ohmidog!

A woman who didn’t want to tell a TV news team “how she felt” about her daughter being shot threw a rock at them, shook a baseball bat at them, and then sent her dogs after reporter Abbey Niezgoda of ABC 6 News in Rhode Island.

The crew was on assignment in Providence, seeking to interview the mother of a teenage girl who was shot at a graduation party over the weekend.

Instead of politely declining to speak on-camera, Melissa Lawrence hurled a rock at ABC6 photographer Marc Jackson, then went inside for a baseball bat. Seconds later, she told her dogs to attack.

As Lawrence shouted commands, the dogs chased Niezgoda into a backyard a few houses away.

Niezgoda was a treated for a bite on her forearm.

Melissa Lawrence was charged with two counts of felony assault with a dangerous weapon.

Lawrence’s daughter, who was shot in the lower back, has since been released from the hospital.

After a stray dog was struck by a car in Zhangzhou, China, her canine companion stayed by her side for six hours, nudging her with his nose, licking her, and, according to a local butcher, even shedding tears.

It can all be seen in a series of photographs being described by most major media as both “heartbreaking” and “heartwarming” — though we’d note it would have been much more heartwarming if somebody had gone to the aid of the two dogs in the street.

Xiao Wu, a local butcher, said he had recently started to feed the female stray. Her male friend, also a brown and white mutt, were often seen together.

“He stayed beside her the whole day, keeping licking her and pushing her, trying to wake her up, the butcher said. ”… Then he pushed her with his head, and licked her face … I even saw tears.”

The male dog showed up in the neighborhood about a week ago, he said. Since then, “They were together all the time, playing and in love.”

(Photos by HAP/Quirky China News/Rex)

Tech XX, the English bulldog that served as mascot at Louisiana Tech University, died of heat stroke after being left out in the heat Sunday.

Though initially reported missing, the four-year-old English bulldog was left outside by an employee, who has since been fired, according to the veterinarian that cared for the dog.

The employee, according to news reports, tried to cover up the dog’s death.

“Tech XX was a member of our immediate family and a daily part of our lives for the past four years,” Patrick Sexton said in a statement. “We are devastated over the circumstances of his passing, and there will be a large void in our hearts for some time to come. As with any family member, we will spend considerable time grieving his passing.”

In a statement, the university said that since becoming the mascot in 2008, Tech XX got superior care from Sexton’s team.

Tech XX’s predecessor, Tech XIX, was retired in 2007 because of health concerns after suffering heatstroke, the university said on its website.

Originally, a worker said he let the dog out to go to the bathroom and the dog went missing, said Sexton, who kept Tech XX at his home. Dozens of students and residents searched for the dog, and rewards were posted.

For four days, the employee kept Tech XX’s death, and location, a secret, according to the Shreveport Times.

“That employee unfortunately chose to handle it the wrong way and attempted to cover it up,” Sexton said. “Due to this negligence, the employee is no longer employed by Sexton Animal Health Center.”

Tech XX was owned by the school’s Student Government Association, the president of which, Will Dearmon, said, ”It’s extremely disappointing and sad news this happened to our beloved Tech XX.”

“We’ll work through that in the coming days and there will be a Tech XXI, but right now our hearts are broken,” he added.

Between flight delays and her dog, it’s a wonder Kim Rhode, a member of the U.S. Olympic shooting team, made it to London at all.

Her poodle Norman ate her airline ticket — and that was the least of her problems.

Rhode, seeking to become the first American to win individual medals at five Summer Games in a row, went to the airport in Los Angeles on Friday intending to fly to Copenhagen for training camp.

Flight cancellations forced her to miss training camp, and instead she later flew directly to London — after being reissued a ticket because her four -month-old dog, who she referred to as “hell on wheels” ate the first one.

She finally arrived in London Tuesday, AFP reports.

“My dog ate my ticket,” said Rhode, 33. ” … I know that sounds crazy but I can honestly say and I have the pictures to prove that really happened. It’s not just an excuse.”

Rhode, who is taking part in women’s trap and skeet, said she was looking forward to the arrival of her teammates on Wednesday.

“Some of them sent me some well wishes on Twitter and Facebook. I know they’re having a blast in Denmark. They’ve gone and seen ZZ Top and have been training really hard — a lot of team-building going on there. I’m kind of bummed that I missed that,” she added.

Rhode is seeking her fifth straight medal and her third gold overall.

(Photo: AFP)

Once again, an animal welfare organization in the UK is seeking a home for a blind dog and her guide dog — this time, a pair of pugs.

That’s Elly, the blind one, on the right. Franky, the black one, serves as her eyes, and the RSPCA in Newport is insisting that both be adopted into the same home, according to the BBC.

If Franky leaves her side, Elly sniffs him out, then nuzzles up to follow him wherever he goes.

“He looks out for her and provides support while guiding her on walks or to food or water,” said the Newport RSPCA’s manager, Elaine Buchan.

The story is reminiscent of one we reported three months ago, also in the UK, about two Great Danes in need of a new home — Lily, the blind one, and Maddison, the sighted one who helped her get around.

Similarly, Elly and Franky have been deemed inseparable.

“There’s absolutely no option of homing them separately as it would break their hearts and also be wholly impractical,” she said. “They’re great little dogs and I’m already jealous of the lucky owner who will get to care for such a loving pair.”

(Photo: BBC)

An animal shelter has received hundreds of offers of help after seeking a new home for an inseparable pair of Great Danes — one blind, the other her guide dog.

The manager of Dogs Trust Shrewsbury said more than 200 people had responded since the shelter, near the Welsh town of Newport, publicized the pair’s need for a new home.

“It’s been phenomenal,” Louise Campbell said.

Campbell said that Lily, 6, came to rely on Maddison, 7, after a medical condition called entropion caused her eyelashes to grow into her eyeballs, leaving them so severely damaged that they had to be removed

Believed to be passed on genetically, the disorder is not uncommon among large breeds and and those with droopy eyelids, like shar-peis.

The pair reminds me of two Great Danes we visited in Charlotte, Skyler and Pierce — one half blind, one deaf, but together, a well functioning team.

Lily and Maddison, similarly, never stray far from each other.

“Everything they do involves close contact, they check in with each other all the time,” Campbell said. “They have developed such a strong bond, they always know what the other is doing, so we wouldn’t split them up, that would be quite unfair to both dogs.”

The Daily Mail (where you can find more great photos of the pair) reported that their original owner surrendered the dogs to the shelter “because she could no longer cope.”

A post in the article’s comment section, however, alleges that the owner “has gone to live in Cyprus with her boyfriend who owns a £750,000 house with 2 acres ground.” The comment is signed by members of a rescue organization.

(Photo: Dogs Trust of Shrewsbury)

A team of 40 vets and nurses, working around the clock for over two months, helped reassemble a three-year-old dog named Ruby after she was hit by a car.

After  a series of operations at a cost of £11,500, Ruby, who remained cheerful and upbeat throughout the ordeal, is recovering, according to the Daily Mail.

Ruby suffered fractures to her two front legs, sternum and toe, a dislocated knee, ruptured ligaments and internal bleeding when she was struck by the car on January 26.

Because she did not have any head injuries, the vets said if she could live through the next 24 hours she had a good chance.

“Her legs will take about five months to heal totally but in herself she is happy, sweet-natured and an inspiration to the rest of us,” said her owner, Vanessa Gillespie. ”The vet said he had never seen a dog so broken still so happy. Most dogs would not have survived but Ruby is a toughie.’

Ruby was run over in the village of Cambourne in Cambridgeshire.

She spent five weeks at Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital in Cambridge, and had two major operations — first a nine-hour procedure in which her broken legs were repaired using four metal plates and screws, then a seven-hour operation to replace the ruptured knee ligaments, carry out skin grafts and amputate the broken toe. The fractured breastbone and internal bleeding were left to heal naturally.

Gillespie said most of the bill was covered by insurance. “If she had not been insured we would have had to put her down,” she said.

When two stray border collies were taken in by Meadow Green Dog Rescue in England, operators of the shelter gave them names befitting a team — Bonnie and Clyde.

Then they found out just how special a team they are: Clyde, it turns out, is blind, and Bonnie is his unofficial guide dog.

The rescue has no idea where the duo came from, but reports that Bonnie stays  inches from Clyde’s side while guiding him on walks, or to food or water, and lets him rest his head on her haunches whenever he becomes disoriented.

When they are together, Clyde, estimated to be five years old, seems nearly as capable as any dog. But when Bonnie, believed to be two years old, is not at his side, Clyde refuses to move.

The inseparable pair were rescued as strays three weeks ago — found abandoned on a street in the middle of a storm, the Telegraph reported.

Meadow Green Dog Rescue in Loddon, Norfolk,  is trying to find them a new home, but officials there are insisting they be adopted as a team.

“If Clyde’s unsure where he is he will suddenly go behind her and put his face on her back so she can guide him where he is going,” said Cherie Cootes. “He totally relies on her the whole time. When she walks she tends to stop and make sure he’s there – she does look out for him.

“There’s absolutely no option of homing them separately – they have to go as a pair,” she added.

A citizen spotted the two dogs running through the rain in Blundeston, Norfolk. When she opened her car door they jumped right in. The dogs have no identification on their collars, and are not microchipped.

Cherie described the dogs as “typical high-spirited collies” and said they would make ideal pets in a home with a large, secure yard away from busy roads.

Sue Cootes, 59, who runs the rescue center with her daughter Cherie, said it was amazing to watch Bonnie assist Clyde.

 ”It’s just instinctive with them to help each other and it’s marvelous to see animals doing this together,” she said. “Without Bonnie, Clyde would be lost. They can’t be separated, we need someone to take them both on.”

Nigel, the Iditarod dog who left his team and took off into the Alaska wilderness after his musher’s sled was disabled, showed up Friday.

The husky became separated from first-time competitor Nancy Yoshida on Tuesday.

While searchers had spotted Nigel from the air and were following his movements, Nigel arrived on his own at the Talvista Lodge near Skwentna, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported.

Iditarod spokesman Chas St. George said Yoshida cried upon being reunited with her dog. “You could tell the two of them missed each other a lot,” he said.

Nigel was well-hydrated and was in very good condition, considering he’d been roughing it for three days. “Nancy fed him right away out there, and he’s continued to eat,” St. George said. “He’s doing fine.”

Yoshida, 58, of North Dakota, said the husky “was pretty shook up” after she crashed while trying to negotiate a difficult stretch of the route, about 200 miles into the race.

Race officials yesterday vowed to continue the search for a dog missing in the Iditarod.

Nancy Yoshida, 58, of North Dakota, who was entered in her first Iditarod sled dog race, was forced to drop out of the 1,100-mile race around midday Tuesday after her sled lost its runners. In the process, one of her dogs got loose and is lost in the winter wilderness, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

After becoming stalled amid sharp switchbacks and losing both runners on her sled, one of the dogs on Yoshida’s team became separated from the team of 16 and ran off, race spokesman Chas St. George said today.

Searchers in the area, which is within the first quarter of the course, had been looking for the dog since daybreak, St. George said. Yoshida, who “spent a long time looking for her dog” on Tuesday, remains at the nearby Rainy Pass checkpoint.

“We’ve had great success” finding lost dogs in the past, St. George said. While the searchers “would never put their lives in jeopardy … we’re going to continue to search until we find this dog.”

Meanwhile, a necropsy on a dog that died in the race found no obvious cause of death, according to Iditarod race marshall Mark Nordman. Further tests were planned, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

The 6-year-old male, named Victor, was in the team of Jeff Holt from North Pole. When the dog faltered, Holt tried to revive him, then carried him in the sled to the Rohn checkpoint, where veterinarians pronounced the dog dead.