Hero Dog Facing Pit-bull Discrimination

A dog credited with saving the lives of her California family is desperately looking for a new home.Her owner says that despite being named one of the nation’s top ten “Valor Dogs” by the Humane Society, landlords are turning away “Diamond” because she’s a pit bull. Darryl Steen says Diamond woke him up when his apartment caught fire last October. He was able to get one of his daughters to safety by dropping her out of a window, but couldn’t reach the second child. When firefighters finally got to her, Diamond was laying on top of the girl in an effort to protect her from the flames. The dog suffered severe burns, but has recovered. More

City to build bike trail through rattlesnake habitat

The site selected for a Chicago-area bike-pedestrian path is adjacent to a nest of now-hibernating eastern massasauga rattlesnakes. The city of Wheeling is planning to build a paved bike and pedestrian path from the Des Plaines River to an Interstate 294 overpass. The path, to cost $1.2 million, will connect with other bicycle paths in the area. Several state agencies are deciding what to do about the snakes. The Wheeling Village Board recently hired an environmental consultant for about $25,000 to study the area. More

3-Year-Old Girl Saves Dad After Fall

A Warren County father who fell out a tree, leaving him paralyzed, is praising his 3-year-old daughter for helping save his life. Tom Wadle was 15 feet up a tree trying to cut down a limb when he fell. The only person close was his daughter Cheyenne. She yelled for help when she saw daddy fall. Almost three weeks after the accident, Wadle remains at the Mercy Medical Center intensive care unit. “Her daddy told her to go get help so she knew that was what she needed to do,” said Melissa Wadle. “She ran up and down the sidewalk hollering for help.” A neighbor heard her calls for help and called 911. More

Dolphin leaps onto boat, on woman

Florida - Florida fire officials said a dolphin weighing 600 to 700 pounds jumped onto the deck of a boat traveling on the Marco River and landed on a woman. Isles of Capri Fire officials said a charter boat captain called about 2:44 p.m. and reported the dolphin had jumped out of the water and landed on a woman on the deck of the vessel, the Naples Daily News reported. Fire Lt. Keith Perry said rescuers determined the woman, who was not named, suffered a sprained ankle. More

7 people and 110 cats live in 900 square-foot house

California - Police seized 110 cats and two children from a single residence in Santa Ana leading to two criminal complaints against the residents. Police animal services officers went to the residence after neighbors reported a foul stench. But the occupants were uncooperative, so more police were called to the scene. Once inside, control officers found seven people and the 110 cats living in a 900 square-foot space. Two children, girls ages 7 and 12, were found living in the home with their parents, grandparents and an aunt. The girls were removed from the home and are now living with other family members. Courtney Lynn Howe-Perez, 22, and Sharon Lynn Howe, 64, were allegedly running a nonprofit pet rescue from the home, called Cat Connection Rescue Network Inc., even though proper paperwork had not been filed. More

Dog knew heart attacking was coming

Oregon - A fiercely protective elderly mutt is up for a national hero award for pestering her owner in the hours before he had a heart attack and then barking for help once it struck. Ceili, a 15-year-old Lab mix, usually spends much of her day lounging in her North Portland home. But one day she stuck by her owner, Danny Fincher, trotting behind him from room to room, sometimes blocking his path. When he sat down, she licked his arms and legs and then jumped on his easy chair, sniffing his breath. “She was driving me nuts,” he said. Moments later, Fincher suffered the heart attack. More

Hotel For Dogs

France - Actuel Dogs bills itself as France’s first luxury hotel for dogs, and founders Devi and Stan Burun, a dog behavior specialist and lifelong dog-lover, also offer training programs unruly hounds and dog walks in the woods. As well as a dip in the pool, or a massage, guests including Ulysse, a bumptious yellow Labrador sporting a smart red collar, enjoy “doggy jogging,” or simply relax on cushioned couches in their luxury suites. Their tiled-floor rooms smell fresh and clean and are adorned with framed prints of dogs and equipped with televisions so dogs can watch their choice of DVDs. Owners pay between $36-$48 to leave their lucky hounds for a full day. More

Butterfly facts

Their taste sensors are located in the feet, and by standing on their food, they can taste it!
All butterflies have six legs and feet. In some species such as the monarch, the front pair of legs remains tucked up under the body most of the time, and are difficult to see. They, along with most moths have a long straw like structure called a proboscis which they use to drink nectar and juices. When not in use, the proboscis remains coiled like a garden hose.All butterflies have six legs and feet. In some species such as the monarch, the front pair of legs remains tucked up under the body most of the time, and are difficult to see. More

Girl Scouts fear arrest for cookie peddling

Georgia - A Girl Scout leader says young members of her troop thought they were headed to jail when a Georgia police officer told them to quit selling cookies. The girls had set up a stand at a strip mall in Villa Rica about 30 miles west of Atlanta when the officer asked them if they had a peddler’s permit. They didn’t. Troop Leader Kathy Crook was stunned. She says the scouts were told to pack it up. The younger members thought they would be taken to jail. The city’s police chief and mayor spoke with the officer. They say he did nothing wrong and that it was a misunderstanding. More

Two-Year-Old Trapped for 4 Hours in Bank Vault

Georgia - The girl was at a Wells Fargo bank branch in Conyers around closing time with her mother and grandmother, who worked at the bank. Investigators said the child wandered into the bank vault, which shut behind her, and was spotted on security cameras. Police and firefighters arrived at the scene, but were unable to open the vault because it was on a timer and had locked for the night. Conyers Police Chief Gene Wilson told reporters it was a very tense scene as authorities stood by along with the relatives, and rescue workers pumped fresh air into vents leading to the vault. The ordeal ended when an emergency locksmith was called in to open vault and free the 2-year-old. More

Maria, the goose, is Mario

A Los Angeles goose famous for flying alongside a frequent visitor’s motor scooter has been renamed from Maria to Mario. The Los Angeles Zoo, which took custody of the bird ahead of a two-year renovation project at Echo Park Lake, said its experts determined Maria the Goose was actually Mario the Gander. “He’s Mario now. But I’ll call him Maria if he doesn’t respond to Mario,” said Dominic Ehrler, 65, whose daily visits to the park included riding his scooter side-by-side with the flying goose. More

Tiny spy planes could look like birds, insects

Nutty News Washington DC - The Pentagon has poured millions of dollars into the development of tiny drones inspired by biology, each equipped with video and audio equipment that can record sights and sounds. They could be used to spy, but also to locate people inside earthquake-crumpled buildings and detect hazardous chemical leaks. One type is the hummingbird and engineers in the growing unmanned aircraft industry are working on drones that look like insects and the helicopter-like maple leaf seed. Researchers are even exploring ways to implant surveillance and other equipment into an insect as it is undergoing metamorphosis. They want to be able to control the creature. More