CT: Aggressive bear sought after it mauled dog in Torrington yard

CT: Aggressive bear sought after it mauled dog in Torrington yard

BY BRIGITTE RUTHMAN | REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

Brenda Green of Torrington with her dog Shelby outside their Sage Way home on Saturday near the indoor/outdoor enclosure that Shelby and Rolls, one of Shelby's pups, were attacked by a bear last month. Rolls' injuries were so servere that the family had him euthanized. Jim Shannon / Republican-American

TORRINGTON — Wanted: Dog-mauling bear. Aggressive. May currently be hiding in hibernation. State biologists have since late November been attempting to find and trap a bear that mauled a dog in a rural neighborhood in the city's east end, about a half-mile north of Greenwoods Country Club.

What they suspect could be the same bear also fearlessly pushed on windows and doors on a home, in what seemed an attempt to get inside, about the same time.

On Nov. 22, Brenda and Tim Green arrived home from church to find two neighborhood children and their 7-year-old son on the front porch. The children said they were afraid to play in the yard, because they had heard strange noises.  "We thought we had been talking so much about bears that we had spooked them," Brenda Green said.

Within the previous two days, a bear had wandered to the back door of the CSI Sageway Group Home, a nursing and personal care facility next door at 115 Sageway. It had placed its paws on a glass door in what seemed to residents to be an attempt to push its way inside, said Gail Palmer, a supervisor at the residential home.

By then, Green had seen a large black bear three times in her yard.  It wasn't until later that afternoon of Nov. 22 that the Greens realized they hadn't seen their young cockapoo dog, Rolls Royce, emerge from a small shelter enclosed by a three-foot-tall fence in their backyard. They noticed that part of the fence was damaged.

"Usually, Rolls comes right out," Green said. "My husband went to pick him up and said there was something wrong. He was limp, and couldn't move. His spine had been broken."

To read the complete story see The Sunday Republican or our electronic edition at http://republicanamerican.ct.newsmemory.com.

MA: Suspects sought in Cape puppy theft

 

This 9-week-old border collie is back at Debby's Pet Land in the Cape Cod Mall. The puppy was found unharmed wandering down Old Mill Road a few hours after he was stolen.Cape Cod Times/Ron Schloerb

By Aaron Gouveia

agouveia@capecodonline.com

December 27, 2009

 

HYANNIS — The Barnstable police are searching for three suspects who allegedly stole a puppy from a pet store inside the Cape Cod Mall two days before Christmas.  The 9-week-old black-and-white border collie, which was found unharmed wandering down Old Mill Road a few hours after the theft, was swiped from Debbie's Pet Land on Dec. 23.

The police said two men and a woman asked to play with the dog around 2:30 p.m.

Store Manager Skyler Sheehan said she followed company protocol by checking the identification of all three suspects — described as two Hispanic males and one white woman all in their early 20s — to make sure they were over the age of 18.

While the suspects were playing with the border collie, there was a problem with one of the other dogs that required the staff's attention, Sheehan said.

When Sheehan returned, the suspects and the dog were missing.  Sheehan said she immediately called mall security and the police, who said a witness outside of the mall saw the two men holding a puppy and running toward the Courtyard Marriott hotel.

Another pair of witnesses told the police they saw the men get into a "white Lincoln with chrome rims."  Witnesses said both men were wearing New York Yankee hats, clothing and accessories.

At 6:45 p.m., a good Samaritan found the dog walking down the middle of Old Mill Road near Race Lane, Barnstable police Sgt. Sean Sweeney said.  "We don't know why, but obviously they took the dog and then threw him out," Sweeney said.

The dog was not hurt and was returned to Debbie's Pet Land. The unnamed puppy retails for $1,060, Sheehan said.

The police searched the area around Old Mill Road for the suspect vehicle, but found nothing. None of the store employees remember the names or hometowns on the drivers licenses of the male suspects, but Sheehan said the woman had a Falmouth address. No arrests have been made, Sweeney said.

Sheehan said she can't remember a similar incident in her two years on the job, but said interest in puppies definitely increases during the holidays.

The store sold 10 dogs in the past week, Sheehan said.  Sheehan said the border collie is looking for a home and is featured in the store's front window.

Source: http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091227/NEWS/912270322

OH: Three Dogs Found in Horrific Conditions; Owner Arrested

Three Dogs Found in Horrific Conditions; Owner Arrested

LORAIN, Ohio---A horrific case of animal abuse was discovered inside a home in Lorain.  Officers were called to the Eagle Avenue home on Christmas Day.

According to police, a woman asked a neighbor to call police after she claimed her ex-husband kicked in her back door and stole items.  While checking outside the house, the officers spotted two adult dogs and a puppy in an outside run.  According to police, all three dogs were emaciated and appeared to be starving to death.

The police report states that when questioned about the open wounds on the female Great Dane, the woman claimed the two adult dogs fought over food the last time she fed them.  The report also states that the kennel floor was covered with dog feces so thick that the animals had no choice but to step in it. There was no food or water, nor any insulation that I could see inside the kennel itself that would allow the dogs to stay warm

The 27-year-old woman was arrested on three counts of cruelty to animals. She was taken to Lorain County Jail.  The dogs were confiscated and taken to a local veterinarian for treatment.

Source:

CA: Pit bulls responsible for disproportionate number of attacks

Pit bulls responsible for disproportionate number of attacks
By Joe Frisinger
Sunday, December 27, 2009

Parents generally place their children with baby sitters assuming the caregiver’s home is safe.  That is probably what the parents of 16-month old Destiny Marie Knox of New Albany, Miss., thought before Destiny was killed last month by the baby sitter’s pit bull. That attack was the nation’s third fatal mauling of a young child by a pit bull in a two-week period. All three children were in a baby sitter’s care.

Perhaps you have heard people say: “Our pit bull is the friendliest dog a family can have.”  Well, it seems that families in greatest danger of pit bull attacks are those with infants or very young children.

The breed that developed into pit bulls was first bred in England, Ireland and Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries. The initial purpose was to breed a very strong dog for herding cattle. As time went on, the strongest such dogs were bred for aggression and for the sport of dog fighting. To this day, pit bulls are the dog of choice for dog fighting. Dog fighting is illegal in Europe, the United States and many other countries, but it continues to take place.

Pit bull-type dogs only represent 2 percent of the dogs in the United States. However, of the number of people killed by dogs in the United States, the vast majority have been attacked by pit bulls and pit bull-type dogs. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 2 percent of our population have experienced a dog bite. The vast majority of such bites are minor and only one out of six receive any type of medical attention, according to the CDC. Pit bull bites are, however, unique as virtually all such bites require medical attention. Pit bulls are also unique in their manner of attack. Other dogs target the victim’s hands, arms or legs. Pit bulls tend to initially target the victim’s face, especially in the case of infants and small children.

Almost 500 towns and cities in the United States, including Denver and San Francisco, have adopted some type of breed specific regulations. The state of Ohio has declared the pit bull breed “vicious” and requires owners to carry $100,000 in liability insurance, securely constrain the dog when on the owner’s property and use a chain-link leash when off property.

The U.S. military has taken the strongest stance of all regarding pit bulls. The Army, Air Force and Marines have banned pit bull type-dogs from all military facilities, both here and overseas. Some Navy facilities have taken similar steps. They also prohibit visitors bringing such dogs on these facilities. The Marine Corps bans pit bulls, Rottweilers, wolf hybrids and their mixes because, as stated by Col. Richard P. Flatau Jr., “These specific breeds present an unreasonable risk to the health and safety of our residents and are therefore prohibited.” Now, the Marines are not only very brave, they are also very smart.

Deaths caused by auto malfunctioning, such as recently occurred in San Diego County, are rare, as is death by dog bite. But, if it became known that the vast majority of such auto malfunctioning deaths occurred in a model that represented only 2 percent of autos, then I would expect that few people would consider owning such cars. Pit bull-type dogs are only 2 percent of the dog population but consistently – year after year – they cause the vast majority of dog bite/attack deaths. From an insurance actuarial viewpoint, this ratio is off the charts.

Frisinger, a La Jolla resident, is a retired human resources director.
==========
Pit bulls and related breeds of dog are frequently called dangerous, an assertion others call misguided. The U.S. Marine Corps recently issued an order banning pit bulls, Rottweilers and wolf-hybrid breeds and mixes on its bases, including Camp Pendleton and Miramar Marine Corps Air Station by October 2012. The Marine Corps said it made the decision, after reviewing statistics on its bases and national numbers, to “ensure the continued health and safety” of base residents.

Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/dec/27/pit-bulls-responsible-disproportionate-number-atta/

WA: Mid-Coumbia's top 10 stories of 2009: 371 American Eskimo pups found

Mid-Coumbia's top 10 stories of 2009

The 371 American Eskimo pups with dirty, matted hair found in deplorable conditions in east Kennewick spotlighted Benton County's animal control problem. Dogs were living in make-shift cages, including boxes, crates and overturned shopping carts, when a deputy responding to an unrelated call stumbled on them.

The sheriff sought help from The Humane Society of the United States and in May dozens of animal rescue volunteers converged on Ella Stewart's two-acre property. Humane Society officials called it one of the largest and worst puppy mills they had seen in the nation.

Some dogs, which were taken to 11 shelters and rescue groups in the Northwest, are still waiting to be adopted.

Stewart, 67, of Kennewick, is awaiting trial on multiple animal cruelty charges.

And Sheriff Larry Taylor has proposed operating an animal control facility for Benton County, ending years of debate over animal control in the rural area. County commissioners approved Taylor's low-kill proposal in mid-August, and Taylor hopes to have the facility operating by late spring.

Source: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/843038.html

VA: Pit bulls turn violent, kill 1

VA: Culpepper's top 10 stories of 2009
Pit bulls turn violent, kill 1

Four unexpected pit bull attacks escalated into two mauling cases, a local officer killing a reported aggressive dog and the death of a toddler — all in the Piedmont region this year.

It all started in February when Culpeper Town Police responded to an aggressive pit bull call in the 400 block of Hill Street in Culpeper.  When police arrived, the dog reportedly charged an officer, forcing him to shoot and kill it. No residents were hurt in that incident.

Two months later in April, an 11-year-old Rappahannock County girl was airlifted to the University of Virginia Medial Center with severe bite wounds to the face, neck, arms and legs after being attacked by a 1-year-old pit bull. That dog was euthanized.

In May, a Culpeper woman was credited with saving her 3-year-old grandson’s life when they were attacked by two raging pit bulls.  Tammy Powers, 47, and her grandson Hunter Ryder were walking in the 21000 block of Mount Pony Road when the animals attacked.  A few days later, dog owner Jamie Whitmer claimed the two male dogs and signed over custody to the county. After a 10-day quarantine, those dogs were euthanized.

The most tragic dog attack in this region occurred in September when a 23-month-old girl was mauled to death by a pit bull in Orange.  According to reports, Jasmine Deane wandered outside her home during the evening and was found with multiple wounds all over her body.  The dog owners voluntarily surrendered the dog to animal control officers and it was also euthanized.

Source: http://www2.starexponent.com/cse/news/local/article/culpepers_top_10_stories_of_2009/49293/

CA: Bors Plead Guilty To Horse Abuse, Seized Horses Find Good Homes

Bors Plead Guilty To Horse Abuse, Seized Horses Find Good Homes

It took a year to nurse them back to health, but eight foals and 30 horses have all recovered and have been recently adopted by good homes from the Ventura County Humane Society in Ojai. Seven horses still remain.

Reported by Alex Wilson

Joan, Ernie and Cecilia Bor all pled guilty to felony animal cruelty charges Monday, Dec. 21. They ran a horse breeding operation in Lockwood Valley at Cochema Ranch, from which half of the estimated 100 horses were seized by authorities in September and October 2008 after Mountain Community residents and feed store owners who had observed the Bors’ practices and had seen dead and abused horses wrote depositions and turned them over to the Ventura County Sheriff’s substation in Lockwood Valley.

Ventura County Presecutor Wendy Macfarlane said, “They didn’t feed their horses. They kept acquiring more horses when they couldn’t afford or weren’t able to take care of the horses they had. They also continued to breed horses when they couldn’t feed the ones they had. So it was gross neglect of the needs of the horses....”

Several horses died as law enforcement moved in. Two were euthanized because malnutrition had progressed so far. “According to Ventura County Animal Regulation and the Humane Society, these animals starved to death,” Macfarlane said. “Doctor (Craig) Koerner testified at the preliminary hearing that the ones that died had starved to death.” She said lab results showed that the others were “slowly being starved to death” with malnutrition.

The Bors each pled guilty to four counts of animal cruelty, and the remaining nine were dismissed. They are to be sentenced on January 22, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 13 before Judge Bruce Young. The judge offered them no more than 180 days in the Ventura County Jail and five years probation in exchange for their guilty pleas. The maximum they could have faced if they had been found guilty at trial is five years in state prison, and they could still be sent to prison if they violate their probation.

At the time of sentencing Deputy District Attorney Wendy Macfarlane will ask that the Bors be forbidden from owning any animals while they’re on probation. She’ll also ask for fines of up to $20,000 dollars each, she says. They were already forbidden from owning horses by a judge last June.

It has taken a year of care, but all but seven of the surviving horses have now recovered and have been adopted.  This is part of the December 25, 2009 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

Source: http://mountainenterprise.com/atf.php?sid=6209&current_edition=2009-12-25