Category: Grrr

Kansas City Cop Adopts Chihuahua He Saved from Hot Car

As the temperature rose to 93 degrees the afternoon of July 25, Jeff O’Rear, an 18-year veteran of the Kansas City Police Department, and his partner, Erik Winter, responded to a call about a dog that had been left inside a car in a shopping center’s parking lot.

They had no trouble locating the car. It was surrounded by a group of people.

“Everybody around us was crying and screaming. They were upset,” O’Rear told the Kansas City Star.

When the police officers saw what the crowd was looking at, they became upset as well.

Inside the car, where the temperature had risen to 140 degrees, was a tiny, 5-month-old Chihuahua mix. He was laying on his back in his kennel, his tongue sticking out.

Surveillance videos showed the dog had been left inside the car, with the windows rolled up, for nearly two hours.

“He was just so close to death at that time — it was a very horrific picture,” O’Rear told the Kansas City Star. “That was so emotional to see that dog, to see that somebody would do that to him for no reason, just neglect.”

Using their batons, O’Rear and Winter smashed the car’s rear window and removed the dog. They rushed him over to the nearby Banfield Animal Hospital inside the shopping center’s PetSmart.

The dog’s internal temperature was 107 degrees (a dog’s normal temperature is 99.5 to 102.5 degrees). His heart rate was a rapid 200 beats per minute, far above the norm of up to 140 beats.

As he was being treated, the little dog’s temperature dropped to 94 degrees and he went into shock. But just 24 hours later, the dog was eating, drinking and on his way to a full recovery.

According to KCTV, four other dogs were rescued from hot cars that same day — tragically, two did not survive.

Even with the windows cracked open, the temperature inside a car on a warm day can quickly rise. If you see a dog inside a hot car and can’t find the owner, call 911. O’Rear told KCTV that if you break a window to save the dog, you probably won’t be cited, although the owner could slap you with a civil lawsuit.

Last month, Tennessee passed a groundbreaking law that allows anyone to break a car window if an animal is suffering inside, without being punished for their good deed. Hopefully other states will do the same.

The Chihuahua’s owners, a married couple from Carrollton, Mo., was cited with a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty.

He’ll Live the ‘Life of a King’

On Wednesday, O’Rear surprised his daughters when he took them to KC Pet Project’s Zona Rosa shelter to meet their new family member: the Chihuahua he’d saved. The pup’s original owners had signed him over to O’Rear.

“The family, including grandparents, uncles and aunts, representatives from Banfield Pet Hospital at PetSmart who helped stabilize him after they pulled him from the car, the partner of the police officer, and many members of the local media were present for the fun surprise and the happy adoption,” KC Pet Project wrote on its Facebook page.

The O’Rear family has not yet named their lucky dog. “He is like a puppy, and he gets wound up,” his new dog dad told the Kansas City Star. “He likes to nap, and when he wakes up, he likes to go full speed.”

The dog has a feline playmate — a cat who O’Rear helped rescue from a sewer five years ago.

Last week, O’Rear and his fellow officers received the Compassionate Police Department Award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). It’s a sure bet this is just the first of many accolades that will be coming their way.

“I want to make sure that he lives pretty much a life of a king for the rest of his life because of what he went through,” O’Rear told KCTV. “I think we’ll be able to provide that.”

Photos via Facebook; Facebook

Monkeys Riding Dogs? Cruel, Not Cute

“The Banana Derby has always been a popular feature within the Fair Industry,” says the front page of the Banana Derby website. “You can’t go wrong spicing up your Fair or Festival with the Banana Derby. America’s Favorite Monkey Jockeys are always Media and Sponsor Friendly, and the Unique nature of the Banana Derby always provides Publicity!”

It’s true that these races, in which capuchin monkeys dressed as jockeys ride atop dogs, are indeed popular. Elephants in circuses and killer whales in theme parks used to be popular, too. But their acceptance by the public has declined as people have become aware of the harm done to these performing animals. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey announced earlier this year it will stop using elephants in its shows by 2018. Attendance at SeaWorld theme parks has plummeted since the disturbing documentary “Blackfish” was released in 2013.

People are starting to realize that elephants don’t naturally do handstands and killer whales don’t naturally jump through hoops.

But when will people realize that monkeys don’t naturally ride dogs? When the Banana Derby opened at the Lake County Fair in Illinois today, the bleachers were packed with more than 800 spectators.

“I think it’s fun. I think it’s clever,” Michele Longhini, a counselor with the Good Times summer camp, told a Chicago Tribune reporter.

What Longhini may not realize is that, unlike the name of her camp, the Banana Derby provides few good times for its participants. Those cute little capuchin monkeys are chained to the dogs, and struggle to stay upright as they run. Those cute little jockey costumes must get hot and itchy in the middle of summer. Capuchin monkeys naturally belong in trees, not on dogs’ backs and in cramped cages.

That’s right — USDA inspectors have previously found two instances in which Banana Derby’s promoter, Philip Dolci, kept the monkeys in a cage that was smaller than the minimum required size. In another instance, a dog was not securely restrained when being transported, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Dolci insists he takes good care of the animals.

“If I was doing something wrong, the people of Lake County wouldn’t have brought their kids back for six years to see us,” he told UPI. “They say, ‘We see the monkey every year.’ They know the monkey’s name. It’s insanity, really.”

I agree with that last sentence.

Board Members and Animal Experts Don’t Think Monkey Jockeys Are Cute

Two months ago, 16 of the 21 Lake County board members signed a letter opposing the Banana Derby at the county fair.

“We do not feel that paying a vendor to chain monkeys to the backs of dogs, rescue or otherwise, is the kind of attraction that the Lake County Fair should be endorsing,” wrote county board member Sandra Hart in the letter to Jon Brodzik, Jr., president of the Lake County Fair Board.

Also voicing opposition to having the Banana Derby at the Lake County Fair: the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Chicago zoo associations, animal welfare groups and more than 3,500 petition signers.

Hart told CBS Chicago she feels the Banana Derby “diminishes the value of these animals. When you dress them up in little jockey outfits, and have them running around a ring like that, it kind of exploits those animals.”

The Chicago Zoological Association also sent a letter to the fair board. “The use of primates in this show has serious welfare consequences for the monkeys, poses public health and safety concerns, and may even have consequences for primate conservation,” the association wrote, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Despite these protests from people who know better, the Banana Derby was not cancelled. And for the first time ever, nearby DuPage County will host the Banana Derby at its fair next month.

Also Not Cute: ‘Cowboy Monkeys’

The Banana Derby is not the only company making a profit by exploiting these animals. “Cowboy” capuchin monkeys riding Border Collies make frequent appearances at rodeos and sporting events.

“Although marketed as an ‘amusement’ act, many people find this show offensive and upsetting as they recognize that it is undoubtedly frightening and harmful to the helpless monkeys who may suffer psychological distress and risk serious physical injuries,” writes the HSUS in its fact sheet, “‘Cowboy Monkey’ Acts Are Abusive to Primates.”

Tim Lepard, whose monkeys and dogs perform under the name “Team Ghost Riders,” has been repeatedly cited by the USDA for violating the minimum standards of the federal Animal Welfare Act. According to the HSUS, these citations include “keeping animals in unsanitary conditions, failure to provide adequate crowd management and safety barriers, inadequate shelter, improper food storage, failure to dispose of expired deworming and heartworm preventative medications, and repeatedly being unavailable for animal welfare inspections.”

Nevertheless, last month USA TODAY’s For the Win called the appearance of Team Ghost Riders at a minor league game “the best promotion in baseball.”

Really, USA TODAY?

What do you think — is the Banana Derby and its ilk cute or cruel? Please leave a comment below.

Photos via YouTube; YouTube

Loser Who Killed Dog with Firecracker Charged with… Property Damage?

NOV. 25, 2015 UPDATE: Nicholas Garcia pleaded guilty today to causing the death of his neighbor’s Pit Bull with a firecracker, the Herald-News reports. He was sentenced to three years in prison on a charge of criminal damage to property (not animal cruelty). He must then serve an additional year for reckless discharge of a firearm. He will be eligible for parole in August 2017.

 

The morning of July 7, Nicholas Garcia and a buddy had nothing useful to do with their lives, so they lit illegal firecrackers in a Joliet, Ill., alley.

When Garcia noticed a Pit Bull outside of a neighbor’s yard, he started throwing the firecrackers at him, Deputy Police Chief Ed Gregory told the Times Weekly.

As the neighbors watched in horror, their Pit Bull picked up one of the firecrackers in his mouth.

“It blew off the animal’s jaw,” Gregory told the Herald-News. The dog had to be euthanized.

On his Facebook page, Garcia didn’t express a whole lot of remorse about killing the dog, according to the Joliet Patch.

“Lightin off the rest of my fireworks n the rerarded neighbors that dont know how to put their dog on leash or keep it fenced in decides to chase a boom stick and lost its head…..NOW they care about their dog,” the loser wrote. His page has since been removed.

After being wanted on a $50,000 warrant — not for animal cruelty, but for felony damage to property and two misdemeanor counts — Garcia finally turned himself in yesterday.

Gregory told the Herald-News the case will be reviewed by the Will County state’s attorney’s office to see if felony aggravated animal cruelty charges can be filed against Garcia. If they can, the dog killer could face between three and six years in prison.

An online petition urging Garcia to be charged with animal cruelty has nearly 70,000 signatures as of Saturday morning. (Warning: There is a gruesome photo of the injured Pit Bull.)

Photos via Patch.com

Please keep your comments civil. Any comments with name calling and/or Pit Bull bashing will be removed.

Milwaukee Man Shoots ‘Mountain Lion’ That’s Really a Dog (He’s OK)

JULY 24, 2015 UPDATE: The owner of Simba — whose real name is Homie — has been found after he saw his dog on TV, Fox6 News reports. Homie had escaped from his leash during a walk Tuesday. He is still being treated by the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC).

The bad news: Homie’s leg is not healing properly and he will need more surgery that his owner cannot afford. The good news: Donations are pouring in, and an animal clinic has offered to perform the surgery at a reduced rate. (It seems to me that the man who shot Homie should pay for the surgery.)

To make a donation to help MADACC help Homie, click here.

Since Monday, the Milwaukee Police Department has received dozens of calls from residents saying they’ve seen what looks like a mountain lion roaming a neighborhood on the north side of the city.

After a cell phone video of the alleged lion was posted on social media, the hashtags #LIONWATCH and #MKELion began trending in Milwaukee, according to WDJT.

“Do not approach it, do not panic,” Scott Diehl, with the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, told WDJT yesterday. “If the animal is close to you, maybe 50 yards or so, don’t take your eyes off it. Don’t turn your back on it. Remain facing it at all times. Make yourself look big.”

An unidentified man apparently thought he saw the mountain lion last night. Instead of doing what Diehl recommended, he shot it.

But the victim wasn’t a mountain lion. It was a stray, white Pit Bull who bears little resemblance to a mountain lion.

“The bullet went through his leg, fractured his bone,” Karen Sparapani, executive director of the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC), told WDJT.

The dog, who’s been named Simba (ha!), must wear a cast for six weeks. Hopefully his owner will claim him, or he’ll find a new forever home with a secure yard.

And hopefully the man who shot him will get his vision checked pronto.

“Please do not discharge a firearm because often, besides from maybe not shooting the right animal, a human can be injured,” Sparapani told WDJT.

Another Pit Bull Mistaken for a Mountain Lion

In July 2014, residents became worried after a security camera captured what they believed to be a mountain lion roaming a Norwalk, Calif., street late one night.

After watching the video, even some animal experts were convinced the prowling animal was perhaps a jaguar or African lioness.

Nope. Just like Simba in Milwaukee, this creature was actually a Pit Bull named Buddy.

Buddy had escaped from his yard that night, and his dog dad recognized him in the video.

Unlike poor Simba, Buddy the non-lion was unharmed.

Man Thought Bears Were Dogs

Speaking of people with vision issues, it took two years for a man in China to figure out his two dogs were actually endangered Asian black bears.

Wang Kaiyu bought what he thought were two black puppies, but was surprised by how big they grew and by how much they ate.

When he saw a wildlife protection promotion about Asian black bears, Wang had what Oprah would call an “Ah-HA!” moment. He notified authorities, and his pets were taken to a wildlife rescue center.

Photos via Twitter; Facebook; Facebook

14-Year-Old Dog with Injured Leg Shot 4 Times by Cops

Disturbing details have emerged about the shooting of an injured dog Monday by two officers from the Alton, Ill., police department.

Buster, a 14-year-old Pit Bull who’d escaped from his yard, had apparently been hit by a car and was limping outside a Family Dollar store. Two women saw him and called animal control.

Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, the city of Alton let its one animal control officer go last week. Starting Monday, its police department took over those duties, even though the officers had no training in how to deal with animals.

The two police officers who arrived coaxed Baxter into their squad car using lunch meat, according to Susie Marburger and other witnesses. At a packed Alton city council meeting last night, Marburger said Buster limped to the car and curled up on the back seat.

The officers said they were taking Buster to animal control.

According to the police report, Buster was driven to Alton’s public works building, where the animal control office is located. One of the officers shot Buster two times with a 12-gauge shotgun. The officers claimed Buster was “still vicious and charged him while growling,” so the other officer shot Buster two times with a Glock 23 40-caliber pistol.

The Illinois Animal Control Act stipulates that an injured dog should be taken to a veterinarian. The vet can check for a microchip and notify the dog’s owner before taking any further action.

Buster had a microchip.

“After reading the police report, I am speechless,” Jackie Spiker, co-founder of Hope Animal Rescues, wrote on the nonprofit’s Facebook page late Tuesday.

Spiker had not yet seen the report when she was interviewed by KMOV.com earlier that day and had expressed some empathy for the two officers due to their lack of training in handling animals.

“I do not understand how they were able to coax the dog into their car without getting bit, then coax the dog out of their car without getting bit to kill the poor thing,” Spiker wrote later.

At last night’s city council meeting, Marburger said she did not see Buster show any aggressive behavior, although others said he had been “nippy” due to the pain from his injury.

“He was anxious due to his injured leg,” Marburger said, according to the Alton Telegraph. “I couldn’t believe a limping dog could be put down.”

City council members unanimously voted to reinstate an animal control officer.

Justice for Buster

Before the Alton city council meeting last night, about 150 people peacefully protested outside city hall, chanting “Justice for Buster” and holding signs saying, “Animal Lives Matter” and “Paws Up, Don’t Shoot.”

The Alton Police Department‘s Facebook page is filled with comments from people outraged by the shooting.

“We are very aware that many of our followers are angry with the events involving a dog at Family Dollar on Monday,” the department wrote in a status update late yesterday.

“The decision to use a weapon on an animal is never one made lightly. The officers in this instance felt they had exhausted all available options with an injured dog that was showing aggression to multiple people prior to reaching the conclusion that was reached. … This is a sad situation that will hopefully be used to improve the practices of the police department.”

Spiker and others met with Alton Police Chief Jason A. Simmons Tuesday afternoon to discuss humane ways for officers to deal with animals. Simmons told her the officers had made a mistake and accepted Spiker’s offer to provide training.

However, Simmons did not, as Spiker requested, apologize for the killing of Buster.

Photo via Facebook

Exit mobile version