Posts tagged "AnimalCruelty"

A few weeks ago Paw Nation told you about Mary Bale, the woman who came upon a cat while walking down the street in Coventry England and then, after patting the cat, chucked the animal in a nearby trash can and shut the lid.

Lola the tabby cat was trapped for 15 hours before her owners, Stephanie Andrews-Mann and her husband, Darryl, heard Lola crying inside the bin. The pair checked security-camera footage, found the incriminating clip, and posted the video to YouTube. Bale was identified within a matter of days, and has since become infamous. The YouTube video received thousands of angry comments and even death threats directed at Bale.

"I did it as a joke because I thought it would be funny. I never thought it would be trapped; I expected it to wriggle out," she told the (U.K.) Daily Mail.

The Royal Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (RSPCA) isn't laughing. They announced they're charging Bale with two animal cruelty offenses: causing unnecessary suffering to a cat and not providing an animal with a suitable environment. Both offenses can carry a prison sentence and a lifetime ban on keeping animals as pets, according to the Daily Mail.

Bale has been on sick leave from her job as a bank clerk since the incident, according to the Telegraph. She's set to appear in court on October 19.

Jason Merritt, Getty Images

Carrie Ann Inaba and Five Cats to be on "Housecat Housecall" This Saturday
"Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba's passion extends far beyond the dance floor. She and her fiance own five cats, three that belonged to her and two that were his before he moved in. Inaba and her pretty kitties will be featured on "Housecat Housecall presented by Purina Cat Chow" on Animal Planet. The show's host, Dr. Katrina Warren, will be helping the couple figure out how to successfully integrate all these different purr-sonalities, reports the New York Daily News.

North Carolina Passes Animal Cruelty Law
Senators in North Carolina voted unanimously to pass a new law that will allow judges to put an animal abuser behind bars for up to 10 years, reports News 14 Carolina. The law has been dubbed Susie's Law to honor a Greensboro puppy that was beaten and set on fire a year ago. She survived, barely, but under the current law, the abuser could receive only probation. Assuming the governor signs it into law, Susie's Law will go into effect Dec. 1.


Dollars in Dog Poo
If you saw money sticking out of a pile of dog doo, would you take it? Pet-waste-removal worker Steve Wilson not only did that, he also sanitized the doody dollars and gave them back to the rightful owner, reports AOL News. The value of the slightly chewed bills returned? $58. The story, however, is priceless.

The latest pet trend sweeping Japan has us wondering: are dog washing machines ingenious cleaning devices or weapons of mass discomfort?

Resembling giant vending machines, the automated dog washing machine allows you to stick your dog into a container that showers him with warm water, then blows him dry. Voila! You've got a clean dog. And it only costs you 1,000 yen (about $11) and a half hour of your time. But how happy is your dog about the whole process?

At the Pet World Joyful Honda store in Tokyo, cameras were rolling as a clerk demonstrated how the machine worked. An apricot-colored toy poodle protested as it was placed inside the machine and began getting doused with water that has been specially treated to not hurt the dog's eyes. By the time it emerged, the pooch was subdued (and spotless) but didn't look too happy. Then again, the dog might be equally as averse to traditional hand bathing. A staffer at the store crawled in a tried the machine herself and found it to be comfortable.

A similar machine is available in the United States. Pet Spa USA makes a device that "washes, de-fleas and blow-dries dogs, cats and other small animals in less than 15 minutes," states its Web site. In 2007, Pet Spa USA estimated that it sold "30 to 50 machines a year at $25,800 a pop," according to CNN.

What do you think? Are dog washing machines a clever and efficient way to wash your pet, or do they amount to animal cruelty?

A Rhode Island man who performed surgery on his own dog to remove a cyst on the aging Lab mix's leg is facing animal cruelty charges. So why does Alan MacQuattie blame it all on the economy?

The Vietnam vet told TV station WPRI he didn't have the money to pay a vet for the dog's care, but he didn't want 14-year-old Nakita to suffer. Using what he says was training from the Army, MacQuattie injected the dog with Lanacane to numb her pain and got to work removing a cyst on her hind leg.

When animal control and representatives of the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA) received reports of the at-home surgery, they showed up at MacQuattie's Barrington home and found Nakita with a wound on her right leg. The group's chief doctor told WPRI "poverty is no excuse" for what MacQuattie did.

The dog was taken to a local animal hospital where a second surgery was performed, while MacQuattie has pled no contest to charges of unnecessary cruelty to animals and unauthorized practice of veterinary medicine. But he maintains what he did was the humane thing -- and animal control has allowed him to have his best friend back.

Estimates from Consumer Reports put the average cost of a vet visit for an older dog or cat at $340, but there are options out there for pet owners suffering in this ailing economy. The Humane Society of the United States maintains a list of organizations that offer everything from pet-food assistance to offsetting medical bills.

Some veterinary schools also run low-cost clinics for pet owners. Check with the American Veterinary Medicine Association for one near you.

Remember when Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick led an illegal dogfighting ring, a cruel bloodsport that pits canine against canine for the sole purposes of gambling and violence, often resulting in the death of innocent animals? Remember that guy? Yeah, well, he's getting a TV show.

Tentatively titled "The Michael Vick Project", the BET docu-series will follow the athlete-cum-convicted felon (who was accused of "directly participating in dog fights and executions") as he seeks remorse for his actions. In doing so, the program will chronicle Vick's return to the NFL, as well as his attempt to find redemption for his actions, which have not been forgotten among the animal activist set. In fact, PETA spokesman Dan Shannon tells the L.A. Times, "People who abuse animals don't deserve to be rewarded, [nor should they] be given multimillion-dollar contracts ... or the privilege of being a role model."

We must agree with PETA (although that shouldn't come as a surprise). No matter how regretful Vick may (or may not) be of his actions, the fact that he has so quickly bounced from behind prison bars to the front of a camera lens seems blatantly opportunistic and ultimately in poor taste. Furthermore, Vick's claim that the show will be "a blueprint for so many kids" is laughable. Considering all the societal ills threatening children today, remaining a filthy rich sports star after being punished for killing dogs for more money isn't necessarily at the top of the totem pole.

Exactly what good will "The Michael Vick Project" do? More over, what good can "The Michael Vick Project" do? An idea such as this says less about genuine redemption than it does about both ratings-hungry television executives and overeager public relations staffers eagerly taking advantage of "how entertainment works now." The prospect of handing Vick a reality show steeped in themes of atonement and salvation -- for which his compensation hasn't been disclosed (um, hi, animal rights charity?) -- should read less as a socially conscious act and more as a tactless, crafty method of image repair, all in the name of -- you guessed it -- money.

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Police have arrested the person allegedly responsible for wrapping a cat in duct tape and abandoning it last week in North Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania SPCA received a tip that led to this weekend's arrest of 19-year-old James Davis, who surrendered to police and confessed to the crime.

Davis admitted to wrapping the cat in duct tape, placing it in a shopping bag, and abandoning it in the residential area in which it was found. Davis is in custody and undergoing psychiatric evaluation. He faces up to two years in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine for the charge of animal cruelty.

According to the Pennsylvania SPCA, Sticky, as the cat has been affectionately named, is doing well and has already received nearly 100 adoption inquiries.

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It's a story with a happy ending, but a cruel beginning. Brownie, a four-year-old cat from Indiana, is recovering after being shot in the head with an arrow, reports the (Bloomington, Indiana) Herald-Times.

Brownie's tale began last week, when the missing outdoor cat turned up with a 13-inch-long plastic arrow lodged inside his head. His 83-year-old owner, Dillon Eads, was horrified. "It just broke my heart," a teary-eyed Eads told Fox 59 News in Indianapolis.

The arrow had entered Brownie's head just above his right eye and emerged near his left ear. Amazingly, it pierced only the skin and muscle, just missing his skull and brain. The wounds were infected, and vets estimated the arrow had been stuck inside the feline's head for three days, reports People Pets.

Surgery to remove the arrow went off without a hitch. "He is doing really well and is on the road to recovery," Sarah Hayes, CEO of the Monroe County Humane Society caring for Brownie, told Paw Nation. (Video of his recovery is above.)

So far, no one knows who shot the orange kitty, but the Monroe County Human Association (MCHA) is hoping to change that. The group paid for Brownie's surgery and is now offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of his attacker, according to information posted on the MCHA website. The group initially offered a $500 reward, but as news of Brownie's cruel attack spread, angered citizens around the country have donated money to the cause. "The reward is now up to $1,450 and growing," Hayes told Paw Nation. "Tips have been called in and authorities are following up on all of them."

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