SEE UPDATE - 7/17/08

Talk about disturbing! A neighbor of Yvette Tapia, of Valencia County, MN, saw her abusing a newly adopted dog and decided to do something about it. The neighbor, vigilent with her video recorder, captured Tapia on videotape as she kicked, dragged, yanked and tossed the little dog in the air.

Tapia, who works at City Hall as a secretary in the legal department, is going to have a lot to answer for as the investigation continues.

In the video, Tapia is seen bringing out her garden hose to clean out her dog’s cage in the backyard.

The puppy moves from sitting underneath a chair to behind the house after Tapia spays the hose in his direction. She then picks up the dog and tosses him in the air.

The dog lands on the concrete.

Tapia was also seen dragging and yanking the puppy by his leash in the backyard.

A neighbor, who wanted to remain anonymous, videotaped the incidents from her house.

“I was absolutely appalled at the way that she treated the animal, so we decided to take some action to let people know that this was happening,” the neighbor said.

After seeing the tape, animal control officers took away both of Tapia’s dog.

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When Richard Arendale stopped to check on his Memphis, TN, rental property, he didn’t expect what he found. His tenants, Jeremy Wolverton and Ruby Perkins had abandoned the property and the pile of junk they left behind at first glance was only the beginning.

Tied to a post in the yard, a very disturbing sight; an eight week old puppy, with an electrical cord wrapped around her little legs so tightly that she had actually chewed off one of her paws to try to free herself.

“When I turned her loose, she drank like she hadn’t had anything to drink in weeks,” said Arendale.

The puppy was taken to Northgate Animal Hospital Veterinarian where due to the severity of the injury, its leg had to be amputated at the hip. Named Spunky, the resilient little girl was also starved, dehydrated and full of hook worms.

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This is one determined little pug puppy who really wants its treats and one cat that really doesn’t want to give them up. :))

Pug Puppy vs. Cat for Doggie Treats

Dozens and dozens of sick, dying and dead dogs were found as the result of a raid on a kennel and home near Lind, WA on Saturday. Sharon Provost had been selling puppies in the newspaper until a prospective customer reported serious neglect and abuse and now the 71 year old woman is under arrest and has been charged with first degree animal cruelty.

Deputies found 15 sick dogs living with the carcass of a dead dog that hang hanged itself at Provost’s kennel which led them to her house. The situation only got worse from there.

Initially expecting about 40 dogs, as the day progressed, a total of 111 dogs we removed, sick, filthy, starving from outdoor kennels. Two others were euthanized at the scene they were so sick. Four were found dead and most likely more will have to be euthanized because they are so sick.

Adams County does not have an animal control shelter, so deputies called Pet Rescue. Undersheriff John Hunt said about 30 volunteers were instrumental to the raid.

“We wouldn’t be here,” he said. “I don’t know what we’d do, to be honest. We’d be looking at other agencies throughout the state, because we don’t have any type of facility, or obviously, the manpower.”

“It’s appalling,” said Fuhrman. “This is the biggest that we’ve ever been involved with. We are so not prepared for coming into this. We thought, 40 dogs, and we’re already over 60, with a secondary location we still haven’t went to yet.”

“The dogs are really sick,” said Fuhrman. “There’s mange, there’s bleeding in the mouth. Their teeth are missing because they haven’t had good nutrition. There’s puppies where the mom’s too skinny to feed the puppies.”

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There are some severely sick and twisted people out there and 58-year-old Sabeno Martinez-Perez definitely fits that description.

Last Thursday, July 10, should have been a lovely day on Lake Broward in Putnam County, FL. It probably was until lake goers witnessed Martinez-Perez torturing a 10-12 week old five pound puppy. He kept throwing the puppy in the water, beating her and trying to drown her.

“He was taking it, throwing if off the dock, picking it back up, abusing it, throwing it back into the water,” Maria Lambertt, one of the witnesses, said.

Then, when the puppy was unresponsive, he revived it, only to abuse it some more.

“He started giving it mouth to mouth and brought it back to life,” Lambertt said.

As Lambertt yelled at Perez to stop, someone else called for help.

In the meantime, the abuse continued.

“Apparently, he was swinging the dog around, making it hit the pole also,” said Captain Rick Lashley, with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

Even when the officer arrived, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department says Martinez-Perez didn’t stop abusing the dog.

“As he was coming to shore, he threw the dog in the water in [the officer's] presence, and then he took it and was dragging the dog under the water as he was swimming,” Lashley said.

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In July of last year, two Steuben County, PA men, Jeremy James of Bath and his friend Jake Hoffman, killed, dismembered and sacrificed a 10 year old Cocker Spaniel, leaving its body parts scattered in a field.

Charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a crime punishable by up two years in prison and a fine, both men pleaded not guilty.

James and Hoffman were also charged with unlawfully dealing with a minor, because deputies say they supplied alcohol to minors on the night of the incident.

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Dake Fu, 27, of 121 Towback Road in Esperance, owner of Turquoise Island Pets Inc. was arrested, again, for selling sick puppies. Fu was charged with a single misdemeanor count of offering a sick or diseased animal for sale. The crime is punishable by up to one year in jail.

In May, Fu sold a Yorkshire terrier that was ill with coccidiosis, which is caused by a parasite and causes diarrhea. The dog required extensive veterinary care, police said.

Fu turned himself in and will appear July 24 in Charleston Town Court.

Fu already has a court date Thursday, relating to the same charge with a different animal.

His history with law enforcement and reputation for allegedly running “puppy mills” goes back even further. In May 2006, 14 feces-covered dogs were taken from his property and he was charged with misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals.

In December 2005, Fu failed a state Department of Agriculture and Markets inspection for poor sanitation and waste removal. Fu could not be located for comment Sunday. (Times Union)

When there is a consistent pattern of abuse and neglect like this, when does it finally get to a point that the law will finally say, “that’s enough!” and close these people down? How many animals and people have to be taken advantage of??

If you’re a pet owner, you’ve probably already guessed that the answer to this is YES! But are they really dreaming – and if so, what in the world do they dream about?

Many scientists say there is evidence to support the notion that dogs, cats, and in fact, every mammal that’s been studied, does experience dreams.

There are two main types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and slow wave sleep (SWS). SWS and REM sleep in pets are very similar to that of humans. During this time, the brain processes information learned during the day. Think of it as sorting new information into different mental file folders.

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Pet First Aid Tips and Information

Bite Wounds:
Approach pet carefully to avoid getting bitten. Muzzle animal. Check wound for contamination or debris. If significant debris is present, clean wound with large amounts of saline or balanced electrolyte solution. If these aren’t available, use regular water. Wrap large open wounds in a clean cloth. Apply pressure to profusely bleeding wounds. Do not use tourniquet. Wear gloves if possible. Bite wounds often become infected and need professional care. Call your veterinarian.

Bleeding:
Apply firm, direct pressure over bleeding area until bleeding stops. Hold pressure for at least 10 straight minutes (continually releasing pressure to check wound will hamper clotting). Avoid bandages that cut off circulation. Call your veterinarian immediately.

Breathing Stops:
Check to see if animal is choking on foreign object. If animal is not breathing, place on firm surface with left side up. Check for heartbeat by listening at area where elbow touches chest. If you hear heartbeat but not breathing, close animal’s mouth and breathe directly into nose–not mouth–until chest expands. Repeat 12-15 times/minute. If there is no pulse, apply heart massage at same time. The heart is located in lower half of chest, behind elbow of front left leg. Place one hand below heart to support chest. Place other hand over heart and compress gently. To massage the heart of cats or tiny pets, compress chest with thumb and forefingers of one hand. Apply heart massage 80-120 times/minute for larger animals and 100-150 times/minute for smaller ones. Alternate heart massage with breathing. Please note: Even in the hands of veterinary health professionals, success of resuscitation is very low overall. Success may be slightly higher in cases of drowning or electrical shock. Call your veterinarian immediately.

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