Ovando, MT - In a house on a ranch in a valley, where grizzlies, wolves and cougars sometimes roam, Alayne Marker and Steve Smith live in a white modular house...In and around it live animals, many of them crippled, blinded, abused, neglected or rejected by previous owners...

Five years ago, Alayne and Steve bought this 160-acre patch. They planned to retire there in 10 years or so. But three years ago, they chucked their $200,000 combined income from Boeing in Seattle, built the house, then built two barns, three dog cottages, a cow shed, a wood shed and a cat house. And yes, they call it a cat house. They named the place the Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary, because when they turned their first batch of rescued dogs onto it, the dogs rolled around...

Seattle, WA -- Milo would limp and complain of pain...He had a hard time crawling into bed. His walk was hesitant and he sat a little crooked. Doctors diagnosed Milo with a congenital condition that would require extensive corrective surgery. Milo's "owner," clinical psychologist Li Ravicz, was prepared to do whatever was necessary to make his dog healthy. He decided to take 9-month old Milo 300 miles east to Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. A "mayo clinic" for pets.

Ravicz expected to return with a dog with two surgically repaired hips and a large vet bill. After two sets of x-rays, dysplasia was eliminated. A third set found the problem. Milo had the "angry femurs" symptomatic of panostitis, an inflammation of the inner bone -- essentially doggy growing pains. Not counting gas and an overnight hotel stay, the examine and x-rays by WSU vets only cost $300, but Ravicz was prepared to pay thousands to make Milo a happy and healthy puppy. What a guy!

Canada.com/Halifax
Halifax Herald (07.12.03)

Cole Harbour resident Sam Bernard has been publicly praised after he said he rescued a young cat that had been dragged with a cord and hung from a tree near his house...

[Canada.com:] Bernard said he convinced the older boys to take the tortured animal down and then revived it with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, blowing through his fist.

"There was no one else home so the only thing I could do was go stop it...They were going to hit it with a piece of wood with nails in it. It was just lying there and drooling and its eyes were closed and I didn't know what to do. It wasn't moving so I blew into its mouth and pushed on its stomach and it started meowing."

Bretton Bode, known as "The Pony Lady" to children who come to her farm for riding lessons, parties or humane education, Bode currently cares for 11 horses at her equine rescue operation in Vero Beach. Many of her animals suffered from abuse and neglect before coming to the farm, although they are now surprisingly affectionate.

"Helping animals has been the only thing I’ve wanted to do with my life," said Bode, 26, who is trying to locate a bigger farm for her horse rescue.

When Police Sgt. Robert Montes arrived at the Menker Street incident Ayala was helping to cool the 4-week-old pups off through a one-inch crack in the window with his oversized Super Soaker squirt gun...Temperatures rose to the mid-80s at midday. The Honda Accord was left sitting in full sunlight.

In may, a K9 cop named Woodrow died of heat exhaustion when his partner forgot him in the squad car after their shift. Thanks to Kal Rudman, a dozen squad cars in all will get the equipment over the next three weeks, at a cost of less than $400 per car.

"It all but eliminates the possibility of something like this happening again," said Capt. Alan Kurtz, commander of the department's canine and mounted police units. The equipment is being paid for by Rudman, who previously bought bulletproof vests for Philadelphia's police dogs.

"I'm a dog lover," Rudman said. "When I heard $400 a car, I thought that was kind of low, given what we are getting in return."  

Solomon Rudman, a publisher and music industry pioneer who was profiled in FORBES’ 32nd Annual Report on American Industry as the Leisure Industry’s Man of the Year, is also a philanthropist -- sharing his wealth with children, churches, community groups and animals.

Alicia Silverstone Pulls Rabbit Act -- When Anne Klein signed on as a co-sponsor with InStyle for the opening-night party of Broadway's The Graduate, Alicia Silverstone agreed to wear one of the fashion house's dresses to the bash. But when Silverstone got a look at the rabbit-fur jackets featured in the Anne Klein catalogue, she refused to wear any of the dresses unless the company agreed to stop using fur. Anne Klein agreed.

"I agree with your point of view, and have today pulled the rabbit jacket off the line," she wrote in a letter to the actress. "We will not be producing it or like product in the future. Based upon your convictions and our belief in the same, I will also terminate our fur license as soon as possible." A longtime PETA supporter, Silverstone also convinced several of the show's crew members to go vegetarian.

London (AP) - Scottish actor Ewan McGregor has written to the U.S. government to plead for the release of seven Arctic polar bears he claims are being ill-treated at a circus in Puerto Rico. In an open letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton released Thursday and written on behalf of the British-based charity PETA, McGregor asked for the animals to be removed from a traveling circus in Puerto Rico.

Jude Law and Sadie Frost have filmed a new commercial for animal rights organisation Respect For Animals. The directed the advert, which stars Mel C, Stella and Sir Paul McCartney, Moby and George Michael. It will be screened at cinemas around the country among the trailers for Ocean's 11. Chrissie Hynde, Danny Goffey from Supergrass, Helena Christensen and Rhys Ifans are also backing the Respect For Animals campaign, reports Radio 1.

PeopleSoft founder and Chairman Dave Duffield has donated $37 million to Maddie's Fund, a $200 million foundation that Duffield and his wife, Cheryl, established to save the lives of dogs and cats.

MADDIE'S FUND, the pet rescue foundation, is helping to build a no-kill nation and guarantee a loving home for all adoptable cats and dogs.

The RSPCA has commended a tube train driver who saved an injured dog which was wandering inside a tunnel.

Victoria Line driver Mike Fennessy stepped out of his cab and took the terrified cross-breed out of the tunnel. He took the dog to the next station and cleaned the wounds it suffered in an earlier collision with a train.

Lakeland, FL - If it weren't for their alert pup named Captain, Sharie Tillman and Donald Monroe probably would have burned to death inside their mobile home Saturday morning.

The blaze started about 4 a.m., when a space heater caught fire in the living room of the twobedroom mobile home in a wooded area in Kathleen. Tillman and Monroe were asleep on the couch but didn't realize their home was burning until the Chow-mix barked at them.