Euthanasia ban lifted at Robeson County Animal Shelter

Baxter

ST. PAULS — The state’s suspension of the Robeson County Animal Shelter’s euthanasia certification was lifted on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

“We are good to go,” Lori Baxter, the shelter’s manager, told The Robesonian minutes after receiving confirmation from Hal Kinlaw, county attorney, and Bill Smith, Health Department director.

After a delay because of a paperwork problem, a consent agreement was reached and signed by the county and Dr. Lee Hunter, director of the Animal Welfare Section of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The county paid an $1,000 fine and promised that no animal welfare regulations will be breached at the facility during the next year.

The suspension, which took effect on Thursday, halted euthanizations, but Baxter said that no euthanizations were needed during that period, so operations weren’t affected.

Two animal rescue groups picked up nearly 30 dogs from the shelter during the weekend, Baxter said.

“We are having no space issues at this time,” Baxter said.

She said Hunter contacted her early Tuesday and said the consent agreement, signed by the county and the state, was faxed to Kinlaw’s office. 

The state took action against the shelter two weeks ago after a live puppy was found in December among euthanized animals being transported to the county landfill. The dog was sedated but not provided with the lethal injection.

Baxter will now resume her duties as the shelter’s on-site euthanizer. 

“We don’t foresee any more violations,” she said.

Read more: The Robesonian - Euthanasia ban lifted at shelter 

Out Foxed: Man Shot By Fox in Belarus

As someone who has always loved foxes, I am struggling to feel sorry for the subject of this story. A man in Belarus was participating in one of the favorite sports of that country (fox hunting) when the fox shot him.

The man had already shot the fox and decide to finish the fun by bashing the fox’s head in with the butt of his gun. That is when the fox fought back, struggled with the man, and hit the trigger of the gun. The man was hit in the leg and the fox escaped. There is a limit, however, of one Belarussian a season for fox hunters.

We have wonderful red and brown foxes in the woods near my house in McLean, Virginia. I consider a great day when I spot one on a walk with Molly. The thought of bashing in its heads with a rifle butt is unthinkable to me.

On another subject, we have our giant Bears banner flying this week outside of my house in anticipation of the Bears v. Sea Hawks game. We are the only family known in Virginia with an actual Bears garden gnome (who comes in for games). I will be serving Sea Hawk chili and Bloody Marys during the game and frankly thinking of Eric Fatla who would have loved the game. I am expected Eric to do his part in working on divine intervention for God’s team.

Source: Yahoo

Florida Man Acquitted in Shooting of Two Huskies Who Were Harassing Cows

This video was used as evidence in a controversial case in Florida where a judge has ruled that Christopher Comins was justified in shooting two Siberian huskies in a cow pasture who were harassing his cows.

Comins insisted that he was justified in shooting Raley and Hoochie on May 19, 2008 and that they were surrounding the cows and depriving them of water.

Judge Bob LeBlanc agreed. LeBlanc found that he was not cruel in shooting both dogs multiple times and “[t]his was not someone who was torturing an animal.” However, LeBlanc stopped the trial before that issue was allowed to be decided by the jury — a surprising move since this would appear the ultimate fact finding.

Comins insisted that he was only acting to protect “defenseless, baby calves from invading predators that had been there for hours” and that he is ” glad both dogs are doing fine.”

According to this article, Christopher Butler, the dog owner, said he saw Comins shoot Raley and the dog came toward him wounded. “I said, ‘Just stop shooting,’ He (the shooter) turned around and shot the other dog again.”

Many disagreed with the ruling. I am less concerned about the ruling on the merits as I am the decision to end the trial on such a finding of fact. One can certainly dress up the issue as a mixed question of law and fact, but this appears to be the quintessential question for the jury as a finder of fact.

Both dogs amazingly survived, though one lost an eye in the shooting.

SOURCE

http://jonathanturley.org/2011/01/17/florida-man-acquitted-in-shooting-of-two-huskies-who-were-harassing-cows/#more-30608

In Memorial Photo's of our Beloved Pets

Hey readers I have started a new project that I really enjoy doing and its turning average photos into a work of art for you to cherish.It is so hard to lose our beloved pets because they become apart of our every day life .
So I want to offer my talent to you for a low fee of 18.00 and 4.00 for shipping  this includes one 8x10 glossy photo shipped to your home ready to frame. .Im sorry to have gone up a few dollars on the price but due to the cost of shipping and printing its just a little more  then I figured it would be.
If your photo is not a good quality photo you will only be able to blow it up to a 5x7 print so in this case you will receive 2 5x7

Photos are edited and wings and a halo is added to your pet. I also add loving words that either I wrote or something  you requested.

I also offer Photo to Art 
Transfer your treasured photo to a work of art for only 25.00 for a 8x10 plus shipping
That includes the photo editing with wings and a halo added to your pets photo.


Here are a few In Memory photos I have done this week Ill post the original print and show you before and after. 

This project is helping animals and

I am donating half my profit to helping homeless pets in my area 

If you are interested in getting one of these In Memory Photos 

email me at justiceforbabyboy@yahoo.com

Thank you 

Join Us at 

"Rainbow Bridge "In Memory of our beloved Animals and pets"

The Photo Says it All

ITALY turtle doves falling from the sky!!!

Cop Shoots Family Dog! Family Sues Cop!

AGAIN: Several hundred birds drop from sky in Kentucky

Reports today say the same thing is  

happening in Sweden

Dead birds fall from sky in central Sweden

A county veterinarian has speculated that the dead birds that fell from the sky in central Sweden on Tuesday may have been frightened byfireworks, then run over by a car after landing on the road in the dark.

Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, residents found 50 to 100 jackdaws on a street in Falköping southeast of Skövde. The incident echoed a number of unexplained incidents earlier this week across the southern US.

County veterinarian Robert ter Horst believes that the birds may have been literally scared to death by fireworks set off on Tuesday night.

"We have received information from local residents last night. Our main theory is that the birds were scared away because of the fireworks and landed on the road, but couldn't fly away from the stress and were hit by a car," he explained to The Local on Wednesday.

He added that they likely had difficulty orienting themselves in the dark and although they have received one report involving a car collision with the birds, ter Horst believes they may have been hit by more.

"We will continue to look at whether there are other theories, but then we have to do an autopsy on the birds. The birds just now are in a car on the way to a laboratory in Uppsala. We don't know exactly what happened yet, but we will continue the investigation," he added.

ter Horst noted that he has also received some reports about pigeons, but the incident has happened too quickly to assume that it is related to the untimely demise of the jackdaws.

The site where the birds were found has been blocked for a veterinary inspection of the birds.

"We do not know what the cause is," said Tomas Ahlgren, officer in command at the Skövde police.

Emergency services have cordoned off an area around the site so that the birds can be examined by the county veterinarian. According to Sveriges RadioSkaraborg, these are between 50 and 100 dead birds.

"We will work quietly and methodically," ter Horst said earlier on Wednesday.

Anders Wirdheim of the Swedish Ornithological Society (Sveriges ornitologiska förening, SOF) believes the jackdaws likely were frightened in the middle of the night, then flew around in the dark and collided with various objects.

"Jackdaws spend the night in trees in large flocks. If they are frightened, hundreds of birds could take flight at once," he said.

Wirdheim noted that the affected bird species in the US are also those who spend the night in large flocks. He added that the birds' situation may have aggravated because they are weakened.

"This winter has been unusually tough and jackdaws may be in poor condition. That makes it easier for them to fly into different objects. There is very little food in the wild compared with previous years and I see dying birds every day," he said.

Olov Andersson, the director of communications at the National Veterinary Institute (Statens veterinärmedicinska anstalt, SVA) in Uppsala, said the samples will arrive in several hours by delivery service depending on the weather.

He added that he hopes the animals are not crushed by car wheels or injured by cats and dogs. The animal carcasses will be examined anatomically. Bacterial and viral samples will be taken, as well as tests for avian flu.

"We may have results late on Friday or early next week," he said.

On New Year's Eve, an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 blackbirds tumbled from the sky on an Arkansas town shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve.

Separately, 500 birds plummeted to the ground 580 kilometres away in Louisianaon Monday and a Kentucky woman reported finding dozens of dead birds in her yard.

Speculation on the causes of the US bird deaths has ranged from fireworks, the weather, noxious fumes or a "sonic boom."

In addition, up to 100,000 dead and dying drum fish have washed up in the Arkansas River and tens of thousands of dead fish have been found in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Will Tony the Tiger die this year due to Greed??

Headlines read 

Grosse Tete truck stop can continue live tiger exhibit, state agency says

Wildlife and Fisheries issues permit for the last privately owned big and exotic cat in the state

Despite a strong push from animal-rights activists, the state has granted a truck stop owner a permit allowing him to continue exhibiting a live tiger as a roadside attraction at his Grosse Tete business.

The permit issued by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries allows Tiger Truck Stop to keep Tony, a 10-year-old Siberian-Bengal tiger, on display throughout 2011.

Tony is the last privately owned big and exotic cat in the state, Wildlife and Fisheries press secretary Bo Boehringer said Thursday.

The permit was required after a 2006 legislative action gave regulatory authority over private ownership of potentially dangerous animals to Wildlife and Fisheries, Boehringer said.

The legislation prohibited private ownership of big cats, but allowed people who already owned the animals before 2006 to be “grandfathered” as long as they went through a permit process to keep their animals, state officials have said.

There were four privately owned tigers living in the state when the Legislature acted in 2006, Boehringer said.

The owners of three of those tigers opted to have the cats moved to Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio, he said.

Tiger Truck Stop owner Michael Sandlin opted to keep Tony at his business and go through the permitting process, Boehringer said.

Sandlin had until this month to provide the state with proof of liability insurance, a written plan detailing emergency steps to take in case the tiger escapes and a health certificate from a licensed veterinarian, Wildlife and Fisheries records show.

Agency officials last made an unannounced visit to check on the tiger’s welfare on Dec. 9, Boehringer said.

The agency will continue the surprise visits throughout 2011 to ensure the tiger is healthy and has adequate food and water, he said.

The issuing of the permit comes about a month after animal-rights activists began ramping up efforts to have the tiger removed from the truck stop and placed in a sanctuary specializing in caring for big cats.

Throughout November, activists have been posting messages on blogs, calling on the public to petition the state not to renew the permit.

 On Nov. 12, animal-rights activists sparred with Sandlin over Tony’s captivity on the CNN news program “Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell.”

The next day, activists posted a picture on Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Facebook page. The picture shows the tiger displayed on a video board in Times Square in New York City with the caption: “Tiger Truck Stop Continues to Fuel Public Outrage.”

Nine days later, the Animal Legal Defense Fund started an online petition to keep the permit from being renewed.

On Dec. 2, Mary Haik, an advocate for the tiger, made an impassioned plea to Wildlife and Fisheries commissioners asking them, to no avail, to intervene in the matter.

The tiger also gained some notoriety this summer when internationally known animal-rights activist Anthony Marr paid the tiger a visit during his six-month “Compassion for Animals Road Expedition.”

Standing outside the tiger’s cage, Marr called Tony’s captivity “shameful,” adding that it is a “blight on the face of Louisiana.”

Sandlin, the truck stop owner, could not be reached by phone for comment Thursday, but has said in the past that Tony is well cared for, healthy and happy.

Sandlin has also said he will consider placing Tony in an animal sanctuary as the tiger ages.

“This is the only home Tony has ever known,” Sandlin has said.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Personal  Note "Looking back the last 2 years

I personally read Tonys story the fall of 2008 and felt so compelled to try and do something for Tony thats when I made a group called Set Tony the Tiger Free on Face Book then I contacted one of my myspace friends Anthony Marr and told him about this beautiful Tiger that was a road side attraction.I made the group to try and bring attention to all my facebook friends,It worked and in that short time we had over 3,000 members. Im sad to say that the group got deleted and there was a lot of arguments between I and another activist about the group and who was in charge. Over the last two years there has been many advocates fighting to get this poor tiger sent to a sanctuary and it saddens me so that people can not look past money and think of the poor animal. All I was trying to do was Raise Awareness thats what I do.

I read a few months back that Bengal Tigers could go extinct in as little as 13 years if something is not drastically done this is a shame and man kind is to blame.Tony will forever be in my heart and I pray that the man that has caused Tony so much pain and heartache reaps every moment of pain Tony has had to endure all these years. Tony looks very sick these days and in his recent photos you can tell just how much weight he has lost.
                     
                                      (Sandlin you need to come off that fat wallet and feed your tiger)

I want to send out a special thank you to Anthony Marr for going to see about Tony this past summer while on your travel across America road tour and everyone else that has reached out and cared enough to sign petitions and post for the cause. Maybe one day if its not to late Tony will be set free .

   Join Tonys support group

               http://www.facebook.com/FreeTonyTheTiger

                                                               

                                                              

School Field Trip Tour of Slaughterhouse Traumatizes Children

OMAHA, Neb. (Newsweak.com Exclusive) — Eighteen grade 5 students of Mavis Beacon Elementary School are undergoing counseling after a school field trip visit to a beef slaughterhouse. The children reportedly were horrified to see how cows were processed into beef. Some of the students vomited, and most cried.

Their teacher, Maxwell Barnes, faces disciplinary action for organizing the school field trip. “I didn’t see anything wrong with it.” Barnes stated. “Earlier this year we had a field trip to a chocolate factory. Kids have a curiosity about where their food comes from. I don’t think there should be anything wrong with showing them where meat comes from.”

The children were escorted through the facility from the loading bay, where cattle enter the building, through to the stunning process where the animals receive a pneumatic bolt to the brain, rendering them brain dead. “Some of the kids started crying then.” said slaughterhouse foreman Dan Smith. “We told them it was all a natural part of how beef is made and ends up in yummy hamburgers, but that didn’t seem to help much.”

The field trip then went awry after the brain dead animals were chained up by their back legs and then cut into to be bled to death. “I saw one little boy throw up.” Smith said. “And then after that there was screaming and running and all these other kids throwing up all over the place. We tried to calm them down but it was out of control by then. These kids were just freaked out, they didn’t even finish the tour.”