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blind dog can 'see' again after being fitted with a set of extra whiskers. Dolly, a Staffordshire bull terrier, lost her sight after developing cataracts brought on by diabetes. She was left completely blind and would regularly walk into things. That was until her vet Joanne McCelland pioneered an innovative idea to fit extra long cable ties to the ten-year-old dog’s collar.

Extremely scared and alone, Duke had no idea that this man was saving his life and giving him hope. But he soon realized that and turned from fear to love....what a beautiful outcome. (need to see video; no text)

I just sent the following to someone involved with animal rescue, and wanted to share with Freepers. It's been a very hard day here : I found out last night my family has to move overseas in the next 5 days because of my husband's job. I have a highly intelligent, well trained, well behaved, 4 year old German Shepherd. If I can't find a foster or permanent home, he will have to be euthanized. I've worked with him extensively. He's obedient and knows many commands, but he's not been able to be socialized to other people or animals. From...

A pensioner who plunged 40ft down a ravine into a river owes his life to his faithful dog who led him to safety before running to a nearby pub and barking until he raised the alarm. Maurice Holder, 73, says he was knocked unconscious when the ground gave way beneath him as he walked along a steep river bank with his labradoodle Monty. When he regained consciousness 15 minutes later he was lying in water up to his chest with a serious head wound and six broken ribs. But Mr Holder said 11-year-old Monty had stayed loyally by his side...

A Texas man confessed to stabbing his 14-week-old puppy Taz and leaving her to die in a dumpster. Fortunately for the puppy, a nearby animal lover and neighbour called the police after she saw Larry Dollins Jr., 42, ‘maliciously’ stabbing Taz. Now, the dog is recovering from surgery and is at a shelter waiting to be adopted by a loving family. ... Dollins was arrested Monday after confessing his crime to police. He is being held at the Taylor County Jail on $25,000 bail and faces felony charges of animal cruelty.

It's little wonder that with such cute faces peering out over the edge of their plastic bowl, these eight abandoned puppies have found new homes. But their futures could have been a lot bleaker. The puppies and their mother, a mongrel named Amy, had been found by a farmer stuffed inside a bale of hay on his land in Newark. But now, following an appeal by local newspaper the Lincolnshire Echo, the eight six-week old puppies have found caring owners ... The mother was discovered with a rope tied around her neck which she had bitten through. ...

Crammed into tiny cages, unable to stand and deprived of food and water, these dogs endured terrible suffering on a truck bound for a chain of restaurants. The harrowing pictures show the cruel conditions in which 1,500 of the animals were found when the truck was stopped at a toll gate by highway police and animal rescue volunteers in Chongqing, south-west China. ... The animals were moved to a nearby farm by volunteers from the Chongqing Animal Protection Association who gave them food, water and emergency treatment. ...

He has more designer outfits than the average woman and sulks unless he changes at least three times a day. Known as Britain’s best-dressed pooch, meet two-year-old diva dog Rocky, who has an extensive wardrobe of 1,500 outfits worth a staggering £2,500. His devoted owner Lynsey Noble, 26, spends more on his clothes every year than the average British woman spends on herself and even wheels her pampered pooch around in a designer baby buggy. ...

A puppy got himself into a sticky situation when he pinched a six-inch Chinese spare rib from his owner and swallowed it in one gulp. Greedy Staffordshire bull terrier Rossi got into difficulties when the bone - which unbelievably he didn't choke on - started scratching his stomach. Owner Steven Hawthorn, 44, said the 15-week-old puppy snatched the rib and swallowed it whole as he and his family sat down to a takeaway meal. His wife Donna, 35, and sons Lewis, 13 and Samuel, 11, watched in amazement as Rossi, named after motorcycle legend Valentino Rossi, jumped up to nab...

They've always been man's best friend but now rescue dogs will be kitted out with new wireless head-cameras to help save lives in emergencies. Rescue dogs sent into disaster zones such as the Japanese tsunami will have the new equipment attached to their heads to assist them in their search for survivors. The portable all-terrain wireless - known as PAWS - system consists of a specially-adapted headcam and harness which are fitted to the search dogs that are able to enter collapsed buildings where humans cannot reach. ...

Dog lovers like to think it is their masterful voices that make their pets so keen to please. In fact, it is more complex than that – with eye contact playing an important role alongside spoken commands. Scientists have found the animals pick up not only the words we say, but our ‘intent to communicate’ with them. In fact, dogs are as advanced as a two-year-old child in following eye contact, a study has found. Who's a clever boy? Dogs have similar cognitive skills to babies, say researchers Jszsef Topal, of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, said: ‘Increasing evidence supports...

An East Bethel teenager is accused of squeezing through a neighbor's doggy door to help feed a pornography addiction. The neighbor allegedly caught the 18-year-old on surveillance footage after noticing several items missing from his East Bethel house, according to a criminal complaint filed in Anoka County District Court. Darin Paul Pake, 44, told investigators the footage showed Amanda Rose Owens - his children's former baby sitter - sliding into his house through his doggy door at 7:50 a.m. Monday. She is then seen rummaging through Pake's things and grabbing a Red Bull out of his refrigerator before leaving at...

Petty Officer Jon T. Tumilson was laid to rest Friday in Rockford, Iowa, where an estimated 1,500 mourners came to pay respects for the fallen Navy SEAL, including his dog Hawkeye. In fact, Hakeye’s loyalty to his owner at the funeral was visible, creating a heart-wrenching image as he laid down by the casket of his owner during the entire service:

This war veteran’s puppy may have been only six months old at the time, but she certainly knew what needed to be done when her owner was in danger. Dave Sharpe, of Arlington, Virginia, was suffering with severe post-traumatic stress disorder when he decided to put a pistol in his mouth and commit suicide. But his pit bull Cheyenne saw him crying with the gun in his mouth and licked his ear, convincing Mr Sharpe he had something to live for.

A Jerusalem rabbinical court recently sentenced a wandering dog to death by stoning. The cruel sentence stemmed from the suspicion that the hound was the reincarnation of a famous secular lawyer, who insulted the court's judges 20 years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJBlZttz8QQ&feature=player_embedded

It's a universal truth that dogs are man's best friend, but they're pretty darn loyal to their own as well. Case in point: this tear-inducing video, via the website Jezebel, showing a dog, shivering and disoriented, remaining loyally by the side of a stricken fellow canine amid the devastation of the Japanese tsunami.

A 50-year-old Ellicott City man received probation before judgment and 30 days of home detention Thursday for pointing his shotgun at a man whose boxer dog got loose and attacked his white bichon frise in March.

Seven puppies die after American Airlines flight landsCHICAGO - American Airlines has launched an investigation into what caused the death of seven puppies aboard a flight that landed in O'Hare International Airport Tuesday morning. American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said 15 puppies were aboard Flight 851 that left Tulsa, Oklahoma at 7:30 a.m. and arrived at O'Hare shortly about an hour and a half later. "We're not certain if the puppies died during the flight or later, because we still have to talk to the employees who handled them. We plan to do that today," she said. "They may...

6/18/2009 - LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- After three weeks, the newest member of the 37th Force Support Squadron Airman and Family Readiness Flight knows her way around the three-story building and often bounds through open doors on surprise visits. Aamee, a four-month old Belgian Malinois, is the first puppy to be fostered by a unit at Lackland through the military working dog foster program. The foster program socializes potential working dogs to different people and environments to prepare them for a life of various handlers and locations. Aamee has been with the flight on a pilot test...

Marine Reunited in San Diego With Dog He Rescued in IraqA San Diego-based Marine major was reunited on Saturday with one of his closest war buddies — a 2-year-old dog named Nubs. Nubs greeted Maj. Brian Dennis at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station when the fighter pilot returned from Iraq. It was the first time the two were together since Dennis' family and close friends helped raise $3,500 to fly the dog to San Diego about a month ago. Nubs wasn't allowed to stay on base in Iraq. Dennis, 36, of St. Pete Beach, Fla., had spotted the mongrel dog...

LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Tuesday signed one of the nation's toughest laws on pet sterilization, requiring most dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered by the time they are 4 months old. The ordinance is aimed at reducing and eventually eliminating the thousands of euthanizations conducted in Los Angeles' animal shelters every year. "We will, sooner rather than later, become a no-kill city and this is the greatest step in that direction," Councilman Tony Cardenas said as he held a kitten at a City Hall news conference. The ordinance does exempt some animals, including those that...

September 29, 2007 BY ASSOCIATED PRESS YABUCOA, Puerto Rico---- Some visitors to Puerto Rico are leaving with an unusual souvenir -- one of the thousands of scrappy abandoned dogs that roam the island's beaches. Hundreds of abandoned canines are being scooped up and flown to the U.S.: some by tourists unexpectedly touched by their plight, others as part of an expensive organized rescue effort. But critics say the canine airlift does little to reduce the problem of stray dogs in Puerto Rico and ends up fueling overcrowding at the U.S. shelters, where many of the dogs inevitably end up. At...

Amazing Dog Survives After Dragged Behind Car Aug 3, 2007 3:03 PM Posted By: Vickie Jean Summers Georgia authorities are asking for the public's help in solving a case of animal cruelty. Last Thursday afternoon witnesses saw a car dragging a dog whose leash was attached to the rear bumper of a car. "People saw this dog being dragged from the bumper of the car," said Judy Price of Atlanta Pet Rescue. After the dog slipped out of its collar, a Good Samaritan who saw the dog's plight stopped to help the injured pooch. The dog is now being cared...

Roy Klopp survived a shocking twist in his daily bike ride Monday after being bit in the behind by a black bear near Clinton. "It wasn't my day to die," said Klopp, who returned to his job at the sawmill last night after taking a day to recuperate from the attack. Around 11 a.m. Monday morning, Klopp, 56, and his border collies, Tippy and Chuckie, met an unusually aggressive black bear in the bushes near a curve in the walking trails above Clinton, a town of about 740 residents 380 kilometres northeast of Vancouver. Protected only by a pair of...

IA #99-26, IMPORT ALERT #99-26, "DETENTION WITHOUT PHYSICAL EXAMINATION AND INTENSIFIED COVERAGE OF WHEAT GLUTEN DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF MELAMINE" TYPE OF ALERT: Detention Without Physical Examination (Note: This import alert represents the Agency's current guidance to FDA field personnel regarding the manufacturer(s) and/or products(s) at issue. It does not create or confer any rights for or on any person, and does not operate to bind FDA or the public). PRODUCT: Wheat Gluten PRODUCT CODES: 02F[][]08 Wheat gluten 02E[][]06 - Wheat flour gluten 71M[][]01 wheat gluten PROBLEMS: Poisonous or deleterious substance Unsafe food additive PAF: PES FAD PAC FOR...

A Calvert woman claims her 2-year-old golden retriever saved her life Friday by giving her the canine version of the Heimlich maneuver. “The doctor said I probably wouldn’t be here without Toby,” said Debbie Parkhurst, 45, a jewelry artist who lives near Rising Sun High School with her husband, Kevin, and their two dogs. “I keep looking at him and saying ‘You’re amazing.’” Parkhurst said she was home alone with the dogs Friday afternoon when she decided to snack on an apple. Suddenly, she said, a chunk of the fruit became wedged in her windpipe. “It was lodged pretty tight...

To: All Kentucky Outdoor Press Association members From: ****** I just received word that Bud Light, the sweetest little dog in the world, and the official Kentucky Outdoor Press Association mascot, had to be euthanized today because he had cancer and it had spread rapidly, leaving him to face delibitating pain. Nobody knows how old Bud Light was, since he was a "pound hound," adopted at the local animal shelter. It's also impossible to determine what breed he was, but he was a white, fluffy small bundle of joy. Any of you who ever attended the KOPA meetings know that...

FORT WORTH -- The dog that was rescued by firefighters early Thursday at a north-side house fire has been returned to its owners, officials said.Firefighters were called about 5 a.m. to the home in the 4400 block of Ohio Garden Road, said Lt. Kent Worley, a spokesman for the Fire Department.Investigators were unsure at 8 a.m. what caused the fire, Worley said.The owner of the house told firefighters that it was supposed to be vacant, but investigators later learned that a family that had once lived there was keeping two dogs there, along with some belongings.Firefighters discovered one dog, which...

City of Louisville, Kentucky Proposes Strict Limitations on Hunting Dog Ownership- (08/14) Kentucky Join our e-mail alert list A recently proposed municipal ordinance imposes strict limitations on hunting dog ownership within the city of Louisville, Kentucky. The ordinance, which unnecessarily burdens hunting dog owners, modifies Section 91 of Louisville city code. Among other restrictions the ordinance prevents a dog owner from tethering a dog during the day. The proposal also requires anyone who raises a litter of puppies to purchase a $300 animal dealer’s license. The ordinance seeks to also limit the number of dogs able to be owned by...

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...

Tango wants to wish all of my friends and family on FreeRepublic a Happy Blue Year!!

ELKO, Nev. - The biggest Christmas present came a day late this year for Lee and Irene DellaSilva of Ogden, Utah. But it's one they'll never forget. Eight days after the DellaSilvas' 6-year-old poodle, Miss Lizzie, was lost during a rollover accident east of Carlin, a Union Pacific crew spotted the black pooch Monday morning on railroad tracks near the crash site. "It is an act of God as far as I am concerned," said Lee DellaSilva. "This just renews our faith in the Christmas miracle." Miss Lizzie's travels began after she fled the DellaSilvas' vehicle following the accident the...

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner is pleased to announce that nine Labrador retriever puppies were born on Monday, May 23, at the CBP Canine Enforcement Training Center...[snip]...If you are interested in being a foster parent for these or future puppies consult the web site for additional information at www.cbp.gov....[snip]... "These nine Labrador retriever puppies are CBP’s next generation of detector dogs. The CBP breeding program enables us to augment our detector dog force and we expect another litter of puppies to be born in the coming weeks. Currently, the breeding program has...

(06-10) 15:51 PDT Vancouver, Wash. (AP) -- A barking family dog helped parents save the life of a 2-year-old boy who fell into a pond at a golf course near their home. Young Sammy Lobey disappeared from the front yard of his parents' home on Tuesday night. The parents began a frantic search, and when Ronald Lobey called for his 2-year-old black Lab, Maddie, the dog barked from behind a neighbor's house across the street. "I yelled for my dog and she barked" but refused to leave the pond, where Ronald Lobey found his son, submerged and unconscious. The father...

Explosives attached to a dog From correspondents in Kirkuk IRAQ insurgents attached explosives to a dog today in a bid to bomb a military convoy near the northern oil centre of Kirkuk but the animal was the only casualty, police said. The insurgents wrapped an explosive belt around the dog's body and detonated it as the convoy passed through Dakuk, 40km south of Kirkuk, the town's police chief Colonel Mohammed Barzaji said. "The dog was torn apart by the explosion which caused neither injury among the soldiers nor any damage," said Barzaji, adding that the bomb had been detonated outside...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Well today is my dog Sparky's 13th Birthday. In dog years that is 91 yrs old. I do not know how long the Good Lord will let him stay here with me but I am sure grateful for the way Sparky has touched my life. Living in a place like Chicago you see all the seasons, some bitter hot, some bitter cold. He has gotten me out in rain or shine , by Lake Michigan and I am a better person for it. I look forward every morning going to the lake, getting fresh air and walking with the one...