If you’re like me, the big game you really look forward to every Super Bowl Sunday is “Puppy Bowl” on Animal Planet. Next year, we dog lovers are in for a double treat: To bring attention to older pups who need forever homes, Animal Planet is adding “Dog Bowl” to its game-day lineup.
Like “Puppy Bowl,” the players in the hour-long “Dog Bowl” will be pooches from shelters and rescues across the United States, The Wrap reports.
“‘Puppy Bowl’s’ goal is to promote animal adoption so as many animals as possible can find their forever homes,” Patrice Andrews, general manager of Animal Planet, told The Wrap. The same will be true for the network’s new competition.
“Dog Bowl” will air on Animal Planet prior to “Puppy Bowl XIV,” during the show “Road to Puppy Bowl” hosted by animal advocate and bestselling author Jill Rappaport.
The players will be “going nose to nose for touchdowns, furry fumbles and ultimately the win,” according to Animal Planet. “After the game of tail tugs and ear pulls is over, they all end up winners as they find their forever homes.”
It’s a little early, but mark your 2018 calendars for February 4. In the meantime, enjoy some of the greatest moments in “Puppy Bowl” history.
A police dog named Blue has nothing to be blue about after tracking down a man for two miles across a river and farmland in England before finally nabbing him. The nearly hour-long chase in September 2016 was captured on the bodycam worn by the German Shepherd’s handler. The team works with the Bedfordshire, Cambridge and Hertfordshire (BCH) Dog Unit.
“Blue’s nose led his handler down a footpath, into thick bushes and across a knee-deep stream,” reports the Hertfordshire Constabulary, which released the footage of the chase this week. “He continued to track over fences, fields and another stream before finding a jacket believed to belong to the driver.”
Blue followed the scent down country lanes and across farmlands before finding Samuel hiding in thick undergrowth.
The chase started after the suspect, Elroy Samuel, failed to stop when officers tried to pull him over. He crashed into another car and then fled into the woods. After his capture, Samuel was charged with six crimes, including aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving and failing to stop for police. He was sentenced to two years in prison.
“Our dogs and handlers are highly trained and determined, as demonstrated by Blue and his handler’s prolonged tracking,” said Sergeant Cray Birch from the BCH Dog Unit. “I am very grateful for their work, as they proved to be an invaluable asset at this incident.”
Earlier this month, Blue received a PDSA Animal Award — one of the most prestigious awards of its kind in the world — for yet another heroic act last year. In December, Blue led his handler to a man who had suffered an asthma attack and collapsed in the woods.
If not for Blue and his handler, “the incident may have had a very different outcome,” Chief Supt. Dales said at the award ceremony. Nice work, Blue!
On a typical cruise, passengers aboard Susi Herrington’s sailboat get to see plenty of dolphins off the coast of St. Pete Beach in Florida.
“We go out, look for dolphins, but we actually let the dolphins come up to the boat — we don’t go chasing them or anything because they’re in their natural habitat,” Herrington, who works for Dolphin Landings Charter Boat Company, told Bay News 9.
But as they scanned the ocean for dolphins July 11, Herrington and her passengers were shocked to see a senior Black Lab treading the water, obviously in distress.
Herrington lowered herself down into the water and swam to the dog. Holding his head above the water, she swam with him to a dock. She told Bay News 9 she couldn’t believe she was actually able to lift the large, heavy dog out of the water and up to safety.
“I don’t know how I did it,” she said. “When I pulled him up, his body just flopped out. All his legs were out underneath him. He eventually got up, shook, and I thought, ‘Well, he’s got to live around here somewhere.'”
Herrington didn’t have to try to locate the Black Lab’s owner. The dog lead her to his house — next door to the dock.
“I knocked on the door, and that’s when I asked the lady, ‘Is this your dog?’ and she was just in tears — literally tears,” Herrington told Bay News 9.
The lucky dog’s name is Sam. He’s 12 years old and has cataracts that affect his ability to see clearly. His owner, Mary Doherty, was on the phone when Sam apparently fell over a seawall and into the water.
“I couldn’t believe it, because our dog, he won’t even leave the yard,” Doherty told Bay News 9. “He will not jump into the pool. He’s never jumped into the water, so this was pretty shocking for me, and needless to say I was pretty upset about it.” She said she is forever indebted to Herrington for preventing what could easily have been a tragedy.
Like most heroes, Herrington is downplaying her life-saving actions. “I was just doing my job,” she told Bay News 9. “Just doing what I’ve been trained to do all these years of working on boats.”
Almost a year after an emaciated, mange-ridden Boston Terrier puppy was rescued after he was abandoned on a Pennsylvania breeding farm, animal cruelty laws in the state are getting a whole lot tougher.
Today Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law HB 1238, which is considered to be the most significant anti-animal cruelty legislation for Pennsylvania in the last 30 years. It includes Libre’s Law, which was inspired by the abandoned puppy, who was later named Libre because he was rescued on the Fourth of July. (Libre put his pawprint on the legislation during this afternoon’s signing ceremony!)
Until now, Pennsylvania had some of the weakest animal cruelty laws in the country. Benjamin S. Stoltzfus, the owner of the breeding farm, initially faced no animal cruelty charges even though he’d intentionally left Libre to die a horrible death all alone. He was eventually charged with a summary count of animal cruelty and only had to pay a $905 fine — basically just a slap on the hand.
Those days have fortunately come to a well-deserved end. The new laws, which go into effect in 60 days, will increase the penalties for those who abuse or neglect animals in the state. It creates a new classification for offenders who cause the death or serious bodily injury of an animal. Those offenders could face third-degree felony charges.
The comprehensive package also includes the following new legislation:
Cordelia’s Law, named after a starved horse, would put penalties for animal cruelty crimes against horses on par with those for crimes against dogs and cats. It also provides protections for guide dogs.
A law prohibiting pets from being tethered outside all the time or in foul weather.
A law requiring those convicted of animal abuse to surrender their pets.
Civil immunity provided for veterinarians, veterinary technicians and humane society police officers to prevent frivolous lawsuits against them when they report animal cruelty in good faith.
It’s been a year in the making, but just as little Libre refused to give up, supporters of the bill named in his honor didn’t, either. Congratulations and my deepest gratitude to everyone who worked so hard to make Pennsylvania a safer place for animals.
To find out more about Libre and the wonderful people who helped get this law passed, please check out these stories:
Henry was only supposed to get his nails trimmed in May 2016 at a PetSmart store in San Mateo, Calif. But after spending just three minutes alone with groomer Juan Zarate in a back room, the Dachshund ended up with a punctured lung and two broken ribs. As little Henry bled from his mouth and struggled to breathe, an on-site veterinarian tried to save his life — to no avail.
“We know that the dog was brought there with no injuries or no known illnesses of any kind and we do believe that actions taken by the groomer, during the grooming session, is what caused the dog to die,” San Mateo Police Department Sgt. Rick Decker told ABC7 News at the time.
Zarate was arrested at the store and charged with one count of felony animal cruelty, which has a maximum penalty of three years in prison. He was placed on suspension by PetSmart, which issued a statement saying, “Any incident of animal cruelty goes against everything we believe as a company and as individual pet parents.”
A necropsy performed on Henry showed he had died due to strangulation — “thoracic compression leading to asphyxia.”
Thirteen months later, after a four-day trial, a jury has shockingly found Zarate not guilty of the animal cruelty charge.
That’s right, the jury somehow could not be convinced, despite expert testimony, that Henry’s death was intentional.
“We presented the evidence of an expert veterinarian who testified that this was not an accident,” San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told the Mercury News, “but obviously, the jury did not find her persuasive. I accept that.”
No further information is currently available about the trial, but unlike Wagstaffe, I’m having extreme difficulty accepting the jury’s decision. My heart goes out to Henry’s owners, Terrie Peacock and Stefan Zier.
Groomers Not Required to Be Licensed
Henry is not the only dog that has been killed or injured by a groomer at PetSmart (or Petco, or other pet stores). After Henry’s death, his owners filed a lawsuit alleging that although several customers had complained about pet injuries during PetSmart grooming sessions, the company had taken no action to resolve these issues.
You may be surprised to know that pet groomers are not required to be licensed or certified in any U.S. state. They are regulated in New York City and Miami-Dade County, Fla., but not statewide.
New Jersey could become the first state to require licenses for groomers. The proposed Pet Grooming Licensed Act NJ was originally named “Bijou’s Bill” in memory of a 6-year-old Shih Tzu who died during a routine grooming session — at, yes, a PetSmart store.
Until statewide laws are passed, to prevent a tragedy from happening to your own dog, it could be a life-or-death matter to ask the groomer some important questions, especially at PetSmart and Petco stores, where many of the incidents have occurred.
“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,” Bijou’s dog mom, Rosemary Marchetto, told CBS New York.
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