Orphaned newborn chihuahua taken in by an unlikely foster mother

If you’re the type of dog lover that doesn’t particularly care for cats take a look at this news report from 3TV in Phoenix.  You may feel a little different about them afterwards.

Businessman offers $500 to replace boy's slain dog

Lately, we've been finding horror stories from all over Canada. Yesterday, it was British Columbia and Ontario, today it's Nova Scotia and Alberta.

From the Edmonton Sun:

PUPPY DUMPING DENIED

PINCHER CREEK -- A 42-year-old Alberta woman charged after five puppies were thrown down an outhouse and left to die last winter has pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty charges.

Samantha Rieberger of Crowsnest Pass faces a trial in Pincher Creek provincial court Feb. 9.

A co-accused, Frederick Hoath, has already gone to trial, and a judge is to hand down a verdict Sept. 29.

The two were charged last January after RCMP were called to an outhouse along Highway 3 near the Alberta-British Columbia boundary.

A motorist who had stopped to use the outhouse heard whining coming from inside.
The eight-week-old Lab-cross pups were rescued after a lengthy operation that saw the outhouse taken apart, and all five of them were given a clean bill of health and adopted out.

TORCHED CAT DIES

HALIFAX -- RCMP say a Halifax-area man awoke to a disturbing scene on his front lawn early Monday.

They said the man was roused by a bright flash outside his Lower Sackville, N.S., home and noticed that something was on fire.

The man went outside and soon realized that a cat had been set ablaze.

Police said he covered the cat to smother the flames and then notified police and municipal animal control.

The cat did not survive.

The above two stories are just so maddening. Don't you wish that these sick people could be given reciprocal punishment? People like these are Jeffrey Dahmers in the making. Stop them now.

A final story from Canada today. A hopeful follow-up for that poor little Jack Russell puppy's family.

VICTORIA -- A Victoria businessman has donated $500 to get a B.C. boy a new puppy after the child's dog was shot by a hunter.

The Jack Russell terrier had belonged to 12-year-old Max Rose on Quadra Island, near Campbell River on Vancouver Island.

Bill Lang said when he heard the dog had been killed last weekend he wanted to do something about it and contacted the Rose family.

He said the breeder of the original dog has another similar puppy for the Quadra Island family, and the donation from Lang and his wife will cover the costs.

The puppy had replaced another dog that had helped the boy while he recovered from a brain tumour.

The hunter turned himself in to police, reportedly saying the shooting was an accident. The Crown is weighing charges in the case.

Cats Abused As Well

Although cats have traditionally been the mortal enemy of Man's Best Friend many dog owners know differently. In fact, many dog owners have cats as well. This story should not go unnoticed.

From The Ledger in Lakeland, FL:

Driver Is Cleared of Throwing Kittens

By Jason Geary
THE LEDGER

Published: Friday, September 12, 2008 at 12:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, September 13, 2008 at 12:40 a.m.

BARTOW | Prosecutors will not charge a 67-year-old Lakeland man with throwing three kittens from a moving truck, concluding there is "insufficient proof" to support a charge of cruelty to animals.

Sean Reynolds and Denise Pribe were critical witnesses who said they saw cats being thrown from the truck window.

Only July 23, the pair were driving on Rockridge Road when they saw a black kitten get run over by a white pickup and another white kitten run away, according to Sheriff's Office reports.

Reynolds said he was about two car lengths away from the truck and saw a third kitten "come from high up on the vehicle … probably out the window."

Abuse of this kind should never be tolerated regardless of what kind of animal it is.

From maliciously kind of cruel to the heartless variety of cruel from the Tri-Cities Herald in Tri-Cities, WA:

Animal Control looking for 2 who dumped dogs
By the Herald staff

Tri-City Animal Control is seeking information about two people who dumped off five dogs at the animal shelter.

A surveillance video captured images of two people -- a teenage boy and a woman who appeared to be in her late 30s or early 40s -- dropping off the animals between 7:20 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

The video showed them backing their car up to the shelter and unloading the dogs from the hatchback.

The people carried some of the dogs in crates and put all of the dogs into the shelter's fenced yard.

"No remorse. They don't look back," Poundmaster Angela Zilar said, describing the people. "The dogs in the video are at the gate going, 'What are you doing? Why are we being left?' "

The dogs are Chihuahua and Chihuahua mixes, including one that's pregnant.

Whoever dropped off the dogs could face charges of abandoning an animal, a gross misdemeanor, Zilar said.

To see still frames from the video, visit www.tricityherald.com/galleries.

Anyone with information about the people or the dogs can call Tri-City Animal Control at 545-3740.