A man gets three years for his role in the dog's death. But is it enough?Last week, Jesse James Clark of Kelso, WA, was sentenced to three years in jail for his part in the kidnapping and killing of a Bulldog named Jagger in October 2011, as reported in the Daily News Online. Clark is the third person to be convicted in the crime, which received worldwide attention. In October 2011, the two other culprits, Ivey Rose Svaleson and her boyfriend, Johnny Lee Jordan, kidnapped the Bulldog from Jennifer Lynn Thomas. The pair had shown up at Thomas' home to collect used baby items that Thomas had offered them, out of kindness, as Svaleson was pregnant. Instead, they stole the dog. They then started sending "sinister" text messages, saying that the dog would be tortured and killed if Thomas didn't hand over money and prescription drugs. They kept the dog at Jesse James Clark's house.“I was just crushed and scared and sick. I loved him so much, and I was so worried,” Thomas said during the trial. Police tracked down the suspects, but not before finding Jagger dead and dismembered alongside railroad tracks in Kelso. Last year, Svaleson received nine months in jail, and Jordan was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.Clark, who insisted he only agreed to keep the dog for his friends, was shocked by the sentence, according to the Daily News Online, staring with "slack-jawed disbelief" at Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Michael Evans as he read the sentence, while his mother "wept so loudly that Evans threatened to find her in contempt of court."The jury found Clark guilty of first-degree extortion and second-degree possession of stolen property. During the trail, prosecutors said that Clark was overheard saying that "he beat the dog, then got rid of it." He also lied to to sheriff’s deputies when they came to his home and asked about the dog's whereabouts. Jagger's owner berated Clark in court. “If he would have been a man and said, ‘Yes, the dog is here,’ he could have been a hero right now instead of a defendant,” she said. “He cut our dog’s head off!”Prosecutors aren't sure what exactly killed the dog, but they believe it was indeed at the hands of the defendants, saying that it “seems improbable” that a train killed the dog and caused the mutilation. “There’s a degree of cruelty here, a degree of depravity,” one of the prosecutors said.Clark's three year sentence was at the top of the sentencing range for his crimes, and he won't be able to own a dog when he's out. Via the Daily News Online
On December 12, in Houston, Texas, Anne Sutherland's beloved pug, Molly, slipped out of her pug-proof fence. Sutherland's neighbors watched in horror as someone snatched Molly while the small dog was wriggling through the fence and walked off with her.
Anne Sutherland, courtesy of MyFox Houston.
After five months of nonstop searching -- during which Sutherland reached out to friends, strangers, and everyone else who would help -- Molly is home again safe and sound, according to MyFox Houston.
"I can't believe it. I can't believe it," Sutherland told MyFox this week. "I was nearly giving up. I never did give up. Nobody gave up on her."
As part of her search efforts, Sutherland plastered her Houston Heights neighborhood with lost-dog posters. She reached out on Facebook, posting about her search at the Short Mugs Rescue Squad page, which is dedicated to finding missing pugs.
Her search went viral in the community as strangers began hosting "Find Molly" events outside schools and stores, according to MyFox.
(In a reader? Watch the video here.)"I know it's not the same as a person, but I'm extremely close to her. I love her very much," Sutherland told MyFox Houston during the search. "She's cute, she's fun and all that, but she's my dog, and I need her, frankly. I really need her."
Since her neighbors said the person they saw stealing Molly was a young woman, Sutherland spread the word at nearby Ronald Reagan High School that she was offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to Molly's safe return.
Searching for lost pets is not unlike searching for lost people: Two days after a disappearance, the chances of finding the individual alive drops sharply. But Sutherland and her supporters kept their hopes up -- for five long months.
"For some reason her pain just reached out to me. She was so upset," Houston Heights resident Liz Melton told MyFox Houston this week. Last Friday, Melton was out and about when she happened to notice a pug at a certain house, which she was "certain didn't belong" there. "I e-mailed Anne and gave her the address and said, 'They don't have a pug.' That's how it happened," Melton said.
Sutherland drove to the house, which was fifteen blocks from her own. According to MyFox Houston, she asked the resident to see the dog. When the pug was brought outside, Sutherland called out, "Molly, Molly."
"She literally leapt out of the woman’s arms and climbed up my chest. I never let her go after that," Sutherland said. The news report added: "The woman told Anne her husband had given her the dog as a Valentine's Day gift. Anne believes Molly changed hands several times. The dog had lost weight and is being treated for sores in her mouth.
The news story notes that Molly is microchipped, but since nobody took her to be scanned at a vet or animal shelter, she might not have made it home otherwise.
Here's to a happy reunion. Now let's all double-check our fences.
Recommended Heartbreaking Video: Loyal Labrador Braves Busy Los Angeles Roadway to Guard Dead Companion
Tip: Creating a profile and avatar takes just a minute and is a great way to participate in Dogster's community of people who are passionate about dogs
Edith and Archie, married after 12 years together, seek new home together (Photo: NY Daily News)
Two 12-year-old dogs who have been together since puppyhood recently tied the knot at the BARC shelter in Brooklyn, NY, where they’ve been residing since their owner went to live in a nursing home several months ago.
Archie, a poodle-shih tzu mix, and Edith, Chihuahua-papillon, may never have tied the knot. But when a dognapper made off with Edith, and shelter workers saw how despondent Archie was, they realized that these two were doggy soulmates.
“He didn’t eat. He didn’t sleep. He couldn’t play or rest,” shelter director Vinny Spinola told the NY Daily News. “It was terrible to see him in that state.”
Some good detective work brought Edith back to Archie’s loving arms. The reunion? Nothing less that joyous, according to Spinola. “They ate a whole bowl of food and then jumped all over each other,” he said.
It was then that shelter staff decided the two needed to formalize their relationship. The civil ceremony was held last weekend at the shelter, and officiated by a real minister. The Daily News describes the scene thus:
“Shelter workers were giddy as the tiny bride waddled down the aisle in a white taffeta gown and long lace veil. The freshly coiffed groom, sporting tails and a top hat, wagged his moppy tail as he walked alongside her.”
The newlyweds are looking for a new forever home, where they can spend their honeymoon and the rest of their little lives. Spinosa says they must be adopted together. Interested in helping Archie and Edith live happily ever after? Go to www.barkshelter.org.
\ABS\Auto Blog Samurai\data\Popular Dog Blogs\Dogster\PinExt.png "Pin It")
The ScoopCollie on Wheels Shows Us We All Have the Power to Overcome \ABS\Auto Blog Samurai\data\Popular Dog Blogs\Dogster\icon-comment-gry.png)
0 
Kidnapped Pug and Owner Reunite After Five-Month SearchLast week, thanks to a search effort that went viral in her community, Anne Sutherland finally recovered her stolen pug Molly. Never give up! 
Heartbreaking Video: Loyal Labrador Braves Busy Los Angeles Roadway to Guard Dead Companion
Embrace This: Most People Hug Their Dogs More Than They Hug Other People
Recall Alert: Certain Packages of Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice Dog Food
Sad, Sad, Sad: Thieves Steal Service Dog of Blind Girl With Cerebral Palsy
Edith and Archie, married after 12 years together, seek new home together (Photo: NY Daily News)