Avoid the damage; fix the dogs Animal advocates cheered on November 19, 2015 when Judge Wayne Durden of Polk County, Florida sentenced alleged dogfighter Hewitt Grant II, 48, to serve 20 years in prison. Convicted on 84 counts of cruelty, Grant is to serve at least 16 years before becoming eligible for parole, and is […]
Most popular breed in U.S. ain’t nothing but a hound dog
Large retrievers 2nd, pit bulls 3rd Max the Malinois, whose story opened in theatres on June 26, 2015, may capture movie-goers’ hearts, but the most popular dog breed category in the U.S. still ain’t nothing but a hound dog. Hounds have made up 8.5% of the total U.S. dog population on average since 2010, or […]
Buncombe County, NC orders moratorium on pit bull adoptions
Response to child’s death ASHEVILLE, North Carolina––Amanda L. Stone, assistant county manager for Buncombe County, North Carolina, on July 16, 2015 ordered the Asheville Humane Society to enforce “An immediate moratorium on the transfer of any pit bull or pit bull mix from the shelter to an adoption agency,” and to account for any and […]
Bangalore to pay dog bite victims $31.50 per puncture
BANGALORE, India––Taking a unique approach to dog bite prevention, the Bangalore municipal government on June 21, 2015 announced that it will begin compensating the victims of bites by street dogs at the rate of 2,000 rupees per puncture wound: about $31.50 in U.S. dollars. The compensation scale is to increase with the severity of […]
Pit bull wisdom & dog pound foolishness
by Liz Marsden On April 29, 2015 I testified before the Rhode Island House Health, Education, and Welfare Committee against a bill, H. 5585, which if passed would require law enforcement agencies to transfer dogs impounded in raids on suspected dogfighters to “The SPCA” for adoption to the public or transfer to an “appropriate rescue […]
Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department #2 and behaviorist allege neglect of public safety in pushing pit bull adoptions
ALBUQUERQUE––City of Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department second-in-command Jim Ludwick and animal welfare program manager and behavior specialist Carolyn Hidalgo have alleged in parallel written complaints to Albuquerque city inspector general Peter Pacheco that Albuquerque animal welfare director Barbara Bruin has boosted the “live release rate” from city shelters through practices that put the public at […]
Former Pennsylvania SPCA executive director Erik Hendricks, 71, pushed breed-specific legislation to end pit bull overpopulation
Erik Hendricks, 71, for 27 years executive director of the Pennsylvania SPCA, died on January 30, 2015 of leukemia at Bryn Mawr Hospital, near Philadelphia. “Born in Rochester, New York,” recalled the Pennsylvania SPCA web site, “Hendricks was a longtime resident of Haverford. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966, he worked on […]
Speaking out against blind & frivolous pit bull advocacy
by Ashton Blackwell Ever since I was a little girl, I loved dogs. I accumulated an impressive menagerie of stuffed animals and dog books, and I excitedly educated anyone who would indulge me on my almost strangely encyclopedic knowledge of the breeds. My parents received ingratiating misspelled notes regularly, begging them […]
Will $8.7 billion sale of PetSmart change policies on parrots & pit bulls?
PHOENIX, Arizona––What will the December 14, 2014 sale of PetSmart mean to PetSmart Charities, the $51-million-a-year PetSmart nonprofit arm that funds more spay/neuter surgery and adoptions than any other organization? The short answer is, none of the 54,000 PetSmart employees know yet just what the sale means, including PetSmart Charities executive director Jan Wilkins, program […]
Pit bulls, immigrants, & the alleged Islamic jihad against dogs
Alexandra Semyonova comments from The Netherlands: Every once in a while allegations that Muslim immigrants to Europe are anti-dog erupt again in the media, sometimes due to a real declaration by a radical Muslim group, but more often due to a widely publicized incident involving someone who happens to be Muslim objecting to the presence of a dog somewhere. […]