The Chester County SPCA is investigating a horrific case of animal abuse.

Two German short-haired pointer mixes disappeared from a house in Pocopson Township over the weekend were found shot to death alongside railroad tracks a few miles away.

The bodies of Luna and Emma, who were young dogs, were placed tail-to-tail in Pennsbury Township.

"It’s such an anathema to anyone that feels guilty about not coming home to feed their animal at six o'clock dinner, let alone something like this happening,” says Rich Britton of the Chester County SPCA told Fox-29 news. Witnesses saw a red pick-up truck in the area.

A $500 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call the Chester County SPCA at 610-692-6113.
 

UPDATE: Michael Vick was indeed sacked in last night's Eagles win over the Washington Redskins -  three times in fact - and the homeless and unwanted dogs of the D.C. area will be eating well as a result. The original pledge of five bags of food per tackle made by Main Line Animal Rescue mushroomed into four tons, which will be delivered at noon today. The beneficiary, the Washington Humane Society, says they're doing fine on food, so they will share the bounty with 17 other shelters in the D.C. metropolitan area.

Humane Society spokeswoman Sabrina Fang says the food donation will allow struggling shelters to use their meal money for other vital expenses such as medical care.

Props also go to Braxton's pet store in Wayne and to Rachael Ray's Nutrish pet food which made large donations to the project.

A Philadelphia-area animal rescue group says it plans to make good on its "sacks for Vick" pledge regardless of whether Michael Vick gets tackled, or even plays in tonight's Eagles-Redskins match up.

Last month Main Line Animal Rescue of Chester Springs - which cares for many dog fighting victims and other abused and unwanted pit bulls - took out an ad in the Washington Post offering five bags of dog food to a D.C. shelter for every Vick tackle during the Oct. 26 road game.

The pledge caught the attention of media outlets and animal lovers across the country and Main Line was hit with a flood of donations. On Tuesday, Main Line volunteers will haul four tons of food to D.C. to give to the Washington Humane Society, which says it will share with other area animal rescue organizations.

Of the decision to change the terms of the deal, Main Line founder Bill Smith said, "considering how little Vick's being played, we couldn't wait for him to be tackled. So we thought we'd just go for it."

Three months ago a Lancaster County assistant district attorney called the action of a Chester County veterinarian who allegedly mutilated a puppy's tail "beyond cruel" and "reprehensible." 

Now Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman has - for reasons still unknown - agreed to reduce the animal cruelty charge against Tom Stevenson, of Twin Valley Veterinary Clinic in Honey Brook, and send the case back to lower court. 

"We remanded the case to lower court for disposition...and reduced the grading to a summary," said Stedman in an interview last week, declining to elaborate on the rationale behind the move.

"This was not done lightly and was not done in isolation," Stedman said of the move. "I was involved with the decision."

Stevenson's attorney did not return a call seeking comment.

The original first-degree misdemeanor cruelty charge - which carried with it a possible five-year jail term and $10,000 fine - has been reduced to a summary, with a maximum 90 days in prison and $750 fine, Stedman said.

There is no indication on the magisterial district judge docket sheet of when the case is to be heard. A pre-trial conference listed on the Lancaster Court of Common Pleas calendar for Dec. 15 was cancelled.

But some animal welfare advocates said they were dismayed that the district attorney would not aggressively prosecute an individual who they say has helped keep bad puppy mills in business. 

"It's a tragedy," said Bob Baker, an investigator with the ASPCA, who has spent almost 30 years documenting conditions in Pennsylvania's puppy mills. "Stevenson has been enabling the trade in puppy mill dogs and sick animals for years." 

Until his license was suspended as a result of the charges in July, Stevenson was for the primary veterinarian for some of the state's larges commercial kennels, responsible for the health care of thousands of dogs.

Stevenson's medical license was suspended in April pending the outcome of the trial. But his practice has remained open with other vets in attendance, including his wife, who recently renewed her license. Still, witnesses say they have observed Stevenson in the office performing procedures on animals.

A Department of State official said that the veterinary board cannot deny the spouse of a practitioner whose license is suspended their constitutional right to a license.

A hearing on the suspension order for Stevenson's license was postponed and has not been rescheduled, according to a spokeswoman for the department of state.

In July, District Judge Stuart Mylin ruled there was enough evidence against Stevenson stemming from a March incident at a Lancaster County kennel to stand trial on animal cruelty charges.

According to the criminal complaint, an agent with the Pennsylvania SPCA and Helen Smith of Main Line Animal Rescue in Chester Springs, said on March 10 they saw Stevenson amputate a puppy's tail without anesthesia while holding it under scalding water.

The PSPCA brought the charges against Stevenson but they have not responded to requests for comment.

Among Stevenson's lengthy list of clients was Joyce Stoltzfus, operator of CC Pets (formerly Puppy Love) in Peach Bottom, which until its closure by the state this year sold between 1,800 and 2,000 puppies a year.

Stoltzfus - who was the subject of the largest consumer fraud lawsuit involving pet sales in Pennsylvania history -  and Stevenson were named in a lawsuit filed by a New Jersey couple who bought a sick puppy from Stoltzfus. The puppy succumbed to a fatal disease shortly after they brought it home and Stevenson's initials were on the health certificate stating it had received all of its vaccinations and was fit for sale. 

That lawsuit was settled in July for an undisclosed amount.

Stevenson also certified the health of many dogs bred in Pennsylvania and sold in pet stores in New Jersey.

Stevenson also is the target of a action by the U.S. Justice Department for tax evasion. The agency asked the U.S. District Court to secure $489,418 in back taxes owed by Stevenson. The complaint says Stevenson failed to pay federal income taxes between 1994 and 1999 and that the agency was seeking to compel the sale of Stevenson's house in Elverson to pay the bill.
 

An unlicensed pet store in North Philadelphia was raided tonight and 28 dogs - many of them sick or injured - were seized from feces-covered cages.

Agents with the Pennsylvania SPCA raided Brickyard Pet Supply on Cecil B. Moore Ave. and arrested a man and a woman identified as the owners. The dogs, mostly pit bulls or pit bull mixes, selling for as much as $1,000, were very sick from being kept in filthy cages and some suffered from infected ears, the result of botched ear-cropping, agents said.

(Under new animal cruelty legislation signed by Gov. Rendell in August, only a veterinarian may crop a dog's ears.)

The Inquirer's Bob Moran has more.

Leigh Siegfried is an Associate member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and is a Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She conducts private behavior counseling sessions, group training classes in basic and advanced manners and agility, and a variety of workshops. Opportunity Barks classes are held in Philadelphia and Quakertown, PA. Visit www.opbarks.com for more info!

Diamond brand cat food recalled

The Federal Drug Administration has issued a voluntary recall of certain cat foods manufactured by Premium Edge Pet Foods under the Diamond Pet Foods brand name. The affected brands were found to contain an inadequate level of thiamine, which may cause clinical signs of thiamine deficiency in cats eating this food. Diamond Pet Foods has issued a voluntary recall on the following date codes of Premium Edge Finicky Adult cat food and Premium Edge Hairball cat food: RAF0501A22X 18 lb., RAF0501A2X 6 lb., RAH0501A22X 18 lb., RAH0501A2X 6 lb. The date of manufacture is May 28, 2009. All retail outlets shipped the above lots were contacted, asking them to pull the product from the store shelves. Consumers are asked to return the food to their retailer. Symptoms displayed by an affected cat will be neurological in nature. Symptoms may include wobbly walking or muscle weakness, paralysis of the hindlimbs, seizures, ventroflexion (bending towards the floor) of the neck, and abnormal eye movement called nystagmus. Any cats fed these date codes that display these symptoms should be immediately taken to a veterinarian. To contact Premium Edge Pet Foods, please call 800-977-8797 between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm central time, Monday through Friday.

Philadelphia's feline piano phenom wins national award

Nora, the piano-playing cat from Philadelphia who became an Internet star, will be honored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at its annual awards luncheon next week. The 5-year-old gray tabby was adopted from a shelter in Cherry Hill, N.J. and on Oct. 29 she will receive Cat of the Year honors at the ASPCA's annual luncheon in New York. Her owners posted videos of Nora playing the piano on YouTube and a star was born. Now Nora is being recognized as a great example of a shelter pet. Other recipients include 11-year-old Monica Plumb, who launched PetMask.com to help save pets in fires. Dog of the year: Archie, a black Lab service dog for Sgt. Clay Rankin, who suffered spinal injuries in Iraq. The Hingham (Mass.) Fire Department, who helped save a black Lab named Ollie who fell through thin ice. And a lifetime achievement award for Richard O'Barry, who trained dolphins for Flipper, has since rescued and released dolphins around the world and recently created a documentary helping to expose dolphin hunting in Japan.

Sponsor an oxygen mask for pets

Apparently Plumb isn't the only one concerned about pets in fires. BARK 10-4 is a new campaign that just launched to help fire departments nationwide get the much needed pet oxygen masks for every fire truck. During October, National Fire Safety Month, industry leaders and pet safety experts are teaming up with fire departments nationwide in a “Bark 10-4” campaign to raise awareness of the need for Pet Oxygen Masks. Every year, an estimated half million pets are affected by fires in the United States and over 40,000 pets die each year due to smoke inhalation. With the right equipment, police, fire and EMS rescuers can often save a pet's life. Pet Oxygen Masks are effective with dogs, cats and other companion animals, but only if they are on hand at the scene of an emergency. “Bark 10-4” was created with the goal of getting a mask for every fire truck by encouraging the public to sponsor the purchase of Pet Oxygen Masks for their local fire departments. Individual SurgiVet® masks cost $25; and a mask set, which includes a small, medium and large mask, is $65. Each sponsor can designate the specific fire department to receive the gift. For more information or sponsorship visit: www.Bark10-4.com.

Greyhounds on the move

The Philadelphia-based National Greyhound Adoption Program has relocated. Last week it moved 80 rescued (and adoptable) greyhounds from its old kennel facility in Bridesburg to its new state-of-the-art kennel in northeast Philadelphia. The rescue now has a 100,000 square foot kennel complex with spacious runs, comfy beds and even piped in music. A surgical and dental facility will open next year. The new kennel is located at 10901 Dutton Road. www.ngap.org.

Under the Capitol dome

Voters in Ohio may soon have the chance to register their feelings about dog auctions. A ballot initiative was recently certified this month allowing advocates to move forward with collecting the necessary 120,683 signatures to get the "Ohio Dog Auctions Act" on the ballot next year. Dog auctions, where sick and injured dogs have been sold for as little as $1, are banned in Pennsylvania. Earlier this month nearly 400 dogs from about a dozen Pennsylvania breeders were sold to the highest bidders on the Ohio auction block. For a report on conditions at that auction click here.

In Michigan, Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a landmark bill that will extend some protections to farm animals. A result of extensive negotiations between humane and agricultural groups, the law requires that certain farm animals - veal calves, breeding sows and laying hens - have enough room to stand up, lie down, turn around and extend their limbs, rather than being confined in tiny cages.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill which sought to impose a cap of 50 adult unsterilized breeding animals confined in any large-scale kennel. He also vetoed a bill that sought to bar felons convicted of animal abuse from owning animals. He did, however, sign a bill banning the practice of docking the tails of dairy cows.

In Harrisburg, members of the House Game and Fisheries Committee take up the issue of private ownership of exotic pets and wildlife today. The meeting comes a few weeks after an Allentown-area woman was mauled to death by a 350-pound captive pet bear as she cleaned its cage. Her husband's license to sell exotic wildlife had expired the previous year. It's unclear if any legislation is under consideration.

After Sunday's defeat at the hands of the Oakland Raiders, Inquirer sports columnist Bob Ford pulls no punches at what he says may well be the "Eagles' lie:" signing Michael Vick as a back up quarterback. He says if that was Vick's intended role he would have gotten far more playing time in Oakland.

Ford writes this about the costly off-field consequences of the Eagles bargain-basement deal for an ex-con:

The acquisition came at a cost that can't be measured on the salary cap. A large portion of the fan base was outraged about adding Vick to the roster, and the organization has had to cough up a lot of money in executing a public-relations campaign about reducing animal cruelty that was transparently cynical in its timing. If the organization really cares this much about puppies and kitties, why didn't it start the campaign some other year? Some coincidence.

To read more click here.

Michael Vick got a chilly reception from animal welfare advocates when the Eagles played in Oakland yesterday. It was Vick's first road game since his full reinstatement to the NFL last month.

He was greeted with protestors waving signs outside  - some saying "Vick We Have Not Forgotten" - and a chorus of boos inside the stadium. Above the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum stadium a plane flew overhead with a banner that read:" dog Fighter Go Home."

The group that sponsored the banner ad was Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls (BAD RAP) which has helped care for 10 of the canines connected with the dogfighting case that culminated with Vick spending 18 months in federal prison.

But Vick had his supporters too. One fan, wearing a Vick jersey, said of the protestors, "Sooner or later you're going to have to forgive the guy anyway. You may as well get it out of your system."

After the game, Vick told reporters: "I'm just trying to do the best I can. I want to help more animals than I hurt. I understand there are people who want to do that. I'm still trying to do whatever I can to be the best ambassador I can be. I'm trying to move on with my life."

Frodo, a shy black pit bull, is trying to move on with his life too. It's been rough road from Bad Newz Kennel to his forever home in the Bay Area. Frodo was seven months old and found chained, along with other puppies, to a submerged tire iron on Vick's Virginia property when it was raided in 2007. Kim Ramirez who adopted Frodo a few months ago, says he still bears the scars of an abusive puppyhood. He's timid around people and frightened by unusual sounds.

Ramirez doesn't buy Vick's public apologies. "Just because he's done the time for what he did, that doesn't mean everything's all right now," she told The Contra Costa Times. "The damage done to these dogs will last the rest of their lives."

To read more about Frodo click here.

Addendum to the article published today: To submit comments to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission regarding the proposed Canine Health Board regulation, email CHBComments@state.pa.us. To view the proposed regulations and to see the comments already submitted click here.

Tougher dog rules raise hackles of group that had input
By Amy Worden

Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG - In a last-minute effort to pass the state's dog law last year, lawmakers included the creation of an all-veterinarian health board to mollify the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association.

The PVMA, which represents 1,900 veterinarians, argued that the legislature was not qualified to set standards for commercial kennels.

In 2006, Gov. Rendell proposed toughening the state law governing about 2,000 licensed kennels after reports of mistreatment of animals and poor conditions at substandard kennels, or "puppy mills."

The bill, signed by Rendell last October, called for a nine-member Canine Health Board to draft broad regulations governing temperature, flooring, ventilation, and lighting to improve conditions for dogs in commercial kennels.

Those regulations require an extensive review by agencies and the legislature that could last up to two years.

The major provisions of the dog law, which bans cage stacking and wire flooring and requires larger cases, exercise, and semiannual veterinary care, went into effect last week.

But at a public review hearing held Friday by the Department of Agriculture, the scope of the proposed regulations generated surprising criticism from the PVMA, which has an appointee to the board and board members among its membership.

Robert Lavan, chairman of the PVMA's governmental and regulatory committee, said the regulations lacked "scientific basis" and go beyond "the limited scope of the board's authority."

Lavan also said they would increase costs for breeders and the price of puppies.

His testimony stunned one board member, who called it "completely uninformed."

"These are the most complete set of regulations for pet dogs ever written," said Karen Overall, a research associate in neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, appointed to the board by Rendell. "The PVMA's legislative committee has stepped over the line and turned into lobbyists for dog breeders."

Lavan said after the hearing that he did not oppose the board per se, but had issues with its administration and a lack of consultation with commercial kennel owners. He also said there was "dissent" among the board members.

Overall said that while there was some disagreement over certain aspects of the regulations, the differences had been worked out, and that the full document had won unanimous approval.

The regulations are based on model building design and mechanical standards and were drafted in consultation with experts, and a lawyer, to meet the requirements of Attorney General Tom Corbett, Overall said.

Each of the four legislative caucuses, the PVMA, and Penn's Veterinary Medical School appointed members of the board. Rendell appointed three members.

The Professional Dog Breeders Association, which uses the same lobbying firm as the PVMA, also opposed the regulations, calling them "excessive."

Several animal-welfare groups, including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; DogPac, a political action committee in Philadelphia; and United Against Puppy Mills, of Lancaster, testified in support of the regulations.

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Contact staff writer Amy Worden at 717-783-2584 or aworden@phillynews.com