Cat survives 3 weeks on roof!

A stray cat in South Carolina climbed a tree near some apartments and walked down a limb onto the roof.  Then the cat was too scared to climb down the way he came up.  A concerned resident was feeding the cat with a pole and a bucket.  She had called many people to help, and the fire department came out twice but couldn't get the scared, skittish cat.

Finally, somehow the local news station came out and called a tree service company.  The man said this cat rescue made his 1, 010th!  Yes, that's one thousand and ten!

The cat was rescued but only because it was cornered.

Click on read more to watch a video of the rescue.

Read more....

Fire kills 140 cats, 3 dogs and numerous small animals at animal shelter

A fire swept through the Humane Society of Durham Region shelter early Wednesday, leaving about 180 animals dead, police said.  (The website for the shelter states the number of animals killed are 

In its wake, those who cared for and loved the animals inside were heartbroken. Teen volunteers could only hug each other, sob and place flowers outside the charred, boarded-up building on Wednesday afternoon.

"I was the investigator. I brought in the animals that were abused," said Debby Houghton.

"A lot of these animals were abused in Durham region. They were starving or neglected and came here to be safe," she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

Another woman noted that many of the animals had to fight to stay alive, only to die from the heat, smoke and flames.

Fire had engulfed the building when firefighters arrived about 2:30 a.m.

Emergency crews managed to save nine dogs, a rat and two cats from the building, located on Waterloo Street in Oshawa. About 140 cats died from smoke inhalation, as did three dogs and about 40 small animals including some rabbits and a guinea pig.

The damage to the building is extensive, police said in a news release.

"The building suffered extensive fire and smoke damage estimated at approximately $250,000," it said. "The cause of the fire has not been determined and remains under investigation."

The animals that were saved were sheltered in police vehicles until officers with Oshawa Animal Services arrived to rescue them.

The pets are now at a 24-hour animal hospital in Whitby where they are being examined.

"This is a horrific event and our hearts go out to the Humane Society of Durham Region," says Kate MacDonald, CEO of the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"The SPCA will be assisting the Humane Society in any way we can during this emotional time."

http://toronto.ctv.ca 

Donate to the shelter or attend one of their fundraisers. 

The Lower Rung of Society and "Cat Ladies"

I received a lot of comments in response to my quote in USA Today. Most of them I deleted because they were inappropriate, rude and filled with obscenities. It is amazing to me how many rude people we have in our society. They can say whatever they want, it doesn't bother me too much because I know that I am a good person. What their comments told me, besides that they were immature and annoying, was that people automatically believe you are a "nutcase" or "crazy cat lady" if they find out you help cats.

Why is that? Caring for the less fortunate makes you a kind person, not anything negative. I have 6 cats here. The people who left comments assumed that I was a hoarder, that lived in a filthy house and that I had no friends. When did rescuing unwanted cats from death become a bad thing? I am just continually surprised at the ignorance of people.

If you really care about animals, and live in Kansas City, this is for you!

We need more people!! If you are truly dedicated to helping animals, this is for you. You are actually out in the community, directly helping animals.

You can see that dog look at you with grateful eyes when you put hay in his dog house to provide him warmth. You can see how excited he is when you throw him a ball and give him some food.

You can educate an owner and get a dog off a chain, where he can run around outside without being held back and go inside at night with his family, all because of your dedication!

Even if you do one Sunday a month, you can make a difference! I have had quite a few moments where I was almost overcome with tears of happiness.

Read below for a description and contact information to get involved.

Pet Outreach: Our Outreach Program Volunteers canvasses various of the city every weekend helping needy pets. Volunteers promote responsible pet ownership through education and by providing needy pets new dog houses, hay, food and transportation of pets to and from spay/neuter clinics. This group will be hosting a meeting in March and are looking for more interested volunteers who want to get involved. If you would like to learn more about getting involved with our Pet Outreach Program please email Kate Quigley at fite4dogs@yahoo.com

Three die trying to save their dogs

Authorities yesterday recovered the body of a 42-year-old Berkeley woman who was swept out to sea Saturday when she jumped into the ocean to try to save her dog on California’s Sonoma coast -- one of at least three such deaths in recent weeks.

According to a San Francisco Chronicle story, witnesses saw the woman, identified by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department as Molly Keane, go into the water near the Sonoma-Mendocino County line. The body of her dog was later found washed up on the beach. Keane's death was the second fatality in five weeks of a would-be dog rescuer swept off the Sonoma coast.

On Jan. 12, 19-year-old Ann Madden of Petaluma and her fiance were walking along an overlook at Portuguese Beach with their two dogs when large waves engulfed the two animals. Her fiance jumped in to rescue the dogs, followed by Madden.

"What she did was very, very heroic, but that’s the kind of person she was. We’re not surprised at all that she jumped in to save her fiance or the dogs," her mother said in an article in the Reading Eagle. Madden's fiance and two dogs survived.

In Buffalo, N.Y., police believe Anthony Dashner, a 51-year-old corrections officer, was trying to retrieve his parents' dog when he fell through the ice on the Buffalo River and died. Police pulled his body from the river Saturday afternoon, an article in the Buffalo News reported.

Dashner was last seen Wednesday morning, when he left his home to look for his parents' dog. Police believe Dashner was following the dog when he broke through the ice. Dashner worked at the medium-security Gowanda prison in southern Erie County.

Hero Dog Saves a Man!

Tokyo - Japanese police on Thursday heaped praise on a Labrador retriever who found an elderly man who fell over in freezing conditions at night, the second time the dog was credited with saving a life.

The three-year-old black Lab, named 'Dor, suddenly started barking when she was taking a walk with her owner, Koichi Wada, in the western city of Iwade one evening last month, a police officer said.

"The dog led Mr Wada to a nearby irrigation ditch, where an elderly man was lying face up," the officer said.

The ditch was one-metre deep and the 86-year-old man had been soaked in water up to his ears.

"Since it was cold and already dark, the man would have been frozen to death if she had not smelled something and told it to her owner," he said.

The elderly man soon had even more luck. Wada stopped a passing car and found that a doctor was behind the wheel.

The doctor drove the man to his clinic, where he was treated for minor wounds in the head and hands.

Iwade police on Wednesday gave a certificate of gratitude to Wada for saving the man's life.

"The certificate went to the owner as there is no precedent for a dog getting a certificate," the officer said.

It wasn't the first time that 'Dor saved a human life, according to police.

She started barking at a car parked under a bridge last year, prompting Wada to check on it. Wada called police, who brought to safety a middle-aged man who was about to commit suicide. - Sapa-AFP

168 Cats and Kittens Rescued from 2012 Olympic Park Demolition Site

Thanks to all who sent letters to the International Olympic Committee and members of the Olympic Delivery Authority, the Celia Hammond Animal Trust (CHAT) has been allowed a limited period of time to access the site of the 2012 Olympic Games!

On January 15th, a meeting was held between CHAT and the ODA to discuss their access to the site in order to rescue the remaining cats. The group has been granted permission to access certain areas at particular times. According to their website, they recently trapped a pregnant mom and rescued two cats that were found taking shelter in out-of-service buses.

This is a victory for CHAT and the cats facing uncertain death from all of the destruction taking place around them. BUT there is still more cats that need rescued and the group is still fighting the ODA for access to other areas of the site. Please keep the letters coming and we can see that ALL of the remaining cats are removed from the site before it is too late!

WRITE TO:

David Higgins, Chief Executive, Olympic Delivery Authority
One Churchill Place
Canary Wharf, London E14 5LN

Lord Sebastian Coe, Olympic Delivery Authority
One Churchill Place
Canary Wharf, London E14 5LN

John Armitt CBE, Chairman, Olympic Delivery Authority
One Churchill Place
Canary Wharf, London, E14 5LN

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London
Greater London Authority, City Hall, The Queens Walk
More London, London SE1 2AA

Daytona 500 champion, Ryan Newman saving lives of dogs across America

Dog lovers probably recognize "Marley & Me" as the title of a non-fiction bestseller based on the life of a beloved pooch bearing that name.

Harley & Me could be the name of Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman’s book, should he ever choose to write one. To be fair, though, Newman would have to pen several, given his lifelong love of dogs and chosen avocation.

Newman and his wife, Krissie, have four dogs of their own – Harley being “Daddy’s girl” – and the couple pledged $400,000 to launch the recently opened Ryan Newman Foundation Spay/Neuter Clinic in Hickory, N.C. The clinic will serve eight counties and offer low-cost sterilization surgeries for humane societies and other rescue groups who spay and neuter homeless pets before they are adopted. After opening in December, the clinic spayed 131 pets during its first week of operation alone.

Newman’s victory in Sunday’s 50th running of the Daytona 500 – to be followed by a whirlwind media tour including stops on national network shows “Late Show with David Letterman” and “Live with Regis and Kelly” – will only help elevate his philanthropic platform.

Newman’s foundation was launched in 2005 with animal welfare as a primary area of focus (wildlife conservation and auto racing scholarships are the others). Under the animal welfare umbrella, RNF works with organizations such as the Humane Society, ASPCA, Humane Alliance and Project Halo to create and maintain programs that help reduce overpopulation and euthanization of dogs and cats while also increasing adoption for homeless pets. Newman says 4 million to 6 million animals each year are abandoned or sent to shelters nationally and as many as half are euthanized.

“There’s 2-3 million innocent lives each year that can be saved if we help control their population,” he says.

In ways both large and small, Newman is doing his part.

Each of the past two years, Newman and fellow Cup driver Greg Biffle have used a trip to Loudon, N.H., to do more than race. The duo has transported dogs slated to die from shelters in North Carolina to New Hampshire. Jodi Geschickter, wife of JTG Racing owner Tad Geschickter, spearheaded the relocation effort, and six dogs have been saved in the process.

“She got it together with the people from New Hampshire for us to be able to take the dogs up there on our team plane. Thankfully, we were able to rescue those dogs that would have been euthanized due to overpopulation,” Newman says.

Climate can play a prominent role in overpopulation.

“Geographically, they are in a different situation than what we are because of their rougher winters. They don’t have the overpopulation; they have a need for animals,” he says.

Newman traces his affinity for dogs back to a childhood spent growing up in rural Indiana. His father, Greg, was a hunter, and the family’s German shorthairs were originally used for the pursuit of pheasant.

Newman says after he and his sister, Jamie, were born, “Hunting kind of went to the wayside.”

The dogs, though, remained as pets.

In addition to the pure-bred hunters and a black Labrador retriever named Misty the family had for 16 years, Newman specifically recalls a yellow Lab of indeterminate mix named Lady. As the only “non-trophy dog” he can remember in the Newman family, which raised its own beef, Lady left a lasting impression on Ryan.

“She would actually go out there with a good size stick – a four-inch log – and play tug of war with the cow. The cow would put the log in its mouth, and she’d put the log in her mouth, and it was amazing to watch. Things like that make good memories,” he says.

Today, it’s another Lab of dubious lineage – perhaps with some pit bull or boxer in her – that helps make new memories for Newman: Harley.

“She’s very needy. She loves attention. You can stop petting her, and she’ll just sort of tackle you,” Newman says. “I’ve always had a love for dogs, just wanted to play with them out in the yard, roll around out in the grass and go do things with them.”

Canines have always been constant companions for Newman with one glaring exception: when he ventured to North Carolina in 2001 to chase his NASCAR dream on a full-time basis. It was around then that he met Krissie Boyle, and what ensued was a case of, well, puppy love.

“That was a good fit. When I moved down, I didn’t have a dog and lived by myself and wanted to eventually get one. When I met her, I got Digger. Sometimes I tell people when I met Digger, I got Krissie,” Newman says.

Clearly, he met his match in more ways than one.

Krissie already had Digger. Together she and Ryan then found Harley in a store parking lot. Harley and Digger discovered Mopar, and Socks was later added to the mix as the family’s fourth dog.

So, is Digger “Mama’s girl” then, seeing she was the first?

“Digger’s always had a spot in my heart because she was the first dog that was mine,” Krissie says, but quickly adds, “I love ’em all equally.”

The Newmans do not have children, but don’t think their sleep is never interrupted. Socks, in particular, has a knack for jumping on the bed as soon as Newman gets to sleep.

“She sleeps by Krissie’s feet because I think she knows Krissie won’t kick her off, but I will,” Newman says with a laugh. “I’m a big advocate of getting sleep, so I try not to let the dogs actually overpower us. Because they’ll push you right out of bed. In fact, Harley’s tried to push me right out of the bed before. Usually, Socks and Harley end up on the bed.”

Thanks to the rigors of a 36-race schedule that spans February through November, the Newmans are away from their Sherrills Ford, N.C., residence a lot. The dogs typically do not accompany them on the road, and considering the relatively cramped confines of a motorhome, that’s probably a good thing for all parties involved.

“We’ve got 65 acres that we live on, and they get free range of that. They have a lot more fun doing their thing with their clique of four than if we were to take one or two of them away and separate them. They have a blast. Obviously, they miss us. We can tell that when we get home. Outside of that, they’re enjoying life for sure,” Newman says. “Without a doubt, we treat them as family. If we were to call them kids we wouldn’t be far off.”

Krissie says: “I call and check on ’em every day. They’re good kids.”

Away from home and awaiting his chance to qualify for last fall’s race at Atlanta, Newman crouches down against the center wall of the No. 12 transporter in a baseball catcher’s stance. Krissie stands little more than an arm’s length away to Newman’s right. There’s a collection of folks inside the hauler: team members, PR people and friends of the Newmans. It’s loud.

“He and the animals are very close,” Krissie says of her husband.

Gone suddenly is the cacophony of conversations. Only silence. Then laughter and lots of it.

“Want to get in a cat fight?” Ryan Newman playfully responds.

Earlier, outside the ear shot of his wife, Newman spoke of their Pit Road Pets book – a project that featured several NASCAR drivers and saw 100 percent of its net proceeds donated to help fund the new complex in Hickory – and his surprise of how many are touched by the companionship of animals.

“It’s been a very big eye-opener with our book to see how many people in the garage area are affected by a dog or a cat, either through their lives with a story they remember or currently … It’s neat. When you see the term unconditional love in the dictionary, there should be a picture of a dog or cat next to it. It’s like they never have a bad day when they see you.”

With four full-time dogs already in the fold, has the Newman household reached its peak? Depends on whom you ask.

“Krissie and I, there’s two hands on each of us, we can only pet four at a time,” Newman says.

Krissie is told her husband put the cap on canines at four.

“He did? Oh … well, I don’t think there’s a number,” she says, prompting more laughter. “There’s always room for more.”

Krissie Newman’s 2005 post-Hurricane Katrina tours of New Orleans and Gulfport, Miss., left a lasting impression and has spurred her to rescue other animals wherever and whenever the opportunity arises. Working in conjunction with the Humane Alliance and Project Halo, Krissie helped transport animals from the ravaged region that people were forced to give up because they simply couldn’t care for them.

“It was pretty emotional for all of us,” she says, “Every time somebody would pull in and have to give up one of their beloved animals because they didn’t have a home and didn’t know where they were going, I mean, it was difficult.

“We ended up doing a lot of driving around New Orleans and all over Slidell to see the damage and try and figure out what animals needed help.”

So many animals do – and Krissie Newman strives to make a difference on a smaller, every-day level outside the spotlight. On more than one occasion, she’s temporarily taken in a dog in need and then found it a permanent home. After the Atlanta race last fall, Ryan was slated to pick up a golden doodle from Talladega for Krissie to drive back home to her native New Jersey for adoption with a friend of her family there. Then there was the black Lab puppy named Chip, whose fate was euthanization in Alabama, but who ended up living with the Newmans during a transition period until he landed with a cousin of Krissie’s. Currently, two strays are taking up temporary residence at the Newman household until permanent homes can be found for both.

“If there’s an animal that needs a home and I have to take it home temporarily and find it a good home or give it care, I’m not going to turn anything away. Dog, cat, it doesn’t matter,” she says.

Told she is always on the job, Krissie Newman smiles and says, “I don’t mind it. It’s a good job to have.”

Bob Barker, longtime host of “The Price is Right,” used to sign off from each broadcast with a reminder for people to have their pets spayed or neutered. While rescue efforts are admirable, Newman is quick to make the point that spay/neuter activities are vital in the battle against overpopulation.

“We’re trying to help rescue the animals, but the ideal thing is to be able to eliminate the overpopulation so we don’t have to put ourselves in that situation. We enjoy it, don’t get me wrong, but we’re only crutching the situation. We need to perform a little surgery,” he says.

Ryan Newman Foundation Executive Director Rosalie De Fini says the foundation’s work with the Humane Alliance centers on this premise.

“With animals especially, people have the heartstrings that get pulled," De Fini says. "So they think the answer is rescuing as many you can and taking them all home. They’ve been really revolutionary at the Humane Alliance because they see that’s not the answer to it. It makes you feel good, but you need to start on the front end with prevention.”

Personnel from Newman’s spay/neuter clinic in Hickory receive training in Asheville, N.C., where the Humane Alliance is based. De Fini says the number of animals euthanized was reduced in Buncombe (N.C.) County by 80 percent during the Humane Alliance’s first 12 years of existence.

With Ryan and Krissie serving as national spokespersons for the Humane Alliance’s National Spay/Neuter Response Team, the aim is to spread the prevention gospel throughout America.

“They really saw this concept and figured out spay and neutering was the only way to reduce overpopulation. It’s a pretty great group, and they’re a little ahead of the times in getting people involved,” says Krissie, who notes the group supplied a fixed rig for spay/neutering during her trip to New Orleans.

The challenge is greater outside of major cities.

“It’s hard when you’ve got a new idea and you’re trying to bring it to really rural areas,” Krissie says.

On a positive note: Having the Daytona 500 champion on your side can only help the cause.

– More information on Newman’s foundation is available at www.ryannewmanfoundation.org

Firefighters, animal hospital able to save five burned rescue dogs

It was not a call Dr. John Gustafson was expecting on a Saturday night.

A house was on fire on West Piedmont Street in Keyser and the veterinarian’s help was needed to tend to the seven basset hounds that lived there.

Gustafson was familiar with the residence. It was the home of Charlie Meyer, a member of Brood Basset Rescue of Old Dominion, a regional organization that rescues abused and abandoned basset hounds.

The bassets were Meyer’s adoptees, and Gustafson’s patients.

“They called me to come to the scene,” Gustafson said. “When I got there, they had one of the dogs on a gurney in an ambulance, giving him oxygen.

“He was in the room where the fire started.

“There was another one in the yard being resuscitated.”

The others were milling about the yard, shocked and confused.

“I was worried that they were going to get out of the yard,” Meyer said, noting that most of the dazed dogs — all older adults — had suffered varying degrees of burns on their ears, noses and foot pads.

“The firemen carried them out of the house, and they made sure they were all accounted for,” he said.

“Amazingly, the last one out was Savannah, a retired show girl, who came out without a scratch.”

Not all of Savannah’s housemates were as fortunate, however.

Before he left the scene, Gustafson had to make the decision to put the dog in the ambulance down due to extensive injuries and an already poor medical history.

“Summi was the first one they brought out; he came out alive but barely breathing,” Meyer said. He was 12 years old and blind.

“He’d been a stray we’d found wandering around Huntington.”

With no time for Meyer to grieve, Gustafson quickly took Flash, the dog being resuscitated in the yard, to his animal hospital in Rawlings, and Meyer and some friends followed with the remainder of the canines.

At the hospital, the long painful healing process began.

“We were here at the hospital two-thirds of the night working on them,” Gustafson said.

“We had to put one down toward the middle of the week though; he had suffered severe smoke inhalation.”

Three of the dogs suffered first-, second-, and third-degree burns on their ears and face and two were minimally injured.

“Their hair was singed; it was a pretty intense fire,” Gustafson said.

“They’re all doing pretty well now, though,” he said Friday.

“They’re eating, drinking, wagging their tails and eating their Scooby Snacks.”

Meyer said the fire started when a kerosene space heater caught fire. He counts himself very fortunate that the damage was kept to a minimum.

Both he and Gustafson expressed their admiration for the way the firefighters handled both the situation and the burned bassets.

“I’m from New York,” Meyer said. “I was really surprised who all came out to offer help. There was a lot of outpouring of care and understanding.”

“I was really impressed with the response of the fire companies,” Gustafson said, noting that firefighters form Keyser, McCoole and New Creek all responded to the scene.

“Their concern for the animals and their immediate first aid response was exceptional.

Meyer also had words of gratitude for Gustafson himself.

“He came out there with his entire staff,” he said. “He was really great.”

He also expressed his gratitude for Gustafson’s daughter, Juliana, who had donated the pet resuscitators to the area fire departments as a community service project for her school.

“She was just so proud they were able to use them,” Gustafson said.

Although Meyer is currently unable to live in his house, he started Friday to poke through the rubble and begin the long clean-up process.

“It’s probably going to take the next couple of months to clean it out,” he said.

In the meantime, he has found some temporary homes for the survivors — Eyeore, Piglet, Boo, Cheeseburger and Savannah.

“I’ll keep the ‘burn babies’ with me for a little while, though. They’re going to need some continued care,” he said.

Do you take care of feral cats?

I am just putting this question out here because I am wondering who else who might read this blog is taking care of feral cats. Please leave a comment just saying how many you take care of, how long you have taken care of them and how you take care of them, and anything else you want to say.

I live in an apartment and I am finding it very, VERY difficult to help ferals. People keep throwing my things away, or stealing them. I don't think the other people who live here care about the cats. I started to leave food outside my door, on the third floor and there are cats finding it. There has to be more than one cat because a lot of food gets eaten.

I don't know how many there are, or even what they look like. I want to trap one or more of them soon. I need to get another cage. I still have Annie here, and she is in two cages but she needs both. She is actually out, running around in the spare bedroom right now.

So, let me know if you take care of ferals, I would love to talk about it. I could get some good ideas from others who have taken care of them for awhile. I am new to feral cat care.

Saving Pit Bulls from HSUS, PETA, and Michael Vick

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and PETA wanted to add the ultimate insult (death) to a life of injury (dog-fighting) for the dog victims of Michael Vick. Despite the recommendations of HSUS and PETA that they be killed, prosecutors allowed the dogs to go to No Kill adoption groups all over the country. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. And these pictures say it all. Where are they now? Click here to view a photo montage. (There is nothing graphic here, the photographs are pure joy.)

Annie...hits a snag...

So, yesterday, I decided to spend as much time with Annie as possible. She has been improving so much that I thought I should keep this good thing going.

Today, she really didn't want anything to do with me. I might have spent too much time with her. What I tried to do was come in each hour to at least say hi and try to pet her, if I could. Sometimes she is laying under the desk or somewhere else where I couldn't really pet her without her possibly feeling cornered, so I don't try to.

This morning when I came into her room, she did not want to come out of her cage. Sometimes that happens and when it does, I bring her cage out into the living room near me, or next to the balcony so she can watch the birds at the feeders.

I waited awhile instead of moving her anywhere to see if she would "perk" up and act like she wanted out of the cage. She really never did, all day. I am not sure what is going on but she seems to be feeling well and I don't see any obvious signs of illness or injury.

I am sitting next to her cage right now and petting her every so often and she is purring loudly! Maybe yesterday was just a little too much contact for her.

Here are 2 recent pictures of her...she is doing so well!

Dog Found Floating On Ice In Half-Frozen River

OMAHA, Neb. -- A Nebraska dog needed some human assistance this week when he found himself floating on a piece of ice in the half-frozen Platte River. Residents along the river had noticed the dog on the ice out in the middle of the river on Wednesday. Efforts to reach Max failed because he was just too far from shore. By the time professional help from the Nebraska Humane Society and the Cass County Sheriff's Office arrived, Max had decided to take a chance and plunge into the river. With verbal encouragement from shore, the dog made it to land and was rescued. After a physical examination from the Humane Society, Max is expected to be reunited with his family.

Brothers save neighbor's dog from frozen pond

SHILOH -- Josh Bishop said he couldn't ignore the haunting sound he heard Sunday morning.

"I thought it sounded like a dog, but it didn't really sound like a regular dog bark," said Bishop, 20. "I could tell though that something was obviously wrong."

Bishop said he had just stepped outside.

"It was about 7 a.m., and still dark outside," he said. "My first thought was to go down to my neighbor's pond. I had a cat that died in that pond last year, so my first instinct was to check there."

Grabbing a spotlight to shine on the water, Bishop said he saw what appeared to be a dog hanging onto the edge of the ice.

"There's an irrigation system in the middle, so while the rest of the pond was frozen, the middle was not," he said. "The dog obviously fell through that hole and was just barely hanging on."

Bishop said he ran back to his house and woke his younger brother, Eli.

Then he ran to the neighbor's home and borrowed his canoe.

"The dog was probably only three canoe lengths into the pond, but I didn't want to take the chance of walking out and having the ice break," Bishop said.

While Eli, 17, shined the spotlight onto the icy pond, Bishop edged the canoe to the dog, while his neighbor stood along the shore holding a rope with a buoy attached to the canoe.

"I just leaned over the front and grabbed the dog by his collar and pulled him out," Bishop said. "He had icicles all over his mouth."

Eli told his brother the black Labrador retriever belonged to their neighbor, Anne Moore.

Moore, 45, said she will always be grateful to the Bishops.

"I can't thank them enough," she said.

Annie let me pick her up!

My feral cat, Annie, is becoming less and less feral every day.

She let me pick her up for about 3 seconds, which is a long time for a cat that used to be terrified of me. She wants my attention and wants me to pet her. She licked me, too.

I am so happy that I decided to keep her because there were times where her behavior was so "wild" that I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing-that my attempts to help her were actually harming her. I guess it was good for her that it was so cold outside. That is why I decided to keep her inside. Even though I had doubts about whether this was the right thing to do for her and I was thinking about letting her go, the weather was just so bad, that I felt she would freeze to death if I did let her go.

Free Food for Shelter Dogs and Cats! Animalrescuesite.org needs help!

Free Food for Shelter Dogs and Cats

The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals.

It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on the purple box ‘fund food for animals’ for free.

This doesn’t cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising.

Here’s the web site! The Animal Rescue Site. Pass it along to people you know.

AGAIN, PLEASE TELL 10 FRIENDS (or as many as you can)

If you were wondering.

Snopes.com says this is legitimate
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/charity/animalrescue.asp

Hundreds of animals found in home, including 89 frozen ferrets

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Authorities say they removed nearly 200 animals from a Virginia Beach home, including 89 frozen ferret carcasses.

Police spokeswoman Margie Long says animal control agents found more than 100 live ferrets, a dog, a bird and three cats, most of them suffering from dehydration and malnutrition. Long said the frozen bodies of 89 ferrets, a cat, a rat and an otter were discovered in freezers in the house and garage.

Sixty-one of the live ferrets had to be euthanized because of poor health.

St. Bernard Parish deputies won't be prosecuted in dog shootings

Citing insufficient evidence, new state Attorney General James "Buddy" Caldwell has dropped animal cruelty charges against two men accused of killing stray dogs while working for the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office in the chaotic days after Hurricane Katrina.

Michael Minton, 44, a former sheriff's deputy, and Clifford "Chip" Englande, 36, a sergeant who has been on desk duty for more than a year, were indicted on charges of aggravated animal cruelty in November 2006.

A state grand jury concluded they fatally shot "numerous dogs" that had been abandoned by their owners and were roaming the streets after Katrina swamped the parish.

The indictments, which were obtained by Caldwell's predecessor, Charles Foti, were partially based on jerky video shot by a Texas photojournalist that shows a black Labrador lying mortally wounded on a Violet street as two civilian vehicles commandeered by the Sheriff's Office drive past.

Shootings not shown

Minton was accused of shooting the dog while standing in the back of a Jeep driven by Englande, according to court records. But the recording does not show the dog being shot, and Caldwell, who was sworn in Jan. 14, dismissed the charges in a pair of letters filed Tuesday in 34th Judicial District Court in Chalmette.

"Despite the existence of probable cause for arrest and sufficient evidence for a grand jury indictment, considering all the facts and circumstances in this matter there is insufficient evidence to prove the guilt of the defendants beyond a reasonable doubt," said the letters signed by Assistant Attorney General Dana Cummings.

A spokeswoman for Caldwell declined Thursday to elaborate on his reasons for dropping the charges.

Englande, who joined the Sheriff's Office in 1991 and was assigned to administrative duties after his indictment, referred questions to his attorney, Pat Fanning, who said Englande was misidentified as the driver of the Jeep.

"There is not a lick of evidence that my client killed any dogs," Fanning said. "These guys never should have been prosecuted. I'm just glad the new attorney general gave the case a fair review and determined the right outcome."

Minton, who left the Sheriff's Office in February 2006, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Sheriff praises development

St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens said the decision to drop the charges exonerates his department, as well as the two men.

"I'm happy for the two officers involved. They have been under a great deal of heartache and pressure," Stephens said. "I also want to reiterate how proud I am of the way we responded to the greatest disaster in our country's history."

Stephens said Englande will immediately be reinstated to full duty.

The dismissed charges mark the third time a Katrina-related criminal case initiated by Foti has fizzled.

In July, a grand jury refused to indict Dr. Anna Pou on second-degree murder charges stemming from the death of patients at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans. And in September, a jury found Sal and Mabel Mangano innocent of negligent homicide charges in the deaths of 35 elderly residents who drowned during Katrina's aftermath at the couple's flooded nursing home in St. Bernard Parish.

Foti, whose office investigated both cases and prosecuted the Manganos, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Minton's trial had been scheduled to start Tuesday, with Englande's to follow Feb. 14. The felony charges carried penalties of up to 10 years in prison upon conviction.

'This place has gone crazy'

Court documents indicate prosecutors with the attorney general's office under Foti, who lost his re-election bid in the October primary, had planned to show the jury a video shot by David Leeson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer for The Dallas Morning News who once worked for The Times-Picayune.

The recording, which can be viewed at www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/photography/2005/katrina_video/straydogs.html, includes the sound of a gunshot as the camera pans to a black Lab lying in the middle of the street. The dog yelps and tries to get up as a pickup and Jeep spray painted to indicate they had been seized by the Sheriff's Office drive away.

"They just killed that dog, man," Leeson says on the recording. "This place has gone crazy."

Moments later, another gunshot can be heard, and Leeson says, "They shot that one, too."

In a subsequent interview recorded by Leeson, Minton acknowledged shooting dogs, citing safety and humanitarian concerns.

"It's better for that dog, really. Where's he going to find food? Where's he going to find water?" Minton says on the recording. "We're doing it to protect ourselves, but it's more humane for the dog."

Later in the interview, Leeson asks Minton, "So how many dogs?"

"Enough," Minton replies.

Susan Michaels, co-founder of Pasado's Safe Haven, an animal welfare group in Sultan, Wash., that organized scores of volunteers to rescue pets after Katrina, said she is "appalled" that the charges were dropped.

"There couldn't have been a better case," she said. "You have an admission from Minton, a videotape of the shootings, as well as statements from eyewitnesses. It's just amazing that this is not being pursued."

The charges against Minton and Englande focused on the black Lab and a pit bull puppy and did not address reports that about three dozen dogs were shot and killed in three St. Bernard schools after authorities forced the pets' owners to leave them behind during post-Katrina evacuations.

Lawsuit pending

The owners of some of the dogs have filed suit in federal court in New Orleans against the St. Bernard government, former Parish President Henry "Junior" Rodriguez, the Parish Council, Stephens and numerous deputies.

Michaels, whose organization helped the pet owners file the suit, said the slain dogs were friendly and posed no danger.

"These animals were not packs of wild dogs," she said. "They were people's pets."

Tammi Arender Herring, Caldwell's director of communications, said authorities had legitimate concerns that stray dogs could spread diseases. But she expressed sympathy for St. Bernard residents who lost their pets.

"It's a very unfortunate incident, and we're saddened that it happened," she said. "But from a legal angle, there was not sufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt."

Paul Rioux can be reached at prioux@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3321

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