i Still Love Dogs

Rock Climber Rescues Doberman Trapped Deep in NY State Park Crevice

During an walk early Monday evening at Clark Reservation, a state park in upstate New York, a 1-year-old Doberman named Remy fell through snow into a deep crevice.

“She kind of just disappeared,” her dog mom, Keanna Rose, told Syracuse.com. “One second she was there and one second she was gone.”

Remy, who was unleashed and wandering off the main trail, fell about halfway into the 20-foot-deep hole. Her head was wedged between the rocks, with her legs sticking up behind her, Rose said.

“She was whimpering,” Rose told Syracuse.com. “You could tell she was in pain and she was scared.”

Rose and her boyfriend called for help.

A group of firefighters from the Jamesville and Pompey Hill fire departments, along with volunteers, worked for nearly eight hours trying, unsuccessfully, to use a rope to free Remy. It was especially difficult since the opening of the crevice was only about a foot wide.

During their rescue efforts, it started raining, and Remy fell even farther down the hole. The rescuers had to use a mirror to see the dog.

Just after midnight, a VMC employee called Nate Farrington, who does vertical caving and rock climbing, hoping he could assist.

Using a rope, Farrington was able to descend into the crevice.

“The only thing I was finally able to do was get a catch pole loop around her neck area after I entered the crevice and, once we finally freed her from the position she was in, another loop went around her legs to take some of the pressure off her neck,” Farrington wrote in an email. “It wasn’t ideal, but it was the only option we were left with as time drew on.”

Jeff Kunsman, one of the volunteers, told CNY Central, “To have somebody who was able to come in and fit down the hole and be able to get [her] was absolutely key to the situation.”

Remy was taken to the Veterinary Medical Center of CNY and treated for her injuries. She was released from the hospital yesterday.

“Remy is now home with her family! She is still having a hard time walking, but we are still hopeful [for] a full recovery!” Rose wrote on a GoFundMe.com page she created to help with Remy’s veterinary bills. As of this morning, $250 of her $1,500 goal has been raised.

“I think the public has done enough for them in this instance of their chosen carelessness,” wrote “Fed_up1978” in a comment on the Syracuse.com story. “Had the dog been on a leash none of this would have happened. The tax payers already funded the rescue. The vet bills are their responsibility. It’s a consequence of their choice to break the leash rules!”

Karen M. donated $20 via the GoFundMe.com page. “Here’s to a speedy recovery and a harness for your future adventures!” she wrote.

Dogs are required to be leashed in Clark Reservation. Hopefully Remy’s — and all — pet parents will follow this rule in the future.

Photos via GoFundMe.com

The part of this story describing Nate Farrington’s rescue of Remy has been corrected — he did not use a harness to free Remy, as I originally wrote.

San Diego Cop Kills Pit Bull Therapy Dog ‘For No Reason’

Burberry, a 6-year-old Pit Bull, worked with children with Down syndrome as well as with his dog dad, Ian Anderson of Pacific Beach, Calif., to help them through rough times.

The therapy dog was always there “to put [his head] on your lap and you know everything is going to be okay. There’s just no way to explain the bond,” Anderson told NBC 7.

But Burberry is no longer around to work his magic. When two police officers responding to a domestic disturbance call knocked on Anderson’s door — apparently the wrong address — early Sunday morning, Burberry began barking. Anderson told NBC 7 he let Burberry outside, where he stopped barking.

In a surveillance video, one of the officers can even be seen patting Burberry’s head.

“The other officer yelled and screamed at the dog for no reason to get inside,” Anderson said. “It startled the dog.”

In the video, Burberry can be seen running and jumping at the other officer, who was running backwards. The officer shot Burberry in the head, instantly killing him.

“The preservation of life is our top priority and this includes the lives of animals,” the San Diego Police Department said in a statement. “This incident is currently being investigated as any Officer Involved Shooting would be to assure proper procedures were followed. Any further comments prior to the completion of the investigation would simply be premature.”

NBC 7 reporter Omari Fleming said he talked to several people in the neighborhood who knew Burberry. All of them said he was “such a cool dog.”

“I have known this dog since it was little … This dog would never hurt a fly!!!!” wrote Nicole Jacobs in a comment on the NBC 7 story. “My heart is broken. Burberry was amazing!”

Training Cops Not to Shoot Dogs

San Diego AWOL (Animals Worthy of Life) is a non-profit organization that trains police officers in an effort to reduce the number of dogs killed. “There seems to be no question here that this incident did not have to happen,” it wrote on its Facebook page today.

“Our organization has been in conversation with the San Diego Police Department for over 16 months to get them into our TOTALLY FREE Safe Dog Encounter Training. As yet they have not seen the importance of this training for their agency.”

In response to the shocking, viral 2013 video of a Hawthorne, Calif., police officer shooting a Rottweiler named Max as his owner begged him not to, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) began offering the class “Dog Behavior for Law Enforcement” to all police departments in California. Hawthorne police officers took the class in January.

“When an officer shoots a pet dog, it is traumatic for the officer, the animal and the community — something we want to mitigate as much as is possible,” spcaLA President Madeline Bernstein said in a press release.

It is also, of course, extremely traumatic for the dog’s owner. Anderson is waiting for the San Diego Police Department to return Burberry’s body to him, so he can give his beloved dog a proper burial.

“He was the best dog in the entire world,” Anderson told NBC 7. “I would do anything to have him back right now. Absolutely anything.”

Anderson has created a “Justice for Burberry” Facebook page, and an online petition has been started that asks for nationwide police training in animal behavior.

Photo via Twitter

Amazing Progress for Cabela, the Dog Tied to Railroad Tracks and Shot

Although she was shot three times by a 17-year-old thug and then tied to railroad tracks, a sweet Pit Bull mix named Cabela defied the odds and is getting better and better each day.

Cabela was released yesterday from Tampa Bay Veterinary Emergency Service (TBVES), where she’d been staying since the night of March 4, when hero Tampa police officers Nick Wilson and Sr. Sgt. Rich Mills untied her from the tracks as a train was approaching.

“She has left the building to go into super secret, never to be revealed, protective custody. Hiding: to heal, socialize and begin her transition to a new life,” TBVES wrote in an update on its Facebook page yesterday.

Cabela Wouldn’t Kill, So Thugs Tried to Kill Her

Cabela had been bought for dog-fighting purposes. But since she was too sweet tempered to viciously kill other dogs, a group of losers decided to viciously kill her.

On March 4, after Cabela had proven to be a lover, not a fighter, Bobby Hollinger, 17, threw her into the woods and fired a few shots at her. But Cabela ran back to his house and sat, bleeding, on the porch. So Hollinger and three other monsters walked the injured dog to the railroad tracks and tied her down with a belt. Natwan Callaway, also 17, shot Cabela three times in the neck and right shoulder.

Thanks to a surveillance video, investigators were able to identify the criminals. Callaway and Hollinger were arrested on animal cruelty charges March 11. The next day, Darnell N. Devlin and Kenny Bell — who said they were Cabela’s owners — were charged with possession of a fighting dog after evidence of a fighting operation was found in their home, including two dogs with bite injuries.

Callaway and Hollinger will be tried as adults. They are scheduled for a court appearance on April 8.

As for Devlin and Bell, Hillsborough Circuit Judge John Conrad denied bond for both of them. In Florida, a felony dog-fighting conviction can result in up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

“Darnell and Kenny, Cabela sends her best wishes for each of you into the future and is thankful that your accomplices were such bad shots and bumbling criminals.” TBVES wrote on its Facebook page yesterday.

“Enjoy your time in a cage where you will still be treated better than you ever treated her and the other dogs. She is sure the other inmates will be impressed with your high level of sophistication and the cruelty of your actions! Have a great life, she certainly is on to better things!”

Amen.

Cabela’s Amazing Recovery

When Cabela was admitted to TBVES, the staff did not predict a great outcome for her, due to her severe injuries. (By the way, Cabela got her new name from vet technician Teena Hicks, who’s a fan of country singer Luke Bryan. The sporting-goods retailer Cabela’s is sponsoring Bryan’s tour.)

Veterinarian Dr. Jamie Davidson initially thought Cabela’s shattered right front leg would need to be amputated, but fortunately it was saved.

“Cabela came through surgery with flying colors and four legs,” TBVES wrote on its Facebook page March 5. “The surgeon decided to pin it instead of amputation. It will be 6 to 8 weeks before we know whether she will regain full use and motion.”

When Cabela’s original owners saw media coverage of her rescue, they contacted Tampa police. They claimed at the time that she had either escaped or been stolen from their yard four months ago. It seemed strange that, after reuniting with their dog last week, they decided not to bring her home. Apparently their decision was not all that strange: They had actually sold Cabela, according to the Tampa Bay Times, but not to Devlin or Bell, the owners said.

TBVES rescue coordinator Steven Pahl told the Tampa Bay Times the hospital has received adoption inquiries from all 50 states and several other countries.

When Cabela is ready for a loving forever home, TBVES and the Humane Society of Tampa Bay will start the adoption process, Pahl said.

This video taken Thursday shows the amazing progress this sweet girl has made, just one week after her surgery. Look at that tail wag!

Donations Pour in From Around the World — and a Certain Namesake

TBVES is covering the cost of Cabela’s veterinary care, but is accepting donations via its website.

“All donations above what is necessary to cover the cost of Cabela’s care will be used for other animals rescued by Tampa Bay Veterinary Emergency Service (last year over 500 injured, ill or orphaned dogs and cats were cared for at our hospital) or will help care for injured or ill pets whose owners are financially limited,” the website states.

When Cabela’s heard about its namesake, the company sent the dog a care package “in a box as big as Cabela’s kennel,” TBVES wrote on its Facebook page. It included a bed, toys, treats and a metal food bowl with the name, “Cabela’s.”

Photos via Facebook

Abandoned Puppy Daddy Leads Rescuers to Puppies Deep in Woods

Marina Tarashevsce and John Miller, who volunteer with Dallas Dogrrr–Rescue.Rehab.Reform., have spent the last few weeks trying to catch a Black Lab mix who’d been abandoned in Crawford Park.

Tuesday night, the dog finally approached them. He was barking furiously.

“He’s never acted like that before, and I was worried that maybe he was sick or something had happened to him,” Tarashevsce told CBS 11 News.

Miller, a dog behaviorist, thought the dog was trying to get them to follow him.

“Every time we got closer, he would go away and bark at us, saying, ‘Keep coming. Keep coming my way,’” Miller told CBS 11 News.

So they followed him into a thickly wooded area. Eventually Tarashevsce and Miller began hearing puppies crying.

“Somehow we found them in a burnt-out tree, right by the creek in the mud, just mom and babies — and it’s pitch black and so difficult to get there,” Tarashevsce said.

They rescued the shivering puppies, along with their mother and father, who now have new names: Hero and Mona Crawford.

“He took us to the puppies. That is exactly what he was trying to do,” Miller told CBS 11 News.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve heard about stuff like this but it was awesome to witness it.”

The 10 puppies and their parents are now living together in a foster home.

“This boy is the best dad, and Mona and her babies are very lucky to have such a very loving protector,” Dallasrrr wrote on its Facebook page yesterday.

The family’s veterinary care is being provided by Mercy Animal Clinic in Garland, Texas. To make a donation to help cover the cost, call the clinic at 972-530-8200.

Photos via Facebook

US Senators Want FDA to Investigate Beneful-Related Dog Deaths and Illnesses

In response to the class-action lawsuit filed last month claiming that thousands of dogs were sickened or died after eating Beneful dry kibble, U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Dick Durbin sent a letter to U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg earlier this week.

They asked Hamburg to have the FDA investigate the claim and provide updates about measures being taken to prevent contamination of pet food.

“To our knowledge, the FDA has not issued any investigations, warnings, consumer guidance or product recalls to address these alarming issues,” the senators wrote.

After thousands of dogs and cats died eight years ago as a result of eating contaminated pet food, Congress passed the FDA Amendments Act of 2007. It requires improved regulations for pet food safety, including stronger labeling requirements, an early warning system for tainted food, and establishing standards for ingredients and manufacturing.

“However, eight years later, most provisions of the pet food safety law have not been implemented and protections Congress enacted are not in place, amid allegations of contaminated Beneful dry kibble,” the senators wrote.

“To put it frankly, the food safety system Congress fought to develop has not been put in place by the FDA.”

Beneful Contains Automotive Antifreeze Ingredient

Frank Lucido, who filed the suit against the Nestlé Purina Petcare Company in a California federal court, said he began feeding his three dogs Beneful dry dog food in December. Within a month, all three began suffering stomach and liver problems. His English Bulldog died on Jan. 23 due to internal bleeding and lesions on his liver. His other two dogs, a German Shepherd and Labrador, are showing similar symptoms.

These were far from being isolated cases. According to the lawsuit, there are thousands of complaints on the internet (including several hundred on ConsumerAffairs.com) “about dogs becoming ill, in many cases very seriously ill, and/or dying after eating Beneful.”

All of these dogs had the same symptoms: vomiting and liver problems.

The suit says the food’s main ingredient, propylene glycol — which is also a component of automotive antifreeze — is toxic to dogs. This ingredient apparently helps keep the kibble moist, but it has lead to problems including internal bleeding, liver malfunction or failure, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, weight loss, seizures, bloat or kidney failure in at least 3,000 dogs who digested it, according to the lawsuit.

Beneful may also contain mycotoxins, which are toxic byproducts of mold.

“If it’s a hundred or so [dogs], it’s like, ‘Okay, a lot of dogs eat Beneful; things happen,’” Jeff Cereghino, one of Lucido’s attorneys, told The Daily Beast. “But when I look at 4,000? Holy hell, there’s a lot of people out here.”

Nestlé Purina Says Lawsuit is ‘Baseless’

Nestlé Purina Petcare Company issued a dismissive statement in response to the class-action lawsuit.

“We at Beneful want you, our valued customers, to know that this lawsuit is baseless; you can continue to feel confident feeding your dogs our food,” the company stated on its website Feb. 26.

“Adding to the confusion, social media outlets can be a source of false or incomplete information, as many other pet food brands have experienced themselves.”

Keith Schopp, vice president of corporate public relations, said in a statement to The Daily Beast, “We intend to vigorously defend ourselves.”

Photo credit: Jason Meredith