ohmidog!

A dog was shot in the head and left on the doorstep of a worker for Dogs Deserve Better, the animal rescue organization that moved into Michael Vick’s old house in Surry County, Virginia.

Melissa Wischmeier with Dogs Deserve Better said the dog was taken to Roger’s Veterinary Hospital in Smithfield.

WAVY.com reported that the dog had a microchip.  Later, WAVY reported that the dog had been reunited with its owner Monday night.

Wischmeier said the dog, named Leah, was left in front of the home of a Dogs Deserve Better worker.

Dr. Kathryn Bouvier at Roger’s Veterinary Hospital said x-rays showed a trail of bullet fragments from Leah’s snout all the way to her spinal cord.

Bouvier said the the dog was recovering, but concerns remained about shifting bullet fragments and infection.

Poisoned and buried alive, a Jack Russell terrier was unearthed in France by a man who saw the ground moving and ran to get a shovel.

Firefighters rushed the dog — named Ethan — to an animal hospital, where he is recovering, according to the Associated Press.

Sabrina Zamora, president of an animal association in Charleville-Mezieres,  125 miles northeast of Paris, said the dog was dug up by a pedestrian who noticed the ground wiggling along a lakeside pedestrian path.

Veterinarian Philippe Michon said when firemen brought the terrier to his office “he  was completely cold, he was barely breathing.”

Michon used hot water bottles to warm up Ethan’s body and hydrated him with intravenous fluids. Within 24 hours, he was back on his feet. The vet said convulsions from being poisoned may have been what led to his grave being noticed.

Ethan was identified through a microchip that also revealed he’d been buried alive on his  third birthday.

His owner told police he had given the dog away earlier, but police are continuing their investigation.

(Photo: Sabrina Zamora, president of an animal protection association, holds Ethan at Ligue Interet a la  Societe et de l’Animal; Associated Press)

More than 20 Connecticut state legislators have asked a judge not to show leniency in the case of a New Haven man charged with stabbing a young pit bull mix 29 times.

The legislators, led by state Rep. Diana Urban, of North Stonington, voiced their concerns in a letter to the judge who is presiding over the case of Alexander Bernard, 24.

Bernard told police he stabbed the eight-month-old dog, named Princess, because “no one in the family liked her,” according to Patch.com.

Princess is recovering from her injuries at North Haven Animal Hospital and is expected to be put up for adoption when the criminal case conludes.

Bernard was charged with one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty, which is punishable with up to a year in jail. A felony animal cruelty charge carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine in Connecticut.

“What Mr. Bernard did to this innocent young dog shows a shocking lack of empathy and a shocking and inappropriate level of violence,” the legislators wrote. “This adult didn’t steal a pack of gum from the grocery store, he stabbed a living, breathing creature capable of feeling pain 29 times like it was a natural thing to do.

“Clearly this individual in incapable of making rational decisions and shows a dangerous lack of civility and remorse. If Alexander Bernard could ruthlessly stab the family pet, imagine what he might be capable of in the years to come should his behavior go unpunished and untreated.”

“It is time we took animal cruelty seriously and approach it as an opportunity to interrupt the cycle of violence,” the letter added. “The sheer violence of his attack is enormously worrisome and the fact that the court doesn’t appear to take what he did seriously is also distressing.

Judge Philip Scarpellino said in court last week that he believed the letter could be interpreted as “intimidation” towards him. “I am upset by the letter but not influenced by it, ” he said. The judge postponed taking action on the case.

Blade, the German shepherd police dog who was mistakenly shot by a police officer Sunday appears to be recovering nicely, judging from this Baltimore Sun video.

The Sun’s Peter Hermann reports on his blog, Baltimore Crime Beat, that Blade suffered a gunshot in the left shoulder from a .40 caliber handgun.

Officer Steven W. Sturm, Blade’s handler, told reporters outside the Falls Road Animal Hospital that the dog might be able to go back to work. “He’s a tough dog,” Sturm said.

Blade was shot while pursing several people who bailed from a car whose driver evaded a traffic checkpoint. The dog’s handler released Blade from his leash and commanded him to track down the running suspects. A police officers who was approaching from the other direction, was attacked by the dog and fired his weapon, not knowing it was a police dog.

“They were just both in the same spot at the same time, and Blade was doing what he was taught to do,” Sturm said. He added, “It’s dangerous because unlike us … we see somebody with a gun or a weapon, or whatever, we will get out of the way. Dogs react totally the opposite. They go. No matter what they see, they’re going to be going unless we call them off.”

Gabrielle, the kitten set on fire twice in Baltimore last month, is continuing to heal and may be headed to a new home in the next few weeks,  the Baltimore Sun’s Unleashed blog reports.

A witness saw youngsters in West Baltimore throwing bricks at the kitten, then setting her on fire. When the cat rolled on the ground and put the flames out, the youngsters reignited her.

The kitten rescuers named Gabrielle has been being treated for weeks at Spay Maryland hospital in Catonsville, with Recycled Love footing the bill.

“She is very comfortable and has a healthy appetite,” Karen Reese with Recycled Love says.

(Photo courtesy of Recycled Love)