When Elena Zakharova looks into the eyes of her puppy as it suffers from bad knees and achy hips, she does not see a defective product to be returned to the store for a refund.

The New York City resident believes Umka, her 1-year-old Brussels Griffon, is a living soul who feels pain and emotion. Now her attorney aims to prove it in court.

Zakharova has filed a civil suit in a New York court against the Upper East Side pet store that sold her a puppy who went on to develop numerous medical complications. The suit seeks to hold the store liable for the dog’s pain and suffering, as well as its medical bills, as if it were a person rather than an inanimate product.

Patrick Now - WOW!

Remember this guy? Look familiar? We hope not! It’s Patrick, the Miracle Dog. He looks nothing like he used to in the days after he was found almost dead of starvation in the garbage dumpster of his New Jersey apartment building. He had been tossed down the garbage chute from 19 floors above, perhaps given up for dead. This is what he looked like in March after his rescue.

by Jasmine Kleine / mydogmagazine.com

More than 3,000 people have joined a popular campaign on Change.org calling on the police department in St. Petersburg, Florida, to stop using lethal force on dogs.

Nancy Smith, a member of the volunteer group Hand4Paws, launched the campaign on Change.org after hearing that a St. Petersburg police officer had shot and killed Boomer, a 12-year-old arthritic golden retriever owned by couple Roy and Lauren Glass. Smith had been taking action online for animals for more than two years, but because of her own senior Golden Retriever, Boomer’s story felt even more personal, inspiring her to start the petition on Change.org. Boomer was only the latest in a series of dog killings by the St. Petersburg police.

“Seven dogs have been shot by St. Petersburg officers this year,” said Smith.

Animal rights are widely known and accepted in western culture but despite this there are topics and events which happen every year that often cause much debate and controversy on the public and media forums. From high profile support from celebrities, outspoken models from the fashion world and animal campaigners, animal rights is an issue that has sparked outrage and even government debate.

This is a list of 10 widely discussed topics of animal use that some support openly, while others refuse to accept them under any circumstances.

by calforb

By  Tara Kirkpatrick of The Review

The piteous wail of hundreds of barking and crying dogs drowned out the noise of passing cars on Wednesday, September 21, as representatives from the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture and various animal-rights organizations gathered at a formerly vacant Ministry of Transport garage in Lachute.

The parties were there to discuss the seizure of more than 500 dogs, followed what is considered to be the largest puppy-mill bust in Canadian history.

Brad Shear, Executive Director of the Mohawk & Hudson River Humane Society, pets Oliver before commenting on animal cruelty charges against his previous owner, Michael Perillo. Oliver, a Great Dane, was badly beaten and rescued from a house in Schenectady. (J.S. Carras/The Record)

If legislation in Albany County passes, animal abusers will appear on a public registry. If you're convinced of animal abuse, your name would appear on this registry for 10 years, according WTEN.com. If you're a repeat offender, your name would appear there for life. If your name appears on this registry - then you would not be allowed to purchase or adopt a pet.

There's no question, many of those who abuse animals later on go on to abuse women and/or children, or may be currently abusing women and/or children; and animal abusers are more likely to commit violent crimes than the average person in the general population.

46 stores in Calif., Ky., Ind., Texas, Fla. & N.C. take the pledge

Thanks to the efforts of local advocates, 46 pet stores across the nation have recently signed The Humane Society of the United States' Puppy Friendly Pet Stores pledge — committing not to sell puppies, and instead support local animal adoption programs and provide literature that helps customers learn how to locate a reputable dog breeder. The HSUS applauds these retailers because their actions prove it is not necessary to support the cruel puppy mill trade to operate a successful pet-related business.

"These stores have set a positive example of corporate responsibility for other businesses to follow," said Melanie Kahn, senior director of the puppy mills campaign for The HSUS. "Pet stores that profit from the cruel puppy mill industry need to step up and do the right thing by stopping their puppy sales. I am thrilled to have wonderful local advocates working in our area to increase the public's awareness of puppy mills."

Symantec noticed that the modified version of Dog Wars says "PETA" instead of "BETA."

Blogged by Taz on the Groovy Cats N Dogs Blogsite!

Dog Wars app for Android is Trojanized - CNET News:

"The app sends a text message to everyone in the contact list that says, "I take pleasure in hurting small animals, just thought you should know that," and signs United States-based devices up for a text alert service operated by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Irfan Asrar wrote in a post on the Symantec blog."Gee, what a shame.

~ Sharon L. Peters

Believe it or not, after all the national anti-puppy-mill campaigns, after all the headlines about puppy-mill raids, after all the legislative efforts to marginally improve the hideous conditions under which millions of breeder dogs churn out litter after litter, after Oprah — Oprah, for heaven's sake — did her much-heralded show on mill dogs, most people still don't get it.

The vast majority of people surveyed a few months back — 78% of them — told interviewers they believe that puppies sold in pet stores come from such places as shelters, or private owners whose pets had litters, or that they really have no idea where the animals come from.