THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAS VEGAS — Federal land managers said Monday they’ll delay a roundup of most of the nearly 600 wild horses in a range in eastern Nevada, at least until after the herd’s spring foaling season.

Advocates fighting to stop mustang roundups in the West said they think their threat to file a lawsuit stopped the U.S. Bureau of Land Management from beginning a roundup next week of almost 500 wild horses in the Eagle Herd Management Area.

“We’re pleased that the BLM has postponed another ill-conceived, illegal and inhumane wild horse roundup,” said William Spriggs, a Washington, D.C.-based lawyer for In Defense of Animals based in San Rafael, Calif. Read the rest of this entry →

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NEW YORK — A graphic designer accused of surreptitiously killing a series of his girlfriend’s cats pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated animal cruelty, ending an eerie case in which authorities said the unsuspecting woman kept replacing her dying pets.

Sean Lynde said little during a brief hearing in a Manhattan court, where he also admitted violating an order of protection by posting online messages aimed at his now-ex-girlfriend.

State Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus adjourned Lynde’s case in contemplation of dismissal, meaning it’s set to be closed without jail time or probation if he attends weekly therapy sessions, stays away from the woman and meets other conditions. Read the rest of this entry →

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DETROIT — The Detroit Zoo is serving as a sanctuary to more than 1,000 mammals, reptiles and spiders seized from a Texas exotic animal dealer.

The Macomb Daily reports that the 1,100 animals now at the Detroit Zoo home were among nearly 27,000 animals seized Dec. 15 in the nation’s largest exotic animal rescue effort.

After a judge ruled the animals will not be returned to U.S. Global Exotics, Detroit Zoo employees spent seven weeks helping care for the animals at a temporary site in Dallas. Read the rest of this entry →

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RENO, Nev. — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on the proposed roundup of about 1,800 wild horses from the range north of Reno.

Agency spokesman Jeff Fontana said the roundup in the 800,000-acre Twin Peaks Herd Management Area is tentatively set for August and September.

About half of the area is in Washoe County and half is in Lassen County, Calif. Read the rest of this entry →

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A day after three former workers at the Memphis Animal Shelter were indicted on animal cruelty charges, police say the shelter’s former director has been arrested in New Mexico.

Shelby County authorities say former Memphis Animal Shelter director Ernest Alexander was arrested Friday in Albuquerque, where he also used to manage an animal shelter.

The Commercial-Appeal reported that the other two former employees, a supervisor and a veterinarian, turned themselves in Thursday and were released on $25,000 bond. Read the rest of this entry →

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RENO, Nev. — Federal land managers have finished a major roundup of wild horses from the range north of Reno, and are gearing up to remove thousands of more mustangs across the West.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials on Friday said 1,922 horses were removed from the Calico Mountains Complex in the roundup that was opposed by activists.

Agency spokeswoman JoLynn Worley said an estimated 600 horses remain in the complex, which is within the management level of 600 to 900 set for the area. Read the rest of this entry →

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HOUSTON — A judge in Houston has ordered 18 months in state jail for a man convicted over the 2008 killing of a tame deer known as Mr. Buck.

Brandon Eugene Gregory in August pleaded guilty to taking a wildlife resource without landowner consent in an incident involving the friendly deer in a sanctuary.

The remains of Mr. Buck were located on Nov. 25, 2008, at Bear Creek Pioneers Park. Read the rest of this entry →

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Shelby County District Attorney’s office says three former workers at the Memphis Animal Shelter were indicted on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals.

The Commercial-Appeal reported Thursday that one of the employees had been the shelter’s veterinarian.

Shelby County District Attorney Jennifer Donnals says 43-year-old shelter administrative supervisor Tina Quattlebaum and 42-year-old vet Dr. Angela Middleton were being held at the Shelby County Jail East on $25,000 bonds. Read the rest of this entry →

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WILKES-BARRE, Pennsylvania — A U.S. woman who marketed “gothic kittens” with ear and neck piercings over the Internet has been convicted of animal cruelty.

A Pennsylvania jury on Wednesday convicted 35-year-old dog groomer Holly Crawford of one misdemeanor count and one summary count of animal cruelty, but acquitted her on two separate counts. She will be sentenced March 31.

Crawford was charged in December 2008 after animal welfare officers took several kittens and a cat from her home. Read the rest of this entry →

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WILKES-BARRE, Pennsylvania — A Pennsylvania woman is facing trial on animal cruelty charges for marketing “gothic kittens” with ear and neck piercings over the Internet.

Thirty-five-year-old dog groomer Holly Crawford is scheduled for trial Tuesday in Wilkes-Barre.

Prosecutors say she inflicted pain on the cats to make money. Attorneys for Crawford say she didn’t act maliciously. Read the rest of this entry →

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARLINGTON, Texas — The operators of an exotic animals won’t get back the 27,000 or so creatures seized by the city of Arlington.

A judge on Saturday affirmed a previous ruling against the company, U.S. Global Exotics.

The animals were taken in a Dec. 15 raid, but the company has disputed animal cruelty allegations. Arlington officials have said the raid turned up starving snakes, reptiles packed in shipping crates and rodents in cramped quarters that ate each other to survive. Read the rest of this entry →

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN DIEGO — The city of San Diego says it will sell its seven police horses via an online auction as a way to help balance its budget.

The horse unit, started in 1983, is disbanding, and the officers have been assigned to other units.

About a third of the San Diego Police Department’s dogs are also being laid off. Read the rest of this entry →

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LOS ANGELES — Maria Medina was brokenhearted when her dogs disappeared, so she sent her grandchildren door-to-door in the Maywood neighborhood where she and her husband have lived for 20 years trying to find them.

The 70-year-old mother of nine, who has about 45 grandchildren, had no idea it was her German shepherd named Spikey who was hoisted by helicopter from the swollen Los Angeles River on Jan. 22 — a rescue televised on national television.

The firefighter who saved the dog fractured his thumb and lost a nail in his struggle to save the dog. Read the rest of this entry →

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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A brother and a sister have been indicted on federal charges stemming from a dog that was dragged to death at Colorado National Monument.

Steven Romero faces one count of aggravated animal cruelty, a felony punishable by up to three years in prison. His sister, Melissa Lockhart, faces a felony charge for lying to investigators.

A grand jury handed up the indictment late Monday. Read the rest of this entry →

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FAIRPLAY, Colo. — Prosecutors are planning to file charges against a Park County couple accused of starving hundreds of sled dogs at their kennel.

Samuel and Diane Walker will be in Park County Court Tuesday afternoon, and prosecutors say they plan on charging them with animal cruelty. The couple has been free on bail since their arrest Christmas Day.

Authorities say they seized about 100 starving mixed-breed sled dogs on Dec. 17 from their Pawsatrak Racing Sled Dog Kennel near Hartsel, about 70 miles southwest of Denver. Investigators say seven of the dogs died.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — Saving a German shepherd stuck in the rising Los Angeles River was the right thing to do, the risks were slight, rescue crews were on standby, extra taxpayer money wasn’t used and the alternatives were unacceptable, authorities said Monday.

The helicopter and swift water rescue crew members that saved the dog on Friday have been hailed as heroes, feted on television and radio and congratulated on the Web and in print. But they have also been vilified by a few in blogs, on social networks and story comment sections.

“You’re not going to please everybody. There’s always 10 percent, they either don’t like animals or think we are wasting taxpayer money,” Capt. Steve Ruda said. Read the rest of this entry →

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. — An improvised group of animal lovers for years sheltered, captured and adopted stray cats that were dumped on the Tennessee Valley Authority reservation, but TVA officials recently requested that the animals be gone for good.

The trouble is, organizers say residents will keep supplying unwanted “Rock Pile cats” on the Rock Pile section of the reservation.

On a recent day, four cats hung around a rock crevice adorned with pillows and blankets. Read the rest of this entry →

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — An ousted Ohio firefighter who shot and killed two dogs in his basement walked out of a hearing to get his job back.

David Santuomo (san-TOO’-moh) left Monday’s appeals meeting when a Columbus television station set up a camera in the hearing room. The Civil Service Commission dismissed the case because Santuomo wasn’t present.

Prosecutors said the 43-year-old Santuomo shot his two dogs to avoid paying boarding costs while he took a cruise with his girlfriend. He dumped the carcasses in a trash bin behind a fire station. Read the rest of this entry →

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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — More than 100,000 people have signed an online petition calling for harsh punishment for a man accused of dragging a dog to death, the creator of a Facebook page called “Demand Justice for Buddy” said.

Thirty-seven-year-old Steven Clay Romero, faces a federal animal cruelty charge after Buddy, a German shepherd mix, was found dead Dec. 30 in Colorado National Monument.

His sister, 32-year-old Melissa Lockhart of Fruita faces felony theft charges for allegedly stealing the dog and telling Romero to get rid of him. Read the rest of this entry →

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LOS ANGELES — A dog rescued from a rain-swollen river by a Los Angeles firefighter dangling from a helicopter is doing fine and waiting for his owner to come claim him.

Diana Guzman of the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority says the three-year-old male German shepherd mix is healthy and relaxing Saturday, one day after the dramatic rescue caught by television cameras.

Guzman says the male dog, nicknamed Vernon after the town where he was found, will be held for five days, after which he will be put up for adoption. The dog did not have a name tag or identifying computer chip. Read the rest of this entry →

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LOS ANGELES — A firefighter splashed into a rain-swollen river Friday to rescue a German shepherd and managed to hang on safely, even after the dog furiously bit his arm and hand.

Joe St. Georges, a 25-year Los Angeles Fire Department veteran, said he received a “real bite in the thumb” but was otherwise feeling fine.

He said he had no hard feelings toward the dog. Read the rest of this entry →