Since I wrote the story yesterday on NC Trooper, former Sgt. Charles Jones being fired for hanging and kicking his K-9 partner, Richo, I have been following the following the story and looking at what people are saying.

Sadly and to my disgust, it seems that many of his fellow troopers find no fault in the use of these abusive techniques and feel that kicking, beating and even choking are acceptable methods of training a K-9 partner.

Dog handlers for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol have stunned dogs with tasers, swung them by their leashes until they became airborne and hit them with plastic bottles full of pebbles.

None of that was an issue until a trooper used his cell phone to record a video of a sergeant kicking his police dog repeatedly while it was leashed to a loading dock, its hind legs just touching the ground.

What is wrong with these people, these officers of the law who are supposed to protect and serve?? How can they possibly not only condone, but also do the same thing to one degree or another?!

Many of the highway patrol members said they’ve seen similar training techniques as demonstrated in the cell phone video. Some said they have kicked dogs and some said, while they’ve never done exactly what Charles Jones did when he left Richo to hang for a few seconds, they did not consider it abusive. (NBC17)

Thankfully during the hearing State Attorney Ashby Ray did go through a list of other highway patrol members who were on record saying the treatment of Richo, as seen in the cell phone video, was “excessive.”So at least we can see that this mentality has not permeated the entire force!

Watch the new video and tell me what you think, then read on to see what the public, the people who are paying these men to protect and serve, is saying!

Troopers approve of kicking, choking, beating K-9s

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Every day the fight against puppy mills continues and so often only small strives are made due to opposition but finally Virginia has made a big step! We can only hope that more states can follow their lead. It’s not an absolute answer but as an advocate in the fight, ever step in the right direction counts!

An Overview of VA HB 538

Bill Sponsor(s): Del. Bobby Orrock (D, 54)

Defines commercial breeders as persons who maintain 20 or more unsterilized adult females for commercial breeding purposes. Commercial breeders will be required to: (i) apply for a business license from their respective locality; (ii) cooperate with inspections by animal control officers to ensure compliance with state and federal animal care laws; (iii) create a fire emergency plan and install fire safety measures; (iv) maintain records of animal sales, purchases, breeding history, and veterinary care; (v) dispose of dead dogs and confined waste in accordance with law; and (vi) maintain no more than 50 adult dogs at one time.

From HSUS

Virginia First in Nation to Limit the Number of Dogs Held in Abusive Puppy Mills

RICHMOND, Va. — In the aftermath of an investigation by The Humane Society of the United States into the Commonwealth’s puppy mill industry, Virginia became the first state in the nation to limit the size of puppy mills by making it illegal to maintain more than 50 dogs over the age of one year.

The bill — H.B. 538, introduced by Del. Bobby Orrock (R-54th) — passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 91 to 6 and the Senate by 37 to 3. Gov. Tim Kaine made recommendations to the bill which was then approved by the General Assembly during its veto session. This effort, led by Teresa Dockery of Bristol and Kathy Strouse of the Virginia Animal Control Association, has incredible support from Virginia’s many animal welfare activists, law enforcement, pet owners and humane organizations. Its historic provision capping the total number of dogs a commercial breeder can produce annually will help address the growing puppy mill crisis recently showcased on national televsion.

“Puppy mills abuse dogs routinely, and having these facilities licensed and inspected to ensure compliance with animal care laws is an important first step to ensuring that dogs used for breeding are treated humanely,” said Stephanie Shain, The HSUS’ director of outreach for companion animals. “We are grateful to state lawmakers and Governor Kaine for passing this important policy reform to protect man’s best friend. Dogs should be treated like a part of the family, not like a cash crop.”

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Counter-Surfing - the art of attaining tasty treats that our humans leave on counters or tables, supposedly off limits and out of our reach. *hmmph*

Shhhhhhh….. Ok pups, here’s a few tips for safe and successful counter-surfing!

Counter-surfin’ Tips

1. Don’t counter-surf when a human is in the same room. They will only try to stop you.

2. While counter-surfing, be as quiet as you can so you can get away with it. If you make excessive noises humans will investigate and stop you from your quest.

3. If somebody comes into the room while you are in the act, jump down and act innocent so the humans will leave the room and you can continue counter-surfing. Read more »

Just like a a dog’s wag means more than you think, a dog’s bark is more than just a bark and a dog knows the difference between barks. A mother can tell the difference between her child’s cries and sometimes a pet parent can tell the difference between their dog’s barks so it really comes as no surprise that a dog can identify and understand ‘dog talk’ to a degree that we cannot even guess yet.

Now studies that are done can only go so far when it comes to telling how much a dog can tell from another dog’s barking because they can’t talk to us and tell us but just using a heart rate monitor in one such study it was obvious that they understood the ’stranger is here’ bark as being more important than the ‘I’m alone and want attention’ bark.

We know that animals communicate and we know that dogs can be quite intelligent but knowing it and knowing the degree of understanding may lead to a deeper understanding of canine communication in the future.  A computer has analyzed dog barks coded them and has actually been able to classify them according to meaning and individual dog.  If a computer can do this, you can bet a dog can too.

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Too cute to pass up; the annual Weiner Races in Buda, Texas. Hundreds of Dachshunds and their owners gather for a day of fun, frivolity and yes, weiner racing!!

Started 11 years ago by the Lions Club with just 33 dogs, Buda is the Wiener Dog Capital of Texas now and their annual race draws hundreds of weiners and their proud owners.

“This has put Buda on the map and everybody knows about it and they talk about it all year long,” Buda Lions Club member Keith Handrick said.

Check out those little legs go!

Weiner Races

The Hunte Corporation is hosting a conference for its “breeders” this coming September. The keynote speaker is a man who considers himself “America’s Dog Whisperer”, Mark German. His appearance is sponsored by Nutri Source dog food and the overall conference is sponsored by Royal Canin dog food.

It should be noted that Royal Canin is owned by the Mars Corp, who also manufactures the following Brands: Pet Foods- Sheba, Cesar, Wiskas, Pedigree Candy Brands- Starburst, Snickers, Dove, Twix, Mars, M&M, Skittles Food Brands-Uncle Ben’s & Flavia Drink Mixes. The Royal Canin published “belief” is as follows: Belief in our values and the signature of our brand : « Knowledge and Respect ». A signature which demonstrates our continual will to always understand better the nutritional needs of dogs and cats, in true respect of their animal nature.

THE GOOD NEWS…

As of late yesterday, an email was received from Mark German stating that he has withdrawn from the conference as he did not know about the Hunte Corp’s reputation. If you write him, please thank him for doing the right thing! Mark can be contacted at Mark German’s contact page.

THE BAD NEWS…

The remaining sponsors have not yet initiated the same responsible actions as Mark German. Please contact these organizations and let them know (politely but firmly) that you will not promote or buy from companies that support the puppy mill industry. A simple email can go a long way.

Nutri Source contact page. Katie Riopel (KTK9), is the spokesperson for Nutri Source Dog Food on her local radio program. She is pro-rescue and may not be aware of Hunte’s connection to puppymills. Her contact information is heyktk9@peoplepc.com.

Royal Canin contact page

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Are our law enforcement officials to be held above the laws they are sworn to uphold and enforce? Some of them obviously thing so!

A hearing began proceedings Monday in a lawsuit that Jones filed against the state in December, alleging that procedures were violated when he was fired.

In September on 2007, Sgt Charles Jones was fired from his position after he was videotaped on August 8, 2006, hanging and kicking his K-9 partner, a 9 year old Belgian Malinois, because he would drop a toy. This was after he had ‘helicoptored’ the dog, a technique in which a dog is swung off the ground by his leash.

The officer who videotaped Jones with his cellphone, Trooper Ray Herndon, was torn and upset over the episode and did what he thought was best.

“I was torn; I didn’t know what to do. Should I go stop him?” Herndon, a 21-year-veteran of the force, testified Monday. “So I did what I thought was right at the time.”

One video shows Jones tying the dog’s leash to a high railing so that only his hind legs touched the ground. He then kicked the dog’s leg four times.

“Then he’d pull him back up a good distance off the ground, using the lead in an attempt to get the dog to lech the toy or let the toy go,” Herndon said. He added that he did not think Jones was intentionally trying to harm or abuse Ricoh.

The second video clip shows Jones apparently leaving the dog alone, hanging upright from its leash and collar. (Digitrad.com)

You can watch one of the video clips below - WARNING - it may disturb some viewers

NC Trooper Abuses K-9 Partner

Jones claims the episode on Aug. 8 was not mistreatment. He contends that he was fired summarily without due process and has appealed to get his job back.

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I am honestly beyond sick to death of neglectful, abusive, irresponsible, heartless, cruel and just plain stupid people when it comes to the welfare of our pets and animals.  Oh, I’m sick of it in all areas of life but since this is what I deal with daily, this is my focus.

Every day stories of man’s brutality to dogs, cats and any animal you can think of.  And we’re supposed to be the intelligent species?! Yet people breed cruelty, pain and heartlessness and then they breed children and instill those same traits in them.  And the legal system, the oh so mighty legal system that is supposed to protect and punish, does little to nothing to stem the cruelty and abuse.

Our companion animals, our pets, are some of the most innocent and defenseless of victims. People bring these creatures into their lives then so many of them exclude them from their families.  They stick them in a yard, solitary confinement.  They chain them, tie them, cage them… these furry social family members.  They starve them, beat them, kill them, brutally, cruelly, heartlessly in more ways than I even care to mention.

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Meet Gage; he was a beautiful, loving and well loved 7 year old pit bull… until the Burke’s neighbor, Ray Stanfill, brutally shot and killed him through the fence while he was in his own yard.

Now all his family has left are memories and images and sadly the last images they have are of him, broken, bleeding and dying in his own yard.

Their plea? Nothing more than anyone would want if someone brutally killed any member of their family - justice! Justice for Gage, justice for them and safety for any other animals that may cross the path of Gage’s brutal killer, Ray Stanfill!

Watch the video - a memorial to Gage, then read Gage’s story in the words of his dad, Britt Burke… then, when you finish wiping the tears from your eyes, please sign the Petition and share Gage’s story with friends, family and anyone who cares and love. We can help to get justise for this sweet baby who was so brutally ripped from the love of his family!

Gage’s Story by Britt Burke

March 12, 2008 was a cool morning (45 degrees) as I drank my coffee on the way to work. Peaceful and calm, with what should have been a great day. The phone rang and my world exploded. My wife was babbling and screaming incoherently into the phone “Gage is dead”. “Gage has been shot.

Shortly after I left for work, my wife had let our Yorkies and Gage out for a quick “potty” break. My wife was at the back of the house when she heard a loud noise come from the back yard. She immediately ran to the back door but Gage was not there. The Yorkies were standing at the door frantically trying to get inside. You could see the awful look of fear in their eyes. She opened the door and yelled for Gage, but for the first time in his life he did not obey. He could not…for he was dying. (Keep in mind, our backyard is over an acre-fenced in)

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The time comes. A Siberian Husky lifts up its head.
There is an untested adventure beyond. Time to go. Across the Rainbow Bridge is a place for all dogs. A
river runs wide and shallow with tennis balls that
fly with their own wings; that is the place for a
Labrador or Golden to await its master’s arrival.

The Siberian is not content here. Northward is its trail….

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A lot better than we do, says Paul Miller, clinical professor of comparative ophthalmology at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“Dogs have evolved to see well in both bright and dim light, whereas humans do best in bright light. No one is quite sure how much better a dog sees in dim light, but I would suspect that dogs are not quite as good as cats,” which can see in light that’s six times dimmer than our lower limit. Dogs, he says, “can probably see in light five times dimmer than a human can see in.”

Dogs have many adaptations for low-light vision, Miller says. A larger pupil lets in more light. The center of the retina has more of the light-sensitive cells (rods), which work better in dim light than the color-detecting cones. The light-sensitive compounds in the retina respond to lower light levels. And the lens is located closer to the retina, making the image on the retina brighter.

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