Man immolates himself after his dog dies in hit and run AZ A 28-year-old man accidentally set himself ablaze after his dog died in a hit and run. Police say a 16 year girl hit the man's dog with her truck and tried to drive away. The man, who reportedly had been drinking, jumped in the back of her truck as she left the scene. He tried to set the truck on fire, but instead immolated himself; he remains in critical condition... ([Arizona Daily Star]

'Dangerous' breed ban law enforced: family may move... SD Animal laws are supposed keep dogs at bay and in check and safe from abuse.  In Hecla, 'we get a lot more bites from poodles than Rottweilers.' Even so, the city still ordered Jennifer Hudson's docile Rottweiller, Riley, removed (due to the city's breed ban list) from the city limits. Ms. Hudson found herself in a legal battle which looks like it will end with her family leaving town. (The city also bans wolves, dobermerman pinchers and 'wild' animals...) [American News] 

Critter chaos: when the dog hogs the front door CO Whenever our doorbell rings, our dog goes bonkers: he practically flies to the front door so he can whine at the visitor outside. It all started when we got a see-through door: our dog thought this meant he should lay in front of it at all times, just in case someone interesting visited. When we added a drop through mail-slot, we crossed the line from normal household to monster household... our dog became the door guardian ...  and the mailman learned to leave the mail balanced in the mail slot rather than drop it on a sleeping dog's head... ' Regardless of the behavior, the time to work with your dog on this is not just when the doorbell rings...' [Rocky Mountain News]

World's largest animal cancer center adds high-tech research CO The Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University opened a new $10 million wing in its acclaimed animal care center, making it the most comprehensive animal care facility in the world.  'The new wing houses 12 laboratories, including a tissue-archiving lab, a bone-research lab, a bioengineering lab, two cancer-research labs and a magnetic resonance imaging lab,'  plus the only veterinary gamma camera in North America...'  [Rocky Mountain News]

Mauled boy sues owners of dog high on Ecstasy Canada A boy who survived a vicious attack by a dog high on ecstasy sued the dog's owners for $105,000. Earlier this year, the dog's owners lost their battle to keep the dog from being destroyed in the 'Dangerous Dog Act trial. The judge decided the dog's behavior did not stem from drug ingestion. Four other victims of  the malamute's rampage have yet to sue... [Calgary Sun]