Free Republic

A dog named Dancer was rescued after surviving a 60-foot fall at a park in Michigan, the National Park Service said Thursday, marking the second time in less than two weeks that a canine has been found alive after plunging off a high cliff. The 3-year-old pooch was off her leash at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Wednesday when she fell off a cliff near Miners Castle onto a ledge about 60 feet below. Her owners were unable to find her and were even "convinced she had not survived," park officials said in a news release. Pictured Rocks Park Rangers...

An Ohio officer shot his police dog after it attacked him, leaving him with serious bite wounds, the Columbus Police Department said. Officer Brian Carter underwent surgery at a hospital and K9 Benzi, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, was humanely euthanized. Carter was correcting Benzi’s behavior through verbal commands at the department’s K9 office Saturday morning when the dog suddenly turned on him, a Columbus Police spokesperson said in a news release.

If Illinois legalizes recreational marijuana by ballot measure this November, police may have to "put down" many of the 275 K-9 dogs trained to recognize narcotic substances across the state. Police organizations oppose legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and some marijuana advocates have condemned them for dangling canine death as a political tool. Police agencies invest thousands of dollars and months of training to teach dogs to sniff out and alert officers to the presence of various illegal narcotics, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs. These dogs, affectionately known as K-9 units, are very specialized, and police insist that...

Eric Bonner...the K9 serviceman offered on Facebook: Being a K9 handler in the Military I got to do a few details involving Distinguished Visitors. Mostly Generals, DOD Officials, and Secretaries of Defense... One of my Last details was for Hillary when she was Secretary of State. She was in Turkey for whatever reason. I helped with sweeps of her DV Quarters and staff vehicles. Her words to me? “Get that F**king dog away from me.” Then she turns to her Security Detail and berates them up and down about why that animal was in her quarters. For the next 20...

A Pennsylvania Department of Corrections K9 died after being left inside a hot car for more than two hours, officials confirmed. Totti, a 2-year-old yellow lab that worked with the department’s Drug Interdictions Unit, was left in the squad car during training exercises at the Rockview State Prison by his handler, Sgt. Chad Holland.... Pennsylvania prison officials have opened an internal investigation into Totti’s death. As the investigation continues, Holland remains employed by the department and has not been reprimanded.

Cops shot and killed a pit bull after it mauled a smaller dog to death in upper Manhattan Wednesday. Jada, a Shih Tzu, was being walked at Hillside Avenue and Sickles Street in Inwood at 7 p.m. when the bigger dog attacked. Rafael Alvarez, 40, who had been caring for Jada for a friend, suffered a lacerated hand trying to save her. Two cops rushed to help, but when they couldn’t stop the attack, one shot the pit bull twice. The pit bull’s owner wasn’t charged because he was trying to put a leash on the dog at the time.

The Times has learned that Reginald, the greyhound that was attacked in a recent incident has passed away. A mixed breed pit bull jumped out of a vehicle from the parking lot of the Bodine’s Market on South Main Street, attacking both Reginald and his owner Lisa Matthaeus. Reggie suffered deep gashes to both sides of his neck. The skin on both of his legs was taken completely off. Lisa was also injured trying to intervene, suffering broken fingers and a severed tendon. “Reggie” was a retired Greyhound racer who was adopted by the Matthaeus family. The attacking dog, Rocky,...

Last week a West Virginia woman who stood between her dog and a state trooper intent on killing him was acquitted of obstructing an officer by a jury in Wood County. It took jurors just half an hour to acquit 23-year-old Tiffanie Hupp after they watched the video of the incident that Hupp's husband, Ryan, shot with his cellphone. Trooper Seth Cook came to the Hupps' house on May 9, 2015, in response to a dispute between a neighbor and Ryan's stepfather. There Cook encountered Buddy, a Labrador-husky mix who was chained outside the house. The dog, whom Hupp describes...

DAYTON, Ohio —A southwest Ohio police department is implementing mandatory training for reducing lethal force used on dogs. Dayton's 300 police officers are receiving the training on how to approach and handle dogs as the weather warms up and calls regarding lose or aggressive dogs increase. The Dayton Daily News reports 49 dogs have been shot by Dayton police since 2011. The shootings occurred during a variety of calls, including domestic violence incidents, drug raids and reports of loose or aggressive dogs. An animal control supervisor with the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center says the training teaches officers ways to...

A Baltimore police officer is facing felony animal cruelty charges after he allegedly slit the throat of a 7 year-old dog that had already been placed under control. The incident happened Saturday, and Baltimore police officials announced charges against the unnamed officer on Wednesday. Sarah Gossard’s Shar Pei, Nala, was loose over the weekend when police were called to catch her. But after using a dog pole to round up Nala, one officer made a shocking move. “Unfortunately, at some point after the dog was contained, one of our officers used a knife and cut the dog’s throat,” said Baltimore...

Tough Talk For Dog Owners About The Obama Presidency Apathy, Inaction May Doom Dog Ownership in America by JOHN YATES American Sporting Dog Alliance http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org asda@csonline.net WASHINGTON – Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States following a landslide victory based on strong support from an overwhelming percentage of the electorate. He also carried the Democratic Party to virtually unassailable power in both the House and Senate. Obama sought after and received the strong endorsement of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and this animal rights organization most certainly will try to cash in its...

PENN YAN NY- More than $6,000 and numerous checks were stolen from the financially strapped Humane Society of Yates County in the last week. Director Don Cass said Monday that when he arrived at work Thursday, he found the back door pried open and more than $2,000 in cash and checks missing from the desk in his second-floor office. Deadbolt locks were installed, Cass said, but after the organization's chicken barbecue and Rover Raffle fundraisers over the weekend, there was another break-in. A safe, containing over $4,000 in cash and checks, was stolen from his office closet, said Cass, a...