UPDATE: Miami-Dade officer accused of killing K-9 gets misdemeanor charge

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/30/1752997/miami-dade-officer-accused-of.html#ixzz0vALLDlyT

By David Ovalle For The Miamiherald.com

A judge on Thursday tossed out a felony charge against a former Miami-Dade police sergeant on trial for allegedly killing his police dog, but allowed a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge to go forward.

Allen Cockfield is accused of viciously kicking his K-9 partner, Duke, during a training session in June 2006, killing the Belgian Malinois.

He was charged with a felony count of killing a police dog, and a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty.

Prosecutors rested their case Thursday, after presenting two days of testimony from eyewitnesses and medical experts who said that Duke died from a disruption to the heart caused by the kick.

But Cockfield’s defense lawyer, Douglas Hartman, argued Thursday afternoon for an acquittal on the felony charge because the state did not prove that the longtime canine handler intended to kill the dog.

He said the charge required proof of intent.

“This was a training accident,” said Hartman, who contends that Cockfield was trying to protect himself from Duke’s attacks.

Miami-Dade prosecutor Isis Perez, after researching the issue, agreed, and Circuit Judge Antonio Arzola threw out the charge.

But Arzola declined to issue an acquittal on the misdemeanor charge, meaning jurors will decide Cockfield’s fate.

Cockfield is charged with a first-degree misdemeanor.

The charge is punishable by up to one year in jail.

The trial will likely finish late Thursday or Friday.

Trial Over Miami-Dade Police Dog’s Death Begins

By David Ovalle For The Miamiherald.com

Duke was a young, rambunctious Miami-Dade police K-9 felled by a series of vicious kicks from his frustrated human partner during an ill-fated training session, according to prosecutors.

“Duke was unjustly killed,” Miami-Dade prosecutor Isis Perez told jurors Tuesday. “And that kick is what caused his death.”

But the defense painted Duke, a Belgian Malinois, as a troubled and aggressive 70-pound canine who attacked police Sgt. Allen Cockfield, an experienced handler who felt threatened.

“He was simply trying to save himself,” defense attorney Douglas Hartman said.
The lawyers offered their versions of events in the opening of Cockfield’s trial for the June 2006 death of Duke, a 2 ½-year-old rookie police dog.

Charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and a felony count of killing a police dog, Cockfield could face jail or prison time, plus the loss of his state police certification, if he is convicted.

To read the rest click here.

By Penny Eims For The Examiner.com

Woodbury, Minnesota – A dog jumping inside of a running vehicle created quite a mess at the Woodbury Liquor Store on Tuesday afternoon. According to driver, Dick Coerber, his dog, a Dachshund, jumped from his wife’s lap, onto the car’s accelerator, while he was attempting to park his car.

The result? The car crashed through the front window of the liquor store, causing significant damage. Thankfully nobody was injured in the crash (Source: KSTP ABCNews5)

Dog owners should be aware that an unrestrained dog inside of a vehicle can be dangerous. The safest place for a dog is either confined in a crate, or restrained in a seat-belt harness specially designed for dogs.

Yesterday’s incident is an example of what can happen when a dog leaps unexpectedly while the car is in motion. Unrestrained dogs can create distractions to the driver, or as seen in this situation, they can literally be the direct cause of an accident.

To read the rest click here.

By Linda Weller for Chicago Tribune

ALTON, Ill. — A couple who lost a dachshund in a devastating house fire last winter is helping seven area fire departments perhaps spare others the grief by donating 10 animal oxygen mask kits.

“We’re glad to have these. We hope one day when we use one of them that it will be successful,” said Chief Greg Bock of the Alton Fire Department, which got one of the kits. “We’re always appreciative to get this kind of thing.”

Fire victims Charles and Nicky Wiley of Alton recently used money from a March 20 fundraiser held in their behalf to instead buy the mask sets for the Alton, Bethalto, Cottage Hills, East Alton, Wood River and Roxana fire departments, and the Godfrey Fire Protection District.

Some departments got two sets, depending on need. Each kit contains three masks, with small, medium and large sizes and accompanying tubing. The total cost of all 10 kits was $800.

Nicky Wiley, 39, said she got the idea to make the donations after seeing someone give pet oxygen masks to firefighters on a St. Louis news telecast. She got online and ordered the masks from Wag’N Enterprises of Tampa, Fla.

To read the rest click here.

By Rosemary Black for Daily News Staff Writer

Pooches on Prozac? Canines who snap, growl and bite might be sad rather than angry and could be helped by a doggie anti-depressant, according to research reported in the Daily Mail.

Aggressive and poorly behaved dogs often have lower levels of serotonin, the feel-good brain chemical, than better adjusted pets, according to a new study. In humans, decreased serotonin levels are often associated with anxiety, mood swings and depression.

The research, out of Zaragoza University in Spain, could lead to new medications for doggie aggression. Zaragoza University’s Belen Rosado, who led the research, said that a dog’s most frequent behavior problem is aggression – especially when it is aimed at humans.

For the study, researchers tested blood samples from 80 aggressive pooches and compared the samples to samples taken from 19 normally behaved dogs. The aggressive animals had lower levels of serotonin. The most aggressive dogs also displayed higher levels of cortisol, known as the stress hormone. The study, which appears in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science, may help vets more readily diagnose and hopefully treat depression in dogs.

What makes dogs depressed? When they are left alone for hours a day or don’t get enough physical exercise, according to veterinarians.

Some 800,000 Americans seek medical attention each year for dog bites, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and half of these are children. Children ages 5 to 9 are at the highest risk for dog bite-related injuries. But there’s at least some medicinal relief.

In 2007, Eli Lilly, the drug company, introduced doggie Prozac for pooches suffering from separation anxiety. The flavor? Beef, of course.

By Stacey Doyle for Examiner.com

A New York couple recently filed at $1 million lawsuit against Doggie Love, a pet sitting agency in Queens, after finding their dog dead on their apartment floor.

Laura Garner and Robert Hardon of West End Avenue left their dog under the care of Doggie Love for one July night in 2009. CBS News reports the couple adored their 5-year-old French bulldog.

The lawsuit indicates an employee of Doggie Love drove Percy home to the couple’s NYC apartment in an overheated van. The doorman and a neighbor offered the dog water or medical attention but the employee declined and left the dog in the couple’s apartment.

Just a few hours later, the couple found Percy dead in front of an air conditioner in the apartment. The post reports the couple stated, “The emptiness that has been left by Percy’s death and the anguish we suffered has not and will never be filled or go away.”

The lawsuit also states owner of Doggie Love, Nilo Mathais, said to the couple, “sometimes, dogs just die.” Marla Abrams, another owner, asked the couple, “What do you want from us?”

To read the rest click here.

By Larry Berreth for Denver Dog News Examiner

Maybe he just got sick of playing fetch.

A dog appears to have shot its owner in the rump in New Zealand.

According to local police reports, an unidentified, forty year old man from Northland, New Zealand was shot in the left buttock while in the back seat of his car in Te Kopuru, on Saturday afternoon.

Apparently the man’s dog, which was in the back seat with him, accidently stepped on the trigger of its owner’s .22 caliber rifle, causing it to discharge into his rear.

At this point local authorities do not suspect any foul play, but are nonetheless keeping an eye on the dog as a “person of interest”.

The unidentified, and assuredly embarrassed, man was flown by emergency helicopter to Whangarei Hospital, where he is now recovering from surgery to remove the bullet from his left cheek.

Although they do not offer any firearms safety classes for canines, Petsmart locations in Denver and the Longmont Humane Society do offer a wide variety of affordable dog training and behavior classes.

To read the rest click here.

From 33wytv.com

A Hubbard man may have lost his home to a fire this morning, but thanks to his dog, his life was saved.

“If he hadn’t gotten me up we would have both been barbecued,” said Stephen Brall.

Brall was upstairs sleeping when his home on Roseview Drive caught on fire. He had a smoke detector, but it’s batteries were dead. That’s where his dog, Bettis, came in.

“He came upstairs and started nudging me and barking at me, and as soon as I got up I couldn’t even see anything the smoke was so thick,” said Brall.

Dog in hand, he made his way down the stairs by memory.

“I came out around here,” said Brall. “I felt the door…and I saw nothing out here but white. And I started choking a little bit, got downstairs, felt my way towards the door, and I had a hold of Bettis. I had him by his collar because I thought he was getting a little bit afraid. I didn’t want him to panic and go backwards and then I’d have to come back in and get him.”

When fire crews arrived, the home was engulfed in flames. There would have been a different outcome had a few more minutes passed before the dog alerted Brall.

“I don’t think we’d be talking to him today,” said Hubbard Fire Chief John Clemente. “Because the smoke was so heavy upstairs and the heat was so great.”

Bettis was a rescue dog that Brall adopted.

By Gene Warner For BuffaloNews.com

A dog’s normal temperature is anywhere from 101 to 102.5 degrees, or a few degrees warmer than a human’s.

So compared with humans, dogs might seem to have more protection against the 90-degree heat wave sweeping through Western New York.

But dogs are ill-equipped for heat, largely because they don’t sweat.

“They haven’t bred a dog yet who can perspire,” said Gina Browning, public relations director for the SPCA Serving Erie County.

That’s why SPCA officials, veterinarians, dog wardens and pet owners are shouting from the rooftops this week about the dangers of the heat on their pets, especially dogs.

To read the rest click here.

From abclocal.go.com/kgo

SAN MATEO, CA — Fewer than a dozen dogs found themselves at the Peninsula Humane Society in San Mateo this year after being spooked by fireworks on the Fourth of July.

In the past, up to two dozen dogs have been brought to the humane society on July 5 after becoming scared and running off during a fireworks show. But this year, and in the past few years, there have been fewer and fewer spooked dogs, PHS director Scott Delucchi said today.

“Maybe people are becoming more cautious,” he said.

He said it’s possible dog owners are keeping their pets inside during fireworks shows instead of the backyard where they can escape more easily.

Eleven dogs were brought to the humane society on Monday, which Delucchi said “isn’t a huge number.”

“It seems like it’s really tapered off in the past few years,” he said.

Some of the dogs have been claimed, he said. Pet owners who haven’t yet retrieved their dogs can do so today.

Delucchi added that no one knows for sure whether the dogs brought to the humane society on Monday had all been spooked by fireworks.

“It’s always impossible to know for sure if that’s what brought them here,” he said.

(Copyright 2010 by Bay City News, Inc.)

By Tim Vetscher for ABC15.com

Last week, Scottsdale police issued a citation for animal neglect to Dan Harkins, owner of Harkins Theatres after he left his dog in a hot car for more than an hour in triple digit heat.

– Kenn Bell

A couple of days ago I had a regrettable lapse in judgment and made two inexcusable decisions involving my dog and best friend, Tanga. For this, I am truly sorry.

I apologize to everyone and especially to those who have rightfully criticized my actions. There is no excuse for parking in a handicapped space and no circumstance that justifies leaving an animal in a car, especially in Arizona. I promise you, this will never happen again.

As an animal lover who has consistently committed time and resources to animal welfare my entire life, this situation has proven to me that even the most dedicated of animal lovers can misjudge a situation involving a pet.

But I know apologies are not enough. This lesson also gives me an opportunity to raise further awareness about animal protection, and I am committed to immediately put my words into action.

I have already begun working with Arizona Animal Welfare League, the Arizona Humane Society and other animal welfare organizations to collaborate on a new campaign to communicate this message to as many people as possible. I have started with a commitment of $200,000 in funding toward this new effort.

In the coming weeks you will see this begin with public-service announcements in all Harkins Theatres, a sponsorship of the Humane Society’s Pet Telethon and other community initiatives.

As I begin making amends, I thank you for allowing me this forum to express my deep regret and hope that you will accept my apologies.

- Dan Harkins, Scottsdale

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2010/07/01/20100701breakout011.html#ixzz0sTVo7RVI