LOS ANGELES (AP) — One hundred sheriff’s deputies and 400 part-time deputies were laid off. SWAT officers were ordered back to the streets. Narcotics and gang units were disbanded. Helicopters were grounded.
K-9 survived.

To absorb more than $30 million in losses, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department had to focus almost exclusively on answering 911 calls, but [...]

Read the entire post

By LINDA LOMBARDI
For The Associated Press

Dog agility competitions make great TV, with pooches racing around an obstacle course, jumping through hoops and dashing through tunnels. If you’ve seen it, though, your reaction probably wasn’t, “What about cats?”

But that’s exactly the thought that Kim Everett-Hirsch of Portland, Ore., had before launching her first cat agility competition [...]

Read the entire post

(ARA) – Whether city or country, bird watching is fun and you can create an environment for it in your own backyard in less time than you think.

John Robinson, chief ornithologist and manager of Scotts Birding Center of Excellence, says there are three components to making your backyard an oasis for feathered friends:
1. Vegetation provides [...]

Read the entire post

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year.  While this is an alarming statistic, most of these bites are preventable.

“Human behavior is a major factor in dog bites,” explains Dr. Mark Stickney Director of General Surgery Services at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary [...]

Read the entire post

By MELISSA KOSSLER DUTTON

For The Associated Press

When Maj. Randall Baucom received word that the Army was sending him to Iraq in 2006, he immediately began to worry about what he would do with his two mixed-breed dogs.

Buster and Little Girl, a 70-pound male and a 40-pound female, were about a year old and a bit [...]

Read the entire post