A Wild Sea Otter Swam into Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Great Tidepool and Gave Birth to a Healthy Pup

Monterey, CA - A wild sea otter that swam into Monterey BayAquarium’s Great Tidepool gave birth Saturday to a healthy otter pup, according to aquarium staff.

The mother and baby are doing well and were caught on the aquarium’s Otter Cam cuddling and grooming. The pup weighs just a couple pounds, staff said.

Wild sea animals are able to gain entry to the Great Tidepool because it serves as an outflow for the aquarium's sea water. Staff often use the pool during underwater explorer classes.

The otter and its pup will not be tagged or kept at the aquarium because they are wild. The furry pair are free to swim back into the ocean from the tidepool whenever they please.

This is not the first time a pregnant sea otter has swum into the aquarium to give birth. In fact, it happened just two years ago, and schools of fish and other sea critters have been known to come with the tide, staff said.

Trainers have theorized that pregnant sea otters may seek refuge at the pool because it is quieter and less populated than its vast oceanic counterpart.

The sea otters that live in the aquarium are all rescues that are unable to survive in the wild, according to the aquarium website.

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Dogs Are No Longer Allowed to be Tied Up for Hours on End in Springfield, Missouri

Dogs are no longer allowed to be tied up for hours on end in Springfield, Missouri. The city council unanimously voted to pass a bill that targets owners who leave their dogs tethered on chains.

City Council is enacting an ordinance to limit the tethering of dogs to temporary periods not to exceed 30 minutes. When dogs are tied up, dogs must be on a non-choke type collar.

The proposal comes at a time when many humane societies are spreading awareness that tethering pets is not only harmful to the animals but potentially dangerous for people as well.

Tethered dogs become bored, anxious and anti-social and this can cause a dog to negatively act out. It also gives rise to a higher chance of a dog lashing out and biting someone.

Dog owners who break the law could face fines.

Certain exceptions were highlighted in the bill and apply in circumstances where:

Tethering shall be allowed on rare occasions when it is necessary for the dog owner of a custodian to complete a temporary task that requires the dog to be physically restrained for a reasonable amount of time.

Tethering shall be allowed for short periods of time for the dog to relieve himself.

During the time the dog is tethered, he must be provided with adequate shelter and water.

When riding outside the passenger compartment of a vehicle in transit or when tied to a legally parked vehicle, the dog must be secured by a non choke collar or body harness.

The complete wording of the bill can be read HERE. 

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Things You Should Know Before You Get Pet Health Insurance

According to an AP poll, half of all Americans consider their pets to be part of the family. Along with this shift in attitude, American consumers are spending more than ever on their furry friends. In 2015, pet industry spending was projected to surpass $60 billion, up 5% from 2014. On average, pet owners will spend half of every dollar on medical costs.

Alongside advances in veterinary care, average treatment costs are increasing too. Life-saving veterinary surgery can eclipse $15,000 and unlike human doctors, vets must be paid in full before services are rendered. To ease this financial burden, over 1 million pet owners are enrolling their animals in a pet health insurance plan.

Health insurance policies however, have different types. So you have to pick the one you think is most suitable for your pet. Medical conditions that your pet might need care for include illness, well-being and accidents. In any case, you could end up spending a lot of money out of your pocket if you don't have the right pet health insurance policy.

To read more on this story, click here: Things You Should Know Before You Get Pet Health Insurance

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Cop Mistakenly Shoots a Mother Dead Instead of Her Attacking Dog

(WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO)

Iowa regulators plan to sue the police department that has long refused to release video showing a cop mistakenly shoot a mother dead instead of her attacking dog — a horrific saga that played out in front of her 3-year-old son.

The Iowa Public Information Board voted Thursday to launch legal action against the Burlington Police Department and other agencies, pushing for the release of records from the January day Officer Jesse Hill shot and killed 34-year-old Autumn Steele.

Hill was responding to a disturbance on Jan. 6 when he found Steele in front of her house hitting her husband, police said. The 34-year-old mom spent the previous night in jail after being arrested on domestic abuse charges, the Des Moines Register reported.

The cop fired his gun when the family’s German Shepherd, Sammy, pounced on his back and bit him, police said. The bullets hit Steele instead of the attacking dog, police said.

Steele’s 3-year-old son was standing next to her when she was shot.

The dog attack justified the shooting, prosecutors determined. Hill was cleared of any charges and returned to work earlier this year.

Cops previously released a 12-second body cam video showing the cop fire twice without warning.

“Get your dog!” Hill yelled as a dog growls in the background. The video does not show the shepherd jump on the armed officer. Animal officials later determined Sammy was not vicious and returned the pet to the family.

But Steele’s family and local media have long pushed for the release of the full body cam video, plus footage from the cop’s squad car and 911 phone calls.

The Iowa Public Information Board sided with the family and media in the Thursday decision.

The board, which oversees the state’s open records laws, voted 4-3 to pursue charges against Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Burlington Police Department and the Des Moines County Attorney.

“I’m, for one, uncomfortable with law enforcement determining what should and shouldn’t be released,” said Information Board member Bill Monroe, who voted in favor of the lawsuit.

Formal charges will be filed in the coming weeks, and the case will be handled by a judge who can recommend the release of the records.

Officer Jesse Hill (l.) shot and killed 34-year-old mom Autumn Steele in January.

Steele's husband Gabriel reacts after the Burlington Animal Hearing Board unanimously decide that the family dog, Sammy, a German shepherd mix, is not vicious or dangerous and should be returned.

Steele's 3-year-old son was by her side when she was shot and killed.

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Jake Perry’s Cats Often Live More Than 30 Years: The Secret to Feline Longevity

Jake Perry’s cats live the good life. And they live it for a long time. One of Perry’s felines—Granpa Rexs Allen, who lived to be 34—broke the Guinness World Record for oldest cat in 1998. Seven years later, his kitty Crème Puff topped that record, living to be 38. Plenty more of his cats have made it to at least 30, while, on average, cats live to be 12 to 15 years old.

In a profile in Atlas Obscura, Christina Couch writes that she first met Perry when he fixed her bathtub in 2012. It was then that he shared some of his secrets for feline longevity:

A breakfast of eggs, turkey bacon, broccoli and coffee … with cream

A splash of red wine to “circulate the arteries”

Stimulation by way of nature documentaries screened in his garage-turned-theater

Lots of love and attention

The regimen, says Perry’s vet, “is not what they taught us in school.” He speculates the diuretic effects of the caffeine may help kidney function, though Couch notes that the science behind Perry’s regimen is “shaky at best.” And an animal nutrition expert cautions that caffeine and alcohol can be harmful.

Perry, 85, recently beat pancreatic cancer himself, and he still has a cat: Jean Claude Van Damme, age 19. These days, however, the title of the oldest living cat belongs to one named Corduroy, KTVZ reports. The 26-year-old Main coon mix lives in Sisters, Ore.

“I really think the key to (Corduroy’s) longevity is, I’ve always allowed him to be a cat,” says his owner. “We’ve kept his claws (and) it’s allowed him to go outside and defend himself and also hunt.” Read more about Perry and his pets HERE.

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Three-Month-Old Abused/Abandoned Pit Bull Puppy Needs Your Help With His Surgery: Please Share His Story

Pickles is just three months old, and already life is an uphill battle for him.  Not only has he suffered abuse at the hands of some horrible humans, but was dumped on the side of the road and left for dead as well.  After being rescued, doctors discovered a heart condition that requires immediate surgery for him to survive, and grow up to be trained as a therapy dog.

 Some good Samaritans came across Pickles after he was abandoned.  They weren’t sure just what to do with the poor little guy, so they called Nikki Johnson.  Johnson has fostered a great deal of dogs over the past few years, and knows just what to do in these situations.

“I had sent the information to my boyfriend and said I think we could potentially foster this guy,” said Johnson.  “He won’t take long to find a home, he’s a puppy, super cute.”

  

Johnson immediately noticed signs of abuse on Pickles.  There was scarring where his ears had been cut, forcing him to have to wear a special hat while in the rain to protect him.

“They only cut the ears off to make them look mean.  That’s why they do that to pit bulls,” said Johnson.

One would figure the little guy to be terrified of people because of what he was put through.  However, Johnsons says that’s not really the case.  In fact, she believes that he could become an amazing therapy dog if trained properly.

“I think anybody would be terrified of people if you were held down as a child and your ears cut off,” said Johnson.  “But he loves everybody.”

  

Johnson took Pickles in to see the doctors, and that’s when his heart condition was discovered.  He has stage 5 pulmonic stenosis, which is potentially fatal.  Vanessa Rangel-Miller also has a dog with the same medical condition as Pickles, and knows all too well the dangers it comes along with.

  

“He was already abused, left by the side of the road,” said Rangel-Miller.  “Then we find out that there’s even more, that he has medical conditions.”

She is trying to spread the word about Pickles and his condition, reaching out to the community for help with getting him cared for.  She also strongly believes that Pickles could be a great therapy dog.  His sweet and loving temperament would be just right.

“This dog has the potential to really help a lot of other people and a lot of other kids, and I’d like to do anything I can to make that happen,” said Rangel-Miller.

Johnson is very thankful for the help in reaching out to the community.  She’s amazed that so many people already have helped out with Pickles’ care.  If you’d like to see more about Pickles, watch his progress or donate to the cause, you can check out his special Facebook page, click HERE. 

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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

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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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Heartbreaking: This Video Shows the Techniques Used by SeaWorld to Capture It’s First Orcas

In the wake of the documentary Blackfish, SeaWorld has had to account for their questionable business practices and the ethical questions surrounding cetacean captivity.

This video features the techniques used to capture SeaWorld’s first orcas. It is both stunning in its depiction of killer whale intelligence and the relentless cruelty the capture teams used to take calves from their mothers. In fact, during this particular raid, several whales died as a result of the chase.

Watch this clip from Blackfish:

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

Precious the pit bull was hailed as a hero after footage of her standing guard over her injured owner after a house fire went viral.

The loyal dog refused to leave its best friend's side after a blaze broke out early Wednesday at their home in Landover Hills, Maryland.

Blind homeowner Jimmy Newell, 65, and his daughter, sustained burns and suffered smoke inhalation in the fire.

His daughter managed to escape but fell unconscious on the grass outside the house where the dog stood guard.

Precious was so protective firefighters were eventually forced to scare her away with an extinguisher so they could treat her owner.

Both the woman and her father were rushed to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Despite her loyal watch guard, Precious and her puppy Molly were then seized by animal control and sent to a shelter.

Officials told the heartbroken owner that she would not be able to get her dogs back because of the county's ban on the pit bull breed. 

“I thought it would be with me until the day I die,” said Newell to New York Daily News. “Everything is changed.”

“It's sad. I love that dog,” said the owner's son Wednesday.

“Our hearts are broken for this family because these dogs cannot be returned to the people they know and love and who love them back. This shouldn't be happening in America,” the executive director of the Maryland Dog Federation, Adrienne Lefkowitz, told The Inquisitor.

But now it seems there is a happy ending for Precious and her puppy after the owner's sister Megan Sanchez, who lives in Montgomery County, agreed to take the pets.

“She just wanted to protect her mommy; that's all,” Sanchez told NBC Washington. “And her house.”

Sanchez, who works with animals and has a dog of her own, said her sister and family is welcome to come and visit their pets whenever they want.

“I'm glad they survived,” she said. “We're animal people.”

Another dog, of a different breed was also rescued from the home during the fire along with two turtles. The dog has now been returned to the family as it is not a pit bull.

Pitbulls have been banned in Prince George’s County since 1997.

Fire officials are still investigating the cause of the fire which is believed to have begun in a bedroom. None of the home's smoke detectors had been working at the time.  

This dog was seen standing guard over his severely injured owner as he lay outside his burning home in Landover Hills, Maryland, on Wednesday as firefighters battled the blaze and extracted other animals.

Here, firefighters are seen dealing with the building after dropping powder extinguisher on the blaze.

Fire officials are still investigating the cause of the fire which is believed to have begun in a bedroom.

Fire fighters who arrived at the blaze in Landover Hills, Maryland, on Wednesday were able to distinguish the flames and also save another dog inside the house and two turtles.

  

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