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…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DEARBORN, Mich. — Police on Friday found about 150 dead dogs packed in freezers in the basement of a Michigan house littered with feces and trash where more than 110 live dogs, mostly Chihuahuas, were rescued this week. (more…)

McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Alexander James Smith, the newborn baby who was taken from his crib by a family pet, remained in critical condition Wednesday at University of Kentucky Hospital.

Alexander, who was born Friday and arrived home Sunday, has been at the hospital since Monday’s ordeal. (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…)

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

PetSmart Charities is on the scene of a large-scale animal rescue effort in Wisconsin, ensuring hundreds of rescued pets have enough food and supplies.

The animal-rescue effort began yesterday and continued today in Cazenovia, Wis., where more than 350 animals including dogs, horses, fowl, livestock and other small animals were taken from a self-described “animal rescue and sanctuary.” (more…)

MARKETWIRE

PHOENIX, AZ — At about noon today, a PetSmart Charities Emergency Relief Waggin’ trailer, stocked with at least 16 tons of much-needed pet food and supplies, was deployed from the PetSmart Distribution Center in Phoenix, Ariz., to the Santa Barbara Humane Society to assist pets who have been displaced or injured by the Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara County. (more…)

Debbie Ross with her Labrador Moses and Clyde Watson practice a water search Saturday near Mayflower. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/RUSSELL POWELL)

BY EVIN DEMIREL
ARKANSAS DEMIREL-GAZETTE

Atop an antenna, an orange nylon flag waved limply above a white car parked on a gravel road in the Camp Robinson Wildlife Demonstration Area on Saturday.

Around it, swirled wind carrying scents for bloodhounds, German shepherds, Catahoulas and other dogs belonging to Search Dog Alliance of Arkansas members. (more…)