I'm a vet in "companion animal" practice, working only with pets. I love my job, and I enjoy writing about it - in newspapers, on my blog, wherever. I have a weekly column in the UK's Daily Telegraph, as well regular features in several Irish newspapers. I live in Ireland with my wife and two young daughters, as well as a menagerie of animals and birds. Visit my blog to find out more.
His own dog’s DNA helped convict a reputed gang member in south London of the murder of a 16-year-old.
Oluwaseyi Ogunyemi was killed in a “vicious” attack by a gang of youths who set upon him and his friends with their dogs. One of the dogs, a Staffordshire bull terrier-bull mastiff cross called Tyson, brought Ogunyemi down as he tried to climb over a fence, after which the youth was stabbed six times by its owner Chrisdian Johnson.
Johnson was arrested as he fled the scene of the murder last April, bare-chested and covered in blood.
New DNA technology proved by a billion-to-one probability that some of the blood on Johnson came from his dog Tyson, who had been knifed during the fighting. The rest came from Ogunyemi.
Johnson was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Seyi’s 17-year-old friend Hurui Hiyabum, whom he stabbed nine times.
Scientists used DNA profiling to prove that samples collected during the investigation were a billion times more likely to come from two specific dogs involved in the attack than any other animals, the BBC reported.
Police hailed the dog DNA technology, which had just been developed at the time of the murder, as a “hugely powerful investigative tool”.
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Source: wtam.com, Mar 13, 2010
The Saint Francis Animal Sanctuary in Vermilion, Ohio is trying to find loving homes for several special dogs.
Director Deb Parker says careless breeding at an Ohio puppy mill has left a litter of young doggies blind.
Parker explains the puppies were born with a condition called microphthalmia, which happens when two dachshunds with the dominant “dapple” gene, are breed together.
Parker stresses that even though these puppies are blind, they are normal in every other way, and are likely to have a normal life span, and provide great companionship for a caring and patient owner.
Parker says her sanctuary is one of the few in the United States that accepts pets regardless of their special needs or the expense involved to treat and care for them.
She blames puppy mills for breeding thousands upon thousands of dogs each year that are sold for inflated prices in pet shops. They often go unwanted and are later put to death.
Saint Francis Animal Sanctuary has many more pets that are in need of homes. The shelter can also use additional volunteers and monetary donations.
BBC ‘Blue Planet – Deep Trouble’ team explain the environmental dangers facing the world’s shallow waters. With high demands for rare species of fish, coral reefs are in danger of being fished out and deserted. Brilliant natural world video.
