In the annals of Philadelphia-area animal cruelty, a six-week-old kitten that was stoned, doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire by a group of children in Chester on Saturday has died. The tabby kitten, dubbed Cuddles, was being cared for by the Delaware County SPCA, but succombed to its injuries yesterday. See the story by my Inquirer colleague and pictures here.

Across the state in Pittsburgh, a convicted cat abuser is back in jail. Linda Bruno, aka Lin Marie, who ran  Tiger Ranch cat "sanctuary," was supposed to be sentenced on animal cruelty charges today, but instead a judge ordered her back to jail after prosecutors presented evidence she was keeping cats, a violation of her bond. She also failed to undergo a psychiatric examination. In 2008, humane agents from the Pennsylvania SPCA who raided her property found hundreds of sick and dying cats, many suffering from highly contagious, but treatable diseases. Bruno took in thousands of stray and feral cats from as far away as Georgia, Indiana and New York.  Bruno pleaded guilty 14 counts of animal cruelty in July and faces up to two years in prison for each count in her guilty plea and fines of $12,000. She initially faced about 600 counts before the plea was entered. More from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette here.

In Allentown, a woman was killed by her pet bear while cleaning the animal’s cage at her home in the Poconos. The Morning Call of Allentown reports that Kelly Ann Walz, 37, of Ross Township in Monroe County, was mauled to death about 5 p.m. yesterday by the 350-pound bear that was being kept illegally. The woman kept the bear in a 15-by-15 foot steel and concrete cage, the newspaper says. The bear, which was about 9 years old, was shot and killed by a neighbor who heard the woman cries for help. The woman's husband is an exotic pet dealer operating on an expired license. They also kept a Siberian tiger, an African lion and other exotic animals.

On the court docket...the U.S. Supreme Court takes up the issue of animal "crush" videos and free speech tomorrow. In the case of U.S. v. Stevens, a federal court in Pittsburgh in 2005 found dogfighting video peddler Robert Stevens guilty after the U.S. Attorney's Office there applied a federal animal-cruelty law to dogfighting videos. The case arrived in the high court after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (based in Philadelphia) threw out Stevens' conviction, finding that a 1999 law banning animal cruelty that applied to dogfighting videos and other videos depicting horrific acts of animal cruelty - was an infringement of free speech rights. (Among the judges on the federal appellate court who joined in the majority ruling was Gov. Rendell's wife Marjorie O. Rendell.) More here.

Sad news for Ryerss Home for Aged Equines. The nation's oldest retirement farm for horses located in Pottstown lost a historic barn packed with hay last month. Fortunately, the two horses and pot-bellied pig housed inside the barn escaped without injury, but they will need housing for the winter. The retirement facility is accepting donations to help pay for the costs of rebuilding and to replace the hundreds of bales of hay stored inside.

Another horse welfare group in southeastern Pennsylvania is desperately seeking donations to cover the costs of medical care, shoeing and feed for five malnourished horses removed as part of an animal cruelty investigation. The Equine Protection Network of Friedensburg, Schuylkill County, says the horses - which are being held as evidence that prosecutors will use against their alleged abuser - were found living in filth, some of them emaciated and injured and need thousands in vet care. Their former owner, Paul Miller of Orwigsburg, is facing multiple counts of animal cruelty, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. Christine Berry, founder of the Equine Protection Network, said Miller has a history of neglecting animals and that five horses died in the last six years on his property. 

On the lighter side, my Inquirer colleague Sue Snyder has a report on "Dog Days," a program sweeping college campuses across Pennsylvania that helps quell homesickness among college students by letting them cuddle with a prof's pet. More here.

And a Pennsylvania dog park made a Top 10 list of best dog parks in the nation. The Website, Petside chose a park in Edinboro, PA (that's 400 miles northwest of Philadelphia near Erie). The parks that made the list scored highest on size, amenities and activities, hours and cost. In the words of Petside:
 

Jackson's Howlabaloo Park features 58 fenced acres of doggy fun. There are creeks and ponds for swimming in, dog sports areas, hiking trails, paw showers and provided poop bags. Petside also likes the weather shelters and that the park offers an area just for special-needs dogs. There is a membership fee (annual $269.00 + $50 for each additional dog), but monthly and daily passes are also available. Open until 8 p.m. in the summer, closes at 6 p.m. during the winter

Apparently Eagles fans can't wear their opinions about Michael Vick on their sleeve or anywhere else for that matter.

Here's the story from my Inquirer colleague Don McKee:

A fan from Delaware County said she was barred from Lincoln Financial Field before Sunday's Eagles game until she agreed to turn inside out a T-shirt critical of quarterback Michael Vick.

Kori Martin, 32, of Broomall, said she was wearing a T-shirt bearing the words "Losers fight pitbulls" on the front, with Vick's name and No. 7 crossed out. On the back, she said, were the words "You don't deserve a second chance."

Martin said she was stopped at the gate by security guards who said that she could not wear the shirt because it was offensive to players and that the policy came from top management.

After some discussion, she agreed to wear the shirt inside out and was allowed to enter the stadium.

Pamela Browner Crawley, the team's senior vice president of public affairs, said she knew of no specific policy banning such shirts.

Martin was unmollified.

"Not only has Jeffrey Lurie and the Eagles organization supported a dog murderer by signing this convict," she said, "but now they want to take away my freedom of speech just because I don't agree with them?"
 

What happens when a nurturing orangutan meets a homeless hound dog by a riverside in South Carolina?

Check out NatGeo TV story of a most unusual love story made possible by T.I.G.E.R.S wildlife conservation group. (Props to Terrierman for sharing this smile-inducing story)

State police seized five horses from a farm in Schuylkill County, where they were living in filth and starving, and charged the owner with animal cruelty.

Witnesses called police late last week after seeing the emaciated horses, some kept in a weed-filled pasture with no shelter, others were standing in trash and manure-filled stalls. The property owner, who has not yet been identified by police, reportedly had an unusually high number of horses die on his Orwigsburg farm in recent years, including the one shown here left to rot in the field. The Pottsville Republican Herald has more on the story.

The Equine Protection Network is caring for the horses - mostly paints and quarter horses and all of them young - and is in need of donations to offset the cost of their extensive medical care, board and feed. They will also be available for adoption soon. Donations are being accepted at Equine Protection Network, P.O. Box 232, Friedensburg, PA 17933.

Is a mass downsizing underway in Pennsylvania kennels?

Nearly 400 breeding dogs from Pennsylvania's largest commercial kennels are scheduled be shipped west to be auctioned in Ohio next week, in a move that animal welfare activists say is likely the result of tougher standards under the new state dog law.

Key provisions of new law (Act 119) take effect on the first anniversary of the signing of the legislation on Oct. 9, among them: larger cage sizes, restrictions on cage stacking, access to outdoor exercise and regular veterinary exams for breeding dogs.

The dogs, most of them Yorkshire Terriers, Poodles and Shih Tzus, from 12 licensed kennels are expected to be sold at the Buckeye Dog Auction on Oct. 7 in Farmerstown, according to Mary O'Connor-Shaver of Columbus Top Dogs.

Among the Lancaster County kennels which have listed dogs with the auction are: Glenwood Kennel in Ephrata, Gold Kennels and School Lane Kennel in Gap, R.E.Z Kennels and Conestoga Kennel in New Holland, James S. Zimmerman Kennel in Ephrata, Myer Kennels Inc. in Lititz, John S. Fisher Kennel and S & R Kennel in Gordonville, Nolt Kennel in East Earl.

Also listed selling dogs is Scarlet-Maple Kennel in Ronks. Its owner, Daniel Esh, had his kennel license revoked by the state after repeated unsatisfactory inspections.

A number of the other kennel operators selling dogs at auction have been convicted of violations of the state dog law which would make them ineligible for a waiver to extend construction time for the improved kennels. An attorney who represented commercial kennel operators in their unsuccessful federal lawsuit to stop the law from being implemented, predicted it could take hundreds of thousands of dollars to meet the new standards. But activists point out that breeders are part of a multi-million industry and should be able to handle the costs of compliance. 

Banned in Pennsylvania, dog auctions have taken off in Ohio's dog breeding capital, Holmes County, which is also home to one of the largest Amish populations in the country. Shaver and others - who have witnessed the mistreatment of dogs at auctions where some sickly animals sell for as little as $1 - are waging a ballot referendum initiative and advocating for legislative action to make dog auctions illegal in Ohio.

The video below, produced by the Humane Society of the United States, takes a close-up look at dog auctions.

A 19-year-old faces jail time for body-wrapping a cat in duct tape and tossing her over a North Philadelphia fence into a backyard where it lay for at least 12 hours. Humane agents arrested James Davis who confessed he wrapped the cat on impulse after it wandered into the yard of his home.

The female tabby cat, now affectionately known as Sticky, has been unwrapped and is in the care of the Pennsylvania SPCA where officials report people are pounding down the doors to adopt her [Note to potential adopters: there are plenty more needy, if not sticky, cats that would love a nice lap to curl up on at the PSPCA and other area shelters].

More on Sticky's saga from my colleague Peter Mucha here.

Michael Vick returned to the gridiron for his first regular season NFL game in almost two years today and the New York Times delivers its opinion in an editorial on the still-swirling controversy off the field, the rising number of dog fighting in Philadelphia and what the newspaper called Vick's unconvincing rehabilitation effort.

Meanwhile, anyone following the case of Sticky the duct-taped cat will be pleased to learn that the Pennsylvania SPCA has arrested a 19-year-old for wrapping the little tabby from head to paws and dumping her in a yard, according to local news reports. More details are expected to be released in the morning.

Investigators said they had never seen a case where an animal was completely encased in tape that they could not walk. PSPCA staff members were able to remove the tape and Sticky is doing well. She is not yet ready to be adopted, but the PSPCA is taking names of those interested in giving her a permanent - safe - home.

On a happier note, Francisvale, Chester County's hidden gem of an animal shelter turns 100 this year. Read the fascinating story behind the founding of the shelter and profiles of its dedicated staff and volunteers, by my colleague Art Carey here.

Contrary to Internet reports, the animals are a-ok at the Montgomery County SPCA. A panicked email cut a blazing path through cyberspace earlier this week, stirring up nationwide concern of an alleged mass euthanasia at the three shelters the SPCA runs in Montgomery County. Turns out it was Montgomery County, Texas. But the buzz did have a positive effect for animals in both locations. My colleague Peter Mucha reports.

Murdered over a mouse. Remember the touching scene in "Shawshank Redemption" when the elderly inmate frees his beloved pet rat on the eve of his release? A prisoner at Allenwood federal correctional facility in central Pennsylvania felt the same way about his mouse. Tommy Meeks spent eight months caring for his pet mouse, Amadeus - even building him an exercise wheel - only to find him crushed behind a mattress one day. He concluded his cellmate had committed the crime and bludgeoned him with a rock. For more read the story in the Patriot-News of Harrisburg. 

Looking for something to do tonight while supporting a good cause? Head on over to the Water Works Restaurant where they are throwing a fundraiser for the Pennsylvania SPCA's Second Chance program for homeless and abused pit bulls. The party is being held in honor of River, the feisty female pit bull who was swept over the falls on the Schuylkill right outside the restaurant and saved by officers with the Philadelphia Police Marine Unit. River has found her forever home with Derek Abram, a bartender at Waterworks who witnessed River's brave battle to survive the swirling waters by the dam. The amazing episode was captured by a Channel 6 Action News camera as was the happy uniting of Derek and River after dog was nursed back to health by the PSPCA staff. The event runs from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Water Works Restaurant at 640 Water Works Dr. There will be appetizers, wine, music and dessert. Donation is $25. RSVP at hrussel@pspca.org

Attorney General Tom Corbett and the Humane Society of the United States are hoping a little cash will help crack down on dog fighting in Pennsylvania.

Corbett and several animal welfare groups on Monday will announce a  program to reward tipsters up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone engaging in dog fighting or the fighting of other animals.

A Corbett spokesman said the effort is not specifically related to the arrival of Michael Vick in Philadelphia, but is part of HSUS's national anti-dog fighting campaign. Vick, who admitted to torturing dogs as part of a fighting ring, is working with HSUS as part of his rehabilitation.

The Pennsylvania SPCA says there has been a surge in the number of dog fighting cases in Philadelphia. Last year the Allegheny County District Attorney's office estimated there are as many as 8,000 dog fighting rings throughout Pennsylvania.

The press conference will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Corbett's Philadelphia office on Essington Ave. Also on hand will be dogs saved from fighting operations.