Free Republic

AMARILLO — A miniature horse given to a boy with brain cancer by the Make-A-Wish Foundation was killed by a pair of pit bulls who were found roaming in his yard, authorities said. The 31-inch tall horse, Anniversary, was donated by the foundation to 3-year-old Christian Vasquez in late August. Christian, who was diagnosed in January with a malignant form of brain cancer, received a pull cart, a blanket, a halter and a bridle set from the foundation on Saturday, said Jelaine Workman, executive director for the foundation's Amarillo chapter. Two days later, Anniversary was found dead on his property...

MIDDLEBURG, Fla. -- A 42-year-old woman was fatally mauled by her two pit bulls, which also attacked the victim's son and a sheriff's deputy before both dogs were shot and killed on Tuesday morning, according to the Clay County Sheriff's Office. Tina Marie Canterbury was dead by 8:15 a.m. when Clay deputies arrived at the scene in the 2400 block of Cosmos Avenue, off county Road 218 West. "She was a wonderful, wonderful person to be around -- always smiling and always happy. It brightened up the room when she walked in," said Billie Cantebury, the victim's cousin. "We have...

If John Erickson hadn't had his gun with him when a neighbor's pit bull attacked him, there's no telling how bad things might have been. Erickson, 22, was walking up to his house on 400 South near 700 West in Orem on Wednesday when a neighbor's pit bull bit him from behind. As he rode his scooter to his house around 8:30 p.m., Erickson saw the dog sitting calmly while a neighborhood girl petted it. Then he parked and took three or four steps toward his house when the dog bit him. "All of a sudden the dog grabbed my...

RICHMOND, Va. — The Michael Vick dogfighting case made its way to the floor of the U.S. Senate Thursday when its most senior member publicly declared his outrage, saying he's witnessed one execution but wouldn't mind seeing another "if it involves this cruel, sadistic, cannibalistic business of training innocent, vulnerable creatures to kill."

A Houston-area family was mourning the death of their 4-old-son who was killed by two pit bulls that attacked as he was playing with his 2-year-old brother. Pedro Rios died of his injuries Tuesday afternoon in a mobile home park east of Houston, the Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday. He and his brother were playing when the dogs approached. The younger boy managed to escape. The boys' mother heard screams and raced to the boy and tried pulling the dogs off but they wouldn't let go until lights and sirens of sheriff's deputies' cars startled them, the report said. Deputies killed...

CIVIL RIGHTS THREATENED BY DANGEROUS DOG LAWS, AND BREED SPECIFIC LEGISLATION We citizens of the United States of America are still engaged in a civil rights struggle. This struggle knows no racial boundaries, it knows no social status, it knows no financial status. It affects every person, from the poorest, to the most affluent, from the city dweller, to the largest land owner. It goes to our most ancient and traditional property, and to our ownership and use rights in animals. Dog/animal ownership is as varied, as is the human tapestry that bonds our great nation. When we site the...