About two weeks before Christmas 2009 an 85-lb German shepherd named Deacon went missing from his family home in rural Virginia.  After a couple weeks the family gave up hope and assumed the dog died or had been stolen.   In late February an animal control officer from Florida called to report he had Deacon at his shelter!  The Holts believe Deacon was stolen by people who had hoped to breed him, unaware that he had been neutered. Thanks to a microchip, Deacon is now back with his family in Virginia! For complete story click HERE.

Mobile extermination vehicles equipped with pet-sized gas chambers is the newest way of dealing with stray dogs and cats in Japan. Unwanted animals are put to sleep while they are transported to a regional crematorium. Dogs and cats marked for death are shut inside sealed metal boxes termed “sedation equipment.” Once the truck is on the road, the driver pushes a button that releases carbon dioxide into the boxes. The journey to the regional crematorium takes about one hour and by the time the truck arrives, the animals are dead. The mobile gas chamber system has proved to be ‘highly efficient,’ with an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 dogs and cats gassed annually. For complete story click HERE.

Playgirl has offered Michael Vick, the notorious quarterback and convicted animal abuser, seven figures to take it all off for the animals.  He would pose for the magazine and donate the money to PETA.  A spokesperson for Playgirl says they made him the offer last week but haven’t received a response yet.  For complete story click HERE.

Three rescued puppies in Texas are recovering after being thrown over a wall onto rocks. The man who tossed the animals was heard saying that he was “turning them into soldiers.” The owner of the dogs could face animal cruelty charges. For complete story click HERE.

An estimated two-thirds of LA city’s dogs are not licensed, as required by law. L.A. Animal Services will now be coordinating with the Department of Water and Power, which keeps records of residences with dogs.   An opportunity for revenue, going after dog owners for license fees could mean at least an additional $3.6 million in fees! For complete story click HERE.

Pups on Parole is a program that pairs prisoners at a Nevada Women’s Correctional Center with last-chance dogs from a nearby animal sanctuary in Las Vegas. About 30 inmates train the dogs, living with them in their pint-sized cells full time. The inmates follow training guidelines laid out by Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan.  The only time the dogs leave the facility is when they go out to adoption drives.  Since the program began in 2004 they have adopted out an estimated 600 dogs! When an inmate’s dog gets adopted they receive a new pup to train within 24 hours. For complete story click HERE.

Along with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary’s ‘Pup My Ride’ program, Denise Richards helped get 30 small dogs ready for a 14 hour drive from L.A.’s Baldwin Park Animal Shelter, a county kill facility, to the Humane Society in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they have a waiting list for small canines. Richards has always been a supporter of Best Friends and immediately jumped to help when she heard about the transport operation, which spared the 30 dogs from probable euthanasia at the overcrowded county shelter. She is also fostering two dogs that weren’t lucky enough to make it on the van that day.  For complete story click HERE.

California may soon place animal abusers on the same level as sex offenders by listing them in an online registry.  Any person convicted of a felony involving animal cruelty would have to register with the police and provide a range of personal information, such as name, address and place of employment as well as a current photograph. That information would be posted online, along with information on the person’s offense.  It would be the first bill of this kind in the country. For complete story click HERE.

With the help of her faithful dog ‘Blue,’ a 3-year-old girl survived a night of cold temperatures after getting lost. For complete story click HERE.

A Superior Court judge ordered that Wilkes County destroy more than 127 pit bulls seized from a dog-fighting ring because a county ordinance requires that dangerous dogs be destroyed and state statutes define dogs involved in dog-fighting operations as dangerous.  The 127 pit bulls were seized on Dec. 10 during a raid on Wildside Kennels. It’s unclear exactly how many dogs there are now because several litters of puppies have been born since the raid.  Kennel owner Ed Faron pled guilty to 14 counts of felony dog fighting and was sentenced to 8 to 10 months in prison. His son pled guilty to one count of felony dog fighting and was given a suspended sentence of 6 to 8 months. For complete story click HERE.