i Still Love Dogs

Former NFL Player Dwight Jones Charged with Starving Dog to Death

Dwight Jones, who was a wide receiver for the New York Jets from 2013 to 2014, was charged Monday with felony animal cruelty for letting one of his Pit Bull mixes starve to death.

After receiving an anonymous call in February about animal cruelty at Jones’ home in Burlington, N.C., police discovered one dog dead in the yard, and the other malnourished.

“The sad part was it was 14 degrees,” Jessica Arias, director of Burlington Animal Services, told the Times-News. “That was the temperature reading when they were out there that night. It was just too cold.”

The dog who died was lying halfway inside a dog house. The surviving dog was taken to a shelter.

“We wish we had an answer for this,” Arias told the New York Daily News. “We see it all the time, but we don’t understand it at all.”

Jones’ bond was set at $5,000. It’s not the first time he’s facing charges. In February 2014, he was charged with “assault on a female, injury to personal property, injury to real property and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle,” according to the Times-News.

Another former NFL player, Terrence Cody, is also facing felony charges for starving his own dog to death.

In February, the former nose tackle for the Baltimore Ravens was indicted for “cruelly torturing” and “intentionally killing” Taz, his Presa Canarios Mastiff. He was also charged with five misdemeanor animal abuse and neglect counts, along with several charges for abusing and neglecting a pet alligator.

Cody is free on $10,000 bail. He has not yet been assigned a court date.

Photo via Twitter

Help the ASPCA ‘Get Tough’ on Dog Fighting

Thousands of dogs are injured or killed each year in illegal dog-fighting operations in the United States. In honor of National Dog Fighting Awareness Day (NDFAD) April 8, the ASPCA has launched the “Get Tough” campaign, asking animal lovers to advocate for stronger laws and harsher sentences for creeps who fight dogs.

Last year, the U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ) prosecuted 10 federal dog-fighting cases and secured the longest sentence (8 years) ever, according to the ASPCA. However, thousands of dog-fighting operations continue to operate across the country.

To participate in the Get Tough campaign, you can do the following:

Sign the ASPCA’s petition asking the DOJ to continue to crack down on dog fighting.
Download a free digital toolkit that includes social media shareables, a printable poster and more.
Snap a selfie with the printable poster and share it on social media with the hashtag #GetTough.

Back in 2007, when dogs were seized from Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels, the general mindset was that fighting dogs could not be rehabilitated. Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, told the New York Times the organization recommended that all fighting dogs, including those belonging to Vick, be euthanized shortly after they were seized.

Fortunately, dog experts from BAD RAP and Best Friends Animal Society knew better, and helped to change that mindset. They took in the Vick dogs, worked with them and eventually found loving forever homes in which many of these “unadoptable” survivors thrived, and even became therapy dogs.

Here are stories about dogs rescued from fighting operations who paid it forward and led happy lives:

Photos: ASPCA; Laura Goldman (that’s Ella and Leroy, who gets very sad at the thought of dog fighting)

One-Sixth of Fast-Food Orders Are Going to the Dogs

Many years ago, after pulling up to the drive-through window of a Burger King with my Cocker Spaniel mix, Freckles, in the passenger seat, I said I’d like a cheeseburger for myself, “…and a Gaines-Burger for my dog!” It got a lot of laughs from the crew. (Gaines-Burgers, a long-gone brand of dog food, were shaped like hamburger patties.)

I was joking, but maybe I was a trendsetter. According to a new study, one out of six U.S. households orders something for their dogs when they visit fast-food restaurants. Slightly more than a third of pet parents bring their dogs along, and 80 percent of them order something specifically for their dogs.

These statistics are the results of a survey conducted last month by marketing research company Relevation Research. The 1,499 adult participants were nationally representative online consumers.

The study found that millennials bring their dogs to fast-food places more often than do baby boomers or other age groups. Dog dads make twice as many visits as dog moms.

U.S. consumers spent a whopping $73 billion on pet supplies and services in 2014 — 38 percent more than was spent in 2013. (Perhaps this includes Big Macs and Whoppers.) The pampering of dogs is expected to continue increasing over the next few years.

“Because of disposable incomes and empty-nester status, baby-boomer owners could be strong candidates for QSR [quick-service restaurants],” Nan Martin, principal at Relevation Research, said in a press release. “But the baby boomer also has an evolving focus on health. That means menu items specifically targeted for dogs or dog-friendly in terms of ingredients will resonate best.”

Martin suggests that restaurants and dog-food manufacturers team up to design healthy offerings for four-legged customers. “Companies catering to the dog will win with owners who want to, guilt-free, feel like they’re spoiling the dog,” Martin said.

Until then, the healthiest option might be to skip the order for your dog.

Photo credits: Courtesy of Reyes, Maggie; PRNewsFoto/Relevation Research

Jeepers! Man Drives Vehicle off Tow Truck to Save Dog

Was it an act of bravery — or stupidity?

Victor Jaime of Hammond, Ill., brought a friend and George, his English Bulldog, along to pick up some food on the night of March 29. He parked his Jeep Wrangler in a Walgreens parking lot, and left George inside with the engine running while he and his friend walked over to the nearby Portillo’s restaurant.

Just a few minutes later, a tow truck from the Lincoln Towing company had hooked up the Jeep, with George still inside it.

When Jaime saw what was happening, he ran and jumped into the driver’s seat of his Jeep. He honked the horn and shouted at the tow truck driver to stop.

“He could definitely hear me. I was yelling at him,” Jaime told DNAinfo. “He was blatantly looking at me when he backed up.”

After traveling about a block, the tow truck finally stopped — but then the driver raised the hook, hoisting the Jeep even higher off the ground.

“I think the guy might force me out, or even have a gun,” Jaime said.

He decided to put the Jeep in drive and hit the gas. “It was a huge drop,” he said. “Once I landed, I checked George, and that’s when I took off.”

Tony Marengo, who lives in an apartment across the street, heard Jaime yelling and recorded the incident on his cell phone. His video has been viewed more than 2.1 million times.

“We are used to seeing cars get towed out of the Walgreens lot next door with lightning speed,” Marengo wrote on YouTube. “Usually NOT WITH A PERSON IN THE CAR, though. And this guy definitely didn’t want to get towed…”

Jaime told DNAinfo his car wasn’t damaged and, most importantly, George wasn’t harmed.

“I’m no hero,” he said. “I’m a dog lover.”

After speaking to a lawyer and the Illinois Commerce Commission, Jaime found out the tow truck driver broke the law, which states, “No vehicle shall be relocated where the owner of the vehicle or the owner’s agent is present or arrives on the scene before the vehicle is completely removed from the private property, produces the ignition key to the vehicle, and the owner or agent is able and does immediately remove the vehicle from the private property.”

However, Jaime was also in the wrong — not just for leaving George in a vehicle with the engine running, but for parking in the Walgreen’s lot, which has signs warning it’s for store customers only.

“It was A LEGAL TOW are you reading what I am typing HE LEFT THE CAR WHERE HE WASN’T SUPPOSED TO so we made it right AND TOWED IT,” wrote kballard27, who may or may not work for Lincoln Towing, in a comment on YouTube.

“I hope you understand there are 2 sides to every story the white knights side and the towing company side THE LEGAL side.”

There’s also a third side to the story, but unfortunately, George can’t talk. If he could, he’d likely tell Jaime to just leave him at home the next time he has to run an errand.

Photo via YouTube

Shelter Dogs Score with MLB Opening Day Home Runs

Some shelter dogs have good reason to ruff-ruff-ruff for their home teams as the 2015 Major League Baseball season begins. For every home run hit during an opening day game, Merrick Pet Care is donating $1,000 in food to a local shelter.

So far, the “Home Runs for Shelters” campaign has scored $14,000 for shelters, thanks to 14 home runs during April 5 and 6 opening day games (including a game-winning, three-run homer yesterday by the Dodgers’ Jimmy Rollins — Go Dodger Blue!).

The remaining MLB opening day games are on April 9, 10 and 13. You can nominate and vote for shelters via the Merrick Pet Care Facebook page.

At the end of April, the shelter with the most votes will get a special food delivery from Merrick. (As of this morning, Midwest Dachshund Rescue is the leader with over 1,775 votes.)

You can use the hashtag #HomerunsForShelters on social media to spread the word about the campaign.

Photo via Twitter