Latest news with #animalcruelty
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Grisly NYC dog attack inspires new ‘Penny's Law' to hold negligent pet owners criminally accountable
New York dog owners would be held criminally accountable if their dog harms another animal under a new proposed state bill — which advocates say would close a legal loophole and help get justice for mauled pooches. 'Penny's Law,' introduced by Assembly member Jenifer Rajkumar this week, seeks to create criminal offenses for careless owners — including 'cruelty to animals through negligent handling of a dog' and 'leaving the scene of an animal attack.' The new bill is named for 16-pound Chihuahua pup Penny, who was attacked by a pair of pit bulls on the Upper West Side Saturday. The 16-pound pooch was left with multiple puncture wounds after the ambush, in which one of the dogs also bit a woman who tried to rescue the pup, PIX11 reported. The same pit bulls are believed to have killed a dog in Central Park earlier this year while the dogs were illegally off leash, Rajkumar's office said. The state legislation would also impose harsher penalties for those who repeatedly violate city leash laws. 'This lack of accountability has permitted numerous dog owners to allow their pets to attack other dogs,' she added. 'The same owners will allow the behavior repeatedly, often dismissing it as 'playing' or 'a dog being a dog.'' The weekend attack left Upper West Side locals fuming, prompting a town hall attended by hundreds of concerned locals Wednesday. City Council member Gale Brewer, who is drafting similar legislation at the local level, confirmed at the meeting that the Manhattan District Attorney's Office is investigating Penny's case. '[From] East Harlem to Brooklyn, there are people who came from all over the city … because they have the same concern: somebody has dogs who attack other dogs and nobody does anything about it,' Brewer told The Post. 'The agencies try, but they operate in a silo. We need to have everyone working together.' Dogs are considered property under state law, and police often don't get involved unless a human is attacked or a human owner participates. State Assembly member Linda Rosenthal is separately seeking to change that by pushing a bill to swap the 'property' classification to 'sentient beings.' Penny's tragic case is far from isolated, Rajkumar's office added. On Thursday, a dog and person were injured by an illegally off-leash dog at Riverside Park, whose owner fled the scene. Roughly 1,300 reports have been made to 311 regarding off-leash dogs this year alone. A German shepherd that mauled several dogs and killed one on the Upper East Side struck again last summer after its owner said she planned to put it down. Rajkumar's own staff member's pooch was attacked twice by the same dog, including once in which the attacking dog was illegally off leash. Last year, The Post exclusively reported the case of an unlicensed dog boarder who is still operating despite at least three dogs being killed by raging mutts while there, according to grieving owners. 'Everywhere I turned, I was told there's nothing that can be done,' lamented one of the tragic Brooklyn dogs' owners. A rep for the NYPD told The Post at the time that 'harm or death to an animal caused by another animal is not a criminal matter.''
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Walton County deputies arrests owner for dog left in hot car
WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – The Walton County Sheriff's Office responded to Scenic Drive after multiple reports of a small dog left in a hot car for an hour on Saturday. According to the WCSO, the car wasn't running, and the windows were only slightly cracked. The vehicle was opened by deputies using a lockout kit, and the Yorkie was pulled out and given water. Deputies said they called the number on the dog's collar. After a short time, 26-year-old Andy Matute Villatoro of Houston, Texas, showed up. He was at the beach, deputies confirmed. Villatoro was placed under arrest for animal cruelty. Walton County Animal Services arrived and said they tested the temperature inside the vehicle, the readings came back at 120 degrees. Villatoro was given a $1,000 bond and is still incarcerated at this time. The Walton County Sheriff's Office urges you not to leave your dog inside a hot car. It only takes minutes for a parked car to become a death trap for an animal, even with the windows cracked. If it's 85 degrees outside, it can exceed 100 degrees inside a car in under 10 minutes. Dogs can suffer heatstroke, brain damage, or death during that time. Officials added it's not only dangerous and inhumane, it's illegal. If you see a dog left in a hot car: Call 911 immediately Provide location and vehicle details Wait for the cavalry Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CTV News
a day ago
- General
- CTV News
Over 700 Calgarians go for a Dog Jog to support Humane Society
Dog lover Richard Preece took part in the 24th Annual Dog Jog to support the Calgary Humane Society Saturday at North Glenmore Park North Glenmore Park was full of hundreds of dogs and dog lovers Saturday, who showed up to support the Calgary Humane Society at its 24th annual Dog Jog. The event raised over $200,000 for the Humane Society, said vice executive director Brad Nichols. 'It's really one of our signature fundraisers for humane society in general, and it's been centered around the mandate of ending animal cruelty at this point," said Nichols. 'We don't receive any government funding whatsoever,' he added. 'So, you know, (it's) difficult to run a complex department like that on zero government dollars, but we managed to make it happen because of the strong support that we get from Calgary.' Dog lover Richard Preece was there with his family. 'We used to come years ago with me and my wife, and we just haven't come out since we had kids, and we thought they were old enough to come to their first one,' he said. 'We have another dog we adopted from Humane Society, and have always thought they were good organization. And, you know, it's just a lot of fun -- and it's good for the dogs.' Sharlene Elford was there, too, with her daughter Brook and her dog Gus. 'We wanted to raise awareness for animal cruelty and participate in get outdoors and exercise,' Sharlene said. 'Seeing all the different types of dogs is really cool. There's a lot of dogs here.' For more information about the Calgary Humane Society, go here.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The murky history behind the eerie abandoned zoological park inside Disney World
Walt Disney World is known for its magic, meticulous upkeep, and the illusion that nothing is ever truly out of place. But hidden in plain sight, just across the water from Magic Kingdom, is a part of Disney that seems to be forgotten. Discovery Island, once a bustling zoological park, now sits abandoned and off-limits, its decaying remains slowly being overtaken by nature. With a murky history, eerie silence, and strict no-trespassing rules, the 11.5-acre island has become a rare glimpse into the side of Disney most guests never see. Originally opened in 1974 as Treasure Island, the location was designed as a tranquil wildlife sanctuary, home to exotic birds, tortoises, lemurs, and more. The theme was based off the 1950 pirate film of the same name, with a fake wrecked ship placed in the center of the island. In 1977, it was renamed Discovery Island to better reflect its focus on conservation and animal observation. Guests could stroll along winding paths, explore themed habitats like Flamingo Lagoon and Tortoise Beach, and learn about rare and endangered species in a serene, natural setting. However, in 1989, reports of horrifying animal 'abuse' began to circulate. Investigators said workers at Discovery Island allegedly fired a rifle at hawks, beat vultures to death with a stick, and destroyed the nests and eggs of egrets and ibises, per UPI. The park was charged with 16 counts of animal cruelty, but the charges were later dropped, according to The Ledger. As Disney continued to expand and create more enticing rides, the ticket numbers dwindled for the wildlife island. Then, in April 1998, Animal Kingdom Park was opened and people were stirred towards the new attractions, causing Discovery Island to be left behind. The island was closed in 1999 and all of the animals were moved to either Animal Kingdom or other zoos across the United States, per The Travel. For the last 26 years, Discovery Island has been completely abandoned and tightly secured. Disney has made it clear: no guests are allowed. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Justin Does Disney (@justindoesdisney) Signs around the surrounding waters warn boaters and would-be explorers to stay away. Anyone who dares to step foot on the island can face serious consequences including being arrested for trespassing and banned from all Disney properties for life. In 2020, a man named Richard McGuire was arrested after illegally camping on the island for several days during the pandemic. He later told police he thought it was a 'tropical paradise' and didn't realize he was trespassing, per TIME.
CNN
2 days ago
- General
- CNN
Exclusive: Inside the shadowy global networks that torture cats for profit
During a months-long investigation, CNN infiltrates and exposes the shadowy global networks which promote an underground marketplace of cat torture videos, aimed at customers who get a kick out of seeing animals suffer. CNN's Ivan Watson speaks to the online sleuths and activists fighting to dismantle these networks. Note: The Chinese government and social media platform X did not respond to CNN's request for comment. YouTube and Telegram told CNN that content promoting violence against animals is banned on their platforms; Meta declined to comment.
