Stories of animal cruelty sicken me, so it's good to know that there are people out there who feel the same way. And when they see examples of inhumane treatment of pets, they're ready to leap into action.
Not just in the U.S., either. In Lithuania, a 22-year-old man posted a video of himself throwing a dog off a bridge, then posted it online. Outraged Internet uses who saw the video helped police identify the man, who was arrested and faces a year in jail on animal cruelty charges.
The dog, named Pipiras (Lithuanian for "pepper"), is expected to survive the 20-foot fall, despite suffering several fractures and internal injuries. His owner, Petras Dunskaitis, told a newspaper, "He's lived with me for four or five years. He didn't deserve such a fate."
According to local reports, the man believed the dog was responsible for killing several of his mother's chickens. In the video, he's shown holding the dog over a bridge railing and laughing as a friend records the scene with his cell phone.
The man then makes a joke about dogs flying and drops him. Pipiras crashes to the ground and is shown yelping and twitching. The video was originally posted on a site, but it spread globally and even made it to Facebook, where a group calling itself the "Lithuanian Dog Support Group" helped police locate the man.
Unbelievable, right? Animal cruelty knows no bounds, and as pet lovers we should always be aware that there are people who think nothing of harming animals.
We should always be aware of this and be on the lookout.
I like to call this kind of story a silver lining in the Michael Vick dogfighting case: In Los Angeles County, the district attorney's office and the Humane Society of the United State are teaming up to start a 24-hour tip line for county residents to report cases of dogfighting. As an incentive, they're also offering a substantial reward for an arrest and conviction.
The program was announced today at a media conference at the office of Steve Cooley, the L.A. County district attorney.
It's similar to a cash-for-tips program started last month in Pennsylvania, which offers up to $5,000 for information about dogfights and cockfights. The Humane Society worked with officials in Pennsylvania to start that program.
The L.A. County tip line will be staffed by English and Spanish speakers and offers a $5,000 reward if someone is caught and convicted of dogfighting, a felony under state law that carries a maximum prison sentence of three years. Residents who call in can remain anonymous.
"We expect that these tips will be a starting point for major criminal investigations," Cooley said. The Humane Society estimates that some 250,000 dogs are forced to engage in dogfighting in the U.S. every year.
This sounds like a program that should spread quickly if states want to eliminate this horrifying and inhumane blood sport.
No one will ever know what Sabi the Australian Labrador Retriever went through the past 14 months, but her will to live is clearly amazing. If she could only talk.
Sabi, a bomb-sniffing four-year-old black Lab, was caught in a gun battle in Afghanistan while stationed with Australia's Special Forces units last year. But she was declared missing in action and was presumed dead.
Nine Australian soldiers - including Sabi's handler - were wounded in the battle, which earned one of the Aussie troopers the highest bravery award.
Sabi's fate was not known for certain, but it was assumed she probably died in the skirmish. Not so.
After eluding the Taliban and somehow living on her own for more than a year, Sabi was recently found by U.S. troops in the Uruzgan mountains in the south.
"Sabi is back home in one piece and is a genuinely nice pooch as well," said Kevin Rudd, the Australian prime minister, who made sure the dog received a hero's welcome.
After being airlifted to Australian headquarters in Tarin Kowt, Sabi was returned to the Army's working dogs unit. She was said to be in good health, so it's likely someone may have been feeding her.
That's one incredible pooch.
The tough economic times have hit all of us, but animal shelters and rescue organizations are feeling a particular crunch. When people lose their homes or are forced to cut back on expenses, their pets are sometimes the first to go. Dog food and vet bills can be expensive - if you have a pet, you know.
I saw a story by the Associated Press this week that really brings the issue home. Dawn Smith, the owner and founder of Daphneyland, a Basset Hound rescue in Acton, Calif., is horribly behind on her bills. She takes in $5,200 a month in donations but needs about $10,000 a month to survive.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that one to two million pets have been abandoned since the start of the recession in December 2007. The figures are based on real estate industry numbers and estimated pet ownership.
For someone like Smith, it means donations are down 40 percent, and some volunteers have had to quit to take on second jobs. But the bills don't stop, and Smith has some 100 dogs to feed and care for.
Stephen Zawistowski, the ASPCA's executive vice president for national programs, told the AP, "At pet food banks, they are seeing people who used to be donors now showing up asking if they can get a bag of dog food."
Daphneyland isn't the only rescue organization hanging on, not by a long shot. What can you do? If you can afford it, donate to your local animal shelter or a rescue group. Better yet, if you're thinking of adopting a pet, now is the time.
How about a Basset Hound? "They are stubborn, obstinate, but couldn't be more loving," Smith said of the big-eared dogs. "They are fabulous if you can handle a 65-pound lapdog."
It seems like there's been a spate of these stories lately - police dogs getting shot. Last week, I wrote about an officer's dog that was shot and killed by an unknown assailant near Atlanta, and now another police dog has been injured in Baltimore.
This time, however, the dog, a German Shepherd Dog named Blade, was shot by a Baltimore cop who was pursuing a motorist who had driven through a speed checkpoint. The good news is that Blade is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery at an animal hospital Monday.
"He's a real trooper," said Dr. Keisha Adkins of the Falls Road Animal Hospital in Mount Washington, Md. "There could have been a lot more damage. He was pretty lucky where the bullet hit him."
Blade was shot when a driver sped through a checkpoint after being ordered to stop by officers. The man got out of his car and ran, and officers called for help from a K-9 unit. The dog then attacked an officer, mistakenly believing he was the motorist. The officer, unaware he was a police dog, shot Blade.
The good news is that Blade is expected to be released this week.
Let's hope his owner has a big bone for him to gnaw on when he gets home.
