Firefighter gets 90 days for killing pet dogs

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A judge has given a 90-day jail sentence to an Ohio firefighter who prosecutors say killed his dogs to avoid boarding them during a vacation with a girlfriend.

Forty-three-year-old David Santuomo of Columbus pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of animal cruelty and one count of possession of a criminal tool. That charge concerned a plastic bottle that authorities said was used as a rifle silencer.

Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Heather Robinson said Santuomo shot his two mixed-breed dogs Sloopy and Skeeter multiple times on Dec. 3 after tying them to a pipe in his basement. She says he dumped the remains in a trash bin behind his firehouse.

Defense attorney Sam Shamansky called the crime an isolated event “totally out of character” for his client.

Airline for Dogs

Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel are founders of Pet Airways of Delray Beach, Fl. The new airline was inspired by their own cross country trip with their own Jack Russell Terrier, Zoe.

"We really want to make a difference in the care, safety, and comfort of pets.", Binder says. Reservations for pets are booked through the company's online ticketing system.

Introductory, one way flights cost $149 and will be available to five inaugural cities: New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles.

Dogs (and other pets) are dropped off at 'pet lounges' located at regional airports. Attendants keep an eye on your pets, giving them potty breaks just before takeoff. Pets travel in a climate controlled main cabin, not the cargo hold.

Flights are scheduled in the evenings, when there is less turbulence and are more apt to be in a restfull state. Each pet has their own crate and an attendant on board watches them as owners are not allowed to travel on the plane; it's up to you to pick them up at their destination.

Puppy survives toilet flushing.

LONDON — A puppy in Britain had a lucky escape after a four-year-old boy accidentally flushed it down the toilet when he was trying to wash it, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Monday.

The week-old cocker spaniel's young owner, Daniel Blair, thought the puppy needed a wash after it got muddy playing in the garden, so he put it in the toilet and flushed it.

But his plan went disastrously wrong when the animal was swept away and became trapped in a waste pipe for nearly four hours.

Firefighters and animal welfare officers could not reach it, so Daniel's mother eventually called a plumber, who found the dog lying upside down in a pipe about 20 metres away from their house in Northolt, west London.

Plumber Will Craig said he used a long rod to push the puppy to the nearest manhole cover, where it could be fished out to safety.

"I pushed him really slowly and watched the poor thing wriggling around," he said. "Eventually I pushed him far enough for the firemen to grab. Suddenly everyone started cheering. We couldn't believe he was still alive."

The dog -- which has been named Dyno after the plumbing firm which rescued it -- is now safe and well and back with the family.

Daniel has apologised, blaming his twin brother for getting the dog dirty and saying: "I had to give him a wash. I'm so, so sorry. I won't do it again."

Chihuahua's corner cougar

SAGE, CA -- A woman got the surprise of her life when she walked into her garage to see why her dogs were barking. She found a full-grown mountain lion.

Ana Lee Spray, 23, says her three chihuahuas were barking so loudly that it woke her up Saturday morning. She couldn't figure out what was wrong, and got up to check on the dogs. When she saw the animals standing guard at the opening of the garage, Spray investigated further.

She ran into her daughter's bedroom, which has a window that looks into the garage, and quickly got the answer staring back at her.The chihuahuas, which weigh about three pounds each, had cornered the mountain lion. The big cat appeared to be angry and began hissing at her and foaming at the mouth. Spray called 911 and then grabbed her video camera.

The pint-sized puppies refused to back off, and kept barking for about 45 minutes until two Riverside County Sheriff's deputies arrived.

"When they saw the dogs they said `These little things?' When they saw the mountain lion their jaws dropped," Spray said. "They radioed, `This is a full-size mountain lion and it is not happy to see us.' "

Officers with the Department of Fish and Game arrived at Spray's home a short time later and Spray called the dogs off. Spray said the Fish and Game officers shot at the animal three times with a tranquilizer gun. The cat then ran, and the deputies and Fish and Game officers chased it. Spray said she heard another shot, but wasn't sure if came from a tranquilizer gun or firearm. Authorities have not said publicly whether the mountain lion was re-released into the wild or shot and killed.

Experts say the animal was likely looking for food and had its eye on the chihuahuas as a quick snack.

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Dog retrieves live grenade to owners surprise

BERLIN — A dog playing fetch in Germany has found and delivered to its owner a U.S. hand grenade from World War II.

Police in the western town of Erkrath said Monday they were called by the dog's 40-year-old owner who stopped walking her pooch when she recognized the "rusty" object it was carrying was a weapon.

Police summoned a munitions expert Sunday to identify and defuse the grenade.

Grenades and bombs left over from World War II are still often found in Germany.

Sometimes whole streets in neighborhoods are evacuated so that such devices can be safely defused.

Loved Ones Meet Fallen Soldier's Dog

DULLES, Va. (WUSA) -- A fallen soldier's five-month-old dog arrived on American soil Monday afternoon, allowing mourning loved ones to see the puppy princess that kept Major Steven Hutchison so happy in Iraq.

The oldest soldier to be killed during the war in Iraq, Hutchison, age 60, died from injuries sustained by a roadside bomb on May 10.

The incident happened on Mother's Day, as well as the soldier's nephew's birthday.

"From my understanding, he may have been targeted by the insurgents," explains his brother, Richard Hutchison. "His whole team's mission was to secure the border of Iraq and Iran. They were making a lot of changes in the way they do things and apparently it didn't sit well with the insurgents."

The news comes as a bittersweet blow to loved ones who knew his goal was to make a difference.
"I was glad he was over there making that big of a difference that they would want to take him out," says Richard. "At the same time, I lost my brother so it makes no big of a difference why."

The Vietnam Veteran and Army Major left behind a piece of himself in his dog, Laia. The soldier's team found her at the young age of six weeks old. She had a broken back hind leg, which they casted. Hutchison decided to name her after Princess Leia in "Star Wars," his favorite movie. From that moment forward, she had him wrapped around his paw.

"I probably shipped over $300 worth of supplies to him for the dog... dog food, collars, leash bowls, deworming medication, all kinds of stuff," says Richard, who flew in from Phoenix, Ariz., along with his wife Nancy to meet the dog.

"He lived for that dog," says Nancy. "He loved her."

Laia was able to make the safe trip home after a close friend of the fallen soldier's contacted organizers of the SPCA Internationals Operation Baghdad Pups program. It's designed to proved veterinary care, clearance and transports out of the war zone for soldiers companion animals.
Laia will now live in Michigan with a contracting friend who Hutchison knew in Iraq. His family in Arizona plans to visit the dog whenever they can.

"I got an email from one of the soldiers that says when the dog was around my brother was a different person," says Richard. "He always had a smile on his face. He was always happy. He lost his wife three and a half years ago and my brother was struggling with that."

Bulldog save owner from fire.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - A man's decision not to end his terminally ill bulldog's life ended up saving his own.
Scott Seymour said his dog, Brittney, awakened him with her barking early Saturday in time for both of them to escape from his burning house in Grand Rapids.
The fire came two weeks after a veterinarian discovered the 9-year-old American bulldog had several cancerous tumors.

The vet said the dog might not survive surgery, and Seymour ruled out chemotherapy, believing it would be too hard on Brittney.

Seymour said he could have had Brittney put down, but instead decided to give her medication to blunt her pain until death comes naturally, probably within a few weeks.