Jeeze! Does anyone have ANY positive animals news?

since i have so much negative stuff to post I thought I'd just lump it together in one post. If anyone has any happy news, please post it in the appropriate "General" section.

(If i don't list a link that's because there wasn't one... the member hardly ever lists the source.)

1) Owner disputes dog death in custody

2) Residents File Suit To Shut Down Dog Park

3) Kentucky: Cat becomes victim of attack at Germantown Fairgrounds

4) Puppies Stuck In Illegal Tar Pit For Days

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Owner disputes dog death in custody

Animal control says canine was vicious, died after mouth was taped, resident upset with restraints used.

BEVERLY HILLS -- A stuffed toy dog rests at the foot of a white sign on the 16000 block of Amherst. Its message: "Beverly Hills Police are dog killers."

And as rumors circulate in the neighborhood that the cops shot a resident's dog, Chief Karl Woodard, the public safety director, said, "It's simply not true."

Authorities acknowledge that Christopher Glime's Rottweiler died while in the custody of animal control officers. But they tell a different story:

A Beverly Hills resident was walking her Labrador retriever on a leash around 1:30 p.m. July 23 at the intersection of Lauderdale and Pierce, when the wandering Rottweiler ran up and grabbed hold of the Lab's neck, Woodard said.

Neighbors called 911 after hearing the woman scream. Two passersby helped separate the dogs and sat on the Rottweiler until police arrived, even though the dog repeatedly tried to bite them. The Labrador required $2,000 in surgery for neck and head injuries, Woodard said. Its owner has asked to remain anonymous.

Police and an animal control officer from Southfield Township were unable to subdue the Rottweiler with five shots from a Taser. The dog continued to struggle after it was restrained with a 6-foot catch stick around its neck and was placed in the animal control truck.

The Rottweiler, which had no identifying tags, calmed down only after having its mouth taped. Animal control officers did not have a cage or muzzle.

Police walked the neighborhood in search of the owner and found an open yard gate on nearby Amherst. Shortly thereafter, officers received a call from animal control saying the dog had died in the back of the pickup en route to quarantine. Glime, 28, has taken issue with the restraints used on the dog. The Rottweiler's body was taken to a clinic near Lansing to determine the cause of death, police said. The department is subpoenaing the records.

In the meantime, Glime, 28, has been issued three misdemeanor violations: for having an unlicensed animal, letting the Rottweiler stray and having the oversized sign in his yard.

An arraignment was waived. He is scheduled for a pretrial conference in 46th District Court on Aug. 14.

The family has declined to comment.


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Residents File Suit To Shut Down Dog Park

LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Rocky River has filed a lawsuit against the city of Lakewood.

Four homeowners and Rocky River officials want Lakewood's dog park shut down. They are accusing the city of Lakewood of harboring noisy and smelly dogs.

The dog park is located in a valley along the western edge of the suburbs' Cleveland Metroparks.

The lawsuit claims the park violates state law and Lakewood's nuisance ordinances.

The property owners involved in the suit live above the dog park. They said the sound and smell wafts up to their homes.

Officials said dozens of residents have complained about the dog park since it opened about four years ago.

A judge has scheduled an Aug. 15 hearing on a request for a preliminary injunction.

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Kentucky: Cat becomes victim of attack at Germantown Fairgrounds

By WENDY MITCHELL, Staff Writer

Saturday, August 4, 2007 1:23 AM EDT Print this story | Email this story

GERMANTOWN -- Though it hadn't appeared to be bothering anyone at the east end of the Germantown Fairgrounds, a large, long-haired yellow cat became the victim of a vicious attack Thursday.

Throughout the week exhibitors and fair vendors had seen the big yellow cat wandering and occasionally grabbing a discarded food snack.

"He didn't bother anybody," said Tim Harmon, who operates three of the food stations at the fair. "He was a beautiful cat. My wife and I even talked about taking him home when the fair was over."

Friday morning was a different day.

Fair helpers, including Jake Fredericks, heard a cat crying and traced the cry to a large dumpster near the east gate. It was the big yellow cat, and he was hurt.

"He really wanted out of there, but just couldn't get out. He looked like he was hurt pretty bad," said Fredericks.

Battered, bloodied and soaked in trash residue, this cat was rescued by Germantown Fair personnel and vendors, Thursday. -- Wendy Mitchell/Staff

After getting the battered and soiled animal out of the trash, they placed the cat in the shade under the dumpster and went to find more help.

Harmon and another fair vendor, misunderstanding the location of the cat also looked in the dumpster instead of under it then met up with Fredericks and gingerly retrieved it, placing it in a box and letting it rest in the shade of a nearby tree.

"It is nothing but a low-life that would do something like this to an animal," said the unidentified vendor, who feared the cats front legs or spine may have been broken.

The cat kept his feet curled under him in a protective posture and made whimpering cries when moved.

Harmon had already called his wife about the incident and she offered to take the cat to a veterinarian.

"She's just sick about it," said Harmon.

Becky Harmon took the cat to Colonial Heights Veterinary Clinic where he was given a preliminary exam and a bath before a thorough exam by J.T. Williams, DVM.

The prognosis for recovery is good, said Williams.

"He doesn't appear to be in pain now. It appears there are no broken bones; he is slightly dehydrated and there has been some sort of head trauma which would account for his wobbly walk -- but he does try to walk -- and the appearance of blood in the white of his right eye. There was also some crusted blood around his nostrils, but his mouth, teeth and jaw seem to be working fine," said Williams.

The cat is being offered water to see if it will try to re-hydrate itself; if not intravenous fluids will be used.

"The exam and recovery treatment shouldn't cost too much. Though if we get into I.V. fluids that does get a little costly," said Williams.

Though no witnesses to the alleged attack have come forward, some fair goers recalled a group of rowdy young men being ejected from the fair, late Thursday night, who had gathered near the same area where the cat had been injured.

Anyone with information on the alleged attack should call Mason County Sheriff's Office at 564-3309.

Copyright © 2007 Maysville Newspapers, Inc.

http://www.maysville-online.com/arti...ws/2218cat.txt

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http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=88518&ref=rss

Puppies Stuck In Illegal Tar Pit For Days

By Jessica Clark
First Coast News

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, FL -- St. Johns County crews from Animal Control, the Sheriff’s Office and Fire/Rescue had to be creative rescuing two dogs Monday.

The six-month-old brother and sister puppies were stuck in a hole filled with tar. The animals were stuck in the tar up to their bellies.

A Florida Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson said someone illegally dumped the tar in the woods on Vermont Street just off State Road 207.

The rescue was tricky.

Paul Studivant is the Animal Control Director. He said, “The tar was like taffy. It was really tacky. We had to keep rolling it, then cut it, then roll it, and then cut it, and then pull the dogs out.”

David Dawson was the one who initially found the dogs and called 911. He was in the woods looking for scrap metal when he heard whimpering. He discovered the dogs in the pool of tar, and he tried to help.

“The male couldn’t pick his head up. I had to literally pour the water into his mouth before he got enough into him so he could pick his head up and drink. I had to un-stick his head so he could sit up and drink,” Dawson said.

It’s believed the dogs were stuck in the tar for about two days. Dead animals such as turtles and rodents were also found in the tar.

After two hours, the dogs were eventually pulled out and hosed down. However, the water did not remove the massive amount of tar off their bodies. There were huge clumps and globs of tar stuck to their fur.

Once inside the St. Johns County Animal Control Shelter, a dozen people tackled the rare dilemma of removing tar from fur. They tried Vaseline, dish soap, and even vegetable oil.

“We’re trying everything that people are pointing out to us,” Studivant said. “Any oil-based substance is definitely breaking it down, but when you’re dealing with huge gobs, you can’t tell where the foot is and where the tar is. So we’ve now started shaving” the fur off.

But after more than two hours of working on the dogs, one dog went into shock. The other started having seizures. Studivant and veterinarian techs made the hard decision to put the dogs down. Studivant said it was a difficult to choose between “being selfish or doing the humane thing.”

A county investigation into animal cruelty will take place. A St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said the environmental case has been referred to the Department of Environmental Protection.

The tar was removed after the dogs were rescued.

Created: 8/6/2007 7:59:42 PM
Updated: 8/6/2007 11:37:07 PM
Edited by Jessica Clark, Reporter
© 2007 First Coast News. All rights reserved.