i Still Love Dogs

Former Baltimore Ravens Player Terrence Cody Indicted on Felony Dog Abuse Charges

MARCH 24, 2016 UPDATE: Terrence Cody was sentenced today to nine months in the Baltimore County Detention Center.

terrence cody nfl killed dog Terrence Cody, who was cut from the Baltimore Ravens last week while he was under investigation by the Baltimore County State’s attorney’s office for animal cruelty, was indicted today on 15 charges, including two felony charges for aggravated cruelty involving his dog.

These are the charges announced by the Baltimore County Police, according to the Baltimore Sun:

Two felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty related to the death of his dog, a Bullmastiff from Spain he bought for $8,000. If convicted, Cody faces a maximum of six years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.
Five misdemeanor counts of animal abuse or neglect involving the same dog, punishable by up to 90 days in prison and at most a $5,000 fine.
One misdemeanor illegal possession of an alligator charge and five misdemeanor counts of animal abuse or neglect of the alligator. These charges are punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The remaining misdemeanor charges are drug related.

Further information about the nature of the abuse wasn’t provided. According to Maryland law, aggravated animal cruelty is to “intentionally mutilate, torture, cruelly beat or cruelly kill an animal.”

John Cox, deputy state attorney for Baltimore County, told the Baltimore Sun that Cody was not involved in dog fighting.

Cody’s agent, Peter Schaffer, said last week that Cody’s Bullmastiff had died from worms. He said when the dog became seriously ill, Cody had taken him to a vet.

Schaffer was upset with the Ravens for canning his client. “This young man’s dog has died and the Ravens were so worried about possible ramifications from the league that they took a preemptive strike,” he told the Baltimore Sun. “The fact that the NFL has created such an atmosphere of hysteria that tramples on due process rights, the right of law and common decency is a tremendous problem in our league and our society.”

The “atmosphere of hysteria” is in reference to the NFL’s personal conduct policy, which was toughened up last year after the suspension of another Ravens team member, running back Ray Rice. In that domestic abuse case, an elevator camera captured Rice punching his fiancée in the face, knocking her unconscious. Rice later won his appeal of the suspension and it was overturned. Last week ESPN reported that the NFL Players Association had filed a grievance against the NFL to challenge the new personal conduct policy.

Schaffer insisted that Cody loved his dog. “If the dog was being treated cruelly, why take it to a vet?” he said, according to TribLIVE Sports. “When the dog passed away, Terrence was in tears.”

Cody has not yet been assigned a court date.

Photo via Twitter

Best and Worst Super Bowl XLIX Commercials Go to the Dogs

Apparently there was another major sporting event yesterday besides Puppy Bowl XI.

For the second consecutive year, most viewers and critics chose a Budweiser “puppy” ad as the best Super Bowl XLIX commercial. The least-favorite ad, from Nationwide, also co-starred a boy’s best four-legged friend.

Favorite Super Bowl Ad: Budweiser’s “Lost Puppy”

Just as Budweiser’s viewer-favorite “Puppy Love” ad yanked hard at the heartstrings last year, this year’s “Lost Puppy” was equally tear-jerking. This ad was not the favorite of many wolf lovers — myself included — since it perpetuates the negative stereotype of these animals as snarling, dog-eating villains. If that scene could have been cut, this would rate a “pawfect” 10.

Least-Favorite Super Bowl Ad: Nationwide’s “Make Safe Happen”

If Nationwide was going after a Super Bowl buzzkill with this commercial, it sure succeeded. The spot begins with a boy riding a tricycle, his faithful dog by his side. And it just goes downhill from there. The boy dreams of all the things he’ll never get to do, like “ride a bike,” “travel the world with my best friend” (in a small boat with his dog) and get married (with his dog by his side) — because he “died from an accident.” Woo hoo!

Least-Seen Super Bowl Ad: GoDaddy’s Puppy for Sale

When people on social media became outraged over GoDaddy’s offensive parody of Budweiser’s “Lost Puppy” commercial, the company announced last week it would pull the ad. In the GoDaddy version, when the puppy finally makes it home, his pet parents are delighted to see him — but only because they’ve just sold him on a website they built using GoDaddy. Har, har, har! Some are saying this was all just a publicity stunt, and Go Daddy never intended to air the spot. Either way, just No, Daddy.

Most Important Super Bowl Ad: NFL’s “NO MORE” Domestic Violence PSA

There’s no dog in this chilling public service announcement — just the voice-over of an actual 911 call from a woman pretending to order a pizza, as the camera pans over the aftermath of a domestic-violence incident. This was the first-ever domestic violence ad to be shown during a Super Bowl game, airing as a result of NFL player Ray Rice being caught by an elevator camera punching his fiancee and knocking her unconscious. After that video leaked in September, calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline increased by 84 percent.

Why do people stay in abusive relationships? A study found that 25 to 50 percent of them don’t leave because of fear of what will happen to their dogs and cats. Many domestic violence survivors (70 percent) said their abusers also threatened, injured or killed their pets. In the past, domestic violence shelters did not allow pets, but, fortunately, that is changing across the country.

This ad has been criticized for showing the aftermath of domestic violence rather than how to prevent it. Maybe a future NFL “No More” PSA will focus on pet-friendly shelters.

Photo via YouTube

Dog Eats Pair of Boots and Lives to Bark About It

Probably every pet parent has experienced it: Finding a shoe that your dog mistook for a chew toy. (And it’s amazing how they seem to choose the most expensive ones.)

But imagine your dog scarfing down an entire pair of calf-length Frye boots. That’s what Vince, a 4-year-old, mixed-breed pooch from Philadelphia, managed to do Friday.

When his pet parents realized what had happened to the missing boots, they rushed Vince to the Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center (VSEC), where he underwent emergency surgery.

“These X-rays are absolutely remarkable, especially given that you can see and count the number of eyelets on the boots,” Dr. Laura Tseng, a specialist in critical care and emergency medicine with VSEC, said in a press release. “The sheer volume of what he ate is impressive and caused a very serious emergency situation.”

The veterinarians had to remove the boot fragments from Vince’s stomach. They were too large to have passed through his small intestines, and would likely have killed him.

“If your pet is experiencing vomiting, lethargy or a lack of appetite, these are all signs a foreign body may be present and they should see a veterinarian as soon as possible,” Tseng warned.

Vince is expected to be released from the hospital today. And his pet parents are expected to keep their shoes out of his reach.

Photo via Facebook

RECALL ALERT: Big Bark All Natural Beef Jerky Treats

Some Big Bark All Natural Beef Jerky Treats for Dogs are being voluntarily recalled because they may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria.

According to a press release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the product’s manufacturer, Grill-Phoria LLC, of Loveland, Colo., is recalling about 200 3.5-ounce stand-up pouches. The bags do not have lot codes.

The recalled jerky treats were manufactured and distributed between Sept. 20, 2014 and Jan. 2, 2015 to independent pet stores in Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming.

The recall was initiated after a routine sampling test by the Colorado Dept. of Agriculture revealed that the finished product tested positive for Salmonella.

Salmonella can affect animals who eat the contaminated products, and there is also a risk to humans who handle the products, especially if they do not thoroughly wash their hands (and any surfaces the product touched) afterward.

The symptoms of Salmonella poisoning in both pets and people include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Pets may also become lethargic. If you or your dog experience any of these symptoms after eating or handling this product, see a doctor or veterinarian.

If you purchased this product, return it to the store for a full refund.

For more information about the recall, call Grill-Phoria at 970-663-4561 Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST.

Photo: FDA

Firefighters Rescue Shiba Inu from Raging L.A. River

FEB. 5, 2015 UPDATE: No one claimed Lucky, so he has been adopted by Rachel Dably, who called 911 after seeing him struggling to stay afloat in the L.A. River.

As a thunderstorm passed over the San Fernando Valley this afternoon, an employee at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank saw a dog struggling to stay afloat in the rushing Los Angeles River.

She called 911, and by the time firefighters arrived minutes later, the small Shiba Inu had been swept two miles down the river. Firefighter John Terrusa was lowered on a cable from a helicopter, swam to the terrified dog and scooped him up in his arms.

The rescue wasn’t a done deal yet — as the helicopter flew the two toward an embankment, they started spinning in circles, nearly hitting some tree branches.

Once they were safely on the ground, the firefighters named the Shiba Inu, appropriately enough, “Lucky.”

“It was quite a team effort, quite a concert,” Terrusa told KNBC. “It is definitely a loved animal. It’s just one of those things where I’m sure the dog just got out of somebody’s yard and got in the wrong place, at the wrong time.”

Scot Sweet, who witnessed the rescue, told KABC-TV Lucky was “shaking, a little scared, but he was alive. A lot of people were cheering. It was something to see.”

Another witness, Carolynn West, told KCBS, “I think it was marvelous. It was just absolutely amazing. Everyone was astonished that they could pluck this little, shivering, tan dog out of this gigantic river.”

The 7-year-old Shiba Inu, who was wearing a collar and leash but no ID tag, was transported to the North Central Los Angeles animal shelter.

“He’s doing exceptionally well right now,” KNBC‘s Mekahlo Medina reported a couple hours later. “We saw him eat a short time ago. He had a bit of an appetite.”

Lucky, who is not microchipped, will be kept overnight for observation at a local animal hospital. The shelter is hoping to locate his owner. If no one claims him within seven days, he will be available for adoption.

“I’m sure if it has a home, it will go back. And, if it doesn’t, hundreds of people will want to adopt it,” West told KCBS.

The firefighter who plucked Lucky from the raging river was identified late Friday as John Terrusa. Let’s call him “Hero.”

Updated Jan. 31, 2015 at 10:30 a.m.

Photo via KNBC