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A pet owner knows the enormous joy and comfort that an animal can provide, especially in troubled times. Most pets are considered important members of the family and irreplaceable companions. A growing body of research now documents the value of the human-animal bond in child development, elderly care, mental illness, physical impairment, dementia, abuse and trauma recovery, and the rehabilitation of incarcerated youth and adults. In two articles in a recent issue of Family Process, titled "Human-Animal Bonds I," (focused on the benefits of companion animals) and "Human-Animal Bonds II," (focused on their role in couple and family dynamics and...

KNOXVILLE - A Knox County jury this afternoon sentenced convicted torture-slaying ringleader Lemaricus Davidson to death by lethal injection for the January 2007 murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. The jury of five women and seven men deliberated about four hours before returning its decision to a packed courtroom. “The punishment is death,” the jury foreman said.

KNOXVILLE - A Knox County jury this afternoon sentenced convicted torture-slaying ringleader Lemaricus Davidson to death by lethal injection for the January 2007 murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. The jury of five women and seven men deliberated about four hours before returning its decision to a packed courtroom. “The punishment is death,” the jury foreman said. The victims' families gasped at the verdict, but Davidson showed no reaction. Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner admonished those in the courtroom to control any outburst. “The murder was especially heinous, atrocious and cruel,” the foreman said, reading from the verdict form....

A Knox County jury delivered the death sentence this afternoon to the ringleader in the torture slayings of a young Knoxville couple following a carjacking. The same panel of seven men and five women who convicted Lemaricus Davidson, 28, in the 2007 attack on University of Tennessee student Channon Christian, 21, and her boyfriend Christopher Newsom, 23, decided his fate. Davidson was found guilty of more than 30 counts, including felony murder and premeditated murder of each victim. The jury had a choice of a life sentence mandating a minimum of 51 years in prison, life without parole with no...

Two decades after the devil-worshiping "Night Stalker" killer was sentenced to die for 13 Southern California murders, DNA evidence has tied him to the 1984 rape and slaying of a 9-year-old girl in the Tenderloin, San Francisco authorities said Thursday. The DNA links Richard Ramirez and possibly a second, unknown attacker to the April 10, 1984, killing of Mei "Linda" Leung, whose body was found hanging over a pipe in the basement of her apartment building at 765 O'Farrell St., police said. The girl was with her 8-year-old brother when she lost a dollar bill and went looking for it,...

By Andrew W. Griffin Red Dirt Report, editor Posted: October 7, 2009 reddirtreporter@gmail.com OKLAHOMA CITY – Back in July, we here at Red Dirt Report noted how the radical animal-rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had blood on their hands no thanks to their decision to kill 95 percent of the dogs and cats put in their care in 2008. PETA found homes for less than one out of every 300 animals at their so-called “shelters.” PETA loves animals, right? It’s not looking that way. Just check out the informative website Petakillsanimals.com for more information. And...

(click here, or at source link above.)

Send Correction Plainfield — An animal control officer was injured late Tuesday night when a pit bull lunged at her and knocked her to the ground. Animal Control Officer Theresa Foss, a 17-year veteran, responded to the call at the Roberts' residence at 270 Green Hollow Road about 10:48 p.m. after it was reported the dog would not let a resident exit the house. The dog alternated from the front and rear doors of the house, police said. The dog does not belong to the Roberts. The dog is described as a pit bull, white in color with some brown...

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - As police charged a Yale animal lab technician with murdering a graduate student who worked in his building, a portrait began to emerge Thursday of an unpleasant stickler for the rules who often clashed with researchers and considered the mice cages his personal fiefdom.

NORCO-- A man is accused of repeatedly forcing a 12 year old girl to have sex with him as well as forcing her to sell marijuana, sheriffs officials say. Julio Louis Cortes, 25, of Westminster is suspected of forcing the 12 year old female victim to have sex and to sell marijuana for the past six months. During the sexual assaults, Cortes threatened the 12 year old at gunpoint, said Sgt. Matthew Sims of the Norco Sheriff's Department. Cortes was arrested on Friday September 11th after deputies received a report of sexual assault from the 12 year old female victim....

The number of animals and plants protected by the federal Endangered Species Act is about to increase dramatically. For Cass Sunstein, radical animal-rights activist and nominee for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Administrator job, that means he will be better positioned than ever to make livestock farming a thing of the past.How are the two things connected? Our director of research appeared on the Fox News Channel yesterday to explain to Glenn Beck’s audience how much influence Sunstein may soon have over what we eat: Cattlemen in this country own and manage most of the lands...

HUNTINGTON BEACH: A Huntington Beach man was arrested Wednesday afternoon on allegations he abducted, sodomized and raped an autistic 7-year-old girl. The girl was playing in the back yard of her apartment complex when she was taken against her will to a neighboring apartment, where she was assaulted and then released, Huntington Beach Police said in a news release issued late Friday The girl's parents called the police and after interviewing her and witnesses, arrested Daniel Blas Flores, 27, who they found hiding in the bedroom of his apartment.

Desmond Hatchett's children have 11 different mums and their ages range from a newborn to 11-years-old. The prolific father even boasted of fathering four tots by different women in the same year His giant brood came to light after authorities in Tennessee took Hatchett to court for non payment of child support. [snip] Hatchett, who earns minimum wage, told reporters he knows the names and ages of all his children. [snip] Hatchett's lawyer Keith Pope said: "The children can't all be supported by Desmond, so the state of Tennessee has had to step in."

COTTONWOOD, Arizona - A bobcat attacked three people in a community in central Arizona, including two men who were bitten when the animal wandered inside a bar. Officers called to the Chapparal Bar in Cottonwood arrived to find the bobcat in the parking lot, where they shot and killed it, KVRD-FM radio reported.

From the Center for Consumer Freedom: 7 Things You Didn't Know About HSUS 1) The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is a “humane society” in name only, since it doesn’t operate a single pet shelter or pet adoption facility anywhere in the United States. During 2006, HSUS contributed only 4.2 percent of its budget to organizations that operate hands-on dog and cat shelters. In reality, HSUS is a wealthy animal-rights lobbying organization (the largest and richest on earth) that agitates for the same goals as PETA and other radical groups. 2) Beginning on the day of NFL quarterback...

Reporting from Sacramento -- Errant motorists beware: Puppy hit-and-run could soon be a crime. Pushing animal rights in a new direction, a state lawmaker has proposed slapping California motorists with a fine and possible jail time if they flee after hitting a jaywalking dog, cat or any other pet or farm animal. The measure by Mike Eng (D-Monterey Park) would require that drivers attempt to provide aid to an injured critter and notify the owner or animal-control authorities. It's one of a herd of bills in the Legislature that could test the boundaries of what constitutes humane treatment of animals...

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (March 4) - A Connecticut woman mauled by a chimpanzee two weeks ago lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids and may be blind and suffering brain damage, and hospital officials say it's still unclear if her condition can improve at all.

LOS ANGELES — It's cute, it's furry and some conservationists say it may soon be extinct because of global warming. But should the American pika be placed on the endangered species list?

A team of Ecuadoran and Italian researchers have discovered a unique species of pink land iguanas living on the Galapagos Islands, the scientist who wrote the report told AFP. "It is surprising to have made a find of this magnitude in the 21st century," said Washington Tapia, head of research at the Galapagos National Park. Researchers at first thought that the iguanas, which are pink with black spots, simply had skin pigmentation problems, Tapia said. The first pink iguanas were discovered in 1986, and after years of research scientists concluded that it was a unique species. "We have not yet...

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - Argentine soccer player Gaston Aguirre killed a pigeon with a single shot - right off his foot. Video: Pigeon killed An Argentine soccer player accidentally killed a pigeon, while attempting to clear the ball. See the video HERE. "I kicked the ball and, poor pigeon," the San Lorenzo defender said. "Now I will be remembered as the pigeon killer."

PALOMINAS — Tis the season for giving, and students of Palominas Elementary School have taken that giving spirit to heart. The children have been gathering donations of pet food and supplies for dogs and cats housed in the Bisbee Animal Shelter. Organized by first-grade teacher Hope Geminder, students in her class have been the project’s primary contributors. The first-graders have collected dog and cat food, treats and toys, along with a few horse-related items. “This is the second time I’ve organized a pet food drive,” Geminder said on Wednesday as students loaded the donated items into her car. “Most of...

The owner of an escaped tiger in Pocahontas County said the animal ambushedf him in snow-filled woods so he had to shoot it dead. David Cassell and a state conservation officer had been looking for the female tiger since Saturday evening, when Cassell noticed it squeezed through a hole in a chain-link cage on his exotic animal farm, said Hoy Murphy, spokesman for the state Division of Natural Resources. There was apparently more than one tiger in the cage, but only one escaped. The DNR is investigating the incident and could end up charging the owner, Cassell, because the exotic...

Tough Talk For Dog Owners About The Obama Presidency Apathy, Inaction May Doom Dog Ownership in America by JOHN YATES American Sporting Dog Alliance http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org asda@csonline.net WASHINGTON – Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States following a landslide victory based on strong support from an overwhelming percentage of the electorate. He also carried the Democratic Party to virtually unassailable power in both the House and Senate. Obama sought after and received the strong endorsement of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and this animal rights organization most certainly will try to cash in its...

The Ontario SPCA is probing a case that's both a tragedy and a triumph. It involves a cat that took a very strange trip and lived to tell the tale. It happened on Tuesday when the animal experts arrived at a building at Dixie and Orchard Hill Roads in Mississauga to find a feline badly injured but still alive. The animal had broken teeth, needed surgery to repair them and was bruised in a number of places. That's the tragedy. But here's the triumph: officials think the furry friend fell 17 storeys, and somehow survived. Cats are famous for plunging...

Just go this page http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com once you click it shows you a page of ads, and says: Thank You — your click has been counted! You've given the value of .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. The ads below make The Animal Rescue Site possible. Thats it! No strings attached

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. -- The service dog to a 5-year-old girl with cerebral palsy was shot point-blank in an alley behind the house. The gunshot shattered the dog’s hind leg. Pumba was the best friend and lively motivator of Kathleen Micholas, 5, but is now forced to hobble around on three legs. The organization Animal Protectors of New Kensington came to the rescue to provide cash for veterinarian bills for a temporary cast for the dog’s shattered leg. However, an expensive operation costing thousands of dollars will likely be necessary in order to save Pumba’s leg. Animal Protectors is asking...

Have you ever noticed that herds of grazing animals all face the same way?Images from Google Earth have confirmed that cattle tend to align their bodies in a north-south direction. Wild deer also display this behaviour - a phenomenon that has apparently gone unnoticed by herdsmen and hunters for thousands of years.

Squeaky was found as a piglet. She likes to herd cows and eat pizza.

Kangal Dogs; anyone have any information about them?

FORT WALTON BEACH - It's happened again. A Fort Walton Beach police officer found a sixth decapitated pygmy goat early Wednesday at the intersection of Holmes Boulevard and Memorial Drive. "This animal had been killed very close to the time it was put on the ground," said Dee Thompson, director of animal services for the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society. Thompson said feces were found at the scene, which is common when an animal dies. She also said the preservation of the crime scene leads her to believe the officer happened up on the black and white goat relatively soon after...

denver and the west Mountain lion snatches dog from owners' bedroom By Ann Schrader The Denver Post A mountain lion slunk into the master bedroom of an Idledale home early Monday, snatched a yellow Labrador retriever and vanished. Officers are hunting the mountain lion and have set a trap, said Jennifer Churchill, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. "A lion that will brazenly go into someone's bedroom . . . we need to be careful of," Churchill said. The dog's body was found near the property. Churchill said the residents had left open the French doors to their...

<p>Miami-Dade police officials plan to include in their 2009 handbook a note about how to respond to calls about ritual animal sacrifices.</p> <p>The decision comes a year after Coral Gables officers raided a home where practitioners of Santeria were slaughtering goats, chickens and pigeons. Several worshippers were held at gunpoint and detained for hours.</p>

Cynthia Collier met police at the door, her hands cuffed behind her back. Inside 1604 S. Irving Ave., Scranton police would discover a fresh horror around almost every corner: bludgeoned bodies, bound hostages. And in a crib upstairs, a toddler unharmed. A criminal affidavit accuses Randal Rushing, 25, of killing three people early Thursday in the house where he rented a basement room. He left four other family members traumatized but alive. The document also reveals the cruel and horrifying chronology of events, as well as a successful investigation by police, resulting in the suspect’s capture less than 12 hours...

A 23-year-old Kennewick woman is accused of stabbing to death a pregnant Pasco woman and then cutting her unborn child out of her womb and trying to pass the baby off as her own. Blue mechanic's gloves soaked in blood, a box cutter, bloody paper towels, a baby bottle and mucus bulb are among items suspected of being used to kill Araceli Camacho Gomez and steal her nearly full-term baby. Details of the gruesome slaying were revealed Monday afternoon when Phiengchai Sisouvanh Synhavong made a preliminary appearance in Benton County Superior Court. She was ordered held without bail in the...

Duhuk - Voices of Iraq Tuesday, 17/06/2008 Time 4:39:18 Duhuk, Jun 17, (VOI) - A group of persons accidentally found a 100-year-old rare animal, according to deputy rector of Duhuk University for scientific affairs on Tuesday. "The animal, found accidentally this week in Bajiel region in Aqra district, western Duhuk, is unlike any other animal. It feeds on reptiles and bugs," Hassan Amin told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). "After watching the short movie made by a group of ordinary persons, we can say that the extinct animal is more than 100 years-old and is related to...

A young Turlock man parked a pickup truck on a dark country road outside his Central Valley city Saturday night, removed a baby boy from a car seat and then viciously beat the child in the street, fighting off passersby who tried to stop him until he was fatally shot by a police officer whose helicopter landed in a nearby pasture, police said today. The 27-year-old suspect died immediately where he fell. The child, who according to police appeared to be 12 to 24 months old, was rushed to a hospital but was soon pronounced dead as well. Police officials...

Surprisingly, nothing smells about this story… (A woman turning heads by taking her pet skunk for a walk on a lead has been told by a council that it may have to go, BBC Scotland can reveal. Hannah Chapman, 23, takes de-scented Ichi for walks in Aberdeen. People have been stopping her to take pictures of the unusual sight in the Rosemount area of the city. An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said Hannah did not have permission to keep a skunk in her council flat but should get in touch.) I think it should be pretty easy for the council...

MRSA from farm animals found in humans in UK for first time By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Correspondent Last Updated: 12:51AM BST 03/06/2008 Three people have been infected with a form of MRSA usually found in pigs, the first time any humans in Britain have been infected by an animal strain of the superbug. The variation has been found in farm animals and humans on the Continent, causing serious heart, bone, blood and skin diseases, as well as pneumonia. Dr Giles Edwards, the director of the Scottish MRSA Reference Laboratory, said three people in Scotland had contracted the strain, known...

TOKYO - When Yosuke the parrot flew out of his cage and got lost, he did exactly what he had been taught — recite his name and address to a stranger willing to help. ADVERTISEMENT Police rescued the African grey parrot two weeks ago from a neighbor's roof in the city of Nagareyama, near Tokyo. After spending a night at the station, he was transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital while police searched for clues, local policeman Shinjiro Uemura said. He kept mum with the cops, but began chatting after a few days with the vet. "I'm Mr. Yosuke Nakamura,"...

Bo (woof) In Commentary: Much like our owners, we don’t have much input in selecting our names. At least we’re getting closer to being named as if we were a member of the larger family than in days gone by. I can’t complain about my name, but my sister may have a beef since I haven’t heard of many kids named Copper. Here’s an article on trends in dog names based on surveying owners in the bay area of SanFrancisco. (They’re not just Fluffy, Rover and Fido anymore. As dog and cat ownership has expanded to nearly 2 out of...

The choice was clear: Either she comply or he would shoot her baby girl. Her attacker already had pulled a gun and forced her back into her car in the ...Wal-Mart parking lot. He reclined the front passenger seat and ordered her to lie facedown. He then raped her while she looked at her child in the car seat behind her. All the while, the victim said, he pressed a .25-caliber pistol against the 15-month-old toddler. ...he told her to sit in the driver's seat and dump the contents of her purse. He robbed her and ordered her to get...

Scientists Discover 356 Animal Inclusions Trapped In Opaque Amber 100 Million Years OldExamples of virtual 3D extraction of organisms embedded in opaque amber: a) Gastropod Ellobiidae; b) Myriapod Polyxenidae; c) Arachnid; d) Conifer branch (Glenrosa); e) Isopod crustacean Ligia; f) Insect hymenopteran Falciformicidae. (Credit: M. Lak, P. Tafforeau, D. Néraudeau (ESRF Grenoble and UMR CNRS 6118 Rennes)) ScienceDaily (Apr. 1, 2008) — Paleontologists from the University of Rennes (France) and the ESRF have found the presence of 356 animal inclusions in completely opaque amber from mid-Cretaceous sites of Charentes (France). The team used the X-rays of the European light source...

The Embryology Bill has provoked a bitter split between religion and science THE cries of a baby were the only other sounds to be heard as Cardinal Keith O'Brien delivered his Easter Sunday sermon to a packed St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh yesterday. It was perhaps a fitting interruption as Scotland's most senior Catholic clergyman delivered his much-trailed blast at the government's controversial embryo research legislation. Accusing Prime Minister Gordon Brown of "an unprecedented attack on the sanctity and dignity of human life", he warned that the research could lead to the creation of hybrid babies and experiments of "Frankenstein...

This is an animated video of a dove that we see in most back yards. As a child, I with a slingshot, 22 rifle and 12 gage shot gun, killed many kinds of birds just to see if I could aim good and bring the little creature to the ground. I didn’t kill for food but in adolescent behavior. It is so cruel and for this reason I created this video to show and teach the cruelty of this kind of behavior.

Hybrids are made using an animal egg mixed with human genes Leading charities have written to every MP urging them to support the controversial embryo research bill, the BBC has learned. Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation are among more than 200 charities in favour of the creation of human-animal hybrids for research. The prime minister is facing dissent over the bill, from some of his Labour MPs and leading Catholic clergy. But Health Secretary Alan Johnson said an "accommodation" would be found. The letter, written by the Association of Medical Research Charities, says although there are ethical...

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- I met Bonnie Turner seven years ago when I was looking for a puppy. There was just simply no one better to turn to than the eccentric grandmother who loved animals so much that her 86-acre North Georgia farm was home to donkeys, goats, high-priced show dogs and even a few wayward deer. On Saturday, nothing was left of that bucolic sanctuary after a 130-mph tornado ravaged it. Bonnie died, thrown 50 feet from her home as her husband Michael cried out her name, their neighbors Joe and Jamie Wheeler said. Her death has shaken me....

Sick, scary story of late night. The sick pervert that violated this child tried to call this in as the baby choking on a crayon. Of course much more sickening details are involved after we get into the “bloodly details.” Absolutely unforgivinging news. See video...

Using absolutely poor judgment and acting un-professionally, PGA tour golfer Tripp Isenhour is about to pay the consequences for his selfish act from last December 12 when, at the Grand Cypress Golf course, he purposely killed a migratory bird. Showing no compassion for the habits of creatures, Isenhour, who was filming a segment for 'Shoot Like A Pro,' apparently got frustrated when the red shouldered hawk began making noises and forcing take after take. In a rage, Isenhour,

The animal abuse by the employees using the forklift have more far reaching implications than the abuse itself. The risk of E.Coli, salmonella or mad cow disease contamination is much greater because of the animal being shoved across the hard surfaces where the hide and possibly meat can come into contact with these various diseases. When the animal is then processed and mixed with the other beef, it is very hard to tell which package of beef is contaminated. That is why such a large amount (143 million pounds) of beef is being recalled.

How debt led one man to an American nightmare Leon Davis Jr. bought a house he could not afford. What followed was almost unimaginable. By Thomas Lake, Times Staff Writer Published February 10, 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In January 2007, Leon Davis Jr. wrote on his blog, "I have hurt people in the past and I'm sorry for it! So 2007 and on I will live my life the right way, and that's keeping it real with my family and friends!" In December 2007, he was accused of killing five people over the course of six days in Polk County. Leon Davis...