Family returns home to find their walls and floors covered in blood after pet dog attacks intruder

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A Chesterfield family recently opened their door to find a scene from a horror film. There was blood covering the walls and floors of their home.

The family said there have been several break-ins recently in the Ashbrooke neighborhood where they live. The family came home Thursday night to find they too had been the victim of a break in. They say thanks to a family pet, the would-be robber got away with nothing. In fact, he was lucky to get away with his life.

To read more on this story, click here: Family returns home to find their walls and floors covered in blood after pet dog attacks intruder

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This Dog Was Suppose To Be Guarding The Sheep: He Had Other Ideas!

This dog’s owners could not stop laughing when they went to check in on him during his “work hours.” He was suppose to be guarding the sheep, but he had other ideas!

Many dogs perform important jobs. Some sniff out bombs while others guide the blind. Dogs are invaluable when it comes to many things humans depend on.

This dog takes his position very seriously. He is doing a great job when it comes to bonding with the staff. In fact, his bonding skills are so strong, his employee relationships have reached a whole new level. I think he would ACE those employee trust exercises “fur” sure!

This hilarious encounter takes place in Italy where herds of sheep are guarded by all types of dogs. Even this type!

                                               Click twice on the video below:

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Embrace Pet Insurance Compiled a List of Six Potential Tax Deductions for Pet Owners

Can pet owners claim their dog or cat on their taxes? The answer is yes — but only in specific instances.

Embrace Pet Insurance compiled a list of six potential tax deductions for pet owners — though some may have been affected by the tax overhaul.

ThinkAdvisor spoke with Leon LaBrecque, managing partner and CEO at LJPR Financial Advisors, about these potential pet deductions and which are still relevant under the new tax law.

LaBrecque is a certified public accountant as well as a certified financial planner. He’s on the board of directors for the Michigan Association of CPAs, where he is also the head of the special task force on the new tax law. LaBrecque is also a self-professed dog lover with three dogs of his own.

“As a pet lover, our pets are almost like having kids,” he told ThinkAdvisor. “So one of the weird things that happened [with the new tax law] is they kind of equalized the playing ground a little. We don’t get an exemption for our kids anymore and we don’t get an exemption for our pets either. I would say that they leveled the playing field between our four-legged children and our two-legged children — of which I have both.”

Though a pet cannot be claimed as a dependent on their owner’s U.S. taxes, the IRS does grant certain tax deductions for dogs and other pets. It should be noted that the deductions are specific, and many household pets do not meet the criteria set by the IRS.

Here is a list of six potential tax deductions (or changes under the new law) for pet owners.

1. Business animals

There may be deductions available for business animals if the animal lives at the trade or business.

For example, dogs that work as a security measure for a business can fall into the category of business animals. A cat “employed” for rodent control at a business may also qualify. These working dogs or cats often live at the business 24/7, instead of in the owner’s home.

“You have the Rottweiler guarding your shop or office; a guard dog is a guard dog,” LaBrecque said. “If you start taking the Rottweiler home, it becomes less apparent that it’s a guard dog but I might even suggest that you can deduct the food that you feed the dog at your office — because he’s guarding the office while you’re there.”

Owners of business animals may be able to deduct expenses like food, veterinary care, and training related to the animal’s job.

Business animal deductions could also include animals that generate income for their owners, such as performing animals. Performing animals appear in commercials, movies, television, print ads and other related industries.

2. Shipping household pets during a move

While it may be possible to deduct the cost of shipping a pet to a new home when filing 2017 taxes, LaBrecque says this is no more. Moving expenses have been eliminated under the new tax law.

“That’s gone,” he said. “No more moving expenses for anyone, including pets.”

3. Donations to pet-related charities

Adoption fees to a rescue organization or local shelter are not tax deductible, but donations made to a rescue or charitable organization for which no goods or services are received may be deductible.

“You can’t adopt a dog as a donation,” LaBrecque explained. “You can make a donation and adopt a dog as long as those are not related to each other. The adoption fees are not deductible. The donation to the pet-related charity clearly is deductible.”

This potential deduction — donations to pet-related charities — is the one that LaBrecque sees most often among his clients and friends.

“It’s well known amongst my clients and friend that I love dogs, so I tend to see a lot more towards the charitable giving side,” he said.

His firm also donates to animal charities.


4. Foster pets

Fostering a pet for a qualified charitable organization is deductible, according to LaBrecque.

“I live in the same city as the Leader Dogs for the Blind. If you adopt a foster pet or if you raise a Leader Dog, that is a charitable contribution to the extent that you have expenses related to it, including things like mileage,” LaBrecque explained. “If I’m taking care of a Leader Dog puppy … then clearly you can have a charitable deduction for that.”

Bankrate has also stated that “unreimbursed expenses for fostering a pet for an IRS-qualified 501(c)(3) adoption organization can be deducted.”

Deductions can include food, supplies, veterinary bills, and up to 14 cents per mile for trips made to further the shelter’s work, according to Bankrate.

5. Pet-related hobby expenses

According to Embrace Pet Insurance, pet parents who enter their pets in dog, cat or horse shows as a hobby may be able to make a deduction under hobby expenses if the pet owner received earnings from it.

However, LaBrecque says that this deductible is likely gone under the new law. According to LaBrecque, hobby losses would have been deductible as a miscellaneous itemized deduction, but he suggests this deduction was eliminated by the new law.

“I didn’t get a chance to dig in deep on the hobby loss [rule] related to pets but it appears that hobby losses — even to the extent of income — likely are not deductible,” he explained.

6. Service animal expenses

According to Embrace Pet Insurance, service dog expenses are tax deductible as noted in IRS Publication 502, and deductions are available for individuals requiring a guide dog for vision or hearing impairments.

These deductions may include expenses incurred when purchasing the animal as well as training fees or any veterinary expenses.

But LaBrecque makes an important distinction. He says that service dogs for a medical impairment are deductible as medical expenses, but two thresholds must be met.

“First, all medical expenses must exceed 7.5% (for 2018) of adjusted gross income to be included as an itemized deduction,” according to LaBrecque. “Second, total itemized deductions must exceed the standard deduction, which was significantly increased under the new law.”

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Criminal of Violent Crime Spree Breaks Into Home…And Meets Family's Dog

Atlanta, GA-  Police say Donte Wyatt left a violent path of destruction. He was on the run, hiding from police, when he ran into Wilson. That's where the crime spree ended.

Wilson, a blue blood bulldog, was protecting his owner when Wyatt broke into their home. But police tell 11Alive's Rebecca Lindstrom Wyatt's criminal history started long before that canine run-in.

In jail records, Donte Wyatt lists McDonough as his home city. Henry County Police know him well; he's been arrested nearly a dozen times for crimes ranging from trespassing, failure to pay child support, robbery, battery, and domestic violence.

Henry County police say Wyatt's recent crime spree started when he stabbed his wife in the parking lot of a Stockbridge Waffle House Monday morning. She had surgery and remains in stable condition.


Wyatt was on the run. Police say he made it up to Atlanta in a rental truck. That's where he broke into a home on Shadowridge Drive, killed the woman who lived there, and stole her car.

Police were able to track him to that home and were close to an arrest. Wyatt crashed the stolen car and took off on foot.

That's when he entered the wrong home: one guarded by Wilson.

Adra Wilson was upstairs when she heard Wyatt breaking into her home. She called 911, and police told her to keep still. They were on the way. Meanwhile, Wilson had things covered.

"He just basically acted as a deterrent, and kept the intruder from coming upstairs," said Adra's husband, Eric Wilson.

Police were able to rescue Adra while the suspect was in the basement. After a four-hour standoff, they lobbed tear gas into the house. The suspect came running into their arms -- and away from the Wilsons' bulldog.

"They say the dog bit him a couple of times, just kept him at bay," Eric said.

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Meet the Secret Service Dogs Who Took Down White House Fence Jumper

The Secret Service dogs that tussled with a White House fence jumper, including one dog that was violently kicked by the suspect, are recovering today, officials said.

The canines, named Hurricane and Jordan, were taken to a veterinarian after the attack and treated for minor bruising. Both were cleared to return to duty.

To read more on this story, click here: Meet the Secret Service Dogs Who Took Down White House Fence Jumper

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