Pit Bull Puppy Stolen, Mutilated (Longmont, Co)

 

http://cbs4denver.com/crime/local_story_330141257.html

Pit Bull Puppy Stolen, Returned To Yard Mutilated

 

Raj Chohan
Reporting

 

(CBS4) LONGMONT, Colo. Police in Longmont have few leads in a disturbing case of animal cruelty.

Someone killed Clarissa Garcia's four month old pit bull puppy, "Copper," then left his remains in her yard. The dog had been mutilated and decapitated.

"He was like family to us," Garcia said. "We've always had pit bulls and they've always been good to us."

It happened overnight on Nov. 12.

The family believes the suspect had to climb a fence to get into the yard.

Garcia said her other dogs almost always bark when someone approaches the house, but that night, she said the dogs were quiet.

"I just really want to find out who did it," Garcia said. "And why they did it."

Police believe whoever stole the puppy, butchered it somewhere else and came back to dump the animal's remains in Garcia's yard.

The Garcia family said they have not had any recent run-ins with anybody in their neighborhood.

Whoever killed the dog faces a felony charge of animal cruelty if caught. Anyone with information should call Longmont police.

(© MMVI CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

 

http://cbs4denver.com/crime/local_story_330141257.html

 

News Story

 

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=1546420&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Thanksgiving Pet Safety

You want to have your buddies with you at Thanksgiving and it will be hard to resist sometimes not giving them some of the goodies but you must be careful!

• cooked turkey meat is safe for dogs to eat, BUT items used to cook the turkey which may be tempting to dogs, such as skewers, string, pop-up timers, and roasting bags are not safe. Swallowing such things can cause an intestinal blockage or perforation.
• No Bones - especially bird bones. All poultry bones splinter easily, and, whether splintered or whole, they can lodge inside or perforate a dog's intestines.
• No Turkey Skin - it is extremely fatty and consuming fatty food like poultry skin can lead to gastric distress and Pancreatitis
• No Over indulgence!- A sudden change in diet, like a big bowl of full of turkey and all the trimmings could cause an upset stomach and diahrrea. If you must share, give just a few pieces of boneless, skinless meat to their food dish.

Are you ready for the holidays?

Dog attacks raise his fears (not pit bull)

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/11172006/nhnews-ph-r-dog.fight.html
Dog attacks raise his fears

By Karen Dandurant kdandurant@seacoastonline.com

RYE -- Perkins Road resident Robert Kennedy fears that one day a dog allowed to run free in town is going to attack and hurt his small friend, a friendly, gentle Chihuahua named Bella. "Whenever I walk her, big dogs run up to us, but the thing that stuck and made me speak out happened a few days ago," said Kennedy. "I was walking Bella about 5:30 p.m., when this big black Labrador ran up to us and tried to go for her head. I scooped her up and the dog jumped up on me, putting his paws on my shoulders trying to get to her." Kennedy said he was really frightened either he or Bella would be hurt.

He said he vaguely remembers hearing someone call the dog off. "But it happens all the time," he said. "Bella used to love to walk down Central Road because of a little stream there, but dogs are loose there all the time so we don't walk that way anymore. It happens on the beach, too. I hardly ever see dogs leashed at the beach."

Perkins is asking Rye dog owners to obey the leash law. He said he knows that most dog owners are responsible and that the trouble comes from just a few. "But it is a problem for us," he said. Acting Police Chief Kevin Walsh said his officers do enforce the law when they see a violation. He said he will contact Kennedy and work with him to resolve the problem. "I know that officers will (pick up an unleashed dog) when they see it and bring it to Sagamore Animal Hospital," said Walsh. "... We get calls and if there's a violation, we will warn or ticket the person." Walsh said the town's leash law indicates that dogs must be on a leash or under the immediate control of the owner/guardian of the animal. "I have tried telling people when I see them outside and their dogs are loose to use a leash," said Kennedy. "All it gets me is a dirty look. They say they have invisible fences, but the dogs run right out into the street, so I hope they didn't spend a lot of money on them. Also, I'd hate to see a dog get hit by a car." Kennedy said his mother sometimes walks Bella, and that makes him nervous for both of them. "I'm not sure if she could scoop Bella up quickly enough, and I worry she or my mother will be attacked," he said.

Wire and rope binding its neck, pit bull left bleeding by roadside

URL: http://www.news-bulletin.com/news/66659-11-15-06.html

Jackie Schlotfeldt News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jschlotfeldt@news-bulletin.com

Meadow Lake A resident out for his morning walk came across a disturbing sight along Fenceline Road in Meadow Lake Monday. An adult pit bull dog lay bleeding from his nose and mouth, a rope and wire pulled tight around his neck.

The walker immediately called Annie Lawler, who has rescued more than 80 dogs and is well known in Meadow Lake for helping with stray and dumped animals.
When Lawler arrived, the dog was barely breathing. She loaded the dog in her truck and took it to Arrow Veterinary Clinic in Los Lunas for care.
"His face was swollen and his tongue was purple. There was also massive scarring on his back," Lawler said.
Dr. Ralph Zimmerman said the dog will recover from its injuries, but it will take some time.
"There was a lot of swelling around the neck," Zimmerman said. "His mouth was traumatized, his eyes are pretty bulging and he had lots of hemorrhages. God only knows what's happened to this guy."
What happened to the dog may never be known for sure, but Zimmerman said the rope was tied in a slip knot so the dog could have caught it on something and hung himself, in a sort of a hangman's noose.
"He has rope burns around his neck, and they're fresh, so he was fighting it awhile," Zimmerman said. "He bit his tongue, and the vessels in the back of his throat are broken and bleeding. His entire back is scar tissue, which isn't all that old because he still has some scabs over some of it."
The injuries to the dog's back could have been caused by the animal being dragged or perhaps having something hot or caustic poured on him. The veterinarian said the dog is missing quite a bit of skin and not all the injuries are old.
Despite the dog's injuries, Zimmerman said his condition looks a lot worse than it is, and right now his rescuers want to keep him hydrated and get him to eat. "It's going to take some time for him to bounce back," he said.
Lawler said that, if it wasn't for Zimmerman, she didn't know what she would do. "He has been my savior," Lawler said. "He knows his business, and he's a class act."
Although Lawler will cover the expense of caring for the dog, Zimmerman said he tries to keep costs down. "I appreciate what she does, and if there's a less expensive way, we will do it," he said. "But if he needs something, then he needs it, and he will get it."
Lawler said the abuse and dumping of dogs in Valencia County is a problem.
"We can't get people to realize that it's not OK to dump an animal and let it die on the side of the road," she said with tears in her eyes. "It's not OK to starve them to death. It's not OK to beat the dog. It's not OK to put a collar on them and chain them in the yard and leave them with no shelter, food or water. It's not OK to not spay or neuter them."
Zimmerman said unfortunately many animals are treated this way. "He definitely deserves a better life than what he's had so far."
The pit bull dog is a young adult less than two years old, Zimmerman said. "He's been real docile," he said. "For all he's been through, he seems pretty easy-going. I've been in and out of his mouth looking for wounds, and he hasn't argued with me yet."
Lawler said she will try to find a good home for the dog, and, so far, she has had some calls about adopting him from as far away as Carlsbad. As of Tuesday morning, the dog was up, eating and drinking and doing well.
"Somebody threw him away like a piece of garbage," Lawler said. "It's not OK."

Animal Smart NEWS!

http://www.usaweekend.com/06_issues/061105/061105animalsmart.html
Issue Date: November 5, 2006

Animal Smart

The most misunderstood dogs in America

A look at five breeds often left abandoned. Their worst offense? Their human owners never should have bought them.

By Steve Dale

For some dogs, their only crimes are unrealistic expectations. As a result, they're misunderstood, and some are downright hated. Some breeds have such a bad rep that they need a press agent. Others have such idealistic "Lassie" images that it's nearly impossible to live up to them.

The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 6 million to 8 million dogs and cats are relinquished to shelters annually, and about half of those are euthanized. We don't know which breeds are relinquished most often, but when I asked four dog experts which five breeds they think are most often abandoned, their picks were unanimous and mirrored my own hunches. "My dream is that people would choose the right dog to match their lifestyles," says Ian Dunbar, founder of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. "Then, once you have that dog, understand what you're dealing with," adds Ledy VanKavage, senior director at the ASPCA. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen enough, and it leads to this list.

Rottweilers. This large dog with a head the size of a small dog can grow up to 27 inches and exceed 130 pounds. "They're big, strong and can be headstrong," Bradley says. "They're not for everyone." Rotties that don't have good training when they'reyoung may have behavioral problems as adults. These dogs suffer from bad press. Some insurance companies increase their homeowner fees for Rottweilers (and often other large breeds, including pit bulls), and people sometimes feel they have no choice but to give up their dogs.

Labradors (and Lab mixes). People expect Labs to be perfectly trained, like the service Labs who team with the visually or physically impaired. "Here's the reality: They were bred to work under difficult conditions and have the drive to swim through ice to get that bird," says Patricia McConnell, author of "For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend." That's not to say with training and time they don't settle down, but they're not the instant soup people expect. "The expectations are so high, it's difficult to live up to," VanKavage says. "They're great dogs for a fairly active family, but not for elderly Aunt Tilda," Bradley adds. "And because Labs are large, they can easily learn to drag Aunt Tilda down the street." Golden retrievers can have the same problems.

Border collies. "Exercise for border collies is measured in hours, not minutes," McConnell says. "They require a job and mental exercise to go with the physical exercise. An outlet for their intensity is important, or they can develop problems." McConnell rescued a compulsive spinning and licking border collie. The previous owners were unable to meet the dog's needs, and they couldn't cope with what they had. McConnell named her Lassie. Today, Lassie is normal -- normal for a border collie, that is. She has sheep to herd, and she gets plenty of exercise.

Pit bulls (and any dog that resembles one, such as a Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier or bull terrier). "They're easily the most vilified, even hated, dog," says Janis Bradley, author of "Dogs Bite but Balloons and Slippers Are More Dangerous." VanKavage calls it a witch hunt -- and she ought to know. She has three pit bulls: "They're clowns; they make me laugh." VanKavage says there are instances when pit bulls run up to kids to say "hi," the parent panics, the authorities arrive, and they deem the dog dangerous for no good reason. "If that dog was a golden retriever, nothing would have happened," she says. Bradley goes so far as to equate these situations to a canine version of racism. Many shelter dogs have a pit bull-type look. Rescuing a pit has become trendy, and the experience can go smoothly. "But understand what you're getting into," Dunbar warns. "Some come with difficult-to-deal-with behavioral baggage."

Terriers (and terrier mixes). Many are under 30 pounds, but don't let their size fool you. "It's a whole lot of dog in one package," Dunbar says. "They're dynamic, they're fast, they're tough, and they're actively telling you all about it." Most aren't demure about barking. There's a reason they're sometimes called terrors instead of terriers. "Really, all they require is training," McConnell says. "It's true for all dogs. It's not the dog's fault if it has no training." Although their generally smaller size is suitable to apartment life, sometimes terriers' vocal nature doesn't endear them to neighbors. Certainly, there's no reason for constant barking, but some people actually expect complete silence -- and that's not the terrier way.