i Still Love Dogs

Dog ‘Abandoned’ at Gas Station Has a Pawesome New Dad

When a photo of her went viral in March, people around the world were outraged that Butterbean, a 6-year-old German Shepherd mix believed to have been dumped at a Louisiana gas station, was actually intentionally left there by her owners. They enjoyed it when she chased after them in their pickup truck.

“They’ve done this multiple times and apparently think it’s no big deal, and they don’t seem to care about the welfare of the dog,” Jeff Dorson, director of the Humane Society of Louisiana, told ABC News March 17.

When the Humane Society of Louisiana first contacted Butterbean’s owners about giving their dog up for adoption so she could live in a safer, more compassionate home, the owners refused.

“They stated their intention is to now keep her tethered in their backyard, which of course is not an acceptable way to maintain a family dog in our view, apart from the history of extremely irresponsible pet ‘ownership,’” the Humane Society wrote on its Facebook page in March.

Butterbean’s case was escalated to St. Tammany Animal Services, which had the authority to directly intervene. When they told Lisa Pearson, one of Butterbean’s owners, she had to either take the dog to a shelter or vet, Pearson said she would give them the dog — for $400. The cash was donated from the Humane Society.

“We certainly don’t like to reward this kind of behavior, but sometimes it simply takes too long for cases to move through the legal system,” Dorson said in a news release. “Our first concern was Butterbean’s safety. We were convinced she could be let loose again to run in traffic at any time, and we might miss our opportunity to intervene.”

Pearson was later cited for violating several state laws, and she signed an agreement not to chain or tether any animal, and not to allow any animal to roam at large.

After being treated for heartworm, Butterbean was available for adoption. Dorson told ABC News today the humane society received dozens of adoption applications.

One in particular stood out.

According to Dorson, “no one expressed more enthusiasm to be Butterbean’s new caretaker” than Guy Lawrence-Edenheimer, a retired musician from Antioch, Ill., who now calls himself her “proud papa.”

Ready for some chills? Lawrence-Edenheimer’s previous dog, Rocky, died on March 17, 2014. Exactly one year later, Lawrence-Edenheimer saw the story about Butterbean on ABC News. He was amazed by how much Butterbean looked like Rocky.

“The timing was just too perfect,” he told ABC News today. “It was like it was meant to be.”

Lawrence-Edenheimer said he and Butterbean instantly bonded, and now the two are almost inseparable.

“She’s an absolute sweetheart,” he said. “After the first night I got her, she jumped onto the bed, licked my face and bounced my elbows up with her nose.”

Butterbean comes along with her loving new dog dad on car trips…and stays in the car.

“Butterbean no longer feels compelled to chase after her new owner, since she shares rides together with him,” Dorson told ABC News.

‘Butterbean Buddies’ Campaign Helps Other Abandoned Dogs

To help other dogs in the state who are abandoned, chained or tethered, the Humane Society of Louisiana launched the campaign “Butterbean Buddies” in March.

“We’d love to save 500 dogs or more through our Butterbean Buddies during the next year,” Dorson said on the Humane Society of Louisiana website.

It costs the humane society about $500 to rescue, provide veterinary care for, and spay or neuter a homeless dog. Housing, food and transporting the dog for adoption can cost an additional $500.

“If only a handful of people concerned about Butterbean pitched in to help, we could save thousands of dogs here in Louisiana,” Dorson said.

To make a donation to Butterbean Buddies, click here or send a check to Humane Society of Louisiana, PO Box 740321, New Orleans, LA 70174.

Photos via Twitter; Facebook

Golden Retriever Dies After Being Left in Petco Drying Cage

AUG. 7, 2015 UPDATE: Two former employees of this Petco store have been charged with a class 4 misdemeanor for animal neglect.

Andrea Marks of Powhatan, Va., left Colby, her Golden Retriever, at a Petco store in Westchester Commons for a routine grooming Friday morning.

About six hours later, the healthy young dog was dead of heatstroke.

The store’s assistant manager told Marks a groomer had put Colby in a drying cage — and then left the store to attend a graduation party.

“How does a company let this happen?” wrote Wendy Sitko, Andrea’s daughter, on Facebook. “Then I find out by looking Petco up this has happened before and a lawsuit [says] they no longer use heated cages.”

The lawsuit she’s referring to was filed by Teresa Gilland in 2008 over the death of Sadie, her 6-year-old, healthy Lhasa Apso. Just like Colby, Sadie was left to die in a heating cage at a Petco store in Fair Oaks, Calif. Sadie suffered heatstroke and had to be euthanized. In a July 2011 statement about the case, Petco said the company “no longer uses heat of any kind in the drying process in our grooming salons.”

Melody Newman, another of Marks’ daughters, told CBS 6 News that when her sister called and told her what happened, “I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ Colby was a very playful puppy. He just turned 2 in February.”

Newman said the family was in “complete shock” over Colby’s death and how he died. In a statement, Petco said the company is also “heartbroken.”

“The health and safety of pets is always our top priority and we take full responsibility for all animals under our care,” Petco stated, according to CBS 6 News. “We are taking immediate action to investigate and understand the situation. Our thoughts are with Colby’s family at this difficult time.”

Just two months ago, a Petco groomer in Atlanta was fired after a video of him yanking a terrified dog’s leg went viral.

Dog Groomers Aren’t Required to Be Licensed or Certified

Surprisingly, dog groomers are not required to be licensed or certified in any U.S. state. (New York City and Miami-Dade County, Fla., do regulate them; however, this is not done statewide.) New Jersey may become the first state to do so with “Bijou’s Bill,” named in memory of a Shih Tzu who, like Colby, died during a routine grooming session at a chain store — PetSmart, in this case.

“Lucy’s Law,” a similar bill in California that was named after a Yorkshire Terrier mix who was severely injured by a groomer, failed to pass in 2012. Petco and PetSmart strongly opposed the bill and lobbied against it.

Until statewide laws are passed, when you take your dog to a groomer (especially at a large chain store, where most deaths and injuries occur), it could be a life-or-death matter to ask some important questions.

“It would behoove you to find out who your groomer is, how long they’ve been grooming, what kind of track record they have — you need to do this kind of work,” Rosemary Marchetto, Bijou’s dog mom, told CBS New York in December.

On her Facebook page late Friday afternoon, Marks wrote, “Goodbye my sweet baby, taken from me way too soon, thanks to Petco.

“I will love you forever and always, my sweet, sweet Colby Jack. RIP.”

Photo via Twitter

Vote Now for AHA 2015 Hero Dog Awards

The second round of voting is now open for the Fifth Annual American Humane Association (AHA) Hero Dog Awards, presented by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation.

The purpose of these awards is to “celebrate the powerful, age-old bond between dogs and people – and give recognition to courageous acts of heroism performed by our four-legged best friends,” according to the official website.

The first round of voting, which ended May 15, selected three semifinalists in each of the eight Hero Dog Awards categories: Law Enforcement Dogs; Arson Dogs; Service Dogs; Therapy Dogs; Military Dogs; Search-and-Rescue Dogs; Guide and Hearing Dogs; and Emerging Hero Dogs (ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things).

Now, through June 26, you can vote online once every day for your favorite semifinalist in each category. You must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old to vote.

The winner of each category will appear at the Hero Dog Awards ceremony, to be held in Los Angeles on Sept. 19. The 2015 winner will be announced during the ceremony.

To help hero dogs everywhere, AHA will donate $2,500 to each category winner’s charity partner, and an additional $5,000 to the grand prize winner’s charity partner.

Last year’s grand prize winner was Susie, a Pit Bull/German Shepherd mix who survived a horribly abusive puppyhood and became a therapy dog. She was the inspiration for Susie’s Law, which bumped up the crime of maliciously abusing, torturing or killing an animal in North Carolina from a misdemeanor to a felony.

Founded in 1877, AHA was the first national humane organization in the U.S., and is the only one dedicated to protecting both children and animals.

It’s a bit early to mark your calendar, but the 2015 Hero Dog Awards will be televised in October. Good luck to all the semi-finalists, whose heroism makes them winners already!

Photo via Facebook

Atlanta Falcons Dump Player Charged with Killing Girlfriend’s Yorkie

AUG. 14, 2015 UPDATE: Prince Shembo’s felony charge for killing Dior was reduced to a misdemeanor, so the Atlanta Falcons are considering welcoming him back to the team.

Within a couple of hours after Atlanta Falcons player Prince Shembo was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals for killing his girlfriend’s dog, the team let the loser linebacker go.

“We are aware of the charges that have been filed against Prince Shembo,” the Falcons said this afternoon in a statement. “We are extremely disappointed that one of our players is involved in something like this. Accordingly, we have decided to waive Prince Shembo.”

On April 19, Denicia Williams, Shembo’s then-girlfriend, told police she had left Dior, her Yorkshire Terrier, with Shembo. When she returned to Shembo’s apartment, the dog was unresponsive. Dior died a short time later at a local animal hospital.

Williams said Shembo told her the next day that he had kicked the dog. (Shembo weighs 260 pounds; a Yorkie typically weighs about 7 pounds.) Williams wisely ended the relationship.

According to the police report, a necropsy revealed that little Dior had suffered a litany of horrific injuries: a fractured rib; fractured liver; abdominal hemorrhage; thoracic hemorrhage; extensive bruising and hemorrhage in the muscles in her front leg and shoulders; head trauma; hemorrhage and edema in her lungs; hemorrhage between her esophagus and trachea; and hemorrhage in the her left eye.

The cause of her death was blunt force trauma.

After posting $15,000 bail, Shembo was released from jail late Friday evening.

His attorney, Jerry Froelich, told reporters his client was in tears over the arrest and had kicked Dior only because the dog bit him, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

“He didn’t mean to kill him,” Froelich said. (As I previously mentioned, Shembo weighs 260 pounds; a Yorkie typically weighs about 7 pounds.)

Shembo is not the only NFL player currently facing felony dog abuse charges.

Terence Cody, who was dropped from the Baltimore Ravens, is facing felony charges of intentionally torturing and cruelly killing his dog Taz, a Presa Canarios Mastiff. He is also charged with inflicting unnecessary suffering or pain on his dog; not providing his dog with nutritious food in sufficiency quantity; not providing proper drink; not providing proper space; and not providing necessary veterinary care. His court date has been scheduled for August 11.

Dwight Jones, a former wide receiver for the New York Jets, was charged last month with felony animal cruelty for letting one of his Pit Bull mixes starve to death. He has not yet been assigned a court date.

Photos: Thomson200; Gwinnett County Police Department

R.I.P. Boogie: LAFD Search Dog Dies in Fire at Handler’s House

AUG. 9, 2015 UPDATE: A luncheon will be held Aug. 20 at a Sherman Oaks fire station to raise funds for the purchase of a new search-and-rescue dog for Jason Chapman. Search-and-rescue puppies-in-training Toast and Zuko will be attending “to give lots of furry puppy love,” according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. For more information, visit the Los Angeles FD Facebook page.

While he was out on duty Tuesday night, a fire broke out at the two-story Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., home of Jason Chapman, a firefighter/paramedic with the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Matthew Hawker happened to be passing by the house when he saw smoke and heard Chapman’s wife, Joy, screaming. The 17-year-old stopped to help.

Joy, who had already jumped off a second-floor balcony, told Hawker her 5-year-old son, Brayden, was still inside the house.

Putting a ladder on top of a barbecue, Hawker was able to climb up to the balcony. He went inside and, through thick smoke, found the little boy as well as two dogs, and carried them out to safety.

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” Hawker told the San Bernardino Sun. “When I ran into the house, I wasn’t thinking about the danger. I just thought about getting that boy out.”

But one family member remained inside the burning house. Boogie, a 9-year-old, FEMA-certified search-and-rescue dog who worked for the LAFD with Jason, was in her kennel on the first floor.

Because of the intense heat and flames, firefighters had difficulty entering the house when they first arrived.

“Once inside, firefighters aggressively fought the fire and had it knocked down quickly, while crews simultaneously attempted to locate and rescue a dog that was trapped inside,” according to a City of Rancho Cucamonga news release.

Unfortunately, Boogie did not survive the fire. Firefighters respectfully covered the black Lab’s body with a U.S. flag and saluted her as she was removed from the house.

“Any loss in the Los Angeles Fire Department family weighs heavy on the hearts of all members,” the LAFD stated in a news release.

Boogie, whose full name was Sundown’s Boot Scootin’ Boogie, was as lively as her name implied, the LAFD said. She and Chapman had worked together for more than seven years. In 2008, they were dispatched to Texas, where they helped rescue people after Hurricane Gustav. In Los Angeles, among the many cases Boogie worked on were an apartment building collapse and a kidnapping.

“As one of the most experienced K9s on the team, she also served as a ‘trainer,’” the LAFD said. “New handlers worked with Boogie to develop critical skills before obtaining their own K9. Boogie was always ready for any chance to get out on the rubble pile.”

While Jason is mourning the loss of his beloved partner, he knows it could have been much worse if not for teenage hero Hawker.

“We do it for a living. We’re trained to do it as firemen, so it’s expected of us,” Jason told KABC.

“It’s not expected of a 17-year-old.”

Photos via LAFD.org