A Project of Animal People, Inc., 1992-2013
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2012:
Maryland Court of Appeals establishes new liability rule in pit bull attack cases
ANNAPOLIS–Knowledge that a dog is a pit bull or pit bull cross is sufficient to establish landlord liability if a dog escapes from leased premises, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled on April 26, 2012. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2012:
Political intervention weakens new puppy mill legislation in four states
AUSTIN, HARRISBURG, OKLAHOMA CITY, SPRINGFIELD–Recently passed laws meant to curb puppy mills appear to have been crippled by political intervention in four states.
The Pennsylvania Dog Law Advisory Board on April 25, 2012 met for the first time since Republican Governor Tom Corbett took office in January 2011. Among other duties, the board is charged with enforcing an anti-puppy mill law introduced in 2008 by previous governor Ed Rendell, a Democrat. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2012:
Falling for Eli:
How I lost heart, then gained hope through the love of a singular horse
by Nancy Shulins
DaCapo Lifelong Books (11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142), 2012. 272 pages, paperback. $15.99.
Former Associated Press correspondent Nancy Shulins shares an uplifting memoir in Falling for Eli: How I lost heart, then gained hope through the love of a singular horse. Married to a great guy named Mark, Shulins wanted to start a family, but despite a long series of expensive fertility treatments, medical issues prevented her from becoming pregnant. Seeing friends and family doting on their children saddened her. Shulins even stopped walking her dog Jack in the park to avoid the “fertile Myrtles” women who had recently given birth. Then Mark introduced her to friends nearby who kept horses. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2012:
Goodbye, Friend
by Gary Kowalski
New World Library (14 Pameron Way, Novato, CA 94949), 2012.
176 pages, paperback. $14.00.
Goodbye, Friend enters a crowded market of books written to guide human survivors through grief after the loss of a beloved pet. Unitarian Universalist minister Gary Kowalski came to write about pet loss after receiving a note from a congregant asking him to announce another congregant’s dog’s death. Kowalksi hesitated, wondering how the congregation would accept the news. But the entire congregation appreciated the woman’s loss and provided comfort to her. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2012:
Seen as “normal” in U.S., “bully breed” attacks on wildlife raise concern in U.K.
DENVER, HONOLULU, LONDON–KUSA/Denver television news anchor Kyle Dyer on February 8, 2012 suffered facial injuries requiring 70 stitches from an 85-pound Argentine mastiff named Gladiator Maximus, called Max for short, whom she was petting during a live interview with Lakewood, Colorado firefighter Tyler Sugaski. Sugaski two days earlier rescued Max after he fell through thin ice while chasing a coyote. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2012:
Westminster dog show drops Pedigree over pro-adoption ads
NEW YORK CITY— Mars Petcare U.S., maker of Pedigree brand dog food, lost the 2012 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show television advertising contract to Nestle Purina Pet Care, but won the publicity war after Westminster spokesperson David Frei on February 10, 2012 confirmed to Ben Walker of Associated Press that Pedigree was dropped for airing tear-jerking commercials that promoted shelter adoptions of mutts during the 2011 Westminster show. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2012:
Public may vote on Miami pit bull ordinance
MIAMI, Florida–The Miami-Dade County public safety and health care administration committee on February 14, 2012 recommended to the county commission that voters should be asked on the August 2012 county ballot whether a 23-year-old ban on possession of pit bulls should be repealed. This would apparently be the first time anywhere for a pit bull ban to be put before voters. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2012
WASHINGTON D.C.— Convicted in District of Columbia Superior
Court of misdemeanor attempted cruelty to animals on October 31,
2011, anti-feral cat ornithologist Nico Dauphine was on December 14,
2011 sentenced to do 120 hours of community service, spend a year on
probation, and pay a fine of $100, with 180 days in jail suspended.
Dauphine is prohibited from volunteering or working with cats during
her time on probation. A security camera caught Dauphine allegedly
trying to poison cats on March 2, 2011. Employed at the time by the
National Zoo, Dauphine has authored papers attacking neuter/return
feral cat control which have been distributed and cited by the
American Bird Conservancy and the Wildlife Society. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2012:
The puppy that came for Christmas
by Megan Rix
Plume Books (c/o Penguin USA, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014),
2011. 246 pages, paperback. $14.95.
___________
The title of The puppy that came for Christmas is both
misleading and ungrammatical, implying that the puppy is an
inanimate object. The book is not a Christmas story, though the
puppy arrives at Christmas, and is not a knockoff, either, of Fund
for Animals founder Cleveland Amory’s 1987 best seller The Cat Who
Came for Christmas. Read more