CLAWS News

Animal CSI's helping bring a new level of justice

2010-11-27T11:17:00.000-08:00

When federal investigators working the Michael Vick dogfighting case needed someone to dig up and analyze the remains of eight pit bulls buried on the football star’s Virginia property, they summoned Melinda Merck.
The nation’s top forensic veterinarian, Merck was one of the few specialists trained in processing crime scenes involving animals. Her job at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals involves helping prosecutors build court cases, and she saw that there weren’t nearly enough vets and other professionals with those skills.
Merck, 46, is trying to change that, co-founding a first-of-its-kind veterinary forensic science training program at the University of Florida. She and scientists from the university’s human forensics lab are sharing their expertise with animal-cruelty investigators, police and veterinarians who come to Gainesville from around the world.
In a nod to the popular TV shows, it’s already being called “Animal CSI.”
Demand for forensic veterinarians has been growing as many states have toughened their animal cruelty laws. And law enforcement agencies nationwide have increasingly recognized that people who abuse animals are more likely to commit crimes against people.
Hands-on seminars teach participants crime-scene processing and the preservation of evidence in cases of animal abuse and neglect such as those involving puppy mills, dogfighting and animal hoarding. Elements include exhuming remains, analyzing hair, fibers and blood splatter and even how insect life cycles and plant growth can yield clues about an animal’s death.
“With animal cruelty, there are usually no witnesses — or reluctant witnesses — and certainly the victims can’t testify, even if they’re alive,” Merck said. “So they’re always evidence-based cases.”
A partnership between the ASPCA and the university’s William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine, the program has trained about 200 people so far, mostly through two- and three-day sessions. A certification program in the subject for UF students is in the works.
On a warm afternoon earlier this month deep in a forest near Gainesville, teams of six are sifted through cordoned-off “crimes scenes,” seeking evidence of buried animal remains. Each group had a scenario: One was investigating ritualistic animal sacrifice; others were looking into cases of animals being shot, strangled and stabbed by abusers. The students processed the carefully staged scenes, learning to build a criminal case that will stand up in court.
“We all get abuse or suspected abuse cases,” said Cheryl Clark of San Diego, a veterinarian for more than three decades who took meticulous notes as her group unearthed shreds of potential evidence.
“At this point in my career, I want to get some more precise knowledge to help other professional veterinarians. I want to help animals on a more global scale, so I think the way to do it is prosecute abusers and try to get laws changed and improved."
Others sweating in the woods included ASPCA field investigators, American Humane Association disaster-response team members and vets like Clark.
The idea for the program began with maggots. That’s the way Merck and Jason Byrd tell it. Byrd is a forensic entomologist at the university who has traveled the world helping CSI types discern clues from the life cycles of insects found on decomposing bodies.

Merck, then a private veterinarian in Atlanta, sought out Byrd in 2003 to analyze maggots found on animal remains as she sought to determine a time of death.
Merck eventually joined the ASPCA in Atlanta but continued to turn to Byrd for help. Soon they were holding workshops for law enforcement at the University of Florida. They organized the first international veterinary forensic sciences conference in 2008, and a year later Merck moved to Gainesville. She runs the program alongside Byrd, helped so far by more than $300,000 in ASPCA funding.
"She was really the first veterinarian in the country who came to law enforcement and said, ‘Teach me what you guys do.’ And she was the first person to religiously apply what we do at her crime scenes,” Byrd said.
Last year, Merck marshaled university-trained forensic teams to 25 crime scenes and helped break up the largest suspected dogfighting ring in U.S. history. The investigation rescued more than 400 pit bulls from six states and led to 26 arrests.
In the Vick case, Merck was given the grim task of excavating two mass graves containing the remains of eight dogs in order to determine exactly how they had died. Her findings corroborated what witnesses said about the NFL star and co-defendants killing underperforming animals by hanging, shooting, drowning and slamming them to the ground. Exhumed bones that showed signs of bites also supported dogfighting charges in the federal indictment.
“What we reconstructed was not consistent with his version of events,” Merck says of Vick.
The athlete was convicted in 2007 of conspiracy and running a dogfighting ring and served 18 months in prison and two months of home confinement. The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles in August 2009, less than a month after his release and has since made speaking appearances urging people to show kindness toward animals.

Veal plant worker admits to abuse, plant closed

2010-11-23T22:42:00.001-08:00

A former worker at Bushway Packing Inc. in Grand Isle, Vt., has pled guilty to one charge of aggravated cruelty to animals for his role in the abuse of veal calves at the plant last year.
Christopher Gaudette, 37, was caught on secretly taped video by an "investigator" for The Humane Society of the United States showing Gaudette excessively shocking non-ambulatory calves with electric prods and engaging in other abuse (Feedstuffs, Aug. 16).
He is to receive a sentence of one to three years in jail, which will be suspended to 30 days of work on a state work crew, according to Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell. He also will be prohibited from future work around live animals, Sorrell said.
A co-owner of the plant, Frank Perretta, 51, pled no contest in October to one charge of animal abuse and received a one-year suspended sentence. He also agreed to pay a $2,000 fine, perform 120 hours of community service and not work around live animals in the future.
The plant has been closed.

There is a petition circulating to ban veal production in the US. You may add your name here: PETITION

Please take a moment to sign your name and vow to go Meat Free this Thanksgiving

2010-11-23T22:26:00.000-08:00

I know, many are reluctant to break the long standing tradition of Turkey or Ham on Thanksgiving, but we must take a moment to think about how these animals are treated or handled before they are sent along to become your dinner.

We are asking for all that care, please leave your name in the comments section to vow to go "Meat Free this T-Day."

Thank you.

Mistreatment of baby turkeys at hatchery exposed

2010-11-23T22:11:00.001-08:00

An undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States has documented what the organization alleges is routine abuse and cruelty involving newly hatched turkey chicks at Willmar Poultry Co.
The Humane Society released its report and findings Tuesday.
The nonprofit organization is calling for the turkey industry to adopt more humane practices for disposing of sick and injured birds and for de-beaking baby turkeys.
“Most people don’t want animals to be treated cruelly,” said Paul Shapiro, a spokesman for the Humane Society of the United States.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Willmar Poultry Co. said it was committed to meeting or exceeding science-based industry standards for the welfare of its turkeys.
“Willmar Poultry Company is a family-owned business. At WPC, we believe in the humane treatment of turkeys and aspire to do this throughout the company, including the raising, breeding, hatching and transporting of all our turkeys,” Richard VanderSpek, president and chief operating officer, said in a prepared statement.
An undercover investigator with the Humane Society of the United States worked at Willmar Poultry for 11 days in October, using a hidden camera to record how baby turkeys were treated.
Willmar Poultry was targeted for the investigation because “it’s the largest turkey hatchery in the nation,” Shapiro said.
“We’ve done several investigations at factory farms and slaughter plants but this is our first investigation at a turkey hatchery,” he said.
He said the Humane Society of the United States “wanted to shine the light on this part of their lives that few people are familiar with — the very first day of their lives.”
Among the allegations contained in the Humane Society of the United States report:
- Sick, deformed, injured and dying birds, as well as “leftovers” not needed for buyers’ orders, are routinely disposed of by being thrown alive into a grinder.
- Sick and injured birds are left in boxes or on the floor all day until being killed.
- Chicks are routinely de-beaked without first being given a painkiller.
- Chicks routinely have their back toes clipped off without a painkiller.
The report alleges that baby turkeys get trapped and injured in conveyor belts as they’re processed for shipment to farms. It also alleges that boxes filled with poults are sometimes stacked too high or unevenly and crash to the floor, scattering and injuring the turkey chicks inside.
Although the report was issued just two days before Thanksgiving, the peak time for turkey consumption in the U.S., the timing wasn’t deliberate, Shapiro said. “It’s just how it worked out,” he said.
The Humane Society of the United States is calling for more humane methods of handling sick and injured chicks. These birds should be promptly and humanely euthanized rather than left on the floor until the end of the day, Shapiro said.
The Humane Society of the United States also is urging the turkey industry to adopt more humane practices for de-beaking and declawing newly hatched poults.
The organization said there are no current federal laws governing the treatment of baby turkeys.
VanderSpek said Willmar Poultry Co. has policies and procedures for all aspects of turkey welfare.
Employees receive training and can face discipline if they don’t follow policy, he said.
The undercover video from the Humane Society of the United States does appear to identify actions by some employees that violate Willmar Poultry Co. animal welfare policies, he said. “We condemn any mistreatment of animals in our care and will take swift action to investigate and address those issues.”
He said Willmar Poultry also will review its policies, procedures, employee training and site monitoring to help make sure employees understand and follow the company’s animal welfare policies and procedures.
VanderSpek said the standards used at Willmar Poultry include the National Turkey Federation’s animal care guidelines, which are science-based and supported by the Federation of Animal Science Societies Animal Welfare Committee, the American Association of Avian Pathologists welfare subcommittee and the AAAP board of directors. National Turkey Federation guidelines also comply with World Organization for Animal Health standards, he said.
According to its website, Willmar Poultry Co. produces 45 million eggs a year, making it the largest turkey hatchery in the United States. Thirty million poults are hatched each year in Willmar and another 15 million at a custom hatchery in Foley, Minn. The company has been an innovator in poultry genetics, biotechnology and engineering.
The Humane Society of the United States report prompted the Humane Society of Kandiyohi and Meeker counties to issue a statement Tuesday reminding the public that the local humane society is neither affiliated with nor receives funding from the Humane Society of the United States.
“While we deplore animal cruelty, our focus is on companion animals and not on any alleged industry abuses,” the local organization said in a statement.

Farmer charged after starving his cattle

2010-11-23T22:04:00.001-08:00

A 62 year-old man has pleaded guilty to 2 counts of animal cruelty after a herd of starving and dying cattle was discovered at his farm at Tenterden this year.

The Mount Barker Magistrates Court heard more than 20 cattle from Thomas Ward Irving's herd of 660 had to be put down and the rest were in a very poor condition.
Irving was fined $4,000 and must pay $45,000 in costs to the RSPCA.
He was also banned from keeping cattle unless he receives RSPCA approval.

100 pit bulls being rescued from dog fighting operation

2010-11-23T15:48:00.000-08:00

Search warrants are currently being executed for suspected dog fighting operations in South Georgia in two separate raids underway in Berrien and Cook counties. More than 100 pit bulls are involved.
Norred & Associates Inc, an Atlanta private investigation and security firm, initiated the dog fighting investigations approximately six months ago. Information and evidence was provided to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the District Attorney’s office of the Alapaha Judicial Circuit. This information was confirmed by the GBI. As a result, search warrants were obtained by the GBI and are being executed in cooperation with law enforcement officials in Berrien and Cook counties.
According to Norred Investigator Chuck Simmons, a number of observations during the course of the investigation prompted today’s raids. “The pit bulls were observed with severe scarring on their muzzles and forelegs consistent with wounds observed in other dog fighting operations,” said Simmons. “There were additional forms of abuse including lack of water and food and emaciated dogs. The dogs were being maintained in a manner that has been observed in other dog fighting operations.“
The Atlanta Humane Society, working in conjunction with Norred and local law enforcement, has deployed its HEART, or Humane Emergency Animal Rescue Team, to help triage and transport the rescued dogs.
For over three years, Greg Norred, CEO and Founder of Norred & Associates, has contributed his company’s expertise and financial resources to investigating suspected dog fighting in Georgia and surrounding states. Twenty-six raids have resulted in 48 arrests of individuals involved and rescues of 600 dogs. In addition to their investigations, the company has instituted a toll-free animal cruelty hotline—1.877.215.2250—that enables private citizens to report dog fighting and other cases of suspected animal abuse anonymously.

Man again facing animal abuse charges even after dragging a dog to death 17 years prior

2010-11-23T14:33:00.001-08:00

An 41-year-old Aurora man is again facing animal abuse charges, 17 years after he was sentenced to prison for dragging another dog to death.

Phillip Rinn of the 300 block of South Kendall Street was charged last Monday with misdemeanor cruelty to animals, the Kane County sheriff’s office said. At 8:30 a.m. Nov. 15, police were called for a report of a man beating a dog.

Investigators determined that Rinn was punching a 1-year-old Lab Shepherd mix named Magda, police said. The dog had several broken teeth and was taken to the VAC Aurora Animal Hospital for treatment. Police said the animal is expected to recover from its injuries.

The Kane County state’s attorney’s office is reviewing the case and may upgrade the charges to a felony, police said. Rinn posted $100 bond Nov. 16.

In 1993, Rinn pleaded guilty to cruelty to an animal. Police officers testified that Rinn admitted to chaining his dog “Royal” by the neck and dragging it down Peck Road a short distance in an attempt to kill it.

When the dog didn’t die, officials said Rinn told them he pulled over onto a roadside grassy area and ran over the dog. Rinn explained he was mad at the dog because it had chewed his car’s vinyl roof and tried to bite his wife, the officers said.

Rinn was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 100 hours of community service for that incident.

Two men charged after attempting to burn cat in oven

2010-11-23T10:53:00.001-08:00

Two men who face arson and burglary charges in Cleveland County District Court are accused of placing a cat in an oven while trying to set fire to a Norman transition house last week.

Michael John Ketcham, 20, and Brandon Ke Reed, 18, also are suspected of setting two fires at an abandoned chapel and another fire to a vehicle Thursday morning on the Griffin Memorial Hospital grounds, and of having stolen property from the transition house and a hardware store.
Each man was charged Friday with two counts of second-degree burglary, single counts of second-, third- and fourth-degree arson, endangering human life during arson, and cruelty to animals.
Sheriff's detectives found and interviewed Ketcham and Reed on Thursday, according to a sheriff's news release. The statement said the suspects tried to set the transition house on fire by using an accelerant and attempted to kill a cat by placing it in an oven with the fire combustibles.
Deputies later found the cat at the scene with injuries to its paws.

Man charged after 161 cats found in home, sick and dying

2010-11-23T10:52:00.001-08:00

A northwest Florida man who once had 161 cats will spend 30 days in jail on animal cruelty charges.
Larry Kruger was sentenced Monday. He received credit for ten days he spent in jail after his March 22 arrest on eight felony charges causing pain and suffering to animals and 161 misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty.
His attorney says the 62-year-old Kruger is a hoarder. A veterinarian told the court Kruger had spent $28,000 on health care for his animals.
But the cats were sick with a host of intestinal diseases and parasites. The home was overrun with feces. Eight dead cats were found in a freezer, waiting to be sent for cremation.
Kruger pleaded guilty on Oct. 26. He will also spend the next six years on probation.

Nitro's law needs support

2010-11-22T20:44:00.000-08:00

Ohio - The cruel, senseless death of a beloved dog named Nitro is the driving force behind supporters of Nitro's Law HB70. Nitro was a dog that was starved to death back in October 2008 while in the care of High Caliber K-9 in Youngstown, Ohio.
Nitro, a family's beloved Rottweiler, was one of 19 dogs that grievously suffered at this boarding and training facility.
Nitro had been sent to High Caliber K-9 for a board and train "summer camp" after his owners thoroughly researched the facility. The kennel owner, Steve Croley, came highly recommended - there was nothing that would have led Nitro's owners to be concerned for his welfare.
But the facility's failure to return a dog to an owner caused law enforcement and animal welfare agencies to conduct a raid on the kennel in late October. What authorities found was stomach turning.
Dehydrated, emaciated and deceased dogs were found in the kennels at High Caliber K-9. Fifteen of the dogs discovered were being boarded there, 4 others,belonging to the owner, were also in horrifying condition.
Of the 19 dogs discovered on the property, 7 were dead, the remaining were in terrible condition. Among the dead was the emaciated body of Nitro.
When Croley was questioned, he told officials that times were hard and there was no money for food for the dogs. Why this man could not reach out to the dog's owners to ask them to retrieve their dogs, or to the community for help - is an entirely different topic.
Nitro's Law HB70 has stemmed from this devastating incident. Animal welfare laws in Ohio are terribly outdated. Nitro's Law HB 70 seeks to amend section 959.99 of the Revised Code to increase the penalty for violation of the prohibition against cruel treatment of a companion animal by the animal's custodian or caretaker to a felony of the fifth degree.
The law passed the House of Representatives in February 2010, but it has stalled. Supporters of the bill are concerned because it has been sitting in the Criminal Justice Committee since that time - if it does not get to the Senate floor for a vote by year's end, it will die and more animals will suffer as a result.
The Nitro Foundation is encouraging individuals to reach out to law makers and ask them to move forward on this crucial legislation.

Nitro's Law Petition

Six pit bulls found malnourished/abused

2010-11-22T20:24:00.001-08:00

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – Georgetown County Deputies are searching for the owners of six dogs found malnourished and possibly used as fighting dogs in the Jock Trail area of the county.
Authorities say on Nov. 19 deputies responded to the Oatland Section of Georgetown County in reference to animal cruelty, and discovered six Pit Bulls chained up behind an abandoned residence.
Three male and three female dogs were suffering the weight of heavy duty logging chains and several were out of reach of water, according to the deputies' report. All dogs were reported to be in poor health and displayed evidence of possible fighting injuries.
St. Frances Animal Center reports that the dogs showed aggressive behavior toward other animals. In addition, all six dogs exhibited signs of physical abuse by humans.
Anyone with any information in reference to the owners of these animals or any information regarding dog fighting please contact the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office at (843) 546-5102.
Anonymous tips can also be sent by using Text-A-Tip, Just text the word "GCSOTIP" to 274637 and your message from any text enabled cell phone.

Michael Vick going to schools to educate about animal abuse

2010-11-22T20:17:00.001-08:00

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Students at Hillhouse and Wilbur Cross high schools are in for a treat Tuesday – NFL football star Michael Vick, quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, will be paying them a visit to talk about animal cruelty.

Vick is making the rounds at schools across the country as part of his rehabilitation after serving 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring.

One of the NFL’s biggest stars, Vick will also talk to the students about the importance of going to college.

On Sunday, Vick ran and passed the Philadelphia Eagles to a victory over the New York Giants in Philadelphia.

Vick is expected to touch on the New Haven Promise, the city’s newly launched scholarship program.

The Promise program offers a free college education to students who live in the city, graduate from New Haven public or charter schools, and maintain certain academic and attendance goals.

Yale University is funding the scholarship portion of the Promise program and the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven is covering administrative costs.

He will be joined by Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, on the visits to Hillhouse at 10:30 a.m. and Cross at noon.

The pair will talk to kids about the cruelty of dogfighting and other forms of animal exploitation and about the responsibilities associated with taking care of animals.

Celebrity Chef refuses to Remove Foie Gras from menu

2010-11-21T18:11:00.000-08:00

Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain gave a speech today while local residents held a banner outside displaying the cruelty involved in the production of foie gras, or liver from force fed ducks.
Bourdain has been an outspoken defender of the controversial appetizer, made by ramming large metal pipes down the throats of ducks and pumping them full of massive quantities of food to the point where they are sick and dying, according to animal cruelty investigators who have documented the process.
"Anthony Bourdain has made many false and misleading statements about foie gras production," states Bryan Pease, Esq., President of the Animal Protection & Rescue League (APRL). "He has even claimed that the ducks in Hudson Valley Foie Gras approach the force-feeders, but I have witnessed that they actually struggle to get as far from the force-feeders as their pen or cage allows them to."
Bourdain does not defend all controversial eating practices and has gone on record saying that he has taken pains to ensure that he is never offered dog or cat meat.
The production of foie gras by force feeding has been banned in at least 15 countries, and the state of California banned sale of the product, effective 2012. Six city councils have supported a ban. Chicago also banned the cruel delicacy from 2006-2008, but Mayor Richard Daley gave his former chief of staff and Illinois Restaurant Association lobbyist the clout she needed to get the ban repealed for her clients.
While the Chicago ban was in effect, some chefs experimented with various faux foie gras dishes which were received well by restaurant critics, with the Chicago Tribune's Phil Vettel noting that it was virtually indistinguishable from foie gras.
The Animal Protection & Rescue League has been holding protests nationwide at restaurants that continue serving liver from force fed ducks. Animal cruelty investigators for the organization have documented what they allege to be animal torture in the three U.S. foie gras facilities and several in France. Their video narrated by Sir Roger Moore, the early James Bond Actor, is posting at www.StopForceFeeding.com.
Celebrity chefs who have renounced foie gras because of the animal cruelty include Wolfgang Puck and Charlie Trotter. Dozens of other restaurants have removed the item as well, listed on www.stopforcefeeding.com under "Campaign."

The petition to ban Foie Gras in the US may be found here: Petition Site

"Crush" videos ban before Senate

2010-11-21T15:45:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON — Videos appealing to a sexual fetish by showing women killing small animals will be banned under legislation that cleared the Senate on Friday and is headed to President Obama for his signature.
The voice vote in the Senate followed a vote in the House on Monday to ban so-called crush videos that depict the abuse and killing of animals.
Congress banned such videos in 1999, but the Supreme Court earlier this year struck down the law, saying it was too broadly written and violated 1st Amendment free-speech protections.
The more narrowly crafted bill going to the White House makes it a crime to sell or distribute videos that violate bans on animal cruelty by showing animals being burned, drowned, suffocated or impaled.
"Animal torture videos are barbaric and have no place in a civilized society," said Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), one of the House sponsors. "By promising to lock up the people who produce and distribute these videos we can work to put a halt to this horrendous practice."
Crush videos typically show women, often barefoot or wearing high heels, stomping small animals to death.
Every state bans animal cruelty, but it has been difficult to apply those laws to crush videos because they often do not show faces, dates or locations. The legislation makes interstate sale of such videos a crime subject to fines and imprisonment.
Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), a sponsor of the original bill in 1999, said in a previous statement that another reason to ban the videos was the tendency in some people to transfer cruelty to animals to cruelty to humans. He cited the cases of famed killers such as Ted Bundy and Ted Kaczynski, saying they tortured or killed animals before killing people.
The legislation makes exceptions for films depicting hunting, trapping and fishing.

To view and sign the people's petition banning the production of these videos, click here: PETITION SITE

Woman's Ignorance kills dog

2010-05-11T08:58:00.001-07:00

SOMERVILLE — Virginia E. Hendricks, 63, of Hillsborough was charged with animal cruelty in connection with leaving an unattended dog in a car with fatal results.
According to investigators, police arrived at the rear parking lot of 50 W. Main St. on April 30 at 4:36 p.m. to find Hendricks standing next to a beige 1999 Toyota Camry. In her arms was a dead dog, a white Bijon Frise.
Police said all the car windows were closed at the time officers arrived, and the temperature outdoors was 78 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hendricks said she left the dog in the car for about 20 minutes and thought she had left a window ajar, according to police. Witnesses at the scene told police they had previously seen Hendricks frequently park her car in the same lot leaving the dog inside for long periods of time with the car windows closed.
Hendricks said she would contact a veterinarian to make arrangements for the dog’s remains.
Police are skeptical of her alleged "ignorance" to the danger of leaving her dog in a closed car and the case remains open for invesitgation.

"We would like to take the time to remind everyone - with summer coming and warmer temperatures, DON'T LEAVE YOUR DOG/CAT/FRIEND IN A CLOSED CAR! This can be fatal! Would you do this to your child?"

Man microwaves pet cat

2010-05-11T08:54:00.001-07:00

NEWS RELEASE: Animal Cruelty Charges
Incident: Animal Cruelty
Date of Incident: 20 April 2010
Location: 1500 block of May Drive, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Mark Laird, 20, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 20 April 2010 at 4:00 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into animal cruelty that allegedly occurred inside a residence in the 1500 block of May Drive in Salisbury. During the investigation the deputy learned that Mark Laird was accused of placing a cat that belonged to the complainant into the microwave and turning it on. Upon initiating the investigation, the complainant advised that the cat went outside and has not been seen since the microwave and is believed to have possibly succumbed as a result. After meeting with both the suspect and witnesses, the deputy determined that the incident warranted charges being filed.
The deputy completed an Application for Statement of Charges and received a warrant for Laird’s arrest from the District Court Commissioner. On 28 April 2010 the deputy placed Laird under arrest for Animal Cruelty. After processing at the Central Booking Unit and an initial appearance in front of the District Court Commissioner, Laird was released on Personal recognizance.

May Newsletter

2010-05-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

It's been some time since our last post... for that I apologize. I've been spending ALOT of time at work recently and have been basically coming home to sleep. :-)

It's time to get back to work here and I expect to post more in the coming days on news, events and other goings on.

Once again, thanks for sticking with us.

A Moment Of Silence

2010-03-12T20:56:00.000-08:00

Good evening everyone,

It is with great sadness that I report that the stray cat that my family had adopted was hit and killed by a car today while trying to come home.

She had bolted out the door when company came to visit this morning and we were confident that within a half hour or so she would be back, crying to be let in (this is what she would always do when she wanted in. That or climb the windowscreens.)

Shadowfax was a very pretty little girl with long white hair and piercing eyes.

Our house was built in 1860 along the main street in town which is unfortunately VERY busy. I found her in the middle of the road facing the house and can only assume that she was on her way home to us and never made it. Just 30 more feet and she would be on my lap now.

Please take a moment today to hug your cat, dog, or other furry friends and cherish every single moment that you have with them. You'll never realize how huge a part of your life that they really are until they're gone.

Shadow fax went from being a starving, frozen stray that came to sit in front of my store one night to a spoiled-rotten princess that slept on my couch. We will always miss her and only hope that wherever she is now, they have an unlimited supply of toys, food and good upholstery for her to lounge on forever.

I leave you with these thoughts:

"Dost thou cherish life?
Then do not squander time
for it is the thing life is made of."

- Benjamin Franklin

Thank you all!

2010-03-12T12:30:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all the people that have helped us so far!

Montana Rancher Starves More Than 200 Goats, Horses

2010-03-11T07:51:00.001-08:00

Dogs, and cats, and... goats, oh my!
A Montana rancher in a community where there really are more goats than people is facing animal cruelty charges for allegedly starving 200 of those goats to death.
Neighbors of Dodson-area rancher Jon Carman alerted state livestock officials to the suspected abuse Feb. 4. Investigators went to check it out and reported finding hundreds of dead goats, including babies, piled on top of each other in a barn.
Three others are said to have died with their heads stuck in a fence, with still more found in a trailer.
Dodson allegedly locked the animals in a barn without food or water for more than a month. Phillips County Sheriff Tom Miller says a few goats and two horses on the property survived.
Dodson was arrested, and pleaded not guilty to aggravated animal cruelty. If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison and a $2,500 fine.

Please take action against this and sign our petition to make sure that he receives the maximum sentence.

Puppy Thrown In Dumpster May Have New Home

2010-03-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

A case of animal neglect in Davenport. A puppy stuffed in a duffel bag and thrown into a dumpster outside the Freight House in downtown Davenport.

Luckily for her, Freight House maintenance worker Jaret Gelande was heading to the dumpster when he just happened to see a set of big eyes staring back at him. "I bent over to pick up the garbage can and dump it in. Well, I look into the garbage can and I see the little puppy sitting inside the garbage can and I'm like, ‘No, no, no, that can't be.'"

But it was. A black and white puppy, about 3 months old, her head poking out of a duffel bag. Gelande says, "The bag was almost zipped up. I think the dog used its nose to unzip it and get out."

His first thought? "No way. No way would somebody be that stupid to do that to a dog."

Gelande says someone tossed the puppy into the dumpster along a busy road Monday afternoon. He thinks he found her about half an hour later. "It was just sitting in the back of the garbage can - shaking. That to me is just a heartless act by a coward. It shook her up real bad."

With a little coaxing, Gelande was able to calm her down and brought her inside. He looked through her bag for ID, but instead found tennis balls, a leash and some chew toys.

Now she's settling into a routine at the Scott County Humane Society. Executive Director Pam Arndt says no matter how many times an animal is dumped - it's still shocking. "You would think that you would go, ‘Oh great, another one.' But you don't. You just go, ‘What is wrong with people, why do they do this?'"

But there are also people like Jaret Gelande, who's just happy he noticed her, and can't seem to get her off his mind. "I would've really felt bad if something would've happened to something that sweet and that cute. In 5 days, if the dog doesn't have a home, it will, ‘cause I'm taking it home."

The shelter's policy is to hold strays for 6 days. They think this puppy is a Jack Russell / Beagle mix and her initial health tests look good. If Gelande passes a background check and the puppy passes a behavior test, the two could end up together.

Gelande says from now on, they'll be keeping the gates to the dumpster closed and locked.

Shelter Dog Finds New Life, Goes to Chile to Help

2010-03-05T08:17:00.001-08:00

LONGMONT, Colorado — Joe is on his first rescue mission.
The yellow Labrador that was on the adoption block at Longmont Humane Society a few years ago is on his way to Chile to help rescue survivors trapped in the rubble after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake and a series of aftershocks devastated parts of central Chile early Saturday, killing more than 700 people.
Joe and his handler, Linda Tacconelli, deployed on their first mission Monday morning.
They are one of six teams — part of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force based in Los Angeles County — heading to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif., to catch a military transport plane to Chile.
“The whole purpose there, of course, is to find and identify and alert rescuers to live humans that have been trapped,” National Disaster Search Dog Foundation canine manager Karen Klingberg said Monday.
“They need to be able to focus their rescue efforts before it becomes a recovery effort.”
When Joe arrived at the Longmont Humane Society in 2007, employees and volunteers quickly discovered his endless energy for playing fetch, LHS training and behavior department coordinator Sarah Clusman said Monday.
But after Joe had been at the shelter for “quite a while” without being adopted, Clusman had another idea: search and rescue.
She worked with the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, based in Ojai, Calif., to drill Joe, running him through a series of tests: throwing balls and toys into bushes, throwing them when he wasn’t looking, allowing him to watch the throw then spinning him around and around before releasing him to search.
He found his target every time.
“One time, it was stuck up in a tree; he could see it, but he couldn’t reach it, and he just kept jumping up and down trying to get it,” Clusman said. “He practically climbed the tree.”

Klingberg watched Joe’s tests on YouTube and liked what she saw. She flew to Denver in late December 2007 to pick him up and fly with him (he wormed his way from the floor onto the airplane seats) back to California. Joe graduated from his initial training program in July 2008 and was paired with Tacconelli, who lives in Santa Barbara, Calif., Klingberg said.
The two continued working together, training intensively to pass the difficult tests to become a FEMA-certified search-and-rescue team. They were certified in October.
“This shelter dog that was dumped turned into this fantastic animal, which Joe very much is,” Klingberg said.
Unlike Haiti, which was devastated Jan. 12 by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake, Chile has a structured government with emergency response teams in place, Klingberg said.
“(But) their resources are stretched so thin, they cannot keep up with everything; they have finally asked for our help,” she said.
When task force members arrive, they likely will be briefed by Chilean officials, but no one yet knows exactly where the teams will be sent to work, Klingberg said.
The teams will be there for two weeks. NDSDF provided them with satellite phones, she said, “so we’re hoping to hear from them on occasion.”

Donate To Humane Societies To Help Animals In Need!!

2010-03-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Everyone,

We would like to take a moment to remind you to donate to Humane Societies and shelters whenever you can. Many, many animals are in need of our help and most may never find their forever homes without it.

Thank you,

CLAWS Admins

'Foie Gras' French for "Cruelty"?

2010-03-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

Please watch the video and then follow the link to a petition to ban Foie Gras in the United States.

WARNING: GRAPHIC!! THIS WILL RUIN YOUR DAY!!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/5/ban-the-sale-of-foie-gras-in-the-united-states

Support Stronger Regulation of Pet Food Industry!!!

2010-03-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

This just came to us from a friend and I thought I would really like to share this story with you...

Currently, these are quotes from the United States FDA website regarding regulation of pet food safety:

"The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) requires that pet foods, like human foods, be safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled."

"There is no requirement that pet food products have pre-market approval by the FDA. However, FDA ensures that the ingredients used in pet food are safe and have an appropriate function in the pet food."

If that's all true, then how do they explain this?:

This photo was taken yesterday at her workplace. She noticed a truck come, take a couple of barrels from behind the store and replace them with two more. She asked the manager what they were for and he replied that: "They were for disposing of the nasty stuff we can't use... it'll make people sick." Needless to say, she went around later on a cig break, saw the label, and was FURIOUS!

Out of curiosity, she decided to stake out the barrels for a day and was horrified by what she saw: people using them to dump used motor oil, garbage and as toilets.

So... what I want to know now is how does the FDA define "inedible"? Does that also fall under "safe" and "appropriate function"?

Please sign our petition to ask the FDA to STOP FEEDING OUR FRIENDS POISON!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/stop-feeding-our-pets-poison