Free Republic

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- The interest in the story over Shuma the service dog continues to be overwhelming. Last Thursday, KCTV5 News told you about a hurricane evacuee from Mississippi who wants his dog back. After fleeing the storm, John Wyrick gave his dog to Lynn Nevills of Independence, because his temporary housing arrangement would not allow pets. Wyrick said he made a mistake and wants Shuma the German Shepherd back, but Nevills refuses. Several KCTV5 viewers have offered her money, as much as one thousand dollars if she will just return the dog. But, Shuma is still in Independence with...

Not too long ago, Labrador retrievers were considered a tad exotic. In the 1950s, the sporty mid-size breed was a suburban rarity, popular mainly among upper-crust Anglophiles who liked the idea of owning a dignified hunting dog. Today, however, Labs are the Levi's jeans of purebred dogs. They've topped the American Kennel Club's list of registered canines for 12 years straight. And not just topped, but dominated: The number of registered Labs is nearly three times the number of golden retrievers, the second most popular dog on the list

MUNCY, Pa. -- Two women, two prisons, one warm and fuzzy link: Wheelchair-bound Donna Pressing has cerebral palsy and needs a service dog to help her remove a coat or pay a grocery cashier. Tamika has known little but the inside of a jail for the last decade, thanks to her role in a botched robbery that ended in gunplay and, ultimately, murder. Each is confined in her own way, one bound by walls and the other by muscles that won't move the way they're supposed to. And each woman finds liberation through service dogs -- Pressing because the dog...