Now I’ve heard of dogs eating all kinds of things from socks and underwear to rock and sticks, from Superbowl Tickets to Sports Cards (ok, so the dogs in question just chewed the tickets and cards) and a whole lot more…. but a fork?? This is truly a new one for me!

This beauty here is Apachee, a ten year old husky, and sometime earlier this month he must have gotten a taste for something a little different. His owners figure he snagged the fork out of the sink when no one was looking and just swallowed it down.

It wasn’t too long before his appetite started to decline, he started to cough and then he just collapsed.

Rushed to the vet, it didn’t take doctors long to figure out the problem. An x-ray showed the fork had lodged in Apachee’s chest cavity and pierced a vein, releasing blood to surround his lungs.

After multiple transfusions and surgery to removed the fork, Apachee is expected to make a full recovery.

Dr. Gary Spodnick at Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas in Cary, led the surgical team that patched Apachee’s pierced vein and removed the eating utensil.

Have a feeling Apachee’s owners will keep a closer eye on him but hopefully this has tempered his appetite for the unusual. Luckily, this will be something that everyone can laugh about in the future.

A couple of weeks ago I brought you the horrific story of the little puppy that was set on fire by, sorry, allegedly by, two young Memphis men, Vincent Boykin, 20, and Tristan Hataway, 18. Sadly, I just got an update this morning about the puppy, who was named Hope by her rescuers, one I hoped not to get.

Hope, a 12 week old shepherd mix puppy, was burned over 55% of her body and although doctors worked diligently, even using state or the art laser therapy, the little girl developed pneumonia. This is the update I received;

“It is with sorrow that I must tell you that Hope did not survive the injuries inflicted upon her. It was just too much for her and in spite of everything that was done to help her, most of her body had been injured and she then went on to develop pneumonia. The decision was made to euthanize her which was the most humane thing to do. We will carry her in our hearts. No one had the right to do this to her. The Memphis Anti-Cruelty Taskforce will speak for her in the courtroom until this case is concluded.”

Today, August 14, 2008, Vincent Boykin 20 and Tristan Hathaway 18, the two responsible for sadistically torturing Hope and causing her death will appear in court. Please pray for justice.

An 80-acre rural property near Pleasant Hope in southwest Missouri, hidden away in the middle of nowhere at the end of a dead end road was a scene of incredible squalor and filth; hundreds of sick, half starved animals, families with children, house trailers stacked to the ceilings with junk, trash and debris, crawling with cockroaches. the only source of water was a bunch of strung together garden hoses!

More than 360 animals, both domesticated and farm animals were rescued from this property on Tuesday including more than 70 dogs and more than three dozen cats, plus donkeys, rabbits, ducks, chickens, and exotic fish. The Humane Society of Missouri and Polk County also found 12 to 15 dead rabbits, dogs, cats, and poultry.

Authorities descended upon the property with warrants after the family who owns the land failed to heed warnings last month to begin providing proper care, said Tim Rickey, the Humane Society’s director of rescues and investigations.

In the days since those warnings, many of the animals had been released from their cages, prompting neighbors to complain. Authorities took a closer look and found that children also were on the 80-acre rural property near Pleasant Hope in southwest Missouri. Child-welfare workers removed the children were about a week ago, Bruce said.

Property owner Virginia Gambriel, 61, was arrested and charged Tuesday with two counts of felony child endangerment over living conditions Bruce described as the worst he’s seen in 16 years of public service.

More charges are expected, against Gambriel and others, Bruce said. Gambriel is being held on $7,500 bond, and doesn’t yet have an attorney, he said.

Three families lived on the property, authorities said, but the total number of residents wasn’t clear. The property, littered with 15 to 20 abandoned vehicles, was “in the brush in the middle of nowhere on a dead-end road” that deputies rarely visited, Bruce said.

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It’s every parent’s nightmare, a little lost child, out wandering. You’re worried, you’re scared, you want to know where your baby is. You call the police who bring in search crews.

This is exactly what happened to one Alabama family early Tuesday morning. Their little 3 year old boy wandered out of his house.

Seems daddy had gotten up and went out somewhere around 3-3:30 am and when he left, momma and baby were asleep, but the little boy must have gotten up and went looking for daddy.

“Apparently, the little boy woke up, and the door didn’t close all the way when the daddy left. The little boy went out looking for his daddy,” Sheriff’s deputy Joe Shanes said.

Police were called about 3:30 am and emergency personnel from Lauderdale County sherrif’s department and Zip City firefighters had been looking for the boy for about an hour when they called Shanes for assistance.

“Everybody was looking around the woods and everywhere else. No one had any ideas which way he went,” said Shanes, the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department’s canine officer.

When Shanes arrived with Fox, who is a tracking and drug K9, Fox went into action as soon as the car door opened.

“When (Fox) got out of the car, he ran behind the car and then started across the road,” Shanes said. “I hollered at him, but he just kept going. Then, he just sat down.

“I went over to him to put his leash on, and the little boy was standing there behind a tree. He saw me and said, ‘Hey.’ “

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As you watch this, you’re probably trying hard not to laugh, thinking, ‘ouch’, but you just can’t help yourself… it’s so cute… and so funny… and the little guy is just fine. So go ahead, let that laugh out! Play it again…

Puppies Do the Darndest Things!