Pets saved from fire-ravaged North Bergen building

NORTH BERGEN -- Firefighters saved about 25 pets (birds, three turtles,three cats) from 9201 Kennedy Blvd., the five-story apartment building went up in flames last night.

Pet owners were relieved to find out that their pets made it out alive.

Christian Pimentel owner of three cats, Abbey, LJ, and Bandit were reunited with his furry friends.

"I was heartbroken about my cats," said Pimentel. "I don't have a home to go to now and I have a 16-month old baby. I hope we can get the help we deserve."

Read More: http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2013/09/firefighters_recover_animals_left_behind_in_blaze.html

Cute Black Bear Walk with Crowd

A cute bear was caught on camera in Gatlinburg, Tenn., walking with the crowds as if the bear belong with the crowd.

Family dog alert parents to abusive baby sitter

A family dog shows its loyalty and protective instincts by alerting the parents about their abusive baby sitter in South Carolina.

On WCSC report, the dog began showing aggressive behavior whenever the baby sitter, Alexis Khan 22 years old, would approach the couple's then 7-month-old son, Finn. Even though the baby sitter has already been employed by the family for five months. The parents, fearing the worst but not wishing to act presumptuously, hid a camera phone between the couch cushions.

Their worst fears were quickly confirmed. Finn's father, Benjamin Jordan, recounted the details to WCSC:
"It started with cussing," Jordan said. "Then you hear slap noises and his crying changes from a distress cry to a pain cry. I just wanted to reach through the audio tape, go back in time and just grab him up."

"To know that five months I had handed my child to a monster, not knowing what was going on in my house for that day," said Jordan.

Khan was arrested several weeks later. Confronted with the audio made by the parents, she reportedly confessed. She was later sentenced to one to three years in prison. She will also have to register as a child abuser and will not be allowed to work with children in the future.

The Jordans told WSCS that their child is doing fine and shows no lingering effects of the abuse. They also gave thanks to their dog.

"Had our dog not alerted us to the trouble, had my wife's instincts not said we need to make something happen, it could have been Finn that was killed by the baby sitter. You never know," he said.

Puppy farm in UK

Hundreds or even thousand of pets are bred in a horrific, disease-ridden, dingy, and cramped enclosure in puppy farms all over UK. Puppy farming in UK is spiraling out of control as unscrupulous breeders wants to cash in selling cute dogs.

UK Parliament have discussed irresponsible dog breeding and puppy farming the pups are usually sold online, pet shops, free newspaper ads, etc right across the UK, but those politicians have not yet acted on it.


UK Government e-petitions only make it to Parliament when 100,000 signatures are collected, please help them reach this goal. Stop puppy Farming!

If you live in the UK you can sign the petition to stop puppy farming here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/49528

Restaurant refuses Iraq War Veteran and service dog; Owner Apologize

James Glaser with his service dog Jack tried to dine in Big I’s Restaurant in Oxford, Massachusetts but was quickly denied entry and was asked to leave. James Glaser is a 41-year-old Air Force veteran he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in November of 2011 when he retired and says that he does not leave his house without Jack by his side.

“I hear, ‘Get that fake service dog out of my restaurant!.’” Big I’s owner, Russell Ireland didn’t consider the canine a true service dog and said, “This is a post-traumatic stress dog. It's to give him emotional support. How much emotional support do you need when you are eating breakfast?”

James grabbed Jack’s paperwork to show the doubting owner that he was indeed a legitimate service dog but was still given a fight.

“I said, ‘I have his certification paperwork right here. He’s not fake, he’s 100% legit.’ He like, ‘I don’t give a [expletive]. I don’t have time for that. Get out of my restaurant.’” So James called the police and Sergeant Anthony Saad with the Oxford PD confirmed the dog’s paperwork and attempted to convince Ireland. While no charges were brought, the Iraq Vet says he will file a complaint with the Americans with Disabilities Act which states that businesses must, “allow someone with PTSD to bring in a service animal that has been trained to calm the person when he or she has an anxiety attack.” James said, “Got 21 distinguished years in the military. After everything we’ve done, we just shouldn’t be treated like that.”

The owner of a Massachusetts diner later apologized for throwing a disabled veteran and his service dog out of his restaurant.

Russell Ireland said to the crowd and to Glaser, "I stand here in front of you embarrassed, ashamed and I just ask for some forgiveness."

After the two hugged it out, Ireland said he now has a better understanding of veterans suffering from PTSD. "I never realized what a mistake I made. The information about post-traumatic stress and the situation of these vets, it needs to be addressed."

michiganpaw.org aim to reconnect lost pets and owners

 

michiganpaw.org is a Michigan animal welfare group now aims to help people find lost pets using their new features on their website.

Their new map feature will help people contact an animal shelter that may have their cat or dog. The map also helps people find the right shelter if they discover a lost pet.


Linda Reider of the Michigan Humane Society says most counties have a single shelter that holds stray animals, but urban areas could have many. Michigan law requires shelters to hold stray animals for four to seven days, depending on whether they have a tag or some other identification.

Pets usually kept indoors are the ones most frequently found without identification.

Big increase in marijuana poisoning in pets

SEATTLE -- After Washington voted to legalize marijuana last year, and veterinarians are now reporting a disturbing increase in pets being accidentally poisoned.

Hempfest has Seattle at the epicenter of pot culture this weekend, but all that marijuana is leading to some unknowing users.

Veterinarian Dr. Cheri Trisheium said she's seen a big jump in dogs getting sick from eating pot.

"They are sort of out of it," she said. "They are kind of bobbing, they are easily startled, their eyes are dilated."

While rarely fatal, marijuana poisoning in pets can be serious.

"In severe cases though, their blood pressure can drop dramatically. They can have all the signs and symptoms of shock," Trisheium said.

Representatives from a pet insurance company called Trupanion say claims from pets ingesting marijuana are up 37 percent this year in Washington.

The average bill for treating an animal is $579, but that can easily climb into the thousands of dollars.

"For an owner who sees their dog absolutely altered and not themselves, it can look like seizures to owners, it can be incredibly alarming," Trisheium said.

Vets say another problem is just getting the owners of sick pets to admit what happened.

"Folks are often like, 'No, no, no, there is no way he could have,' even if your friend smokes or uses edible marijuana. We try to let them know that we don't care, we just want to help them with their pet," Trisheium said.

Trisheium said if you suspect your pet has eaten marijuana, you should get them to a vet as soon as possible to help them recover and rule out any other problems.

More: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Vets-see-large-increase-