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Mars Petcare voluntarily recalled a limited number of 52-pound bags of Pedigree “Small Crunchy Bites” from Costco stores in Northern California and Nevada because of the possibility they might be contaminated with salmonella.

Another hundred bags of the dog food, in 20-pound size, were voluntarily recalled from Albertsons groceries in California and Las Vegas.

Mars issued a press release saying early media reports that the recall involved all California Costcos were erroneous.

The company said there have been no complaints or reports of injury.

Salmonella can cause serious infections in dogs and cats and people.

Mike and Miriam Snyder, of Vineland City, N.J., regretfully turned their two Shih Tzus over to a shelter at the beginning of this month. With Miriam ill, and Mike with his hands full, they felt they were no longer able to properly care for the dogs, named Gabby and Marty.

Last week, after one of their sons quit his job and returned home to help his parents, they decided to get the brother and sister Shih Tzus back.

But when Mike returned to the Cumberland County SPCA he learned that Marty had been adopted — the day after his family had dropped him off.

The other dog, Gabby, was still at the shelter. But after the family filled out adoption papers and made arrangements to return and reclaim her a few days later — after she was spayed — they found out someone else had beat them to the punch.

As for Marty, shelter director Bev Greco told The Daily Journal in Vineland that, while strays are kept for seven days before being made available, owner-released animals are put up for adoption immediately — a rule the family apparently didn’t understand.

As for Gabby, Greco said another application to adopt her had been received a day before the Snyders came to ask for their dog.  She said the shelter tried to call the family about the situation, but a phone number they left was not working.

Mike Snyder says he was not told about the competing application.

Greco said she had no plan to contact the people who adopted Marty and Gabby. “They’ve both got very good homes,” she said.

On Wednesday though, the family got a lead on the whereabouts of Gabby after placing an in Vineland’s Daily Journal. It was from a woman who said she drove another a woman to the shelter to adoptd Gabby. She promised to contact the woman about giving back the dog.

As of yesterday, the family was still waiting.

The King County Animal Shelter in Kent, Washington acted appropriately when it euthanized a stray dog known as Buddy, a county review of the case has concluded. But the couple that picked him up off the street still disagrees with the choice.

Buddy’s death June 17 outraged the Auburn couple that found him wandering in traffic 13 days earlier. Jim Giuntoli, who rescued Buddy with his wife, Kim, said the dog was friendly and “would have made an adorable pet.”

But Carolyn Ableman, who oversees animal shelters for the county, said Buddy, a black Lab mix was so aggressive toward other animals he couldn’t safely be put up for adoption.

Those reviewing the case said Buddy snapped at the animal-control officer who first put him into a truck. He was reported to act dominantly over other dogs and snarled at an officer who intervened when Buddy attacked a kennel mate over food. A veterinarian on the review team said Buddy “represented a potential threat to public safety and therefore was not a suitable candidate” for adoption.

Jim Giuntoli disagrees. “They didn’t give Buddy a fair chance to even make it out of the shelter alive,” he said.

After Buddy’s death, the Giuntolis removed from the Kent shelter two other dogs they had rescued and took them to the Humane Society in Bellevue. One was quickly adopted out. The other is now at Seattle-based Animals First Foundation, where founder Carina Borja said he shows no signs of aggressiveness.

The county shelters in Kent and Bellevue have been under close scrutiny since independent reports over the past year said they are overcrowded and animals are held in inhumane, unhealthy conditions, according to the Seattle Times.

(Photo by Jim Giuntoli)