipment needed to file a world record application.

The college agreed, dispatching a team with specialist sound equipment to record Smokey purring in the comfort of Adams' home in the nearby village of Pitsford, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northwest of London.

The recording has now been submitted to Guinness World Records for vetting.

The 12-year-old gray-and-white tabby has already made several media appearances, with journalists comparing the purr to the sound of a Boeing 747 from a mile away. A video posted to the cat's website made it sound more like the cooing of an angry dove.

"Sometimes she purrs so loudly it makes her cough and splutter," the site said. "She even manages to purr while she eats."

Smokey is camera-shy, according to Adams, who said in a statement that the recording session had to be kept quiet and low key to keep the cat from getting upset.

All the attention may have made the Adams household media-shy as well.

"Oh God," said a man who answered the phone at the Adams' home Wednesday. "You're not the only caller." He then hung up.

Guinness World Records spokeswoman Amarilis Whitty said that she was "anxiously waiting" for the recording to see if it meets the group's standards.

http://newsok.com/cat-with-thunderous-purr-makes-record-attempt-in-uk/article/3553850

Coyote, black Lab form unlikely partnership in Duluth

A black Lab and coyote have been seen together near
Orange Street in the Piedmont Heights neighborhood.
This photo was taken in 2008. (Photo by Steve Owen)

Published March 26, 2011, 12:05 AM

People in the Piedmont Heights area of Duluth assert that a black Labrador retriever is living a wild life in the woods. And that’s only the half of it. The other half is that the canine has formed a relationship with a coyote.

By: Lisa Baumann, Duluth News Tribune

People in the Piedmont Heights area started talking after the News Tribune reported last month about a black Lab taking down a deer in someone’s driveway.

Sue Hansen, owner of Hansen’s Auto Service on Trinity Road, said she saw the article and couldn’t wait to speak with customer Andrew Frielund when he came into the store.

“I asked why he didn’t write (a letter to the editor) explaining about that black Lab,” she said with a laugh. “He said he didn’t want people to think he was nuts.”

They assert that a black Labrador retriever is living a wild life in the woods. And that’s only the half of it. The other half is that the canine has formed a relationship with a coyote.

“Don’t laugh, because seriously, they exist,” Hansen said. “They were outside on the wood line of my house tearing up a deer about two months ago.”

“They are well-documented in the area,” Frielund added.

He’s seen them twice together in the woods near the antenna farm by Orange Street. He also has seen what he believes could be their offspring — an animal he calls “the creature.”

Bunter Knowles, who lives on Orange Street near the famed ice volcano, has seen the pair several times in the past few years.

In fact, he’s seen them out his window, the coyote sleeping while the Lab stands sentinel.

“There’s no question there’s been a pair of a coyote and a black Lab traveling together. … I’ve seen them 30 yards away with binoculars,” he said. “It’s quite a funny pairing.”

When asked about it Friday, Martha Minchak, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources assistant area wildlife manager in Duluth, said she wasn’t buying it.

“There wouldn’t be a Lab and coyote running around together,” she said.

And then she saw the photos taken by Steve Owen in 2008. He was able to sneak up on the pair as they were lounging in the backyard of his mother’s house at 2328 Springvale St.

“So, I stand corrected and obviously (the dog and coyote) haven’t read the behavior books!” Minchak wrote in an e-mail. “I have no real explanation other than the coyote must have been rejected from its pack for some reason and has obviously taken up with the Lab. It seems like it’s been a successful strategy for both of them if they are catching deer.”

She also said it was possible for the two to breed.

Owen said Friday he knows the Lab is alive and well because he last saw it on Monday.

“He was lying in the grass, sunning himself,” he said. “I didn’t see any coyotes with him.”

Owen said he doesn’t believe the Lab has a human home to visit.

“He was skittish enough the day I took their pictures,” he said. “As soon as the coyote and dog saw me, they went away. It wasn’t like he wanted to come down and look for a treat.”

With an abundance of deer in the city, Minchak also speculated that the dog was on its own — except for the coyote.

“It’s more like the Lab has gone over to the coyote side,” she said.

No one interviewed said they’d experienced any aggressive behavior from either animal, and Duluth animal control officer Carrie Lane said no one has ever reported the animals to her office, whether as a nuisance or a curiousity.

Knowles said he’s been out in the woods nearly every day snowshoeing and although he thinks he hears the Lab bark at his dog, they never approach him.

“I haven’t seen any damage by them so I wouldn’t have any recommendation to make to interfere,” Knowles said. “It’s something that’s unusual … but it’s not as if I’d try to break up a mixed marriage.”

Minchak concurred.

“Before I would have said (the two together are) something from Walt Disney movies, but now I guess I’d say it’s a classic odd-couple pairing,” she said.

She said she’d leave them alone because she didn’t think anyone would be able to rehabilitate the dog.

For her part, Hansen isn’t so sure.

“I don’t like domestic dogs that have gone wild,” she said. “I haven’t walked in my woods since then. It makes me a lot more nervous in that area than I’ve ever been.”

Do you have any pictures?

Send your photos of the black Lab-coyote pair to news@duluthnews.com.

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/194848/

Edinburgh Haymarket ferret 'took London train'

Staff have named the ferret Mickey

22 March 2011

A ferret has been rescued from an Edinburgh station after apparently getting off a train from London.

The male ferret, named Mickey by animal welfare officers, was found at Haymarket train station on Monday.

He appeared on platform four at about 1900 GMT when the train from London was in the station.

Staff managed to catch the ferret, which is now being cared for by the Scottish SPCA. The animal charity is urging his owner to come forward.

Insp Jenny Scott, of the Scottish SPCA, said: "When I arrived to collect the ferret, the staff had managed to catch him and put him in a box.

"We're not sure if he has escaped from someone's house nearby or if he has ventured further and travelled all the way from England on the train.

"He's very friendly so he is obviously someone's pet.

"We'd love to return him to his owner as I'm sure they'll be missing him a lot."

The ferret is now being cared for at the charity's animal rescue and rehoming centre in Balerno.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-12820220

Cat Survived Earthquake and Reunited with Family

Mar 16, 2011

A woman returned to her house that was devastated by the earthquake and tsunami to look for her cat.

She was shocked by the damage in the house as she was rummaging through the rubble. While she was talking to the reporter, a miracle happened. Her cat came out from the stairs and started meowing.

Non-non the cat was hiding upstairs when the tsunami hit. The little one survived.

Though the kitty was still a little shaking and overwhelmed by the whole disaster and afraid to come back downstairs, it was absolutely heart-warming and hopeful to know that Non-non made it safe.

Rough Translation:

Voiceover: After the earthquake, the citizens return to their changed town.

Woman: I had a cat, and when the tsunami came, I looked for it. But I couldn’t find it, so I had to escape.

Voiceover: When they go into the house…

Man: So what was this room?

Woman: This was the dining room.

Man: That’s a tree from outside?

Woman: Yeah, that’s amazing…

Woman: Ah! The cat’s alive! I can hear it!

Man: That’s great! It looks like it escaped to the second floor when the tsunami came

http://lovemeow.com/2011/03/cat-survived-and-reunited-with-family/