A Police Dog from Alabama Died After His Handler Accidentally Left Him in a Patrol Car on a Hot Day

A police dog from Alabama died after his handler accidentally Left him in a patrol car on a hot day when temperatures reached up to 87F.

Mason, three, was left in the backseat of Corporal Josh Coleman's car on Thursday during a hurricane preparation conference in Gulf Shores.

The Gulf Shores Police Department Facebook page shared a photograph of Mason inside the conference center prior to his untimely death.

Temperatures in the area on Thursday were an average of 84F with a high of 87F, according to Weather Underground.

Mason served as the community relations dog for Gulf Shores Police. The department shared a pictured of Mason on its Facebook page just hours before Mason was locked inside the sweltering police vehicle.

"We are at the City of Gulf Shores - Municipal Government Hurricane 
Preparedness Expo! We will be here until 2:00 p.m. Swing by and register for a free coffee mug and say HI to Officer Mason!" the Facebook post said.

Fox reports Mason served as the Community Relations dog for Gulf Shores Police and that the department recently celebrated the pooch’s third birthday on June 9.

Police say because Mason wasn't an enforcement k-9, Coleman's car wasn't equipped with heat alarms, water bowls and other protective measures that would exist in a K-9 handler's vehicle.

When Coleman found Mason in the car, he was in dire shape and seriously dehydrated. Coleman rushed Mason to a vet and the dog was later transferred to an advanced animal facility in Pensacola.

The beloved dog died on Friday at around 11:00 p.m. despite showing some minor improvements that morning.

No criminal charges are being filed but the city and the department are enforcing 'sanctions' against Coleman.

This situation has been devastating for Cpl. Coleman and his family and we hope that they are able to work through their understandable emotions.

"This is a tragic occurrence that has left the entire organization mourning a terrible loss.

It also illustrates how easy it is to become distracted, and how quickly heat can affect those that we love that are particularly vulnerable to it

Please keep this in mind when transporting children, pets, or the elderly," said the police department in a statement.

Mason was a popular dog with the police department and they often posted photos of him to their Facebook page carrying out ‘canine police duties.’

In April they posted a photo of Mason with the department Telecommunicator Natalie Wilson.

"Officer Mason presented Natalie with a certificate to recognize her dedicated service to the community and support of GSPD operations in the field. Please join us in thanking Natalie for a job well done!," said the post from April 17.

Mason worked with the Department since last November as a public relations dog and a therapy dog for victims of crime. 

Sadly this is not the first time this year that a police officer has left a dog to die in a hot car. In May, two police dogs died after their handler apparently left them in his vehicle for hours as temperatures reached as high as 86F (30C).

Hialeah police officer Nelson Enriquez drove to his Davie, Florida, home early on Wednesday following his midnight shift and left the dogs inside his marked police car in his driveway.

He found Jimmy, a seven-year-old bloodhound, and Hector, a four-year-old Belgian Malinois, dead inside the vehicle around 7:00 p.m.

In a further tragic twist, Jimmy was donated to the police department by the father of a nine-year-old murder victim to assist with missing children investigations, according to a 2009 NBC Miami report.

The bloodhound, who was five months old at the time, was donated by Don Ryce whose son, Jimmy, was abducted a block from his home, raped and then murdered in 1995.

The child's killer, Juan Carlos Chavez, was sentenced to death for the murder.

Left in a hot car: Mason, 3, died last Friday after being left in the backseat of Corporal Josh Coleman's car on Thursday during a hurricane preparation conference in Gulf Shores.

Earlier that day: The Gulf Shores Police Department Facebook page shared a photograph of Mason inside the conference center just hours before he was left to cook in the heat.

Birthday dog: Mason served as the Community Relations dog for the Gulf Shores Police Department who celebrated the pooch’s third birthday on June 9.

Public relations: In April the department posted a photo of Mason congratulating the department telecommunicator Natalie Wilson on her achievements.

Holiday time: Mason was present as the police department helped out with a holiday teddy bear drive.

Part of the police family: Mason worked with the department since November as a public relations dog and a therapy dog for victims of crime.

The beloved department dog died on Friday at around 11pm despite showing some minor improvements that morning

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Heartbreaking Story: Man Returns Home from Work, Finds a Note on His Doorstep: “My Dog is in Your Backyard, I Cannot Afford Her”

When Houston resident Quincy Bui returned home from work one day, he found a note on his doorstep. The note read: “My dog is in your backyard. I cannot afford her. My husband beats her and I can't let her live with us. I love her too much. Her name is Ruben-May. Thank you."

According to KHOU News, when Bui checked his backyard, he found the abandoned dog, who was suffering from a skin condition and appeared to have been abused. Bui checked his security footage and saw the whole incident unfold on camera.

The footage shows a pickup truck parking outside of Bui’s Houston home and a man getting out with the dog under his arm. The man walks up to the front door and around to the back yard, where he leaves the dog. He then drives away.

“It’s just one of those crazy things,” Bui told reporters. “I don’t know what type of person would do this.”

Bui called animal control and Ruben May was taken to a local shelter. Bui also called the police in hopes of tracking down the person who abandoned the dog in the yard.

So far, the man on the camera has not been identified. For now, Ruben May is waiting patiently at the animal shelter for someone to give her a loving home.

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Bear Sighting Near Fairfax County Virginia Playground

Vienna, Virginia - A young bear wandered past a playground on Monday. The sighting was reported to police at about 1:00 p.m. on Trap Road. No humans came close to the bear.

This is the time of year when young bears leave their mothers to fend for themselves. Many wander into populated areas.

This was not the first bear sighting in our region. Several have been spotted in Montgomery County and at least two in Fairfax County.

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Ocean City, Maryland: Hammerhead Shark Spotted Near the Beach

A Photographer was taking wedding photos Wednesday near 36th Street in Ocean City when he heard yelling coming from a few blocks away.

"You could just see a pretty big fin," he said.

It happened shortly after 5 p.m., when lifeguards are off duty, but Denny said within 10 minutes guards responded to the area and the water was cleared. The Ocean City Beach Patrol became aware of the shark at that time and was able to identify it as a hammerhead, Captain Butch Arbin said Thursday.

"Yesterday we had something come into the surf — and that can really be anything when we first see it, like it can be a whale carcass, a turtle, a log, or in this case, a shark — so we moved people away from the area and are monitoring it at this time," Arbin said.

The Beach Patrol is still monitoring the area between 22nd and 52nd streets.

"We don't want people infringing on the marine mammal, and we don't want it to hurt anyone, either," Arbin said. "It sounds funny but, to us, this is normal procedure for anything that enters the surf zone that usually isn't there."

Arbin said the shark's activities were unusual because it entered and left the surf zone twice.

"We're not sure if it tried to beach itself, but it stayed in the surf zone 'til dark last night," Arbin said.

If the shark beaches itself, the patrol would notify personnel with the National Aquarium and the Department of Natural Resources, who they have already been in contact with.

Denny is also a surf instructor, and he said it's not unusual for him to see smaller sand sharks along the coast. But seeing what he called a large hammerhead close to the shore in about 2 feet of water was surprising he said.

"It's pretty rare," he said.

According the Denny, more than 100 people gathered to watch the shark Wednesday.

This sighting comes two days after a dead hammerhead washed ashore in Fenwick Island, and three days after another hammerhead gave birth while beached in Ocean City. It is unclear if those events are related, because the shark was buried but not examined.

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House Cat Seems Unfazed by a Giant Mountain Lion Outside Window

A mountain lion approaches a window and sees a pet cat. The brave kitty doesn’t seem to care, and even turns his back on the lion. The lion hears people talking and decides he’d better leave.

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Elderly Street Dog with Massive Tumor Rescued: Needs Donations to Help with Surgery Cost

Remember Ricky (Charlie), the dog who spent 10 years livingin a New York City park?  Well, the group who rescued him has rescued another senior dog – this time an 11- to 12-year-old female who had a massive tumor on her abdomen.  The growth has been removed, and she is now recovering, but her battle isn’t over yet.

If you would like to make a donation to help Domingo, please click here: Save Domingo - Upper Manhattan Dog

Our group just rescued another dog that lived on the streets of Upper Manhattan for 11 or 12 years. Her name is Domingo.

She is in desperate need of surgery for a huge tumor the size of a soccer ball on one of her legs.

The same group of people who recently saved another feral dog, Ricky, found out about Domingo about a month ago, and started looking for ways to capture her.

A school teacher from the Bronx was driving by the area, noticed the stray dog, and immediately reached out to a number of rescue groups for help. Only one person agreed to help. It was Linda. Linda, a long-time animal lover and rescuer, mother of two adorable girls, found time in her busy schedule to come and try to catch the dog from Long Island to the Bronx several times a day for weeks. She managed to put a leash on Domingo yesterday.

Now Domingo is in the care of vets and needs to undergo a very complicated surgery for removal of the tumor.

All the funds collected by this page will go directly to the rescue group.

The Rescue group website is: Almost Home Animal Rescue & Adoption, Inc.

The group has a Paypal account as well published on the web page.

Many thanks to all for your kindness and care!

Please share and help with a donation if you can. No amount is too small.

Thank you.

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Tiger, a Young German Shepherd Surrendered by Owner: Looking for Loving Forever Home – Read His Story

On June 13, a handsome young shepherd named "Tiger" was loaded into a car and taken for a ride...unfortunately, the destination was not the park, it was the Chicago Animal Care and Control facility in Illinois. Today, the 11-month-old German shepherd is wondering why he is locked away behind bars, and why his person is no longer by his side.

On Thursday, the volunteer-run Facebook page, CACC Transfer Team, notified their page followers that the young dog is "timid" while kenneled, but he becomes more puppy-like once he is taken out of the cage. 

According to the shelter volunteers, Tiger loves to chase tennis balls and he already knows how to sit on command. The volunteers also noted that Tiger is "very personable and affectionate."

Please take a moment to network on Tiger's behalf - he should be chasing after tennis balls, not sitting in a lonely kennel run. Tiger's identification number A131202.

For adoption information, click HERE. 

If you would like to make a donation for the homeless cats and dogs at Chicago Animal Care & Control (CACC), click HERE. 

Animal Care and Control

Phone: 312.747.1406

Fax: 312.747.1409

2741 S. Western Ave

Chicago, IL 60608

Please Share Tiger!

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Fish Are Falling from the Sky in Alaska: Sea Gulls Are picking up Squirmy Fish and Dropping Them in Surprising and Unlikely Places

"The local Value Village store found a live lamprey in their parking lot," ADF&G reported on its Facebook page. "Another resident called and said he found one on his lawn!"

It was surely a scary surprise. Looking more like eels or snakes than regular fish, lampreys don't have scales or fins and can grow to 15 inches long. Instead of jaws, an adult lamprey has a disk-like mouth filled with small, sharp teeth.

Adults clamp their mouths onto other fish, then use their teeth and tongues to rasp through its scales and skin to feed on its blood and fluids. The lamprey releases and drops off after the meal. Some fish die from the attacks, but in many cases they survive, according to the Fish and Game department.

"Commercial and subsistence fishers throughout Alaska are quite familiar with the tell-tale, dime-sized circular scars on salmon and trout that have been fed upon by lampreys." Reportedly, lampreys are a tasty catch in their own right.

Needless to say, the fish is not usually found on land. In fact, most people have never seen the elusive fish up close. Lampreys are born in fresh water, then move to the ocean as adults. They return to their rivers of birth to spawn, including the Chena River, which runs along the south side of Fairbanks.

Wildlife officials believe sea gulls are picking up the squirmy fish there, only to drop them later in surprising and unlikely places. So far, four lamprey have been found on land.

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