Free Republic

Do the animals we’ve loved and lost truly leave us? Earlier this week, Bel Mooney told of her grief at losing her dog, Bonnie, and how, at her lowest ebb, she felt Bonnie come back to her. In response, dozens of you responded with stories of signs from the after-life from dearly beloved pets . . . Eight years ago, I had a lovely black cat called Nevil. One afternoon a lady knocked on my door and told me she had run over my cat. For two weeks I was truly devastated. One night I could not sleep and went...

It's National Dog Day, Let's see some pics of man's best friend

Leaflets have reportedly been distributed in Manchester calling for a public ban on dogs, in order to keep the area pure for Muslims. But while some have claimed the leaflets are a hoax designed to stir up tensions, others are convinced the leaflets are being created by fundamentalist Muslims. Residents in Manchester have taken to social media to report that they have received leaflets through their letterboxes calling on them to “have respect for us and our children” by not taking dogs out in public. “This area is home to a large Muslim community,” the leaflet advises, before explaining that...

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has identified a man killed in a dog attack as 83-year-old Michael Downing. Downing was killed by his neighbor's dogs at about 4 p.m. Friday, officials said. The hole in the fence where witnesses said the dogs came through is now boarded up. Witnesses Mackenzie Partin and Eddie Edwards said Downing’s body may have been dragged into the dog’s yard because they saw his body on the other side of the fence. The Franklin Arms apartment community is mourning the loss of Downing, whom they described as a helpful neighbor and happy man. “He always had...

Police in Las Vegas say a dog that fatally mauled a 9-year-old boy was a family pet at a house the boy was visiting. ... Police Officer Jesse Roybal said .. animal control officers took custody of the dog, which was described as a pit bull.

If your dog looks like they're wearing a superhero mask, there's always someplace on the Internet more than happy to make them one. Reddit user eRadthorpe posted this photo of a 14-year-old dog (which is really just an old puppy) who has vitiligo, a condition where the skin loses its pigment. And in this case, the fur. Specifically, they posted the photo to the Photoshop Battles subreddit, which meant everyone was ready to give the dog their own.

Hillary Clinton’s icy demeanor with Secret Service agents and police officers is well documented. But with members of the military protecting her overseas? Former military K9 handler Eric Bonner says an encounter with then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led him to never support her for president. “It has nothing to do with her views,” Bonner posted on Facebook. “It really doesn’t even matter about all the laws she broke. “It’s because She actually talked to me once. Almost a sentence,” he wrote.

Police said the dog is dangerous and still on the looseThe search continues for the owner of a pit bull who attacked a 6-year-old boy in Antioch earlier this month. Police said the dog is dangerous and still on the loose. The July 14 attack occurred in the Antioch Marina. Police said a woman and her grandson were walking in the area when out of nowhere the dog attacked the child. "The grandmother fought the dog off," said Acting Lt. Tarra Nissen with the Antioch Police Department. The dog left several wounds to the boy's groin and upper legs. The...

Well, I think my dog's a democrat and it breaks my heart to say - to think an ugly thing like that, but there's a big old pile of evidence that points to the fact that my dog might be a democrat....

In Manchester, pamphlets have been distribute by a group called Public Purity have demanded that Brits do not take their dogs out in public as dogs are considered impure in the Islamic faith. The groups message is that British citizens must do certain things that may be considered uncomfortable in order to make its Muslim citizens feel more at home. Why exactly this type of whiny, ultimatum inducing behavior would make citizens of a non-Islamic nation care how its Muslim residents feel is unclear. What is clear, however, is that this type of intrusive behavior from Muslim immigrants helps to...

Simone ScullyJuly 4, 2016On the Monday after the Orlando mass shooting, 12 specially trained golden retrievers arrived in Florida to do what they do best: provide comfort. The dogs are part of the K-9 Comfort Dog Team, a program run by the Lutheran Church Charities that now has 130 dogs in 23 states across the country. The dogs — all golden retrievers — deploy as part of the organization's disaster response team. Each dog was picked as a puppy because of its calm demeanor, and each one was trained to be gentle, comforting, and affectionate. They all do this without...

Four-year-old Barbie wasn't the only dog to be put down. Another dog named Tommy was also euthanized on the same day.Contra Costa County Animal Services is investigating why two dogs were mistakenly euthanized after local rescue groups proposed saving at least one, a department spokesman said Thursday. A 4-year-old pit bull named Barbie should have been taken off the Martinez-based animal department's list of animals slated to be euthanized on June 18 but wasn't for still-undetermined reasons, spokesman Steve Burdo said. "Everyone here is heartbroken about it," Burdo said. "We're going to take this opportunity to learn and improve our...

With coats of corkscrew curls and ears that flop at the tips, the latest recognised breed of dog could well be the cutest. Breeders have been working tirelessly in the US over the past two decades in a quest to get the pumi officially noticed – and their hard work paid off. To become officially recognised by the American Kennel Club (AKC), the fluffy canine had to meet a population quota among a host of other criteria.

Dogs have the ability to sense when a human with Type I diabetes suffers a low blood sugar episode, and scientists have discovered how they are able to do this. When a diabetic is experiencing a drop in blood sugar levels, this produces a chemical that dogs are able to smell. This can alert a dog to the onset of hypoglycemia. Many families with diabetic children have begun taking in medical alert service dogs to help monitor their children's symptoms. Speaking to the Toronto Sun, an Alliston, Ontario family discussed the benefits of having Amy, a Diabetic Alert Dog, to...

Every dog has its day. For Terry Kasper’s mixed lab, Ella, that day came early one May morning. “I thought my dog had an upset stomach, so about two in the morning I took her outside,” said Kasper outside his South Anchorage home Thursday afternoon. Terry said it was last month, two days after Mother’s Day, when he took Ella out for a routine walk down Dailey Drive. “All of a sudden, you hear the crashing right beside the house near the trees and there she is, full speed,” said Kasper. Kasper came face to face with Alaska wildlife right...

DOG LOVERS IN central Iran are in uproar after authorities began confiscating their pets in an apparent crackdown on the “vulgar Western culture” of canine ownership, Iranian media reported today. One unnamed dog owner in Shahin Shahr in Isfahan province told Iran’s Shahrvand newspaper that officials had shown up suddenly at his house last week. “We were shown a piece of paper indicating they were from the municipal veterinary office. They came in and took away our dogs under the pretext of vaccination,” he said. The owner was told he could recover the dog after its vaccination, but when he...

Second place came with a $200 prize, which was given to Josie, a pup whose nails were painted bright blueSixteen unseemly pooches vied for the surprisingly coveted title of World’s Ugliest Dog at the Sonoma-Marin Fair contest Friday. Judges, including TV personality Bob Lacey and broadcaster Sheri Lynch, crowned 17-year-old SweePee Rambo — with a tiny blonde mohawk, claw-like legs and one eye twice as large as the other — the winner. Hundreds of people at the competition cheered on the blind Chinese Crested Chihuahua mix, as his owner, Jason Wurtz, burst into tears and shook a homemade sign that...

St. Francis once said: “If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.” This is the case every time. When someone is cruel to animals, they are cruel to human beings. In fact, Christianity is the best for the care of animals. Dozens of American-trained dogs were killed by a Kuwaiti-based company last week, according to multiple reports, though there are conflicting explanations for the deaths. While several news agencies reported the story, they fail to also report that...

Dozens of American-trained dogs were killed by a Kuwaiti-based company last week, according to multiple reports, though there are conflicting explanations for the deaths. An Instagram post by the Kuwait Animal Rescue Unit showed the dogs’ bodies piled on top of each other in a narrow hallway and called the action by Eastern Securities of Kuwait a “horrifying animal abuse/massacre.” “Due to their contract being revoked, they slaughtered 24 of their US K9 dogs whom were trained by USK9 dog training facility which is located in Louisiana, USA,” the post reads. “This security company is an American company which worked...

My dog Fredd was mauled by 6 hog hunting dogs earlier today. The mobile vet was only a hour away and took him right away. 8 stiches. 7 wounds. I was bitten too. I am fine. He is resting now on his bed. The dogs were not supposed to be out of the pens. I will post more info later. I thank goodness people were around when it happened....Pulled the dogs off of him. would have killed him if no one else around.