Dogs can die in hot cars. And no wonder. When it’s 85 degrees outdoors, and even with the windows open for cross-circulation, the dashboard of a car will heat up to 170 degrees in 15 minutes. Dogs left outside during the day must have shade and plenty of water. In fact, we suggest a children’s wading pool so the dog has the option to walk around or sit inside it to keep cool. Regular swimming pools, though, could be a problem. Read more here.
BUCHAREST, Romania – Thousands of Romanian street dogs have found a friend in Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank.
Swank, who won for her portrayal of a waitress-turned-boxer in “Million Dollar Baby,” visited Bucharest last week and showed a different kind of skill: fighting for animal rights.
Swank, who says travel has been her best education, rarely leaves home without Kai, a devoted Jack Russell stray she rescued in Los Angeles.
In the Romanian capital on Friday, she visited projects set up by the animal welfare foundation Vier Pfoten that encourage interaction between stray dogs and institutionalized people.
Bucharest has 35,000 strays and their fate has sparked a fierce debate here. Some believe they should be put down, others advocate putting the dogs in shelters, while others want strays to be sterilized.
Swank spoke to The Associated Press about her devotion to animals, her belief in sterilization and the ways street dogs can help disadvantaged people.
‘I believe that is so healing to these kids who don’t trust people anymore,” she said. “The unconditional love of an animal is very healing and teaches them about not just unconditional love but about a relationship, about responsibility, about anger management.”
Swank said she is starting a U.S. charity called Hilaroo to bring needy children and animals together. The charity combines her name and that of her late dog, Karoo.
“I’ve seen firsthand how it changes the path of the soul, for the animal and for the child,” she said.
Visiting a retirement home, she talked about one special dog that changed the life of an elderly woman.
“There was a woman didn’t get out of bed, and after a few weeks of the dog coming to visit she’s up walking,” she said. “The dog literally got her out of bed.”
Last week, the 37-year-old actress was in Paris for the Salvatore Ferragamo Cruise Collection 2013 show.
Next month, Swank begins work on “Martha and Mary,” an HBO movie with Brenda Blethyn about two women trying to eradicate malaria. Directed by Phillip Noyce, it will be shot in North Carolina and South Africa.
Before leaving Bucharest, she urged people to neuter unwanted dogs and cats rather than kill them.
“I believe in a `’No-Kill” policy,” she said. “Hopefully (we are) getting to a place where we have “No-Kill” universally and just a more caring attitude in general to all animals.”
Read more here.
This is a very sad news report about a dog that died at the groomers. Aparently, the two year old schnoodle, Nana, was left unattended by the groomer. From there, the story gets even worse. The dog died and the police received mixed reports on how this happened. However, no reports explain the blood that the invesitgator found at the Pet Supplies Plus in Brooklyn, Ohio. (news video below) Police say they expect to charge a local groomer in the hanging death of a family’s pet after it was dropped off for a shampoo and a clip.
BROOKLYN, Ohio — Brooklyn police filed misdemeanor charges of animal neglect against a 20-year-old groomer from the Pet Supplies Plus in Ridge Park Square. Investigators also questioned in their report whether Kalie Balestra of Rocky River was telling the truth about what happened when a dog she was grooming was found dead last Thursday morning.
“We believe she wasn’t truthful,” Police Chief Scott Mielke told Fox 8.
The dog’s owner, Paula Schoch of Cleveland, said she was told by store employees that her 2-year-old Schnoodle, Nana, died last Thursday morning after falling off a groomer’s table with its head in a noose.
“We still can’t grasp it, it’s still very surreal,” said Schoch.
It turns out the explanation Schoch said she was given is not the same story Balestra gave to Brooklyn investigators. A police report said Balestra claimed she put Nana “in the grooming tub in the grooming noose and left her unattended to do a nail trim.” A second employee told police the dog was found unresponsive inside the tub; Balestra told them the 20 pound Schnoodle was lying on its side, a scenario the investigating officer insisted was not possible. Referring to Balestra, he said in his report, “I repeatedly gave her the opportunity to revise that answer but she swore that was how she found her.”
The report also made mention of a significant amount of blood found on the floor that Balestra is accused of cleaning up before police had arrived. Pictures of the dog show its back feet bloodied. An investigating officer said “I saw blood on the floor, under the tub, up the wall next to the tub, on a dehumidifier against the wall across from the tub. On the front of the grooming tub there was wet hair all over the front and scratch marks clearly made from nails. When the grooming noose was extended it reached perfectly over the side of the tub to that spot.”
Fox 8’s Lorrie Taylor went to Balestra’s home to give her an opportunity to explain what happened the day her client died. She did not answer the door.
The 20-year-old groomer is scheduled to make an appearance in court on July 12th. – Her manager refused to answer questions about the incident and Pet Supplies Corporate did not respond to an email.
Meanwhile, the death of Nannie, as her owners called her, has left a void with which the family struggles to cope.
“There’s still a certain silence that only Nannie filled,” said Schoch.
Read more here.
A Bronx woman was reunited with her lost dog Friday after she spotted him on NBC’s TODAY in a segment showing off pets put up for adoption.
“It was a miracle,” said Ruth Torres.
Torres got separated from her beloved Irish Wolfhound, Dusty, three weeks ago, when her brother took the dog. Torres didn’t realize Dusty was actually lost until she saw TODAY Friday morning.
That’s when animal advocate Jill Rappaport and Center for Animal Care and Control official Richard Gentles were introducing an Irish Wolfhound in the recurring “Bow to Wow” segment.
read more here.
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