animal cruelty

Read the latest news reports about cruelty to animals, animal cruelty laws, and other stories of dog and cat abuse on Newser.com

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Hero Sniffer Dog Killed With Nail-Laced Bait

'You fought your whole life to save humans and now it was a human who did this to you,' trainer says

(Newser) - In Italian, he was known as a "cane eroe"—a hero dog. Bruno, a 7-year-old bloodhound, died an agonizing death after eating sausages filled with nails that had been thrown into his kennel at a training center near Taranto in southern Italy, the Telegraph reports. The sniffer dog,...

Man Kicks Customs Beagle at Dulles, Gets Deported

CBP says Egyptian man kicked Freddie so hard that he left the ground

(Newser) - An Egyptian man who kicked a Customs and Border Protection beagle at Washington Dulles International Airport so hard that it left the ground has been kicked out of the country. Authorities say Hamed Ramadan Bayoumy Aly Marie, 70, kicked Freddie after the 5-year-old beagle alerted his handler to Marie's...

Hot Dog Allegedly Sparked Double-Murder at Nudist Colony

Police testified at preliminary hearing for Michael Sparks

(Newser) - The purchase of a hot dog is allegedly at the center of a double murder case out of Redlands, California, where prosecutors say Michael Sparks killed his elderly neighbors at the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort last summer. The couple, Daniel and Stephanie Menard, had lived next door to...

This Dog Inspired a New Law in Florida

Trooper was found abandoned and chained to a fence during Hurricane Milton

(Newser) - Legislation signed into law Wednesday by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will impose tougher penalties on people who abandon pets during natural disasters, a measure inspired by the rescue of a dog left in floodwaters during Hurricane Milton. With the 2025 hurricane season starting next week, the governor also signed a...

Cops: Florida Man Rains Bullets on Neighbor's Pregnant Cow

2-year-old cow was shot 5 times, left to suffer, then finally euthanized, authorities say

(Newser) - A Florida man faces felony charges after allegedly shooting his neighbor's pregnant cow five times for wandering onto his property, following through on a threat to kill any trespassing livestock. The incident has sparked outrage in a rural community where farm animals mean more than just business, per...

NY Man Charged After 97 Cats Found at His Home, 28 Dead

3 more had to be euthanized because they were in such bad shape

(Newser) - A suburban New York man has been charged with animal cruelty after authorities say they found nearly 100 cats in his home, including about two dozen dead kittens in a freezer, the AP reports. The man, 75, surrendered Wednesday to detectives with the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of...

NOAA Is Investigating Disturbing Attack on Seal Pup

Young elephant seal was stabbed multiple times in cove in Oregon

(Newser) - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Law Enforcement is trying to track down somebody who stabbed an elephant seal pup multiple times. NOAA says the 300-pound seal pup survived the attack in a cove in Neskowin, Oregon, on March 16. It was attacked some time between 8:...

Jail Officers Arrested in Death of Retired K9

Tipster told sheriff's office the dog was 'left outside on a chain with no access to food, water, or shade'

(Newser) - Two jail officers in Arkansas ended up in a jail in a different county on animal cruelty charges after authorities received a tip that a retired K9 officer was being neglected and abused. In a news release Thursday, Greene County Sheriff Brad Snyder said the tip "indicated that retired...

Cops: She Couldn't Take Dog on Flight, So She Drowned It

Florida woman allegedly killed dog before boarding flight at Orlando airport

(Newser) - A Florida woman has been charged with a felony after a disturbing case of animal cruelty at Orlando International Airport. Police say Alison Lawrence drowned Tywinn, her 9-year-old miniature schnauzer, in an airport bathroom in December after she was told she didn't have the right paperwork to fly with...

Man Gets 475 Years for Dogfighting, Animal Abuse

Officials: Vincent Burrell had 100+ malnourished dogs at Georgia home

(Newser) - A Georgia man has been handed what prosecutors say is the longest prison sentence ever doled out for dogfighting. NBC News reports that 57-year-old Vincent Lemark Burrell was sentenced last week to 475 years behind bars after being convicted by a jury of dogfighting and animal cruelty, spurred by a...

250 Animals Removed From Ohio Fur and Urine Farm

The property's owner died in December

(Newser) - More than 250 animals were removed from what the Humane Society calls an "abysmal operation" in Hartsgrove, Ohio. The dogs, foxes, skunks, coyotes, and opossums were being held at a fur and urine farm—as for that latter element, the Humane Society explains some states allow the urine of...

Woman Arrested After 27 Dead Horses Found in California

Other animals at her properties are still being evaluated, authorities say

(Newser) - A California woman was arrested this week in an alleged case of horrific animal cruelty. Police executed a search warrant in San Joaquin County, not far from Sacramento, Wednesday related to an ongoing animal neglect case, and they say they found 27 dead horses across several properties in the area,...

Texas Girl Arrested After Rival's Goat Drops Dead
Texas Girl
Arrested After
Rival's Goat
Drops Dead
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Jan 4, 2025 8:30 AM CST

Texas Girl Arrested After Rival's Goat Drops Dead

Aubrey Vanlandingham, 17, is accused of poisoning show animal with pesticide

(Newser) - A Texas teen has been hit with animal cruelty charges after being accused of poisoning a rival's show goat. According to an arrest affidavit, 17-year-old Aubrey Vanlandingham is accused of using a drench gun to force pesticide down the throat of the animal named Willie, reports the Guardian .
  • Goat'
...

British Equestrian Must Sit Out a Year Over Horse Whipping

Investigation of Charlotte Dujardin followed emergence of video

(Newser) - After her one-year suspension from the sport for excessive whipping of a horse was announced Thursday, UK dressage star Charlotte Dujardin said she will "forever aim to do better." The International Federation for Equestrian Sports also fined Dujardin about $11,000 after its investigation, the Washington Post reports....

Animal Welfare Check Ends With 7 Dead Dogs

Ex-deputy Connor Brackin is accused of gunning down 7 dogs on a Tennessee property

(Newser) - An investigation continues into an incident earlier this month in Tennessee that left seven dogs dead, with a local deputy accused of gunning them down while responding to a call. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation , Connor Brackin, a now-former deputy with the McNairy County Sheriff's Office, showed...

Fleeing Floridian Charged With Leaving Dog Tied Up

Gov. DeSantis warned pet owners about mistreating their dogs during Hurricane Milton

(Newser) - A man accused of leaving his dog tied to a fence in Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty. Authorities say Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, admitted he abandoned his dog along a highway as he evacuated. If convicted of the felony charge, he could face...

They Found a Cat in a Parking Lot, Then Tortured It

Donaldvan Williams gets 3-plus years for kicking cat like 'football field goal'; another man recorded it

(Newser) - A Texas man has received a three-year-plus prison sentence for kicking a cat, then permitting a video of that to be shared on social media. On Tuesday, a federal judge handed 30-year-old Donaldvan Williams 40 months behind bars on animal cruelty charges, after Williams pleaded guilty on animal crushing and...

Two Men Take Bear Cub on Road Trip, Feed It Taco Bell

Which you probably shouldn't be doing 'for so many reasons,' notes wildlife rescue official

(Newser) - Two men in northern Ontario picked up a highly unusual passenger and took it on a road trip, complete with Taco Bell to scarf down. The problem? That passenger was a black bear cub. According to Myriam Armstrong of the Pet and Wildlife Rescue center in Chatham-Kent, her group took...

2 Cat Owners: We Really Loathe Our Kitties

Horrified reaction follows after Cut columns detail how 2 cat moms started hating their felines

(Newser) - What happens when the pet you love becomes ... not so lovable anymore? Two columnists writing for the Cut this week explain their cat conundrums, and their essays are inciting the internet's ire.
  • Essay No. 1: Mary Gaitskill kicks things off with an essay titled "Was I Capable of
...

Kristof: Future Generations Will Recoil at Factory Farming

He wonders why Americans are so blasé about the mass torture of pigs for our meals

(Newser) - Americans by and large love and pamper their dogs, and Nicholas Kristof is no exception. But in his latest New York Times column, Kristof wonders why many of these same dog lovers are so willing to ignore what he describes as the mass torture of pigs by the American agriculture...

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