D.C. police are searching for two suspects who stole a dog at gunpoint in the Deanwood area of Northeast D.C. Saturday afternoon.
A man told police he was walking his dog, a red nose pit bull, in the 800 block of Division Avenue NE when the driver of a burgundy 2017 Kia Forte asked if he was selling the dog, according to a police report.
(more…)Sassafras Lowrey's service dog, Mercry, helped Sassafras to graduate from college and start a career after Sassafras was diagnosed with PTSD.
September is National Service Dog Month. This month is dedicated to raising awareness and showing appreciation for the work of service dogs.
Sassafras Lowrey is an award-winning author and Certified Trick Dog Instructor. This is Sassafras’ first-hand account of having a service dog.
When I was 18 years old, I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). That’s when I started working with my service dog, Mercury.
Most people think that PTSD occurs only to those who have served in the armed forces. Actually, it’s a condition that impacts people who have experienced a variety of traumatic events that include military service, sexual assault, accidents, natural disasters, and abuse. Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD, but those of us who do can have flashbacks or feel like we are re-experiencing the trauma while we’re awake or asleep.
(more…)Razz Berry the dog was dropped at California’s Riverside County Animal Services covered in fleas, but now she’s living the good life.
Last week, Riverside County Animal Services posted an adorable photo of what it called “one of the oddest ways a pet came to us as an over-the-counter dropoff” ― a puppy squeezed into a Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries box and brought to one of the organization’s shelters in Jurupa Valley.
(more…)NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi man has been convicted of felony dogfighting charges, two years after law enforcement officers found a dogfighting operation on his property in Adams County.
A jury on Thursday found Tommie Queen guilty of three of the nine counts he faced. Circuit Judge Debra Blackwell sentenced him to nine years in prison — the maximum of three years for each of the charges on which he was convicted, the Natchez Democrat reported. Circuit Judge Debra Blackwell sentenced him to nine years in prison — the maximum of three years for each of the charges on which he was convicted.
(more…)President Trump reportedly wants to give Conan, the dog who was injured in the raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, one of the military’s top honors.
The White House is looking into the logistics behind giving the medal, which is only allowed to be given to humans, to the military working dog, according the New York Post.
“It is the president’s desire to honor the dog. They are working out the details,” a source that knew of the plans said, joking that it could “swing the animal lovers vote” toward Trump, who is the first president in more than a century not to own a pet dog.
Defense Department rules stipulate that military working dogs are not allowed to receive the Purple Heart, which is awarded to troops who have been killed or wounded while serving the country. The prohibition was implemented after a dog named Chips was honored with one in 1943 for his service during World War II.
Commuters were given paws for thought when they spotted a dozen golden retrieverslining up on their own — to wait for a train.
The adorable dogs, dubbed "good boys and girls" by witnesses, were spotted patiently waiting on the platform.
(more…)The newest faculty member at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences has a great smile ― and likes to be scratched behind the ears.
(more…)Congress must stop the cruel experiments the VA is conducting on dogs.
IN AN ERA CONSUMED BY partisanship and deep policy divides, Republicans and Democrats appear far apart on major issues dominating the headlines. But there are two notable exceptions – veterans and dogs – and we are leading a new bipartisan effort to score a win for both.
In mid-July, The New York Times noted the Veterans' Affairs Committees in both the House and Senate were a "case study in Washington working as designed." Veterans issues, from accountability reform and whistleblower protections to the "forever GI bill," appear to be among the few things folks in Washington can agree on.
(more…)Losing a family member can feel unbearable. When that family member is a pet you’ve loved for years, the heartache is often indescribable. Pets play a huge role in people’s lives, and when a beloved pet dies, it can trigger a grieving process like no other.
The love and devotion many people have for their pets runs deep. Sometimes, this even goes to extremes, like a pet owner wanting their dog to be buried with them if they pass away. In most cases, though, if a dog dies, it’s important to understand that you’re allowed to grieve. You don’t have to “get over it” just because it’s an animal and not a person. You know your connection with your pet better than anyone, and allowing yourself time to process their death will make it easier to cope, in the long run.
(more…)Wally Conran created the labrador-poodle hybrid in 1989 and now laments “I opened a Pandora’s box and released a Frankenstein’s monster.”
When Frank Sinatra sang “Regrets, I’ve had a few,” he may have been speaking for the man who created the labradoodle.
Three decades ago, Australian dog breeder Wally Conron was asked to breed a non-shedding guide dog for a blind woman in Hawaii whose husband was allergic to long-haired dogs.
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