The Conroe man told police he was taking his morning walk through the neighborhood when the pit bull started barking at him.

"Then I caught him out of the corner of my eye, he was coming out across the yard out into the street," said Vaughn Pardue. "And he kept running up on me so I turned around and faced him and then I seen it was a pit bull and he wasn't leaving."
Pardue lunged at the dog and hollered in an attempt to scare the pit bull.
"Instead of him running, he jumped for my head and so I took a swing with my fist and got him in the head," said Pardue.
But that didn't stop the dog who was biting Pardue's hand as he tried to fight him off.
"He was just all the time chewing and chewing and you know he had done bit me on the hands and arms," Pardue said. "And I knew it was either I had to get him or he was gonna kill me."

Interview with attack victim

The man managed to get his hands around the dog's collar to stop the attack as he yelled for help.
He then dragged the dog to his house and his wife call 911.
When police got there and put the bloody dog in the back of their patrol car, they realized it was dead.
Pardue had minor injuries on his hands and arms.
The dog's tag indicated it came from a house a block away from the victim's, on Arlington Street.

"We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain," co-owner Roy Jackson said. "It was the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for him then it would be time."

Derby winner Barbaro

Roy and Gretchen Jackson were with Barbaro on Monday morning, with the owners making the decision in consultation with chief surgeon Dean Richardson.
It was a series of complications, including laminitis in the left rear hoof and a recent abscess in the right rear hoof, that proved to be too much for the gallant colt, whose breakdown brought an outpouring of support across the country.
"I would say thank you for everything, and all your thoughts and prayers over the last eight months or so," Jackson said to Barbaro's fans.
On May 20, Barbaro was rushed to the New Bolton Center, about 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia in Kennett Square, hours after shattering his right hind leg just a few strides into the Preakness Stakes. The bay colt underwent a five-hour operation that fused two joints, recovering from an injury most horses never survive. Barbaro lived for eight more months, though he never again walked with a normal gait.
The Kentucky Derby winner suffered a significant setback over the weekend, and surgery was required to insert two steel pins in a bone--one of three shattered eight months ago in the Preakness but now healthy--to eliminate all weight bearing on the ailing right rear foot.
The procedure on Saturday was a risky one, because it transfered more weight to the leg while the foot rests on the ground bearing no weight.
The leg was on the mend until the abscess began causing discomfort last week. Until then, the major concern was Barbaro's left rear leg, which developed laminitis in July, and 80 percent of the hoof was removed.
Richardson said Monday morning that Barbaro did not have a good night.

An e-mail campaign and KHOU.com story featured dozens of dogs that were about to be put down because their time at BARC had run out.

Goodhearted Houstonians came to the rescue of all 44 dogs by adopting them or agreeing to foster them until a "forever home" could be found.

The Fortune family fostered a mixed breed dog named Quincy.

"Quincy is a wonderful loving dog," said Tammie Fortune. "He is very well mannered, calm, and great with my kids. I can't believe that this dog was at the shelter for such a long time."

Fortune sent a couple of photos of Quincy including one with her 15-year-old daughter, Kayla.

She said Quincy has since been adopted as have three other BARC dogs the Fortunes fostered.

Thanks again to the Fortunes and everyone else who stepped up to the plate to save these dogs. And please remember that Houston shelters are still full of animals that desperately need homes.

Officials with nonprofit Sea Turtle Incorporated today report seven other turtles didn’t survive last week’s cold snap and were found dead along the surf.

There was no turtle room left over the weekend at South Padre Island’s Sea Turtle site or the University of Texas-Pan American Coastal Studies Lab.

So some of the rescued turtles were taken to a heated warehouse temporarily donated by shrimpers at the Port of Brownsville.

Wildlife officials today transported about 80 turtles to a hatchery in Corpus Christi, which has indoor tanks.

The other recovering reptiles will make the trip later this week.

The turtles will be released into the Laguna Madre once warmer weather returns.

A small crowd had gathered to watch the deer struggling, its hooves repeatedly slipping, near the shore of Lake Thunderbird around 4 p.m. Wednesday.
With the helicopter’s camera rolling, KWTV pilot Mason Dunn used the wind from the rotor to push the deer, initially sending it into a break in the ice where the animal managed to hold onto the ice with its front legs.
Dunn then lowered the helicopter and the wind sent the deer sliding on its belly across the ice until it reached shore and scampered into a nearby wooded area.

Click to watch video

Source: Associated Press

A resident at 27730 South Pellican Road called police for help after noticing the large buck “thrashing about” around 5 p.m., according to Clackamas County spokesman and detective Jim Strovink.

The deer’s large antlers were wrapped up in the rope, which was attached to a tree, and it could not get free on its own.

Officers’ efforts to calm and free the animal were not working and the deer appeared doomed.

But then deputy Jeff Miller decided to use his Tazer as a last resort, hoping to calm the animal down enough so that he and another officer could safely use their own hands to untangle him.

“It worked and they were thrilled,” Strovink said. “His idea of the Tazer did work successfully, and he did not have to resort to destroying the animal.”

Moments later, the buck was back up on its feet and running free into the woods.

Unfortunately, the officers did not snap a photo of the deer but they described him as "majestic."

32-year-old Chad Edward Ellis, of Euless, had pleaded guilty to a charge of animal cruelty. He faced a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

Authorities say the dog was scalded by the hot water before managing to escape. But she was caught and locked in a closet for several days.

Eventually, a friend of Ellis’ found the year-old female black Labrador retriever mix and took her to a Grapevine animal shelter, where she was euthanized.

Source: Associated Press

While I covered these points in my original blog, a few of them are worth reiterating.

1. A Liberty County judge ordered that all of the adult animals seized in the raid be euthanized. This was not the choice of the Houston Humane Society. It's also worth noting that the dogs, while being held on HHS property, were technically the property of Liberty County at all times.

2. The deaths of 27 seized pit bull pups from Parvo, Babesiosis and Ehrlichia was something HHS says it did its best to prevent. HHS tells us it not only enlisted the aid of veterinarians from Texas A & M, but also spent additional money attempting to save the dogs by using experimental treatments, which ultimately were unsuccessful. HHS says the seizure, transportation, shelter and medical care of the animals seized in the case was nearly $130,000....a sum for which it has not, and probably will not be reimbursed.

3. The Houston Humane Society does not adopt out pit bulls for TWO reasons. The first: most animals come to the shelter with no confirmation of their background or history. The second reason involves protecting the animals themselves from people who don't have their best interest at heart. HHS says it would be much easier...and cheaper...for someone with bad intentions to adopt a pit bull from the shelter than to go through a breeder. It's believed that many of the animals would end up back on the street only to be fought.

I hope that clarifies any questions you might have. As always, your thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated. See you next time.

1. Foster a dog.

2. Financially sponsor a dog while it is kenneled off-site.

3. Adopt a dog!

To see pictures of the dogs in question and to get more information about fostering or sponsoring contact Kathy Deffebach at: kdeffebach@sbcglobal.net

Barbaro was being treated aggressively for his discomfort and is in stable condition, according to a statement released Wednesday morning by the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center.

The tissue was removed Tuesday night.

"Things were marching along pretty smoothly until this," Barbaro's co-owner Gretchen Jackson said. "We've been there before with him. He's a horse that wants to live."

The setback comes one week after a new cast was placed on Barbaro's laminitis-stricken left hind foot to help realign a bone.

The cast change could have caused some inflammation, said Dr. Kathleen Anderson, Barbaro's attending vet when the horse was racing and stabled in trainer Michael Matz's barn at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md.

Anderson said Barbaro has proved he was strong enough to overcome his latest medical obstacle.

"We all know most horses don't get this far," she said. "The bottom line with Barbaro is the fractured leg is the one that would have been the end of most horses. He won't be getting to the big green field any time soon, but I don't think this is insurmountable."

It was the first dose of bad news after months of progress that included owners Gretchen and Roy Jackson and New Bolton's chief surgeon Dean Richardson talking about releasing Barbaro from the hospital as soon as the end of the month.
"It's sad that's he's had a setback because he was marching along toward living outside the hospital," Jackson said. "The only thing we care about is that he's not in pain."

Barbaro had become uncomfortable on his left hind foot and a cast was removed after some new separation on the inside portion of his hoof was found.

Barbaro shattered his right hind leg in the Preakness on May 20. In mid-July severe laminitis, a potentially fatal disease caused by uneven weight distribution in the limbs, resulted in 80 percent of Barbaro's left hind hoof being removed.

"I was there yesterday and it was obvious he was not comfortable in that foot,"
Jackson said.

"The easiest and best way to work on Barbaro is when he's laying down. They had to wait until he was laying down and when they removed the cast, they discovered some reason for him feeling pain."

Just over a week ago, Richardson said Barbaro's right hind was getting stronger and should eventually be healthy enough to allow the colt to live a comfortable, happy life.

But he also warned: "Barbaro's left hind foot, which had laminitis, remains a more formidable long-term challenge. The foot must grow much more for him to have a truly successful outcome."

Source: Associated Press

The SPCA is now trying to find permanent or foster homes for the bunnies.

Here's a link to KHOU.com's original story.

An SPCA spokesperson denies reports that the bunnies will be euthanized soon.

They are planning an adoption fair called "Come See Our Buns."

For more information, call Ana Perez, Foster Program Coordinator at the SPCA 713- 869-7722, ext. 121 or Nancy Martin, Foster Coordinator for Bunny Buddies, 832-477-0016.

The airline thinks the black scorpion boarded on a flight in Houston.
It wasn’t what he was expecting on a flight from Chicago to Vermont.

Sullivan, a 46-year-old builder from Stowe, was aboard the United Airlines flight on the second leg of his trip home from San Francisco, where he and his wife Helena had been visiting their sons. He awoke from a nap shortly before landing and noticed something strange.

“My right leg felt like it was asleep, but that was isolated to one spot, and it felt like it was being jabbed with a sharp piece of plastic or something.”

The second sting came after the plane had landed and the Sullivans were waiting for their bags at the luggage carousel. Sullivan rolled up his cuff to investigate, and the scorpion fell out.

“It felt like a shock, a tingly thing. Someone screamed, ‘It’s a scorpion,”’ Sullivan recalled. Another passenger stepped on the two-inch arachnid, and someone suggested Sullivan seek medical help.

He scooped up the scorpion and headed to the hospital in Burlington. His wife stopped at the United counter and was told the plane they were on had flown from Houston to Chicago. The Sullivans surmised the scorpion boarded in Texas.

“The airlines tell you can’t bring water or shampoo on a plane,” Helena Sullivan said. But the scorpion did make it aboard, she said.

United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said the incident “is something that we will investigate and look into. We’re very sorry for what happened. Our customer safety and security is our No. 1 priority.”

Such incidents are not unheard of. An American Airlines flight was delayed for an hour in Toronto on Sunday after a passenger was stung by a scorpion that had made its way on board. Paramedics treated the man when the flight from Miami landed. The delay came when officials searched the aircraft to ensure no other critters had stowed away.

Scorpion stings are rarely fatal, except to babies or older people with health problems, said Dr. Stephen Leffler, director of emergency services at Burlington’s Fletcher Allen Health Care hospital.

“We don’t see many scorpion bites in Vermont,” Leffler said.

For a healthy adult, a scorpion sting can mean numbness or shooting pain extending out from the sting, or flu-like symptoms, which Sullivan said he had the next day.

He said he hadn’t seen the recent movie, “Snakes on a Plane,” starring Samuel L. Jackson.

“I’m pretty selective about what I see,” Sullivan said.

“Maybe I have to see it now.”

Source: Associated Press

The animals in question came from a highly coveted breeding stock and bloodline in dog fighting circles. Authorities tell us the dogs weren't just being shipped around the country -- but around the world. This blood sport is big business generating untold millions of dollars.

The dogs were taken into custody by the Houston Humane Society. After it was determined they couldn't be rehabilitated as pets because of their temperaments, a Liberty County judge ordered that all of the adult dogs be euthanized --an order which HHS confirms has been carried out.

Among the 285 dogs seized, there were also 27 pups under six months of age. The same judge ordered that they be auctioned off. Within a few weeks of arriving at HHS, about a third of the pups broke with parvo. They were treated but continued showing signs of lethargy. Further evaluation by experts from Texas A & M would reveal the pups were dying from fatal blood diseases stemming from parasites, among them dabesiosis, which can be transmitted to humans. Fortunately, no one at HHS contracted the illness. Unfortunately, all of the pups have died.

Given the international scope of the breeding operation, HHS spokesperson Courtney Clark says a massive outbreak may have been avoided by the seizure of the animals, which came at a great cost to HHS: approximately $127,000.

Clark also says the rampant health problems among the animals are testament to the deplorable conditions in which they were raised and the changes in the demeanor of the pups as they grew older, testament to the role for which they were being bred.

"As the pups came of age, they became increasingly violent," says Clark. "It was coming out in them."

Clark says the food aggression was a major problem, and that the maturing animals exhibited a willingness to fight to the death over food. As as result HHS went to great lengths to keep the dogs separated.

"Clearly, these dogs were not bred to have long healthy lives as house pets," says Clark. "They were created to have short, bloody and explosive lives and die violent deaths in the fighting rings because they were expendable."

Sadly, the pit bull is a much maligned breed. But is it an inherently bad breed? Or do bad people simply instill in some of them the aggression that is so widely perceived? Whatever the answer, I have learned one thing in all my years of covering animal issues, and it's this: For every animal control issue there is without question a human element.

Finally, this story ends on a bright...if somewhat bittersweet...note. You see, in addition to the 285 pit bulls seized from the property, there were two other dogs -- one a lab mix, the other a bassett hound/shepherd mix. It is believed they were going to be used as "bait" dogs -- dogs with no fighting instincts thrown into the ring with young pit bulls, allowing the latter to hone their deadly skills. They've been fostered by HHS for the past several months and are free of the diseases that plagued the pit bull bloodline.
As of today, they are up for adoption along with hundreds of other companionless companion animals in search of loving homes.

For more information, log onto houstonhumane.org.

Thanks for your time. I always welcome your suggestions. You'll be hearing from me soon!

Jim Loomis discovered the gator at the bottom of his pool in Hernando County.

He called animal control to come and round up the gator.

Loomis, a Florida Gator fan, thought it was a good sign.

Hours later, his favorite football team shocked the world by beating the Buckeyes in the BCS Championship Game.

Raw video: Gator in pool

The dogs have been at Houston's BARC -- the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care -- for more than the limit of three months.

BARC believes it's inhumane to keep dogs in small cages for months on end. They also needed the space for other adoptable dogs that come in daily.

An e-mail campaign and KHOU.com report last week helped spread the word and by late Sunday 25 of the 30 dogs had either been adopted or fostered.

"Thank you to everyone who has read, forwarded and responded by coming out to BARC to adopt or foster a homeless animal," said Kathy Deffebach, the BARC Foster Coordinator. "You truly have saved lives! Kind of restores your faith in mankind, now doesn't it?

The five dogs remaining are Mojo, Dusty, Toto, Tawny and Ginger.

If you are interested in one of these dogs but can't make it to the shelter by the Monday deadline, please call BARC and let them know. They have agreed to place a hold on such dogs until Friday, January 12.

Last chance BARC dogs

The followed dogs are in temporary foster homes, but still need permanent homes: Stripey, Bella, Molly, Abby, Sweetness, Tex, Luke, Quincy, Moondance, Tiger, Sweetpea, Charlie, Angel and Misty.

"These dogs will require some extra love and attention. Being in a shelter for several months causes many dogs to become distrustful of humans and overprotective of food or toys," said Deffebach. "The basic period of adjustment can be anywhere from six to twelve weeks."

There are dozens of other dogs and cats at BARC that also need homes.

All of the animals have been spayed or neutered and are current on all vaccinations.
The adoption fee is only $55.

If you're not ready to adopt, you could consider fostering a dog or two until a permanent home can be found to prevent them from being euthanized.

BARC is located at 3200 Carr St.. The shelter is open Mon-Fri from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Their phone number is (713) 238-9600.

If you adopted one of the Last Chance dogs, we'd love to hear from you with an update on the dog. Send your story to web@khou.com.

The dogs have been at BARC for more than three months. If they don't get adopted by Monday, January 8, they will be euthanized.

BARC believes it's inhumane to keep dogs in small cages for months on end. They also need the space for other adoptable dogs that come in daily.

Most of the dogs need some extra TLC, socialization and training. Few are housetrained, but most can learn quickly.

All of these animals have been spayed or neutered and are current on all vaccinations.

BARC dogs

The adoption fee is only $55.
If you're not ready to adopt, you could consider fostering a dog or two to prevent them from being euthanized.
BARC is located at 3200 Carr St.
The shelter is open Mon-Fri from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

It was the first time one of the endangered animals was rescued by wildlife officials off the Texas coast, far from the warm waters they usually frequent off Florida and Mexico.
“I would say it was in probably critical condition,” said Allan Strand, field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in South Texas. “It was not difficult to rescue. It was hugging the shoreline.”
Strand said the manatee was clinging to a shallow area warmed to about 75 degrees by outflows from a Citgo oil refinery. The surrounding waters are about 59 degrees, too cold for the creatures that lack insulating blubber beneath the skin.
Citgo spokesman David McCollum said oil-free water was going through the outflow.
“It’s a clean outflow that just happens to be warmer,” McCollum said. “That’s why he found our outflow.”
Strand said the manatee was an underweight adult measuring 9-feet-10 inches and weighing about 600 pounds. He said officials had not yet identified its gender. It was being cared for at the Texas State Aquarium’s Sea Lab.
“It’s doing well in the tank,” he said. “They’re feeding it lettuce and things like that.”
Manatees are typically rare off the Texas coast, but they’ve been seen more frequently in recent years. Since South Texas hasn’t had a prolonged freeze in years, Strand said his department has seen two to four a year off Coastal Bend waters for the past six years.
He said this was the aquarium’s first attempt to rehabilitate a manatee.
Strand said officials hope to eventually transfer the manatee to Florida.

Source: Associated Press

Some 34 pandas were born by artificial insemination in 2006 and 30
survived -- both record numbers for the endangered species, Cao Qingyao,
a spokesman for the State Forestry Administration, was quoted as saying
by the Xinhua News Agency.

The previous record was the 21 baby pandas born in China's zoos and
breeding centers in 2005.

China has been raising pandas through artificial insemination for nearly
50 years, mostly at two research facilities in the southwestern province
of Sichuan.

In 2006, 17 cubs were born at the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and
Research Center and 12 at the Chengdu Research Base, some of which are
seen here.

Click to watch video of panda cubs

The other panda was bred at the zoo in the southwestern city of
Chongqing.

The panda is one of the world's rarest animals, with about 1,590 living
in the wild in China, mostly in Sichuan and the western province of
Shaanxi.

Female pandas become pregnant only once a year and deliver two cubs at
most each time.

Humans understand what you're saying, they take direction and they generally won't bite. But Illinois photographer David Sutton says there are ways of getting a good picture of Fluffy:

First, find a good location, whether in your home or yard. A cluttered background distracts from the subject.

Block out an hour for shooting, but take a break after 15 minutes, which is about as long as animals will cooperate.

Work low to the ground, at the animal's eye level, for a more compelling photo. And get your pet to look directly at the lens.

When you want your dog to look right at the camera, try saying, "Do you want?" Mr. Sutton says that almost every dog that comes to his studio responds to the phrase.

Use natural light. If you do use flash, try to move it to one side so you're not shooting directly at the animal, which results in green saucer eyes.

Take a lot of pictures -- at least a roll of film or 30 to 50 digital shots. "Zero in on the one or two you really love ... and get a really big print made."