Poetry: Old Dog in a Locket

Old dog in a locket

That lays next to my heart

I will always love you

As I did right from the start.

You were right beside me

Through the darkest of my days

It was your kind and gentle nature

That made me want to stay.

Now I hold you in my arms

Your breath still warm against my hand

Our hearts still beat together

And I wonder if you understand.

Through the hours that I held you

Before the light did leave your soul

I knew a way to keep you

Forever in my hold.

I snipped the hair from around your eyes

So I would always see

The beauty that surrounds me

Even in times of need.

I snipped the hair from around your ears

So I would always hear

Music in the distance

To quiet any fears.

I snipped the hair from across your back

To bring me strength in time of need

And the power of your essence

Would always be with me.

I snipped the hair from around your heart

That beat in time with mine

So I would know that love would find me

At some distant time.

And so, your life slipped out of mine

On a quiet Spring like day

But I knew that a part of you

Was always here to stay.

Old dog in a locket

That lays next to my heart

I will always love you

Even though we had to part.

-Heidi Stamm

Anatomy of a dog raid.

We wanted to share this with you as a 'live' account on a dog raid that took place on October 15th, 2009. Brought to you by CNN as reported by Brooke Baldwin. It's a bit lengthy and we decided not to break it up into two parts as we normally would for articles this size, but TDW felt it would lose momentum if broken up.

LAURENS COUNTY, Georgia (CNN) -- It was 8 a.m. October 15. Our CNN crew had been up for a while, waiting. We still didn't have an address.

My producer, Susan Brown, and I had several questions: What would the living conditions of these dogs be like? What about the man whose door the Sheriff's Office was about to knock on? He was unaware of the raid that was about to occur in his backyard. Despite all of our planning, unknown variables were at play.

First stop was the Sheriff's Office in Laurens County, which is in central Georgia. Starting with information from a tip line, authorities had uncovered clues that led them to believe they needed to intervene and investigate.

The plan was this: The sheriff would drive to the property to execute the search warrant for particular objects generally associated with dogfighting, and for the dogs themselves.

Expressing concerns about the conditions at this private residence where dogs were suspected of being bred for dogfighting, Laurens County Sheriff Bill Harrell said, "If anything is going wrong, we want to get it stopped."

Private investigators with Norred and Associates Inc. will work alongside Harrell and his deputies, leading tactical teams. The teams were made up of veteran investigators donating their time, effort and expertise, along with volunteers of the Dublin-Laurens County Humane Society, who would collect and care for the dogs.

All of the team members had experience with animals, particularly pit bulls. Based on information from the tip line, they were starting the day prepared to find as many as 60 dogs chained up in the woods behind one man's house in East Dublin, Georgia. These men and women waited, braced for battle -- only the war they were waging was on animal cruelty.

"I want to thank everybody for coming. It's for a good thing. It's for the dogs." Chuck Simmons, a private investigator and former police chief, was mapping out the search area on a dry erase board.

He was warning his crew about snakes, water from recent rains and nonsocialized dogs.

After loading up crates on several trucks, everyone headed out. With the address of the raid location in hand, our crew joined a convoy of half a dozen cars down several rural roads to our final location. We arrived at a one-story ranch house with several acres of grounds.

The sheriff beat us there. He and his deputies were already roping off this man's front yard with yellow crime tape. Rollin Monta "Monty" Loyd, the property owner, appeared furious. As the teams moved into the woods behind his home, our crew was stuck in front and across the street.

We could not go on the property to get the shots we wanted, because that would be trespassing. We couldn't see the dogs, but we could hear them. The private investigators, who where part of the raid, videotaped the operation.

Half an hour into the raid, reports began to come in. The good news: The dogs were still there; news of the raid hadn't leaked. The bad news: There weren't 60 dogs, as anticipated; there were more. The final count was 97.

Most of the dogs were pit bull terriers; many were puppies. They were found cowering in cages or chained. Some older dogs were scarred -- possible signs of fighting, investigators said. Others were malnourished, simply skin and bone.

Their conditions were atrocious, according to Terry Wolf of the Dublin-Laurens County Humane Society.

"Their chains are too short to reach shelter, those who have shelter. The water that they have seems to be recent rainwater with algae in it, and I've seen no food bowls. Most of them are very timid," Wolf said. "They seem to be human-friendly, but they're attention starved, and they're definitely not socialized. You can tell they've been living hidden in the woods, out of sight."

Irene Sumner, director of the Dublin-Laurens County Humane Society, talked through tears, overcome before the count had been completed.

She told us about a puppy found dead and tossed aside into a used plastic bag.

"I wouldn't do that to anybody. How can they -- what do you need 80-plus dogs for? There's no reason for it. It would be totally different if it was a kennel situation where they were housed, fed, vetted, all of the above. We don't know all of the information on that yet, but you can visually see that that's not the case here," Sumner said.

The Sheriff's Office says no evidence of dogfighting or training was found on the property, but veterinarians will examine the dogs for any physical signs of fighting. Test results will take several days.

As volunteers continued to count dogs and buzzards circled overhead, property owner Loyd waited out front with members of his family. He was angry.

CNN tried to speak to him, to give him a chance to tell his side of the story.

He didn't want to talk. Instead, he shouted to go see his lawyer. When reached, Loyd's attorney said: "My client has not participated in dogfighting and is not charged with dogfighting."

Loyd was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. Neighbors and family members whom CNN spoke with came to his defense, saying Loyd loved the dogs and they were bred to be pets.

The founder and CEO of the private investigation firm heading up this raid isn't buying it.

Since the story broke about NFL player Michael Vick's dogfighting ring, Greg Norred has been donating his firm's time and expertise and his own money to rescuing dogs.

"I'm an animal lover. I've always been an animal lover. And in the wake of the Michael Vick case, I always thought there might be something I could do about animal cruelty, and with the type of business that I'm in and the resources that I have, it seems like dogfighting is the best vehicle that I can use to do something about animal cruelty."

In the past two years, Norred's team has volunteered for at least 16 raids. They've helped put 20 people behind bars and saved 200 dogs. Make that almost 300 after this most recent raid.

Several hours into the raid, the first group of dogs was transported from the woods to an undisclosed location. A CNN crew was allowed to go but could shoot only from inside this building.

Investigators feared that if there were any identifiable marks outside the property, someone might recognize it and steal the dogs. Authorities couldn't take that chance. But they did allow video of some of the dogs from inside the cages. They had taken many puppies, which looked helpless.

Volunteers feared one puppy wouldn't make it through the night.

The next step for these dogs is to determine which ones are healthy enough to possibly be adopted. Some, sadly, won't share that fate. They'll have to be put down.

If you wish to contact for adoption or make a donation, please use the following contact info:

Dublin-Laurens County Humane Society: The Dublin-Laurens County Humane Society can be contacted at 478-272-5341.

Norred and Associates: Norred & Associates Dog Fighting tip line is 1-877-215-2250. A reward of $5,000 is offered for information.

TAIPEI (Reuters) – A city in central Taiwan is offering shopping vouchers to volunteer dog waste collectors in a bid to clean up a perennial problem caused by the large number of stray animals island-wide.

City officials in Taichung, which has a population of one million, said on Wednesday the environmental protection bureau would give vouchers worth 100 Taiwan dollars ($3) for every kilo of dog poo collected. In areas of the city especially affected, the reward will be for every half-kilo.

“By means of offering rewards, the bureau hopes to goad the public into spontaneous clean-up efforts that protect the environment,” the city council said on its website.

The problem began in the 1980s, when Taiwan saw a boom in pet dogs following economic success, but now residents complain about the canine menace and the government has been fighting the issue for years.

Humor: Funny dog sign

Vick declines to visit former dogs he owned.

Michael Vick was given the chance to visit some of his former dogs who are housed at Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit Bulls, also known as BAD RAP. He was going to be in the Bay Area this weekend when the Philadelphia Eagles are in town to play the Oakland Raiders.

Here are the details from The Associated Press:

“We understand Vick is trying to right his wrongs and is very interested in
redemption, but you can’t find redemption without acknowledging your victims,”
Racer said. “Making amends to the dogs themselves would have helped to create
some closure for many of us, especially those people who worked so hard to keep
them from being destroyed. It seems that Vick is not ready to go there.”

The visit would have taken place at a location where Vick could view the dogs from a distance so that it satisfied the conditions of his parole that bar him from being near animals.

Despite the fact that Vick claims he is trying to ‘right his wrong’ he declined the offer. Maybe he was afraid the dogs would recognize him.

Tips for bug bites and stings.

Dogs most frequently are stung on the mouth or muzzle as they try to catch an insect in flight.

Most stinging arthropods (such as bees, wasps, yellow jackets, and fire ants) inject a toxin that is painful and locally irritating. Some animals will develop a body-wide, or systemic reaction to the toxin. This is the equivalent to a human suffering from an allergic reaction to a bee sting.

Animals that suffer systemic reaction to arthropod stings or bites may develop hives, itching, red skin, vomiting, diarrhea, or swelling of the face. These symptoms can progress to shock, which can be fatal. Also, animals that develop facial swelling also may develop swelling in the throat, which can compromise breathing.

Witch Hazel can cause allergic reactions as well.

If your pet is stung by a bee or other arthropod, stay calm (dogs often react to the demeanor of their caretakers). If a stinger is in place and your pet will tolerate you handling the area, use a fingernail to scrape out the stinger gently. Do not squeeze the stinger or use tweezers, since this may cause additional poison to be injected through the stinger.

Diphenhydramine, also known as Benadryl, is readily available over the counter at drug stores and a child’s portion is pretty accurate a dosing in small dogs. A dose of 0.5 to 1.0 mg per pound of body weight will prevent shock and reduce the likelihood of facial swelling, hives, and other systemic reactions in many dogs. There are also new disolvable strips if you can't get yoru dog to swallow a pill. Never use a combination product that contains pain killers, anti-inflammatory drugs, or decongestants in a pet.

Remember that this sort of home remedy is no substitute for veterinary care. Some animals will suffer side effects from diphenhydramine. For many animals, diphenhydramine alone will not be enough to halt a systemic reaction to an arthropod bite or sting. But if you are in the middle of the wilderness and getting to a vet isn’t an option, diphenhydramine can make a big difference.

Finally, remember that some types of bites and stings are more serious than others. If your pet is bitten by a black widow spider or brown recluse spider, for instance, simple remedies such as diphenhydramine will not suffice to address the situation. Vet care is a must in these cases.

Supreme Court Weighs Free Speech in Dog Fighting Case

WASHINGTON -- On the first Tuesday of October, the second day if its new session, the Supreme Court will take up the case of a dog lover whose bloody pit bull fighting videos have raised questions on whether free speech protects the sale of horrific scenes of animal cruelty.

Robert Stevens, 69, was sentenced by a Pittsburgh jury in 2005 to more than three years in prison for selling the graphic videos of dog fights.

The 1999 law used in Stevens' sentencing "prohibits the knowing creation, sale, or possession of a depiction of a live animal being intentionally maimed, mutilated, tortured, wounded, or killed" for commercial gain. But the law stipulates that the material must also lack "serious religious, political, scientific, educational, journalistic, historical, or artistic value."

The case centers on a basic fundamental question examining the reach of the First Amendment.

Is the law so broad that it also covers some protected speech, thus making it invalid on its face?
A lower appellate court ruled that it was, striking down Stevens' sentence.

Stevens has defended himself against charges of animal cruelty, insisting that he is a dog lover who distributes information about pit bulls to educate the public. Meanwhile, the government defends the decade-old law used to convict Stevens as an effective deterrent to stop animal cruelty, alleging that Stevens is the type of facilitator and profiteer the law is meant to stop.

The case has made some strange allies. The New York Times joined other media organizations and publishing groups to write a brief to the Court supporting Stevens' case. The paper is concerned the animal cruelty law is so broadly written that it "imperils the media's ability" to report on animal issues.

Also supporting Stevens is the National Rifle Association, which has clearly stated that it does not support animal cruelty, but that the group shares the concern of the media organizations, alleging that the law is so broad in scope that it will hamper its right to sell hunting videos.

And the American Civil Liberties Union says that the law "impermissibly criminalizes a vast array of protected expression [and] targets speech based on its viewpoint."

Solicitor General Elena Kagan argues that the law is necessary to combat the commercial incentives someone might have in trying to profit off of activities that are illegal in all 50 states.

Kagan contends the law is narrowly tailored to target people like Stevens who sold material showing bloody dogfights and so-called "crush videos" in which women wearing high heeled shoes step on animals until they are dead. "Such images are far removed from the free trade in ideas that the First Amendment was designed to protect," Kagan wrote.