But it gets even worse, one minute after they rehired him, they put him on paid leave “while they evaluate his employment status.”

Gary Tate, former deputy dog warden at the Stark County Pound in Canton, OH, was dismissed from his position last year after being accused of animal abuse. Seems he had a habit of using a snare pole to drag dogs by their necks, then using the pole’s noose to lift the dogs to second-tier cages, causing the dogs to hang by their necks. Hmmmm…. nice guy.

Now after a lot of legal wrangling, the county was forced to rehire him and also pay him all the back wages after an arbitrator ruled that Tate should not have been fired because the abuse accusations were “insufficient to justify anything more than some minor discipline.”

Wow, maybe that arbitrator should try the end of the pole that the dogs had to suffer being dangled from! Of course Tate says he wasn’t abusing the dogs, just using the pole to keep himself safe from them. Bet there are lots of really vicious dogs there! Funny, the 30+ volunteers that go in there every day never have to use a pole for protection and have no problems with the dogs. Perhaps the volunteers could demonstrate the proper handling of the dogs?

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We got us another big, bad man here! Timothy Ray Loftis, 21, of Bessemer City, NC, stomped a tiny 8 week old Chihuahua puppy to death after it urinated in the house. Oh yeah, he’s a tough guy alright!

Loftis’ girlfriend, Crystal Williams had gotten the puppy for her 1 1/2 year old daughter, they named it Tequilla. It was so tiny it could fit in the palm of a person’s hand

On Thursday, Williams went running to her mother saying that Loftis had killed the tiny puppy. Williams’ mother, Sherry Thomas confronted Loftis.

“I said ‘Timmy, why would you do something like that? You knew she loved that dog,’” Thomas said.

“Its eyeball was hanging from its head,” Thomas said. “That was just really cruel.”

Gaston County Police charged Loftis, 21, of the 600 block of South 12th Street, with felony cruelty to animals Thursday.

“Upon arrival, I spoke to the defendant, who said, ‘Is this about that dog. Yeah, I killed the SOB,’” wrote officer J.T. Lubert in his warrant affidavit.

Loftis did not use the abbreviation in talking with Lubert, according to the arrest warrant.

“While en route to the jail, the defendant stated, ‘Goin to jail, and I didn’t even kill no dog.’”

After this the defendant reportedly stated, “‘Ain’t this some s—. I been to jail three times for assault on a female and now I’m goin for killing a dog,’” according to Lubert’s warrant affidavit.

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Junior Horton, owner of Horton’s Pups, faced 14 counts of animal cruelty and 25 counts of neglect stemming from an investigation from last November when more than 1000 dogs were found at his property. The charges accused Horton of depriving dogs of necessary food, drink, shelter or emergency veterinary treatment, and of failing to adequately house, feed, water, exercise or care for animals in his possession. He was also charged with one count of not having a proper license. Over 700 dogs were eventually seized and adopted into new homes.

The good news is that he was found guilty of all the charges. The bad news, on the other hand, is that he will not be facing any jail time and most of the fines were actually suspended and worst of all, he is allowed to continue to run his commercial breeding business, ie. puppy mill!! More ’slap on the wrist’ justice!!

After more than three hours of testimony, General District Court Judge Edward Turner made his ruling on the 40 charges Horton faced: 14 for animal cruelty, 25 for animal neglect and one for failure to obtain a dog license.

“I find Mr. Horton guilty of all counts,” Turner said. “The question is, ‘What do we do with it?’ “

Turner suspended 12 years of jail time for the misdemeanors and suspended much of the fines associated with the criminal charges. For the 14 counts of cruelty, he suspended $2,250 of each of the $2,500 fines. For the 25 counts of neglect, he suspended $450 of each of the $500 fines. He imposed the mandated $25 fine for the charge of failing to obtain a dog license. The total for all fines amounted to $4,750. The judge also directed the court to determine a cost of veterinary services provided when hundreds of Horton’s dogs were taken from his business following the sting. He said Horton will be responsible for making restitution.

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In the movie The Fisher King there is a rather humorous scene in which Robin Williams’ character is scooting himself along the ground by digging his heels in and dragging his bare bottom across the grass. In a jubilant voice he calls out, “Do you know why dogs do this? It feels GREAT!!”Actually, that’s not the only reason. Dogs will exhibit this behavior if the anus or hind quarters are itchy, but it can be a sign of an impacted anal gland which can be a problem for some dogs. Read more… »

Teaching children the do’s and don’ts regarding animals is among one of the most important lessons you’ll ever teach them. Animals are everywhere and though many are domesticated, this does not automatically make them safe. For example, in the U.S. alone, 1-2 million dog bites occur annually.Today many homes are raising children along with the family dog. Naturally kids delight in hugging, petting, and playing with their pets. But unfortunately, many children grow up believing that all dogs are gentle and friendly like their pets, and commonly fall victim to a dog attack, simply because they’d never been taught when it’s not okay to approach a dog.

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The day you bring home a little puppy for the first time is a memorable one. It’s exciting to add a new four-legged member to the family. And in these first days, it is critical to begin laying the groundwork for how you will care for your precious puppy’s health and medial needs. Here are a few of the basic essentials to get you started.Finding a Veterinarian
Just like you, your new puppy needs high-quality health care. Ask a friend or your local humane society to recommend a veterinarian. Be sure to give consideration to the location of the clinic. A drive across town during a medical emergency could delay urgently needed treatment. Read more… »

Bath:
This is a process by which the humans drench the floor, walls and themselves. You can help by shaking vigorously and frequently.

Bicycles:
Two-wheeled exercise machines, invented for dogs to control body fat. To get maximum aerobic benefit, you must hide behind a bush and dash out, bark loudly and run alongside for a few yards; the person then swerves, and falls into the bushes, and you prance away.

Bump:
The best way to get your human’s attention when they are drinking a fresh cup of coffee or tea.

Deafness:
This is a malady which affects dogs when their person wants them in and they want to stay out. Symptoms include staring blankly at the person, then running in the opposite direction, or lying down.

Dog Bed:
Any soft, dean surface, such as the white bedspread in the guest room or the newly upholstered couch in the living room.

Drool:
Is what you do when your persons have food and you don’t. To do this properly, you must sit as close as you can and look sad and let the drool fall to the floor, or better yet, on their laps.

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