Rest in Peace: A man was burying a dead dog in Anacostia Park on Jan. 22 when he was discovered by U.S. Park Police. A Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) officer was called in, and the gravedigger explained that his canine—a blue-and-white pit bull—had died of a seizure. The pit was examined by a forensic veterinary specialist, who deemed the cause of death a ruptured internal cyst. The state of Virgina will handle disposal of the body.

One Bark Too Many?: An 11-year-oldboy from Spotsylvania County, Va., allegedly shot a neighbor’s dog—with a stolen rifle—because he thought it barked too much. Police say the boy shot Molly, a German Shepherd mix, in the neck earlier this week with a .22 caliber rifle he had pilfered. The boy is being held on animal cruelty and weapons charges. Molly survived.

Home Alone 2: Two cats once thought to be abandoned at a home in the 400 block of Q Street NW are doing fine. HLE investigated on Jan. 21 and found that the animals’ owner was out of town, and a cat sitter was coming to feed them regularly.

Dog Gone: As those of you who’ve read “This Man Will Take Your Dog: Life as an Animal Cop” know, an unsupervised German Shepherd tied in the yard of a home in the 900 block of 55th Street NE was seized on Jan. 26 by animal cop Mitchell Battle. Battle says the Shepherd is doing fine.  The owner came by the shelter to pick the animal up the very next morning,  “and was very grateful that I removed the dog from a dangerous condition.” The Shepherd now has a dog pen.

Crusty Kitten: An HLE officer visited a sick kitten in the 500 block of Brandywine Street SE on Jan. 23. The orange-and-white tabby had crusted mucous on his eyes and nose. He was seen by a vet and given antibiotics.

Source: Washington Humane Society, news reports

Photo by annia316 , Creative Commons Attribution License