This Week's Good and Bad for Dogs

Thumbs Up For:

Legislator Jon Cooper for proposing a ban on the sale of puppy mill dogs in Suffolk County, New York.
Suffolk Would Ban Puppy Sales at Pet Stores

The Invisible Fence company for its "Project Breathe" campaign, which donates pet oxygen mask kits to fire departments.
Local Firefighters to Get Pet Oxygen kits

The state of Nevada for making first offense "willful or malicious cruelty" to an animal a felony.  (In my own state of Ohio, cruelty is not a felony crime).  I wish Nevada had passed SB 364 to ban horse tripping as well.
Humane Society Says New Laws Mean Nevada Is Now Nicer to Animals


Thumbs Down For: 

Responsible Pet Owners Alliance, American Sporting Dog Alliance, The Lone Star State American Pit Bull Terrier Club, and the Sportsmen's and Animal Owners Voting Alliance: these groups were against  legislation passed in Texas to make the lives of mill dogs less horrible.
Texas Puppy Mill Bill

Tony Ed Bloodsworth, an animal control officer and Mayor of New Brockton, Alabama, Lenwood Herron.  Both were charged with cruelty due to "deplorable" conditions at the New Brockton animal "shelter."
Animal Control Officer Indicted in Animal Cruelty Case

The person who stole a disabled dog's wheelchair in West Roxbury, MA.  (and thumbs up to  HandicappedPets.com who replaced the wheelchair free of charge).
Dog's Wheelchair Stolen

This Week's Ups and Downs

Thumbs Up For

The Beagle Freedom Project, an organization that takes in Beagles who are released from research projects. This week they saved 9 Beagles who had spent their entire lives in a laboratory environment.  The dogs are fostered, and when acclimated to the real world, put up for adoption.
Beagles Rescued from Lab
Beagle Freedom Project

Stephanie Henshaw  from Luv 4 Paws Rescue and firefighters in Kansas City, Kansas.  When the city's Animal Control said they "don't do roofs" in response to two dogs stranded on a roof for 6 days, Henshaw and firefighters stepped in. (A sad update to this article reports that one of the rescued dogs died).
Dogs Rescued from Roof
Firefighters Rescue dogs Stranded on Roof

Mae Frances "June" Mims, a California woman who left $240,000.00 to the Capistrano Animal Rescue Effort, an organization that rescues homeless dogs and cats.
Rescue Receives $240,000 from Estate

Thumbs Down For

Pennsylvania Governor Corbett and his wife for buying two Airedale puppies instead of adopting.  Perhaps he should visit some of his state's puppy mills and animal shelters.
PA Governor Buys Puppies

The state of Oklahoma for allowing dogs to be branded with a hot iron (I don't know if this barbarity is legal in any other states).
Dog Heard Screaming as Owner Brands Him

Missouri state representative Mike Lair for saying (and believing), "Dogs are property. Dogs don't have rights." This apparently is his argument for not supporting the will of Missourians when they voted for curbs on puppy mills in their state.
Groups Vow to Support Anti-Puppy Mill Law

Visit the Gallatin KY County Animal Shelter on Petfinder: Gallatin County Animal Shelter