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Blame lingering pandemic-era restrictions that make it harder for people to find a dog or cat they'd like to adopt.As I write this column, Marigold—my long-haired orange tabby who demands constant attention—is purring next to me. She's a delightful creature that I adopted at a local shelter's Five Dollar Fridays, where they adopt out vaccinated and spayed adult cats for that modest fee. I got her (and Fluffy) when my wife was out of town, so she's now forbidden me from visiting a shelter alone. I don't blame my wife for setting some ground rules, given that I can't wander...

Animal shelters all over the country tend to stay at full capacity. Most are running on a limited budget, and rely heavily on donations. One visit to a shelter, and you can't help but want to help. Some things shelters need are obvious, some are not. Helping may not be as hard as you think.....................

Documents published online this month show that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an organization known for its uncompromising animal-rights positions, killed more than 95 percent of the pets in its care in 2011. In a statement, Berman added that PETA has a $37 million dollar annual budget. His organization runs PETAkillsAnimals.com, which reports that in 2010 a resident of Virginia called PETA and asked if there was an animal shelter at the group's headquarters. PETA responded that there was not. Kovich also determined that PETA employees kill 84 percent of the animals in their custody within 24 hours...

Law would apply to sales of cats, dogs, hamsters, rats, birdsIt could soon be illegal for pet stores in San Francisco to sell pets. The San Francisco Animal Control and Welfare Commission will take up a proposal tonight that would ban the sale of all small animals from the City's pet shops. Only fish would be allowed to be sold under the ordinance, which is believed to be the first of it's kind in the country. The proposed law is designed to encourage people to rescue animals from the shelter instead of buying from a pet store. Supporters say it...

VAN NUYS (CBS) ― As much as I hate hospitals (and let me be clear, I find the combination of suffering and germs truly unbearable), there are few things more depressing than animal shelters these days. Impacted with fuzzy friends sitting behind bars and "surrendered by owner" signs, they have become one of many starkly painful indicators of these trying times. This is no longer just an economic downturn or a debate over whether we're experiencing a recession; the mortgage meltdown is robbing Los Angeles residents of their homes, pride, and most devastating for some, their pets. The city, desperate...

PETA Animal-Cruelty Trial Date Finally Set On November 13th, nearly 18 months after their arrest, two employees of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will face a felony Superior Court trial on animal-cruelty charges in Hertford County, North Carolina. The defendants, Andrew Benjamin Cook and Adria Joy Hinkle, were each indicted on 22 counts of Cruelty to Animals and 3 counts of Obtaining Property By False Pretenses. The Honorable Cy Grant will be presiding. Police in Ahoskie, North Carolina arrested Cook and Hinkle on June 15, 2005 near a shopping-center dumpster, from which they recovered 18 dead pets...

Friday, August 8, 2003 Dog Ranch Gives Labradors Another Chance By Rozanna M. MartinezOf the Journal     Down on their luck Labradors may now have a chance at finding a loving home after being abused or neglected by their previous owners.     Lodestar Dog Ranch, created by Tijeras resident Tom Payne, focuses on saving Labradors and Labrador mixes.     Payne rescues the animals from shelters and from owners who no longer want them. He also takes in strays that have been dumped.     Lodestar Dog Ranch has been in operation about 10 months and has already placed 70 of its...