Cruelty charges pending after neglected dogs, puppies apprehended in Surrey

From The Province Authorities have stepped in to apprehend 13 neglected and starving dogs and puppies in Surrey — and animal cruelty charges are pending.
The B.C. SPCA reported Friday that two adult pit-bull cross dogs, a sixth-month-old pit-bull cross, and 10 two-week-old pit-bull cross puppies are now in their care. The female dog was starving, with her spine and ribs protruding, and the puppies were dehydrated and underweight. The adult male dog was suffering from a large open wound on his front paw.
“In addition to our concerns about the health of the animals, the dogs were living in substandard conditions,” says Eileen Drever, senior animal protection officer for the BC SPCA.
“The female and her puppies were being kept inside the home in a dark room with no ventilation and an overwhelming smell of urine and feces. The two male dogs were outside with no adequate shelter, no access to potable water and surrounded by hazards and debris.”
The adult dogs and puppies are currently receiving veterinary treatment and care in SPCA custody. The investigation continues and charges of animal cruelty are pending.

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Dog thought dead and buried found alive

From Boston Herald

There were tears aplenty when Mark Dolph buried his brindle pit bull mix named Patch outside his mother’s home near Waymart on the morning of Oct. 7. The dog had disappeared about 36 hours earlier while Mr. Dolph and girlfriend, Penny Holland, visited from North Carolina. When one of mother Patricia Dolph’s neighbors called to say he had spotted Patch lying dead along a road, Mr. Dolph resigned himself to the painful reality that his beloved pet was gone.
"We already had in our heads that he was dead," Mr. Dolph said.
But in a quirky case of canine mistaken identity, the Dolph family buried the wrong dog.
It turned out Patch was very much alive, having taken refuge with Stacey and Bryan Struble, who that same day opened up their home on Belmont Turnpike - more than six miles from Mrs. Dolph’s Dutchman Hill house - to what they thought was a mere stray.
"I must have thanked them a thousand times," Mr. Dolph said Thursday in a telephone interview from his Monroe, N.C., home. "If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have Patch."
The strange tale started unfolding late on Oct. 5 when Patch was nowhere to be found when Mr. Dolph and Ms. Holland went outside that Tuesday night to bring inside their other dog, Jake. Patch had never run away before, and Mr. Dolph was concerned he might have been attacked and injured by a bobcat spotted near the home.
The family spent the next day scouring the area, alerting neighbors and leaving a description of the missing dog with the Dessin Animal Shelter in Honesdale, to no avail.
The following morning — Oct. 7 — a neighbor who was familiar with Patch called.
"He said he had bad news," Mr. Dolph said. "He found the dog, but he was dead on the side of the road, about three miles away."
Mr. Dolph drove to the area, wrapped the dead animal in Patch’s favorite blanket and brought him back to his mother’s home for burial.
"The whole house had tears in their eyes," he said.
In hindsight, Mr. Dolph said the clues were obvious. The dog on the road lacked Patch’s faded orange collar with paw prints on it, his nose appeared snubbier and, despite the identical white patch on his chest, his brindle coat seemed more uniform. In his grief, Mr. Dolph attributed the anomalies to the accident that killed the animal and the rain that had fallen overnight.
"Now, looking at my dog and at that dog, we should have known," he said. "But at the time, they looked enough alike."
Patricia Dolph said the shelter called the next day, Friday, Oct. 8, to say the Strubles had found a dog matching Patch’s description. The family was skeptical, she said, until they spoke by phone with Mr. Struble, who described Patch "to a T," right down to the faded collar.
"Now we were getting excited," she said.
But there would be one more disappointment. By the time the family got to the Struble home, Patch had gotten out and run away again. A search failed to locate him.
Around 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9, Mrs. Struble called again to say Patch had returned overnight and would remain safely inside until Mr. Dolph came to retrieve him.
Mr. Dolph said the owners of the dead dog are still unknown. If they are ever identified, he said he hopes they will take comfort in the knowledge their pet received a loving, tearful burial.
Mrs. Dolph said Thursday she believes providence played a role in Patch’s return, and she told her son as much.
"I said that God must have seen you were so good to that dog," she said, "and that’s why he decided to give your dog back to you."

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Dog undergoes surgery for gunshot wound in Tampa

From Tampa Bay Online

Mercy is looking for a new home.
The dog, who was shot in the head, underwent surgery this morning to remove portions of a bullet from her skull.
Just who shot the pit bull mix and why remain mysteries. She was found wandering recently near Falkenburg Road and Progress Boulevard. She had a collar, but no tags or a microchip. And she was clearly injured.
That's where the Lost Angels Animal Rescue group and Tampa Veterinary Hospital come in to the picture.
Veterinarians at the hospital operated today on Mercy, and the animal rescue group is seeking a home for her.
"She's a wonderful dog," said Lily McCarty, who is with the Lost Angels group. Veterinarian Melissa Webster said she was concerned about the dog's eyesight and hearing, given the unknown nature of the impact of the gunshot.
"That's our biggest worry for her," Webster said.
For information on how to adopt Mercy, go to http://www.lostangelsanimalrescue.org/.

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Elderly pastor mauled to death in dog kennel filled with 17 pit bulls

From Daily Mail An elderly Missouri pastor has been found mauled to death in a pit bull pen belonging to his son.
Rev. John Reynolds, 84, was found dead last week with injuries consistent with those from an animal attack in Callaway County near Williamsburg.
Reynolds son, John E. Reynolds, 52, says he doesn't believe any of his 17 pit bulls killed his father.
He said the dogs were his dad's 'best buddies' and wouldn't have harmed him.
Lt. Tim Osburn from the Callaway County Sheriff's Department says the son came home at 7.37pm on October 13 and found his dad lying dead in the kennel.
Osburn said: 'The dogs were loose and there were obvious injuries to the body that appeared to be bite marks. We know that the victim had a medical history'.
He added that an autopsy has shown that some of the bites occurred before Reynold's death and some were inflicted after he died.
'The medical examiner has not issued a cause of death. For this reason the death is still under investigation', Osburn said.
'There is a possibility that some of the tests that are done after the initial autopsy may show something. It's too early for me to say that the cause of death was being mauled by those dogs.
'I know what the scene was like. It has the appearance of that. But when you step back, take your time and do a thorough investigation, sometimes things aren't exactly the way they appear.'
Osburn added that the victim fed the dogs frequently and was in the house with the pit bulls on numerous occasions.
Authorities say no charges will be filed and the dogs will not be seized because the county doesn't have enough resources to handle all 17 dogs.
'We will continue to investigate the case. It's an unusual circumstance because the victim is a co-owner of the animals.
'Obviously that's why there will not be criminal charges. If your own dog bites you, a dog can't be charged with a crime.'
Osburn confirmed that there were six adult pit bull dogs and 11 pit bull puppies in the kennel.
Reynolds' son says he believes that a mountain lion or even stray dogs were responsible for the attack that took his father's life.
But a field program specialist with the Missouri Department of Conservation said he doesn't believe a mountain lion was responsible.
'It's his opinion that there is no way that those bite marks and injuries to the victim were caused by a mountain lion', Osburn said of the specialist's view.
Authorities are continuing their investigation pending results of the autopsy and toxicology reports.

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Former Kent resident faces animal-cruelty charge following discovery of starving dogs

By Laura Pierce, Kent Reporter

A former Kent resident has been charged with first-degree animal cruelty, following the discovery of three emaciated, thirsty dogs in a Kent home she reportedly abandoned.
Kydey Hok is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 21.
The King County Prosecutor's office claims that Hok, between Aug. 11 through Sept. 11, left three dogs without food or water in at a home she apparently abandoned on the 1700 block of 212th Street. Hok now lives in Seattle, according to records filed in King County Superior Court.
The dogs were two pitbulls and a daschund - all of whom were found to be severely undernourished. The dachshund weighed 3.12 pounds and had to be given fluids when it was evaluated in early September by a veterinarian, after animal-control officers executed a search warrant and removed the dogs from the home.
According to David Morris, a sergeant with Regional Animal Services of King County, who filed the report, the conditions in the home were extremely bad when officers responded. They were alerted to the issue after a property inspector was sent by a mortgage company to the home, to determine if it was still occupied.
"The garage floor was covered in dog feces and the strong odor of garbage, feces and filth made the police officers gag, a statement from Morris' report reads. The statement is part of the paperwork filed in court by the prosecutor's office.
"There was no water in the toilets or bath tubs," the statement went on to read. "There was no food present anywhere in the house."
Morris concluded in his report, "Hok was criminally negligent when she did not provide adequate food or water for her three dogs and as a result, the dogs suffered substantial and unjustifiable pain caused by severe starvation and dehydration."

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Four-year-old recovering after dogs attack

By Janis Demarest, from KLTV

A family member tells us that a four-year-old is hospitalized after being attacked by two pit bulls. The girl's uncle says the child was playing with the dogs when they attacked.
Longview Police were called to the home on Sydney Street around 7 Monday night in response to the attack.
The four-year-old is being treated for a broken leg.
The two dogs are now in the custody of the Humane Society of Northeast Texas.

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IA town considers pit bull ban

From WHBF One QCA town looks into a possible pit bull ban, and it has folks in Camanche, Iowa all fired up.
This is not the first time city leaders have considered the ban. It failed two years ago and folks are still torn on the issue.
It is a recent attack in one neighborhood that has banning pit bulls back on the table in Camanche. A local lab was bitten.
"We had neighbors who were frightened," said City Administrator Tom Roth, "We had neighbors who told us they had armed themselves in case these dogs came around. If you think about that, that's not a fair situation for somebody to be in."
City Administrator Roth is one of the advocates for banning the dogs. He said since the city talked about it years ago, there have been two attacks. Thankfully, neither of them were on humans.
"If a dog is determined to be vicious, if it attacks or has the propensity to attack we can have it removed from the community," said Roth.
Neighbors said that is what happened to the two dogs in last week's attack thanks to the city's vicious dog ordinance, but City Administrator Roth said it is not enough.
"There has to be an incident before that ordinance became effective. If it happens it may be too late," said Roth.
He said the city seems to be waiting for a real tragedy, like a child to be bitten, to move on the issue. And neighbors said they just want to feel safe in their own backyards.
"The last thing you need to worry about is a pit bull attacking you, your kids, or your family pet," said neighbor Samuel Moore.
"I've had some good experiences with them and some scary experiences. They come running up to you and they are intimidating," said neighbor Todd Johnson.
Some neighbors did tell me they never had any problems with the pit bulls. The city will discuss the possible ban at the October 26th planning meeting.

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Kremmling resident mad that dog got shot

By Tonya Bina, Sky-Hi News

A Kremmling resident is angered that a police officer shot his dog.

Adam Baird's Weimaraner-Labrador mix named Piston is “not a violent dog,” Baird said, despite an Oct. 15 incident when, according to Kremmling Police Chief Scott Spade, Piston “lunged” at Kremmling Officer Tom Backer.

Spade said that Backer was right to use force in that situation.

Piston had escaped his fenced-in area attached to the Baird home that day and allegedly showed his teeth and growled at a lady in the vicinity of the Mountain Dollar Store across the highway, which led the woman to call dispatch stating she was “almost attacked” by the dog, according to the Grand County Sheriff's Office calls log.

After Piston had already returned home, Backer and the victim located him.

Officer Backer exited his police vehicle parked in the Baird driveway, according to Spade, and as he walked toward the Baird home, Piston jumped over the fence of his enclosed area and “lunged” at Backer, the dog allegedly barking and baring his teeth.

At that point, the officer discharged his firearm with the intent to harm Piston, but the bullet “grazed” the dog.

Baird had been home at the time, but did not see the event, he said.

“I understand my dog was out, and I understand he might have scared someone, but without him biting someone, to use deadly force I think is unacceptable,” Baird said.

According to the dog owner, Piston has never bitten anyone, although he can appear “boisterous” and intimidating.

“If he doesn't know you, he'll bark at you to protect the kids,” Baird said.

To Baird, Piston was just protecting his home and Baird's two young children, who were also home at the time. “There were kids running around,” Baird said. “(Piston) barks at people here and there but, other than that, there has never been an incident where he's bitten someone and, if he did, I wouldn't own him anymore.”

Spade confirmed there have been no formal past complaints concerning Piston.

After the shot, Piston immediately returned to his enclosure, according to both Baird and Spade.

Baird was cited for having a “dog at large” and for having a “viscous dog.”

According to Spade, the officer felt as though he was in harm's way and shot Piston to protect himself.

“Joe Public can't go out and be shooting dogs, but neither am I going to allow my law enforcement officers to put themselves in jeopardy,” Spade said.

Last week's incident echoes a similar shooting in March of 2006, when Chief of Police Glen Trainor killed a 50-pound pregnant boxer he mistook to be a pit bull in Fraser. The shooting of the dog, named Angel, in that incident similarly took place prior to the arrival of Animal Control.

According to a news report based on the police account of the 2006 controversial dog shooting, Angel had frightened pedestrians near the dog's home, and when Trainor arrived, the dog left the porch and “aggressively advanced towards Trainor while growling and barking with its ears laid back and the hair on its neck standing up.”

Because a gun was discharged, the case of Piston is now under investigation through the Grand County Sheriff's Office and the 14th Judicial District Attorney's Office.

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Lincoln officer shoots loose pit bull

From Lincoln Journal Star

A Lincoln police officer shot a pit bull early Saturday morning.
The officer saw a pit bull sitting inside a running vehicle as he was walking into the Kwik Shop at 33rd and Holdrege streets at 4 a.m.
When the officer exited the convenience store, he noticed that the pit bull was not in the car, so he began searching for the dog. The pit bull was loose and roaming around the building.
Lincoln Police Capt. Joseph Wright said the pit bull charged at the officer, aggressively showing his teeth. The officer tried keep his distance, but the dog persisted.
Police reports say the officer shot the pit bull on its left side. The dog ran away and was found bleeding at 34th and Starr streets.
Animal Control took the pit bull to the Veterinary Emergency Services, 3700 S. Ninth St. At 10 a.m. Saturday, Wright said the dog was still alive.

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Pit Bull Attacks On Rise; Police Blame Owners, Not Dogs In Some Cases

From WPXI

Pittsburgh police said pit bull attacks are becoming a big problem in Allegheny County. So far, seven people have been attacked by the dogs this year.
In several of those cases, police and humane agents blame the owners of the dogs, not the dogs themselves.
On Wednesday, humane agents were called to a Beechview home on an animal neglect call. When they arrived, they said they found three dogs living in the driveway, with a pit bull tied to a truck.
Human officer Christine Luffey, who is also a pit bull attack victim, said owners who neglect or abuse dogs are the reason for many of the recent attacks.
"Animals that are neglected are prone to being aggressive," said Luffey.
Luffey said she and her dogs were attacked by three pit bulls last spring as they walked near her Beechview home.
"If they had their way, my dogs would have been dead and so would I," Luffey said.
More recently, two pit bulls bit a boy at playground in Marshall-Shadeland last weekend. On Monday, a woman and her dog were mauled by a pit bull outside of Aspinwall.
According to records, there were 133 animal bites reported in 2009 and among the reports, nearly half of them were from pit bulls.
Experts say the dogs are often raised to fight for money and are taught to be aggressive. Humane agents said when adopting a pit bull, owners need to take a proactive approach to raising the dog to be obedient and safe.
"They can't be confined in a basement, they need human contact," said Human Officer Bob Gosser.

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Pit Bull Dog Stolen

From Bowling Green Daily News

Someone took a 5-month-old female pit bull dog from outside a residence in the 1900 block of Sandra Street between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sunday, according to a city police report.

The woman who reported the theft told police she had been caring for the pit bull, which belonged to her brother, and had kept it chained outside. The dog is valued at $2,000.

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5 Arrested, 7 Dogs Seized in Alleged Fighting Ring

By Jane Flasch, WHAM

She is so friendly she gets up to greet visitors in spite of her pain.  Dozens of bite wounds cover the body of this 2 year old pit bull.  Police found her bleeding in the attic, fresh from a prolonged fight. "It’s not a quick couple of bites like you’d see in a street fight,” says animal cruelty investigator Reno DiDomenico.  “These dogs are trained to fight for 2 hours or more so they go though a lot of trauma and tearing of the flesh.”Police called to investigate alleged drug crimes at this empty building on North Street instead found a wooden fighting ring set up in a rear wear house area.  A second dog-injured but in better shape – was seized from a car.Investigators discovered five other pit bull-mixed breed dogs in a pen in the basement.  Two of them had deep scars on their muzzles and heads from previous fighting.Carlos Contreras and Andrew Liberi now face felony animal fighting charges.  Benji Hood and brothers Darius and Robert Peterson were later arrested and charged with owning dogs used for fighting.Cruelty investigators say animal fighting goes on in the Rochester area often, most likely weekly.  The motive is money, many gamble on the fights.  Because the wooden rings are portable they are moved from place to place and infiltrating these operations is difficult.In this case, the irony is that all of the seized dogs are affectionate, even timid around people.  “They have very good temperaments,” says investigator DiDomenico adding “they are friendly to people but not to other animals.”The dogs will be evaluated and will likely be given over to rescue homes or people familiar with how to raise animals that have had this kind of fight training.  They will not be available for adoption to the public, but Lollypop Farm says people who want to help can do so by donating for their medical and other care.Sunday’s tip off to police came just in time for the most injured of the dogs.  She will recover.  Starting today, her life will get better

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Police: Suspected drug dealer had 82 grams of packaged cocaine in home

By Dennis Sullivan, From Chicago Tribune

A suspected drug dealer is being held in the Will County Adult Detention facility in lieu of $300,000 bail.
Edward Gutierrez, 43, of the 2100 block of Siegel Drive in Crest Hill is scheduled to appear in Will County court Nov. 10 on a charge of manufacture/delivery of more than 15 grams of cocaine.
The charge is a Class X felony that carries a mandatory sentencing range of six to 30 years upon conviction.
Joliet Police arrested Gutierrez on Oct. 19 at his home, where they also reportedly seized 82 grams of cocaine packaged in 13 bags, a digital scale and $1,029 in cash.
Joliet Deputy Police Chief Trafton said Gutierrez and his wife cooperated with the arrest, but police “neutralized a pit bull” in the home that was preparing to attack them.

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Port to put teeth in dog law amid pit bull uproar

By Kristyn Halbig Ziehm, Ozaukee Press

But revised ordinance will not target breeds as some animal owners feared

Port Washington officials said Tuesday they will work to strengthen the city’s existing vicious dog ordinance, but do not intend to regulate specific breeds of dogs.

Several aldermen said they have been inundated by e-mails and letters from throughout the nation after city resident Dan O’Connor said he planned to petition the council to impose strict regulations on pit bulls.

“I got bombarded,” Ald. Mike Ehrlich said, estimating he got as many as 20 e-mails, as well as several letters on the subject. Virtually all the writers opposed breed-specific legislation, he said.

Ald. Paul Neumyer concurred, noting many of the missives pointed out problems that have been experienced by communities throughout the nation that have enacted breed-specific laws.

“We haven’t even scheduled anything on this,” he said.

While both aldermen said they understand O’Connor’s concerns about pit bulls, they said breed-specific laws are difficult to enforce.

“I think it’s just opening up a nightmare,” Ehrlich said. “Rather than the dog, I think a lot of it has to do with the owner.”

Neumyer said the city already has an ordinance dealing with vicious dogs — albeit one that needs strengthening.
“We can tweak the ordinance on vicious dogs to make it work,” he said. “I understand his (O’Connor’s) concern, but we already have an ordinance that deals with vicious dogs.”

City Atty. Eric Eberhardt said he hopes to meet with Police Chief Richard Thomas later this week to discuss revisions to the vicious dog ordinance.

The need for the ordinance to be revised was pointed out by O’Connor, who was in his yard with his two young sons last month when a pit bull wandered in. After O’Connor told his sons to run into the house, the dog chased one of the boys, then turned to chase the other.

O’Connor and his other son got into the house and the dog left the yard. However, it entered a neighbor’s yard and bit the neighbor in the hand, according to police.

The incident prompted O’Connor to announce plans to petition aldermen to enact regulations on pit bulls. 

“To me, it’s so blatantly obvious something needs to be done,” he said at the time. “Under Port Washington’s ordinance, all dogs are the same. But different breeds of dogs are different. It’s important not to overlook a dog’s nature.

“A pit bull is not a wiener dog.”

The city’s ordinance on vicious dogs states that no one may keep a vicious dog in the city, and defines this type of animal as a dog that may suddenly assault a person or his property while he is walking or riding on the public streets or on the premises of the dog’s owner.

“That’s certainly lacking,” City Administrator Mark Grams said, since dogs that attack other animals or people in their yards are not covered by the ordinance.

However, he said, he does not believe the council will look at breed-specific legislation.

“I don’t think they want to go there,” Grams said.

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Property dispute involves gunshots, run for office

By Dan Nienabor, Mankato Free Press

Dispute lingers in court system

A woman hoping to fill a seat on the Mankato Township Board has been in a property dispute with a neighbor that has lingered in court for months and escalated, more than once, to the point of gunfire.

At first glance, the scenic acreage south of Mankato where Caroline Wood and John Enger live seems like the type of place that would naturally encourage peace and harmony. Both of their houses are tucked into a hillside along the west side of Highway 66. Directly across the highway, people can be seen enjoying the Red Jacket Trail as they walk, jog and bike along the popular path. Mount Kato and the bluffs behind Indian Lake provide a colorful backdrop for that scene.

Enger and his wife, Danette, built their house about 30 years ago. Wood and her husband, Russell, moved into their house in 2008. The initial source of their many disagreements is a 40-foot easement, set aside in the middle 1990s when Highway 66 was improved, that provides a driveway to the Engers’ house.

The easement travels parallel to the highway across the Woods’ front yard. The Engers’ original driveway was removed when the highway was changed because sight lines made it hard to see for passing motorists.

Wood has also reported problems with the Engers’ dogs, including one that lost one of its front legs in July after it was shot in the chest by Wood. She has already spent about $20,000 in attorneys fees alone for the property dispute, which

hasn’t gotten her very far in court.

Enger said he’s concerned Wood is hoping to replace Howard Drummer Jr. on the Township Board so she can bring her dispute to a different forum.

“I’d be real concerned — for anyone living in this township — if she becomes our supervisor,” he said. “The rules tend to be pretty lax here. She complains about everything and has done everything she can do to make me afraid to enjoy my property. I’m afraid that’s what she’d turn this township into. That’s what she’s tried to do to me.”

According to a harassment claim filed by Wood, she received a medical discharge from the Air Force due to post traumatic stress and other health issues. She said she moved to Mankato because her husband, who grew up in the area, is still on active duty. He will be returning from Iraq next week and retiring soon, Wood said in an e-mail Wednesday.

She said she’s a qualified township board candidate because of her experience as an Air Force air traffic controller. Wood, 34, also has served as the manager of the Mankato Farmer’s Market this year.

“I believe in integrity, service before self and excellence in all I do,” Wood said in the e-mail. “My lack of direct civilian supervisor experience may cause hesitation, but I hope my prior military experience, positive energy, fresh perspective, and love of Mankato will lead to some support.”

Deputies have been called to the Wood and Enger residences “numerous times” since the property dispute started about two years ago, said Capt. Rich Murry of the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Department. Reasons for the calls have included complaints about the use of the driveway, fences that have been built too close to the easement and gunshots. Reports from the dog shooting in July have been turned over to the county attorney’s office and could result in criminal charges.

It is illegal to shoot a stray dog on your property unless you are in fear for your safety or it is chasing wildlife such as deer, Murry said. He also said there had not been a problem at the two houses, or Enger’s house alone, before Wood moved in.

Enger said Brownie, his Thai ridge back (or Asian black lab) dog, was lured on to the Woods’ property before it was shot by Caroline Wood. Enger also said another dog that was living with him temporarily “fainted dead away” after both Wood and her husband fired numerous rifle shots near that dog during an earlier incident.

Here is how Wood describes what happened in July in a 92-paragraph affidavit she filed in September accusing Enger of contempt of court:

“On July 9, 2010, I saw the Enger’s pit bull dog enter our property when it was unsupervised and unrestrained. I waited to see if the dog would return home. Instead it proceeded into our yard.

“I therefore went outside with a 9mm handgun I had acquired because of a recommendation from law enforcement and my first attorney. I pointed the gun into the hillside one handed to fire a shot to scare the dog into going back home. At that moment the dog began to run and noticed me, at which point it charged toward me.

“I then took a two handed grip and fired the gun one time. I believe I hit the dog. The dog then returned home and I went inside to call law enforcement. I did not fire out of anything but fear. Once the dog was not a threat, I immediately went into the house.”

In the same affidavit, Wood claims Enger owes her more than $31,000 for what she has spent to protect herself since becoming his neighbor. That figure includes the attorney fees, the cost of audio and video surveillance equipment and more than $1,000 she paid to a private investigation firm to sweep her house for electronic bugging devices she suspected had been placed inside her house by Enger.

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Puppy stolen during Superior Township burglary

By Lee Higgins, AnnArbor.com

A 9-week-old pit bull puppy was stolen during a burglary Thursday afternoon in the 8000 block of Nottingham Drive in Superior Township, a Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department media summary said.
Someone opened a garage door and took the puppy between noon and 4:30 p.m., the summary said.
Deputies do not have any suspects.
Sheriff's department spokesman Derrick Jackson could not immediately be reached for comment this afternoon.

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Redding Man Biten By Dogs

From KRCR

On Thursday afternoon, a man was attacked by two pit bull mixes, while he was walking his dog in his wheelchair.
According to the Haven Humane Society, Charles Osborn, 57-years-old, was attacked by the two dogs on the 1800 block of Roanoak Avenue in Redding, where he lives.
Ruddy Chacon, Osborn's neighbor, said that he heard Osborn scream and when he ran over he saw the dogs attacking him.
"And he was over in the gutter and he was in real pain, but when two or three dogs are fighting, you can't go over there to save them because the dogs could bite you," said Chacon.
Haven Humane said the two dogs got loose from a nearby apartment, and bit Osborn multiple times.
Officials also said that they have had prior contact with these particular dogs.
The dogs will be held at Haven Humane for the next ten days, and their fate could either be a dangerous dog hearing, being relocated, or possibly being put down.

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Startling discovery in Halifax

By Roger Bell, Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald

Human remains under investigation

When Ivette Coulombe moved to Halifax from New York City nearly two years ago, she never believed one day she would discover skeletal human remains on her property. However, Friday around 9 a.m., Coulombe, near her home on Montford Street in Halifax, was taking her dog, a Weimaraner-Shar-Pei mix, out for her morning walk in her backyard when they passed under her clothesline.

“I ducked up under the clothesline and that’s when I saw the bone.”

Coulombe, who was a dance major at Lehman University in New York and studied anatomy and physiology, recognized the bone as a human thigh bone. A few steps later, she discovered a leg bone and what appeared to be a jaw with teeth attached.

“It creeped me out a little bit,” Coulombe said.

For some time, she said she could only stand and stare. “You know when you’re half-believing, half-not believing it?” Coulombe said. “That’s how it was at first.”

After a time, Coulombe realized what was happening.

“I started to think, this is a person,” she said.

Coulombe contacted her neighbor Raye Burnell, who was outside the house next door at the time, and directed her to the find. “When I saw it I thought it was a deer,” Burnell said. “I still believe it was a deer.”

Coulombe had her husband call the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office to report the find. As they waited, Coulombe and Burnell began to believe Burnell’s dog, a pit bull which had gotten loose the night before, had found the remains in nearby woods and brought them to the yard.

Coulombe was still in a bit of shock Friday afternoon. “It’s not real,” she said. “I really can’t explain it. I expected to maybe one day see a skeleton in a classroom setting, but not in the woods.”

Capt. Jay Burch, of the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed officials were investigating skeletal human remains near Montford Street. The State Bureau of Investigation Forensic Team had also responded, but no identification of the remains has been made.

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STL County launches new animal help line

From St. Louis Globe-Democrat

“Heffie’s Help Line” a free resource for area pet owners and pet advocates, was launched Wednesday by Saint Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley and Health Department Director Dr. Dolores J. Gunn.
“Anyone who calls 314-615-1777 can report cases of animal abuse that will be investigated within 48 hours,” Dooley said.
“You don’t have to identify yourself to get help for any animal that may be tethered in violation of county ordinances or suffering other forms of abuse,” Dooley said.
Callers can also get information on low cost spay/neuter programs including the Saint Louis County Animal Care and Control Voucher program as well as many other animal welfare related resources. The help line is available on a 24/7 basis.
The new service is part of an expansion of Animal Care and Control Services that includes opening a new facility next summer. The facility will double the county’s space for cats and dogs and will provide additional space for vector control offices.
“The new animal care and adoption center will be a state-of-the-art facility and will offer the best possible treatment for the animals in our care,” Dooley said.
The help line is in partnership with several animal welfare organizations, including the Animal Protective Association (APA); The Humane Society of Missouri (HSMO); Operation Stop Pet Over Population Today (SPOT); Dogs Deserve Better, Benefitting Animals Through Responsibility and Compassion (BARC) and Metro Animal.
“Collaboration with other animal welfare ambassadors will be the key to the help line’s success as it allows us to reach out to more residents and offer more assistance,” Dr. Gunn said.
Other recorded information that can be accessed through the help line includes: pet adoption, lost and found, animal ordinances, and volunteering. Information will be mailed to those who do not have computer access.
The help line is named in honor of Heffie, a two-year-old pit bull who spent most of his life tied to a chain in an outside enclosure in violation of local tethering laws. The help line will allow citizens to report illegal tethering and abuse anonymously so that dogs like Heffie have a better chance at a safe environment. Heffie was rescued earlier this year but later died of natural causes.
More information can be found at www.stlouisco.com/doh/animals/animals.html.

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