Free Republic

For quite some time now, FReepers on both sides of this pit bull issue have been arguing, attacking, & harassing the "other side". What has this accomplished? Unfortunately very little except anger & strife amongst fellow republicans on this message board. I think it has gotten to the point now where both sides should pretty much be able to concur that this is pointless, as it is unlikely that either side is going to change their mind. We are all FReepers, and there is no use in turning against each other on any issue. We need to stay united to...

Their loyal nature, their eagerness to please, are the very qualities that make pit bulls easy prey for dog fighters. And now, Best Friends Animal Society and other animal welfare groups have joined forces to help future canine victims of this organized crime. On April 8, representatives from Best Friends, Bad Rap, ASPCA, National Animal Control Association, Maddie’s Fund, Nevada Humane Society, Spartanburg Humane Society and the Humane Society of the United States met in Las Vegas to address the matter of dogs seized as a result of cruelty investigations into animal fighting rings. The meeting was in response to...

Cheyenne, Dakota and Tahoe One of the top-rated Search and Rescue (SAR) dogs is Dakota, an American Pit Bull Terrier. Dakota is owned by Kris Crawford, who has 2 other pit bulls that are also certified SAR dogs! Dakota is so good at what she does, NASA handpicked Kris and Dakota to assist in the recovery of the Astronauts after the tragic 2003 shuttle disaster. Kris and Dakota were also involved in the Laci Peterson investigation. Kris and her team have been involved in many cases and have made national news on several occasions. Cheyenne, Dakota and Tahoe are also...

An Oklahoma family credits their dog DBoy with protecting them from a gun-wielding intruder who barged into their home. Roberta Trawick says her pit bull leapt to defend her and her family. The intruder, who is still at large, "came in, pointed a gun at me and said, ‘Get down on the ground'," Trawick told Oklahoma City’s News 9. Then, Trawick says DBoy immediately ran in from another room and was ready to attack. The gunman shot DBoy three times -- twice in the head -- before running off after apparently being spooked by the dog. "It is amazing, it's...

Any dog who can pretend to snore while keeping one eye open on the sly is a keeper for sure! And as far as her new family is concerned—not to mention the entire neighborhood—Scarlet the pit bull is more than just a keeper. She’s an inspiration. Wes and Melissia McBride of Rolla, Missouri, were on the Best Friends website hoping to find a dog to adopt. At first, they thought perhaps one of the Vicktory dogs, but most of them are still not ready for homes. When they contacted Best Friends, the adoption staffers pointed them toward Scarlet on Adorable...

Just came across this ~ :-) ----------------------------------- February 6, 2009 : 11:49 AM ET The first Vicktory dog has gone home! How’s that for a statement worth shouting from the rooftops? This is one happy ending a long, long time in the making. When Traci first heard about the Vicktory dogs, her heart went out to them. She couldn’t believe all they had been forced to live through. The one thing she knew for certain was that they deserved better. They deserved a home full of love and kindness. She wanted to be one of those homes. "If I could,"...

A missing 5-year-old Florida girl was most likely abducted from her home in rural Florida, police said Wednesday. Haleigh Cummings, 5, went missing Monday night from her home near Orlando, police said. Haleigh Cummings has been missing since 3 a.m. Tuesday, when her father's girlfriend called 911 to say the child had vanished from her Putnam County home. "There's no longer any reason to believe that the child simply wandered outside," said Putnam County Sheriff's Office Maj. Gary Bowling. The police must "assume abduction," he said. "All the answers to why you'd want to take a 5-year-old are ugly," Bowling...

WASHINGTON – The Senate on Monday voted unanimously to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting by four months to June 12 — setting the stage for Congress to pass the proposal as early as Tuesday. Monday's Senate vote is a big victory for the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress, who have been pushing for a delay amid growing concerns that too many Americans won't be ready for the currently scheduled Feb. 17 changeover. The Nielsen Co. estimates that more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog television sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast...

An animal rescue group I belong to just took in a beautiful little dog named Candoo (he was hit by a car a couple of months ago, but the family he was living with at the time never bothered to take him in for treatment of his obvious broken leg....about a month after the accident, they finally turned him over to the humane society and received a citation for neglect. Even with only 3 functioning legs, Candoo has a "I don't give up" spirit, so that's why our group gave him that name....don't tell Candoo he "can't do" anything!). Anyway,...

One of the most unbelievable things ever happened on the set of the yesterday's "Price is Right" -- some dude nailed the price of his showcase to the exact dollar -- and host Drew Carey couldn't have looked more bored. No one has pulled off an exact bid in more than 30 years -- plus, the dude had already won $500 in cash for nailing the exact price of a cooker earlier in the show -- but after the showcase stunner, Drew was more fired up to talk about spaying and neutering pets. A TMZ spy who happened to be...

With Christmas approaching, I thought you might want to see a couple of Christian music videos I made... The first one is set to a song called "Come into His arms" by Mark Selenich: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sr1IGWkyJU The 2nd one is "A Father's Love Letter", that I set to Josh Groban's song, "You Raise Me Up": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IjsLXpiwWY&feature=channel

I just got home from visiting with my friend, Darrell, and found out that his wife (Margaret Phillips) has become very ill. About 2 weeks ago, she had immense pain in her shoulders & neck. The doctors initially diagnosed it as a muscle spasm without running any tests. As the pain increased in intensity over time, she started having trouble breathing, and was life flighted to another hospital where they ran a large series of tests on her. What was causing it was an abscess on the stem of her brain...surgery was done, but she is now unable to move...

PROVO CANYON — A Wasatch County sheriff's sergeant died Thursday morning after collapsing during a routine traffic stop. G. Scott Hathcock, 48, of Heber City, had pulled a car over on U.S. 189 in Provo Canyon and had just stepped to the window of the car to ask for documents when he collapsed, said Summit County sheriff's deputy Josh Wall. The people in the car as well as a passer-by performed CPR until paramedics arrived minutes later, Wall said. However, medical personnel were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials don't yet know the...

Delta Air Lines on Tuesday doubled the fee to check a second bag for domestic flights to $50 from $25 to help offset record fuel prices. Delta announced a number of baggage fee increases on domestic and international flights, including a rise in the fee for items that require special handling such as surfboards or ski equipment. Delta also increased the fee for a third checked bag from $80 to $125 on domestic flights and from $150 to $200 on international flights. It also raised fees for bags that exceed its weight allowance. These changes will apply to tickets bought...

Today, at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Marshals seized various animal food products stored under unsanitary conditions at the PETCO Animal Supplies Distribution Center located in Joliet, Ill., pursuant to a warrant issued by the United States District Court in Chicago. U.S. Marshals seized all FDA-regulated animal food susceptible to rodent and pest contamination. The seized products violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because it was alleged in a case filed by the United States Attorney that they were being held under unsanitary conditions. (The Act uses the term "insanitary" to describe...

CHRISTIANA, Del. - May 25, 2008 (WPVI) -- A man opened fire at a church fundraiser in Christiana, Delaware Sunday night. It happened around 7:00 at the Christiana Hilton, located at 100 Continental Drive in Newark, Delaware, during a function held by the Saint Mary Coptic Church. A 50-year-old man from Philadelphia was shot in the head. Police say the suspect was in attendance at the fundraiser and opened fire at the conclusion of the victim's presentation to the group.

CARNATION, Wash. — Detectives painstakingly picked their way Thursday through the rural property where six people were killed Christmas Eve, and prosecutors prepared charges against the property owners' daughter and her boyfriend, authorities said. Hours after the bodies of the victims - reportedly three generations of the same family - were discovered, police arrested Michele Anderson, 29, and Joseph McEnroe, 29, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the names. -snip- The owners of the property are Wayne Anderson, 60, and Judy Anderson, 61, according to public records....

I found this beautiful wallpaper picture on Webshots, and would like to ask a question of people familiar with editing... Is it possible to edit the words out, and just leave the little boy & the black and starry background? That by far is my favorite wallpaper, and if it is possible, I'd love to have both versions to use on my computer. Unfortunately, I can't contact the person who originally did this, as I do a number of searches for these types of wallpaper. I've searched in a great number of different member's albums, and it would be almost...

PUSH P-----pray U----until S----something H----happens I need this back... If you'll do this for me... I'll do it for you... When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need. Take 60 seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply say the following small prayer for the person who sent you this. Father, God bless all my friends in whatever it is that You know they may be needing this day! And may their life be full of your peace, prosperity and power as h e/ she seeks...

Dear Utah Advocates, We have just been informed that Governor Huntsman has called a special session of the Legislature to be held tomorrow, Wednesday, August 22, and one of the issues that will be discussed is Henry's Bill/SB 190. Henry’s Bill would make deliberate animal torture a third-degree felony in Utah, one of the only states in the nation that does not have a felony animal torture law on its books. The bill passed both the House and Senate during the regular 2007 session, but ultimately a new amendment thwarted the bill in the final minutes of the session. Please...