ohmidog!

This year’s tips on how to ensure your pet has a safe Halloween are brought to you by PETA — the scariest animal welfare group of all.

Keep your cats inside. For cats — especially black cats — the days leading up to Halloween can be dangerous. Pranksters often go on the prowl for roaming kitties. In fact, many animal shelters refuse to adopt out black cats during the entire month of October.

Keep your dogs indoors too. Some kids think that letting dogs out of their yards, or otherwise harassing them on Halloween is a great trick. Dogs can also get spooked by the noise and all the strangely dressed people.

Put animals in a secure room. Cats and dogs might try to sneak out when the front door’s constantly being opened. It’s best to keep animals inside a bedroom or family room, away from all the commotion.

Don’t take dogs trick-or-treating.  Dogs can easily become frightened by the endless stream of laughing and screaming children and run off.

Keep candy out of reach of animals. All candy can cause animals to become sick, and chocolate can be poisonous to dogs. Give them a pet treat instead, and make sure children understand that, too.

Be careful with candles and other decorations. Jack-o’-lanterns lit up by candles can burn animals (and children) or start fires if tipped over. The ink that is used in some brightly colored decorations, such as orange streamers and paper pumpkins, is toxic to animals, and swallowed balloons or party favors can block an animal’s digestive tract.

Remember that animals aren’t party props. Many animals become upset if they are forced into clothing, and many pet owners sometimes take the concept too far. Costumes that are kept in place with tight rubber bands can cut off circulation.

PETA goes on to suggest using only cruelty-free make-up for your costume, and passing out vegan candy, or, in lieu of candy — and here’s where they really lose us – stickers with information on tooth decay.

I’m pretty sure this is a work of art designed for Facebook posting, as opposed to an actual billboard.

And it’s slightly innacurate — while Ohio law pretty strictly regulates pit bulls, the state isn’t removing them from homes and exterminating them on sight.

But we love the sign/art anyway, and it does make a good point.

To be cracking down on pit bulls — all while a suicidal ex-convict is being allowed to keep dangerous wild animals on his property — makes Ohio seem something of a laughing stock.

Was Terry Thompson, who freed 53 wild animals from their cages at his private reserve before commiting suicide this week, required to have $100,000 worth of insurance, as state law requires of pit bull owners?

If he had two of the same breed, could wardens arbitarily seize one, as allowed under the Ohio law with pit bulls?

Was he subject to fines and worse if his animals weren’t properly muzzled, or securely fenced and enclosed, as pit bull owners have been?

Some Ohio cities, like Cleveland and Toledo, avoided the state’s strict line on pit bulls by passing their own kinder and gentler dangerous dog laws — laws that didn’t automatically presume all pit bulls to be vicious.

And the state legislature, we should point out, is considering removing wording from its dangerous animal law that currently labels all pit bulls as vicious — a move that would bring an end to the over-reaching restrictions.

House Bill 14 passed the House and was sent to the Senate, but not much has been heard of its status since then.

Until it does pass, the state will likely fall victim to the kind of ribbing this Facebooker came up with.

(Photo: From the Facebook page of John Sibley)

Forget that better mousetrap. Many of our planet’s best minds are now wrapping themselves around the issue of dog poop.

And here’s one of the latest devices destined for the market: The AshPooPie, a name that somehow (at least to me) sounds even funnier when a person with a British accent is saying it.

The AshPooPie was invented by Hebrew University of Jerusalem scientist Oded Shoseyov as a more environmentally friendly alternative to sending poop in plastic bags to landfills.

The AshPooPie is an easy to carry “wand” that allows you, with the push of a few buttons, to capture a pile of poop, then, through chemically induced incineration, turn it into a small pile of sterile and odorless ash .

Like fairy dust, almost.

The device is will be distributed by an Israeli company, Paulee Clean Tech.

“The amount of ash is between 10-20 per cent of the ‘original portion’ and it can blow in the wind like cigarette ash,” said Oded Halperin, a spokesperson for Paulee Clean Tech.

A Denver woman who left her dog at home with her housecleaner returned to find her house clean, the maids gone and her dog dead.

So says a lawsuit filed by Robin Lohre against Posh Maids, a cleaning company she hired in August.

Lohre said she offered to take her 18-month old dog, Ruthie, with her when she went to the market, but the maid — one of two who would show up for the job — said Ruthie could stay.

A few hours later, Lohre and her 6-year-old daughter returned — and found Ruthie dead with a bowl of water next to her, the Denver Post reported.

“I still don’t know what happened,” Lohre said. “I came home and she was alone. That’s what bothers me the most, she was left scared and alone to die.”

Lohre said she called the company owner, Miranda Pallone, and was informed that Ruthie had darted out of the house while the two maids were there and was hit by a car.

Lohre filed a lawsuit this week against the company in Denver District Court, said Jennifer Edwards, an attorney for the Animal Law Center.

Pallone told the Post that  Ruthie ran out of the home as the maids were leaving. After being struck by a car, she said, the dog ran back into the house and started acting aggressively toward the maids.

“We honestly feel we did everything in our power to make sure everything was OK,” Pallone said. “We had to move the maids from a potentially unstable situation.”

A necropsy showed that Ruthie died of blunt force trauma, but could not confirm she was hit by a car, Edwards said.

A Labrador retriever in Newton, Mass., was killed when it came in contact with a downed wire while being walked by its owner.

The dog’s owner, and a neighbor’s dog she was also walking, also received shocks, according to a report in the Boston Herald.

Police responded to a report of a woman screaming, said spokesman David Procopio.

“Sadly, both dogs either sniffed or touched or put their mouth on or stepped on the line,” he said. “They received an electrical shock.”

The woman’s dog died at the scene after touching the wire, Procopio said, and the neighbor’s dog ran home.

The woman, whose name was not released, told police she also received a shock when she tried to move the dogs away from the wire. She declined medical treatment.

A utility spokeswoman said a large tree branch had taken down two, 2,400-volt wires and that an investigation is underway into why the protective device on one of them did not work properly.

Downed wires aren’t the only electrical hazards to dogs and their walkers. Street fixtures and other malfunctioning above ground electrical equipment — even when they don’t looked damaged — have shocked and killed both.

You can learn more about the phenomenon at the website, Streetzaps.

Two years after losing her fiance, Krissy Rankin is searching for the dog he gave her shortly after their engagement.

Nala, a 95-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback, was a gift from Eric Shellenberger, a Navy Seal who did five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Shellenberger died, in a training accident, three months after they got the dog in 2009.

The dog slipped out the door of Rankin’s Smyrna, Ga., home Saturday.

“She’s beyond a dog,” Rankin told 11 Alive News. “She’s my everyday reminder of Eric. I think of him every single day when I see Nala.”

Nala, who has a distinct kink in her tail, has served as both her companion and therapist, Rankin said: “A lot of days she’s been my only happiness. “There’s times I sit there and cry on Nala. It still happens.”

Since Nala’s disappearance, Rankin, a teacher, has searched, checked shelters and put up posters everyday before and after work.

Hours after video was posted on Facebook of  a British man lashing out at his dog, an angry mob gathered outside the dog owner’s house and police arrived to arrest him.

The video, shot from a neighboring window, shows a man apparently kicking, punching and using a pole to beat a cowering white dog.

Police were called to the address in Lincolnshire, and onlookers watched as a man, believed to be the dog’s owner, was arrested, according to the Daily Mail.

The Daily Mail said it was unable to confirm reports that citizens had punched the man and broken windows at his house.

The dog was removed from the home and taken to Grimsby Blue Cross Animal Hospital. The RSPCA is  investigating the incident.

“‘We did have a lot of calls from members of the public about it who were obviously concerned and it’s been passed on to our inspectors who will be looking into it today,” a spokesman said.

The owner of a Deer Park, Ill., animal shelter was sentenced in court Tuesday to 30 months in custody for running what the judge called “a concentration camp for dogs.”

More than a dozen dogs starved to death while at the Muddy Paws animal shelter, operated by Diane Eldrup.

The 49-year-old woman faced up to five years in prison for 18 counts of animal torture, and up to three years in prison for 18 counts of aggravated animal cruelty.  A jury convicted her of the charges last month.

Lake County Circuit Judge James Booras sentenced Eldrup to 30 months of probation to serve at the same time as the 30 months of “periodic imprisonment,”  the Chicago Sun-Times reported

“It takes a certain mean spirit, a certain meanness of heart,” Booras said. “She was running a concentration camp for dogs, taking those dogs in so that she could kill them.”

A jury heard evidence that Eldrup allowed 14 dogs to die of starvation and dehydration while they were under her care at the Deer Park animal shelter. Their rotting carcasses and four live dogs were found at the facility in December, 2010.

Evidence was presented at Tuesday’s sentencing hearing that — in addition to the 14 dogs that died of starvation and dehydration at the facility – eight to 10 more carcasses were found at Muddy Paws after the snow melted.

“The defendant has been hiding and killing dogs far longer than the evidence of trial,” one of the prosecutor said. “The state is asking for a prison sentence. She starved them to death. She prolonged their suffering. This was a torture camp for animals and she was a prison guard.”

Her defense attorney said Eldrup has has obsessive-compulsive disorder and a depressive disorder and was undergoing a divorce and having business difficulties.

Booras also ordered Eldrup to perform 200 hours of community service  and fined her $1,000.

Under her periodic imprisonment, she will be kept in the custody of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in a residential facility next to the jail, and will be released from custody for counseling, court obligations and work.

Dozens of wild animals who escaped from a wildlife preserve in Ohio have been gunned down by police and sheriff’s deputies, and only two — a wolf and a monkey — are still believed at large.

The animals were freed by Terry Thompson, the preserve’s owner, who killed himself after opening all the cages, officials said.

On Tuesday night, a grizzly bear and a mountain lion were killed, but Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz told reporters he can’t be 100 percent sure how many of the 51 animals might still be roaming around Zanesville, Ohio.

Lutz and wildlife expert Jack Hanna, who will take the living animals at the preserve to the Columbus Zoo, urged the public to remain cautious, according to an ABC News report.

Lutz said his officers found grizzly bears, lions, Bengal tigers, black bears and leopards roaming the area around the preserve, many of which had to be killed.

When a veterinarian shot a tiger with a tranquilizer from 15 yards away, Lutz said,  it “just went crazy,” and started to run, so officers were forced to shoot it.

Another animal — described only as a big cat — was hit by a car on a highway, and an escaped monkey was eaten by one of the lions.

Thompson, the 61-year-old owner of the preserve, was recently released from prison after serving one year on federal weapons charges. According to investigators he has been cited in the past for animal abuse and neglect.

Sheriff Lutz warned residents to stay inside until the animals are rounded up. Several schools cancelled classes for today.

A Baltimore cat and a Baltimore lawyer are among those to be honored by the ASPCA at an awards luncheon in New York next month.

The cat, named Mittens, was trapped by two teenage boys in a milk crate, doused with lighter fluid and set on fire last January.

She managed to escape from the crate, extinguish the flames and return to what she had been doing — nursing her newborn kittens.

Mittens was rescued by police and animal control officers and, along with her kittens, brought to the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), where she slowly recovered from the loss of her ears as well as third and fourth-degree burns covering 70 percent of her body.

Despite her injuries, Mittens continued to care for her kittens during recovery. Her story resulted in extensive media coverage and helped lead to stronger animal welfare laws in Maryland. Named the ASPCA’s Cat of the Year, she now resides in the home of Cindy Wright.

Caroline Griffin, is being honored for helping  to create a dramatic change in the way the citizens and officials of Baltimore view their duties to protect animals.

After a pit bull named Phoenix was doused with gasoline and set on fire in West Baltimore in 2009, Griffin, who previously had a private law practice, devoted her life to advocating for changes in Baltimore’s policies and procedures to better protect animals and prosecute their abusers. She was appointed by then-mayor Sheila Dixon to chair a new Anti-Animal Abuse Task Force, which went on to become a permanent standing Anti-Animal Abuse Advisory Commission, the first of its kind in the country.

Griffin’s work heightened media and public awareness of animal abuse, and let to increased coordination and cooperation between agencies and individuals concerned about the problem.

“Through Caroline’s unrelenting work, the Commission has not only helped Baltimore become a more humane community, but also serves as a model for other cities across the country,” the ASPCA said in a press release.

Griffin is one of two recipients of the ASPCA Presidential Service Award. Also receiving the honor is Subaru of America, Inc. for its unprecedented commitment to animal welfare. Through the Subaru “Love a Pet” Adoption Drive program, the ASPCA works with Subaru dealers across the country to team them up with local shelters to host co-branded ‘Love a Pet’ adoption events.

“The ASPCA is humbled by the commitment and compassion displayed by this year’s Humane Awards winners,” ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres said. “The distinguished achievements of these advocates are prime examples of the ASPCA’s mission of preventing cruelty to animals. This year’s event will be a celebration of all that has been done to bring us closer to our goal while reminding us that there is still much work ahead.”

The ASPCA’s Annual Humane Awards Luncheon — sponsored by the Hartville Group, Inc., provider of ASPCA Pet Health Insurance — will be held on Thursday, Nov. 17, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Pierre Hotel in New York City.

Others to be honored are:

– Ricochet, the surfing golden retriever who raises money and helps the disabled. Rejected as a service dog, Ricochet and her owner, Judy Fridono, took another route to helping people. Ricochet is now a ‘SURFice’ dog for disabled surfers. On top of that, Ricochet has helped raise more than $125,000 for more than 150 human and animal causes, including childhood special needs, arthritis, breast cancer, canine cancer and animal rescue. Ricochet will be honored as the ASPCA Dog of the Year.

 – Stevie Nelson, a five-year-old boy who raised more than $28,000 for the Northeast Nebraska Humane Society. After his family’s two black Labs went missing, Stevie, upon seeing an ASPCA commercial on television, decided he wanted to help needy animals find homes. He set out to raise $6,000 for the humane society’s campaign to build a new shelter, but to date has raised more than four times that. Stevie will receive the ASPCA’s Tommy P. Monahan Kid of the Year award — named after a nine year old boy who died trying to save his dog from a house fire in 2007.

– Sgt. David Hunt of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Columbus, Ohio. Hunt  has served as a leader in uncovering the link between animal cruelty and other serious crimes such as drug dealing, gambling and racketeering. Since 2002, Sgt. Hunt has executed 51 search warrants resulting in 67 felony dogfighting arrests. He has trained law enforcement officers in 28 states, and helped make dogfighting a crime law enforcement and lawmakers take more seriously. Hunt is receiving the ASPCA Public Service Award.

– Green Chimneys, a New York organization that helps children with emotional, behavioral, social and learning challenges. A leader in animal-assisted activities, Green Chimneys operates an innovative special education school and residential treatment facility with programs to strengthen the emotional health and well being of children by promoting a harmonious relationship with animals and the environment. Green Chimneys is receiving the ASPCA Henry Bergh Award.

(Photo of Mittens, courtesy of BARCS; photo of Caroline Griffin by Mary Swift)