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Southfield (WWJ) -- The FBI will hold a memorial for the K-9 killed during a shootout in Dearborn and the dog's name will be added to a memorial wall. Freddy was a nearly 3-year-old Belgian Malinois who was killed Wednesday during a gun battle between agents and Luqman Ameen Abdullah, described as the radical leader of a Sunni Islam group.

A POLICE sniffer dog helped track down five teenagers who have been arrested over a rock-throwing incident in Melbourne's north-east overnight. It's claimed the five threw concrete and masonry at cars driving along St Georges Road in Northcote, including a taxi at about 3.15am. The taxi driver contacted police, who dispatched a canine unit to the area. Nat the Rottweiler sniffed out one offender hiding in a creek bed and the remaining four under a building at a local school. The group was taken to the Northcote police station for questioning. Police have called for any witnesses to come forward.

Man escapes charges for barbecuing pet dog By Saeed Ahmed CNN (CNN) -- A man who roasted his pet dog to enjoy as a meal with his family and friends escaped prosecution after authorities in New Zealand determined the animal was killed humanely. "We were in a dilemma at seeing something we were fairly upset about -- but being in a position of being able to do absolutely nothing about it," said Garth Halliday, of the Auckland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, on Monday. The SPCA -- which investigates acts of animal cruelty and presses charges --...

LEESBURG, Va. - Leesburg Police confirm a 20-year-old resident and another dog were killed by a family member's two pit bulls. Carter Delaney was killed by his brother's young pit bulls and neighbors say his grandfather made the disturbing discovery in the 100 block of Plaza Street NE shortly before 2 p.m. Monday. "We were really saddened by it. Me and my kids are going to come out and put something down," said neighbor Doodie Summers. Neighbors who lived near the Leesburg home where Delaney was mauled to death by two family pit bulls were shocked. "Oh my God, it...

Rosalie James' dance partner has two left feet - or make that paws. And two right ones. James and her 7-year-old Australian Labradoodle Rocky are champion canine freestylers. She also helped to organize the Rio Grande Canine Freestylers, an Albuquerque, N.M., group of doggie dancers. James says your pooch doesn't have to be a wall flower. She says just about any dog can learn to dance. All it takes is practice and patience. She tells the Albuquerque Journal the most important thing about dancing with dogs is to have fun.

Eric Peterson of Brookings is a rescuer times two. First, he rescued Eve, a 2-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier. Now, with a demanding training regimen behind them, he's ready to undertake some search-and-rescue missions - with a lot of help from his pawed pal and partner. Eve is now qualified in "tracking and trailing ." She and Peterson are part of the Brookings County Sheriff's Department K-9 Search and Rescue program. A scenario for her and Peterson might be a situation where a nursing-home resident suffering from dementia wanders off or a child wanders away from home and becomes lost.

January 26, 2009 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- When we think of police canine units, the breed that most commonly comes to mind is the German shepherd. But rookie canines on the job now are anything but ordinary. The two newest members of the Cook County Sheriff's K9 unit are unique and are already performing beyond expectations. A big bloodhound puppy named Melanie helped police rescued a suicidal man from a forest preserve earlier this month.

The castaway dog who swam SIX miles through shark-infested waters, then survived FOUR months on a desert island By Richard Shears Last updated at 5:27 PM on 06th April 2009 When Jan Griffith's beloved dog, Sophie Tucker fell overboard from her family's yacht she feared her pet had drowned. But Sophie Tucker, a grey and black cattle dog, wasn't going to give up that easily. The determined pet swam six miles through ferocious shark-infested seas to an island, where she survived for more than four months by hunting wild goats for food. The extraordinary story of the castaway hound emerged...

Gang kicked dog in air and threatened to do same to owner Lisa Kenyon March 20, 2009 A DOG was viciously attacked by a gang of youths while walking through Milnshaw Park, Accrington, with its owner. William Townsley, 66, was walking his 14-year-old partially-blind Cairn terrier Snoopy through the park at around 1pm on Monday. As he was passing the children’s play area, William said a group of around 18 Asian youths racially abused him, shouting obscenities before kicking the defenceless dog in the face and ribs. William, of Devonshire Street, Accrington, said: "I could hear them shouting racial obscenities...

A shoplifting dog leaves store employees scratching their heads. KSL's John Hollenhorst reports. (Video at link.)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2008 – Despite losing a leg in combat, Army Sgt. Chris Alvin Burrell is focusing on his rehabilitation to one day return to what he calls his “normal day of work.” Army Sgt. Chris Burrell is focused on his rehabilitation since losing a leg in an explosion in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood on Dec. 26, 2007. He hopes to return to his job as a canine handler. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “My main focus right now is to heal properly and quickly in the right timeframe, and just make sure I’m healed...

Discovery could push back the date for the earliest dog by 17,700 years An international team of scientists has just identified what they believe is the world's first known dog, which was a large and toothy canine that lived 31,700 years ago and subsisted on a diet of horse, musk ox and reindeer, according to a new study. The discovery could push back the date for the earliest dog by 17,700 years, since the second oldest known dog, found in Russia, dates to 14,000 years ago. Remains for the older prehistoric dog, which were excavated at Goyet Cave in Belgium,...

Enlarge ImageDoggie diversity. Researchers have linked pointing, herding, and other canine traits to specific gene variations.Credit: Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition The adage that you can't teach an old dog new tricks may have some basis in truth, or at least in DNA. It turns out that a pointer's point, a border collie's herding instinct, and several other canine characteristics may be hard-wired in dogs' genes, according to a new study. The advance could help breeders weed out diseases in man's best friend and shed light on the genetic basis of certain human disorders. Since humans first domesticated dogs...

I’ve heard of bomb sniffing dogs, cadaver dogs, and even hot dogs, but I’ve never heard of pub sniffer dogs. Where else but in Scotland would you find this rare canine breed? (A police operation has started in south west Scotland to send sniffer dogs into pubs to search for drugs. A total of 13 bars were visited by patrols in the Stranraer area as part of the initiative.) Going undercover requires the dog to assume the identity of the typical pub goer. Once it procures the confidence of the locals, it is free to search for drugs while the...

Canine Influenza Was Around Earlier Than Once ThoughtThe canine influenza virus, first identified in 2004, had been circulating in the greyhound population for at least five years prior to its discovery and may have been responsible for numerous outbreaks of respiratory disease among dogs at racing tracks during that period. (Credit: iStockphoto/Nico Smit) ScienceDaily (Mar. 20, 2008) — The canine influenza virus, first identified in 2004, had been circulating in the greyhound population for at least five years prior to its discovery and may have been responsible for numerous outbreaks of respiratory disease among dogs at racing tracks during that...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Feb. 21, 2008 – Hearing a noise in the hallway, Dean gets out of his bed on the floor and trots to the door as he searches the cool February air for a clue. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Vaneta Vaughn, the top enlisted soldier with 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, scratches Dean, the battalion chaplain’s dog, behind his ear at Camp Taji, Iraq, Feb. 16, 2008. Dean deployed to Iraq with the soldiers as the battalion’s therapy dog. Photo by Pfc. April Campbell, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution...

Lost "Mohammed" Dog Poster Left in Front of Muslim This happened in Lewiston, Maine, the same place where a ham steak left on a lunch bag was investigated as a hate crime. Check out the phone number on the poster, Tommy Tutone now wanted for questioning.... LEWISTON (NEWS CENTER) -- Members of the Somali community in Lewiston say a poster put up in front of a local Somali owned store is an insult to their religion The poster depicts a vicious "lost" dog named Mohammed. That's the name of the Muslim prophet. It says that the dog is not good...

VINTON, Iowa -- It's one thing for Hillary Clinton's campaign to turn down interview requests for the candidate's daughter, Chelsea. But can't a 9-year old reporter catch a break? Sydney Rieckoff, a Cedar Rapids fourth grader and "kid reporter" for Scholastic News, has posed questions to seven Republican and Democratic presidential hopefuls as they've campaigned across Iowa this year. But when she approached the 27-year-old Chelsea after a campaign event Sunday, she got a different response. "Do you think your dad would be a good 'first man' in the White House?" Rieckoff asked, but Chelsea brushed her question aside. "I'm...

Multi-millionaire dog receives death threats A dog left £6million by her late owner has been moved to a safe house after receiving death threats. Trouble, a small white Maltese, inherited her fortune from property and hotel billionaire Leona Helmsley. The dog came out significantly better in its owner's will than members of the Helmsley family - two of her grandchildren received nothing. But the so-called Queen of Mean's multi-million dollar trust fund for Trouble may have backfired. The New York Post reports that Trouble's new guardians have received around two dozen death threats directed at the bitch. Two months ago,...

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Sometimes rescuers need to be rescued, too. Candace Jennings was sleeping on the couch when she was nudged awake by her dog, Anna, to find her mobile home engulfed in flames early Thanksgiving Day. The blond heeler, an abused stray dog Jennings had adopted from an animal shelter, whined and howled until they ran outside. "I had an awful headache. The place was filled with smoke," she told the Idaho Statesman for a story published Saturday. But Jennings said she ran back into her burning home to save some items. "I'm a janitor in town," she...

Police: Dog shows signs of rape It's a crime so disgusting that Sheriff Joe is offering a $2,000 reward to anyone who can help catch these sick criminals. Police say a year-old Russell Terrier was dropped off at a valley animal hospital where vets determined the dog had been raped. Witnesses have described to police who they saw going into and leaving the clinic around the time the dog was dropped off. Anyone with information about this case can call the Sheriff's Department. Note: Click on the MyFoxPhoenix.com link to watch the video news report of this story.

Has a mythical beast turned up in Texas? By ELIZABETH WHITE, Associated Press Writer August 31, 2007 Phylis Canion lived in Africa for four years. She's been a hunter all her life and has the mounted heads of a zebra and other exotic animals in her house to prove it. But the roadkill she found last month outside her ranch was a new one even for her, worth putting in a freezer hidden from curious onlookers: Canion believes she may have the head of the mythical, bloodsucking chupacabra. "It is one ugly creature," Canion said, holding the head of the...

By ERICA ESTEP 6 News Anchor/Reporter KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- A West Knoxville family is calling their dog a hero after he chased off some burglars. But he was stabbed in the process. "Jake," an eight-year-old chocolate Labrador Retriever, has a heavily bandaged neck but five days ago, he suffered a traumatic injury. However, Jake's owners didn't even know their home had been broken into and couldn't figure out what had caused their dog's injury. "There was just blood everywhere. He was saturated. I mean, it was all down his chest, both his legs, it had even gotten on down his...

Two Muslim groups have indicated their willingness to exhibit controversial sketches by artist Lars Vilks after galleries in western Sweden declined to show the artworks for fear of Islamist reprisals. Inspired by Sweden's recent 'roundabout dogs' craze, Vilks composed a series of sketches portraying the Muslim prophet Muhammad as just such a creature. The well-known artist took his pictures to galleries in Värmland and Bohuslän. Both however refused to show the drawings on the grounds that the security risk was too great. But now two groups - the Secular Muslims in Sweden (Semus) network and the magazine Minaret - have...

Pretty wild story. Lady says she knew the dog was protective and smart, but didn't know he was that protective. http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=78FFC93F0D7D5F5C3583DF36353673BE?contentId=3939482&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

PETA'S GOT BETTER FRIENDS THAN MICHAEL VICK Even if Vick wins his legal battle, here's a hint that the PR war will be a bloodbath. In a show of its political clout, PETA sent a letter in conjunction with longtime allies Russell Simmons and Al Sharpton to Falcons owner Arthur Blank, NFL commish Roger Goodell and Vick's corporate sponsors condemning dogfighting. At every turn, people around Vick have anonymously thrown him under the bus. Coincidentally, PETA's friends use their names for the very same reason. Oh yeah, Vick's in bad shape. Really, is there a worse pair of enemies for...

...Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could talk, like Dr. Doolittle, to the animals? Of course it would, but take heart: We actually can talk with them, in a manner of speaking. Human vocabulary may elude our pets, but they all communicate in consistent ways. By learning to read their tails, ears, fur and vocalizations, we can become fluent in such foreign tongues as Siamese and Persian, Pekingese and Bernese.

Charlie the black lab is in trouble after driving his owner's car into the Pend Oreille River. Owner Mark Ewing had just returned home from picking up a pizza Wednesday evening. As he walked to his home, Charlie jumped into the car through an open window, and apparently knocked the vehicle into gear. "He somehow got the car into neutral," Ewing said. "My car just went boom, down an incline and into the drink." Ewing could only watch as his Chevy Impala sank into the river. No dummy, Charlie jumped out of the window as the car went downhill.

Mon 11 Jun 2007 Sniffer dogs sacked for lewd behaviour ETHAN MCNERN TWO Thai strays who became ace sniffer dogs at an airport near the notorious "Golden Triangle" opium-producing region have been fired for urinating on luggage and sexually harassing female passengers. The pair, Mok and Lai, had been plucked from obscurity under a programme initiated by King Bhumibol Adulyadej to turn strays into police dogs, the Bangkok Post said on Sunday. They won plaudits from police for their work in sniffing out drugs at northern Thailand's Chiang Rai airport, near the border with Laos and Myanmar. But so many...

Animal cruelty case yields 'doggone' dismissal June 6, 2007 By Peter Hirschfeld Times Argus Staff CHELSEA – A woman facing jail time for "staring" at a police dog had charges against her dropped Monday after an Orange County prosecutor viewed videotape of the alleged crime. Jayna Hutchinson, now of Lebanon, N.H., was scheduled for a jury trial this week on a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals. A Vermont State Police sergeant said Hutchinson was intoxicated and stared at his police dog in a "taunting/harassing manner" last July while officers were in the process of investigating a reported melee outside...

5/23/2007 - LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- He sizes up his troops with an icy glare. As he scrutinizes his trainees' every move, he wonders to himself, "Which one will be a problem? Who will be crazy, lazy, or skittish? Who's going to be clumsy or a slow learner? Who will separate himself as the best of the best?" He barks out his commands, and they do their best to try to please him. Still, the instructor knows he has his work cut out for him. This group is really doggin' it. But that's not necessarily a bad...

Dogs Bite Mail Carriers Most In California (May 17, 2007)--It looks like mail carriers have a better chance of being bitten in California than any place else in America. As Dog Bite Awareness Week kicks off Thursday, the Post Office is releasing information on where the biggest problems are for carriers, and noting safety tips for dog owners. The New York metropolitan area had no record of a mail carrier bitten last year. Santa Ana, Calif. had the most: 96. In fact, of the top-five most likely places where mail carriers are bitten, three are in California. One carrier in...

Dogs are scarce in Abuja because many now eat dog meat openly The famous reverse news headline "Man bites dog!" is old news to some restaurants in Nigeria's capital, Abuja."Welcome to animal kingdom where man pikin dey show dog pepper," says Chibuzo Eze in Pidgin English, meaning: Welcome to place where the son of man is giving dogs a hard time. Mr Eze then hungrily gets back to tugging his chunk of dog meat. He is standing under a mango tree in "South Africa", the name of an open-air restaurant hidden behind the living quarters of a Western construction...

Caligula considered making his horse a consul, but President Vladimir Putin is content merely to take advice from his own four-legged friend, he told journalists today. When Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister, met Mr Putin in 2004, the Russian leader appeared to have eyes only for Koni The Russian leader said he fell back on counsel from Koni, his black Labrador, whenever he felt angry with the world. "As far as bad moods go, of course I have them like any other person, but in those cases I try to consult with my dog Koni. "She gives me...

Feral Shih Tzus roam Ga. condo complex MARIETTA, Ga., Jan. 19 (UPI) -- A small pack of feral, and very small, Shih Tzus has been evading capture at a Georgia condominium complex. The group of four dogs first showed up at the Covered Bridge complex in Cobb County in the Atlanta suburbs around Thanksgiving. Since then, two of them have disappeared, including one believed to have been killed by a car. The two remaining dogs appear to have reverted to their wild roots as the alpha male and female of their own small wolf pack -- albeit wolves that weigh...

FORT HUACHUCA — When Wendy stood at attention, she was perhaps 3 feet tall. But within that short package was a tough soldier, a four-footed battle buddy. On Wednesday, Staff Sgt. Wendy, a decorated Belgium Malinois who helped protect American forces in Afghanistan, was laid to rest in a small cemetery for military working dogs behind the kennels she called home during her nine-year military career. With her before she took her last breath was her sixth handler, Sgt. Garrett Davison, of the 18th Military Police Detachment. He and other dog handlers took Wendy to the post veterinarian clinic, where...

Can a tumor become a new form of life? This is the freaky but serious question that arises from a new study in the journal Cell. Scientists from London and Chicago have studied a peculiar cancer that afflicts dogs, known as canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) or Sticker's sarcoma. It is a cancer of immune cells called histiocytes, and dogs typically develop grapefruit-sized tumors that disappear after a few months. Some scientists have suggested that Sticker's sarcoma can be transmitted from dog to dog, either by mating or by licking or touching a tumor. They noted that the tumor cells...

After three deaths from rabies, the local government ordered the blanket extermination of dogs. Pets were subsequently killed in the streets in front of their owners. Only police and army dogs were spared. Beijing (AsiaNews/agencies) – No less than 50,000 dogs were put down by government order after the death of three people from rabies. In Mouding county in the south-west province of Yunnan, the massacre lasted five days and only military guard dogs and police canine units were spared. Dogs being walked were taken from their owners and killed there and then. Other teams charged with slaughtering the dogs...

THE secret slaughter of at least 10,000 racing greyhounds by one man has been exposed by an undercover investigation. For the past 15 years David Smith, a builders’ merchant, has been killing healthy greyhounds no longer considered by their trainers to be fast enough to race. He buries them in a one-acre plot at the back of his home in Seaham, Co Durham. Last week The Sunday Times covertly filmed Smith on two consecutive days receiving greyhounds from trainers before killing them with a bolt gun, dumping them in the plot and covering over the “graves” using a mechanical digger....

A US dog has won an award for saving her owner's life by dialling a phone number that alerted emergency services to her owner's diabetic seizure. Belle the beagle triggered a call to an ambulance crew by biting on her owner, Kevin Weaver's, mobile phone. The dog was trained to detect potential diabetic attacks by licking and sniffing Mr Weaver's nose to check his blood sugar levels and pawing him. Belle resorted to dialling for help when Mr Weaver fell unconscious. The dog used her teeth to press the number nine key, which the phone was programmed to interpret...

LONDON (Reuters) - Dog handlers in a British police force are having to take language classes -- to communicate with their latest recruits. Finding it increasingly hard to find suitable German Shepherds in Britain, some British police forces are bringing in dogs from continental Europe. But there's a problem. Although the latest arrivals possess all the attributes needed for police work, they only respond to commands in their native language. Dog handlers at Avon and Somerset police for example, which has recruited three dogs from the Netherlands, have been given a sheet of practical commands in Dutch. "We have learned...

Pit bulls on the loose went on a rampage Thursday and terrorized a southwest Philadelphia neighborhood. The dogs escaped from their backyard at 53rd Street and Cedar Avenue and ran several blocks through the neighborhood, attacking several people. Their rampage ended with a policeman shooting one of the dogs.

Cultivating a nose for mealybugs By JULISSA McKINNON Register Staff Writer Sunday, March 5, 2006 1:13 AM PST A litter of week-old golden retrievers look more like big hamsters than canines. But these nine tiny balls of fur are a big source of hope for Napa Valley growers whose vineyards are blighted by infestations of vine mealybug. For the past three years, the near-invisible pest has vexed growers as it clings to vines, sapping their energy, inviting molds and viruses and ruining grape crops. If left unchecked, mealybugs can kill a vine within five years. Currently there are 36 mealybug...

One wag's view of canine control By DAVE BARRY (This classic Dave Barry column was originally published on Sept. 18, 1994.) Today's topic is: Practical dog ownership. Millions of Americans own dogs because they are good-natured, simple and easily amused. I am referring here to the Americans. The dogs are not exactly Mensa members, either, but they definitely make better pets than tropical fish. Suppose, for example, that you're home alone, and you start choking on a piece of takeout Chinese food, and you collapse to the floor, dying. A tropical fish is not going to alertly rush over to...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A colored bull terrier known as Rufus made history on Tuesday, becoming the first of his breed to win best in show at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.Formally named Rocky Top's Sundance Kid, the 5-year-old tan and white bull terrier beat six other finalists, including classic family dogs such as a golden retriever and an Old English sheepdog who were the clear crowd pleasers. He also triumphed over more than 2,600 other entrants at the world's largest and most prestigious dog show.But Rufus' owner Barbara Bishop of Holmdel, New Jersey, said her dog was...

Scientists are publishing today the complete DNA sequence that makes a dog a dog, and it turns out to be uncannily close to what makes a person a person. Genome sequencers at Harvard University, MIT and their affiliated Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Mass., led an international team of scientists through a unique landscape of doggie DNA. About 2.4 billion chemical units of DNA define a species uniquely shaped by people ever since dogs left the wolf pack and joined our human ancestors at least 15,000 years ago. Accurately mapping the dog genome took about two years and...

Lost dog? As of next March, pet owners will be able to drop the photocopier and staple gun and pick up the phone instead. That's when PetCell, the first cell phone for dogs, is due to hit pet-store shelves. Hung off Fido's collar, the PetCell is a bone-shaped cell phone that will let dog owners talk to their best friend over a two-way speaker. Developed by PetsMobility, the PetCell works with standard cellular networks and has its own number. It automatically answers when the owner punches in a code on their telephone keypad that means, "Lassie, come home!" The PetCell...

A newly discovered virus has killed dogs in at least seven states, and veterinarians, kennel operators and pet owners are concerned because researchers say there is no vaccine and dogs do not have immunity to the new flu. Dr. Cynda Crawford, an immunologist at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine, said in an audio interview posted on the university Web site that the disease is only deadly in rare cases — about 10 percent in puppies and old dogs — but is of concern because it is spreading rapidly.

At a checkpoint leading to the U.S.-protected Green Zone, Gordy stands sentry. The affable Belgian Malinois has a nose finely tuned to detect the nitrates, plastic explosives, gunpowder and detonation cords that suicide bombers use to blow up people. On a barren stretch of road in northern Iraq, a dog rigged with explosives approaches a group of Iraqi police officers. Detonated by remote control, the bomb tears the dog apart but doesn't harm the cops.

With afternoon temperatures frequently pushing the triple-digit mark, many law-enforcement officers dread donning their cumbersome gear, especially their bulky bulletproof vests. Some of those saddled with the lifesaving gear must contend with an additional problem created by the extreme heat: sweaty fur.