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Five recent movies have slapped the “No animals were harmed” disclaimer on their end-credits without the permission of the organization that trademarked the phrase.

The American Humane Association, which monitors movie productions in which animals appear, says the five movies used the disclaimer without its approval.

The association has sent the studios and distributors connected to each production a cease-and-desist letter demanding that the unauthorized disclaimers be removed immediately from the theatrical and DVD versions of the movies.

The association identified the movies as:

Adam by Olympus Pictures, Deer Path Productions, Serenade Films, Vox3 Films.

District 9 by WingNut Films Limited, Key Creatives and LLC/QED Intl.

Easy Virtue by Ealing Studios, Fragile Films, Endgame Ent., Odyssey Ent.

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Number 9 Films.

Shrink by Ignite Entertainment, Ignite Productions, Ithaka Entertainment and Trigger Street Productions.

American Humane said the registered disclaimer, when properly obtained, assures the public that animal actors used in productions were not killed or injured in any way, and that their well-being and safety were monitored by the association’s certified animal safety representatives.

The 130-year-old organization said the movie companies are misleading the public and creating “a significant breach of trust with audiences” by inserting the credit without authorization.

Some of the studios and producers have indicated they will remove the illegitimate credit, while others are making excuses or taking no action, American Humane said.

“We encourage filmmakers to work with American Humane, and for distributors to verify the legitimacy of the ‘No Animals Were Harmed’® credit, before approving and finalizing any film prints for theatrical release or DVD distribution,” said Karen Rosa, American Humane’s vice president in charge of its Film & TV Unit.  “Viewers, too, should always look for the ‘No Animals Were Harmed’® end credit, and they can check our website to see what rating we assigned to films, based on their use of animals, and to find out how the animal action was achieved on films that we monitored.”

Chanel, the wiry-haired dachshund who held the Guinness World Record for oldest dog, died Friday, People Pets reports.

Chanel was 21, according to her owners, Karl and Denice Shaughnessy.

Chanel gained notoriety this past spring after an appearance on the Today show where she was presented with an official certificate as the world’s oldest living pooch.

She will be listed in the 2010 edition of Guinness World Records, scheduled for publication this October.

A stray dog named “Sandbag” who was taken in by British soldiers in Iraq has been transported to a safe house with his puppy in preparation for their flight to the UK.

Soldiers who adopted the dog as their mascot — he was rumored to have been shot five times by then – returned home earlier this year, according to he Daily Mail.

They were worried he would be put down by local Iraqis or killed by other dogs, but the Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies (SWHP) tracked down Sandbag, and his puppy, Dirtbag, around the port at Umm Qasr, near Basra, last week.

The dogs were believed to have been living on the streets for about three weeks.

The Mail reports that three armored vehicles were deployed last Thursday to rescue the dogs and transport them to a safe house in Baghdad where they will be cared for while arrangements are made to fly them to the UK.

A fundraising appeal to bring Sandbag home was launched on August 7 by the Blue Cross, a British pet charity, and the SWHP. Nearly 500 people worldwide have donated to the appeal since then.

Rescuers also found a cat the troops had befriended, named Hesco, and planned to ship him to Britain as well once temperatures cool enough to fly the animals safely to Kuwait, and then Britain.

To donate to the fundraising appeal, visit www.bluecross.org.uk.

(Photo:  Sandbag, right, relaxes with Dirtbag in Iraq)

People 60 and over can adopt a pet from the Maryland SPCA for free throughout the month of September.

Under the promotion, made possible by Bravo Health, senior citizens will also receive a special giveaway with each free pet.

On Friday, September 18, the Maryland SPCA will be at the Sandtown Winchester Senior Center from 11:00 a.m. to noon and the Waxter Senior Center from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. as part of Senior Citizen Pet Adoption Month.

The events will feature adoptable pets and a question and answer session with an SPCA veterinarian. Founded in 1996, Bravo Health provides Medicare beneficiaries access to high quality, cost-effective health care.