JULIE STEWART
SPECIAL TO THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
A woman serving a jail term for animal cruelty will be back in court next month.
Tammy Christine Hanson, 43, is scheduled for trial Jan. 6 in Baxter County District Court on seven misdemeanor charges, including theft and evidence tampering.
Her trial was set for Wednesday but was moved because of a scheduling conflict in the prosecutor’s office, a District Court spokesman said. (more…)
MIKE LINN
THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
A Drew County jury has acquitted a Monticello-area man in the August beating death of a Shetland pony, attorneys said Thursday.
Benjamin Briney, 20, was one of the first Arkansans charged under the state’s new felony aggravated-animal-cruelty law.
Briney testified to the jury Wednesday that he beat the pony to death with a baseball bat, although he said the pony’s owner had suggested he put the pony down by injecting it with a needle full of air, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Zach Vaughn said. (more…)
TEXARKANA GAZETTE
PRESCOTT — The recent death of a 2-year-old boy motivated the Prescott City Council last week to approve an ordinance banning pit bull dogs from the city, said Mayor Howard Taylor.
The ordinance makes Prescott the fifth town in southwest Arkansas to ban the dogs. (more…)
KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
RESCUE IN THE ROCK
The Stone County sheriff’s office continues to investigate the removal Thursday of 25 horses from the O.K. Trading Post in Mountain View.
The Humane Society of the United States, along with the Stone County sheriff’s office, The Rescue Wranglers and the Humane Society of Missouri removed the horses from the trail riding business on Highway 14 Thursday. (more…)
DAVE HUGHES
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
CLARKSVILLE — Two Johnson County women have been charged with felony cruelty to animals after a large dog-breeding operation was discovered earlier this month, authorities said.
Christine Yarrington, 60, and Lynn Elise Burkett, 51, both of rural Lamar, were each charged in Johnson County Circuit Court on Thursday with eight counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. Authorities previously had not identified the women. (more…)
THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
LITTLE ROCK — Officials seized nearly 100 dogs, six cats and two guinea pigs from several trailers on a rural Johnson County property Tuesday, where officials said animals were “cash crops” in a puppy mill operation.
Sheriff Jimmy Dorney said a search warrant was executed Tuesday at the home outside Lamar, about 10 miles southeast of Clarksville, after the department received a complaint. (more…)
JULIE STEWART
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
MOUNTAIN HOME — An old-fashioned law enforcement tool helped authorities catch William and Tammy Hanson, who officials said were on the run for more than three years in a notorious animal cruelty case in Baxter County.
Tipsters turned them in, officials said Wednesday. (more…)
JULIE STEWART
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
MOUNTAIN HOME — Tammy Christine Hanson was returned to Baxter County late Friday after nearly four years on the run in an animal-cruelty case that gained national notoriety.
Authorities were also seeking the return of her husband, William Hanson, 44, from a jail in Johnson County, Mo. (more…)
CAROLYNE PARK
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
The barn stall wasn’t the sterile, well-equipped hospital operating room Dr. Pamela Howard was used to, and the 680-pound patient on the floor was a long stretch from her usual patients in the burn center at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
But the wounds were familiar. As a burn and trauma surgery specialist, she knows them well. (more…)
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LITTLE ROCK — Authorities say a 3-year-old horse was critically injured when it was dragged down the road in Independence County.
The man driving the truck has been arrested for driving while intoxicated and Humane Society officials want him also charged with animal cruelty. (more…)
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MOUNTAIN HOME— Feral hog populations in Arkansas are growing, and wildlife officials are concerned about the damage the animals are doing to wilderness areas.
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Officer Chris Majors said damage by the hogs is evident in all 75 counties in the state. (more…)
BY NOEL E. OMAN
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
The Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute is working to ensure that police officers, sheriff’s deputies and prosecutors are up to speed on the new animal cruelty law.
The institute has been meeting this summer with law enforcement officials and other parties in developing a protocol to prepare and prosecute abuse cases under the new law, thanks to a $250,000 grant from the state through Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, who helped shepherd the bill through the Legislature this year. (more…)
THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Little Rock animal control officers came across some familiar pygmy goats this week that weren’t supposed to be living in the South End neighborhood anymore after their owner lost a court case regarding them last year.
Lisa TwoRivers appeared in Pulaski County Circuit Court in February 2008 and was fined $1 for violating a city ordinance that prohibits keeping any goats within 300 feet of other residences. (more…)
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MOUNTAIN HOME — A woman who failed to show up in February 2006 for sentencing on 20 counts of animal cruelty has been arrested in Vermont, Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery said Sunday.
Tammy Christine Hanson, 42, was arrested Saturday in Sutton, in northeastern Vermont, by Caledonia County Sheriff Michael Bergeron, according to Montgomery. (more…)
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JONESBORO — David and Ty Smith have driven thousands of miles and spent thousands of dollars of their own money transporting dogs from the Jonesboro Animal Control shelter to rescue societies outside of Arkansas.
They have transported nearly 300 dogs in the two years they’ve been affiliated with the department. (more…)
DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF
AND WIRE REPORTS
Federal authorities have arrested about 30 people and seized about 350 dogs in dogfighting raids Wednesday across six states including Arkansas, the Justice Department said.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which cooperated in the investigation, said the target of the raids was believed to be the largest dogfighting operation in U.S. history. (more…)
KRISTIN NETTERSTROM
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Free-roaming cats would have to be sterilized and microchipped to continue their wandering, under an ordinance Little Rock directors are scheduled to vote on Tuesday.
The capital city wants to update various animal laws, increasing the fee for keeping a “dangerous” dog from $100 to $150 and adding a section on how to deal with dangerous cats. (more…)
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Forrest City’s chief animal control officer faces an animal cruelty charge after sheriff’s deputies say he failed to care for dogs in the city’s shelter.
Court affidavits claim Roy Hamilton, 24, failed to care for dogs as far back as January. The complaints claim that Hamilton did not provide food or water for extended lengths of time. (more…)
THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
MOUNTAIN HOME — Two Humane Society workers trapped 91 feral cats in and around an elderly man’s mobile home in Baxter County this week and expect to find several more on the property.
Nearly all of the cats were in such poor physical condition that they had to be euthanized, said Robby Lockeby, shelter manager for the Humane Society of North Central Arkansas. (more…)
BY JOHN LYNCH
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
A pit bull deemed vicious by North Little Rock couldn’t get a reprieve Friday from canine death row despite its owner’s testimony that the dog is like one of her own children.
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Marion Humphrey declined to let Nico out of the city pound until he can rule on whether the 9-year-old dog should be euthanized over a violation of the city’s vicious dog ordinance. Trial is set for April. (more…)
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A new fee for pet owners would help pay for building and operating animal shelters throughout the state, under a bill filed Monday.
The measure by Rep. Clark Hall, D-Marvell, would impose a $3 fee for veterinarian visits for cats and dogs. That money would be placed in a trust fund, under the Arkansas Department of Health, and doled out to cities and counties for their animal shelters. (more…)
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
As America ushers in a new era of federal leadership, many state governments are also getting back to work—and at least one of them is making puppy mill-reform a priority. Last Sunday, the ASPCA joined animal-welfare advocates and Illinois lawmakers in Chicago to announce the arrival of Chloe’s Bill, legislation that will help stamp out the worst puppy mills in the Prairie State.
“Illinois has a unique opportunity to adopt one of the strongest commercial breeding laws in the country,” says Cori Menkin, ASPCA senior director of legislative initiatives. “As commercial breeding increases throughout the United States, particularly in the Midwest, it is reassuring that Illinois is recognizing the need for stronger laws before the prevalence of puppy mills becomes a blight on the state’s reputation.” (more…)
Rescue in the Rock focuses on pets and champions animal rescue in central Arkansas. It's also a resource for owners and rescuers, linking organizations around the state and county. Please feel free to email me
suggestions or news tips. Krisha Williams Turbeville is news editor for ArkansasOnline.
KRISHA WILLIAMS-TURBEVILLE
The Animal Rescue Site offers baking tools with a bite.
Easy to clean, the six-muffin Paw Print Silicone Muffin Pan is available at The Animal Rescue Site for $12.95.
With each Paw Print Silicone Muffin Pan purchased, The Animal Rescue Site will fund 14 bowls of food for animals living in sanctuaries and shelters.
Baking in silicone provides great results, as it provides even temperature for perfect browning and easy release when bending the pan to unmold adorable paw-shaped muffins. Dishwasher, microwave, and freezer safe.
KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
Merry Mistletoe Wishes from the Humane Society of the United States features a curious Greyhound lounging under the mistletoe and just waiting for hugs, kisses, and festive holiday wishes.
Artist Mary Badenhop is well-known for her witty interpretations of our furry friends.
The message inside is: "May your every wish come true this joyous Holiday Season."
Printed on green friendly paper with soy based inks, 12 cards and envelopes come in a box for $12.95.
Personalization is available for an additional fee and a minimum purchase of 8 boxes.
