animal cruelty
April 8th is Dog Fighting Awareness Day – Here Are The Tell Tale Signs of A Dog Fighting Ring Near You
Illegal and abusive dog fighting still runs rampant, but you can help by knowing the signs of a dog fighting ring. Learn what to look for if you suspect there is illegal dog fighting in your community.
Dog Owner Charged With Unnecessary Cruelty For Waiting To Euthanize His Dog
When a man brought his 18-year-old dog in to be put down, the pup was emaciated and covered in bed sores. The SPCA charged him for waiting too long to end the dog's suffering.
The Iditarod Dog Race And The Bigger Conversation It Leads To
Each year, the event stirs up controversy among those most passionate about man and woman's best friend.
Puppy Found Duct Taped In A Pillowcase And Left In The Rain Gets Rescued
A puppy was found on the side of a road sealed inside a pillowcase with duct tape and left in the cold and rain. He's been rescued and will soon be available for adoption.
The FBI Will Finally Track Animal Abuse And Collect Data Starting In 2016
The FBI will track animal abuse data, and police stations must report it in 2016. This will help educate and create new laws against animal cruelty.
Woman Tapes Her Dog’s Mouth Shut And Uploads Photo To Facebook
A woman is under investigation after posting a photo on Facebook of her dog with its muzzle duct taped shut, saying "This is what happens when you don't shut up!" She claims the dog was unhurt.
Pet Sitters Charged With Animal Cruelty When Owners Return To Dead Dog
Dominick Bryant, 19, and Misha Vaughn, 22, are accused of aggravated animal cruelty after one of the two dogs they were charged with caring for died. Bond set at $5,000.
William Leonard Dodson Arrested For Taping Dog’s Mouth Shut
Caitlyn, a 15-month-old chocolate Staffordshire bull terrier mix was found with her muzzle taped shut with electrical tape so tight her tongue was caught between her teeth.
One year later, Hope is thriving in a happy home
Dogtime.com first told you about Hope in July 2012, just days after the Pug mix was found wandering in Weatherford, Texas, her mouth cruelly bound shut with electrical tape. Hope’s face was swollen, and her distended tongue hung between her teeth. Hope’s facial injuries were so severe because of the torture she endured that more […]
Man under investigation for tattooing his Pit Bull
A North Carolina tattoo artist is under fire after authorities discovered he hadn’t just been inking people. A concerned citizen filed a complaint after discovering that Ernesto Rodriguez had tatted an intricate design on his 4-month-old Pit Bull Terrier puppy, Duchess. “It’s just art,” Rodriguez tells CNN of Duchess’s fresh ink. “I want to put […]
Garbage man rescues new best friend from trash
What started out as a normal day on the job for Muncie, Ind., Sanitary District employee Mike Upchurch quickly turned into anything but normal. Wednesday morning around 11:30 a.m. Upchurch was in the middle of his normal routine, collecting trash along East Main Street, when he heard something odd coming from a blue garbage bag. […]
Abused dog found with mouth taped shut is recovering
When Melanie Labreke spotted a young dog in distress Monday morning near Weatherford, Texas, she didn’t hesitate to act. “She walked by me and she just looked up at me like, ‘Help me,” Labreke explained to NBC 5 News Dallas-Fort Worth. Labreke noticed right away that something was wrong with the young Pug mix. She […]
Man charged with amputating dog’s leg with hacksaw
Animal control officers removed seven adult dogs and four puppies from a home in Belle Glade, Fla. The owner has been arrested and charged with felony animal cruelty after it was revealed that he amputated part of one of the dog’s legs with a hacksaw. Police initially investigated Baptiste’s residence after neighbors complained of gunshots. […]
Man accused of throwing two dogs into fire pit
April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, but that appears to be lost on a Texas man who is charged with felony animal cruelty after he allegedly threw two dogs into a burning fire pit late last week. Larry Lowery, 28, of Point, is said to have thrown the stray dogs into the blazing […]
Update: Missouri’s Prop B rewritten in favor of breeders
Confession: I’m confused by the revisions to Prop B that came out of yesterday’s congressional assembly in Missouri. On Wednesday, the House voted 85 to 71 to alter the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, which Missouri citizens passed last November. The revised bill now heads to Governor Jay Nixon’s desk. A couple of the […]
Prevention of animal cruelty is more than a month-long endeavor
April is Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month. No doubt we have our work cut out for us. Cruelty is so rampant that I could fill my blog with accounts of horrific acts every single day of the year. And those are only the stories that I see or get sent to me – imagine […]
Tuesdays with stories: hope for shelter dogs
Dispatch from the Santa Fe Humane Society, February 8, 2011 At a municipal animal facility, sometimes a simple story of hope can be hard to come by. I’m counting on this first Shelter Dispatch of 2011 to turn into just that, though for the moment, it’s only achy observation on a snowy Tuesday night… This […]
Jack update: Let my Heeler heal.
Jack, the severely neglected seven-year-old Heeler from Espanola, New Mexico, continues to face an uphill battle. But there’s reason for hope. For Jack’s back story, click here. For an extremely graphic photo (don’t say you weren’t warned), click here. Yesterday morning, the shelter veterinarian decided that another operation was needed for Jack, thanks to […]
Open letter to Michael Vick on the occasion of his Oprah cancellation
Dear Michael Vick, It’s understandable you cancelled the Oprah appearance. She’s a powerful lady with a huge media empire and devoted following. One teeny mess-up on your part and the entire world would hear about it. But here’s an idea: Save face and allow me to interview you. No one’s ever heard of me, and […]
Open letter to Oprah Winfrey as she prepares for Michael Vick’s appearance on her show
Dear Oprah, I noticed that your decision to host Michael Vick next week has garnered a lot of commentary, most of it highly critical. But I’m cautiously optimistic about the appearance of Vick on your show. You are the one person who could respectfully, but unyieldingly, hold him accountable for his actions. You could ask […]