These are GREAT dogs.. They have simply been passed over and BARC can only hold them for 90 days. You can help save them by offering your home at as a foster parent, adopting one of them as your own, or spreading the word to others who might be able to do one of the above! We also welcome rescue groups and there is no fee to pull any of these dogs as long as you have a valid 501C-3 on file.

Here are descriptions of the dogs:

1. Iris: A853632 Sweet girl about 2 years old. Hw pos, low level. Gets
along with other dogs, really adores humans, and would rather be inside in
this heat than outside. We are all shocked she hasn't been adopted; lovely,
happy, fun girl.

2. QTpie, A853327 is 1+ years smaller labbie girl and was beautiful-coated
until she came to BARC -- now her skin is dry and she doesn't look as sleek.
i"ll give her fish oil pills. She loves to run and zoom around the pen with
another dog. She is hw+,, low level.

3. Audi, A 853394 is 1-2 years tan labbie/hound girl. hw negative. She
was owned by someone as she was already spayed. She needs more of an energy
outlet than our kennels allow -- nice play partner, great jog and roller
blade partner. BUT most of all -- fabulous frisbee dog!!!!This girl can
leap tall buildings! We are working with her on catching the frisbee --
she'd be part of a serious contending team.

4. Rocket A853773 -- fun dude. hw negative. A big favorite of many of the
volunteers at the shelter...they say chow chow mix but too small...mini
collie/sheltie crossed over with chow chow?

5. Fanny A853175 is the little girl left in Hospital ward for too long.
She is a little wobbly still...we think it's from inactivity but wonder if
whatever put her in there took its course and left her wobbly. very very
sweet - would love to have a best pal to enjoy life with....

6. Tiger A846209 is a 8 month old boy who is an adoption return. he
actually came to barc as a pup in october....but we hate to see them come
back. med/higher energy, plays with everyone, anyone. would also make a
good running partner. The guy loves to play.

7. Moonbeam -A853851 liver and cream colored sheperd mix girl. 1+ years,
hw pos, low level. Fun! Another good play partner who likes humans a great
deal and would really use a good backyard.

8. Darby - A852352 came to barc as a pup, returned to barc as a pup --
first time dog owners, didn't know that a pup would grow. And darby isn't
that big! 9 months maybe. hw neg. brindle....mix of ???? barc has her as
lab mix but she isn't that much lab if any, but her head isn't classic pit,
so ....hound? She is liked by several dog walkers, a fun girl who is
innocent of the bad luck her first adopters gave her. She'd make a nice
family pet. She is much cuter than this photo.

9. Dahlia -- black/wite pit bull mxi, 7 months...young, energetic, needs
direction, nice. plays well with other dogs; would like a human to just
cuddle with. came in as pup so not hw tested..

10. Mercy -- Gorgeous calm 3 year aussie sheperd mix girl. hw pos, low
antigen level. she lays on her kuranda bed until someone comes to walk her,
then she bounces up with joy, happily walks out with the person, then plays
a little and relaxes in the pens. She also does not put up with unruly
behaviors in other dogs; but has been in peaceful coexistence with almost
all. Matronly, appropriately so. Lovely lovely girl who deserves a loving
home as she has plenty of love to give back.

11. Bucky is another adoption return. A tan and black sheperd boy, 1+
years. hw negative. a classic young male sheperd type guy...will play
strong, will be active....will learn commands well, if taught consistently.

12. Georgia -- 3 year tan bloodhound mix that was stuck in the hospital
ward, but has now been moved to the south kennel. A really nice dog, hate
that we don't have a photo to show you but come and meet her!

The next 11 dogs are heartworm positive:

Shalimar: A854427. 1 year, hw pos mom. pups got adopted, now she waits for
her forever home. nice girl, medium energy...calmer.

Cappie: A854407. 1.5 years, hw+, min pin mix girl. Calm, lays on her
kuranda bed, watching world go by.

Nathan: A854716. Beautiful, peaceful, loyal, compliant companion labbie
male. hw+. looking for his best friend and his best friend's family. A joy
to walk on a leash; calm.

Sky: A855636. Shiba inu mix, 1.5 yrs. hw+. the favorite dog of kent
robertson, barc director. kent will waive the adoption fees and buy lunch
for this dog's adopter.

Barney: A855232. 2 year aussie cattle dog boy. hw+. nice guy, loves to
run and play with other dogs, loves humans.

Maggie: A854796. hw+ 2 year small labbie mix girl....maybe 40
pounds..great size...sweet, calm, loving.

Beauty A854866. hw+ yellow labbie girl, 3 years. nice girl, will be
absolutely gorgeous when she gets some food in her...and lovin' on her...

Niz guy: A857006. hw pos, cairn terrier mix...2 years...shave, shampoo,
and this little guy will look like a million bucks.

Ralphy a852946. sheperd mix, 1.5 yrs, very nice dog, loved by many
volunteers. hw+, Volunteer nancy will help pay for hw treatment....

All of these dogs will need some extra TLC and attention after being in the shelter
for so long. Very few of them will be housetrained, but they can learn
quickly! The adoption fee is only $55 (what a deal!) and these dogs have
all be spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped.

If you have never fostered before, please contact us for an application and
more details.

We don't know if we can save them all, but we've got to save some! Please contact any of us for more information. BARC is open this weekend from 12-4 Saturday and Sunday and Mon-Fri from 11:30-5:30. They will be closed to the public on Monday (Memorial Day). BARC is located at 3200 Carr Street, Houston, TX 77026

For more information call:

Kathy Deffebach, BARC Foster Coordinator, 713-412-1693
Julie Keeton, BARC Foster Coordinator, 713-922-4748
Barbara Sands, BARC Volunteer Coordinator, 206-713-4648,

This kitten was saved. Witnesses say that while a man was driving he threw tthree kittens out the window and into heavy traffic.

Two good Samaritans were able to rescue one of them before it was hurt.

One of the other kittens was hit by a car and the third ran away.

If the man being questioned is the one responsible charges will be filed.

But that was just the beginning.

Firefighters from Sugar Land and Missouri City learned there were several pets in the house so they risked their lives to go in and save them.

Most of the animals were hiding because they were so scared.

Firefighters rescued four dogs, three cats and three kittens.

One cat had to be resuscitated.

Other cats and dogs were given oxygen at the scene.

Along with the firefighters, Fort Bend EMS and the Sugar Land Animal Control Office came to the aid of the frightened pets.

A veterinarian and several staff members from Stafford Oaks Animal Clinic were called to the scene to assist in caring for the animals.

The house was damaged but not destroyed.

An ammendment to Texas House Bill 2543 could legalize horse slaughter and open the door for increased amounts of inhumane treatment toward horses. Horse slaughter for the purpose of consumption has been banned in Texas since 1949 and we need your help to keep it that way.

The Bills introduced by the horse slaughter plants to legalize horse slaughter in Texas have gone nowhere. They now realize that they cannot legalize horse slaughter in Texas through normal legislative channels and have reverted to a backup strategy of trying to amend other legitimate legislation as it works it way through the legislative process.

We have learned that one primary target for an amendment to legalize horse slaughter is Texas HB 2543 which is a bill authorizing the continuation and operation of the Texas Animal Health Commission. That bill has passed the House of Representatives and is currently in the Senate.

Some key reasons for opposing horse slaughter:

- No matter what anyone says, horse slaughter and the related transportation of horses to slaughter is extremely cruel and inhumane. Slaughter is not euthanasia, it is slaughter!

- Horse slaughter plants are a drain on the local economy. The two Texas horse slaughter plants are foreign owned and employ less than 130 low-paid, mostly migrant workers. The horse slaughter plants gross millions of dollars each year, but by using accounting loopholes they pay little or no US taxes, sending all their profits to their foreign owners.

- Horse slaughter promotes horse theft, bragging "from the stable to the table in forty-eight hours," as healthy horses are stolen and butchered and their meat is exported within hours. Horse theft in California dropped by over 34% immediately after that state banned horse slaughter and continued to drop steadily by over 80% in 2005.

The Houston SPCA urges you to oppose any amendment to Texas HB 2543 or any other bill that would legalize horse slaughter in Texas.

Please call, fax, or as a last resort, email your state representative immediately and ask him or her to oppose any ammendments to Texas HB 2543 that could legalize horse slaughter! Ask your friends to do the same!

* * * Remember when contacting your state senator, always be respectful and polite. PLEASE ACT TODAY! * * *
* * * Please forward this call to action to any lists you subscribe to that concern the state of Texas * * *

Not sure who represents you? Click here

Changes happen every day in the legislative branch, and we strive to keep you updated on any and all important imformation pertaining to the welfare of animals as it becomes available to us. Thank you for your understanding.

Please visit our Cruelty Investigations & Animal Rescue page for more information about how we are fighting animal abuse in the community, and click here if you would like to make a donation to help strengthen our efforts!

Panda "Jini" gave birth to a female cub on March 26, after 324 days of pregnancy and at the unusually high age of 14, according to CCTV.
Experts at the Wolong Panda Research and Breed Centre in Chengdu City, in China's Sichuan province, said that a 14-year-old panda was just like a human being in their forties, and that it was the longest pregnancy period of pandas they have ever seen.
Normal gestation periods for giant pandas range from between three-and-a-half to five months, according to some experts.
Last year scientists placed Jini with a dozen male pandas for them to mate, but Jini showed no sign of getting pregnant until almost a year later when scientists had lost hope for her.
So far the panda cub is growing healthily.
And the mother is growing accustomed to her new responsibilities, said a nurse at Wolong Centre.
"She was a bit afraid to hold her baby at the beginning because it is her first time as a mother. The way she held the baby was not quite right," he said, but added: "After practicing for some time, she gradually got used to it."

DALLAS -- Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, inserted an amendment into a bill on the duties and regulations of the Texas Animal Health Commission. It said animals tested by the commission would be exempt from the part of the state agriculture code banning the sale of horse meat for human consumption.
Hegar contends allowing horse meat processing in Texas can keep animals from enduring a harsher fate of being abused, neglected or shipped to Mexico.
“We’re really just kind of turning our back on the problem by saying, ‘Well, if they’re not processed here nothing happens to them anymore,’ and that’s not the case,” he said Friday.
The Senate approved the bill in Austin on Wednesday, and it was sent to the House’s agriculture and livestock committee. House members passed a similar bill in the House, but it does not include provisions on horse slaughter.
“That debate will continue throughout the session. We’ve got several weeks left,” Hegar said. “We’ll be able to have that discussion and probably still have it again probably next session and through the interim. Who knows when we’ll have final conclusion on this issue.”
Efforts to continue horse slaughter the United States suffered recent losses in the federal courts and in Congress.
Earlier this year, a federal appeals court effectively shut down two Texas plants that slaughtered horses and exported the meat overseas—Dallas Crown Inc. in Kaufman and Beltex Corp. in Fort Worth. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans overturned a lower court ruling that said a 1949 Texas law banning horse slaughter for the sale of meat for food was invalid.
A third plant run by Cavel International Inc. in DeKalb, Ill., is not affected by the ruling. The three facilities are foreign-owned.
The Texas Animal Health Commission tests thousands of horses for diseases each year. But most of those tested were not headed to the state’s slaughter houses.

To e-mail Senator Glenn Hegar

11News investigates horse slaughter industry

Dropoff locations are: West Loop PetSmart at 5415 West Loop South and BARC at 3200 Carr Street.

They are requesting the following donations:

- Cash to pay for spay & neuter surgery & medications
-Pet store gift certificates to buy food and supplies
-Collapsible wire or plastic carriers
-Towels, sheets, pillowcases
-Dry pet food, canned puppy and kitten food
-Cat litter
-Leashes, collars, metal bowls
-Newspapers in paper bags, slick inserts removed
Additional items listed on FriendsofBarc.org

Stone, a lab mix belonging to Perry and Susan Evans, has a tube near his left eye and stitches in his gums.
There is some contention between the neighbors about which dog stuck his head through the hole in the fence first.

The attack took place at 10 a.m. Monday in the 5600 block of Armstrong Drive.

The incident at the home of Perry and Susan Evans took place two months after Texas City officials — citing Humane Society studies — passed an ordinance barring residents from chaining or tethering their dogs.

Matthew T. Doyle, Texas City mayor, said he feels for the Evanses but is not sure what the city can do for them.

“I agree that vicious dogs are bad and people need to be responsible pet owners, but our jurisdiction doesn’t allow us to patrol people’s backyards,” Doyle said. “We can’t start instructing people how to maintain their fences.”

Mayor Pro Tem Mike Land agreed.

“That ordinance was written for people who basically chain their dogs with no shelter or inadequate food and leave them,” Land said.

The injuries to Stone, a black lab, are primarily to the face and inside of the mouth, Perry Evans said.

Susan Evans said she believes the pit bull was trying to bite her pet’s throat, as evidenced by bite marks on the dog’s collar and tags. She said it was traumatic watching the animal being dragged through the opening in the wooden fence.

“I can’t get the image out of my head,” she said. “All I could do was stand there and watch and listen to what was being done.”

Texas City police and animal control were called to the scene, but no official report was taken, said police Cpl. David Viel.

There was no citation issued to anyone because Stone was in the neighbor’s backyard when authorities arrived, Susan Evans said.

The owners of the property on which the pit bull was staying in the 5520 block of Evelyn Street in West Texas City were not home when a reporter went by for comment this week and did not return repeated telephone calls.

The couple owns two side-by-side houses in that block, according to Galveston County property and phone records. On the front door of one of these houses, animal control officers had posted a notice warning them to put their “brindle pitt and black young dog” back in the yard.

The notice, dated May 9, alleged both dogs were running around the neighborhood and urged the owners to call animal control as quickly as possible.

The space in the fence that Stone was dragged through had been boarded up by Wednesday.

Susan Evans said the pit bull’s strength during the attack was unbelievable.

“I tried with all the strength that I had to force the pit bull away by hitting him on the head with the wooden part of a broom, but it did not hinder him,” she said. “When he finally got our lab’s head completely through the opening, the rest of our dog was dragged through.”

Stone was taken to a veterinarian, and a drainage tube was placed underneath his left eye. That tube comes out this week. The left side of the inside of the dog’s mouth will be in stitches for the next two weeks. There were other minor facial injuries, and the dog was sent home with two bottles of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medicine and eye cream for both eyes.

In all, the Evanses said they owe $350 for medical fees, stitches, shots and examinations. It will cost more money, perhaps another $200, for them to repair their fence.

They said the neighbor has indicated he can’t afford to pay the medical bills and claimed Stone had attacked his pet during the altercation.

Perry Evans said he and his wife aren’t looking to cause their neighbors any trouble; they just want the public to know the importance of being aware of a formerly chained animal.

“We are not angry at anybody; this is strictly about public awareness,” he said.

The Evanses said they are considering pouring concrete along the base of their fence to keep the animal next door out.

Doyle said the family e-mailed him about the incident and he has asked George Fuller, community service director, to look into it. But since the hole was in the fence that separated the two families’ backyards, they, not the authorities, are probably the ones who need to work out the problem, he said.

“It’s impossible for the police officers to know whose fault this is,” the mayor said.

This story is available through KHOU, Ch. 11's partnership with The Galveston County Daily News.

George was playing with the group of children as they returned home from buying sweets at a neighborhood shop in the small North Island town of Manaia last Sunday when the two pit bulls appeared and lunged toward them, Allan Gay said.

George, who was 9 years old, suffered numerous injuries.

"George was brave – he took them on and he's not even a foot high," Gay told The Associated Press. "He jumped in on them, he tried to keep them off."

"If it wasn't for George, those kids would have copped it."

One of the children, Richard Rosewarne, 11, was quoted in the Taranaki Daily News on Wednesday as saying George fought with the pit bulls to keep them off his 4-year-old brother, Darryl.

"George tried to protect us by barking and rushing at them, but they started to bite him – one on the head and the other on the back," Rosewarne said. "We ran off crying and some people saw what was happening and rescued George."

But George was so badly mauled that a veterinarian had to put him down, Gay said.

South Taranaki District Council official Graham Young said the two pit bulls had been impounded, and likely would be put down because of the attack.

In New Zealand, owners of dogs judged to be too aggressive can be required to have them neutered and dogs involved in attacks are destroyed.

A minivan was leaving Wednesday night's Astros game, going south on Hamilton.
Police said the driver came to the stop sign at Capitol, partially stopped and started to turn right but went straight instead, right in front of the bike taxi.
Lisa Bartel could not stop in time and slammed into the side of the van. Her miniature dachshund was with her in a basket on the front of the bike, but it ran away.
She was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in stable condition, and the minivan driver was cited for failure to yield right of way.
Police said Bartel is well-known as the woman with the dachshund around Minute Maid Park, and she is now asking for help in finding her dog, whose name is Selina.
"All the people that come to the baseball games, the basketball games know this dog Selina," Bartel said. "It's the weiner dog, she's 2 years old and she lets kids come up, pull her ears -- I just need to get her home."
If you have seen the dog or know where it may be, e-mail web@khou.com.

The expansion includes cuts and gravy pet food, as well as other products that were not made with the contaminated wheat gluten supplied by ChemNutra Inc., but were manufactured during the period the chemical-laced gluten was used.

The company based its decision on study results that revealed cross-contamination, as well as one report from a customer.

The recall now includes additional pet food products in the United States, Canada and Europe.

It also expands the date ranges of previously recalled products to match the period that melamine-tainted wheat gluten was used in manufacturing plants.

Recall details

More than 100 brands of pet food have been recalled since March 16 because they were contaminated with melamine.

An unknown number of dogs and cats have been sickened or died after eating chemical-laced pet food.