Entire Dog Blog

Reports indicate that police have cited Adam Scott Pigue of Arlington, Texas with four misdemeanor offenses related to the case of Spike. Spike was the Villaire family's 3 1/2-year old Pomeranian. Police found Spike doused with gasoline and burned on January 12.

Adam Pigue, a neighbor of the Villaires, allegedly found Spike in his yard after Spike had gotten loose from the Villaire's property and been hit by a car and killed. Police say a drunken Pigue then allegedly decided to burn Spike's body as a means of disposal. According to the Arlington Police Department, "[i]nformation from a veterinarian and the physical evidence supports Pigues account."

Listed below are the violations that were sent to Pigue. Animal Cruelty charges would not apply in this case since evidence supports that Spike had died before he was burned. Mr. Pigue will have his opportunity to explain his actions at a later date to be set by the Arlington Municipal Court.  

Negligent Burning - Ord., Fire 1.02
Improper Disposal of Dead Animal - Ord., Animal 9.01(B)
Burning Certain Substances in the Open - Ord., Nusiance 2.06
Haul Uncovered Carcass Along Street or Public Grounds - Ord., Nusiance 2.02

The Villaire family received an outpouring of sympathy as a result of this unspeakable crime, including offers to provide a new puppy from multiple dog breeders. The Villaires have adopted Henry (below), a Pomeranian donated by a local breeder.

Susan Fishman left Princess, her 7-month old Pekingese-Chihuahua mix, in her Jeep as she stopped into a Hanover (New Jersey) convenience store. The Burlington County woman returned to the parking lot to find her Jeep and Princess stolen. Fishman got her dog back this weekend.

A surveillance camera caught a man getting into her car and driving off.

Police found Fishman's Jeep in Camden, but her dog was still missing. But someone apparently found her, shivering and crying, on Friday and turned her over to the [Almost Home] animal shelter.

No arrests have been made in the car theft.

On November 12, 2007, Teton County (Idaho) Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Gutierrez had Leo Barboza tie his 5-year-old black Labrador retriever mix Bobby to a tree. Then Gutierrez shot Bobby three times. Somehow, Bobby survived the attack.

Now the Idaho Attorney General's office will decide if criminal charges will be filed against Deputy Gutierrez as recommended by the Tri-County Sheriff's Association back in December. That association is made up of law enforcement officials from around Idaho.

Barboza filed a tort claim, a kind of pre-lawsuit, against the county. Police say Gutierrez was arrived at Barboza's house responding to reports that Bobby had mauled a woman. According to Barboza's lawyer Joshua Garner, that's not true.

The claim also states "that the county didn't follow its policy of dealing with dog complaints," according to Garner.

Six Labrador Retrievers and one German shorthair have disappeared from one New London (Minnesota) neighborhood on Thursday or Friday during daylight hours since Thanksgiving.

Tilly (above) is the Jakobson family's missing dog. Lynn Gauer's 7-year old black Labrador is also among the missing.

“She’s the type of dog who, if you whistle, she’s back within 10 minutes max. She does not drift off,” [Gauer] said.

Some speculate that an unscrupulous breeder or dog seller is to blame. Other unlikely (in my opinon) theories include all the dogs being picked up by passers by as strays (6 Labs?) or the dogs being injured in some way (no bodies have been found). Either way, there are few leads in the strange case. The most recent victim reports seeing a green pick-up truck driving in the area.

[Shannon] O’Donnell [of the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Department] urged dog owners, especially those who live in rural neighborhoods, to keep a close eye on their dogs.

“Make sure they have a collar with identification. Maybe they could invest in a microchip,” she said. A microchip containing ID information can be placed under the skin of the animal.

That advice was echoed by Bobbie Bauman, animal care director for the Humane Society of Kandiyohi County.

“We do microchipping down here, $25 an animal,” she said. “There’s been at least two dogs we’ve gotten back to the proper owner that way.”

Owners might want to install locks on outdoor kennels, Bauman suggested.

Since most of the dogs disappeared during the daytime, owners should consider keeping their dog indoors while they’re away from home, O’Donnell said.

Bauman said the Humane Society has been alerted about the missing dogs so that shelter staff can be on the lookout in case any of the dogs show up at the shelter in Willmar.

The 5 Chicago dogs who were stolen along with the Fetch and Play Dog Day Care van in which they were riding have been found safe inside the van. All five, including Chloe (above, with Anne Zellner) have been returned to their worried families.

No arrests have been made in the case as of this writing. The dogs were found when members of a construction crew recognized the stolen van.

When superintendent John Heinrich of Power Construction showed up about 7 a.m. at the building site of a University of Illinois at Chicago conference center at 1225 S. Union Ave., a co-worker asked him if he had seen the vanful of dogs outside.

Heinrich dismissed the question, but minutes later another colleague told him about the missing dogs.

"I poked my head out of the door, saw the dogs and made a call [to police]," Heinrich said "I never saw such a commotion over a few dogs."

The dogs were stolen Monday, when an employee of Dog Daycare operator Fetch & Play left the vehicle double-parked, unattended, unlocked and running while dropping off one of the dogs at home. When the employee returned to the street, the van and dogs inside were gone.

The careless employee has since been fired according to Fetch & Play owner Jose Varela, who called each of the families involved to relay the good news personally.

Some of the families involved are a little more understanding than I would be in the same situation, but Anne Zellner (the daughter of a famous Chicago attorney) says Chloe won't be returning to Fetch & Play.

"I'm a little too protective," she said. "I understand it was a mistake. I understand they feel horrible. They've always been good to Chloe. . . .If it was a child [at day care] and they lost your kid for a day, you wouldn't send them back."

Colin Hebson, who has been sending Seamus, his 11-year-old black Labrador retriever, to the day-care operation for seven years, said he still trusts it to watch over his dog.

"People make mistakes. People use poor judgment. I doubt this will ever happen again," he said.