An indelible role in the 1972 movie of hardship and the human-canine bond
The magnificent actress Cicely Tyson shall be remembered for many outstanding roles—The Diary of Miss Jane Pittman, her performance in Roots, as well as dramatic turns on Broadway, in particular for her Tony-winning master class in The Trip to Bountiful. One of our favorites remains her portrayal of Rebecca, the tower-of-strength mother in the film Sounder. The movie is based on the Newberry-award winning novel for young readers by William H. Armstrong. Both the book and the movie present an honest portrait of the rural south—the story follows the oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers coming of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food. Sounder is the family’s beloved dog, who helps them hunt, thus enabling them to keep food on the table.
Seeing the photos and news coverage over the past few weeks of the legions of National Guard troops protecting the nation’s Capitol and our elected officials is a reminder of the good people who stand ready to serve and protect during national disasters, threats and calamities.
There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for our dogs. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again and again and again: dogs are family. We see all kinds of amazing stories that both warm our hearts and break them at the same time. Stories of people so desperate to give their dogs what they need that they’re willing to do things like sell their cars, give up their dream weddings, or even give up their homes. We love to see people so devoted to their furry family, but it’s a sad fact that many people can’t afford things like medication or surgery when their best friend needs it.
But sometimes, it takes a gamble. Or a leap of faith. Or just pure, dumb luck to make a happy ending.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last few weeks, you’ve likely seen that something big is up with Wall Street lately. Real big. The average Joes and Janes of the world jumped on the Gamestop/AMC stock bandwagon, spearheaded by the trading subreddit r/wallstreetbets, and turned Wall Street upside down. As the market rises and falls, some truly heartwarming stories have floated through the chaos of the news cycle and to the top of our feeds.
Reddit users have been steadfast holding their stock in what 6ABC Philadelphia called “an epic stand against the 1%”. But this sudden change in the market has made a huge difference in the lives of some of those who cashed out – like Reddit user MasterTheGame. Earlier this week, MasterTheGame posted a huge thank you to their fellow Redditors – thanks to their efforts, he was able to afford a surgery he only recently found out that his dog needed.
“Monday afternoon I took my best friend, an American Bully 2.5 year old dog, to the vet because he wasn’t putting any weight on his back leg. Turns out he needed knee surgery that costed $4,000.00. I broke down because I didn’t have that much, didn’t qualify for the payment plan, and it was either the surgery or wait till his other knee blew out then put him to sleep.”
For many people, $4,000 surgery is a tall order – a make-or-break amount of money. People who have never loved a dog may not understand why one would want to spend so much money on surgery for a dog, but we dog lovers know how much more valuable a dog is.
Without the money, the choices were to either go into debt to pay for his dog’s surgery, or let his dog live in pain until he needed to be put to sleep. It’s a sad fact, but sometimes, dollars and cents is what stands between life and death for the ones we love most when we don’t have the funds. However, thanks to the recent stock market phenomenon still going on right now, MasterTheGame had one more option. It was a big risk – but it was for his best friend.
“I put all the money I did have in GME around $97/ share & AMC at $4.84 Tuesday morning (a little less than $1k) with an exit plan to get out once I had enough for his surgery. This morning after market open I was able to sell enough to pay for his TPLO surgery!”
On the day that this post was made, AMC opened at $20.34 and GameStop for $50.80. With enough for his pup’s surgery, MasterTheGame cashed out and posted his thanks – along with a pic of his happy pup!
“I am in tears and really grateful. Thank you everyone and good luck!”
So, what’s happening anyway?
This spectacular, sudden shift in the market is a seemingly coordinated effort by internet users who spend most of their days discussing stock and posting memes – a sort of surprise attack on the wealthy who have been manipulating the market and torpedoing already flailing companies – like GameStop and AMC Theatres.
Because it’s so easy to buy digital games through Amazon or your console, fewer people are making the trip to GameStop to buy their video games. As a result, the company’s stock has been steadily losing value. The same goes for AMC – streaming services were already making things difficult for the theater chain, but with the dumpster fire that was 2020, the sound of nails being driven into the coffin were beginning to sound. Hedge fund managers noticed, of course, that these two formerly strong ships were taking on a lot of water and began to short sell the stock.
What is short selling? Explain like I’m five.
Thanks for coming to a dog site to explain financial terms. I’m gonna make this super easy:
Let’s say a bike shop lets someone borrow a bike in exchange for a $100 deposit – the value of the bike – that they’ll get back when they return the bike. They immediately go and sell it for that value, $100. Later, they’re able to buy the bike back for $75. They return the bike to the shop, get back their $100, and pocket the $25 difference they made buying back low. Meanwhile, lots of other people are doing this and driving down the price of bikes. The bike store can’t make a profit anymore and eventually goes out of business.
That’s short selling.
This recent run on GameStop and AMC stock, though, has really messed with the bike-trading business. How?
Let’s say a bike shop lets someone borrow a bike in exchange for a $100 deposit – the value of the bike – that they’ll get back when they return the bike. They immediately go and sell it for that same value, $100. But during this time, a bunch of people go to the shop to buy bikes and demand makes the price of bikes go up.
When that person tries to buy the bike they borrowed back, they find that a bike now costs $150. And the shop is gonna want that bike back – so they have no choice but to buy it for the higher price. They return the bike and get back their $100 deposit, but they’re still out the extra $50 from buying high. Now, because all these people who sold bikes that didn’t belong to them have to buy back the bikes at a higher price, everyone who owns bikes now has more value in their bikes.
This analogy isn’t perfect, and in fact, friend and internet vigilante Charles Robinson, who consulted on the explanation, tells me I’m being too nice to the guy borrowing bikes because they’re actively trying to drive the price down:
“That’s a very simple explanation, but it lets the initial bike buyer off easy. He isn’t just profiting his $25, he’s actively campaigning and telling his friends how much the bike shop sucks and how rude the owner is, saying how the owner should be out of business, even if the bike shop owner is a super nice guy — because he secretly owns another bike shop and is planning a scooter factory.
He’d be down to return his bike even at a loss (he plans to scratch it and flatten a tire intentionally) if it meant the long term failure of the bike shop.”
Now replace the word “bike” with “stock” and pretend they borrowed a million bikes at once, and you might understand why the people with deep pockets that are borrowing bikes are so upset about this. Short-selling bike-borrowers are now out over $91 billion dollars.
Why is the internet celebrating?
The people who bought up all the GameStop and AMC stock are regular people who trade from home in the afternoons after work – or when the boss isn’t looking. These are people who have medical bills to pay, kids to put through college, and dogs who need surgery they can’t usually afford. They bought when the price of “bikes” were very low, and because they did it all at once, demand has been driving the price up, forcing short-sellers to buy back the “bikes” at a higher price.
The people getting hurt are people who were on purpose bringing the value of these companies down, with little concern for the people who work for those companies so long as they could line their pockets with more sweet, sweet cash. They’ve taken to the news lately to express their outrage and disappointment – but these internet vigilantes seem to enjoy the sound of very wealthy whining. They’re online, reminding people that at times when the middle and lower class were struggling, the wealthy were celebrating and mocking the protesters occupying Wall Street with champagne and smiles.
These vigilantes are the ones who are holding on to their stock, driving the price up, and letting the little people make enough to do things like buy houses, pay off their cars, get their teeth fixed, and take care of their dogs. When the price went down and some people saw their stock go millions into the red, they held on so that others could prosper.
It’s a matter of someone losing out on buying that extra yacht, but a regular man on the internet getting to cry happy tears over surgery for his dog.
It’s amazing, the things that people can accomplish when they come together.
If you use Craigslist, odds are you have come across countless posts advertising animals. Most of these are families trying to rehome pets, but it’s not as innocent as you’d think. Craigslist is a common site for animal abusers looking to commit horrendous acts. Whether it’s breeders selling from puppy mills or people buying for dog fights, Craigslist makes it easy for these purchases to take place.
Despite laws against animal cruelty and Craigslist restrictions on pet sales, bad people always seem to find a loophole. So, actress and animal advocate Kim Basinger believes the only way to stop this is to remove all animal posts from the site for good.
If someone needs to find a new home for their dog, it might seem easy to post about it online. But Basinger is working hard to change that. She recently sent a demand letter to Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster, urging him to ban all posts selling animals. The harsh reality is that many of these animals come from or end up in abusive situations.
Craigslist currently bans the sale of animals but still allows for rehoming. Sadly, these animals are often given to dogfighting rings and other forms of abuse, especially if they are listed for free. Also, many of the cute puppies looking for homes are coming from inhumane breeding businesses like puppy mills.
“It’s maddening to see thousands of postings each day from cities across the country of unscrupulous breeders, puppy and kitten mill operators, and dishonest sellers, taking advantage of the Craigslist ‘rehoming’ loophole and duping families into paying exorbitant fees for animals,” Basinger said. “Partnering with the Animal Legal Defense Fund, I implore Craigslist to exercise its ethical and corporate responsibility in seeing to the closure of the animal ‘rehoming’ loophole by prohibiting these posts once and for all.”
Reports have even been made of serial dog killers hurting pets they found on Craigslist. No animal deserves that fate, so they need to be rehomed in a way that guarantees love and support. Banning animal posts on Craigslist can help accomplish that.
Surrender Animals the Humane Way
There are many other ways of surrendering an animal without putting them in danger. First of all, consider giving them to someone you know and trust if possible. But if that isn’t an option, talk to your local no-kill animal shelter or rescue to find out how to surrender your pet so they can find a more suitable home.
If you’re looking for an animal of your own, Craigslist is not the way to go. Instead, search shelters and rescues to find animals who are already waiting for a forever family. That way, you can know a little more of their background to ensure that buying them won’t be supporting a puppy mill or another inhumane situation.
“We have heard from an alarming number of families who have been victimized by breeders and animal brokers on Craigslist, not to mention the cruelty and suffering inflicted on the animals themselves,” said Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Stephen Wells. “We join Kim Basinger in urging Craigslist to ban users from posting animals to the website for any reason and will continue to shine a light on the ongoing reports we are receiving from victims until the company takes concrete action.”
Please help put an end to animal cruelty. No pet deserves to suffer these terrible fates. Instead, they should all receive the love and comfort they deserve. So, as Basinger continues to fight against Craigslist animal sales, it’s important for everyone else to do their part. Don’t buy or sell animals online. Instead, find safer ways to rehome and adopt furry family members.
Freddy the Great Dane went viral for his tall stature. He towered over his mom and even his Great Dane sister. So, he was proud when he earned the title of “World’s Tallest Dog” in 2016. Not long after, he was also suspected to be one of the oldest living Great Danes. He loved all the fans he made during his rise to fame, but sadly, he fell on hard times at the beginning of 2021.
Freddy passed away at age 8 1/2. His family is devastated after this sudden loss, but are thankful for all the love and support they’ve received. One thing is for sure: Freddy will never be forgotten.
In 2016, Freddy won the Guinness World Record for the tallest living dog after a vet measured him. Freddy stood 103.5 centimeters (3 feet, 4 inches) from feet to withers. When standing on his hind legs, he was 226 centimeters (7 feet, 5.5 inches) tall. However, only the first one counts for an official record.
The tallest dog ever was another Great Dane named Zeus, who measured 111.8 centimeters (44 inches) from feet to withers. Yet, he only stood 7 feet, 4 inches on his hind legs, so Freddy had the victory there. Zeus passed away in 2014 at 5 years old.
Most Great Danes live for 8 to 10 years at most, so Freddy lived a long, healthy life. His mom, Claire Stoneman, said that Freddy was the runt of the litter when she got him. Yet, he quickly grew taller than his sister, Fleur, who was from the same litter. Freddy had a life of many achievements, so it’s sad to see it all come to an end.
Rest in Peace, Freddy
Freddy passed away peacefully, surrounded by love. Stoneman spent every moment with him as she said her final goodbyes. She even got a print of his paw after he passed, which she said is something he never would’ve let her do while he was alive because he hated his feet being touched.
“He was not just the tallest dog but the dog with the most love and the biggest heart. A total soppy bugger who was hand fed,” Stoneman said. “He was my life, my reason, my joy, my annoyance. My happiness and my ultimate sadness. He was my heart Dane. My one in a million and loved by the entire world. I can’t stop crying.”
Freddy was a gentle giant. Many people were intimidated by his size, but once they got to know him, they saw what a big sweetheart he truly was. His story will not only live on through his records but also through the hearts of those who loved him.
Jack, the 9-month-old American Bully, got all spruced up when someone expressed interest in adopting him. The 30-pound pup has special needs that make it difficult for him to walk, but he refused to let that stop him from finding a home. Rescue staff drove Jack 40 minutes away to meet his potential adopters, but sadly, they never showed! Jack was heartbroken.
Staff and volunteers did everything they could to comfort Jack after the disappointment. Someone even gifted him a new toy. And as it turns out, Jack’s sadness soon turned into hope once again after his story went viral.
Jack is currently at Peaches Bully Rescue in Ohio. He’s gentle and loving, but he’s also a special needs dog with many specific requests. He has spina bifida, which is a spinal cord defect. It causes his legs to face outward, making walking difficult. Additionally, he needs to wear a diaper at all times because he is incontinent.
Sadly, Jack’s condition is permanent, but he won’t let that stop him from living his best life. The shelter staff say he’s an absolute sweetheart who loves to cuddle. He can’t go on long walks, but at least his human won’t have to wait in the rain or snow for him to do his business.
“He has so much to offer a family and so much love to give but his special needs seem to scare people away,” Peaches Bully Rescue wrote.
So, the rescue was thrilled when someone expressed interest in Jack. They had no problem going out of their way to give the pup his happily ever after. But when the potential adopters never showed, Jack was left disappointed and confused.
After getting ghosted, the rescue shared what happened on social media. The story gathered hundreds of people willing to support Jack. Before long, Jack had 600 people interested in him and 200 adoption applications. He couldn’t believe his luck!
People from all over the world have also been sending Jack gifts to help cheer him up. He has now gathered a massive supply of toys, treats, and extra diapers. The sweet pup is unsure why he’s being spoiled so much, but he’s happy to be feeling the love!
“Our volunteer team is working hard to respond to every application, email, and message so please be patient. We hope to have Jack meeting families very soon and will update when we find his peepsover the next weeks,” Peaches Bully Rescue wrote. “Thank you all and please support rescue. We are the last chance for many animals in this world.”
One heartbreak has now led Jack to so many new opportunities. He’ll have his forever family in no time! He might be a little different than most dogs, but he still deserves a happily ever after.
When it comes to veterinary care, barriers to access, including a lack of trust play a big role.
When it comes to veterinary care, barriers to access, including a lack of trust on the part of dog owners, play a bigger role than differences in race, gender, or socioeconomic status, according to a new study. Findings could help veterinarians develop outreach strategies for underserved communities.
“I was interested in how different demographic groups viewed health care and how those views might affect relationships between veterinarians and their clients,” says study first author Rachel Park, a PhD student at North Carolina State University. “The existing literature wasn’t national in scope and hadn’t accounted for multiple identities held, such as one’s socioeconomic status or education, so I saw a knowledge gap that could be filled.”
We must be careful about making sweeping generalizations.
Dogs and studies of these amazing canids seem to be "in." Clearly we're learning a good deal about the cognitive, emotional, and moral lives of homed and free-ranging dogs from a wide variety of sources, some more credible than others.
Along with all sorts of media I encounter, I also receive queries about what all of these studies actually mean. The question in the title—"What Do All These Dog Studies Really Mean?"—came via email from a graduate student in canine studies. Felicity went on ask if I could make sense of a series of research essays published in the past 5-10 years, especially those that were concerned with studying "similar phenomena" but reporting different results.
A trained service dog can really change the lives of people living with disabilities and other illnesses. The dogs help people get around, perform day-to-day tasks, and provide assistance during medical emergencies. These special animals make it so all people can live the lives they deserve, without being held back.
For scientists, researchers, and lab technicians, bringing a service dog to work or school is not so simple. In 2012, Joey Ramp was surprised to learn she couldn’t bring her assistance dog, Theo, into her college laboratories.
Regulations said labs were unsafe environments for support animals, but she needed Theo’s help to balance and retrieve dropped items. Ramp assumed that anti-discrimination laws would allow Theo to go with her everywhere. Eventually, after hours working with her lab manager and the college’s disability services, Theo was allowed to enter the lab in full protective gear (including a coat and goggles.)
When Ramp transferred to the University of Illinois, she faced even more difficulty getting Theo into her labs. The complexities of such an important issue made Ramp want to help others in her position.
“It left me wanting to change the landscape for the people that followed me.”
Many Scientists Need To Bring Their Service Animals Into Labs
In 2018, Ramp launched Empower Ability Consulting to advise universities, other scientific workplaces, and people with disabilities on hosting assistance dogs in laboratories. She estimates she has over 100 individual clients and at least a dozen universities.
The number of researchers requiring support animals has risen over the last several years. According to an ADI spokesperson, in 2019, 49% of handlers who were registered with ADI programs had guide dogs, 7% had hearing dogs and 44% had other types of assistance dogs.
Katherine Brafford, a Ph.D. student in ecology at UC Davis, leaves her guide dog Bing outside the lab. Sometimes, another person can support her needs at work.
“A cane, or a sighted guide, just works much better [for me] in a lab setting.”
Still, the difficulty arises in where to safely and reliably keep Bing during lab time. He needs a safe space and a quiet place where no one will disturb him or distract him from his duties. Brafford hopes service animals become common enough in these settings that the kinks are ironed out.
“My hope is that one day, it won’t be so weird that there are people with disabilities and service animals in science.”
The Complicated Process Of Letting Dogs Into labs
Scientists with support dogs think universities should involve them in the discussions about whether dogs can be in campus labs. Sharon Rozovsky, a chemist at the University of Delaware, Newark points out:
“Researchers can advocate very well for themselves — it won’t be the first time that they have had to explain to people what they need.”
Rozovsky thinks these conversations surrounding accommodations should happen months before the researcher or student arrives on campus. With more people needing service animals, researchers hope institutions will develop better protocols for supporting both dog and person. They also hope colleagues will be more understanding of their situation and learn not to disturb the working dogs.
Dog food recalls are critical, especially when so many dogs are falling ill or even passing away because of it. Midwestern Pet Foods is already getting a lot of negative attention due to a continuously growing recall. First, in December 2020, the recall was for nine lots of Sportmix Food with deadly aflatoxin. Then, on January 11th, 2021, the company expanded the recall list to all pet foods containing corn from their Oklahoma plant after 70 pets died.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, cases of aflatoxin poisoning are on the rise. Dog parents are once again urged to get rid of affected dog food as soon as possible.
As of January 21st, 2021, the FDA is aware of a shocking increase in pets affected by this recall. There have been 110 animal deaths related to the fatal levels of aflatoxin. Additionally, 210 pets have also gotten sick after eating the affected food. No human illnesses have been reported yet.
This recall remains an ongoing investigation. So, while no new formulas have been added to the recall list, it’s likely that it could change in the near future. It’s also possible that more dogs and cats could get sick, so please dispose of the food if you have it. The recalled pet food was distributed nationally to physical pet stores and online retailers, who were all informed to stop selling them immediately.
Which Foods are Affected?
Currently, more than 1,000 lot codes of Midwestern Pet Foods have been affected. Any formulas containing corn from the Oklahoma plant could be dangerous. This can be indicated by looking at the lot code found on the back of the bag. Foods with an expiration date of July 9th, 2022 or sooner, along with bags with “05” in the lot code, should be disposed of.
The following products are all included in the updated recall:
Pro Pac Adult Mini Chunk, 40 lb. bag
Pro Pac Performance Puppy, 40 lb. bag
Splash Fat Cat 32%, 50 lb. bag
Nunn Better Maintenance, 50 lb. bag
Sportstrail, 50 lb. bag
Sportmix Original Cat, 15 lb. bag
Sportmix Original Cat, 31 lb. bag
Sportmix Maintenance, 44 lb. bag
Sportmix Maintenance, 50 lb. bag
Sportmix High Protein, 50 lb. bag
Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 lb. bag
Sportmix Energy Plus, 50 lb. bag
Sportmix Stamina, 44 lb. bag
Sportmix Stamina, 50 lb. bag
Sportmix Bite Size, 40 lb. bag
Sportmix Bite Size, 44 lb. bag
Sportmix High Energy, 44 lb. bag
Sportmix High Energy, 50 lb. bag
Sportmix Premium Puppy, 16.5 lb. bag
Sportmix Premium Puppy, 33 lb. bag
Aflatoxin poisoning could cause sluggishness, a loss of appetite, vomiting, yellow skin or eyes, and diarrhea. If your dog eats one of these recalled products, contact your vet right away.
If you still have one of these products, please dispose of it right away. Wipe down everything the food could’ve touched, including counters, containers, and bowls. Most importantly, spread the word. If you know someone who buys Midwestern Pet Foods, make sure they are aware of this recall, so no more dogs or cats get sick.
You can contact Midwestern Pet Foods at 800-474-4163, ext. 455 or info@midwesternpetfoods.com for additional information. Also, keep an eye out for updates as the FDA continues to investigate this growing recall.
A tornado demolished several towns near Birmingham, Alabama. One of which was Fultondale, a town that’s no stranger to deadly storms. In 2011, 65 people died, and 1,500 were injured by a tornado. The recent tornado didn’t cause quite as many fatalities and harm, but it destroyed many homes.
Families were left with nothing but a pile of rubble, most of their belongings gone. But while victims and officials searched the destruction, they found one sign of hope. A dog named Smokey had miraculously survived the tornado without a scratch. His family couldn’t believe their eyes!
The Williams Family’s home was in the tornado’s path. They didn’t have much time to think, so they found safety in a tornado shelter just before the storm hit their home. Sadly, they didn’t have time to bring their pets to safety too, so they feared the worst.
“Just as soon as we got in there, it just came down on top of us. We were trapped underneath some stuff for about 15, 20 minutes until our neighbors came, helped us get out,” said Jason Williams.
When they came out of the shelter, their house was nothing but rubble. Jason said his daughters had two guinea pigs and a turtle, but only their damaged enclosures were found. The family was heartbroken, but then they realized that not all their animals faced a tragic fate. They found Smokey sitting beneath the rubble, looking as healthy as ever.
The tornado killed one person and injured at least 30 others. So, Smokey’s survival was a glimmer of hope amid so much tragedy.
Getting Smokey out of the rubble wasn’t easy. Not only was he trapped, but he was also traumatized by the recent events. When given the opportunity to escape, he stood frozen in place, unsure if he was really safe. But when his humans encouraged him, he climbed out from his hiding place and freely ran around the yard.
Somehow, Smoky had no injuries from the tornado. He’ll need some time to calm down from the terrifying situation, but he’s physically healthy. The family can’t believe how lucky they are.
The Williams’ house is no longer standing, but they’re trying to make the most out of a difficult situation. All the human family members survived with only a few bruises and scratches, while Smokey seems to be the healthiest of all. Houses can be rebuilt, but family members are irreplaceable.
Meet Alvin the Beagle, a dog who helped turn the Senate Blue
Successful political campaigns require an almost magical mix of attention to demographics, complex social factors and mind-bending marketing tactics. Rarely do they succeed or fail on the shoulders of a dog. But when future generations study the recent Georgia race for the U.S. Senate—in which the state flipped from red to blue (or at least, purple)—they may want to consider the impact of a Beagle named Alvin in changing the Democratic Party’s fortunes in this long-time Republican stronghold.
Learn about the causes, symptoms, and treatment for kennel cough.
Kennel cough is one of the most common diseases that dog owners should look out for and, in some cases, it can cause serious health issues for canines. Kennel cough is officially known as Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC) and it affects the respiratory system of dogs. The name “kennel cough” became widely used because of the belief that the disease spreads most easily in kennels, where large numbers of dogs are kept together. However, don’t let this fool you–dogs can contract kennel cough from anywhere that they come into contact with other dogs, whether they are out on a walk or playing in the yard.
Note: iHeartDogs believes that there’s no such thing as a bad breed – just negligent owners. For that reason, we have kept the name of the owner out of this post.
January 9, 2021, was supposed to be a nice day for the Waldroup family. Three-year-old Ronin, her parents, and a family friend were visiting a popular shopping district just outside of Houston, Texas for lunch. But then their day took a turn for the worst, thanks to one irresponsible dog owner.
Now, a dog is going to lose his life, and a little girl is experiencing emotional and physical pain that no kid her age should know.
As the Waldroup family walked into the Loose Caboose restaurant in Old Town Spring, they passed a table where a dog in a service vest sat with a woman and a man. Suddenly, the dog leaped forward and sunk his teeth into Ronin’s face for no reason at all. Ronin’s mother, Cleveratta Waldroup told a local news station about the incident with tears in her eyes,
“He grabbed her by the face and he shook her and I saw my baby hit the ground like a little rag doll. The first thing my best friend did was grab her and put her in my arms.”
The two women rushed Ronin away from the dog and into the bathroom and did their best to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, the other customer immediately grabbed her dog and rushed out into the parking lot – not to get him away from the other restaurant patrons, but to make an escape. When Ronin’s father, James Waldroup, realized that the woman was getting away, he followed behind, recording with his phone.
“I started yelling at her, ‘You can’t leave, this is an accident. You can’t leave.’”
The woman didn’t slow down and she didn’t apologize. In fact, she said very little – but what she did say was outrageously shocking.
“She had the gall to turn around and tell me it was my daughter’s fault.”
As the woman drove away, little Ronin was still in the bathroom with her mother – scared, hurt, and bleeding from her face.
“For them to not show any compassion or any remorse to even stop and ask if my baby was OK,” Mrs. Waldroup says, “it goes beyond words.”
Police and an ambulance soon arrived, though by that time, the woman, her friend, and the dog were all long gone. But if she thought she made a clean getaway, she was mistaken. Mr. Waldroup had her license plate on the video on his phone and other passerby had also taken video of Mr. Waldroup trying to get her to be responsible for what happened.
Warning: strong language
Five days later the dog, named Kingston, was found. The Harris County Sherriff’s Office had tracked the woman down and asked her to surrender her dog until it could be determined whether he was dangerous. She gave him up without a fight and he was placed in the care of Montgomery County Animal Services until a trial could be held.
Kaydin Downey, who specializes in Service Dog education and is acting as liaison representative for the Waldroup family, has been very involved in the ongoing legal proceedings and has filled iHeartDogs in on some of the more scattered details.
Upon investigation, it was found that this was not Kingston’s first attack. There had been multiple incidents in the past, including a bite last year to his owner’s roommate’s face. The woman was rushed to the E.R. where her upper lip was stitched back onto her face. The bite was not initially reported, but in November 2020, the roommate filed a civil lawsuit.
Downey states that not only did this woman continue to keep Kingston in her home and walk him in public without taking any precautions to warn others that they may want to keep their distance. Kingston never wore any warning patches or even a yellow ribbon. However, he did wear a service vest that his owner purchased for him along with a card that she purchased online, identifying Kingston as a service dog. With his vest on, he was taken into shops and restaurants, like the Loose Caboose where Ronin was injured.
Kingston in his vest.
Now, because this woman chose to parade Kingston around town in his vest, he is expected to be euthanized sometime within the coming days. Downey stresses that the family is typically against the idea of euthanizing a dog, but because Kingston has injured so many people in the past, they feel it is the safest choice for others.
“In general, the family is against euthanization… but this dog has had previous bite cases before, and she [the owner] has continued to put a service dog vest and continued not to just take it on walks unmuzzled, but to take it in mass groups of people like restaurants and stores.”
This is not the first time that this owner has ended up in court over a dangerous dog. In 2013 she was involved in what is known in rescue circles as “The Gus Case.” She was forced to surrender “Gus” after he bit multiple victims, including a woman who was caring for him at a boarding facility and had been told that he had no behavioral issues despite biting humans before.
The owner had lied about her qualifications as a dog trainer and a judge found her to be criminally negligent. Gus was spared from death in Texas and sent to Cesar Millan’s Dog Psychology Center in California. Unfortunately, he could not be rehabilitated and was later euthanized after biting another person.
We truly believe that there are bad owners, but no bad breeds. With proper care and training, these dogs might have lived normal lives. However, even after the attacks, this owner made no effort to even try to fix what were very apparent issues.
At only three years old, Ronin has more surgeries in her future. In the coming weeks her stitches will be removed and her face reconstructed. The family has high hopes that, because she is so young, she will heal quickly – but it’s clear that they’re all still carrying emotional scars.
“Ronin is so young so she’s physically healing really well, but emotionally she’s struggling. Her parents are doing a wonderful job being supportive and letting her heal at her own time. She had a really great connection and understanding about dogs before the incident, so it will just be a process.”
Ronin’s family has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for Ronin’s medical needs and legal expenses. Once all is said and done, they hope to help change laws to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.
“But after this dust has settled, my husband and I have decided that we will be proactive in changing the laws for service animals and training. We love service animals of all breeds and sizes but as we are going through this we are finding more information that just about anyone can purchase a service animal vest online or wherever to have their pet out in public. Whether we have to go through the courts system or take it all the way up to the lawmakers we know that with proper legal action we can change the course of action for future circumstances.”
So far, courts have only determined whether Kingston was dangerous and have sentenced him to be euthanized. For the moment, it’s unclear whether the county will pursue charges against his owner, but Downey expects to find out within the next week or two.
“I would assume falsifying a pet as a Service Animal, and fleeing the scene at least.”
Unfortunately, though Kingston is losing his life, Texas law may make the punishment his owner receives for knowingly putting him and other people in dangerous situations no more than a slap on the wrist.
“No such thing as a ‘fake’ service dog”
iHeartDogs has shared stories similar to this one – stories where owners pop a service vest on their pets and take them out, only to have them react or attack another dog or person. Or we hear from people who genuinely need their service dog and are frustrated and sad that others who pass their pets off as service dogs cause them to get turned away from businesses.
Most of the feedback we hear from our readers is support for service dog laws and education – but a surprising number of people argue that there’s no such thing as a “fake” service dog. There is a lot of ignorance around the subject of service dogs and service dog laws.
This is wrong. And it’s not just me saying so – it’s the law that says so.
A service dog is defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act – which permits service animals in businesses and other public areas – as:
“dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities… Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.“
This means that your untrained pet, emotional support dog, or therapy dog does not qualify as a service animal, and as such, businesses are not required to permit entry to those animals.
Of course, we love to see dogs everywhere we go, but this is a public safety issue. The people who choose to selfishly purchase a service vest for their untrained dogs for the purpose of convenience are taking advantage of a law meant to protect the privacy of people who are truly disabled.
Read it again, please – if you are passing your untrained dog off as a service dog, you are taking advantage of genuinely disabled people. People who would probably love to not need a dog to accompany them in public.
The Americans with Disabilities Act is written in a way to protect the privacy of people who are disabled. Businesses may ask those with service dogs only two questions:
Is this dog a service dog, and what task does it perform? And nothing else.
Unfortunately, this protective law makes it extremely easy for selfish tricksters to get away with bringing their pets along with them, and the number of people who commit service dog fraud is on the rise. It’s important to know that not only do “fake” service dogs exist but so does service dog fraud and the fines and jail time that comes along with it. For now, only a few states have laws against faking a service dog but we hope more establish similar laws in the future.
Kaydin Downey contributed information about the Waldroup family’s ongoing case and Ronin’s recovery. She is the owner and founder of Hamilton at Your Service LLC., which provides service dog law education and support to businesses to help them know how to accommodate service dogs and understand service dog laws. Hamilton is her service dog. Learn more about Hamilton at Your Service LLC. at ServiceDogEducation.com. Thank you, Kaydin.
