Free Republic

An Okmulgee County family turned to 2 Works for You for answers after their dog was shot and killed by a Morris police officer. *WARNING: Watch the video in the player above, unedited, but it does contain content that could be considered disturbing.* On September 27, Jeana was out of town and her kids were staying with family in Morris. Her dog, Leesie, was at a neighbor's home when something went terribly wrong. READ OFFICER NARRATIVE HERE Leesie had been locked inside the house. But, at some point, the front door was kicked in during a burglary attempt, ultimately letting...

A bomb-sniffing combat dog named Mike survived two tours of duty in Iraq but not the streets of a bucolic little town in Wyoming. The 9-year-old Belgian Malinois was shot and killed in Powell last Saturday by a bicyclist who said he was attacked, leaving Mike’s devastated owner Matthew Bessler, a retired Army Ranger, wondering how he is going to deal with his combat-related injuries alone.

Ah, the fake service dog. Like out-of-sync traffic lights and above-ground power lines, they’re one of those things that make my normally mild British temperament fall by the wayside. Allow me to rephrase that - it’s not the dogs that make my blood boil, but rather their owners. Who are these people? You’ve probably seen them. For me, the most recent was a lady in the grocery store with a teacup poodle in a Coach purse. Before that, there was the guy in the health food store pushing a Yorkshire terrier in a stroller. A few years ago it was...

To Protect and Serve? When Whitehill resident Andrea accidentally cut her arm on glass, her sister frantically called 911, "I need a paramedic." Columbus Police Officer Jon Thomas responded to the house where he pulled out his gun and shot toward the family's dog (which he claims ran toward him), missed, and hit Andrea's four-year-old daughter Ava in the leg, shattering her bone. As The Columbus Dispatch reports, Andrea also revealed that the cop never apologized or asked if Ava was okay and immediately left after shooting her. A Columbus police officer accidentally wounded a 4-year-old girl in Whitehall...

• Drunk driving suspect claims his dog was driving the car The dog was nowhere to be seen, but that didn’t stop one drunk driving suspect from blaming his pet. Florida resident Reliford Cooper III was arrested after crashing his car and promptly gave police a rather unbelievable 'excuse'. "Who was chasing me?" he asked the officer, adding: "My dog was driving that car, I ran 'cause I wanted to. You ain’t gonna find no drugs or guns on me." Mr Cooper is alleged to have ignored a stop sign and travelled across two ditches before crashing into an occupied...

BOULDER JUNCTION - People often feel like their pets are members of their family. Teri Winter and Jimmy Dean Van Rossum felt that way about their dog Bella. Earlier this week, Bella was killed by wolves. The only thing they found of Bella was blood and fur. "They didn't even leave a bone, we can't find her collar," says Winter. On Monday night, Van Rossum let Bella out to go to the bathroom at his home in Boulder Junction. She never came back. "She was in her woods, her yard, going to the bathroom," Winter says. That's when wolves got...

A man who fled from the scene of a report fight in the Fallbrook area later tried to twist a K-9's neck in an effort to escape arrest, San Diego Sheriff's Lieutenant Dave Schaller said. The incident began early Sunday when deputies from Fallbrook responded to reports of a possible fight that may have been related to road rage. The caller told deputies a gun may have been fired and people were fighting. When Deputy Jeremy Banks arrived at the scene, he saw a silver Mitsubishi Galant driving away with its lights off. When he tried to stop the car,...

U.S. on the 1992 Olympic boxing team; “Every time he’d reach, I’d counter,” he said. “He had my hand in his mouth.” At one point, Nicholson said he was down on one knee, choking the dog. Nicholson suffered bites to his legs, stomach, and hands. “He was strong as hell,” Nicholson said.

PARADISE VALLEY, Wash., - A Washington state animal rescue group said a pair of lost dogs were found with one of the canines keeping watch over its friend trapped in a cistern. The nonprofit Vashon Island Pet Protectors group said it posted pictures of lost dogs Tillie, a setter, and Phoebe, a basset hound, to the group's Facebook page and received a tip Sept. 14 that a "reddish" dog matching Tillie's description had approached a person on their property several times before heading back into a ravine. A follow-up Facebook post said VIPP volunteers searched the ravine and heard Tillie...

Hialeah police officer Nelson Enriquez may have been “neglectful” when he left two police K9s to swelter to death inside an SUV at his Davie home, but he didn’t intentionally kill them, an investigation by the Broward state attorney’s office found. And since there is nothing equivalent to a manslaughter charge in the state’s animal cruelty statute, Enriquez should not be held criminally liable for the death of Hektor, a 3-year-old Belgian Malnois, and Jimmy, a 6-year-old bloodhound. “In order to be held criminally liable for his acts, proof would be required that officer Enriquez intentionally left his dogs in...

A 65-year-old man was killed and a woman seriously hurt when they were attacked by two pit bulls in Southern California, police and local media said on Wednesday.

A former Marine’s missing service dog turned up in Texas last week, nine months after the German shepherd disappeared — and was possibly stolen — from a North County home, a Vista-based sheriff’s detective said Tuesday. On Aug. 31, a tip led Kai’s owner, Alexandra Melnick, to a home in Aubrey, about an hour north of Dallas. The Vista woman flew to Texas and confirmed that her dog was at the home, Detective Debra Hutches said.

<p>PATCHOGUE, N.Y. (AP) — Officials say a pit bull mix deemed "sociable" on behavioral tests was euthanized after viciously attacking his new owner's teenage daughter on the day he was brought home.</p> <p>40-year-old Stephen Neira bought Alex on Thursday after seeing him on a website for rescuing "death row" pets.</p>

Peoria, AZ — When a Peoria resident pulled out her cellphone to record police raiding a neighbor’s home, she never expected to what would happen next. The woman filming, who wishes to remain anonymous out of fear of police retaliating against her, said she pulled out her phone after she heard police say, “I know you’re in there, come out with your hands up.” What she saw next was animal abuse. The K-9 handler lets the dog run to the door and then, for an unknown reason, walks up and whips the dog with his leash. As if the leash...

CHARLESTON, SC – 41-year-old William Leonard Dodson was back in court on Friday, July 17 for a bond revocation hearing. The judge ruled Dodson will stay in prison because he is a flight risk. Dodson faces a felony charge of Ill Treatment of Animals for allegedly taping a female dog’s muzzle shut (Caitlyn) in North Charleston in May. Dodson is currently in jail, being held on a $50,000 bond. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

CALAIS, Maine — Calais officials say an officer who shot a dog Sunday night acted properly. Calais Police Chief David Randall said the department received a call at approximately 9:59 p.m. July 19 about two dogs that tried to attack a third dog at a home on South Street. People at the residence got their animal inside, then attempted to get the other two dogs out of their yard, according to the police chief. “The dogs attempted to bite them,” Randall said. When the officer located the dogs and tried to get them into the police car, one of the...

He said it was when he returned to the campsite that a female cougar emerged from the woods and grabbed 1-year-old Bailey — quickly pulling the dog into the bushes. That's when Hanson said he ran after the cougar in order to save Bailey's life. "I just kept pushing the bushes so I could see and dropped down into a muddy, dry creek," he said. "I was able to spring out of the mud and was screaming at it the whole time.” Without another thought, Hanson said he lunged at the animal, grabbing a handful of her skin. "I was...

A Ramsey County deputy is on administrative leave after he was charged with hitting his canine partner, the Carlton County Sheriff's Office said. The charges are from an incident that happened early June 15 at the Black Bear Casino in Carlton. The sheriff's office says 48-year-old Brett Arthur Berry is charged with assaulting a public safety dog and animal cruelty, both misdemeanors. Berry has been a Ramsey County deputy since 1996. Black Bear security told deputies they had been called into the Cobalt Lounge to ask a man to leave. Security followed him with video and saw him return to...

Ginger Wolfe said ever since her 9-year-old golden retriever Chelsea was a puppy, she has always been a big softie. "There's not a mean bone in her body," Wolfe said. "She's just a sweetheart." But as Wolfe found out over the weekend, nobody messes with Chelsea's family. The 85-pound dog showed her mettle when she took on an angry mama moose that had charged at Wolfe's boyfriend and his family — including two young children — while they were camping between Nederland and Ward. Wolfe, of Louisville, and her boyfriend, Jeremiah McLaughlin, of Boulder, were camping near Ruby Gulch. McLaughlin...

Here are five (mostly) scientific reasons why dogs trump cats. 1. Exercise motivation While dogs demand physical and recreational activity, all cats demand is food and a comfy sofa to sleep on all day. Great job being a role model, Felix! **** 2. Give the elderly a purpose Pets are wonderful stress relievers for people of all ages, but the elderly in particular benefit from owning a dog. **** 3. Sniff Out Cancer Cats have an attuned sense of smell, but they're difficult to train. The top cats also can't match the top dogs nose for nose. **** 4. Smarter...