By The Associated Press

MIAMI — Florida officials have put out the word that an urban alligator who has been eating dogs and other pets and terrorizing a neighborhood is now wanted, dead or alive.

Gary Morse of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told AFP the state agency has taken the unusual step of authorizing an alligator hunter to shoot and kill the three-meter (10-foot) long animal.

But finding this alligator, on the loose for two years in the St. Petersburg area and stalking pets around the city’s canals, may not be easy, Morse said.

“Alligators regularly use the drainage system to travel. When you are trying to target a specific gator is really difficult to catch it,” Morse said.

Tensions mounted on Monday night, when residents reported that the alligator ate a mixed breed dog who was running free near the canal. Then, the alligator was reportedly glimpsed the next morning near Tony’s Meat Market.

But when Charles Carpenter, the alligator hunter, arrived on the scene, the culprit was nowhere to be seen.

Morse said some people have been reportedly feeding the renegade gator, making his capture even more complicated, because he is eluding bait traps.

“He’s not hungry and he’s got a lot of places to hide.”

Carpenter told the St. Petersburg Times he plans to use a hunting rifle or semi-automatic pistol to take down his prey.

“He’s good at not getting caught,” Carpenter said.

By Brian Haas for The Tennessean

St. Peter’s Anglican Church has long been known as an open and inclusive place.

So open, it seems, they won’t turn anyone away. Not even a dog.

That’s how a blessed canine ended up receiving communion from interim priest Rev. Marguerite Rea during a morning service the last Sunday in June.

According to those in attendance at the historical church at 188 Carlton St. in downtown Toronto, it was a spontaneous gesture, one intended to make both the dog and its owner – a first timer at the church — feel welcomed. But at least one parishioner saw the act as an affront to the rules and regulations of the Anglican Church. He filed a complaint with the reverend and with the Anglican Diocese of Toronto about the incident – and has since left the church.

“I wrote back to the parishioner that it is not the policy of the Anglican Church to give communion to animals,” said Bishop Patrick Yu, the area bishop of York-Scarborough responsible for St. Peter’s, who received the complaint in early July. “I can see why people would be offended. It is a strange and shocking thing, and I have never heard of it happening before.

“I think the reverend was overcome by what I consider a misguided gesture of welcoming.”

To read the rest click here.

Officials in Iraq have released a report today, which says the number of stray dogs that have been killed since 2008, in an attempt to stop a series of attacks within and around the city of Baghdad, RAW reports.

The killings are a part of a campaign that started in 2008, after increasing reports of dog attacks began to come in from local citizens and soldiers.

With Baghdad slowly returning to normal, and open markets becoming more common, there is more food left around the city.

There is also more food left in garbage heaps outside of the capital. This means better meals for stray dogs, which leads to them gaining health and having larger litters.

This has had a marked effect on the amount of strays around Baghdad, with tens of thousands causing havoc all over the city.

The campaign is carried out by security teams made of veterinarians and police officers, who correlate with other security forces in the area.

They sweep the city in the early morning, using poisoned meet to lure and kill stray dogs, warning civilians to stay away from the food left for the animals.

This is similar to the shootings that occurred under Saddam Hussein’s reign, which was mandatory part of security in Iraq.

The best city in America for dogs? According to Dog Fancy Magazine it’s Provincetown, Massachusetts!

The winning city had to include plenty of dog parks and events, top notch veterinary care and laws that support and protect pets.

Rounding out the top 10:
Carmel, Calif.
Madison, Wis.
Benicia, Calif.
Fort Bragg, Calif.
Lincoln City, Ore.
San Diego, Calif.
Virginia Beach, Va.
Sioux Falls, S.D.
Salem, Ore.

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 KENS5.com

Over just the last few weeks District 2 has picked up over 900 stray dogs and cats. This is a overwhelming amount which adds to the amount of dogs and cats being put to sleep at the shelters each day.

“This district alone has had 900 stray dogs picked up, so it is a major problem. And being part of the River Center Cluster we want to do a community service and give back to our community during these tough economic times,” says Margie O’Connell.

Through June 12 – June 20 this year, free spay and neuter procedures will be offered at the Ella Austin Center. This will be the second annual Dog Awareness Week which focuses on responsible pet ownership and the ultimate goal for a no kill city.

Also, follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dogfiles

Read The Comet Dog Story here.

Before there was such a thing as a “bad breed” there was Luke, a pit bull terrier who appeared in many films with his master, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle (1887-1933), from 1914 to 1920, along with Buster Keaton and Al St. John.

Born in 1913, he became one of the first canine film stars, earned $150 a week for his master and was very popular with audiences. A high energy companion to the slapstick antics of his human costars, he was a natural for early comedy shorts. Very people oriented, friendly and agreeable to the oddities that came with working in comedy pictures at the time, in the course of his career he fearlessly performing such stunts as jumping from great heights, climbing two story ladders, running across rooftops, and leaping from one moving car to another. In addition he never failed to chase off the bad guy or save the lady in distress.

Clips are from:
Butcher Boy (1917)
Coney Island (1917)
The Cook (1918)
Fatty’s Faithful Fido (1915)
Fatty’s New Role (1915)
Fatty’s Plucky Pup (1915)
The Garage (1919)
The Hayseed (1919)
The Knockout (1914)