Animal Rights

Motorist kills dog, sues owner

Filed under: Animal Rights

Well, if you didn't love America before, here's one more reason to gloat about our lawsuit loving nation.

After crashing into and killing Fester, a 13-pound miniature pinscher that ran into the road in Cloquet, a small town outside of Duluth, Jeffery Ely has decided to sue the dog's owner. Fester snuck out without a leash when its owner was trying to let the family’s other dogs inside.

Ely is requesting $1,100 for damages to repair his 1997 Honda Civic and to account for the time he had to take of from his two jobs to get the car repaired and court fees.

Fester's owners, Nikki and Daniel Munthe of Cloquet, have countersued asking for $2,400, the cost to buy Fester, the time she had to take off work for court appearances, and the cost of buying a dog to replace him.

The case is scheduled to be heard in St. Louis County Court today.

Too bad Fester isn't still alive. We’re sensing with the right lawyer he could pull in so much bling, he could have the biggest doghouse in the state.

Posted by Beth Walton at May 9, 2008 11:05 AM | Comments (0)

 

Dog Days at Westminster redux: the triumph of Stella

Filed under: Animal Rights

This past weekend, three-year-old Stella hopped across the pond and won the reserve "Best of Breed" award at the prestigious Crufts dog-show competition in Birmingham, England.

Earlier this month, we chatted Hennepin County Sheriff's Detention Deputy/dog handler Darryl Cooper about his pupil Stella, a Spinone Italiano. Stella went home empty handed after the Westminster Dog Show in New York, but this time around, things panned out in her favor.

Stella's pops, Ron Turner of Charles City, IA, said that Stella, Cooper and his wife, Teri, have yet to return from England. But Terri did leave him a message and sounded "pretty excited," Turner said.

"She said that Stella was the second best female out of over 100 females," he said.

Stella is the first American Spinoni to win Best of Breed. A Giant Schnauzer, Philippe Oliver, won Best of Show, and was awarded a massive bottle of champagne that matched the size of his hearty trophy.

Turner, a retired schoolteacher, leaves the doggie traveling to his wife and Cooper. In the meantime, he occupies himself with the family's four other Spinoni Italianos. Turner said that he and his wife have been breeding the dogs for years.

Stella, the baby of the canine family, knows that she is the star, Turner said, calling her a "show off" and a "lover" at heart. Still, every working girl has her limits.

"A year ago she was on the road most of the time, and this past year she only showed about once a month," he explained.

When Stella isn't wowing crowds with her sleek physique and well-sculpted beard, she attends the local elementary school every other Friday to have children read to her.

"She loves going to school and having the kids lay on her and play with her," Turner said. " The kids read out loud to her and they think that Stella knows when they make a mistake because she turns and looks at them."

Posted by Amy Lieberman at March 11, 2008 12:45 PM | Comments (0)

 

Dog Days at Westminster for a man and his best friend

Filed under: Animal Rights

When Hennepin County Sheriff's Detention Deputy Darryl Cooper arrived at the Minneapolis-St Paul airport on Sunday morning, he discovered that thanks to the sub-zero temperatures, his flight was canceled.

So Cooper did what any average person trying to get a flight out to New York City would do: he drove nine hours to Kansas City, where he proceeded to miss his flight, and then wait 14 hours for another one. He killed the time tending to some grooming matters, and then boarded a plane to Dallas, Texas, where he twiddled his thumbs for good portion of early Monday morning. Cooper eventually got on his flight, but Stella, a three-year-old pooch, beat him to punch.

"The dog flew out on the plane I missed," Cooper said Monday evening. "I was so worried, and it was the longest trip I ever had. But I got to the airport, and she was there. She was happy to see me."

When Cooper isn't in uniform, he devotes his downtime to his dog-training company, Big D's Dog Days. His pupil Stella, a Spinone Italiano, has risen to top of the doggie ranks, and will compete this evening at Westminster in Madison Square Garden.

"Stella came to me when she was about 9 months old," Cooper said, speaking above a cacophony of persistent woofs and ruffs at the Westminster site. "When I got her, I told her owner to start saving. She had all the pieces of the puzzle. All she needed was someone to pull the best out of her."

And so Cooper has: Stella recently trumped the Animal Planet's 2008 Eukanuba National Invitational, placing first in her breed's category. In March, the two will head to England for the Cruft's Dog Show, the world's largest dog competition.

Cooper described the 75-pound pup as a very "playful, jovial" kind of gal. Her hobbies include hunting, running, and getting into all things muddy. But when Stella takes the stage, she knows how to work a crowd.

"She knows extremely well what she is doing," said Cooper, who is also known by his canine friends as "Uncle Darryl." "When we are at a dog show, she is quiet. She is just waiting for the show to begin."

And how about Uncle Darryl himself? He said he tries to play it cool.

"If I get nervous, the dog gets nervous," he explained. "I've been doing it long enough that I know, it's just a dog show."

Really? I'd already forgotten. Prior to the show, Cooper said that he will primp and prod Stella for around six hours, despite the four-and-a-half hours he spent grooming her in the Kansas City airport. The checklist also includes a bit of exercise, and perhaps a bite to eat.

The Spinone Italiano, a hunting dog that sort of resembles a beefy spaniel with a mustache and beard, has appeared in the Westminster show since 2001, but has yet to garner any prizes in its sporting category. The English Springer Spaniel holds the most number of wins — 15 — in the group. But last night, a Beagle took first in the Hound category — a first in Westminster history. So, tonight, watch and see: perhaps Stella's charm, confidence and ravishing looks won't go unnoticed.

You can watch streaming video from the event tonight on the Westminster site and cheer ol' Stella on as she faces off against 20 others of her own kind.

Posted by Amy Lieberman at February 12, 2008 12:32 PM | Comments (1)

 

Shark vs. Shark

Filed under: Animal Rights

Underwater Adventures (one of the spots Matt Snyders visited during his MoA foray) now has a YouTube page, and both of the videos are Jesse the giant shark munching on an unfortunate, smaller white-tipped shark.

This is the longer video. The second video is just 13 seconds and of lower quality, but is closer and more frightening.

[via MNSpeak]

Posted by Jeff Shaw at February 12, 2008 9:32 AM | Comments (0)

 

U of M to acquire eggs from cage-free poultry

Filed under: Animal Rights

Suffer the chickens that reside in cages. That's the philosophy now adopted by the dining services at the U of M. Last month they passed a resolution stating that the 2,800 pounds of liquid eggs the dining services purchase each week will now be from cage-free poultry. The change comes with the ringing endorsement of animal rights group the Compassionate Action of Animals who have campaigned for the cause for over a year.

"Compassionate Action for Animals is delighted that the University of Minnesota has taken the important step of withdrawing support for one of factory farming's worst cruelties—highly restrictive caging of hens," says Gil Schwartz, campaign coordinator for CAA. "This move, from one of the United States' largest universities, is sending a clear message to the egg industry: that battery eggs are simply too cruel for any socially responsible school to support."

Chickens farmed in battery cages typically spend a lifetime in a space smaller than a sheet of paper, which greatly prohibits movement. Though several local schools have already adopted cage-free policy, and many fast food chains (McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King) have adopted fowl-friendlier policies, the U will be the largest Minnesota school to go cage-free.

Though many agree that cage-free is more human, this doesn't mean that these chickens will be free-range. Though birds may never see actual sunlight, cage-free does guarantee that birds will reside on solid ground, have 3 times the amount of space as well as room to spread their wings.

Though cage-free eggs tend to be more costly (around 4 to 6 cents more per egg) students and faculty won't see a rise in meal prices—the U is "excited" about the change and plans to absorb the cost.

Posted by Jessica Armbruster at April 30, 2007 4:11 PM | Comments (0)