'Hero' street dogs in India help catch criminal

Two street dogs in the south Indian city of Chennai (Madras) have become the unlikely heroes of a stabbing incident after helping apprehend the perpetrator.

The two chased down and bit a man accused of stabbing one of his former colleagues on the roadside in what police describe as a "revenge attack".

Locals were then able to catch the man, identified as R Raghunath.

The victim is currently receiving treatment for abdominal injuries.

Police say Mr Raghunath attacked the woman because he had lost his job after she accused him of sexual harassment.

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"When they bit him, he could not run because his focus was on the dogs. That is when I and other members of the public got hold of him until the police came and took him away,'' S Raman, a rickshaw driver who takes care of the dogs, told BBC Hindi's Imran Qureshi.

Mr Raman said that the dogs, both of whom are named "puppy", chased the man after the victim, who was stabbed in the stomach, started screaming.

Natasha Chandy, a Bangalore-based Canine Counsellor, told BBC Hindi that the dogs' behaviour was not surprising.

"Dogs on the streets are highly instinctive. They can sense stress and read body language very well. In this case, the dogs may have sensed something wrong, especially if the lady screamed when she was stabbed,'' she said.

She added that it was also not unusual for dogs to go to the rescue of those who are hurt. But, she said that it was also highly likely that the animals' "chase instinct" kicked in because the man ran away.

Hull dog owner Trevor Jackson gives pet dog Princess the kiss of life

An east Hull man has told how he gave his greyhound the kiss of life when she suffered a heart attack.

Trevor Jackson, 57, was walking his pet, Princess, in the streets around his home in Southcoates Lane on Thursday, January 26 when she suffered a sudden heart attack and collapsed.

Fearing for her life, Trevor flagged down the first car he could find. He says two women, possibly in their 20s, stopped immediately in New Bridge Road and drove him straight to a nearby vet while he gave his pet mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in the back of the car.

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After a check-up Princess has now been given the all-clear but Trevor was told that she was just minutes from death.

Bookie Trevor now wants to track down the women who helped them so he can express his gratitude in person.

"I just want to say 'thank you' to them," he said. "It's really quite emotional for me really. It's a memory I've got for life now, and I don't want to not know who it was who helped me.

"It was really scary. I could see straight away that Princess was dying and her face was turning blue in the car. I was just desperately trying to keep her awake."

He said he feared for Princess' life after she collapsed.

"It was around 4.30pm when it happened and I had to get out of the car and run the rest of the way because you can imagine what the traffic was like on Holderness Road at that time," he said.

"I took her straight into the vets and they gave her an injection, medication, some fluids and oxygen.

"I took her for a check-up on Thursday and she's been given the all-clear. There's no lasting effect. I couldn't be more pleased.

"There was no time to stop and talk to the women, but they've helped save her life. The vets told me that she was minutes away from dying."

Non-verbal six-year-old boy and deaf dog learn to communicate using sign language

A six-year-old boy who cannot speak and a deaf dog are a “match made in heaven”, according to the boy's mother.

Connor Guillet is able to communicate with three-year-old boxer Ellie using sign language and has become inseparable from the affectionate rescue animal since the family took her in a week before Christmas.

Connor, who was adopted at four weeks old, was born addicted to opiates, and has since been diagnosed with damage to his brain and nervous system, in addition to a chromosomal disorder called DiGeorge syndrome, and autism.

“Connor is severely delayed psychologically, physically and emotionally,” Ms Guillet told CBS News.

“He is nonverbal and requires speech therapy. It is unknown whether he has the ability to speak with a limited vocabulary.”

Since he also has issues with motor skills, even using sign language is difficult for Connor, but his mother said Ellie is adept at understanding.

The family, from Florida, already had an eight-year-old boxer when they were contacted by a rescue centre in late December, which said it had a deaf animal that only responded to sign language available for adoption.

“I had a lightbulb go off immediately,” Ms Guillet said. “To think that Connor can sign to her and actually communicate with her made my heart melt.”

Connor and his mother met the dog the next day.

“That was it,” Ms Guillet said, adding that Connor petted, kissed, and hugged the dog, who responded by licking the child.

“She was beyond gentle with him,” Ms Guillet said. “Boxers are known to be great with kids, but there is something definitely special about Ellie.”

Ms Guillet agreed to foster the dog to see how she would interact with Connor at home. The pair quickly became inseparable.

They play tug of war, run up and down the slide in the back garden and cuddle on the couch together, Ms Guillet said, adding that, finally, Connor has found a friend he can relate to.

“It warms my heart like nothing else,” said Ms Guillet, adding that she is now going to adopt Ellie and "make her a permanent member of the family".

Pet dog sick after eating palm oil on Broadstairs beach

A couple have spoken of the moment they found out their beloved pet had been poisoned when it ate palm oil washed up on a beach.

John Watterson and his wife Jean realised three-year-old Vulcan was ill when he vomited after his walk on Friday.

The pair’s granddaughter had been walking the flat-coated retriever along Botany Bay, Broadstairs, between 10am and 11am close to the power station.

Mr Watterson, of Percy Avenue, Broadstairs, took Vulcan straight to the vet at around 8pm as soon as he realised what had made the dog so poorly.

He said: “I took him to the vet who asked me what I thought it might be and then they said it seemed likely.

“He was put onto a drip and kept in overnight and did blood tests.”

His owners went to collect him the following afternoon.

Mr Watterson added: “The size of the thing he ingested was relative to half a brick. I think the problem comes when it starts to get a bit windy and what is normally in the sea comes on to the land.

“He must have been intrigued about what it was and decided to try some, which made him ill.”

The chemical comes in the form of a white waxy substance which is found in lumps on the beach and is highly toxic to animals.

In the worst cases palm oil can cause severe illness or death in animals and can also be dangerous to humans if they come into close contact with it.

It is grown across the world and used mainly in food, soaps and shampoos as well as biofuels.

Thanet coast protection officer for Thanet District Council Tony Child said: “If there is anything that looks hazardous on our beaches, we will react promptly to clean up any incidents in conjunction with other authorities.

Stoke-on-Trent couple's pet ban after dog's leg amputated

A couple have been banned from keeping dogs for 10 years after leaving their pet in such pain from a broken leg he had to have it amputated.

Marie and Steven Richards claimed Charlie, a West Highland terrier-cross, just had a small bite wound on his leg.

But when the RSPCA found his femur was snapped in half, they admitted Mr Richards had fallen on Charlie but they had no money to take him to the vets.

The pair, from Stoke-on-Trent, were each given a 12-month community order.

Marie Richards, 48, and her 51-year-old husband were convicted of causing unnecessary suffering at North Staffordshire Justice Centre. They were also also ordered to each carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.

The RSPCA said it became involved after being alerted by a member of the public who was concerned about the Charlie's welfare.

Insp Charlotte Melvin, said it had been obvious the dog's injury was more serious than the couple had said.

"Charlie was on three legs and couldn't put any weight on his fourth leg," she said.

"When we took him to the vet an x-ray revealed that his femur was completely snapped in half an injury that was consistent with the force of being hit by a car."

The couple, from Triner Place, said they had given him paracetamol and thought he was okay because "he was still wagging his tail".

But a vet said Charlie would have suffered excruciating pain from the injury, which was at least a week old, Ms Melvin said.

"Charlie has since been successfully re-homed and is "very happy", she added.