Now, her lawsuit over the demise of the 4.5-pound teacup Yorkie, attacked by a Labrador mix puppy seeks to prove that animals are far more than property. Falen LaPonzina filed a lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court last week against Wagtime Too, which operates doggy day care and boarding facilities in Washington. She alleges that the business was negligent in allowing her dog, Dax, to be kept alongside another canine four times its weight. She is seeking $150,000 in damages. But LaPonzina said she wants more than money. She wants the courts to recognize the role pets play in the lives of their owners. She said the 12-year-old Dax, with a giant underbite, was a friendly and loyal companion who had been a constant through her transient twenties and thirties. “I had no idea when I dropped my dog off there I would never see him again,” LaPonzina said. “Yorkies live to be 18 to 20 years old. He had many good years left.” Wagtime Too has denied that the business was negligent in its care of the dog. Lisa Schreiber, a co-owner, said the dog’s death was a “freak accident.” She said that an employee had been watching all the dogs and that by the time he saw the lab mix attacking Dax, it was too late. LaPonzina said she traveled to Alaska in July, dropping off Dax at Wagtime Too, which advertises itself as a cage-free facility. There are two locations in the District, where owners can board their pets for $55 a night. LaPonzina, a 36-year-old lawyer, and Dax had been regulars at the company’s facilities, first in Shaw and later in Navy Yard, since 2010. LaPonzina said she did not check her phone during her week-long cruise. But when she got off the ship in Canada, she found missed calls and messages from Wagtime Too indicating there had been an emergency. Dax was dead. An 18-pound Labrador mix puppy had picked up the teacup Yorkie with its mouth, and moments later the miniature dog was no longer breathing, Schreiber said in an interview. The Labrador, a rescue, was screened before it came to Wagtime and never displayed aggressive behavior, she said. After the incident, the dog was evaluated by a canine-behavior specialist who also found no signs of violence in the rescue dog. The Labrador has since been adopted by a woman with no children and no other dogs. “This is not anything that anyone who works for me could have prevented,” Schreiber said. “I do want people to understand this is a cage-free facility, and there are inherent risks here. We are not negligent here, but it is horrible that it happened.” Bruce Wagman, a partner at Schiff Hardin in San Francisco who specializes in animal law, said that a six-figure settlement awarded to LaPonzina would be an unprecedented amount in the death of an animal. That seems an unlikely outcome, however, Wagman said. If someone intentionally kills a pet, it occasionally might yield a significant penalty. But for LaPonzina to receive a sizable settlement, Wagman said, she would have to prove that Wagtime was not just negligent but had intentionally killed Dax. When owners do receive significant cash settlements for the death of a pet, such as when a police officer kills a dog during a home raid, Wagman said, it is typically because the officer violated the civil rights of the homeowners, not because their pet is dead. “Every state, in every court everywhere, animals are considered property,” Wagman said. “That said, there is no question that courts are more and more appreciating that animals are not like computers. They are not vases, and they’re not books.” This is not the first time Wagtime has faced complaints about its care of animals or how it operates its facilities. In 2015, a dog walker dropped the leash of a 9-month-old puppy being boarded overnight, and the dog was struck by a car. Its owner sued, but the case was settled out of court. Wagtime ran into trouble in 2003 for moving into a now-closed location near Logan Circle without a certificate of occupancy. It also squabbled with neighbors over noise and cleanliness complaints. LaPonzina’s lawsuit also accuses Wagtime Too of not having the correct license to operate its Navy Yard location. Dog-care facilities operate under a D.C. basic business license, and the District’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs said the Navy Yard location has not been issued one. On Nov. 3 the owners applied for a certificate of occupancy, which is not the same as a business license. Schreiber said that she has been in touch with city agencies and that the absence of a license is the result of a paperwork error. Matt Orlins, a spokesman for the DCRA, said there is no evidence of a clerical error. Wagtime see hundreds of dogs a day, and until Dax, none had ever died in its facilities, Schreiber said. Last week she sent a letter to customers informing them of the July death of Dax and ensuring them that their canines are safe in Wagtime’s care. “This incident was not in any way caused by negligence,” the notice stated. LaPonzina said she will be going beyond the courts and pushing for regulatory reform in the D.C. government to tighten operating standards for dog-boarding facilities. “Dax was just so adorable, you couldn’t ever be mad at him — you couldn’t not love him,” LaPonzina said. “This dog has been through it all with me.”
Polar bears are an enduring symbol of the wild arctic, a mighty beast that has made its home in punishing terrains. But in recent years, the polar bear has come to embody something else: A creature caught in a world that’s disappearing under its feet. Each fall, the bears descend in hordes on the tiny Alaskan village of Kaktovik, located on Barter Island, hugging the state’s northern coast. And the bears are hungry. Polar bears wandering into the town, with its population of just 239 people, proved to be such a problem there that a polar bear patrol now sweeps the streets looking for the animals. To read more on this story, click here:Alaskan Town's Polar Bear Problem Leads to Tourism Boom
These aren’t your typical dog beds. Behold the “Sheltie shacks.” Kaylee Robertson, an emergency medical technician from Shetland, Scotland, makes custom, personalized dog beds out of old dressers. She said she likes to “provide pets with their own little ‘safe haven’ that they can sleep happy in.” “Let’s be honest, your typical dog bed is pretty ugly!” Robertson, 27, wrote to ABC News in an email. “They're normally these limp, dull, lifeless, smelly things that just lie in the corner. My hope is that by providing a bed which is also a piece of furniture, the dog is introduced more into the living area.” To read more on this story, click here:Woman Turns Old Dressers Into Cozy Personalized Dog Beds
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Dogs and runners have a love/hate relationship. As a runner, we are invading their turf, putting their owners in danger, moving fast enough to look interesting and tasty, or just have some bright colors on that makes the dog think that we are a toy. There are a lot of reasons for a dog to chase us, and for the most part they are valid reasons. Sometimes the dog just wants to play with us, or to come over and say hi, and sometimes the dog wants to hunt and maim us. Whether you run in the park or around town, chances are you've come across a dog or two during your miles. And while some are friendly, leashed, and only want to play with you, others can cause panic as you wonder if you're going to be attacked. Unfortunately stories of runners being confronted by dogs are becoming more common as irresponsible owners dump their unwanted pets or improperly restrain them. But you don't need to stop your workout to stay safe. Roo Yori, a dog trainer who specializes in pit bull rehabilitation and the proud owner of the famous and beloved therapy pit bulls Wallace and Hector, offers advice on how to deal with an unknown or aggressive dog. Don't Run: Tough advice for a runner, but Roo explains that while your natural instinct may be to flee, you need to fight that. "Unless you know for sure you can get behind a barrier of some sort that will separate you from the dog, running away or screaming is most likely going to make the situation worse. Chances are, you're not going to out-run a dog, and the act of running will probably activate the chase instinct present in all dogs." Freeze: Most of the time, the best thing is become motionless, Roo says. So think of making your body like a post and fold your arms across your chest. "If you're boring and don't engage the dog, it will most likely sniff your leg and move on," Roo says. "Wait until the dog is a good distance from you, and move quietly to a safe area." Be a Rock: If the dog still attacks you and manages to knock you over, Roo says to curl up and cover your head, like the tornado drills you did in school, pulling your face down into your chest and covering your neck with your hands. He reiterates that if you're boring, the dog is much more likely to simply leave you alone. Take Precautions: If you're particularly concerned, you can carry a canister of pepper spray or mace with you, and Roo adds that there are citronella versions that also work well. But the best prevention is to know your route. Avoid any areas where owners allow their dogs to roam, and if you're trying a new path, drive it a few times first to see if you notice anything unsafe, canine-related or otherwise. Then simply stay aware while running. "If you notice an unknown dog ahead of you that you're not comfortable with, the sooner you stop and keep your distance-without running away-the better chance you'll have at avoiding an encounter," Roo says. For more information on dog attacks, visit the website below: How to Handle a Dog Attack
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Trump’s overturning of the Obama administration ban on elephant trophies in Zimbabwe and Zambia being imported into America sparked outrage from animal rights activists. Ellen used her talk show yesterday to proclaim her love for elephants and detail her shock at the Trump’s administration’s decision. She said: ‘I love elephants. And if you take the time to learn about elephants, you would love them too.’ To read more on this story, click here:Ellen DeGeneres Launches Campaign to Save Elephants After Trump Ends Trophy Ban
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WASHINGTON — In the face of widespread public backlash, President Donald Trump announced late Friday that he has suspended his decision to reverse an Obama-era ban on the importation of elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia. “Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts,” he posted to Twitter. He adding that the issue has been “under study for years” but that he would soon provide an update. As HuffPost reported Wednesday, the administration decided to lift the ban after determining that sport hunting in those African countries will help conserve the species, a spokesperson for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed. To read more on this story, click here:Facing Public Outrage, Trump Puts Elephant Trophy Decision ‘On Hold’
WASHINGTON (WUSA9) - The Trump Administration plans to remove an Obama-era ban on importing elephant head trophies. That means big game hunters could soon bring their elephant head trophies into the U.S. if they were killed on legal hunts in Zimbabwe and Zambia. For decades, African countries have struggled to save elephants. An estimated 30,000 are slaughtered by poachers every year for their ivory tusks. In the 1970s, Africa had an estimated 1.3 million wild elephants. Now only a half a million remain. But a statement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says legal, well-regulated sport hunting of elephants can help save the animals by giving local communities a financial incentive to protect them. To read more on this story, click here:Hunters Will Soon Bring Elephant Head Trophies Into U.S.
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will reverse an Obama-era ban on the importation of elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia after determining that sport hunting in those countries will help conserve the species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed Wednesday. The decision was made public not by the federal agency but via a celebratory news release early Tuesday from Safari Club International, a trophy hunting advocacy group that, along with the National Rifle Association, sued to block the 2014 ban. Greg Sheehan, principal deputy director of the FWS, broke the news to the hunting organization during the African Wildlife Consultative Forum (AWCF) in Tanzania, an agency spokesperson told HuffPost. The forum, which runs through Friday, is being hosted by the Safari Club International Foundation and the United Republic of Tanzania. African elephants have been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1978. A provision of the law, however, allows for sport-hunted trophies to be imported if the government determines that hunting will help safeguard the population. To read more on this story, click here:Trump To Lift Ban On Import Of Elephant Trophies From 2 African Nations
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