All the Missing Horses: What Happened to the Wild Horses Tom Davis Bought From the Gov’t?

Update, Oct. 26, 2015: Three years ago, we revealed that the federal government, which is supposed to protect wild horses, was instead selling them to an advocate of horse slaughter. It wasn't clear what happened to the horses after that. Now it is: a government report has found that 1,700 protected horses were killed.

The Bureau of Land Management faced a crisis this spring.

The agency protects and manages herds of wild horses that still roam the American West, rounding up thousands of them each year to keep populations stable.

But by March, government pens and pastures were nearly full. Efforts to find new storage space had fallen flat. So had most attempts to persuade members of the public to adopt horses. Without a way to relieve the pressure, the agency faced a gridlock that would invite lawsuits and potentially cause long-term damage to the range.

So the BLM did something it has done increasingly over the last few years. It turned to a little-known Colorado livestock hauler named Tom Davis who was willing to buy hundreds of horses at a time, sight unseen, for $10 a head.

The BLM has sold Davis at least 1,700 wild horses and burros since 2009, agency records show -- 70 percent of the animals purchased through its sale program.

Like all buyers, Davis signs contracts promising that animals bought from the program will not be slaughtered and insists he finds them good homes.

But Davis is a longtime advocate of horse slaughter. By his own account, he has ducked Colorado law to move animals across state lines and will not say where they end up. He continues to buy wild horses for slaughter from Indian reservations, which are not protected by the same laws. And since 2010, he has been seeking investors for a slaughterhouse of his own.

 "Hell, some of the finest meat you will ever eat is a fat yearling colt," he said. "What is wrong with taking all those BLM horses they got all fat and shiny and setting up a kill plant?"

Animal welfare advocates fear that horses bought by Davis are being sent to the killing floor.

To read more on this story, click here: All the Missing Horses: What Happened to the Wild Horses Tom Davis Bought From the Gov’t?

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Washington, DC - Looking to Add a Furry Member to Your Family? Adoption Fee Only $20.16 at the Washington Humane Society – December 19 - 24

Have you been thinking about adding a furry member to your family?

Open your heart and home to a furry friend this holiday season! From December 19-24, it's just $20.16 to adopt!!

Find our adoptable animals at www.washhumane.org/adopt ‪#‎AdoptDC ‪#‎AdoptWHS

*Standard adoption procedures apply

From the Author:

I know first hand that the Washington Humane Society has some of the most adorable animals available for adoption.

I took advantage of one of their events back in September 2013. I adopted my adorable Jonas, a Shih Tzu/Yorkie mix, at 9-months-old for only $21. Best $21… I have ever spent!

Get a head start and take a look at some on the animals available now….Available Animals 

If you are not looking for a cat or dog, they also have other small animals available for adoption.

Please share with family, friends and co-workers!

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Why You Should Not Scare Cats with Cucumbers: Startling Cats Can Cause Them to Injure Themselves or Become Chronically Stressed

There is a new viral craze that has hit the internet and apparently there are some people who think this is adorable. It’s nothing more than low-grade animal cruelty.  National Geographic reports that we should not be scaring our cats with cucumbers.

According to Upvoted, the first cat-scared-by-cucumber video appears to have been uploaded in May and went viral by July or so. Countless others followed, to the point where Reddit has an entire Cucumbers Scaring Cats community. The idea behind these videos is that if you put a cucumber behind a cat, it'll freak out when it sees it. But experts say that's bad for the cats, with some calling the videos "cruel" and "despicable," National Geographic reports.

"If you cause stress to an animal, that's probably not a good thing," animal behaviorist Jill Goldman tells National Geographic. "If you do it for laughs, it makes me question your humanity." She says startling cats can cause them to injure themselves or become chronically stressed. But why exactly are cats scared of cucumbers? Goldman says it's simply a natural reaction to seeing an object where they aren't used to seeing it. A number of animal experts tell Upvoted it could also be because cats associate the cucumbers with snakes, and their brains—like the brains of all mammals—are reportedly predisposed to fear snakes. Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Katherine Houpt says that's unlikely, as cats hunt snakes in the wild. Regardless, she agrees: Stop scaring your cats with cucumbers.

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Remember Precious, the Dog that Stood Guard Over Her Injured Owner During House Fire? She is Up for Adoption: Please Share Her Story

A loyal pit bull who stood guard over her injured owner is up for adoption after the family who took her in found they were unable to care for her.

The dog, Precious, guarded her unconscious owner after fire broke out at their Landover Hills, Maryland, home earlier this month. Precious stood guard over her even after fire crews arrived at the home — but she ended up at an animal shelter with her puppy, Molly, because of Prince George's County's ban on their breed.

The next day, Precious and Molly found a new home with their owner's sister, Megan Sanchez, who lives in Montgomery County.

"She just wanted to protect her mommy; that's all," Sanchez said about Precious. "And her house."

But Sanchez and her family soon found they were unable to care for Precious or her puppy. They were able to rehome Molly, but Precious was left without a family. That's when a friend contacted Jessica Stuby and her organization, Babes 4 Bullies, for help.

Stuby said Precious has been amazing companion since she began fostering her.

"She's doing great. She's actually at work with me. She's been a wonderful companion," Stuby said.

Precious suffered from smoke inhalation as a result of the fire and also had fleas. Stuby said she wants to give Precious time to recuperate and will focus on finding her a home in the new year.

On Dec. 2, Precious made headlines for her act of devotion. In fact, firefighters said they had trouble getting to her owner — who was hurt in the fire and lying unconscious on the front lawn — because the loyal dog was standing over her.

Firefighters tried to call Precious away, but she wouldn't budge and acted aggressively when they approached. They eventually deployed a powder fire extinguisher in her direction, causing Precious to run away and giving them time to get the woman onto a stretcher.

Stuby hopes Precious' story will help change the law that kept her from returning to her owner.

"I think the main important goal isn't to rehome, but that her story can change people's mind about the breed," Stuby said. "She's not just an amazing dog — this breed is an amazing breed."

For more information on Precious, contact Babes 4 Bullies at info@babes4bullies.com

You may be interested in reading:

A Dog Belonging to the Victim of a House Fire Stood Guard Over His Injured Owner: Fire Officials Say the Man is Expected to be Okay

Loyal Pit Bull Who Refused to Leave Unconscious Owner’s Side After Fire, Finds a New Home

Please Share!

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Mischievous Cat Escapes from Carrier and Roams Free in Cabin of Delta Air Lines Plane

A flight attendant was unable to hold back her fear when a mischievous cat escaped its carrier and roamed free in the cabin of a Delta Air Lines flight.

The amusing moment was captured by a passenger, who uploaded it onto YouTube yesterday with the caption: “Cat got loose on my Delta flight this morning. Flight attendant did not like cats, haha.”

The clip quickly went viral, attracting more than 30,000 views in less than 24 hours.

During the 83-second video, as the tortoiseshell cat approaches the flight attendant, she is heard telling the animal: “Sit right there, don't move.”

The cheeky cat fails to obey her orders, leading her to call someone to inform them that “there is a cat in the galley.”

Over the plane's tannoy system, she then says: “Whoever's cat this is please come and... wake them up if you see them with the cat carrier, I need them to come and get their pet.”

It is not known where the flight was traveling to and from, but the airlines does allow cats to travel in a number of ways - including as carry-on baggage, as checked baggage and shipped as cargo.

Delta Air Lines permit cats to travel alongside their owners in the cabin for a one-way fee, dependent on the destination.

However, the airline regulations insist the pet must remain inside a kennel with the door secured while in the boarding area, the Delta airport lounge and while on board the aircraft.

The Delta website adds: “We offer several options to get your pet to your destination, and we treat our four-legged friends with the same attention and courtesy our human passengers expect.”

Delta Airlines could not be immediately reached for comment.

A flight attendant was unable to hold back her fear when a mischievous cat escaped its carrier and roamed free in the cabin of a Delta Air Lines flight.

The amusing moment was captured by a passenger, who uploaded it onto YouTube yesterday.

The agitated flight attendant attempted to control the rogue cat by ordering it to 'sit right there, don't move' but the animal was not interested in obeying her orders.

A woman appears (left) to try to lure the cat back to its owner, who soon arrives with the pet's carrier.

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Woman Caught on Video Dragging Puppy on Leash…Defends Herself

Houston, Texas - The woman who was caught on video dragging her puppy on a leash in northwest Houston offered an apology for her actions Tuesday.

The woman was seen by a neighbor on Broadleaf Drive.

"I saw here pulling on something, yanking on something," said the neighbor who did not want to be identified.

Tuesday, ABC-13 was able to identify and speak with the woman in the video. Her name is Tara. She would not state her last name. Her seven-week-old pit bull puppy is named Cookie.

"She's (puppy) learning how to walk on a leash," said Tara. "I wasn't trying to you know like pull her and choke her. It's not like she was hanging, you know what I mean?"

At times in the video, you can see the puppy being flung into the air and thrust forward before falling on the concrete or grass.

"It got me upset, because I'm a pet owner myself," one neighbor said.

At one point, the woman was seen picking up the pup. She walked with it in her arms, and then after a car drove by, she threw the puppy into the grass and started yanking it again by the neck.

"She started to pee on me, and it like scared me at the same time," said Tara who admitted it wasn't the best time to leash train her dog. "Obviously she's too little right now. She did not want to do it. She's not ready to do it."

Tara offered to show us her home where Cookie lives. There was a small soft bed with a chew toy and a cage where Cookie sleeps at night. Eyewitness News was able to make contact with the puppy. Cookie seemed to be unharmed and OK.

In the meantime, the man who shot the video said he's filed a report with the Houston SPCA.

No charges have been filed against Tara.

If you missed the initial story, you can read it here: Woman Caught on Video Dragging Puppy on Leash

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Heartwarming Story: Watch The Moment Vet Learns He'll Gets His Dogs Back After Hospital Stay

It was a combination of luck and kindness that led to a joyous reunion between two dogs and the owner who'd been forced to give them up during a hospital stay.

The dogs' owner, whose name hasn't been identified, is a veteran who landed in the hospital in September after suffering a heart attack.

Bailey and Blaze had no one to take care of them. So the First State Animal Center and SPCA in Camden, Delaware, stepped in.

The situation was meant to be temporary. The shelter would care for the dogs, while the owner was incapacitated.

But after weeks had passed, the dogs were put up for adoption.

These are good-looking, young, friendly, well-trained dogs, who should easily have found a home. Their owner, upon getting out of the hospital, was so pleased to learn that they had been overlooked.

To read more on this story, click here: Heartwarming Story: Watch The Moment Vet Learns He'll Gets His Dogs Back After Hospital Stay

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Woman Caught on Video Dragging Puppy on Leash

A woman in northwest Houston could be in trouble after she was caught on video dragging her seven-week-old pit bull by a leash.

The video of the incident, which was taken by a neighbor in the Broadleaf Drive area, spread across the Internet this week. According to 9News, the dog was struggling to keep pace with the owner and the woman continued to yank the leash and lift the puppy into the air by its neck.

The neighbor who took the video told ABC13 he reached out to the woman because, as a dog owner himself, he was upset by what was happening.

"I stopped by her and I said, 'Hey, are you trying to kill that puppy?'" the neighbor said. The owner replied she was just trying to teach the dog how to walk on a leash.

While no charges have been filed against the owner, the neighbor said he has contacted the SPCA about the incident, according to ABC 13. The woman admitted the dog may be too little for leash training.

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