The Wayside park in Gulf Breeze, Florida is just over the Pensacola Bay Bridge and for years it has been home to a colony of cats. People fish there so I guess that's what originally attracted the cats. And then people started abandoning their unwanted cats out there to fend for themselves. So for years these cats have been there, somehow surviving the hurricanes. But now the Gulf Breeze City Council has decided that they must go. So three weeks ago they announced that on July 1 Escambia County Animal Control will begin trapping and destroying these cats. They've been deemed "feral" so they won't be eligible for adoption through the shelter. So a friend of mine has been working very hard to find homes for them. So about a dozen of us have pitched in and I have temporarily dedicated my website for the cause. I bought a new domain name so you can find our site at http://www.waysidecats.com Right now about 20 of them have been rescued, but there are at least 20 more out there. We have a City Council meeting next week and we're pleading with them for more time.

So I'm hoping you can take a minute to check out my website and take a look at these beautiful cats. And if you can donate a few dollars we will be so grateful and so will the kitties! 100% of the money we collect is going for vaccinations, feline aids/leukemia testing, spays & neuters and food. We want to be able to give these cats the health care they need before we relocate them to their new homes.

KEEP DOG MURDER IN JAIL - GIVE HIM THE MAXIMUM SENTENCETarget:SUPERIOR COURT OF MARIN COUNTY, PEOPLE OF NOVATO & EVERYWHERENOVATO,PEOPLE AREOUND THE WORLD PEOPLECOUNTYANDCOUNTYAND EVERYWHERECreated by:OWNERS OF MURDERED LITTLE DOG NAMED "MIMI"Our loving, young pet Mimi, a very small, chi was murdered by a man named Frank on Tuesday afternoon. Frank took our little dog and slit her throat then threw her over his back fence. Thanks to the excellent, diligent work of the Novato Police Department, Frank was arrested and is in jail with a over $100,000 bail. This man took the life of our family member, a dog that gave nothing but love to all that she met. She made our family laugh everyday with her antics. Her best friend was Ty the big black Great Dane, who is now moping around the house looking for his little friend. When I found my dog with her throat cut, ants crawling on her body, blood coming out of her ears, my belief that every human being has some level of basic kindness, died in that moment. Who is this man, whatever reason he has for comitting this act, this is a sick person who does not belong in our society. He should be listed as a predator, just like sex offenders. Is any one safe anymore? GIVE THIS MAN THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE.

UPDATE: The grief is debilitating. It has been almost impossible for our family to get up everyday and do what we have to do, sleep, work, the kid's have moped around the house with the Dane, the house is a mess, laundry piling, I can't even imagine feeling light hearted ever again. WE ARE SO, SO SAD. 211 Kenwood Court was to be our home in a quite cul de sac, safe for the kid's and our pets, never did we imagine when we moved in that we would experience such crushing and painful actions of a so called "neighbor". Novato, California is a lovely rural town with great schools, friendly, animal loving people, one of the best Humane Societies in the Country and a wonderful Police Department. Everybody needs to know that there is someone here that is dangerous and we need your signatures to help to keep him off the streets in jail. We appreciate all of your support, keep signing and encouraging those around you to sign too. We want to do our best to make sure that this individual receive's THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE.

You can help make this petition a success - please share this petition
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Contact with your support by signing this petition and any advice, letters for the judges, (case#SC153949, Superior Court of Marin County, District Atorneys Office, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael, CA 94903) or email: cnbservices@comcast.net. GIVE THIS MURDERER THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE.

PetSafe Animal Rescue needs your help


Memorial weekend in the Traverse City area, PetSafe will be hosting a fund raising yard sale. They need donations, volunteers to help and people to buy from their sale. If you can help call Michael at 231-+668-7359.

Although Petsafe is always in need of cash donations, they are in desperate need of foster families to help cats and dogs. Petsafe provides the food, veterinary care, and supplies. The family provides a loving, safe home and transportation to the adoption events, which take place at the Traverse City Petsmart on most Saturdays and Sundays. The average time a dog spends in a foster home is about two weeks. A single family could save 25 dogs a year by just taking in one at a time. Cats, however, take a little longer; therefore, there is a greater need for feline foster homes. Before an animal is placed in foster home, it is checked for medical and behavioral issues. During the foster time, the animal is altered to prevent unwanted litters and is socialized. The foster family evaluates its temperament and helps determine what kind of living situation would be the best match. By the time it is available for adoption, there are one or more people who knows it well enough to be able to vouch for their character.

The second greatest need is for loving families who are looking to adopt. Petsafe is only designed to temporarily care for them until permanent families can be found. However, they are a no kill organization, so animals in their system will remain in foster homes until they are adopted, which is why there are frequent holds on the intake of animals. Their resources simple cannot properly support all those who are in need; therefore, finding good homes is their primary concern. For every cat or dog that is adopted, space is made available for another to be rescued.

Mass recall of dog and cat food after pets die


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pet owners were worried Saturday that the pet food in their cupboards could be deadly after millions of containers of dog and cat food sold at major retailers across North America were recalled.

Menu Foods -- a major manufacturer of dog and cat food sold under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands -- recalled 60 million containers of wet pet food Friday after reports of kidney failure and deaths.

An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, the company said in announcing the North American recall.

Product testing has not revealed a link explaining the reported cases of illness and death, the company said.

"At this juncture, we're not 100 percent sure what's happened," said Paul Henderson, the company's president and chief executive officer.

However, the recalled products were made using wheat gluten purchased from a new supplier, since dropped for another source, spokeswoman Sarah Tuite said. Wheat gluten is a source of protein.

'Cuts and gravy' food sold in cans, pouches recalled
The recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches between December 3 and March 6 throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The pet food was sold by stores operated by the Kroger Co., Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others, Henderson said.

Menu Foods said it makes pet foods for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet food companies, including Procter & Gamble Co.

Procter & Gamble announced Friday the recall of specific 3 oz., 5.5 oz., 6 oz. and 13.2 oz. canned and 3 oz. and 5.3 oz. foil pouch cat and dog wet food products made by Menu Foods but sold under the Iams and Eukanuba brands. The recalled products bear the code dates of 6339 through 7073 followed by the plant code 4197, P&G said.

Menu Foods' three U.S. and one Canadian factory produce more than 1 billion containers of wet pet food a year. The recall covers pet food made at company plants in Emporia, Kansas, and Pennsauken, New Jersey, Henderson said.

Henderson said the company received an undisclosed number of owner complaints of vomiting and kidney failure in dogs and cats after they had been fed its products. It has tested its products but not found a cause for the sickness.

"To date, the tests have not indicated any problems with the product," Henderson said.

FDA also working to target brands
The company alerted the Food and Drug Administration, which already has inspectors in one of the two plants, Henderson said. The FDA was working to nail down brand names covered by the recall, agency spokesman Mike Herndon said.

Menu Foods is majority-owned by the Menu Foods Income Fund, based in Ontario, Canada.

Henderson said the recall would cost the company the Canadian equivalent of $26 million to $34 million.

Below are lists of specific brands recalled by Menu Foods, in addition to Procter & Gamble's recall of certain Iams and Eukanuba products. Menu Brands lists the brands on its Web site, www.menufoods.com, and advises consumers to call 1-866-895-2708 for more information.

Recalled cat foods
Americas Choice; Preferred Pets; Authority; Best Choice; Companion; Compliments; Demoulas Market Basket; Fine Feline Cat, Shep Dog; Food Lion; Foodtown; Giant Companion; Good n Meaty; Hannaford; Hill Country Fare; Hy-Vee; Key Food; Laura Lynn; Li'l Red; Loving Meals; Main Choice; Nutriplan; Nutro Max Gourmet Classics; Nutro Natural Choice; Paws; Presidents Choice; Price Chopper; Priority; Save-A-Lot; Schnucks; Sophistacat; Special Kitty; Springfield Pride; Sprout; Total Pet; My True Friend; Wegmans; Western Family; White Rose; and Winn Dixie.

Recalled dog foods
America's Choice; Preferred Pets; Authority; Award; Best Choice; Big Bet; Big Red; Bloom; Bruiser; Cadillac; Companion; Demoulas Market Basket; Fine Feline Cat; Shep Dog; Food Lion; Giant Companion; Great Choice; Hannaford; Hill Country Fare; Hy-Vee; Key Food; Laura Lynn; Loving Meals; Main Choice; Mixables; Nutriplan; Nutro Max; Nutro Natural Choice; Nutro; Ol'Roy; Paws; Pet Essentials; Pet Pride; President's Choice; Price Chopper; Priority; Publix; Roche Bros; Save-A-Lot; Schnucks; Springsfield Pride; Sprout; Stater Bros; Total Pet; My True Friend; Western Family; White Rose; Winn Dixie and Your Pet.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

St. Paul Teen Loses Her Beloved Canine

Chevy, the murdered dog.
(from America's Most Wanted Site
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=43997)

View LargerIt was an ordinary night in St. Paul, Minn. for 17-year-old Crystal Brown when she let her puppy, Chevy, outside. But, the young girl started to worry when the 4-year-old Australian shepherd didn't come home when she called his name. He had somehow managed to wander off. Crystal was grief stricken when she couldn't find her "best friend." Every day, she walked around her community - door to door - with the hopes that somebody would have found her precious pup. Crystal created "missing" posters and hung them up in surrounding neighborhoods. She would do anything to find Chevy.

A month went by and there was still no sign of Chevy. Then, one day, Crystal's grandmother, Shirley Brown, came home and found a beautifully wrapped gift on their front porch. The gift was wrapped with red paper and had a pack of batteriers taped to the top of the box. The sender also sent a note that read "Congratulations, Crystal! This side up. Batteries included." Shirley grabbed the gift, took it upstairs, and placed it on her granddaughter's bed. She was excited for her granddaughter and hoped that the gift would cheer her up.


But, what she found was the worst gift she will ever receive.
Teenager Receives Gruesome Gift
When Crystal returned home, she saw the gift and became excited. "I thought it was a gift from my cousin" she tearfully stated. Crystal tore off the wrapping paper and ripped into her surprise. But, what she found was the worst gift she will ever receive.

Inside the box were Valentine's Day candies and a black garbage bag. When she moved the bag, Crystal saw the face of her little puppy, Chevy. She screamed and ran downstairs to the kitchen to find her grandmother. "Is this my dog, Grandma? No! That's not my dog!" -- but, it was.

St. Paul police are investigating the bizzare and heinous crime. The homocide division is leading the investigation because of the "implied" terroristic threats. Sgt. Jim Gray said that there are no strong suspects in the case but forensic evidence is still being done on the box. Because this act was so random, police have no reason to believe that it will happen again. But, pet owners should still be cautious of their pets' whereabouts.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is offering a $2,500 reward for anybody who can provide information on the apprehension and conviction of the culprits responsible for the cruel act.


Animal Abuse Is Strongly Linked To Human Violence
Currently, there is no national database that tracks all animal cruelty cases. HSUS spokesperson, Dale Bartlett, said that it is very difficult to keep track of the number of animal cruelty cases because so many go unreported. But, even in his years of experience, decapitations of animals, especially house pets, are very rare.

HSUS states that animal cruelty laws are different in each state. Forty-two states have felony provisions for the worst types of animal cruelty. Luckily, Minnesota is a state that has a rare provision to their animal cruelty law. The provision states that any individual who is found guilty of cruelty or torture to dogs and cats, and does so to threaten, intimidate, or terrorize another person, may be sentenced to prison time for no more than 4 years or to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or both. The provision enforces the highest penalty for animal cruelty in the state.

Past research has shown that there is a strong link between those who abuse animals and those who attack other people. Famous serial killers such as Ted Bundy and Jeffery Dahmer have performed heinous acts on animals before brutally attacking their human victims. HSUS also cites that pet abuse is a significant factor in predicting abusive behavior. Many adolescents who torture and abuse animals usually grow up to have some sort of behavioral problems and they become very violent towards other people. Information on how to end animal cruelty and how to help bring Chevy's murderer to justice can be found on HSUS's website.