Bill Whiting’s little dog, Edna, disappeared on Halloween nite, October 31. He was visiting a friend and believes she slipped out the door when trick-or-treaters showed up.
When he notice the very friendly and trusting dog missing he scoured the streets for her calling her name. The next day he put up missing fliers with Edna’s picture, his cell phone number and a promise of a $500 reward for her safe return. He hoped that someone would bring Edna back “either out of the goodness of his heart or desire for the reward.”
Bill was devastated over his missing dog. Edna “was so gentle that Whiting took her to hospitals, where patients cheered up as they petted her. Edna had pointed bunny ears, warm brown eyes and was Whiting’s “constant companion” since he adopted her a decade ago. She had never known anything but kindness from human hands.”
“This is one of the most horrible things that has ever happened to me,” said Bill Whiting and describe how he made sure that Edna always wore her collar. Attached to her collar were her vaccination tags, showing she was a healthy dog, and her name tag with Whiting’s information, showing she was a loved dog. When Edna walked, her tags jingled.
He waited, hoping everyday for some word. On November 10 he got a phone call on his cell phone he will never forget.
He heard two voices that sounded male and young. The first said he was 16, his brother was 9 and they had his dog. He wanted Whiting, 57, who works for the University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, to talk with his brother.
At first, Whiting says he could barely understand the younger boy, speaking in what he described as “American ghetto slang.” Whiting slowly realized the boy wanted $600 to ransom Edna.
“I was to bring cash, by myself,” at midnight to a location Whiting could not decipher.
Whiting agreed to pay the money but not to a midnight meeting. “They said they wanted the money now, and told me they’d kill the dog, repeating, ‘You don’t believe me, Mister, let me hurt it so you can hear.’ “
Whiting heard Edna yelp in pain. When he heard the jingling of her tags, Whiting knew they had his beloved little brown dog.
“I couldn’t believe how evil he was,” says Whiting. “He said, ‘You know, Mister, I want to kill your dog.’ “
Whiting pleaded with them not to hurt Edna, offering to give them even more than $600 if they would keep Edna safe until the morning.
The line went dead.
Bill Whiting immediately called the police and filed a complaint. A few hours later he got another phone call, this time on his home phone, land line, a number that was not on his fliers but was listed on her tags.
“I’ve killed your dog, it’s dead,” he said and hung up.
Whiting then thought to call his cell phone provider, Verison, and get the numbers the torturers were calling from to give the information to the police so they could track them down.
“I made about five calls and kept getting people who were good at passing the hot potato,” Whiting says. He was told police know the procedure.
The police then got a warrant to Verizon for the information and it took 12 days, 12 very long days for Verizon to respond with the requested information and then to top it all they actually sent a bill to the police for the information. A bill for $150!
In most cases, says Verizon spokesman Lee Gierczynski, “the company charges no fee or a nominal one,” but in a “very small percentage of cases, Verizon will charge reimbursement fees for gathering information it does not routinely maintain.”
The fee covers some of Verizon’s costs and it makes no profit, he says. In a wired world, I find both the slow service and the high cost hard to swallow.
A crime has been committed. Another police source tells me the service is no better for other crimes, such as kidnapping, when time is crucial.
In Edna’s case, the detective says, he must now get another search warrant to connect the phone numbers he has to subscribers. He couldn’t say what the charge would be or how long it would take.
More delay and more expense.
Bill listened as his beloved dog was tortured and then was called and told she was dead. Then he has had to deal with BS and red tape which should not have happened.
Whiting will live for a long time, maybe forever, with the pain of hearing his little brown dog tortured. But he doesn’t want Edna to have died in vain. As her legacy, he wants the phone companies to act faster and cheaper. He thinks telecommunications companies should provide free assistance to police “as a public service. It’s not like they have a narrow profit margin.”
I find this unbelievable and unacceptable! Philly police and Bill whiting may have lost their chance for justice for Edna because of foot dragging on the part of Verizon, a company which is well paid to offer a public service. Are other cell phone providers any better? This is not a shot again Verizon but against any company that could needlessly impede a criminal investigation and then profit from it!
Will something like this happen to you when you need it the most. Information denied, a run around and precious time wasted.
The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, of which $3,000 came from an anonymous donor.
If you have any information, please call police at 215-686-3093 or -3094.
Last night I rummaged around in my car for the can of Pounce I keep there after a very sweet cat came to my house and meowed loudly for attention. I rattled the can and called to her and she came running to me. But she wouldn't eat a single Pounce. And who could blame her - they were as hard as pebbles.
I found a can of cat food in the house which she ate and I soon forgot about the Pounce.
This morning as I walked out of the house with the dogs, I noticed that the can of Pounce had rolled down the driveway and landed by the curb. I assumed it was empty for any number of reasons.
Murphy noticed the can too and by the look on his face you would have thought he found the Holy Grail.
He wanted it badly but didn’t want to alert Mickey and Ruby to this newly discovered treasure, so he very quietly picked up the entire can (which I still assumed was empty) and nonchalantly carried it in his mouth.
I was afraid that carrying his trophy on our walk would distract him from the reason we were out on a walk, so I took it away from him and put it in my pocket, and was surprised to see that it was still full of Pounce pebbles. Which meant that neither the cat that was at my house nor any of the other cats that were out prowling last night lowered themselves to eat such nastiness.
When we got back to the house I tossed the Pounce pebbles into the bushes but several spilled on the ground right in front of Murphy and Mickey who inhaled them in a millisecond.
And if further proof was needed about the dignity of dogs (or lack thereof) - while all this was going on, Ruby was walking toward me across the lawn with a big dried turd in her mouth.
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SEATTLE - Petty Officer 2nd Class Travis Vanzandt carries in his arms a young child followed by family members and their dog during the Northwest flood incident in
Of the over 3,500 animals that reside at the Park, two animals (a clapper rail and a kiang) were lost due to complications from the fire. More than 600 acres of
The
Although trees suffered from wind damage, and wildfires scorched several perimeter areas of the Park, animals remain safe and secure within their expansive 60- to 80-acre habitats. These habitats are heavily irrigated and contain no flammable material, creating a safe zone for many species.
Many people have asked how they can help the
Situated in the San Pasqual Valley, the
Should you care to make a donation to the Greening Campaign for the
Zoological Society of San Diego
Attn: Development- Wild Animal Park Greening
The Zoological Society of San Diego
P.O. Box 120551
San Diego, CA 92112-0551
The San Diego Humane Society's Animal Rescue Reserve (ARR) team is currently working with the County of San Diego Department of Animal Services to evacuate domestic animals and livestock threatened by the Harris and Witch Creek fires with first priority being given to evacuation areas in Rancho Bernardo. Over the last two days, officers, staff and volunteers have evacuated more than 400 animals and are actively assisting more than 1,000 animals at our shelter locations throughout the county. However, experts estimate that between 10,000-15,000 animals have been displaced countywide.
Currently we are not able to assist or escort individuals into burned areas. All resources are active at this time in areas needing immediate evacuation.
If you have animals or livestock that you cannot evacuate yourself or that need to be rescued, call
The San Diego Humane Society is asking for donations of the following items:
-Cash donations to support rescue efforts
-Pop-up tents for shade and shelter
-Lead ropes for livestock
-Broodmore halters
Cash donations can be made online at www.sdhumane.org or by calling
Volunteers are not needed at this time, but the San Diego Humane Society is keeping a list of names for people interested in helping.
If you have a stable or other areas that can house a number of large animals and livestock that need to be evacuated, please call the San Diego Humane Society at
Residents that need to evacuate their homes are asked to take all companion animals with them. If possible, place your pet in a crate or carrier and bring any necessary supplies including leashes, food, water, and medications as supplies at evacuation centers may be limited. More tips can be found online at www.sdhumane.org.
OPEN SHELTERS:
The El Cajon Animal Shelter is accepting pets and can still take in domestic animals and small livestock for boarding from pet owners who have been evacuated. The shelter is located at 1275
Red Cross evacuation centers are accepting pets in carriers. If you do not have or were unable to put your pet in a carrier or need pet supplies, bring your pet to one of the following Red Cross evacuation centers:
El Camino High School
400 Rancho Del Oro Dr.
Oceanside, CA 92057
Space for horses, livestock and small animals
(No People, ONLY Animals)
Fiesta Island
1500 Fiesta Island Rd
San Diego, CA 92109
Accepting 500 owners and animals
Space in Thermal and
Qualcomm Stadium
(Small Animals)
Camp Diggity Dog in
1835 Imperial Ave
Email: Bark@CampDiggityDogs.com
Note to pet owners: be aware that this is a private, for-profit business making a kind and generous offer to fire victims. If you leave your pet with them or anyone offering free boarding of any kind, please be sure to get something in writing that makes the terms of the arrangement very clear to both parties. If possible, visit and spend time with your pet every day or as often as possible until you can take back your pet. Also, if possible, offer what you can afford to pay for this service and provide your own pet food if you can.
Large Animal Sites:
The following sites are
Lakeside Rodeo Grounds -
Del Mar Fairgrounds -
If you have animals or livestock that you cannot evacuate yourself or that need to be rescued, call
San Diego County Animal Services has opened a shelter for large animals located near Gillespie Field,
Directions: Take East on Hwy 67; exit at Bradley Avenue and turn left; right on Cuyamaca; and left on
I don’t know you and I obviously don’t know Ellen but even if this involved someone who was not a celebrity, I would be saying the very same things because the issue at hand is one little dog and two young girls, and to me, it has nothing to do with the celebrity of the original adopter. I have to wonder if you would have behaved the same if a non-celebrity who was a friend or acquaintance of yours adopted Iggy and then gave him to close friends?
Most adoption contracts are not legally binding documents because of the way they are written; some claim that the rescue group always retains "ownership" of an animal even months and years after adoption. Adoption contracts are at best a set of rules, not
So while Ellen either didn’t read the contract or read it and didn’t abide by it, at the worst, she broke or bended some rules. She didn’t break any laws. Nothing she did caused any harm to any other person or animal. Yet your actions were unnecessary, selfish, spiteful and mean. You made this into the ugly media battle that it was. And while the death threats against you were ethically, morally and legally wrong, they would not have happened if you had behaved in a kind and humane way from the beginning.
The best animal rescue organizations and shelters include numerous rules and policies in their adoption contracts which give them the right to enforce some or all of them as they choose. I’ve adopted a lot of pets over the years and have never had a home visit though that is in every contact I’ve signed. I’ve also “adopted” pets from shelters (sometimes known as “pulling” an animal in some sort of danger) and like Ellen, also signed a contract stating that I would return the dog to the shelter if I could no longer keep it. But that was the last thing I was going to do which is why those dogs were pulled in the first place.
Now I hate to start this off by saying that “rules are meant to be broken” but I will, not because I believe in anarchy but because we all know that many rules are stupid. Any business owner or boss or teacher can make rules that are often just their own attempt to have some control in the world.
For example (un-related to Iggy or any other animal), there are four restaurants near where I live that all have some version of the following printed on their menus and posted at the register: No credit card purchases under $10 (or $5.00). That is the restaurant’s rule but it is against the law to limit the amount of credit card purchases.
Most rules are created for the greater good of everyone. But not always. Sometimes they're just stupid and petty.
And Mutts & Moms was a small animal rescue organization (that finds homes for dogs pulled from shelters), not the CIA or Homeland Security.
It was only an animal rescue organization, and getting animals into good long-term homes should be the goal and purpose. The goal should not have been the rigid, anal enforcement of your own rigid, self-created rules.
Yet, despite this claim, one of the four dogs died from heart worm treatment; another one had heart worms so severe that the vet recommended he be euthanized, and Rascal tested weak heart worm positive and treated. The dog that was almost euthanized wasn't known to have heart worms for almost a year - until he was finally adopted in June 2006 and tested when his new owner took him to the vet.
When I asked the owner of the kennel if Rascal has been on monthly heart worm preventative since he completed his treatment, she said "no, we don't have a problem with heart worm around here."
Really?
By some oversight, Rascal's 2005 Rabies tag and ID tag did not make it into his Petfinder record. BUT... the rabies tag number was on his paperwork (paperwork which I saw for the first time a few months ago, after lawsuit #3 was filed over another Molly's dog). All of the dogs were accompanied by paperwork or copies of their paperwork when transferred from Molly's to the other kennels. So even though no one else knew that Rascal had a current rabies tag - both of the PA kennels knew.
It took two phone calls, a post on a neighborhood forum and a few emails with a friend of Rascal's owner to make contact. His owner doesn't own a computer or have an email account so it was a few more weeks before I was able to send him photos to confirm it was his dog for sure.
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By BRIAN CHARLTON
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The eBay auction for 22 Michael Vick football cards, chewed up and slobbered on by two Missouri dogs, ended Wednesday as the winning bidder dished out $7,400 _ with the money expected to be donated to the Humane Society.
The success of that auction, with 31 different bidders, created a craze of 25 other postings this week offering torn up cards featuring the disgraced NFL superstar.
But so far, the original post from Rochelle Steffen, of Cape Girardeau, Mo., has been the only auction to attract droves of bidders.
Steffen gave Monte, her 6-year-old Weimaraner, and Roxie, her Great Dane puppy, every Vick card she owned to destroy. The result: The cards worth $1-to-$10 were crumpled, crimped, chewed, torn and generally in a sorry state. Some even had corners missing.
"When I started this, I only expected to get $100 for a local shelter," Steffen told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "But it's received so much attention. It's for such a good cause."
The gnawed cards were the most expensive Vick items on eBay, with well-preserved rookie cards, autographed jerseys and other collectibles selling for far less.
Vick pleaded guilty to a federal dogfighting charge this week. He will be sentenced Dec. 10.
It would have been very simple to write a brief mention of you, noting that I hope you get the book thrown at you, hoping you get abused and beaten in prison, tortured and eventually left to die just like the animals on whom you wagered… But what would that accomplish?
Rather, I write this, not so much that I hope you’ll read it, but rather, on the chance that millions of other people will see it, and feel the anger, the absolute rage, the disgust that I share the same title as “human being” with something as foul as yourself.
I write this because you’ve failed, Mr. Vick.
You've failed as a person.
You’ve failed as an example to children and adults the world over.
You’ve failed as a sportsman.
You’ve failed as a human being.
You had everything. You had “the life.” You had “the image.” You had the endorsements, you had the backing of the fans. You literally had the world at your feet. You had the gift of being one of the most talented athletes in the world, good enough to earn a $100 million dollar contract with the Atlanta Falcons. You had “Star Quarterback” labeled on you wherever you went.
In fact, the only thing you seemed to be missing was compassion.
You took everything that you had, and rather than do something good with it, thought it better to kill animals for your own amusement.
I’ll say that again. Mr Vick, you are an animal murderer. You sir, murder animals, and you do it under the guise of “sport.”
There is nothing sporting about making animals kill each other for your own personal amusement, Mr. Vick.
You sicken me.
For what reason, Mr. Vick, would you do this? You didn’t need the money. You could have gone to Vegas if you felt the need to gamble. You could have taken drugs if you needed a high.
Instead, you felt the need to murder animals. Animals that had no ability to save themselves. They couldn’t call their assistants to bring the limo around when they wanted to go home. They didn’t have the ability to call a time-out and regroup. They had to fight until they were dead, or so bloody and injured that they prayed for death.
And you gave them death. According to the Associated Press, your dogfighting ring allegedly executed underperforming pit bulls by hanging, electrocution or other brutal means, including slamming them into the ground until they were dead.
Well done, Mr. Vick. Your mother must be so proud of you. The NFL must be thrilled to have you among their ranks. Except that you were uninvited to training camp. So it looks like they’re not.
With a $100 million dollar contract, you couldn’t purchase one person to be a part of your entourage with any soul? Anyone who could have said, “you know, not only is this illegal, but it’s also terribly cruel. Why would you want to get involved in this?”
And don’t give me any stories about how it’s what they do in the projects, or it’s how you were raised, or it’s your culture, or your socio-influence. I simply don’t care. Hurting animals, deliberately, and for your own sick pleasure is wrong. Nothing you can say, can ever, ever, justify that.
Someone in your camp asked how this is any different than a celebrity getting busted for having Cocaine in her pockets… I’ll explain how, Mr. Vick. If a celebrity wants to blow lines until his or her heart explodes, he or she is free to do that. In fact, if they die, it’s probably more proof that Darwin was right. They’re not torturing and murdering animals in the process.
You, however, hurt those that did nothing to you. You didn’t hurt yourself when you forced animals to fight to their deaths. You didn’t hurt yourself when you shoved electrical wires up the anus’s of dogs who didn’t perform “well enough” for you.
But now, Mr. Vick, you’ve hurt yourself.
Nike has dropped you.
Reebok has dropped you.
Upper Deck has dropped you and removed your cards from unsold packs.
No training camp for you.
Your “buddy,” another heartless being, Tony Taylor, turned on you, copped a plea, and is helping the government build a case against you.
Your teammates are saying very scripted things, like “he hasn’t been convicted yet,” and “it’s an unfortunate situation.”
You know what those lines are called in the PR world?
They’re called “distancing one’s self from the situation.”
How does it feel to be a pariah?
Chances are really, really good that you’re going to wind up in jail, Mr. Vick.
And it’s not going to be a quick 15-day-sentence, either.
You’re looking at hard time, Mr. Vick.
Years, possibly. Your career is more than likely over.
I mean, honestly – who would want you, knowing what you do behind closed doors for “amusement?”
They say the universe tends to work itself out as it should. Looks to me, as your friends turn on you, as all your sources of income dry up, and as you’re left out to rot, on your own, with no friends, no team, and no entourage to back you, that the universe is working out just the way it should, indeed.
Perhaps in prison, you’ll learn something about compassion. Perhaps it’ll come at the hands of someone bigger than you one night when the guards aren’t there to protect you. Perhaps someone with an electric plug will teach you about compassion, about love, about feelings, about caring.
Or perhaps you’ll be in so much pain, you’ll be unable to learn. And then you too, just like the dogs you murdered, will pray for death.
But then, it seems to me, as you take stock of the complete one-hundred-eighty degree turn your life has taken in the past fourteen days, you might already be doing that.
Thanks to the work of several volunteers, Howie the funny looking little chihuaua mix is now back with Betty, his loving owner.
Sunday morning I walked with my dogs to the small wooded area two blocks up the street from my house. At the edge of this area, almost directly under the large Verizon platform, sat a small animal carrier. I felt instant dread as I walked around to the front to look inside, expecting the worst. But the small metal door was open and inside was only an empty can of cat food, dirty newspapers and bowl full of water.
So, to the person who thought this was the responsible way to get rid of this cat:
The FUEL Gallery in Old City, Philadelphia held the opening of an art show entitled Puppies are Biodegradable on Friday evening. The Gallery is a great space for any art show, and this one was well curated toward the goal of making people aware of the horrific conditions of puppy mills.
In addition to the art, there were tables were set up around the Gallery with literature from the ASPCA, HSUS, PETA and some local groups working to end this Canine Auschwitz.
Yes - puppy mills have always reminded me of concentration camps - the poor dogs live out their lives completely neglected and abused - barely alive at all - and their lives are then ended by being incinerated. Dogs - the most social of all animals and our closest companions - are made to suffer in unimaginable ways....ways that are closer to torture than just neglect.
The title of the show was inspired by comments made during a 2005 Lancaster County zoning board hearing when a dog breeder was asked what happens to unsold dogs. He said they were "exterminated" and their carcasses spread over fields as fertilizer. "They are biodegradable," he said.
I do believe that we can make an impact on puppy mills if we focus our collective energies and pick our battles. This is essential as there are many animal lovers who feel that any dog breeder is evil and that all dog breeding must end.
This will never happen so I believe it's a waste of time and energy trying to fight all breeding and make the good ones the enemy.
There are many very good breeders who produce small quantities of healthy and highly socialized puppies. The quality of life among these dogs and puppies is good. The bitches and stud dogs are family pets. Many of these breeders hold the belief that most potential buyers of their puppies do not measure up and are rejected; they are very picky about who gets their puppies.
Additionally, they usually do this out of a deep love of a particular breed and not for profit...there are many easier ways to make a lot more money. A good breeder stipulates that all puppies be spayed/neutered.
These reputable breeders are not the enemy.
Those who operate puppy mills are the enemy, but I believe we can make an impact. Pet shops selling puppy mill dogs (which is what most pet shops sell) can be boycotted and prospective puppy buyers can be educated and enlightened. Humane societies, SPCA's and rescue groups can work together in their local communities.
Even if there are no puppy mills near you, there is a good chance there are backyard breeders whose dogs live in similar conditions to those in commercial puppy mills.
Here are some websites that are helping...
Prisoners of Greed
Millbusters
United Against Puppy Mills
Stop Puppy Mills
North Penn Puppy Mill Watch
New Jersey Consumers Against Pet Shop Abuse
Jessica picked up the starved, dehydraded little thing who was covered in sores but still wearing his blue collar, and took him to her mother's house. She decided that she was going to find this guy's owner and get him home.
Tiger was one of the many cats that Denise had helped search for/reunite beginning in 2005, so when Jessica sent her the photos, and told her that he was found in an empty lot just outside the Lexington subdivision, and wearing the blue collar, Denise knew that this must be Tiger and sent the photos to Lisa, Tiger's owner.
