A heartbreaking story about a disabled woman whose landlords refused to allow her to keep her companion dog, even with a doctor’s note, because it exceeded their newly imposed weight limitations for pets.
The settlement will help the woman with practical matters, but it can’t erase the emotional pain she’s suffered.
A poster advertises the new hotline
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, in conjunction with the Humane Society of the United States, has opened a 24-hour hotline to receive tips about dogfighting.
Rewards of up to $5,000 will be given for tips leading to arrests or convictions involving dogfighting. Callers can provide tips on a dog fighting ring, an upcoming dog fight or an individual who is involved in dog fighting. Calls about dog fights actually in progress should go to 911, said DA Steve Cooley.
He added that he expects the tips received will be “a starting point for major criminal investigations” into such crimes as drug dealing, weapons possession and illegal gambling.
The hotline’s number is (877) NO2-FITE. “Obviously we’re not great spellers,” joked Cooley, “but you get the message.”
Jennifer Fearing of the HSUS said, “Never before have we seen such a dedicated effort to bring together law enforcement, public organizations and private citizens to establish a countywide tip line that will be the first line of defense against this barbaric crime.”
A poster protesting Denver's anti-pit bull ordinance
Denver has an ordinance banning any dog that is entirely or predominantly pit bull (APBT, AST, and/or SBT). One day, when a dog named Dexter was at his pet sitter’s in Denver, officials who were in the neighborhood for another reason spotted him and confiscated him. A 3-person panel employed by the city subsequently decided that Dexter was indeed a pit bull, and therefore condemned to be euthanized.
Fortunately for Dexter, his owner, Kevin O’Connell, successfully challenged the finding at a hearing. He presented evidence from four veterinarians, a UKC judge, an AKC judge, and a veterinary technician that Dexter is not a pit bull, but a boxer or mastiff mix.
The hearing officer found that Dexter’s side had presented “stronger and more detailed” evidence, and that the city had not met its burden of proof that Dexter is a pit bull.
More dog owners are planning to challenge the city’s findings, and many dog lovers are fighting to overturn the law altogether, charging that it unfairly condemns good family dogs with muscular builds, regardless of their actual breed.
One happy puppy (card from Dogstuff)
After a decade of struggle, dog lovers in Wisconsin are one step closer to stopping puppy mills in their state.
The state Assembly has unanimously passed a law that would require operations that sell more than 25 dogs a year to be licensed. The bill also permits authorities to investigate breeders and suspend their licenses.
The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration.
Despite a court order (and state law), the Columbia, Illinois, school district is refusing to allow 5-year-old Carter Kalbfleisch to attend school with his service dog, Corbin. Carter has started school at the Illinois Center for Autism, 30 miles away, while his parents continue the legal battle for him to be allowed to go to school where he lives.
Carter got Corbin this summer, and has already shown dramatic improvement. Formerly silent and withdrawn, he smiled, laughed, and sang during a visit from a news crew (see video).
“He’s a changed boy,” his mother beamed. “Before, we didn’t get to see that in him. He wasn’t this happy, kind, boy that he’s become.”
Despite mounting costs, his parents vow to continue their fight for Corbin to be accepted at Carter’s local school.
