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From CNN:
SANTA BARBARA, California (AP) -- Sam, the dog whose ugliness earned him TV appearances, limousine rides and even a meeting with millionaire Donald Trump, has died, the Santa Barbara News-Press reported Tuesday.

The pooch with the hairless body, crooked teeth and sparse tuft of hair atop his knobby head died Friday, just short of his 15th birthday, said his owner, Susie Lockheed.

"I don't think there'll ever be another Sam," she said, adding wryly, "Some people would think that's a good thing."

Sam became an international celebrity after winning the ugliest animal contest at the 2003 Sonoma-Marin Fair in California -- a victory he twice repeated. The purebred Chinese crested hairless made appearances on TV in Japan, radio in New Zealand and in Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid, stayed in luxury hotels and met Trump on a talk show set. more...

ALHAMBRA, Calif -- The littermates of a Northern California puppy may be green with envy.

That's because a golden retriever born last week is green. The little green fella is one of a litter of four. But his littermates are the usual blond color.

read on...

Animal Control Officers Respond To Home
MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A deer was trapped after taking a swim in a Macomb Township pool on Tuesday morning, Local 4 reported.

The deer apparently jumped over a 4½-foot high fence to get into the in ground pool in the back yard of Lucy Dedene's home. more...

Slideshow: See Deer's Escape From Swimming Pool
Video: See Deer Pool Rescue

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) -- Police say three lions rescued a 12-year-old girl kidnapped by men who wanted to force her into marriage, chasing off her abductors and guarding her until police and relatives tracked her down in a remote corner of Ethiopia.

The men had held the girl for seven days, repeatedly beating her, before the lions chased them away and guarded her for half a day before her family and police found her, Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo said Tuesday by telephone from the provincial capital of Bita Genet, some 560 kilometers (348 miles) west of the capital, Addis Ababa.

"They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest," Wondimu said, adding he did not know whether the lions were male or female. read more...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A hound mix named Trucker has survived having two long nails driven into his skull by his owner, according to Kansas City TV station KMBC.

The nails were driven into his head with a hammer, according to KYTV in Springfield. The nails just missed the dog's brain and major nerves. Veterinarians were able to remove the nails, but Trucker will be blind in one eye and deaf.

Dr. Robin Toner, an emergency veterinarian, said it is the worst case of animal abuse that the workers have seen. One nail was allegedly driven into the dog's skull, and another was hammered into his cheekbone, KYTV reported.  more...

I entered Pepper and Daisy in Channel 4's Cutest Dog Contest.

See them here in "more cutest dog contestants" section! They are numbers 21 and 22 on the slideshow!

Now the waiting game!

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- When is a dog not a dog?
 
When it's a greyhound in Kansas.

It may sound like a punchline to a joke, but it's true. Two years after the Parimutuel Racing Act was passed in Kansas, the law protecting pets in the state was changed to exclude greyhounds from the designation of dog.

"A greyhound ought to be a dog in the state of Kansas," said Kevin Neuman, of Overland Park.

Neuman and his wife, Sherri, have fostered and adopted greyhounds for 11 years. They are also active in a greyhound placement organization for retired racers.

"We fell in love with the breed. They're definitely a dog . They're a great dog," Neuman said.

Monday, he went to Topeka to try to change the law.

The National Greyhound Association, based in Abilene, Kan., disagrees. The executive director called the change unnecessary and said greyhounds aren't bred for pets, and therefore, shouldn't fall under pet protection laws. keep reading...

A pet chihuahua dog has adopted a baby chick in China.

Huahua took charge of the chick as soon as owner Liu Bangyang's daughter brought it home.

She regards the chick as her baby and stands guard to make sure it comes to no harm, reports the Chongqing Morning News.

And, whenever the chick strays too far, Huahua picks it up gently in her mouth and puts it back in its cot.

Liu, from Guiyang city, Guizhou province, said: "We'll try our best to raise the little chicken, if that's what Huahua wants." from Ananova...

DORA, Ala. -- A lost Alabama toddler was found Wednesday after a neighbor’s three-legged dog came to his rescue.

The incident began in Walker County, Ala., Wednesday morning when Mitchell Lachance wandered out in the yard and went a little too far. 

"He just walked the wrong way, went out in the woods, you know. It was just an accident," said Ron Lachance, Mitchell's father.

Firefighters, police and neighbors scoured the woods in a four-hour search that turned up nothing.

With the search getting tense, neighbor Gary Hagood and his dog Sasha joined in.

"(Sasha) could hear Mitchell, but I couldn't. So she went right to Mitchell, and I followed her, and he was in a ravine, and there was a bunch of briers and thorns," said Hagood. "She went right through the briers. She was all over him, licking him, and Mitch was petting her." read more...

Video
	Witness Says Llama Was Hurt In Attack

Stray Animal Was Attacked By Dogs

CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Strange noises in a rural Canton Township neighborhood led residents to discover an injured llama outside their homes Monday night.

The llama was trying to fend off a German shepherd and another dog that were attacking her along Ridge Road, near Warren and Joy roads, according to witnesses. Neighbors said they ran out to help the llama.

"The noises she was making sounded like a pig screaming," said neighbor Junnie Morrow.

The llama suffered injuries on her back and legs. Neighbors collected money to pay for veterinarian bills.

more...

Proof that a little compassion goes a long way...yet another reason to believe that there IS hope in this world...

Iraqi Dogs Have Plenty of Food After Response To Soldier's Plea

LAS VEGAS -- Just before the New Year, Army Reserve Capt. Gabriella Cook sent an urgent e-mail from Iraq requesting food shipments. Not for her or her unit - for Iraqi police dogs.

"The dogs are starving and urgently need dry dog food," Cook wrote in a Dec. 28 e-mail that said the Iraqi Interior Ministry's only bomb-sniffing police dogs were eating table scraps and garbage.

The response to the canine crisis has been overwhelming: Offers of help poured in from New Hampshire, Florida, Texas, Ohio and New York. One sports gambling handicapper alone ponied up $5,000. more

dogs  donations  feel-good  fundraising  good samaritins  U.S.  world  

HELLO EVERYONE! Dog Food is not available for purchase in Iraq. It costs $50 to send a bag on your own, but the Las Vegas Humane Society is pooling funds to get food at a discounted rate. I donated $10 through the Las Vegas website...it's tax deductable!

Click here to read the whole story
LAS VEGAS -- The commander of an Army Reserve detachment is begging friends back home to send food for Iraqi police dogs.

"The dogs are starving and urgently need dry dog food," Capt. Gabriella Cook, commander of the Las Vegas-based 313th Military Police Detachment, said in a Dec. 28 e-mail reported Wednesday by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

"Some of them have already died," Cook wrote. "Half of them are sick. We have no way of buying actual dog food here." 

If you would like to help feed the dogs, you may send checks to the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society. They are working with several companies to ship food to the animals as soon as possible.

"PetSmart has donated a pallet of food, and we hope PetCo will do the same," Judith Ruiz, president of the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society said.

Ruiz said several companies have donated food and that with the money, the Humane Society will be able to buy more dog food at a discounted rate and will also pay for shipping to Iraq.

"All funds will go directly for the animals," Ruiz said.

The Humane Society is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization. So your donation will be tax deductible.

Send donations to:

Las Vegas Valley Humane Society
Funds For Dogs In Iraq
2250 E. Tropicana
Suite 19
Las Vegas, NV 89119
DONATE ONLINE

I received this message from my friend Jessica…

Please, everyone! Take Action! www.nochancearkansas.org

WARREN, Mich. -- Their mother scurried amid flames, carrying the 2-day-old kittens one by one in her mouth to safety. She perished with the sixth and last kitten she went in to save from a house fire on July 13.

Now only two kittens remain from the litter.

Firefighters found the five living kittens outside the house and took them to an animal hospital in Harper Woods. The mouse-sized animals were given a 50 percent chance to live and placed in the care of Feline Friends Rescue in Warren.

For a month, the litter seemed to thrive. But two of them - Sparky and Ember - got sick and died last month.

Warren resident Martha Johnson, 58, who cares for the kittens dubbed the "fire babies," said the largest kitten, Phoenix , died Sept. 6 of lung complications related to smoke inhalation. more...