On Airlines Our Pets Are Not Baggage : Please sign Petitions : Pets For Life

United Airlines: Have Pet Safe Program policies changed to protect the animal and owner.

Petition byMichele Gonzalez-Helm oceanside, NY:-

OUR PETS ARE NOT BAGGAGE. The airline lobby may be huge, but the American pet owners “lobby” is worth 45 billion dollars a year and we demand change. We can make change if we stand together with our family members who cannot stand up for themselves.

THE CHANGE WE WANT: Fully disclose the number of total animal deaths that occur to the Department of Transportation, not just pets.

The airlines to be held liable for wrongful deaths of our pets as living creatures and not as “baggage.” An independent third-party, not the airline, be in charge of the autopsy and the investigation into cause of a pets death.

Links covering this story:

1. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/candi-randy/2012/10/22/united-kills-beloved-pet
2. http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/second-dog-death-prompts-concerns-about-safety-pets-planes-6169027
3. http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2012/09/second-dog-dies-on-united-airlines-flight/
4. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/flying-deadly-skies-florida-man-140-pound-mastiff-bam-bam-died-cross-country-united-flight-article-1.1169505
5. http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21008631253197/#.UGPkxKMh7sA.facebook

Please sign:–https://www.change.org/petitions/united-airlines-have-petsafe-program-policies-changed-to-protect-the-animal-and-owner?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=41908&alert_id=DhTFxZXnUN_nWLJjPEJWn

Pets For Life; Created by Bob Stark

Nationwide ground transportation for your four-legged loved ones, reducing the number of animals mishandled (and worse!) by airline personnel.

Hi.  We’re Pets For Life, a ground transportation company on a mission.  We are a group of four people from Springfield, Missouri.  We have performed many long distance trips transporting pets all over the lower 48 States to rave reviews!  The funds raised will be used for two transport vehicles and related equipment necessary for the safe and comfortable movement of animals to their forever homes.

With combined commercial experience totalling over 200,000 accident and incident-free miles, we are confident in our unique ability to safely move your pets over great distances.  We are passionate about the well-being of these animals as though they were our own.  We are in constant contact with both the senders and receivers of these precious passengers, updating them as to our progress while en route, and advising them of any unforeseen delays.  We also abide by any special instructions as they relate to the handling of and caring for our clients’ pets.

Your contributions will help us to achieve our goal of saving as many of these animals as possible, from mistreatment and neglect (and MUCH worse !), while in the hands of airline baggage handlers and others.

What we need & what you get.

Our goal is to raise $96,300.  Funds will be used for two transport vehicles, and specially designed safety gear for the protection and safety of our animals.  Items such as transport kennels in three sizes allowing the pets to stand up, turn completely around, stretch and recline while on the move.  Additionally, these kennels will be held in place inside the vehicles with the use of “e-rails” anchored to the interior walls of the vehicles with ratchet straps connecting to and securing the kennels in place.  And of course, food, water and frequent potty stops will be provided for additional comfort and well-being of our four-legged passengers.  Our primary mission is to provide loving and caring handling of our clients’ pets while in transit.

In exchange for your contributions, we are offering unique items for your pets, ranging from monogrammed retractable leashes and stainless steel food and water bowls, up to whole doghouse warmers !  For our strongest contributors, we want to say “Thank You” in a very special way by providing free transportation* !

Here is a link that discusses some of the many perils of transporting your pet by air.  If you cannot click the link, be sure to copy and paste it to your browser.  It’s informative !

https://www.msu.edu/~silvar/airplane.htm

We understand that not all of our readers are able to contribute at this time.  That doesn’t mean you can’t be a part of our campaign team!  If you share our compassion for pets of all breeds, tell everyone you know about what we’re trying to accomplish with this mission!  Be sure to use Indiegogo’s Share Tools to spread the word.  We want everybody to take notice of what our mission represents in the form of animal cruelty and neglect.  We can, after all, only provide safe transportation to a small fraction of the over 500,000 pets that are transported by air each year.

While providing safe rides for a small percentage of travelling animals, we hope that by doing so, we, along with all of our contributors and other vocal advocates, we can create a much larger ‘voice’….  one that says, “We are appalled by the treatment of pets by their airline handlers, and we seek to do something about it !”

Link:-http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/pets-for-life–2

Rescuers Stop Traffic To Save Stray Dog

Rescuers Stop Traffic to Save Stray Dog | Life With Dogs.

Rescuers risked their life in heavy traffic last Sunday night to save the life of a stray German shepherd.

Chris Jenkins of Bandade Animal Rescue was one of the people that spotted the German shepherd on a busy toll road in Houston, Texas. Jenkins got some help from a Good Samaritan that stopped to help her corral the dog, stop traffic and bring the dog to safety.

Once is the safety of Jenkins car Jenkins realized that the dog had a badly infected hind leg. Once taken to the veterinarian the leg would have to be amputated due to the severe infection. The dog has been named Mills and is doing well after her surgery. She is estimated to be two-years-old and once she is fully recovered and spayed she will be ready for adoption.

For more information on Bandade Animal Rescue and how you can donate to help with the cost of treating Mills visit their website.

News Link:–http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2013/06/rescuers-stop-traffic-to-save-stray-dog/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LifeWithDogs+%28Life+With+Dogs%29

Feds Bring First Case Under New ‘Animal Crush’ Video Law

A Houston man and woman were indicted Wednesday for producing “animal crush” videos, the first federal case brought under the Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act of 2010, which was passed after the Supreme Court ruled that a previous version of the law violated the First Amendment.

The U.S. attorney in southern Texas charged Ashley Nicole Richards, 22, and Brent Justice, 51, who are already facing state animal cruelty charges, with producing eight videos that allegedly involve the torture and killing of puppies, chickens and kittens, according a release from the federal prosecutor’s office. Richards and Justice face five counts of animal crush charges and two obscenity charges.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office of Southern Texas confirmed the Houston case is the first in the nation brought under the revised law.

In April 2010, the Supreme Court decided 8-1 in U.S. v. Stevens to strike down Section 48 of Title 18 of U.S. Code as unconstitutional.

The code, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the opinion of the court, penalized “anyone who knowingly ‘creates, sells, or possesses a depiction of animal cruelty,’ if done ‘for commercial gain’ in interstate or foreign commerce.”

That case involved a man who sold videos of dogfighting and of dogs attacking other animals. He challenged his indictment on the grounds that Section 48 violated the First Amendment.

Though the government argued the code was necessary for cases of “animal crush” and animal fighting videos, the court held “a law may be invalidated as overboard if ‘a substantial number of its applications are unconstitutional.’” The court, therefore, did not discuss whether animal crush videos were a special case that could warrant an exception to the First Amendment.

“We … need not and do not decide whether a statute limited to crush videos or other depictions of extreme animal cruelty would be constitutional,” Roberts wrote for the court.

The court invalidated the law altogether as overboard, prompting Congress in September of that year to pass the Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act of 2010, which specifically prohibited animal crush videos and defined them as “any photograph, motion picture, film, video or digital recording, or electronic image that:

(1) depicts actual conduct in which one or more living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians is intentionally crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled, or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury;

(2) is obscene.

The “and obscene” provision would be key if the statute were challenged anew, said First Amendment expert and University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone.

“[Congress] passed this very complicated law that does not add anything to the scope of what is criminal,” Stone told POLITICO. “So as long as we stipulate that the material has to be obscene to be prosecuted under the statute, then why don’t you just prosecute you under the obscenity statute?”

The reference to obscenity also appears to limit the statute’s application in several ways, including limiting it to videos that are sexual in nature.

Stone believes that if the case were to be brought to the highest court, the question at issue would be whether there is a legitimate reason to distinguish this type of obscenity from others.

With free speech restrictions, the government cannot constitutionally pick and choose what type of speech to restrict based solely on its content, as established in the hate speech case R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul.

Stone compares the animal crush statute to a law creating higher penalties for purveyors of homosexual obscenity as opposed to non-homosexual obscenity – the government in both cases would need to show why the distinction serves a societal necessity.

Stone said in defence of the law, as in the comparable issue of child pornography, sometimes the government punishes selling depictions of something cruel to take away the incentive for individuals to commit the cruelty in order to profit off of it.

The animal crush statute carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison; the obscenity statute carries up to five.

News Link:-http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2012/11/feds-bring-first-case-under-new-animal-crush-video-150700.html?hp=r2

Second Dog Dies On United Airlines Flight

For the second time in just a few months a dog has died on a United Airlines flight.

Michael Jarboe was travelling from Miami to San Francisco with his two-year-old Neopolitan Mastiff Bam Bam. Jarboe says Bam Bam was in perfect health before the flight, but when he landed he was informed by United Airlines staff that Bam Bam had passed away during travel.

Jarboe & Bam Bam

United Airlines paid for an autopsy of Bam Bam, which found the cause of death to be a heart attack. The company maintains the death was not transit-related. Jarboe questioned several employees who informed him that Bam Bam was not in an air-conditioned room during the 2 hour layover the flight had in Houston. Jarboe had paid $650 for the transport of Bam Bam, which he had been led to believe included temperature control.

Jarboe saw Bam Bam on the tarmac in Houston.  ”It was right under the wing. We were right there, had a direct shot, he was so hot. His tongue was hanging down.” Jarboe had never seen Bam Bam look that hot.

The airline stated, “Given the size of Bam Bam and the fact that he is a brachycephalic, meaning short nosed breed, we made the decision to bring him to our holding facility for greater comfort during his connection.” They stated their holding facilities are USDA animal-welfare approved. The airline refunded Jarboe the $650 for transporting Bam Bam and offered him additional compensation, but Jarboe refuses to accept the compensation.

Supermodel Maggie Rizer lost her golden retriever Beatrice on a United Airlines flight from New York to San Francisco only 2 months ago. Rizer had her own veterinarian perform an autopsy on Beatrice, revealing the cause of death to be heatstroke. United Airlines stands firm in that case that they kept the dog in a temperature-controlled environment for the entirety of the journey as well.

Video & News Link:–http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2012/09/second-dog-dies-on-united-airlines-flight/ 

Houston pair charged with torturing, killing puppy – For Money

 

“OMG…These POS don’t deserve to breathe the same air as animals let alone humans. Sick & perverted pure evil scum, I hope everyone remembers their faces & what they did & don’t give them a minutes peace, once released from jail, where they better be for a very long time. While their in Jail I hope they come across lots of inmates who really love animals & hate animal abusers!!!”

Watch the Video at the link below

Ashley Nicole Richards, 22, and Brent Wayne Justice used a meat cleaver to slash a puppy’s neck, cut off its tail and slice its leg, according to court records. The pit bull pup died.

Charges were also filed against Richards this week in a 2010 animal abuse case. She allegedly killed a cat by slitting its throat and stomping its eye with her shoe heel.

The gruesome deaths were reportedly videotaped and posted online to make money, according to prosecutors. Sources say there were also gruesome videos of other puppies, kittens, mice, rabbits and other animals.

KHOU 11 News Reporter Jeff McShan found two open cans of cat food on the suspects’ property. One was in the driveway, and the other was on the side of the house. A window was propped open and it appeared it was used to lure animals inside.

Investigators said the videos are called crush videos. Crush videos show an animal being tortured, often crushed, to satisfy the viewer’s sexual appetite.

Police said Richards would sometimes perform the killings live and said Justice was the one that shot the videos and provided a knife to kill at least one of the animals.

The Houston Police Department said it has been briefed on crush videos in the past, but this is the first time, in recent history, that they’ve uncovered a case like this in Houston.

Richards was being held on a bond of $40,000 for the two animal cruelty cases. The bond for Justice was set at $20,000. “Why so bloody low?? These bastards should not be walking the streets let alone have access to a house, garage or anywhere they can carry out their sick filth!”

Richards was already in trouble for a Fourth of July riot in Waco. After the annual fireworks display in downtown Waco, a crowd of about 400 people refused to leave and became hostile. They threw large fireworks and rocks at officers, according to KWTX in Waco. The melee lasted about 90 minutes before police used an armored vehicle and tear gas to break up the crowd.

Richards was charged with punching a female cop and resisting arrest.

Video & News Link:-http://www.khou.com/news/crime/Houston-pair-charged-with-torturing-puppy-to-death–166584426.html

 

All who walked away from Kingston played a part in his neglect, says rescuer

“I first saw this story on Face Book & couldn’t share as I didn’t have permission, but now it’s on Examiner’s site, you can read all about it!”

“Reading  about a dog, alone & lost in the world will break your heart & make you cry!. But please, read it, read all the links below, for the sake of Kingston & all the other dogs, people pass by without a second glance.” R.I.P Kingston x

Kingston, sick and starving, abandoned by owners, ignored by neighbors

I apologize for taking so long to post an update,” Jamie Mitschke wrote on her Facebook page. “It has been a long, exhausting day trying to help Kingston and dealing with my other fosters.”

Anyone who has ever rescued even one animal knows the feeling. When you’re responsible for several of them, the exhaustion factor skyrockets, both physically and emotionally.

Yet Mischke diligently went on to describe the disturbing details of her experiences on that brutally hot day in one of Houston’s most impoverished areas.

A volunteer with Love Puppy Breath Rescue, Mischke had devoted her Sunday to join other volunteers from Forgotten Dogs of the 5th Ward Project and Corridor Rescue, Inc. so as to locate and help an abandoned, deathly ill and starved dog who they named “Kingston.”

Mischke’s account not only sheds additional light on the events reported previously here on Animal Policy Examiner; she concludes with a moving plea for more citizen involvement to improve the plight of the world’s many forgotten and desperate animals.

‘They said he looked like a hyena—they were scared of him’

“Kingston was originally seen by a healthcare worker at an apartment complex,” Mischke began. “She fed him yesterday and emailed Kelle Mann Davis [of Forgotten Dogs of the 5th Ward Project]. Kelle posted the pictures to Facebook late last night and I couldn’t get the dog out of my head.

“At 7:00 a.m. today, plans were sealed to go on the search. We arrived at the complex just after 8:00 a.m. and talked to a lot of residents.

“It seemed everyone knew Kingston. They said he looked like a hyena, that we shouldn’t touch him, and that they were scared of him.

“Poor Kingston had been hanging around the dumpsters and sleeping under cars for quite a long time—it’s unclear how long—and no one lifted a finger until the amazing healthcare worker reached out.

“We drove and walked the complex and surrounding streets, always hearing stories of the hyena dog, but it wasn’t until almost five hours later that we found him.

“Kelle and her wonderful husband came upon him walking down the middle of the road, and when the dog tried to make it over to Kelle, he collapsed. I was on the other side of the apartment complex, so Kelle called.

“I got there, and when we lifted him off the street, I was unable to feel any femoral pulses. Poor Kingston was in very bad condition. His mucus membrane color was terrible, his skin obviously horrible, and he was crawling with ants.

‘At least he got one day of love’: Sick, starved dog finally found comfort

“The local area offered little for veterinary care. He would have to be in the car for almost 45 minutes till we reached a vet. We made him as comfortable as we could.

“Yvette sat in the back of the car with him on the way and she said that he was eating and was trying to get up and move. She kept him calm and finally he laid his head in her lap and relaxed. Poor guy.

“Kingston is at the vet now. His blood work wasn’t as bad as we imagined, but it’s not great. He is heart worm positive of course, and has sarcoptic mange. We’ll know more later.”

‘At least he knew one day of love”

Tragically, Kingston did not make it. The illnesses, severe malnutrition, and deadly dehydration that had mounted during untold months or years of neglect combined to create an enemy too fierce for even the expert and devoted care he had finally found.

Mischke, her fellow rescuers, and the many others who followed the dog’s harrowing story only took consolation in knowing that, as DeAnna McGuire Clawson put it, “at least he knew one day of love.”

‘Please don’t turn your back on strays’

“Every single person that saw Kingston and walked away played a part in his neglect,” Mischke wrote, “including the original person who owned him.

“Please, PLEASE…don’t turn your back on strays. That is how they get to this condition.

“We understand that not everyone can take on a stray, but reach out. There ARE people that will help. There are people like us. Find us. We WANT you to find us.”

News Link Read More:-http://www.examiner.com/article/all-who-walked-away-from-kingston-played-a-part-his-neglect-says-rescuer?cid=PROD-redesign-right-next

‘At least he got one day of love’: Sick, starved dog finally found comfort

http://www.examiner.com/article/at-least-he-got-one-day-of-love-starved-ill-dog-finally-found-comfort

Rescuers urge police to investigate case of fatally starved dog Kingston

http://www.examiner.com/article/rescuers-urge-police-to-investigate-case-of-fatally-starved-dog-kingston?cid=PROD-redesign-right-next

Southeast Texas man charged in dog-mauling of pony

“Sickened…a man gets off, yet the poor pony has to be killed due to the actions of this mans dogs?? That’s not right, he should be charged with having dangerous dogs loose, he is the owner of the dogs, so he should pay for the death of the pony! Disgusted, I read a shop lifter was arrested & jailed the other day…which proves some justice system don’t value the life of an animal!”

DAYTON, Texas (AP) — A Southeast Texas man is free on bond after he was charged with animal cruelty in the deadly mauling of a tethered pony by dogs.

Lachain Dever (DEE’-vur) is free on $2,000 bond after his Monday evening arrest at his home outside Dayton, 35 miles northeast of Houston.

Liberty County sheriff’s Capt. Rex Evans says witnesses reported two dogs Dever owned attacked, mauled and gutted the Shetland pony as Dever stood by and watched. Evans says deputies arrived to find the attack continuing. Evans said Dever called off and chained up the dogs only when deputies moved to shoot them.

The dogs were quarantined and the pony euthanized. Jail records list no attorney for Dever, and calls to his home Tuesday went unanswered.

http://www.foxsanantonio.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.tx/3746d195-www.foxsanantonio.com.shtml

After dog dies in his hot car, owner smiles in booking mug

Bill Omer (Galveston PD)

“What a low life scum bag. Glad he thinks it’s funny that his dog died of heat exhaustion…wonder if he will be giving it the thumbs up when the judge sends him to prison…or when people shun him because his stupid face is plastered all over the internet…one can but hope!”

A smiling Houston man — facing cruelty charges after his pet dog died in Galveston on July 4 when he left it in a sweltering vehicle, Galveston Police say — posed shirtless in his booking mug, giving the thumbs-up sign.

Bill Omer, 23, a student, has been charged with cruelty to a non-livestock animal, and was released from custody after posting $15,000 bail, said GPD Lt. Michael Gray.

Omer faces up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine if found guilty of the felony offense.

Officers arrived at the vehicle in the 3100 block of Avenue S about 6:40 p.m. and found Omer holding the lifeless pit bull, Gray said.

The dog apparently died of heat exhaustion from being inside the unattended vehicle for about an hour and half.

Omer was in Galveston to celebrate the Fourth of July, Gray said.

As temperatures hit 91 on the island, the heat inside the vehicle was another story, according to Gray.

“Animals cannot be left in vehicles for any amount of time,” he said. “Cracking the window does not help. It can reach up to 120 degrees in a short amount of time.

“It’s just like leaving a child in the vehicle,” Gray said. “The longer they’re in there, the higher the chance of serious injury or death. A vehicle is an oven in the heat.”

News Link:-http://blog.sfgate.com/hottopics/2012/07/05/after-dog-dies-in-his-hot-car-owner-smiles-in-booking-mug/

Update: Miracle puppy escapes death at Houston SPCA – More need help

Houston, Texas: A tiny puppy wandered up to the wrong Houston ‘home’ the other day. The woman who found the puppy sent an email to local rescuers and then called high kill pit bull killers, the Houston SPCA to pick the puppy up.

Tiny mange puppy escapes death at Houston SPCA Photo credit: BARC

The Houston SPCA is notorious for killing all pit bulls and pit bull puppies like this little one. A Facebook page has been created to help raise awareness and stop the Houston SPCA from murdering all pit bulls.

View slideshow: BARC puppies who did not make it out today

http://www.facebook.com/nonamepittie

For the past two days, Reunion Rescue has been trying to organize a rescue effort to save this little one. When it was reported the Houston SPCA had her, the puppy was thought to have been killed as so many other pit bulls are dying at this facility.

The pit bull who inspired the Facebook page had encountered a similar fate. Reunion Rescue tried to save that stray dog during the 72 hour hold period, but she’d already been slaughtered at the Houston SPCA.

A petition has been created to demand an investigation of this facility and stop the killing of thousands of animals, especially pit bulls who are routinely destroyed.

http://www.change.org/petitions/petition-to-fire-patti-mercer-and-invest…

By a sheer trick of fate, this puppy was taken to BARC. According to the killing facility, they now take all strays to the city facility as law dictates. Although, the American Pit Bull Examiner and is happy to hear the killing facility is now adhering to the law regarding Houston’s stray animals, animal lovers are still concerned about the many that have been killed.

There is a long road ahead until the battle to end the killing at Houston SPCA is over.

Update: The puppy was taken by puller to another rescue group. Reunion Rescue is very happy for this one whose life was saved.

Hopefully the other puppies at BARC will be considered for rescue:

Julyian A#1086703 7 weeks old

http://www.petharbor.com/pet.asp?uaid=HSTN.A1086703

January A#1086705 7 weeks old

http://www.petharbor.com/pet.asp?uaid=HSTN.A1086705

Zoro A#1087540 2 months old

http://www.petharbor.com/pet.asp?uaid=HSTN.A1087540

Stella A#1087541 2 months old

http://www.petharbor.com/pet.asp?uaid=HSTN.A1087541

Gracie A#1087542 2 months old

http://www.petharbor.com/pet.asp?uaid=HSTN.A1087542

Maxine A#1087543 2 months old

http://www.petharbor.com/pet.asp?uaid=HSTN.A1087543

These are just a few of the many puppies who still need rescue. Please think about saving one of these lives. Thank you for your continued support for rescue and for pit bulls.

To adopt or rescue:

BARC Animal Shelter & Adoptions
2700 Evella
Houston, TX 77026

Voice: (713) 229-7300

www.houstontx.gov/barc/index.php

Cindy Marabito of Reunion Rescue writes the American Pit Bull Examiner stories to save lives. Every click on a story donates to the animals.

Reunion Rescue: http://www.reunionrescue.com

News Link:-http://www.examiner.com/article/miracle-puppy-escapes-death-at-houston-spca

Barrio Dogs march on July 4 to raise animal awareness

HOUSTON (KTRK) — A local dog rescue nonprofit and its supporters will march through Houston on July 4 in an effort to raise community awareness about animal overpopulation, mistreatment and neglect.

The “Freedom for All” march begins at 9am Wednesday in Hidalgo Park, located at 7000 Avenue Q. It’s hosted by Barrio Dogs — an organization that seeks to educate, empower and transform Houston’s East End community by raising awareness about proper animal care and the importance of spaying and neutering pets.

Barrio Dogs formed in March 2010 when co-founder Gloria Medina Zenteno returned home to the Greater East End after years away and saw her old neighborhood overrun by homeless and neglected animals. She said she worked with rescue groups but realized that the community needed a solution addressing the root of the problem. With that belief, Barrio Dogs was born.

“I think residents are fed up with the homeless, unwanted and abused dogs they witness daily in certain parts of the East End like Hidalgo Park,” Medina Zenteno said in a release. “Barrio Dogs is desperately trying to spread the word that spay neuter is the only solution to Houston’s animal overpopulation. We want to urge residents to spay and neuter their pets and encourage them to call authorities when they see neglected, abused or chained animals. Our goal is to engage residents and local civic and political leaders in finding a solution to these problems that diminish the quality of life in our community.”

Participants in the Freedom for All march Wednesday morning will gather in the park and walk through the surrounding neighborhood, then meet back at the park for a rally with speakers and information about low-cost spay and neuter alternatives, proper pet care and tips for reporting animal abuse and neglect.

If you plan to attend, organizers are discouraging people from bringing their own pets on the walk for safety reasons because the area is known for stray and roaming dogs.

To see the map route for the march, visit Barrio Dogs on Facebook.

For more information on the event or the organization, go to www.barriodogs.orgor email info@barriodogs.org.

Video & News Link:–http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8711951