November 5, 2008


A dog came out of nowhere and stopped a knife-wielding robber from accosting a mother and her young son on Monday afternoon.
(Pet Pulse Illustration by Tim Mattson)





PORT CHARLOTTE , Fla. -- The wandering 65-pound Pit Bull mix might have seemed menacing to some passerby, but one woman will always remember him as her "guardian angel".

The dog, which authorities think is lost and not a stray, successfully thwarted a robbery attack on a mother and her 2-year-old son, who were held at knifepoint Monday afternoon.

The Florida woman, who has been identified by authorities simply as "Angela," was leaving a playground with her toddler son in Port Charlotte when a man approached her in the parking lot with a knife and told her not to make any noise or sudden movements.

Angela didn't have to do either to protect herself and her child -- a dog mysteriously ran to the scene and charged the man, who quickly fled.

"I don't think the dog physically attacked the man, but he went at him and was showing signs of aggression, just baring his teeth and growling and barking. It was clear he was trying to defend this woman," Animal Control Lt. Brian Jones told Pet Pulse.

"I don't know what this man's intentions were, but it is very possible this dog saved her life.
"
The exceptional part of the story, Jones said, is that the dog had never met or even seen the people it quickly jumped to defend.

"You hear about family dogs protecting their owners, but this dog had nothing to do with this woman or her kid," Jones said. "He was like her guardian angel.
"
After the alleged thief ran away, Angela quickly placed her son, Jordan, in the car and tried to drive off. Before she could, though, the dog jumped into her backseat, waiting with her for the police and animal control officers to arrive at the scene.

The dog was transported to a local shelter and if his owners don't step forward within five days, Jones said, Angela and her family plan to adopt the savior she named "Angel.
"
Animal control officers and shelter workers believe Angel is lost, and not a stray, because of his good health, sturdy weight and mild temperament.

"It's funny, that someone's irresponsibility could have saved someone's life," Jones said of Angel's possible owners.

For Angela, it doesn't matter where the dog came from, just that he was there when she needed him most.

"I don't know what his [the thief's] intentions were -- I don't know why he did it, but I'm glad that -- we call him Angel -- I'm glad that Angel showed up because I don't know what would have happened," Angela told NBC2 News.

For a small town with a population of 46,452, animal control officers were kept busy Monday afternoon. Jones says they department also responded to a report about a boa constrictor in a church parking lot.

The snake found its way into a car engine and was able to be removed without being harmed. It took three people to move the massive, seemingly random placed snake.

"It's funny, because we aren't a big place," he said of the Gulf Coast town. "And we can go for four or five months without the media contacting us about a story. It's been a busy week.
"
Officers from the responding county sheriff's office canvased the area and were unable to locate the suspect described as being in his 20s, tall and dark haired.

Tell us what you think about "Stray Dog Saves Woman, Child Held at Knifepoint" below. Share your favorite videos by clicking on the ZootooTV tab. Send us your story ideas by e-mailing us at news@zootoo. com or by calling us at 877-777-4204.

Pet Pulse reporter Amy Lieberman and NBC-2. com contributed to this article

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/cattle_prod_slingshot_are_conf.html

Note: The web page for the trainer is http://www.animalbehavioralresearch.com/

NJ - Cattle prod, slingshot are confiscated from dog trainer at Montclair home

Cattle prod, slingshot are confiscated from dog trainer at Montclair home
by The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk
Wednesday September 17, 2008, 6:11 AM

The New Jersey SPCA raided a home in Montclair two weeks ago and
confiscated a cattle prod and a slingshot allegedly used to train a
small silky terrier, according to a report on Baristanet.

Montclair police chief David Sabagh said the dog was being trained
by a Pennsylvania animal trainer named Jeffrey Loy, who runs the
Center for Animal Behavioral Research, according to the report.
Loy's website uses the slogan "The Bite Stops Here."

Sarah Palin's Parent's Home
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pugmom4/2855744256/

[comments at full story link]

Restaurants in Beijing are continuing to serve dog meat despite an
Olympic ban on the infamous dish.

Officials red-carded the food because they were worried about
upsetting tourists visiting the capital during the Beijing Games.

But Sky News found five Beijing restaurants still serving the dish,
and went along to visit one of them in the north-west of the city.

Da Cheng Jiu Jia, which in English means Big Honest Restaurant,
specialises in dog meat, serving up everything from dog hot pot to
fried dog's penis.

We bought a bowl of poodle, I mean noodle soup, with a generous
handful of poached dog meat scattered over the top, for 60 yuan - £5 -
and a plate of stir-fried dog in chilli sauce for £2.50.
...
The fried dog meat was revolting, and even though the fiery sauce
managed to cover up most of the flavour, neither me nor my Chinese
translator managed more than a mouthful.
...
The owner showed no surprise when we left most of our meal - and in
case you're wondering she didn't offer us a doggy bag.

She told my translator they did not know where the dog had come from,
or what breed it was, but said it was bought from a wholesaler outside
Beijing.

"We buy it in bags," she said." It is a mixture of different types of
dog. Big ones and small ones."

Several restaurants offered dog meat dishes

Animal rights groups have slammed the dog meat trade in China, and
said the Olympic ban was simply a cosmetic move to try to clean up the
city's image for foreign visitors.

Earlier this year, Sky News told how investigation agency Ecostorm
gained access to the industry by posing as businessmen and secured
pictures of dogs being brutally killed with clubs and knives.

The images showed the animals taking up to seven minutes to die before
they are boiled and skinned.

--
full story:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Beijing-Olympics-Dog-Meat-Served-Up-For-Customers-Despite-Ban-For-Duration-Of-Games/Article/200808415084935?lpos=World%2BNews_8&lid=ARTICLE_15084935_Beijing%2BOlympics%253A%2BDog%2BMeat%2BServed%2BUp%2BFor%2BCustomers%2BDespite%2BBan%2BFor%2BDuration%2BOf%2BGames

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