Crazy for Critters

Sweet Pet Reunion Story

Power to the chip! Yet another story about how a microchip led to happy ending for a long-lost dog. I wrote the story that's on the Herald's website today. Click here to read it.

NFL Player Suspect in Pit Bull Fighting

There's been a search warrant for nearly a week for Atlanta Falcon Michael Vick's Virginia property, where there's more than probably cause to believe he's been breeding, fighting and killing pit bulls. Why has the warrant been languishing? Because the county attorney ask that it not be executed. Why? Who knows. Ya THINK it could have something to do with Vick being rich and famous? Sickening. Click here for the story.

An offshoot of the scandal: this all seems to be a big joke to some of Vick's NFL pals, one of whom - Clinton Portis - was quoted as saying the dogs are Vick's property and he can do with them as be please. How sensitive. The Redskins, his team, "apologized.'' Right. That's all it takes to make it ok! Click here. Sheesh...

K9 Cop Busted; Charged With Killing His Partner

Nearly a year ago, a high-ranking Miami-Dade K9 officer's dog died during a training exercise. Although the incident report said that Sgt. Allen Cockfield tried to save his dog, anonymous e-mails began circulating almost immediately telling another story: that Cockfield had kicked his 4-year-old German shepherd, Duke, to death in a fit of rage.

He was finally charged today with animal cruelty and killing a police dog. Through his lawyer, he denied the charges. Click here for the story.

I did a lot of reporting on this case last year, much of which didn't make it into the story as you'll see it on the website or in tomorrow's Herald because of limited space, so I'll share some of it here:

  "Miami-Dade Police Department's first two K9s joined the department in 1972 and were assigned to detect explosives at Miami International Airport.
There are now 14: eight Belgian Malinois, four German shepherds, a bloodhound, a Dutch shepherd, and a Belgian Tervuren used for drug, explosives, and human-remains detection, suspect searches, and trailing.

   Duke was one of three dogs that the department requisitioned in late 2005. He cost $8,500 and was delivered on Feb. 25, 2006, by Tony Guzman of Metro-Dade Canine Services in the Redland, a long-time dog vendor to the county and other South Florida departments.

    Duke was trained for ''felony apprehension and would have eventually cross-trained for explosives,'' according to police spokesman Roy Rutland. He was the fourth dog assigned to Cockfield in 21 years.

   The day he died, Duke was training at Range 3, a grassy area at the training bureau. The activies were ''obedience control work,'' according to Rutland. ''No decoy or biting with suits or sleeves'' were being used.

    Tissue samples from the dead dog were sent to a Antech Diagnostics, a laboratory on Long Island.

      Following Duke's death, an anonymous e-mail was sent to various county agencies, animal-welfare organizations and media outlets, alleging that Cockfield had killed his dog and describing in detail what the writer said happened that day.

   ''Duke was on a leash at his partner's side. He barked at a time when his partner, Sgt. Cockfield, did not want him to. He was then strung up by his neck and kicked repeatedly. Duke let out a prolonged yelping cry, shook and went
limp. When put down on the ground he died IMMEDIATELY.''

   Russ Hess is executive director of the USPCA: United States Police Dog Association. The retired chief of the Jackson Township (Ohio) Police Department spent 15 years as a K9 handler.

   ''The only reason to kick a dog is self-preservation, if a dog is attacking the handler,'' said Hess. ''If it's out of control trying to hurt the handler, it's the same as if [the handler] is fighting a person. But as a training method, I don't see that.''

   Hess said that USPCA formed in 1970 because there were no national police K9 training standards, and there still aren't, though many departments use the group's methods and curricula. The State of Florida mandates 400 training hours for all K9 handlers.''

    NOTE to the anonymous e-mailer, if you just happened to be reading this: You must feel vindicated, which is small comfort given the fate of poor Duke. 

I'll keep everyone posted on developments in the case.   
   

More About Kitten Season

I want to share something from my colleague, Sidonie Sawyer, a Travel Section editor, that perfectly illustrates the sad results of failing to spay and neuter. I know I'm preaching to the choir on this blog - who else reads it besides animal freaks? - but on the off chance that someone wanders in who doesn't "get'' the spay/neuter thing, please read carefully.

Sunday, I had to cut umbilical cords. Yes, with an S, as in two cords!

The kittens were born on a quiet sidewalk, almost under a bush, but not quite. The mother probably did her best to take them under cover but those two did not make it. When I found them, they still had the placenta bag attached to their cords.

I took my smallest scissors, the ones I use to cut my bangs, ran them through a match flame, wiped them with witch hazel, and swiftly cut the tiny thread, hoping it would not hurt them.

My heartbeat was fast. Then I wrapped the now single furry balls in towels and fed them some warm water with an eye dropper. I did not think she would, but my neighbor's female cat, who had just given birth herself a day earlier, took the little ones to her nipple, or at least, to be fair, did not kill them on the spot, and the last time I saw them, they were alive and fed!

Please adopt. Please sterilize. Please care!

Kittens Galore

It's that time of year again: Kitten season. Kittens by the thousands are being born on the streets and can come to no good end unless someone adopts them. Here are some beauties:

Meow! We are four adorable rescued baby kittens who need good
homes. We're fabulously sweet, playful, cute and cuddly,
happy, friendly and ready for love! Just eight weeks old,
tested negative for FIV/FeLk, dewormed, shots, spay/neuter
included, healthy. You will adore us! Please take one (or two)
of us home. Jaden is a handsome, shorthair boy with lots of white fur.
His sisters are Crystal (looks like Jaden, but with a cute
pink nose), Rosie (a medium longhair with beautiful eyes) and
Jasmine (medium longhair with gorgeous facial markings).
   Contact Cat Network mom Karen, 305-665-1639. karen90@attglobal.net.

Memorial Day

So, let's take a break from critters for a moment and focus on Memorial Day. I had the honor of contributing to a package of stories about Florida families of the fallen in today's Herald. I interviewed a mom who lost her only child, and an aunt whose life was remade as an activist for active-duty fighters and veterans following her nephew's death in Iraq. Please click here to read these stories, and reflect on what a handful of American families are sacrificing in this time of war. They deserve our respect and support.

Amnesty Reminder

It's almost over: Miami-Dade Animal Services' amnesty for license/vaccination delinquencies. It ends MAY 31.

From Animal Services:

Citations for failure to vaccinate and/or license pet(s) issued prior to December 1, 2005, will be voided in lieu of compliance. If you have a cat or dog over the age of four months, you need to have it vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian. All dogs residing in Miami-Dade County must obtain a license tag, which shall be worn by the dog at all times. 

Animal Services provides rabies shots for $7. A license tag for a spayed/neutered dog is $25.00; $35.00 foror intact dogs. If the owner is on public assistance, the rabies shot and license tag can be purchased for $2.

If you believe Animal Services’ records are inaccurate, you must provide proof of compliance by May 31. After June 1, owners of unlicensed pets will be subject to an immediate civil citation. Citations issued after January 1^st, 2006 will not be considered under the Amnesty Program.

Political Pets

We SHOULD vote for presidential candidates based on their policies, qualifications, abilities, but we all know that some Americans get so hung up in image and spin that all sorts of silly stuff can take priority. Having said that, I do think you can tell something about a person's basic character from his/her relationship to animals.

A couple of stories have appeared lately about the various candidates' pets: who has what. Click here for the rundown (John McCain pretty much lives in a zoo; Rudy Giuliani, Barak Obama, Tom Tancredo, Chris Dodd and Mitt Romney-- petless).

Waging the Pet-Food War in Cyberspace

Interesting piece in today's Herald business section about the impact that grassroots outrage in the blogosphere has had on the tainted pet-food scandal. Click here to read it.

Lawsuit Targets Pet-Food Industry

Warning: there's a substantial cringe factor in some of what you'll read about what ends up in pet food. Click here for the CBS4 report.