Free Republic

The man who sparked outrage by abandoning a German Shepherd in broad daylight in Texas has been arrested, charged, and identified as an individual illegally in the U.S., the Dallas Police Department and county jail records say. Ramiro Zuniga (L) in a Dallas County Jail mugshot, (R) the moment the German Shepherd was abandoned on the side of Dowdy Ferry Road (WFAA screengrab). Ramiro Zuniga, 41, was arrested Saturday and charged with a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge, stemming from an incident that shocked locals last Wednesday evening. The video, which was recorded by the animal rescue group the Dowdy Ferry...

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - A Pennsylvania district attorney announced charges against three men accused of having sexual intercourse with animals. The Clearfield County District Attorney identified the men as: Terry Wallace, 41Matthew Brubaker, 32Marc Measnikoff, 34 Charges include 1,460 counts of sexual intercourse with animals, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, and cruelty to animals. According to the complaint, a 16-year-old boy told Pennsylvania State Police that the three suspects were having sexual relations with dogs, horses, a cow, and a goat. The teen told investigators that a special "V-shaped" pen was used to corner the animals before...

The Pennsylvania SPCA removed 15 dogs from an unlicensed breeder in Lancaster after humane law-enforcement officers found that some of them had been illegally “debarked.” State law prohibits devocalization, also known as debarking, of a dog unless the procedure is performed by a licensed veterinarian using anesthesia, said Gillian Kocher, spokeswoman for the PSPCA. The officers, acting on a tip that an adult female husky had been debarked, removed the dogs from the Quarryville breeder last Friday, and brought them to the organization’s Philadelphia headquarters to be examined and treated. The debarked dogs included the husky, named Rosella, a Doberman...

In San Francisco, autonomous crime-fighting robots that are used to patrol parking lots, sports arenas, and tech company campuses are now being deployed to keep away homeless people. The San Francisco Business Times reported last week that the San Francisco SPCA, an animal advocacy and pet adoption group, put a security robot to work outside its facilities in the gentrifying Mission neighborhood. The robot's presence is meant to deter homeless people from setting up camps along the sidewalks. Last week, the City of San Francisco ordered the SF SPCA to keep its robot off the streets or be fined...

A robot patrolling a street in San Francisco to ward off homeless people has been removed after complaints from locals, who also knocked it over and smeared it with feces. The Knightscope K5 security robot was deployed by the San Francisco branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to deter homeless people from sleeping and loitering near its building.

A dog was found abandoned at a Scottish train station next to a suitcase filled with it's belongings and now the local animal welfare charity are looking for tips into who is the neglectful owner. The dog, a male shar-pei named Kai, was found sitting with a leash attached to a banister at the Ayr railway station on Jan. 2, according to the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "Kai is around two to three years old and is a lovely dog with a nice nature," Scottish SPCA Inspector Stewart Taylor said in the group's release. The group...

Weary travelers at San Francisco International Airport can now while away time at the terminal by cavorting with black Labs, Saint Bernards, terriers and other specially trained therapy dogs. The dogs, introduced by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in early December, are meant to cheer the homesick, the aggravated, the fuming and the just plain bored. Accompanied by their owners, the pups trot through the airport wearing vests reading "Pet Me" in hopes of meeting new friends and experiencing many fascinating new smells. SFO is not the first airport to let the dogs in. Airports in...

I recently began walking around my neighborhood carrying a bag and picking up animal waste. Which is to say, “we got a dog.” Or maybe she got us.It has been several years since we had a pet. And it’s not as easy to get, or keep, a dog as it used to be. Time was, you waited until a neighbor’s dog had puppies and you took one home. That’s how literary heroine Emily Elizabeth got Clifford the Big Red Dog, for example. Not anymore.Daisy is, of course, a “rescue dog.” Because every dog these days apparently has to be. And...

Carla Cheney, a former Walmart employee from Kemptville, Canada, claims she was fired for alerting a customer that he shouldn't leave his dog in a hot car. On Wednesday, shortly before beginning her shift, Cheney saw the customer put his Newfoundland—a large breed with a heavy black coat—in his truck and roll up the windows, reports the Ottawa Citizen. Cheney, who worked in the Walmart pharmacy, called the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and later confronted the dog owner after he left the store, telling him that "he should not be leaving his dog in the...

MOSCOW - Any dachshund owner knows the feisty breed rarely backs off from a challenge, but one in Russia is taking that reputation to new heights — or depths. The dog named Boniface is learning how to scuba dive. Owner Sergei Gorbunov, a professional diver in the Pacific Coast city of Vladivostok had a diving suit complete with helmet made for the dog and is teaching him the tricks of the trade. In a recent demonstration, Boniface barked eagerly as Gorbunov readied the equipment and uncomplainingly endured being hung upside-down as Gorbunov fitted the suit on him. Once underwater, he...

Second sad story about abused dogs in the state.

52 cats and one dog were removed from the home of a 76 year old Elkhart woman Tuesday by Elkhart Police Department's animal control officer and Humane Society workers. Elkhart Humane Society Assistant Director Rachel Dennis says the cats and dog are all in poor health, suffering from respiratory problems, matted eyes and infested with insects. Adult Protective Services was called to assist the 76 year old woman who was living in the feces covered trailer. The woman is now living with a family member. Elkhart Police say a maintenance worker at Four Season Trailer Park flagged down an animal...

My friend Jean emailed this request to me and I am asking for your help in bringing Sage safely home. Please donate what you can to help Sage and Lcpl Werner. I’d like to introduce you to Sage and Lcpl Werner, their photo is attached to this email: Lance Corporal Alex Werner lives in Milford, PA. He is the 2nd of four children. He joined the Marine Corps right out of high school, and chose to be a combat engineer since he’d always enjoyed construction, as well as destruction – ie bombs and blowing things up with them. One night...

Robin Starr has been an outspoken critic of NFL quarterback Michael Vick for leading a cruel dogfighting ring. Vick acted despicably, then served his time in prison. But today Starr is dealing with a cruel twist of fate. A 16-year-old family dog died in the back seat of her car last week after being left there for four hours on a hot day in Richmond, Va. Let's be clear: By all accounts so far, this was an accident that could have been avoided. Starr, the CEO of the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, says she didn't...

RICHMOND, Va. (Aug. 26) – An executive for an anti-animal cruelty group says her 16-year-old blind and deaf dog died after she accidentally left him in her hot car for four hours. Robin Starr, the CEO of the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, says she didn't realize "Louie" was in the car until noon. Starr's husband, Ed, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch he put the dog in her car as she got ready for work Aug. 19. She often took the dog to work with her. Robin Starr took the dog to two clinics, but he died...

RICHMOND, Va. — A dog belonging to the CEO of the Richmond, Va., Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals died after accidentally being left alone for four hours in her hot car. Robin Starr's husband Ed told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he put the 16-year-old mutt named Louie, who was deaf and blind, into his wife's vehicle on Aug. 19 as she was getting ready for work. Starr often took the dog to the office with her. But on that day, she arrived at work without realizing Louie was in the car. Several hours later, at about noon,...

RICHMOND, Va. — A dog belonging to the CEO of the Richmond, Va., Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals died after accidentally being left alone for four hours in her hot car. Robin Starr's husband Ed told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he put the 16-year-old mutt named Louie, who was deaf and blind, into his wife's vehicle on Aug. 19 as she was getting ready for work. Starr often took the dog to the office with her. But on that day, she arrived at work without realizing Louie was in the car. Several hours later, at about noon,...

RICHMOND, Va. — An executive for an anti-animal cruelty group says her 16-year-old blind and deaf dog died after she accidentally left him in her hot car for four hours.

Richard Hutchison didn't get to see his brother, Maj. Steven Hutchison, return home alive from Iraq. But Monday he got at least a tiny comfort: Laia, the dog the soldier rescued and loved in Iraq, landed in the United States after being saved by his former comrades and Operation Baghdad Pups, an offshoot of SPCA International.

The Carson & Barnes Circus, which regularly uses elephants in its acts, is scheduled to perform at the Cow Palace this weekend (May 29-June 2), followed by the Wells Fargo Center in Santa Rosa (June 8-9) and Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma (June 10-11). While laws and regulations offer some protection of animals who perform in circuses, the sad truth is that they are minimal and rarely enforced. candbcircus.com Bay Area and national animal welfare agencies, including the Marin Humane Society, Humane Society & SPCA of Sonoma County, Citizens for Cruelty Free Entertainment, Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County, Pets Lifeline and...