A Couple Whose Dog Died Battling Cancer is Now Battling Stafford County and a Criminal Charge

A Virginia couple whose dog died battling cancer is now battling Stafford County and a criminal charge.

For about eight years, Travis and Aaren Evans say Buxton, their Labrador Retriever, was a part of their family. He even served as a volunteer dress-up friend to their 5-year-old daughter.

Travis Evans, who purchased Buxton, is now facing an animal cruelty charge, a Class 1 misdemeanor, after he brought Buxton in to a county animal shelter to be put down.

“I can’t have a misdemeanor on my record and try to keep a career to support my family. They can destroy my family," Travis Evans, a local government employee, said.

The couple told WUSA9 their 8-year-old Labrador Retriever had been fighting cancer.

“He was actually a good dog, we never had any problems with him until he had cancer," Evans said.

A few months before July of this past summer, Aaren Evans said Buxton had a biopsy done on an amputated toe. That is how doctors discovered the cancer. Travis Evans told WUSA9 by the time they got the results back, Buxton had another growth on his paw.

On July 2nd, Travis Evans said Buxton suffered a seizure but appeared to bounce back, so they did not take him to an emergency appointment Aaren had made.

Days later, the two said the 8-year-old lab was visibly weak. They said he was collapsing and decided it was time for euthanization.

On a tight budget, they chose to take Buxton to the Stafford County Animal Shelter, where the service is done for free for county residents. They claim, twice, Travis Evans was told they did not need to bring any documentation of Buxton's medical history.

Travis Evans went alone and said when he got to the shelter, a county animal control officer claimed the dog was seizing and soon after accused Travis Evans with not getting Buxton emergency care.

Depriving any animal of necessary food, drink shelter or emergency veterinary treatment is considered “cruelty to animals” according to a Stafford County code. But the couple says the shelter never told them to go to an animal hospital first and claims a shelter staff member lied about this in court.

“I’m up at night thinking 'did we do something wrong' because, at the first trial, they’re making us out to be monsters," said Aaren Evans.

WUSA9 called Stafford County for a statement but was told their animal control offices are closed on Sundays. The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office is also closed for the holiday weekend.

The Evans' attorney, Jason Pelt, told WUSA9 over the phone, the couple already knew their dog was very ill and added, "the Stafford County courts completely overstepped their boundary."

“He had cancer. That’s what happens to dogs with cancer. That’s awful ... And for this to be happening to us afterwards is awful," said Aaren Evans.

The couple's attorney appealed a judge’s ruling. Travis Evans will now go before a jury for Buxton’s death on February 23.

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Dog Finds Missing Woman in Ditch, Alerts Owner

Suffolk, Virginia - What started out as a regular walk around the neighborhood, quickly turned into a rescue mission for Rebecca Burley and her dog Roxanne.

Burley, is a school teacher who spends much of her time off volunteering at the Isle of Wight Animal Shelter.

On Tuesday, Dec. 29, she was about to run out the door to go to the shelter, but her own rescued lab/hound mix, Roxanne, begged her for a walk.

"So we went out for a walk, right along our usual route around the neighborhood where we have been walking her since August," explained Burley.

However, there was something different about the walk this time. Burley says she noticed a heavy police presence in the area around Cambridge Drive.

"One of the officers pulled up and asked if we have seen someone walking around in a nightgown, and I said no, but assumed it was an elder person," remembered Burley.

Burley continued her walk with her dog. Within minutes, her dog drew her attention to a ditch off of Burbage Drive.

"She pulled me towards a ditch, and there was a woman laying down in a nightgown, it turns out she was in some kind of distress," said Burley.

Burley then alerted others in the area to Roxanne's find and paramedics were called.

Suffolk police tell us that the woman was transported to Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center by fire and rescue personnel.

Burley still does not know who the woman was or how she is doing, but says, if possible, she would like family members to update her through social media.

Roxanne, the rescued dog, was the rescuer that day. Burley says she hopes her dog's actions inspire others to give shelter dogs a chance.

For her good deed of the day, Roxanne was rewarded with an extra cookie at the end of the walk.

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Search and Rescue Dog Teams from the United States Deployed to Nepal

Making up part of the U.S. contingent that were deployed to Nepal on Sunday night were these six dogs and their handlers from the Search Dog Foundation from Ojai, California.

The dogs and their humans will assist in rescue and recovery efforts in that earthquake stricken country. The six teams from the SDF are part of that amazing organization’s canine-firefighter volunteers who have assisted in numerous international and national recovery efforts since their founding.

Established almost twenty years ago by Wilma Melville, a retired schoolteacher from New Jersey, who  with her Lab Murphy, in 1995 was one of the only 15 Advanced Certified teams in the entire U.S. who worked at the bombed Oklahoma City Federal Building. That experience gave Melville the “determination to find a better way to create highly skilled canine search teams,” so she established SDF the following year in 1996.

SDF is the only non-profit in the U.S. dedicated to finding and training rescued dogs and partnering them with firefighters. They recruit dogs from shelters and breed rescue groups, then provide the dogs with professional training, and match them with firefighters and other first responders who then go on to find people trapped in the wreckage following disasters.

They go to great lengths to find canines with the exceptional characteristics required in a search dog: intense drive, athleticism, energy and focus. The traits that can often make dogs unsuitable as family pets and land them in a shelter—intense energy and extreme drive—are exactly the qualities required in a search dog.

SDF offers these talented animals what they crave: a job! The dogs (primarily Labs, Golden Retrievers, Border Collies and mixes) are recruited from animal shelters and rescue groups throughout the Western states—some just hours away from being euthanized.

 A happy ending for all… as these dogs are transformed from rescued to rescuer. The teams are provided at no cost to fire departments or taxpayers, and with no government funding.  Do think of donating to this worthwhile organization so they can continue in their mission to help disaster victims.

Watch the video to see the teams walking up to their plane. We wish them, and the people of Nepal well.

These are the six handlers and their dogs from SDF who are assisting in recovery efforts in Nepal.

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David McCandless' New Book Knowledge is Beautiful, Ranks 87 Dog Breeds

This chart is from, from David McCandless' fascinating new book Knowledge is Beautiful, ranks 87 dog breeds and compares those rankings to the actual popularity of the breeds in the US.

The ranking is based on a number of factors: trainability, life expectancy, lifetime cost (including the price of food and grooming), and suitability for children, among others.

The result: Border Collies, according to McCandless, are the finest dog breed in existence. Labs, Beagles, and Golden Retrievers, while not at the very top, are other popular dogs (at the top right of the chart) that he rates highly.

On the other hand, the formula seems to penalize big dogs. German Shepherds, Great Danes, and Saint Bernards, all in the top left quadrant, are in McCandless' words, "inexplicably overrated." The formula also uncovers some overlooked breeds, at the bottom right, that should be more popular, like Border Terriers and Pointers.

Finally, on the bottom left, the chart shows the breeds that are unpopular and properly so: Old English Sheepdogs, Borzois, and Afghan Hounds.

To view larger image click here: Dog Chart

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Shelter Dogs 'in Love' Hope to Find Forever Home Together

This Valentine’s Day, two shelter dogs from Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge (RBARI) in Oakland, NJ, hope to find a forever home together. The dogs, Clover and Roscoe, have fallen in love and are inseparable.

Clover is a 6-year-old female Corgi-Lab mix rescued from a hoarding situation and Roscoe is 4-year-old male Basset hound who used to be an outside dog and is fearful of men.

To read more on this story, click here: Shelter Dogs 'in Love' Hope to Find Forever Home Together FOLLOW US!

Man Swims Through Icy Lake to Save His Beloved Dog

A man notices that his black lab has fallen through the ice in a lake. He breaks away the ice with his fist, as he swims to rescue his best friend. What would you do?



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Meet Buck-O, the First Dog to Have Cardiac Ablation on the Ventricle On His Heart - "Like" Him on Facebook, and Follow His Journey

Bakersfield, CA - After Scott Clare's wife passed away he taught himself how to love again, but this time with a four-legged companion.

"He makes me laugh and smile every day," said Scott about his dog Buck-O. "He's just a crack-up, he's lots of fun."

He adopted the now 14-month-old dog who is named after baseball player Buck O'Neil, a direct reflection of his love for baseball.

When Scott took Buck-O to get neutered the doctors noticed something was different with the puppy. He was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called tricuspid (heart) valve dysplasia and frequent ventricular arrhythmias. The irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) result in high heart rates that put Buck-O at risk for developing heart enlargement, decreased ability of the heart to contract, and possible sudden death.

"My choices were to spend a lot of money or hang on to him until he has a horrible death and I wasn't gonna do that," said Scott.

The only option was to take Buck-O to Cincinnati, Ohio where he could undergo ventricular ablation, a surgery that has never been done before at MedVet.

Scott and Buck-O made the 2,300-mile trek and made many friends along the way.

"I think they liked the story, the story of him being the first ever," said Scott, "and look at his face, he has a beautiful face."

Eight hours and more than $10,000 later, Buck-O made it through the surgery.

Buck-O is doing well so far and goes for weekly checkups to the vet to make sure his heart beat stays regular.

To read more on Buck-O's story click here: Dogs cross the U.S. for local vet

To follow Buck-O's progress you can 'Like' his Facebook page .

You can follow Buck-O's progress on his Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Heart-Buck-O/657745927628685?fref=nf, or at: Follow Buck-O

Buck-O checked into MedVet this morning at 8:00 AM. Here, he sports the latest in heart monitor fashions. This time the IV ports are in the right, hind leg.

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