Join Blogathon: Sponsor Dog News for Charity  "Make a difference through blogging. Blogathon is an event for charity that lasts 24 hours. Each participant finds sponsors who can either donate a flat amount for the entire event, or an amount per hour." (source: blogger.com) Dog News's selected charity is Pets on Wheels. If you'd rather donate to the Humane Society or the ASPCA, that's great too. If the Humane Society doesn't have a sponsor, you can set one up at Blogathon. (and it's totally okay with Dog News if you donate to either of those two wonderful organizations.) Any pet saved is a contribution to a kinder world too.

Dog News has  ? sponsors (Dog News joined today). With hundreds of readers, we (Dog News and Readers) can make a collective difference. Make your pledge now! and feel good about helping others and the animal world.

Who set Pecos, the dog, on fire? GA Three horrific pet abuse cases in three days has officials worried in Troop County. "Vets believe that Pecos, the dog who was badly burned, will make it through but may never grow back his coat." Animal abuse is a felony in Georgia. To donate to the fund set up to pay for the treatment of Pecos, call Four Paws Animal Hospital at 706-845-9400... [WSB-TV]

Dog feces at triple murder scene linked to suspect's shoes OR "One in 10 billion. That’s the statistical chance that two different dogs deposited the feces police found on a suspect’s tennis shoe and on a sidewalk at an upscale home near Lakeville after a triple homicide there in September 2000." ...there is just one chance in 10 billion of another dog having the same DNA. And there are only 57 million to 60 million dogs in the United States." [South Bend Tribune]

(Case closed, it seems ... unless the dog's cr*pped  all over the city)

'slaughterhouse city' now dog friendly Yukon, Canada Five years ago, a 'dog catcher' got $50/dog  for shooting dogs, often in the streets, in Dawson City. "Then Addes Scheer set up a vet clinic and a humane society. In 1998, she convinced the city to contract her group to take care of catching and euthanizing dogs." She adopted dogs out, had them spayed and set up educational pet care courses for the city's residents ... [CBC North]

Man ordered to sell house, move, after poisoning neighbor's dogs CA Instead of forcing a dog abuser to suffer jail time, a court ruled that he must pay for damages, pay $2,500 to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), serve 200 hours community service time,  sell his house and move out of the area within four months. The court reasoned that the jail time would not deter him from poisoning the dogs again... [The Pasadena Star News]

Related: Neighbor Revenge: Dogs Victims of Malicious Acts

Teaching children about stranger danger In light of the recent abduction and murder of an innocent little girl, it's wise to teach children to be wary of strangers, especially strangers who ask children to help find a 'lost puppy'... [ABCNEWS.com]

Girl in fair condition after being attacked by family's 2 pit bulls  MD "Police said the girl whose name was not released suffered lacerations from dog bites to her left arm chin and lip, which was partially ripped off."  [Baltimore Sun Maryland News]

Man's best friend can make him sick Mexico City "Dog feces is the source of the relatively rare disease toxocariasis, an infection of the larvae of canine roundworm Toxocara canis, which can be transmitted to humans." The disease in humans is hard to diagnose because of the many organs it can affect. "Almost all puppies are born with Toxocara canis often caught from their mothers milk or through the placenta."  The best prevention: frequent handwashing, vaccinating pets, and keeping the area free of dog feces... [The News Mexico]

Woman killed by 4 pit bulls she raised TX "A 52-year-old woman who raised pit bull terriers was killed after being mauled by four of them she had raised from puppies the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Wednesday." Bernard Lee Carter, her husband, said the dogs had never shown any aggression before. He had returned from work to find his wife dead, mutilated, and the four dogs, including her 'lap dog,' standing over her ... [Houston Chronicle]

Related: Dog attacks owners on sofa July 15 "Authorities said that Tim Bullock and Sherry Werner were sitting on their home couch when their dog, Brutus, became aggressive and attacked them. Bullock's arm was broken in the attack and he was rushed to a local hospital in serious condition. Werner was also transported to a hospital with serious bites... " [Yahoo! News]<