THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOSTON — The Massachusetts House has voted overwhelmingly to ban the surgical “debarking” or silencing of dogs or cats.

By a 150-1 vote, the House on Wednesday approved the bill with prohibits the devocalization of dogs and cats unless a licensed veterinarian certifies that the procedure is medically necessary to relieve an illness, disease or injury.

Animal rights groups pushed for the bill, saying the practice amounts to animal cruelty and poses only risks to the pets.

Some dog owners opt for the procedure as a last ditch effort to try to quiet chronically barking dogs.

The bill now heads to the Senate.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana SPCA says a 16-year-old has been booked with aggravated animal cruelty for allegedly kicking a cat to death.

Spokeswoman Katherine LeBlanc said Friday that the youth’s family was staying with a relative who called the SPCA Feb. 3. LeBlanc says the woman told investigators the teen repeatedly kicked her cat Tigger into the air like a ball on Jan. 10, ignoring her attempts to stop him.

She took Tigger to a veterinarian Jan. 13. After two weeks of outpatient treatment, the cat died during surgery Jan. 27. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. CLAIR, Mo. — Nearly 125 animals living in filthy conditions have been rescued from an eastern Missouri property.

The Humane Society of Missouri said Thursday it and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department rescued 102 domestic rabbits, three dogs, five cats, a guinea pig, three baby goats, four hens, two roosters, two pigeons, and two ducks.

It said the rabbits were housed in feces-filled, wire-bottom cages without shelter. The dogs and fowl had no shelter or water. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — The vote to ban the sale of dogs and cats in this famously liberal enclave will likely have more bark than bite, since no pet stores in the city currently sell animals.

But officials hope that Tuesday’s unanimous city council vote will be seen beyond West Hollywood as a symbolic stand against puppy mills and kitten factories.

“You have to start somewhere,” said Michael Haibach, deputy to Councilman Jeffrey Prang, who sponsored the legislation. “The more people who jump on the bandwagon the better.” (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Driving a truck packed with dog food, bowls, squeaky toys and ready-to-assemble doghouses, among other items, Kate Quigley recently went in search of dogs suffering from abuse or neglect.

“All right,” she says, “Let’s go save some dogs.”

Quigley — known widely as “the dog lady” and “Miss Kate” — works six days a week, driving into high-poverty neighborhoods to look for animal abuse and neglect. Knocking on doors, talking to owners, leaving supplies. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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. (more…)

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. (more…)

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. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LINCOLN, Neb. — Police say a 22-year-old Lincoln man has been accused of running a cat through the spin cycle of a washing machine.

Officer Katie Flood says police were called to a Lincoln home on Sunday by the roommate of Richard Andersen. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia — Eight circus tigers and a lioness died during a 20-hour journey in an enclosed and heated truck across Siberia, and Russian police are investigating whether they might have been suffocated by exhaust fumes or sickened with food poisoning.

The animals were dead when they arrived early Tuesday in the city of Yakutsk, where they had been due to perform in holiday shows, police spokesman Nikolai Sizykh said. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CENTRAL ISLIP, New York — A judge ordered a New York woman held on $100,000 bail Friday after prosecutors cited evidence that some of the 42 dead animals buried in her yard had been tortured, with duct tape around their mouths or signs that they had drowned.

Sharon McDonough, 43, had been free without bail after her November arrest on misdemeanor charges, but she was taken away in handcuffs after her appearance Friday in Suffolk County Court.

McDonough faces “the likelihood of a felony indictment,” said John Cortes, assistant district attorney. Authorities initially found 20 dogs buried behind her Selden home in early November; a subsequent search Dec. 8 uncovered another 22 dead animals. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — A woman will undergo a psychiatric evaluation following the discovery of more than 40 dead animals buried in her Long Island yard.

Suffolk County Judge Paul Hensley said Monday that psychiatrists will determine whether Sharon McDonough is “an incapacitated person.” The results are due Friday.

McDonough pleaded not guilty last month to animal abuse after five dogs and a cat were found living in squalid conditions inside her Selden home. Authorities later uncovered 42 dead animals buried in her backyard, but have yet to upgrade charges. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTA — A Grayson woman has been charged with arson and cruelty to animals after she allegedly set fire to a home she was renting and her two cats were killed.

The fire occurred at 27-year-old Sarah Sheridan’s Snellville home on Oct. 6. Gwinnett County Fire spokesman Tommy Rutledge said investigators found an accelerant inside the home where Sheridan was living alone. (more…)

KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
RESCUE IN THE ROCK

How did I end up loving a dog? I don’t quite understand it. I’m a cat person, such a cat person…I appreciate their independence and beauty, their intelligence and their uncanny ability to be both kept and free.

I have always liked dogs, found them sweet and good but was put off by their blind obedience and hyperactivity. (more…)

KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
RESCUE IN THE ROCK

Feline Rescue and Rehome collected more than $1,000 Saturday night at The Afterthought, which featured the mellow, rockin’ stylings of Brenda and Ellis.

Alex, head library cat at the Arkansas School for the Blind and unofficial FURR mascot, greeted guests and passersby in his faux fur-lined green hoodie.

“He’s definitely attracted some people,” said Alex’s owner and FURR board member Susan Loesch. “He’s a little grumpy getting the jacket on, but once it’s on, he’s content.” (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ROANOKE, Va. — Workers at a Roanoke pet store joined firefighters in safely evacuating puppies, cats and other pets after a back room fire filled the store with dense smoke.

Workers told The Roanoke Times they didn’t think twice about rescuing the animals when smoke began filling a PetSmart store Saturday afternoon. Roanoke fire spokeswoman Tiffany Bradbury says no injuries were reported as some 80 puppies, cats, gerbils and other animals were safely plucked from the Valley View Mall. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LINCOLN, Neb. — A Lincoln teenager has been ordered to serve probation until he turns 19 for helping torture and kill a cat.

Seventeen-year-old Jacob Weichel received his punishment Friday. He’s also banned from having a weapon or owning pets during his probation period and must complete 50 hours of community service. (more…)

PITTSBURGH POST- GAZETTE

They may be kept with the best of intentions, but exotic pets can create havoc at home and in nature.

Sometimes they turn on their owners, as happened to Kelly Ann Walz, 37, of Saylorsburg, Pa., who was mauled to death Oct. 4 by a 350-pound black bear while cleaning its cage.

Walz reportedly had thrown a shovelful of dog food to one side of the cage to distract the bear while she cleaned the other side, instead of putting the animal into a separate area. (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…)

KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
RESCUE IN THE ROCK

Most shelters in central Arkansas do not offer black cats for adoption during October, fearing the animals will be used as Halloween props or injured in pranks or rituals.

“There are bad people out there,” said Jacksonville Animal Shelter Kennel Manager Kerrie Henderson. The shelter doesn’t allow adoptions of black cats in October. (more…)