Tag Archives: animals in the news

Alternatives To BSL

If BSL — breed specific legislation — won’t reduce dog bites and dog attacks, what can your community do? Here are some alternatives to breed bans and other breed restrictions that can help keep everyone safe. Leash laws. Does your community have them? Animal control officers can’t catch loose dogs if your area doesn’t have leash laws. Many attacks in the news are committed by a loose dog running off his property. It isn’t usually the dog’s fault that he is loose — an owner is responsible for containing the dog. Higher penalties for owners who violate leash laws may … Continue reading →

Congress Condemns Dogfighting

Since May — when the news of Michael Vick being involved with dogfighting came out — both Republicans and Democrats in Washington have been speaking out against dogfighting. Democrat Tom Lantos from California sent a letter to the commissioner of the NFL, asking for strong action against any athlete involved in dogfighting. A “strong rebuke,” he wrote, would send a message that dogfighting is not welcome in our “civilized society.” Anything less, however, would be seen as “tacit support for this atrocious activity.” Republican Elton Gallegly also wrote to the commissioner in May, condemning the alleged dogfighting activities. Last week … Continue reading →

What Is BSL?

Have you heard of BSL – breed specific legislation? Any law designed to place restrictions on the ownership of certain breeds of dogs can be considered BSL. What dogs are affected? Commonly restricted breeds include: Pit bulls Rottweilers German shepherds Chow chows Dobermans Huskies Boxers The most common kind of BSL bans dogs of a certain breed from an area — most of this type of breed specific legislation is on a city basis, not a county-wide or state-wide basis. All dogs of the banned breed must be removed from the area or euthanized. Sometimes, dogs of the banned breed … Continue reading →

Waging War On Puppy Mills

Across the country, legislators are attempting to tighten restrictions and cut down on puppy mills. Want to get an idea of what’s going on around the United States? Sixteen different states already had “puppy lemon laws” that allow buyers to get their money back if health or genetic defects are discovered within a certain period of time. Four more states introduced the laws this year. The Nebraska Legislature passed a law increasing the number of state kennel inspectors from one to four. New operations are to be inspected prior to opening. These measures come after a rescue of nearly 200 … Continue reading →

Spice The Survivor

She’s not the newest member of the Spice Girls… Spice is a calico cat who spent three weeks in a shipping container without food or water and lived to meow the tale. The Escamilla family was moving from Waikoloa Village, Hawaii to a new home in Southern California. While packing up a large shipping container, three year old Spice mysteriously disappeared. The family couldn’t find the cat before their flight to their new home, and kept calling neighbors back home to see if she’d turned up. She didn’t. It turns out Spice spent the nearly three week long journey across … Continue reading →

Cat Saves Family From Fire

Animal heroes are all around us. The news from Australia brings us the story of Timmy the cat who saved his family from a house fire. In the middle of the night, a forgotten cigarette set a mattress on fire in a family home in Cairns, a town in northern Australia. Timmy woke his owners by pawing and clawing at their faces; the family of four was able to escape unharmed. Fire service officials reported that the home had only minor damage thanks to Timmy’s quick action — and that Timmy was the best smoke alarm system the family could … Continue reading →

Franklin the Bassett Hound is Back at Work

Franklin was a sad pup for ten months when he wasn’t allowed to go to work with owner Matt Schwendiman. Schwendiman owns and operates Matt’s Barber Shop in Canal Fulton, Ohio, where Franklin was a much loved fixture. An inspector gave Franklin — a four year old Bassett hound — the boot almost a year ago, saying that dogs were not allowed in barber shops according to the Ohio State Barber Board. Thanks to an article in the local paper and a lot of community support for Franklin, the Ohio State Barber Board decided to change the rules. Now the … Continue reading →

Hero Dog Dies During Rescue

Just when you thought the days of amazing Lassie-like rescues had gone the way of black-and-white TV—this incredible story surfaces. It is the talk of our town, and if I hadn’t seen the coverage myself I would have been reluctant to believe it. A woman who lives about a 35 minutes from our home in Wisconsin is alive today because of the heroic efforts of her dog. The woman was on the news a couple of nights ago and you could barely make out what she was trying to say through her tears. The woman, Jamie Hanson, was at home … Continue reading →

DWI? No, DWC.

A woman in northern China was stopped by police for a DWC — driving with canine. Apparently several vehicles were damaged, but no one was hurt. The woman often drove with her dog in her lap, according to reports from the Xinhua News Agency. She claimed the dog liked to crouch on the steering wheel and paid close attention when she drove. It’s only natural that the dog finally got a chance to drive; the woman operated the gas and brakes while the dog gave steering a try. Needless to say, they didn’t make it very far before crashing into … Continue reading →

German Shepherd Saves Toddler

If you don’t live in the Philadelphia area, you may have missed the story of Alfie, a German Shepherd who followed his boy across the roofs of eight homes! Young Phillip, just shy of his second birthday, apparently climbed out of a broken bedroom window and onto the roof of his family’s home. Alfie the German Shepherd followed his boy out onto the roof of the row home and across the porch rooftops of at least eight homes. Neighbors who saw the boy and dog on the roof said that they were alerted to the situation by Alfie’s barking. Finally, … Continue reading →