This Clever Judge Turns The Tables On Animal Abusers With A Dose Of Their Own Medicine

Those who love animals find it hard to imagine why anyone would ever inflict pain on our furry friends. A judge named Michael (Mike) Cicconetti from Ohio is the proud owner of a beautiful Bernese mountain dog and an overall animal enthusiast.

He is committed to helping end animal abuse and neglect in his community and has set about to combat the problem in an unexpected way. He uses his sentencing power as a judge to choose sentences that he hopes will help the abusers understand why their behavior is so harmful. His ultimate goal is to get these people to stop treating their pets in such heartless ways.

For example, one local woman got in trouble with the law for allowing her dog to live in a filthy environment. She ended up in Judge Mike's courtroom. So when it came time for him to hand down her sentence, he decided to allow her to have a brief glimpse into what the poor pooch's life had been like under her abuse and neglect. He sentenced the woman to have to spend eight straight hours sitting in a stench-filled dump.

To read more on this story, click here: This Clever Judge Turns The Tables On Animal Abusers With A Dose Of Their Own Medicine


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The Prison Pets Program at the Medium-Security Maryland Correctional Training Center Has Been Suspended After a Prison Worker and an Inmate Were Bitten by Dogs

Hagerstown, Maryland  — Maryland's prison agency said Wednesday it has suspended one facility's program allowing inmates to prepare rescued pets for adoption after a prison worker and an inmate were bitten by dogs in separate incidents in recent months.

The civilian worker required stitches for a bite in the face, and the inmate suffered a puncture wound to his hand, a spokesman said.

The suspension of the Prison Pets program at the medium-security Maryland Correctional Training Center near Hagerstown does not affect animal-centered programs at nine other Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services institutions, including two programs similar to Prison Pets, spokesman Robert Thomas said. Most of the other programs involve inmates training service dogs.

Thomas said the Prison Pets program was launched at the 180-bed prison with good intentions but without higher approval of any guidelines or agreements with the animal shelters that supplied the dogs and cats, which otherwise would have been euthanized.

"We think the program has merit. It needs to be implemented in the correct way," Thomas said. He said agency officials hope to make a decision about the program's future by the end of January.

The Herald-Mail first reported the suspension Tuesday. In an earlier story in July, Warden Phil Morgan told the newspaper that the program, then a year old, had had "a total calming effect" on the prison's inmate population.

Thomas told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the warden or his representative should have made sure the program was properly approved. He said the warden sent authorization paperwork to an assistant Division of Correction commissioner last fall, but the assistant commissioner retired in November, apparently without taking action on the proposal.

The program adopted out 100 dogs and 30 cats, Thomas said. He said he expects the 26 animals remaining in the program to be adopted by Jan. 8.

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Esther, a Severely Abused Puppy, Was Rehabilitated Through the Prison-Trained K-9 Companion Program: An Emotional Goodbye

Castaways is a documentary series chronicling the successful rehabilitation program of inmates that train unwanted dogs for re-introduction or adoption. The series highlights the plight that both prisoners and unwanted dogs face, and how an unlikely union between the two brings out a change in character of both man and beast — each trying to save and serve the other. The results are life-changing for the prisoner, the dog, and the future pet owner.

In the video below, you’ll meet a dog named Esther who was severely abused in a puppy mill before being rehabilitated through the Prison-trained K-9 Companion Program. It’s simply incredible to watch as Jason, a prison inmate, forms his bond with Esther, and eventually must say an emotional goodbye after successfully training her and helping her emerge from her shell.

We’ve seen the impact made when these two groups of societal outcasts meet. It’s truly heartwarming — because, while many people shun both inmates and “undesirable” breeds like pit bulls and rottweilers, this program gives them an opportunity to look to each other for affection, friendship, and understanding and to foster each other’s growth. This type of program should be employed in more prisons across the country.

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Pendelton Correctional Facility: Forever Home for 12 Stray Cats

Twelve cats from Anderson, Indiana’s Animal Protection League have now found their forever homes in an unlikely place, a correctional facility. The stray cats now have a place to stay and people to seek affection from in the Pendleton Correctional Facility.

An unfinished office at the correctional facility is now designed for cats. Litter boxes have been set up; scratch posts and walkways placed for all the dozen cats to enjoy. Instead of being confined to cages, these cats now found a perfect sanctuary with inmates to care for them.

Animal Protection League director Maleah Stringer said that placing the cats from her no-kill cat shelter into this new program will increase the chances of them getting adopted. “I’ve had offenders tell me when they got an animal, it was the first time they can remember they were allowing themselves to care about something, to love something. That’s a pretty powerful statement,” said Stinger in a WISH Channel 8 report.

The prisoners delegated with sanctuary tasks spend most of their day grooming, feeding and cleaning up after the felines. Human and feline relationship has worked out pretty well so far, according to prison spokeswoman Michelle Rains.

The prison already hosts a dog training program and putting up a cat sanctuary only proved to be a good idea. The new program helps cats interact with humans and other cats as they are allowed to roam free inside the office.

The program has taught inmates to learn more about responsibility as well. “This program means a lot. … It gives me something to look forward to each and every day. It gives me a reason to strive to do better than I did yesterday and to stay out of trouble,” said inmate Barry Matlock.

Matlock also shared his heart-warming message about the cats. "I deserve to be in prison; I committed a crime, but these animals, they live like we live in the cell houses in the cages and they don't deserve that."

The cat sanctuary program at the facility has garnered a lot of interest from inmates and those who wish to apply are carefully screened before being allowed to participate. This heartening story was also covered in the Herald Bulletin.




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Brazilian Drug Gang Were Pounced on by Police: Their Loyal Guard Dog Surrendered As Well

Dogs are truly loyal to their owners. It doesn’t matter if the pet owner is a law-abiding citizen or not, the pet will stand by his or her owner no matter what.

In Florianópolis, Brazil, police officers raided a home and apprehended a group of drug traffickers. When the arrest was made, a pet was found in the residence and when the four-legged friend saw his owners lying on the floor, he too surrendered himself and lay next to his owners.

One of the officers found the action of the canine endearing and snapped a photograph of the dog next to his owners. The officer posted the image on Twitter and the image went viral.

The dog’s name and breed are unknown, an even though we don’t know what happened to the dog after his owners were taken away, one thing is for sure, the pet was not arrested and thrown to jail.

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They Put Prison Inmates In Charge Of Caring For Shelter Dogs

An inspiring documentary titled Dogs on the Inside shares the journey of prison inmates and neglected and abused shelter dogs at a Massachusetts correctional facility. Together, they build trust and respect as they work towards a second chance at life. As their relationship deepens, the inmates discover parts of themselves that they thought were lost forever.



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A 17-Year-Old Boy Has Been Sentenced to 23 Years Behind Bars for Fatally Shooting a Retired Police Dog During a Burglary

A 17-year-old boy has been sentenced to 23 years behind bars for fatally shooting a retired police dog during a burglary.

Ivins Rosier was convicted in May for breaking into the Florida home of a trooper and shooting the officer's five-year-old German Shepherd two years ago. Drake, a former drug-sniffing dog, was euthanized five days later.

Rosier, who was 16 at the time of the incident but tried as an adult, was sentenced on Friday on charges of animal cruelty, armed burglary and shooting into an occupied building.

Convicted: Ivins Rosier, 17 (pictured left and right) was tried as an adult in the November 2012 burglary and shooting.

Victim: Retired police dog Drake, a five-year-old German Shepherd, died five days after being shot several times in November 2012.

Palm Beach Post reported Circuit Judge Robin Rosenberg said she handed Rosier a tough sentence as she was bound by sentencing guidelines.

According to police, Rosier was one of three teens who broke into Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Robert Boody's home on November 18, 2012.

Rosier, who had a history of run-ins with the police, is the first to be tried, according to Palm Beach Post.

Sun Sentinel reported that Rosier confessed to police he was the one who shot the dog.

During the two-day trial, patrol officer Boody cried as he told the court about returning home from work to find Drake, who he adopted in 2010, wounded.

Drake suffered broken limbs, bullet wounds in his head and jaw, massive blood loss and lethal damage to his esophagus.

"He was in obvious pain," Boody said, according to Sun Sentinel.

Convicted: Ivins Rosier, 17, pictured at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office courtroom in West Palm Beach on November 30, 2012, after being accused of breaking into a Florida trooper's home and shooting his police dog.

Days before Drake was euthanized, Rosier admitted to Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Detective Philip DiMola during questioning that he shot the dog.

The November 22, 2012, interrogation was recorded and played to Palm Beach County jury during its deliberations on Friday, according to Sun Sentinel.

"If you shoot that dog and he dies, that's murder of a law enforcement officer," DiMola pressed Rosier in the interrogation video.

Meanwhile, Rosier's attorneys, Jack Fleishman and Rachel Preefer, asked Judge Rosenberg to sentence the teen as a juvenile with a six-year prison terms.

However she said she didn't feel that was appropriate after the court heard Rosier had faced previous juvenile charges for grand theft, battery, lewd and lascivious molestation and false imprisonment.

During the November 2012 shooting, he was wearing an ankle monitor for a previous burglary charge which officers used to link him to the crime scene.

Rosier told Rosenberg he was misunderstood and blamed his problems on drug and alcohol addiction.

"The vicious ruthless person that I’ve been portrayed to be, that’s not who I am, that’s not who I’ll ever be," Rosier said.

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