It was, indeed, a lucky break for these animals - 12 dogs, a cat and a Burmese python – when their unfortunate plight was accidentally discovered.

Law enforcers went to 24514 Audubon Drive to arrest John Stansfield for theft and dealing in stolen property. In the course of performing their duty, they saw the pets in the house which was full of feces and urine. They were appalled by the animals' health and living conditions.

Weighing a mere 27 pounds and needing a diaper, Cookie is suffering the worst kind of withdrawal symptom as she settles in with her new Grand Rapids, Michigan family.

Animal activists have all the right to be optimistic about the future especially when it comes to animal testing. The National Institute of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency announced that they would launch a study on the use of robotic machinery to do toxicological studies at various levels of exposure instead of using live animals.

H&M, a Swedish clothing retailer is planning to source wool from sources other than Australia, after it discovered that some Australian sheep farmers continue the practice of mulesing. Mulesing is the process by which skin around the sheep's anal area is cut to reduce flystrike-an infestation of maggots.  

American celebutante Paris Hilton has reportedly turned her back on Prada as of the 13th of February 2008. At the end of January, the hotel heiress dropped her pet feline “Prada” off to a veterinary clinic and allegedly forgot all about it. The clinic promptly contacted and returned the animal to the Kris Kelly Foundation from which Paris adopted the cat, informing them of the mishap.

Santa Clara Board of Supervisors vetoed an anti-animal cruelty ordinance that would ban rodeos and circuses. The broad anti-animal cruelty ordinance would ban the use of devices that inflicts some form of pain on wild, exotic and rodeo animals.

The North Carolina Board of Agriculture voted for the continued use of the gas chamber, along with lethal injection, as a means of euthanasia in animal shelters.

New York Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez is at the losing end of a publicity war after a video of his cockfighting was posted on YouTube.

 

An aluminum arrow shaft moored like an anchor was found in the chest of a two-year old Labrador owned by a Michigan couple. The arrow almost smashed the heart of the Labrador when it attached itself to the dog's chest until its better-late-than-never discovery.

WOODLAND PARK, Seattle: When you want to spend some quality time with mother nature, where do you go? To the zoo. When you want to acquaint yourself with members of the animal kingdom, where do you go? Still, to the the zoo. When you want to see where horse meat goes to, where do you go?

Erm.. to the zoo.