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

PHILADELPHIA — A remorseful Michael Vick wants a second chance and vowed to crusade for animal rights with the Philadelphia Eagles — and knows he won’t be easily forgiven by fans.

“I’ve done some terrible things, I made a horrible mistake. And now I want to be part of the solution and not the problem,” Vick said Friday, referring to his conviction for his role in running a dogfighting ring. (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…)

ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Little Rock residents speaking at a public forum Wednesday night said their neighborhoods are overrun by feral cats and they support efforts to reduce the city’s cat population.

Little Rock’s Animal Advisory Board recently suggested revisions to the city’s animal ordinance that would require outside cats to be sterilized and microchipped. No law prohibits people from letting their cats wander around outdoors. (more…)

A dog and his owner enjoy the festivities at the Humane Society’s Howl-O-Ween Festival on Saturday at the Clinton Library. Click here to view our gallery of this event. (Photo by Focus/BRYAN THORNHILL)

The Clinton Library was overrun with about 75 dogs of all shapes and sizes Saturday as animal lovers brought out their pets for the Humane Society Walk for the Animals at the Howl-O-Ween Festival. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Sammy, a Shetland sheepdog, wouldn’t touch his food, retreating to a corner of the yard and devouring mouthfuls of dirt — behavioral oddities his owner later learned came from a lifetime of abuse as a “stud” in a large puppy mill.

The 10 years of caged confinement Sammy endured would have been illegal under a bill signed late Thursday by Gov. Ed Rendell. The governor, who owns two rescued golden retrievers, and other dog advocates hope the new law will help Pennsylvania shed its reputation as the puppy mill capital of the East. (more…)

Pulaski County Humane Society volunteer Karen Kelley holds a dog rescued last Friday from a suspected puppy mill. The dog’s hair has grown over its eyes so that it’s mostly blind. Groomers this weekend will cut the hair of all the dogs rescued.

KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
RESCUE IN THE ROCK

40 dogs were seized from a shed in Lonsdale on Sept. 26 by the Humane Society of Pulaski County and the Saline County Sheriff’s Department, which cited a Benton woman for animal cruelty. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Factions that opposed previous animal cruelty bills have been working with Attorney General Dustin McDaniel to write a bill that would make torturing animals a felony, McDaniel said Thursday.

McDaniel said the bill is being prepared for the legislative session that begins in January. (more…)

THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Dermott’s animal control officer did not feed or water dogs in the city’s animal shelter for nearly a week, causing three to die and one to eat the carcass of another, the director of the Humane Society of Southeast Arkansas describes in a criminal complaint.

The complaint, signed Tuesday by Humane Society of Southeast Arkansas Director Ruby Burton, accuses Travis Cessor and Dermott Mayor Floyd Gray of animal cruelty by not caring for the dogs from Sept. 3-8. (more…)

KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
RESCUE IN THE ROCK

Buddy the wirehaired terrior made his way from child to child Monday in Letitia Varner’s 5th-grade class at Clinton Elementary School in Sherwood.

“He’s so cute!” said Eyen Ingram as the dog hopped up in his lap. (more…)

Rescuers focus on pets in need in rural parts of state

KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
RESCUE IN THE ROCK

A path carpeted with beer bottles, rusted cans, matted fabric and food containers leads to a maze of cages opening into one another, dead-ending, stretching far into the woods.

It’s easy to get lost here off Merry Road in a remote part of western Pulaski County. Out of the Woods rescuers Cindy Paxton and Lori Sattler, each carrying a dog abandoned and caged for months, use the skull and bones of another dog as a landmark pointing the way out. (more…)

THE WASHINGTON POST

One of the many transitions thrust on freshman going off to college is saying good-bye to the family pet. But, guess what: Although college dorms have traditionally been known as pet-free zones, a handful are now allowing certain animals in selected residence halls to give students a more homey feeling about their living space. (more…)

Michael Johnson and his dog Sam walk down the trolley tracks along St. Charles Ave. in New Orleans on Monday during a lull in Hurricane Gustav. (ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE/Rick McFarland)

KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
RESCUE IN THE ROCK

Shelters in Central Arkansas were busy Monday caring for animals from the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Gustav barreled into Louisiana.

The humane societies of Pulaski and Saline counties and Little Rock Animal Services had taken in dozens of pets temporarily as their owners streamed into Arkansas over the past few days. (more…)

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Katie Popovich recently accompanied her boyfriend to a Chicago animal shelter in search of a dog. When a beagle-border collie mix immediately nuzzled against them, they were smitten.

But the 22-year-olds received a considerably chillier response from the human behind the counter. “It seemed like we were instantly thrown into this category that we were just kids and not responsible,” she said, adding that they are now talking with breeders. (more…)

Anthony Stipelcovich loads up his cats at his home in Arabi, La., on Sunday in preparation for Hurricane Gustav. (AP Photo)

KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
RESCUE IN THE ROCK

Central Arkansas shelters are preparing for animals evacuated from the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Gustav nears landfall in the United States.

“Trucks are picking up animals from people leaving,” said Kay Simpson, executive director of the Pulaski County Humane Society, who is in Shreveport, La., with another volunteer. (more…)

After intense planning and nearly a week, all 927 dogs rescued in what is believed to be the largest puppy mill raid in West Virginia history are ready to begin new lives in loving homes, according to a news release.

The Humane Society of Parkersburg has been granted custody of the animals removed from Whispering Oaks Kennel in Parkersburg, the release said. (more…)

KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
RESCUE IN THE ROCK

The Humane Society of the United States is preparing staff and equipment as Hurricane Gustav approaches the Gulf Coast, according to a news release.

“Our entire animal rescue team has been put on standby to deploy at a moment’s notice if our assistance is needed,” said Scotlund Haisley, senior director of emergency services at for the society. “The Humane Society of the United States has deployed a core team of responders today to begin transporting our specially equipped disaster-response vehicles and rescue boat to the Gulf Coast.” (more…)

ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

WYNNE — Police arrested a 16-year-old Wynne boy Tuesday and charged him with cruelty to animals after he confessed to setting fire to a kitten that later had to be euthanized.

The boy was not named because of his age. He was charged in Cross County juvenile court and was released Tuesday afternoon, Wynne Police Chief Michael Bachand said. (more…)

KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Private and municipal shelters in central Arkansas are being overrun with animals found in rural Pulaski County, stretching resources to the point that shelter officials say they can no longer afford to keep caring for the county’s strays.

“The Pulaski County Humane Society is literally going broke trying to keep up with these animals and doesn’t have room for one more,” said Desiree Bender, the Arkansas state director for the Humane Society of the United States. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Rico the pit bull mix is bursting with adolescent energy when he’s led into a training center by Army Capt. Lawrence Minnis.

But as soon as Minnis reaches for a treat jar, the dog is focused on Minnis’ face, sitting before he’s asked. (more…)

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Penny De Los Santos wanted a dog but traveled too much to care for one full time. So, she opted for the next best thing: a time-share pet.

For two years, Santos shared a mellow female Husky mix with her neighbors, who took the dog for about one week a month. They split veterinary bills and the cost of vaccinations and heartworm pills. The neighbors called the dog Nika. Santos preferred the name Monica. (more…)

KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
RESCUE IN THE ROCK

More than 80 dogs were turned over to the Humane Society of the United States on Monday after the Animal Rescue League disbanded.

The sanctuary owner voluntarily surrendered the dogs, the society said. (more…)