ohmidog!

A pit bull mix purchased two weeks ago through an ad on Craigslist is being treated for injuries received when his new owners dragged him behind their Jeep, police said.

Four people were charged with animal cruelty in Troutdale, Oregon, in connection with the dragging of the dog, named Rhino.

Police say they received several calls Monday night from witnesses who saw the dog tied to the back of a moving Jeep Cherokee by his leash.

Troutdale police found the dog later, bleeding from his paws, KOIN reported

The four occupants of the Jeep told police they’d forgotten the dog was tied to it when they pulled out of a McDonald’s parking lot and drove 600 feet to a gas station, where bystanders stopped the driver.

Police transported Rhino to a veterinary clinic, where it was determined he had lost most of his foot pads and nails. He was to be transferred to Multnomah County Animal Control.

Police said the dog’s owner Launa Dickinson, 20, was charged with one count of second degree animal abuse. Also charged were Allen Cook, 20, Justin Rinde, 21, both of Portland, and Nicholas Falkenhagen, 21, of Milwaukie. All were booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center.

Police said all four were believed to be living in the Jeep.

Donations and adoption offers have poured in for Freeway, the German shepherd who lost a leg after being dragged down a northern California interstate by a pick-up truck.

Freeway, as he is now known, spent some time Friday afternoon playing quietly and getting used to life on three legs. He was visited by Angie Porter and her 13-year-old son, River, who went to his aid after seeing him being dragged down the highway.

As they followed the truck down Interstate 780, honking their horn, the rope the dog was being pulled by snapped when the pick-up truck exited, slamming the dog into a concrete abutment. Authorities are searching for the truck’s driver.

At Benicia Middle School, where Porter works as a campus supervisor, donation pots were placed around campus to raise money for the dog’s medical care, and more than $2,200 has been raised there alone.

The Humane Society of the North Bay has fielded at least two dozen calls offering to adopt Freeway — including one from an Illinois woman, executive director Peter Wilson told the Vallejo Times-Herald.

Freeway’s sutures will be removed in less than two weeks. On Tuesday, he will be transferred to a foster family, Wilson said. In four to six weeks, the humane society will put the dog up for adoption, likely holding a lottery due to the high degree of interest, Wilson said.

Donations for Freeway will go to the Humane Society’s Maya Fund, created to help animals with medical needs.

Anyone with information about the dog, or the driver that left him behind, can call animal services at 707- 333-6039.

(Photo: Chris Riley / Vallejo Times-Herald)

A dog dragged by a pick-up truck down a northern California freeway is expected to survive, but has lost a leg.

Angie Porter and her 13-year-old son spotted the truck, and the dog behind it on a rope, while driving down Interstate 780 on April 19.

They followed it for nearly a mile, trying to catch up and honking the horn.

As the vehicle neared Glen Cove, the truck driver took the exit, and the rope around the dog’s neck broke. The dog flipped several times and then slammed into the off-ramp’s concrete wall

The driver didn’t stop.

Porter, a Pinole resident, stopped her car and ran to the dog, placing her coat over him.

A few minutes later,  Amy Dart, with the Humane Society of the North Bay, arrived and took the dog to All Creatures Veterinary Hospital, according to the Vallejo Times-Herald.

Animal control officials say they have few leads about the driver of the truck; Porter was so focused on the dog she did not take down the truck’s license plate number.

Freeway, who’s believed to be a purebred German shepherd, had his badly fractured right rear leg removed and was expected to be released to the humane society this week.

Peter Wilson, the humane society’s executive director, said the organization will pay the vet bill and put Freeway up for adoption after he recuperates.

“When I learned how sweet the dog is, even in excruciating pain, I felt this dog deserves a chance and shouldn’t suffer and lose its life because of the irresponsible individual who didn’t stick around afterward,” Wilson said.

The humane society has started a fundraiser for Freeway through its Maya Fund, created to help animals with medical issues.

At Benicia Middle School, where Porter works as a campus supervisor and her son, River, is enrolled, students and staff members are trying to raise money for Freeway by setting up donation cans around campus.

Anyone with information about the incident  is asked to call Vallejo Animal Control at 707-645-7906.

Police in Sussex, England, are investigating the death of beagle-collie mix who was dragged behind a Porsche — for up to six miles, and at speeds approaching 70 miles per hour.

A police source told the Telegraph that detectives are looking into whether the incident may have been triggered by a domestic dispute between the dog’s owners.

A 33-year-old man from West Sussex whose name wasn’t made public turned himself in yesterday and is being held and questioned, police said.

The car was seen dragging the dog by its leash Sunday near Brighton, first by a citizen and later by a police officer. The body of the dog was later found near the Southwick Tunnel.

“This is being treated as a deliberate act,” a police spokesperson said. “The injuries this dog suffered were horrific. It has been distressing for everyone involved.”

A dog who was dragged behind a car in Kentucky seven years ago now helps people who are dealing with an illness in their family.

Roadie, an 8-year-old beagle and a certified therapy dog, greets guests at the Hospital Hospitality House of Lexington, WKYT-TV reports. The facility provides temporary overnight accommodations to family and friends of patients in Lexington area hospitals.

“Everybody loves Roadie,” said Hospital Hospitality House Executive Director Lynn Morgan. “Roadie knows people very well and she knows how to make them feel comfortable.”

In July of 2004, the beagle was dragged on the street behind a car in Pulaski County, losing an eye and nearly her life. Dennis Wayne Fitzpatrick, of Somerset, pled guilty to cruelty to animals and was fined

After the accident, volunteers at Hospitality House put in an application to adopt her. Morgan said that initially he wasn’t sure the house was the place for a dog.

“To my surprise I was wrong, it was a very good place for a therapy dog. Roadie has been a companion and a caring counselor to our guests,” he said. “She is so much like the people who stay with us — she’s been through a very difficult medical situation and she survived it.”

Steven Clay Romero, the man who dragged a dog named Buddy to his death at the Colorado National Monument, received the maximum sentence of three years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

Romero, 38, of Grand Junction, will spend three years in federal prison, followed by 12 months of supervised parole for aggravated animal cruelty in the dog’s death Dec. 30, 2009, the Montrose Press reported.

He also was fined $500 and ordered to pay $343 in restitution to Buddy’s owners.

The dog, reported stolen from the back of a pickup truck in Delta, Colorado, was found with a rope tied around his neck at the monument. Surveillance photos and marks in the snow indicated Buddy had been dragged behind a pickup truck while still alive.

Romero’s sister, Melissa Lockhart, 32, is charged as an accessory after the fact to aggravated animal cruelty for allegedly attempting to cover up Buddy’s death. Conviction could bring up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A theft complaint filed against her for stealing the dog was dismissed June 10, court records show.

The torture and killing of Buddy triggered a Facebook site, Demand Justice For Buddy, which as of Friday had 267,713 members.

Buddy, the dragged dog in New Jersey – not to be confused with Buddy, the dog dragged to his death in Colorado — has been removed from the Burlington County Animal Shelter and taken to an undisclosed location by the New Jersey SPCA.

“We took him out because outside intervenors who have no business with the dog, who were very opinionated, were putting a lot of pressure on the shelter,” state SPCA spokesman Matt Stanton said. “We’re focused on Buddy. We don’t care what people have opinions about. Buddy’s in a good place. Buddy’s doing well and will continue to do well.”

That remark was an apparent reference to animal rights advocate Charlene Pedrolie and others who have called for placing the dog in a foster home immediately. Pedrolie, of Monmouth County, has said she would pay thousands of dollars to help fund such a stay.

The SPCA has funded Buddy’s $4-per-day stay at the Westampton shelter since October. Assistant Camden County Prosecutor Victoria Shilton tried to adopt Buddy, but it was not permitted because of the dog’s aggression issues, the Camden Courier-Post reported.

In addition, the dog’s owner, William Jefferson, still hopes to get the dog back.

On Sept. 5, Buddy was dragged a half-mile behind Jefferson’s car, according to the SPCA. Prosecutors say Jefferson closed the car’s trunk on the dog’s leash.

Jefferson, 63, faces a pretrial hearing this month on charges of fourth-degree animal cruelty. The charges carry a maximum penalty of up to 18 months in jail, five years probation and fines.

Steven Romero pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal charge of aggravated animal cruelty in connection with the death of Buddy, a stolen German shepherd mix who was dragged to his death behind a pickup truck in the Colorado National Monument.

While the charge carries a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison and a $100,000 fine, it was expected that prosecutors would offer a reduced sentence in exchange for his guilty plea.

Buddy was found dead on Dec. 30. Romero is accused of putting a rope around the dog’s neck and driving until the dog was dead.

Romero, 38, will remain in custody until his sentencing, scheduled for July 30, according to 9News.

“It’s a good day for animal lovers and I’m happy to see this happen. It was the right thing for him to do to accept responsibility,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Meyer said.

Prosecutors say Romero’s sister, 32-year-old Melissa Lockhart, stole the pup from a pickup truck in Fruita and told him to “get rid” of it. Lockhart faces a felony charge for lying to investigators. She will appear in court on May 10 in Grand Junction.

A Facebook page was created in the wake of Buddy’s death. It is called “Demand Justice for Buddy” and has more than 260,000 members around the world.

A stone marker in memory of Buddy, the dog dragged to death behind a pickup truck at Colorado National Monument, was erected Thursday at the entrance to the Roice-Hurst Humane Society.

In a quiet ceremony Thursday, the dog’s owners, the Leber family of Delta, again said goodbye to Buddy, whose death touched thousands, and later toured the humane society, according to The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction.

“It’s pretty cool to see people think about animals the way we do,” Sasha Leber said.

The stone, etched with paw prints heading toward a setting sun, was donated and placed in a bed of flowers by Snyder Memorials of Grand Junction. It reads, “In memory of Buddy, and all the animals who have no one to weep for them.”

Steven Romero, 38, is expected to change his plea to guilty to a charge of aggravated cruelty to animals in connection with Buddy’s Dec. 30 death. A hearing is scheduled April 29 in federal court in Denver.

The Lebers plan to attend the court hearing, and in the days before, a candlelight vigil at the humane society.

Buddy was cremated and his ashes are in an urn at their home, Sasha Leber said.

After more than three months since Buddy was stolen from the back of their pickup in Delta, the family still questions why Buddy, and their other dog, Max, a black Labrador retriever and pit bull mix, were taken. Neither knew Melissa Lockhart, 32, of Fruita, who is accused of taking the dogs.

Lockhart, who is Romero’s sister, has pleaded not guilty to stealing the dogs and is slated for trial Aug. 16.

(Photo: Christopher Tomlinson / The Daily Sentinel)

Federal prosecutors have struck a plea agreement with Steven Clay Romero, the Colorado man accused of dragging a stolen dog to his death at Colorado National Monument.

Romero faced a maximum of three years in federal prison for allegedly tying Buddy, a German shepherd mix, to the back of his pickup truck in the predawn hours of Dec. 30, 2009, and dragging him several miles.

Romero, 38, of Grand Junction, is expected to plead guilty to aggravated cruelty to animals, the lone count lodged against him by a federal grand jury earlier this year, according to court filings. The terms of the plea agreement aren’t yet known, the Grand Junction Sentinel reported.

Romero’s sister, Melissa Lockhart, 32, still faces state charges for allegedly stealing Buddy and another dog from the back of a pickup truck in downtown Delta on Dec. 29.

Lockhart  told her brother to “get rid” of the dog after it had attacked a family cat, according to an arrest affidavit.

As of Friday afternoon, Romero, who had entered a not guilty plea, was in custody in the Mesa County Jail without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday on drug charges in connection with another case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Heldmyer has said she would pursue a stiff penalty in the case, which brought international attention to Grand Junction. “This isn’t just the United States of America v. Romero,” Heldmyer told a judge in January. “This is the world v. Romero.”

(For our previous posts on Buddy, click here.)