The following are some of the recent cases investigated by the Pennsylvania SPCA. Headquartered at 350 E. Erie Avenue in Philadelphia, the PSPCA operates five branches throughout the state. For more information, call 215-426-6300 or visit www.pspca.org. To report animal cruelty call 1-866-601-SPCA.

Reedland St., 6500 block, Sept. 15. A PSPCA humane law enforcement officer responded to a complaint about two pit bulls at the property that appeared to be starving at the property. The officer found the two dogs, both of which were emaciated and flea infested, living in unsanitary conditions in the basement with urine and feces present on the floor and no food or water available. During the investigation, the officer was attacked by the dogs. Police responded and the officer was taken by ambulance to the hospital at the University of Pennsylvania where she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released the same day. The dogs were transported to the PSPCA for evaluation.

Cambridge St., 2800 block, Sept. 10. Humane law enforcement officers responded to a neighbor’s complaint that the owner a the home had died, leaving 20 cats with no one to care for them. The daughter of the deceased property owner said that she had been taking care of the cats and bringing them food, but did admit that the home was in poor condition. She agreed to surrender the cats to the PSPCA. Officers removed 20 cats that appeared to be feral from the home, which had a strong odor of feces and urine. The cats were signed over and taken to the PSPCA for evaluation.

Haldeman Ave., 9900 block, Sept. 9. Humane law enforcement officers and medical staff responded to a neighbor’s concerns that two dogs had been abandoned by an owner who had moved out approximately a week earlier. The neighbor could see one of the dogs running around, but the other dog appeared to be dead. Officers on the scene found a 1-2-year-old Maltese dead on the living room floor and a Yorkshire terrier, about the same age, living among piles of clothes, trash and feces. There was no food or water available. Both dogs were removed from the home and the Yorkshire terrier was brought to the PSPCA for evaluation. The PSPCA is currently looking for the owner.

Ogontz Ave., 7300 block, Aug. 31. Five adult pit bulls and two pit bull puppies were discovered when Philadelphia Police responded to a shooting at the above location. None of the dogs had access to water. The puppies, who were between three and six months old, were in a pen that did not provide adequate shelter and the adult dogs, which appeared thin, were tethered separate from each other with heavy chains. The shooting suspect who resides at the home had not been apprehended by police. By the time humane law enforcement officers were able to return to the property with a search warrant, three of the adult dogs had been removed from the property. The officers removed the remaining two adult dogs and two puppies from the scene and brought them to the PSPCA for evaluation.

It's a scramble every day for the 14 humane officers of the Pennsylania SPCA to keep up with the sheer volume of dogfighting complaints in Philadelphia.

My Inquirer colleague Troy Graham reports today that the PSPCA is logging 1,000 animal cruelty calls a month, an increasing number of them relate to dogfighting. Graham looks at the intersection of dog fighting, gun trafficking and drug dealing, the role of Michael Vick in raising awareness and the difficulties for prosecutors, who say state law may be tough, but judges often impose only light penalties on offenders.

In New Jersey, a police officer and her husband have been charged with cruelty in the death of a bomb sniffing dog. Agents with the New Jersey SPCA say Mt. Holly officer Kara McIntosh left the five-year-old Golden Retriever, Patton, in her Ford Explorer in mid-July for at least two hours and it died of heat stroke. McIntosh says she left the car running and the air on and that her husband Robert was supposed to pick up the vehicle and the dog.

More from my Inquirer colleague Matthew Spolar here.

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!

UPDATE - According to media reports the breeder of the Gosselin's 15-month-old dogs is taking them back "indefinitely." Jeff Christopher told RadarOnline: "I've been asked to take care of them before, and now while all of this is happening to them they've asked me to take care of them again. I have a farm house that they love, plus a lot of their brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles live here."  The location of Christopher's kennel was not identified.

In the breakup heard round the country, one thing's for sure: there will be no custody battle over the dogs.

Count Shoka and Nala as two more victims of Jon and Kate's nasty and highly-publicized split. The two German Shepherd puppies shown above - once considered beloved members of the family - are being trucked back to their breeder after neither Gosselin wanted them.

Kate could not handle the dogs and Jon couldn't accommodate them in his New York City apartment, according to the Website RadarOnline.com.

Remember Jon got into hot water a few months ago for his comments in People magazine about his kids beating up the dogs, climbing on them and dragging them around. That led to an outcry that brought a humane agent at their door.

Jon was later cleared of any animal cruelty allegations.

In a statement at the time he said: We understand the responsibilities of being good dog owners. Shoka and Nala are loyal companions who we consider members of our family. We would never do anything to hurt them, and treat them with the respect and love that they deserve.

It was clear that the dogs were an afterthought around the Gosselin's Berks County manse. Internet chatrooms were buzzing as far back as June about the dogs, now close to a year old, being stuffed in an undersized crate together and comments Kate made on air about the dogs appearance at a picnic being "gross."

But it's unclear what kind of fate will befall Shoka and Nala now. The breeder has not been identified so it's unknown if the dogs came from a licensed kennel in Pennsylvania or what the conditions were like at the kennel.

Commercial kennel operators in a recent unsuccessful federal lawsuit against the Commonwealth said that puppies over the age of 17 weeks were "worthless." Animal welfare advocates are now hoping the Gosselin dogs' breeder has a more humane outlook about the worth of man's best friend. 

Eagles quarterback and convicted dog fighter Michael Vick has a "sociopathic adjustment to life" and is unlikely to ever to be capable of empathy.

That's what T.V. psychologist  Dr. Phil said today in Philadelphia during a show taped in front of a live audience in Independence Park.

My Inquirer colleague David Hiltbrand reports that Dr. Phil termed "the biggest story in this town right now" the Eagles' hiring of Michael Vick.

Dr. Phil convened a panel that included Gov. Rendell, CBS3 sports anchor Beasley Reece and DogPac founder Tom Hickey Sr. to debate the topic.

The mostly white audience booed when J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the Philadelphia branch of the NAACP, suggested from the stage that the censure of Vick is a racial issue.

The debate on Dr. Phil's show comes a week after Vick made his first appearance at a charter school in Philadelphia as part of an arrangement with the Humane Society of the United States. The group has enlisted Vick to speak to young people in inner city communities as part of its national anti-dog fighting campaign.

The show airs today at 5 p.m. in Philadelphia on KYW.

UPDATE: A reader questions the nature of the charges against Philadelphia kennel owner Wendy Willard. She was issued 11 citations for lack of veterinary care and 11 citations for unsanitary conditions. These charges fall under the state's animal cruelty law.

The Michael Vick animal cruelty awareness campaign is growing. It started with Main Line Animal Rescue pledging five bags of food to a Washington D.C. animal shelter every time quarterback Vick is sacked at the Eagles first away game on Oct. 26. Then National Greyhound Adoption Program upped the ante, offering to donate ten cases of treats to a Philadelphia shelter every time Vick is sacked at home or away games. Now Sports Blitz stores say they will donate 10 percent of the proceeds on the Second Sunday of every month during the NFL season to the Pennsylvania SPCA and their Second Chance Dog Program for abused or neglected pit bulls. Its stores, in Easton and Whitehall, will also have Second Chance Dogs available at each store on these Sundays. The next event is Oct. 11.

After two years of debate, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation that effectively bans the use of carbon monoxide gas chambers in shelters and other facilites. The law also bans the use of make-shift gas chambers using engine exhaust so puppy mills will no longer be able to use the devices to kill dogs inhumanely, reports the Humane Society of the United States. Pennsylvania still allows the use of gas chambers in shelters. A bill introduced by Sen. Sean Logan banning the practice under consideration by the Senate Agriculture Committee.

In California, animal welfare advocates are urging Gov. Schwarzenegger to sign a bill banning tail docking on dairy cows. The state legislature recently approved the measure which halts the partial amputation of up to two-thirds of a dairy cow’s tail, a procedure typically performed without anesthetic. With the tails docked on perhaps as many as 15 percent of the 1.8 million cows raised for milk on 2,200 farms in California. The procedure already is banned in Europe and is opposed by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Schwarzenegger, however, has repeatedly mocked the bill as trivial in the face of the state's massive budget deficit.
Also awaiting Schwarzenegger's signature is "The Responsible Breeder Act of 2009" which imposes a limit of 50 on the number of unsterilized dogs and cats an individual or business can have for the purposes of breeding for the pet market. It does not include puppies or kittens. The American Kennel Club opposes the bill. Other bills would double the penalites for anyone caught watching a dog fight and prevent those convicted of certain animal-abuse crimes from owning or carnig for other animals.

Crime and punishment

A Philadelphia judge yesterday set a trial date of Jan. 12 for a city woman charged with animal cruelty and other charges. In August Wendy Willard, owner of Murder Hollow Bassets in Roxborough, was charged with failing to provide vet care and for poor sanitation. The Pennsylvania SPCA raided the kennel in July, after warning Willard to clean up the property. They found 23 dogs on the property, many infested with parasites and covered in feces. Agents removed 11 dogs because Willard was in violation of the city's 12 dog limit. The National Animal Interest Alliance, an animal owners' rights group, is taking a collection for Willard's defense.

A Lititz man pleaded guilty late last month to animal cruelty and other charges stemming from a 2008, incident in which more than 100 turtles and tortoises — suffering from starvation and neglect — were removed from his home, according to the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal. Paul Russell Cooper had been charged by the Humane League of Lancaster County with eight counts of animal cruelty and by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission for having illegal turtles in his possession. Cruelty agents said the vast majority of the turtles were underfed and living in unsanitary conditions, some of them in containers with dead turtles. Humane League officials will determine which will be placed for adoption and which will be transferred to other rescue organizations.

Four defendants in Missouri pleaded guilty yesterday to federal dog fighting charges stemming from the largest dog fighting raid in U.S. history. The Humane Society of Missouri, and federal and state agencies, assisted by the ASPCA and HSUS, conducted the raid on July 8, which resulted in the rescue of over 400 dogs and the arrests of 26 people accused of organizing dog fighting rings. Arrests were made in eight states, including Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska, and Mississippi.

Alley Cat Allies, the national advocate for stray and feral cats, has some tips for anyone considering a Trap Neuter and Return program in their community. The goal of TNR is to reduce cat populations by humanely trapping them, spaying or neutering them and returning them to the area where they were caught. Providing, of course that someone will be responsible for feeding them and making sure they have shelter in cold weather. Among the tips: withhold food for 24 hours before trapping, make veterinary appointments ahead of time, practice using the traps before setting them. More detailed instructions, including on setting traps, can be found here.

Central Pennsylvania's biggest pet event takes place this Sunday at Riverfront Park in Harrisburg. The 5th annual "Woofstock," sponsored by the Central Pennsylvania Animal Alliance, runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be low cost vaccine and microchipping clinics, agility demonstrations, costume contests and music. Celebrity trainer Victoria Stilwell, from the Animal Planet series "It's Me or the Dog" will be on hand to take questions at 1 p.m. Also appearing is Rescue Ink, New York's "toughest" animal rescue group, which launches its new series "Rescue Ink Unleashed" this fall on the National Geographic Channel. For more info check out CPAA's Website.

Gov. Rendell takes on a few meaty topics with TV's Dr. Phil tomorrow.

The talk show guru takes his show at Independence National Historical Park and invites Rendell and other prominent Philadelphians to tackle two controversial subjects: the Eagles signing of Michael Vick and the Great South Philly Cheesesteak wars.

Joining Rendell are folks on both sides of the Vick issue: NAACP chief J. Whyatt Mondesire, Tom Hickey, Sr., founder of DogPac, a Pennsylvania animal-rights group; Doris Lin, attorney and member of Animal Protection League; NOW 97.5's Joey Fortman; and Warren Eckstein of the syndicated radio program "The Pet Show." In a promo Dr. Phil tells us we'll learn his opinion on the matter too. (Tune in at 5 on CBS) 

Guest Tom Hickey, who also serves on Rendell's Dog Law Advisory Board, hopes to use the occasion to highlight the innocent victims of dog fighting who, if they are not killed in the ring, often end up in shelters as evidence in criminal cases, only to be euthanized when they are deemed too traumatized to be adopted. [See the excellent piece today by my Daily News colleague Dave Davies on Michael Vick's role shedding light on dog fighting in Philadelphia and beyond here]

Hickey said he wants to build - with the Eagles help - a sanctuary for dogs seized in fighting cases, as well as those rescued from the state's puppy mills. He said such a facility would allow adoptable dogs to be cared for and rehabilitated and provide permanent sanctuary for those who can't.

Meanwhile on the cheesesteak front, the Daily News reports dueling cheesesteak purveyors, Joey Vento, of Geno's Steaks, and Frank Olivieri, Jr. of Pat's Steaks are expected to taste each other's steaks on the show as part of Dr. Phil's mediation effort. McGraw did taste tests from each of the South Philly shops last weekend. [In an ironic twist, Dr. Phil also is advertising a Philly fitness campaign segment on the same show with a run up the famed Rocky steps at the Art Museum.]

Rendell - the state's force behind the new dog law governing commercial kennels, PA's Number 1 sports fan and cheesesteak lover-in-chief - will no doubt have plenty to say on both subjects.

The House lawmaker who sponsored Pennsylvania's new dog law said today he was outraged to learn that a commercial kennel would receive state funding to expand its operations.

Last week Gov. Rendell announced the Commonwealth Financing Authority approved $18.4 million for 31 renewable energy projects around the state that he said would help create jobs and conserve energy. Among them is a $30,819 loan to help TLC Kennels in Lancaster County expand its operations.

"This industry has been the scourge of Pennsylvania for decades," said Rep. James Casorio (D., Westmoreland). "Last year, we passed a sweeping new law to protect the animals trapped in these commercial kennels, and now we're giving these facilities state money to expand even more? And at a time when critical services and programs for children, seniors and other people are being cut or eliminated altogether?

"Whatever kind of guidelines are in place that allow commercial dog kennels to apply for and obtain state financing need to be re-examined."

TLC Kennels in Elizabethtown, owned by James and Shirley Hershey, will receive the low interest loan to install a geothermal system as part of a kennel expansion,  according to the state's press release. The kennel is licensed by the state and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which allows it to sell to pet stores, dozens of them in New Jersey, according to New Jersey Consumers Against Pet Shop Abuse.

The kennel, had 220 dogs on its premises and sold 493 dogs in the last year, according to its most recent inspection report in June. Shirley Hershey pleaded guilty in 2007 to charges of failing to have a dog vaccinated against rabies. Last year the kennel was issued a warning about record keeping and repairs to wire cage flooring where the vinyl had worn off. [Wire flooring is illegal under the new dog law which goes into effect on Oct. 9]

The kennel's Website lists ten different breeds of puppies and has a page for "older reduced puppies."

"These factory-type breeding operations are inhumane by definition," Casorio said. "They are the kind of operation that leads to incredible suffering for the dogs that are sentenced to spend their entire lives breeding in them, and for the hundreds of puppies each year they produce that end up unwanted or in abusive situations. Pennsylvanians looking for pets should be avoiding these puppy mills, and the state certainly should not be financing them."

Casorio said he found it ironic that the loan for the kennel was announced on the same weekend that a federal judge upheld key parts of Pennsylvania's new dog law.

"Unfortunately, the good news for kennel dogs that Friday's federal court decision brought was tempered by the news that the state government that is supposed to be protecting kennel dogs is in fact willing to finance the breeders that are the problem," Casorio said.

Residents of one Lancaster County community with a high concentration of commercial kennels are raising a stink about dog waste.

It's not the first time anyone has brought up the issue of kennel dog waste - which has a high probability of contamination from worms and pathogens - polluting the state's waterways.

In fact, questions were raised on at least two occasions a year ago, first when syringes and needles were found in a compost pile at Limestone Kennel in Chester County and a month later when a Berks County kennel owner shot his 80 dogs and told dog wardens he threw their bodies on the compost pile. Department of Environmental Protection officials shrugged off the issue at the time, saying it was legal to put dead animals in compost. 

But with estimates that a single 150-dog kennel can produce at least 27,000 pounds of waste a year, residents in Providence Township are banding together to lobby state officials to take the issue seriously.

Reporter Jon Rutter of the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal explores Providence Against Cruel Kennels' (PACK) effort to clean up its neighborhood here.