Animal World

Another Saturday!


Pet Python Crushes Owner to Death

LANESVILLE, Ind. - A 14-foot pet python crushed its owner to death, authorities said Tuesday after finding the snake loose in a southern Indiana shed with the man's body.

Patrick Von Allmen, 23, was found Monday evening in the shed near Lanesville, about 15 miles west of Louisville, Ky.

A medical examiner determined that the death was consistent with asphyxiation caused by compression of the neck and chest, said Conservation Officer Mark Farmer.

"When you're dealing with a wild animal species, you take on a certain amount of risk," he said.

Von Allmen had told family members he was going to treat the snake for a medical condition, farmer said. He was alone in the shed with the python for about three hours before his body was found.

Relatives said Von Allmen had 10 to 12 years of experience handling reptiles, according to authorities. The family got the snake as a pet five months ago, Farmer said.

Indiana law does not restrict ownership of snakes, and the python was returned to the family.

You know the family will miss poor Patrick, but at least the python was returned to the family for those wonderful memories!! Let's hope the rest of his family don't get too choked up!!!!!!








Judge grants restraining order for tiny abused dog

NEW YORK -- A judge is this dog's best friend.

Bebe, a 5-year-old bichon frise, a fluffy little white dog, was given an order of protection after a man was accused of beating him.

Fredrick Fontanez, 20, was arraigned Thursday on a misdemeanor count of animal abuse and released on his own recognizance, but not before the judge told him to steer clear of Bebe.

The protection order, the first for a dog in the state, was issued by Queens Criminal Court Judge Alex Zigman. It says Fontanez cannot come within a 100 yards of the dog and its owner, Derek Lopez.

Bebe was found badly beaten July 20 in Lopez's apartment, where Fontanez was staying.

Lopez, 27, says he had to go to work and left Bebe with Fontanez, trusting the dog would be safe. When he returned hours later, he found a severely bruised Bebe, who "winced, yelped and cried" at the slightest touch, the complaint said.

A veterinarian said the 14-pound dog, a type of toy spaniel known for its merry temperament and inquisitive expression, had been repeatedly hit or kicked.

Another Judge I like! I hope this tough guy comes up against the same Judge when he goes to trial!!!








Thieves steal young cancer patient's pup

A burglar has deprived an 8-year-old cancer patient of his best friend and greatest ally -- a beloved puppy -- and family members are pleading for its return.

UCSF Children's Hospital has announced a reward for the recovery of the dog belonging to Kyle Jackson Wetle, a Monterey boy suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The 15-week-old puppy, a black-and-tan Chihuahua and Doberman mix, was taken from a car belonging to the child's family, said Corinna Kaarlela, a hospital spokeswoman. The vehicle was burglarized Saturday afternoon or evening in the "D" level of the UCSF parking garage.

The pup, named Chemo, was a major source of consolation for Kyle, who has been battling his potentially fatal cancer for five years.

"He's a sweetie pie, a real member of the family," Kyle's mother, Katrina Wetle, said of the dog. "He knows he's Kyle's puppy. When he crawls into Kyle's hospital bed, he lies down and becomes quiet. The rest of the time, he's just a spazzed-out pup."

The dog, she said, "is the biggest thing in Kyle's life."

"When he's with Chemo, he forgets that he's hooked up to his IV pole," she said. "The puppy meant everything to his recovery."

Wetle said Monday afternoon that she hadn't told her son of the dog's abduction, but planned to break the bad news to him by that evening.

Kyle was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia five years ago. Cures or remissions of the disease have been achieved with bone marrow transplants, and Kyle recently was scheduled for such a procedure.

"We were told he had a million-to-1 chance of finding a match," Wetle said, yet three weeks ago an anonymous match was discovered.

"But one week later, we received biopsy reports that showed the cancer had returned to Kyle's marrow," she said. "That made us ineligible for the procedure."

Kaarlela said the university police are working with San Francisco police in pursuing leads and the university police have raised $200 of their own money as a reward for the return of Chemo.

With so many homeless dogs, why do people steal someone else's dog? This dog is a mix so it is only valuable to the owner! One can only hope for the boy's sake the thief reads the paper and has stealer's remorse and returns the dog!!!!!!



A happy ending to the above story.

Stolen pooch's joyous return

Chemo the dog was gift for boy fighting leukemia


Chemo had a happy homecoming Tuesday.
The dog reappeared Monday afternoon in the carrier he was in when it was taken.

"Someone contacted the staff at the Koret Family House," UC-San Francisco police Capt. Torin Fischer said, referring to the hostel where families of cancer patients can live while their loved ones stay at the hospital.

"The only thing returned was the dog," Fischer said. "It was in the little carrier it was taken with. The dog looks very healthy, well taken care of."

Some times even the bad guys can be good guys. Plus that was the number one case all the cops were working on so the dumb thief was a smart thief!








Squirrel in spokes floors cycling opera singer

Finnish baritone knocked down, out;

HELSINKI, Finland - A squirrel scampered into the bicycle wheel of an unlucky Finnish opera singer, causing him to fall, knock himself out and break his nose just ahead of the world premiere of a new opera.

Esa Ruuttunen was pedaling his way to the Helsinki Opera House last month when the squirrel ran into his spokes.

The baritone ended up with a concussion and in a local hospital, rather than at his rehearsals for the Finnish opera “Kaarmeen hetki” (“Hour of the Serpent”), which opens Sept. 15.

He is not yet singing in rehearsals, but thinks he will be able to perform at the world premiere.

The squirrel died in the accident.

Three thoughts come to mind:

One, did the understudy pay the squirrel to take the singer out?

Two, had the squirrel heard him sing and couldn't stand it anymore?

Three, was the squirrel depressed and on a suicide mission?





Saturday, beautiful Saturday;

Say hello to a stranger and see what their reaction is!

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