A good Samaritan, Gary DeNicola, rescued a stray dog running in traffic, most likely saving her life. What he didn’t realize at the time was he saved 10 lives,  she was pregnant. When he picked up the dog she was starving and emaciated, it looked like she had been nursing but when he searched the area for puppies but didn’t find any.

He took the dog home and put her in his spacious backyard to keep her safe, he was worried about bringing her in because he has a 12-year-old and wasn’t sure how he’d react. DeNicola planned on dropping the dog off at the shelter the next day, things didn’t work out exactly as planned.

Here are the details from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

That evening, on Sept. 27, DeNicola noticed the dog begin to hunker down in a garden bed. Next, she was giving birth to one, two, four, seven, and then nine black and tan puppies.

DeNicola began making calls to shelters and soon discovered many area animal rescue groups are at full capacity. People struggling financially had abandoned their animals, and many pets were turned out during the flood, he was told.

“And one shelter wouldn’t take the newborn pups until they were vaccinated,” he said. “I realized — they are mine.”

DeNicola is now raising the lucky litter on his own until he can find qualified, permanent homes. He built a special pen for the dogs in his basement, not wanting to mix the new deliveries with Tiger, who isn’t sure how to handle the strange sounds coming from below.

It’s always great to read a heartwarming animal story. A big thanks to DeNicola for stepping up to the plate and making a difference, we give him four big paws up.

If anyone is interested in adopting one of  Ruby’s adorable puppies you can contact DeNicola via email.

*Photo courtesy Katie Leslie

Here are the details from the Metro.co.uk.

When the owner returned, the dog – named Pip – was unresponsive and had its tongue hanging out.

‘Pip’s just a little drunk right now,’ Colony is reported to have said.

Pip was treated for alcohol poisoning at the local at Bright Eyes and Bushy Tails veterinary hospital, and survived.

Colony, who may have thought this was funny, probably isn’t laughing anymore after being charged with animal abuse and facing up to two years in prison.

*I didn’t have a picture of the actual dog drinking, so here’s Dogster Reba posing as a drink, a Mai Tai to be exact.

Another one is on its way tomorrow. Stay tuned…

Shih Tzu's Happen

Photograph© 2009 MarkRogersPhotography.com all rights reserved.

A pair of Shih Tzus

Photograph© 2009 MarkRogersPhotography.com all rights reserved.

According to the New York Times nine battered dogs, four of them puppies, were removed by the police. During the raid 10 children were at the day care center, which is now shut down.

In the article it doesn’t state what prompted the raid. Whatever the reason, thank goodness it happened, not only for the dogs but also the children.  Keeping malnourished dogs that are being trained to fight near children is just an accident waiting to happen.  The people involved are despicable human beings who have no regard for animals or children.

Three men have been charged, including the day care center operator’s husband, and two more are being sought.

In July I posted about America’s biggest dog fighting ring bust, read more about what happened and the effort needed to bring these people down.

* Bean is an adorable American Pit Bull Terrier who is up for adoption on Dogster’s Adoption Center.

Here’s the amazing story from CNN.

If you can’t see the video click here.

]]> http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/08/27/dog-saves-newborn/feed/ 9 http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/08/26/pitbull-mix-puppies-left-in-trashbag-to-die/ http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/08/26/pitbull-mix-puppies-left-in-trashbag-to-die/#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:08:39 +0000 Horst Hoefinger http://dogblog.dogster.com/?p=20078 A Dogster member found out about the plight of Petey and Polly and is trying to help their rescuer find them a loving forever home. They are currently located in the Corning, Ohio area.

Petey and Polly, pit bull mix puppies, are 1 of 3 rescued at 2 days old. Long story short, their mother was shot, and her litter put into a garbage bag to suffocate.

Kayla was able to save 3 of these cuties, but unfortunately the rest of the litter died. They were born 6-25-09, and are now 8 weeks old.  They’ve had a Bordetella vaccine and will get their first DHPP vaccine next week. Both are current on deworming and vet checks.

Petey and Polly are very special and need a loving home to live out their days.  Small adoption donation is to help cover the cost of puppy milk and vet bills. Neuter and spay contract required.

If you are interested in adopting either one you can reach Kayla at (740) 394-2854 or(740) 856-7119.  You can contact her via email , and  also visit  Petey and Polly’s Petfinders pages if you like.

]]> http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/08/26/pitbull-mix-puppies-left-in-trashbag-to-die/feed/ 6 http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/08/21/enjoy-your-weekend/ http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/08/21/enjoy-your-weekend/#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:17:38 +0000 Horst Hoefinger http://dogblog.dogster.com/?p=19961 I didn’t want anyone to have a vision of Michael Vick or his jersey stuck in their mind all weekend, so here’s something to replace it with.

You can’t help but smile when you look at this little fella.

]]> http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/08/21/enjoy-your-weekend/feed/ 11 http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/07/21/this-aint-no-freak-show/ http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/07/21/this-aint-no-freak-show/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:45:03 +0000 Horst Hoefinger http://dogblog.dogster.com/?p=18933

Thanks to Allyson Siegel who ponied up $4000 a five-legged chihuahua won’t be headed to live out her life in a freak show.

Last week she outbid a Coney Island freak show operator who wanted to buy the puppy.

Allyson Siegel, 45, of Charlotte, N.C., was stunned to learn that little Precious, a Chihuahua-terrier mix, was bound for a Brooklyn freak show, so she called the dog’s owner, Calvin Owensby, and offered him more bones.

“I called Calvin and I said, ‘I understand this is about money,’ and I just said, ‘How much,’” Siegel told the Daily News yesterday.

“She is beautiful, she’s not a freak, she’s a normal little puppy dog and she should be just like all the others,” Siegel said.

Precious was born with a fifth leg protruding from her stomach, between her hind legs. The extra leg has six toes.

John Strong, the freak show proprietor in Coney Island, had already offered Owensby $3,000 and sent a $1,000 down payment, but Siegel convinced him to back out and sell her the puppy for $4,000.

“[Precious] wasn’t a freak, she was just a dog born with five legs,” Owensby told the Daily News. “My girlfriend decided she didn’t want to see her in a freak show.”

A Manhattan vet was so touched by Siegel’s actions that he offered to remove the dog’s extra leg for free. Siegel had checked with a local vet but they wanted $2,000 to remove the extra leg.

* Pic courtesy SINER/AP

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