Humane Society Has Reward Fund

The Bexar County Humane Society has set up a reward fund, the Abuse and Cruelty Reward Fund, which will reward individuals who come forward with information about those abusing animals - information that helps prosecute the abusers.

Right now, the reward for the cat mutilations case is at $10,000.

If you want to donate, there are various ways that you can do so:

call (210) 226-7461;

go by the shelter and drop off a donation (4804 Fredericksburg) - you could check out the cute dogs and cats while you're there, maybe take a dog for a walk;

or contribute online at their secure website.

If you'd like to check out their Virtual Shelter, go here to see lots of adorable cats and dogs ready to be adopted.

Dog Abuse Story-1: Wilbur

Wilbur is a six month old puppy that a Humane Society worker luckily saw being thrown out of a moving car this past week. He has mange, and sunburn (yep, dogs can get sunburn), but looks like he's going to be okay. He's going to foster care and later, he'll be up for adoption.

Working in San Antonio: Driving Into Downtown On 281

Well, it's great that they have opened up the spagetti bowl at 281 and Loop 410. Makes it so much easier to exit 281, going south or north, and flip to going east or west on 410. Kinda fun to drive, too.

There's plans to make similar direct connection ramps (that's their official name) at the intersection of 1604 and 281, too. Those won't be free once the tolls go into effect: everytime you use one of those ramps, it's gonna cost you 57 cents.

Wonder if they're going to charge for the 410/281 connections, too? Heck, what about driving anywhere on 281?

Source: http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=D43A1352-07E0-454F-ACBC-3B88FC2842A9&gsa=true

Find the Crime In Your Neighborhood

The San Antonio Police Department has an online, searchable database divided by geographic (substation) location of crimes reported throughout our community.

Go here and look up your neighborhood, or your workplace location, or where you shop.

The data isn't brand-new: 2007 is the latest info you can get. However, it does give you an idea of the relative safety of an area, as well as the types of crimes that are most prevalent in that area. Some, for example, are prone to burglary. Others, for theft and vehicle theft.

It can prove to be very interesting and informative as you begin recognizing street names....

Friday is Take Your Dog to Work Day

Friday, June 20th, is Take Your Dog To Work Day. What? Yep -- more and more workplaces are becoming dog-friendly.

There's a great article discussing this growing trend over at the Christian Science Monitor, written by staff writer Stephen Humphries. (Here's the list of official dog-friendly employers; hopefully, there are lots more who haven't bothered to list themselves -- especially since San Antonio doesn't show a single employer on the list.)

Take Your Dog to Work Day began back in 1999 (1996 in the UK), and each year has seen a big increase in the number of dogs allowed at work. It's a day to promote dog adoptions, but it's also serving as a vehicle for focusing upon the positive impact having your dog with you during the workday can provide.

You know the dogs love it. And, if it's okay for the Queen of England ....

ProHeart6 Heartworm Medication is Back on the Market

Back in 2004, ProHeart6 was voluntarily taken off the market after dogs started dying.

All breeds, all sizes, all ages, all over the country. (Not to mention the dogs brought into their vets suffering from serious adverse reactions that could prove fatal, e.g., vomiting, seizures, difficulty walking, jaundice and bleeding disorders, and convulsions, as well as doggies with other reactions that are serious but maybe not fatal: lethargy, allergies, and loss of appetite.)

The heartworm medication ProHeart6 was their common denominator, a shot that was given to the pups twice a year to prevent heartworm infestation.

Now, ProHeart6 back and this is skeery.

Check out the USA Today editorial, also seen at Yahoo.Com, discussing how the FDA scientist (a vet and agency safety officer) who raised the issue of ProHeart6 was crucified - fired, and threatened with criminal charges by the agency itself.

Over in the business news, Wyeth Laboratories (who produces ProHeart6 under its subsidiary Fort Dodge Animal Health), reversed its voluntary recall by reintroducing the drug into the marketplace with some restrictions: vets who use ProHeart6 have to register with the company and they must also take some training over the web before they can buy the drug to give out to their canine patients. It's an hour long video feed.

What is the FDA saying? Let us know if you have any adverse reactions. Here's the letter the FDA sent to the American Heartworm Society.

Yeah, right. No change to the drug itself. Vets are told to "put your name on a list and watch an one-hour podcast about the shot." Makes me feel safer about this drug, how about you?

Oh, and an interesting sidenote: in 2004, the year Wyeth Labs voluntarily took the drug over the market, its annual revenue from ProHealth 6 was $35.2 million.

Adorable Talking Dogs

Check this out -- a YouTube with a Five Star Rating, seen over 10,000,000 times ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCYaw5tGYAs

Guaranteed to make you smile and your dogs to take notice ....

Really want your dogs to take notice? Play some wolf howls like this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbyQ7gOUO4g&feature=related

How Much Do Criminal Defense Lawyers Cost? Drew Peterson Knows.

This week, they took the bathtub in which Drew Peterson’s 3d wife, Kathleen, drowned and media talking heads are beside themselves pondering when the Grand Jury is going to pull Drew Peterson into criminal court.

Lots of speculation on that tub: measuring it against a lifesize replica (doll, forensic dummy) of Kathleen and the injuries found on her body, etc. Why do they want the tub? What’s the grand jury looking for? If the injuries don’t match with the tub, then is the Grand Jury fixing to indict Drew Peterson?

Who knows. But expect Drew Peterson to be ready - he has a legal defense team in place, and assumedly he’s got money set aside for this.

Lots of money.

Remember last December, when Drew created a website with a fund (www.defenddrew.com), for anyone wanting to help with his legal fees? The site is long gone, after lots of airtime back then -- Drew Peterson’s attorney was busy telling Nancy and Greta that the collected money would be used first for Drew’s attorneys’ fees and legal expenses, then for a private investigator to find Stacy, and anything that was left would go into a trust fund for Drew’s four children.

Nothing to report on the status of that fund today, though. And, no - Drew doesn't have to tell us about that money. It's his private business.

How much do lawyers really cost? What would Drew Peterson need for a good legal defense if he is tried in connection with the death of either Kathleen or his fourth, missing wife, Stacy?

Well, Drew Peterson is a messy case. There’s all that media play, and there are two cases running on the same fee track right now: investigations into Kathleen’s death and into Stacy’s disappearance. Dealing with the media costs more in time, and therefore in money. So does dealing with two investigations at once. Messy is expensive. Especially with all these fun filings like the recent weapons charge ....

The top dog trial lawyer, aka “lead counsel,” may well charge Drew $450+ an hour, with his team of attorneys aka “second chair,” “third chair,” and assorted “associates” billing at $250+ an hour. Then there are all the even more expensive experts, like the forensic guys on the bathtub (think Gil from CSI in private practice), along with the private investigators, legal assistants, and other professionals that the lead counsel will need to build a strong defense.

Drew's legal fees are probably in the six figures already, if you think about it.

O.J. has never said how much the Dream Team charged The Juice, but it is public record that O.J.’s criminal trial cost Los Angeles County around $9,000,000. The Dream Team’s final tally had to be at least twice that - probably more. We’re talking F. Lee Bailey, remember ….

So, it’s safe to assume that the criminal defense of any Drew Peterson trial is going to cost millions of dollars. Millions. And no savvy criminal defense lawyer goes to the mat without get paid in advance. That's standard.

So, criminal defense is very, very expensive anytime your life is on the line. But the ordinary case probably isn't going to be in the Drew Peterson range, for whatever comfort that provides defendants and their families....