In The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick’s Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption, author Jim Gorant tells the story of the 66 dogs – 55 pit bulls – recovered from the “Bad Newz Kennels” owned by then-Atlanta Falcons quarterback Vick in Surrey County, Va. “The Lost Dogs” shows us that goodness can be found in the places where we may least expect it.  For complete story, click HERE

In 2003 a 6-month old Weimaraner puppy named Jake went missing from his backyard in Michigan.  Brad and Amy Davis offered a $1,000 reward for their missing dog, posted flyers in nearby shops, placed an ad in the local newspaper, but never heard a thing. Seven years later they received a call from Kentucky informing them that a local shelter had impounded a stray dog with a microchip registered to them!  In disbelief, Brad drove 7 hours to Kentucky to retrieve his long lost dog!  Jake was healthy and just as sweet and friendly as he was 7 years ago!

For complete story, click HERE

Matthew Mazzotta of Boston, MA had a brilliant idea to turn dog waste into energy.  In countries like India, communities make fuel out of animal waste. So, Mazzotta thought, why not use a do the same at the dog park? Mazzotta applied for a grant of $4,000 and rounded up a group of scientists, designers and local residents to help with his Park Spark Project.  The poop digester prototype currently sits inside a dog run in Cambridge, Mass., and the methane energy helps light a lamp. Mazzotta’s ultimate goal is to show what can be done with the energy, and he hopes to provide other communities with kits to make their own dog poop digested.

For complete story, click HERE

It was an unusual call for Oregon firefighters: A 1,500-pound camel named Moses had fallen into a sinkhole needed to be rescued. The owners of Moses, who have several camels and run a children’s ministry, because they had tried to get the camel out themselves but failed. Firefighters had to carefully shovel mud for several hours to free the animal.  Moses was patient and eventually firefighters got him out.

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A D.C. police officer shot and killed a dog amid hundreds of onlookers on Sunday afternoon at the annual Adams Morgan Day festival. When two dogs started snapping at each other in the middle of a crowd, police officers got involved and at some point one of them shot and killed the larger dog.  While the police department says the shooting was justifiable the person caring for the dog said he had already broken up the dog squabble and was subduing his dog when the police officer came over and killed him.  Parrot was a 2 year old shar-pei/Pit mix who was living in a foster home while up for adoption with a local animal rescue organization. Aaron Block, the dogs foster father, said “The officer drew his gun in an unnecessary act of cowboy gunslinging law enforcement and shot my dog amidst a crowd of thousands.”  He also said that he would walk with Parrot to and from work every day and that he was a “very people-friendly dog, with absolutely no bite history.”

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At the recent California State Fair, a very pregnant cow panicked, broke free and ran through the fairgrounds.  Officials said they tried to tranquilize her and couldn’t so they shot her dead- four times in the head, three times in the body.  The cow was part of a “live birth exhibit” where people can go to witness the “miracle of birth.”  Taking an animal out of its familiar environment and putting it on display for an audience can really spook the animal.  If you want kids to know about animal and farm life, take them to a farm. For complete story, click HERE

Earlier this week in Tampa Florida a passerby heard strange noises coming from the McKay Bay.   She pulled from the water a cat carrier and discovered inside a badly wounded cat.  She took the cat to an all-night veterinary clinic where x-rays showed that she had been shot nearly 30 times with a pellet gun!  The cat, who has since been named Lovey, is doing well now and will soon be up for adoption.  The carrier that the cat was found in was crudely labeled with the words “Kitty Penitentiary, Cell 666 Est. 2010, Jailer Missy and Inmate Mittens.”  Animal Control suspects that juveniles are responsible for shooting the cat and throwing her into the water to die.  This is very worrisome because children who commit acts of animal cruelty will very likely grow up to commit crimes against humans. The Humane Society of Tampa Bay and the community are offering a reward of $2,000 for any information leading to the arrest of the responsible parties.  For complete story, click HERE

A 1 year-old Labrador retriever named Ellie has been crowned the winner of VPI Pet Insurance’s Hambone Award for oddest insurance claim.  After all, she did eat an entire beehive — a fact her owners only discovered when she began vomiting bees by the hundreds.  Ellie beat out 11 other animal accident victims — all of whom survived their ordeals — including a border collie who chased a mailman right through a closed window and a standard poodle who ate two plastic baby bottles and a (used) diaper.  For complete story, click HERE

A scarred but friendly pit bull named Louis Vuitton was the star witness Tuesday as an Alabama state board denied parole for the man convicted of spraying him with lighter fluid, setting him on fire and beating him with a shovel.  After the 8-year-old dog was led into the packed hearing room, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles voted 3 to 0 to deny early release to 23-year-old Juan Daniels of Montgomery, who was sentenced in 2009 to nine years and six months in prison, a record in Alabama in an animal cruelty case.  For complete story, click HERE

The Governor of Delaware just signed the most sweeping, progressive companion animal protection legislation in the United States. the Delaware Companion Animal Protection Act mandates collaboration between shelters and rescue groups. A shelter cannot kill an animal if a rescue group is willing to save that animal’s life. But that is just the beginning. It also makes convenience killing illegal—shelters can no longer kill an animal when there are available cages or the animals can share a cage or kennel with another one. The law also requires posting “all stray animals on the Internet with sufficient detail to allow them to be recognized and claimed by their owners,” requires shelters to maintain registries of rescue groups willing to save lives, and requires shelters to post statistics (intake, adoption, reclaim, transfer and killing rate).  For complete story click HERE.