Burgess pleads in dog shelter case

TROY - A New Carlisle man accused of running a dog rescue and adoption center in Piqua before city officials shut it down after it was declared a public nuisance and health hazard pleaded guilty Monday as charged to a total of 14 misdemeanor counts following a pretrial hearing in municipal court.

Jeff Burgess, 57, the former owner of One More Chance Rescue and Adoption, once located at 125 Clark Ave., entered the guilty pleas to a variety of related counts of animal cruelty and violations regarding rabies, immunization, quarantine and unsanitary conditions, in addition to three other counts related to prescription drugs found inside the facility back when it was raided last November.

A presentence investigation was ordered, but no sentencing date was set…

…Only a few dogs died, and all other dogs were adopted out to happy homes, officials with the clean up process said…more

Buck Shot

… Solon employed professional sharpshooters for four years to thin its herds. It was costly at $345 to $570 per deer…

…An initiative headed for the town's ballot this November, organized by a vocal national activist group*, calls for a total repeal of Solon's culling ordinance…

…The Metroparks spent nearly half a million dollars over five years experimenting with a contraceptive vaccine but concluded it was not effective enough and it was difficult to deliver to free-ranging herds in large numbers.

Nonsense, says Lane Ferrante, Ohio state director of the League of Humane Voters. Her organization is largely responsible for this November's "Solon Deer Preservation Act" — the ballot initiative against lethal deer culling in Solon — and an initiative that repealed Broadview Heights' culling ordinance last year. She thinks Ohio should pursue deer birth-control methods and calls Cleveland Metroparks' concern about over-browsed vegetation threatening other wildlife habitats "a bunch of propaganda."

Ferrante doesn't believe there's an overpopulation problem. At the same time, she insists that deer culling results in a "rebound effect" that actually increases herd sizes…

…"Urban hunting is about backroom deals between hunters and the Department of Wildlife aided by legislators," says Ferrante…

…Ferrante's group was Broadview Heights Mayor Samuel Alai's worst nightmare…

…"They ran a great campaign; I'll hand it to them," Alai says…more

* Note: The League of Humane Voters of Ohio is a chapter of a national registered nonprofit 527 political action committee, not an “activist group.”  Membership is open to animal lovers and currently free for Ohio residents.  Click here to join!

Discount cards seek to increase dog licenses

Discount cards like this will be handed out along with 2012 dog licenses for Lucas County.

…it is estimated that nearly half of the dogs in Lucas County are unlicensed.

Officials say that compares favorably with the state's other metropolitan counties, but still means some 52,000 dogs are less likely to be returned home if lost -- and more likely to be killed if impounded. Dog advocates hope two initiatives being rolled out this fall by the Lucas County Auditor's Office could change that…

"There are a lot of benefits that people don't necessarily think about, they just think of it as a tax," Ms. Lyle said…

…license fees are the primary funding source for her office. So, potentially there are hundreds of thousands of dollars in license fees not being collected across the county -- money that could be used to take care of dogs under Ms. Lyle's control, help facilitate adoptions, or pay for improvements at the pound…more

Cockfight in Toledo leads to arrests of 12 area men

Photo courtesy PETA Files

…Cockfighting is a centuries-old [blood] sport in which two or more specially bred birds, or gamecocks, are placed in an enclosed pit to fight, according to information on the Humane Society of the United States site…

…Ohio is one of only a handful of states where cockfighting is considered a misdemeanor, Mr. [John] Dinon [executive director of the Toledo-Area Humane Society] said. He added that there is a bill up for consideration in the Ohio legislature that would make the crime a felony.

House Bill 260 would charge a first-time offender with a fifth-degree felony…more

Woman Who Let Dog Freeze to Death Must Serve at Shelter

Gregory Willey with the Friendship Animal Protective League said the death of the shih-tzu was cruel and inhumane.

"The dog couldn't move any more and finally froze to death. That's a long process and that is a lot of agony and suffering and pain."…

… As a condition of Hayslett's probation, she must also perform 100 hours of community service, including an unspecified amount of time at a local animal shelter.

But Willey said she would not be welcome at the Friendship APL…see video

Animal rights protesters say Ohio laws inadequate

…Tyree D. Kyle, 21, of 1566 Niles Road, pleaded not guilty to a charge of animal cruelty, a second-degree misdemeanor, Friday in Warren Municipal Court as protesters packed the courtroom. Kyle, on the initial complaint, was charged with a fourth-degree misdemeanor, a point of outrage for protesters…

…Warren Animal Control Officer Jeff Onatz said court bailiffs went to the house at 2274 North Feederle Drive S.E. on Monday because Kyle was being evicted. They found Bubba. Onatz called it the worst case of animal cruelty he's seen in 28 years.

Jennifer Bird of FurKid Rescue in Pittsburgh is taking care of Bubba…

…Protesters said they want Ohio laws changed to make cruelty to animals a felony instead of a misdemeanor…

… FurKid Rescue set up a Facebook [Justice-for-Bubba] page to keep people updated with Bubba's condition and to organize future protests…see video