THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ELKMONT, Ala. — An Alabama woman told investigators that “the devil was at work” when she was asked about the 43 dead dogs found in freezers and a kennel at her home.

Authorities believe the animals starved to death at Nan Johnson’s home. Another 29 malnourished dogs found at her home were rescued, and many of them have since been adopted.

Johnson was charged with 43 counts of animal cruelty which could each carry a maximum of six months in jail. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTA — The number of cats and dogs put down at metro Atlanta animal shelters is rising amid sharp budget cuts.

The number of cats and dogs destroyed at animal shelters in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties has jumped 24 percent in the last two years. Those five core metro Atlanta counties killed almost 30,000 cats during that time.

Gwinnett County led the metro area with 7,588 dogs and cats put down in 2009. County officials say almost half of the animals were destroyed because the shelter could not house them. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OCALA, Fla. — Hundreds of dead animals have been found at an Ocala-area home.

An official at the Marion County Animal Center says 348 dead animals, mostly just skeletal remains, were found across the property, as well as in cages, in feed bags and in plastic bags stuffed in the owner’s freezer. Another 375 animals were found alive but malnourished.

The live animals included 151 dogs and 156 birds as well as cattle, tortoises, cats, hamsters, sheep, horses, rabbits and lizards. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEATTLE — A formerly wealthy entrepreneur who spent three years in prison for smuggling cocaine is in trouble with the law again — this time for reportedly running a bestiality farm in Washington state.

Douglas Spink was arrested at his compound near the Canadian border in Whatcom County this week for investigation of violating the terms of his supervised release. Also taken into custody was a 51-year-old tourist from Great Britain, who is accused of having sex with three dogs.

Spink was arrested in 2005 as part of a smuggling ring. He was given a lenient sentence because of his extensive cooperation with investigators. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO — Animal shelters must keep stray animals for four weekdays before putting them to death.

A state appeals court has ruled that shelters can no longer count Saturday as a business day when determining how long to keep an animal. The ruling affects state laws that set different holding times for dogs, cats and other animals.

The ruling was in response to the 2006 case of a Berkeley woman whose dog was impounded in Pinole on a Thursday and relinquished to another person on a Wednesday. The shelter argued that it had held the dog for four business days as required by law–Friday, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — In Ashley Mutch’s view, Almost Heaven was anything but.

As she inspected the huge kennel outside Allentown, the SPCA police officer was hit with an “immensely strong” odor of urine and feces. Mutch said she saw dogs living in their own waste, suffering from matted fur and skin ailments, and lacking access to food and water. Her inspection report described a filthy, neglected compound bursting with 779 animals, primarily dogs but also cats, guinea pigs, horses, ponies, fowl, monkeys and a pig.

The 2008 raid at Almost Heaven Kennel resulted in criminal charges against its owner, Derbe “Skip” Eckhart, who goes on trial Monday on animal cruelty and other counts in a case that state dog-law officials are using to illustrate their get-tough approach to unscrupulous breeders. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BROOKFIELD, Ohio — An Ohio woman who had her 97-year-old mother and 200 animals taken from her filthy home has been prohibited from having pets for five years.

Fifty-nine-year-old Kathy Witzman of Gustavus Township in northeast Ohio’s Trumbull County was put on probation Thursday on her guilty plea to misdemeanor animal cruelty.

She says her pet ban will mean unwanted animals will go to a shelter that will kill them because it lacks room. The animal shelter in her area says it has no intention of doing that. (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

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. (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…)

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…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A large animal triage operation has been set up at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville to treat dozens of dogs, horses and mules.

The animals were found emaciated during two different animal rescues in Tennessee, so the Humane Society of the United States put them together at the fairgrounds, which has plenty of pens, barns and space. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO — About 50 dogs rescued from puppy mills in Missouri should soon be finding loving homes on New York’s Long Island.

The dogs were taken by bus to Chicago, where they were given a rest break and special Thanksgiving meals on Thursday. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MOUNTAIN HOME — A man who was convicted of 20 animal cruelty counts and fled Arkansas before his sentencing has been returned to the state.

The Baxter County Sheriff’s office said William Henry Hanson, 45, was booked in the county jail Friday night. Hanson and his wife, Tammy Hanson, eluded authorities for more than three years after they were convicted in January 2006 of animal cruelty. (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 ASSOCIATED PRESS

SALEM, Ore. — Tammy Thompson lives in a tarp-covered tent on Salem’s fringe, sharing her “little spot in the woods” with three much-loved dogs.

“They’re my children. They’re everything to me,” said Thompson, 44.

That’s why she was grateful for a local program that provides free exams, vaccinations and medications for the pets of homeless people. The aim is to improve public safety and show compassion for homeless people. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Dogs arriving at an animal shelter is usually a sad story. But the mood is more like Christmas morning as staff at the Washington Animal Rescue League wait for the Rescue Waggin’ truck to open its doors.

The people and the animals have never met, but some greet like old friends. A basset shoots out to lick a face. Jodie Martin holds a small black puppy, one of the almost 40 dogs that she and the driver picked up that morning from two shelters in Ohio, and kisses it on the head before she hands it over. (more…)

KRISTINA HANRY
RESCUE IN THE ROCK

Two- and four-legged guests mingled Friday as they were served sangria, salsa and desserts at Stephano’s Fine Art Gallery in Little Rock where the painting for the 2010 Pulaski County Humane Society Planner was unveiled.

The painting by Stephano, who uses only one name, features his dog, Diego, and cat, Frida, both adoptees from the Humane Society. (more…)

McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

DETROIT — When someone shot Jose Cantu’s pit bull in broad daylight, Cantu didn’t call the Pontiac, Mich., cops. He called Pam Porteous and the Animal Care Network.

“I called Pam first because I knew she would come right out and take care of it,” said Cantu, 32, an unemployed construction worker who, like many Pontiac residents, has come to rely on the group for pet needs in the financially troubled city. (more…)

McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Flea control is important for all of our pets. However, if your pet is extremely itchy on the area above his/her tail, the most likely cause is flea allergy.

A single flea bite on a flea-allergic pet will result in several days of intense itching especially around the lower back and rear limbs. For those pets, control is not enough, the fleas must be eradicated. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Animal-welfare groups are accusing the trustees of hotel queen Leona Helmsley’s multibillion-dollar estate of ignoring her wishes that the lion’s share of the money should go to the dogs.

Instead, the animal advocates said Tuesday, the trustees have shown “disdain” for Helmsley’s pet cause by donating only $100,000 to dog welfare. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WAHOO, Neb. — You might say that Debora Wilcox is really going to be in the doghouse.

Not that she’s in trouble.

Quite the contrary. For some time now, the Wahoo resident has been rescuing lost dogs in Saunders County and helping to find them homes. (more…)