Tex Gilligan, 74, was in good spirits as he recovered in a Texas hospital after being shot while out hunting in New Mexico.

Seemingly alone in the woods, Gilligan at first thought he was the victim of a random sniper when he was shot in the back through the driver’s seat of his car, suffering three broken ribs, a punctured lung and a broken shoulder bone. There was some luck involved in his survival, as well. Normally Gilligan doesn’t take his cell phone hunting, but the area rains had made him extra cautious.

But he was surprised when investigating police found that the perpetrator was actually Gilligan’s 120-pound Rottweiler mix, Charlie, one of the three dogs he’d brought with him on the jackrabbit hunting trip.

“It went through my ribs my lung and busted up my collarbone on the right side,” Gilligan told ABC News. “I had a gaping hole, you know, and a lot of blood there too,” he told ABC News.

As no one was around, Gilligan had figured it was the work of a lone gunman.

It was only when the county sheriff investigated that it was determined Gilligan had in fact been shot by his own dog. “The gun was positioned in the truck with the barrel facing up, towards Mr. Gilligan,” law enforcement representatives said. “The investigation is being handled as an accidental shooting.”

Gilligan’s son, Mark, was grateful for the swift police action.

“He was done, there’s no doubt about it. I can’t say enough about the sheriff’s deputies, because without them my dad was dead,” he told WECT-6, adding that it’s normal for his dad to take his three dogs, Charlie, Cowboy, and Scooby, hunting for rabbits near Las Cruces.

“He spoils his dogs, you know. He calls them you know, his boys,” Mark Gilligan said. “So he’s very fond of his animals.”

Indeed, Gilligan had no trouble forgiving Charlie for the mishap.

“He’s a good dog,” said Gilligan as he recovered in Texas after the accidental shooting. “[He] did not mean to do it,” he said.“I never thought that this would happen,” a good-humored Gilligan said. “It’s an interesting story: ‘a dog shot a man!’”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Not long ago, we told you about River, the dog who last month was saved from certain death after he was left caged in rising water.

At the outset, his rescuer, Jennifer Vaz, planned to adopt him, but after her other dog, Molly, had difficulties adjusting to life with a new little brother, she decided to return him to the Monmouth County SPCA.

“After consulting with my family, the SPCA and my vet for the best interest of Molly’s health it would be better if River was fostered by someone else,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “As a (dog) mother, dropping River off was the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do. Even though I’ve never been a parent it feels like I’m losing a child.”

Vaz discovered River while on a morning walk in the park with Molly; the dog alerted her to something odd in the water. There she found River, a pit bull pup believed to be about 7 months old, trapped inside a wire crate. The rising tide was encroaching.

She contacted animal control and River was rescued with little time to spare.

Vaz was fostering River as the investigation into who had left him to die was underway, and had intent to adopt him.

She dropped him off at the shelter this past weekend, with a bed, toys, food and treats that had been donated. Additionally, more than $1,000 raised in a GoFundMe campaign will be given to his new forever family to assist in his care.

“We’re looking for a foster to adopt, for someone who’s going to keep him forever,” Ross Licitra, the chief and executive director of the Monmouth County SPCA, told NJ.com.

River must be fostered first as he is the subject of an ongoing criminal case. Once that case is closed, the foster family could adopt him officially.

Licitra said he believes River’s boisterous, young-male personality (he is not yet neutered) may have been too aggressive for the setting, leading Molly to become withdrawn. The shelter plans the neuter him and conduct a behavior assessment to see what kind of home he might take to best.

In the meantime, the list of names interested in taking River home continues to grow, he said. Other interested adopters can apply with the shelter.

The man accused of dumping River, Aaron D. Davis, 36, of Long Branch, was arrested earlier this month.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

The science of DNA has worked wonders in the realm of justice, helping police solve crimes and even free the wrongfully convicted. But for folks fed up with dog owners who don’t clean up after their pets — the small Italian town of Malnate is using DNA to do something that was largely un-enforceable until now.

ABC News reports that earlier this year, Malnate’s environmental department asked the town’s dog owners (2,156 dogs are registered) to submit saliva samples. Owners who failed to do so within the allotted period were fined $58.

The reason? Dog poop!

It’s been a problem for Italian officials. Fines for not cleaning up after your dog are stiff, but of course, difficult to enforce.

Now, in Malnate, owners who fail to do so can be tracked down.

“The deterrent effect is considerable. Knowing that the local dogs are now recognizable has led many of their masters to behave civilly and the sidewalks are cleaner,” Giuseppe Riggi, Malnate’s environmental commissioner, recently told reporters. “At the same time, pet owners thank us because now the other citizens look at them with less distrust.”

(It’s catching on here in the States, too! See video!)

The dog population in Malnate rises each year, so city officials plan to work with local vets to collect DNA samples from new arrivals.

A total of 12 samples has been collected from sidewalk “evidence” thus far. Nine of them yielded usable DNA samples. After cross-referencing with the town’s database, seven matches were made — and seven owners fined.

Malnate has received requests from 83 other municipalities across Italy about the program.

“They are only waiting to see if the fines will pay for the costs,” said Riggi.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Jennifer Vaz was walking her own dog, Molly, near a New Jersey beach, when she heard whimpering. Below her, near the rocks and partially submerged by the incoming tide, was a cage with a 10-month-old pit bull inside.

“When I looked down, I saw these eyes looking back at me — these cute little puppy eyes all shivered up and scared,” Vaz told WABC on Tuesday. “I couldn’t believe that this happened in our town and somebody could be this malicious and do that to that dog.”

She immediately hopped the barrier to rescue him, calling authorities once she was home safe with the dog. Now the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating.

“The tide was coming in and the water had reached the cage,” the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. “When animal control arrived on the scene the cage was almost covered by the rising tide. If not for the heroic rescue act of the good Samaritan, the dog could have potentially drowned.”

Vaz gave him the name “River” before she turned him in to authorities. She plans to adopt him.

Jennifer Vaz, right, saved River. Now she plans to adopt him.

Prosecutors believe the dog may have been left there between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. and says he is now in good health.

“Although River is a bit shaken up, he is in good physical shape and seems to have been well cared for,” the SPCA said. “We are working with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office to help bring justice to River.”

The center posted images on its Facebook page this week, showing him snuggled up with a uniformed police officer while sporting his new tags and collar.

It urged anyone with information about the dog or its owner to contact the Monmouth County Cruelty Hotline or the Highlands Police Department.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

When his miniature schnauzer pup went missing after an Amazon delivery, owner Richard Guttfield took to the Internet in myriad ways. One of them was emailing the richest man in the world, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who makes his address public, to see if he could help.

Amazon had dropped off a package to Guttfield’s UK residence in Marsworth, Buckinghamshire, but circumstances were suspicious. The driver appeared to have let himself in. And Wilma, his dog, was nowhere to be found.

“My puppy went missing after an Amazon delivery and after an email to Jeff (Bezos)… we had someone who was amazing who tracked the driver and found our dog and brought her home,” he told CNBC.

An Amazon employee named Rob, who was fielding Bezos’ inbox, took the report seriously and investigated, leading to the discovery of Wilma at the driver’s home.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

“This is inexcusable and does not reflect the high standards we have for our delivery partners,” a spokesperson for the company told CNBC in an emailed statement. “We take these matters seriously and this individual is no longer delivering Amazon packages for the independent delivery service provider.”

Guttfield, for one, was pleased with the result but cautioned other customers to be wary.

“I just want people to know this can happen,” he said. “Our homes are all exposed to these drivers and the vast majority of them are great. But low lives will take advantage…. It’s just a miracle I got Wilma back.”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sly was up and eating following emergency surgery Tuesday night. And his doctors expect him to make a full recovery.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

The dog’s forecast wasn’t so bright back when a humane officer found him in a park in Chester, PA, CBS Philadelphia reported, quoting the Providence Animal Center’s Facebook page.

“The dog was skin and bones, unable to lift his head,” the post read.

When Sly first arrived, they said, he weighed about 50 pounds, roughly half of what his healthy weight should be. His stomach and leg areas were shaved. Vets suspect he may have had a recent ultrasound or catheter.

Staffers here named the pup Sly, after favorite Philly son Sylvester Stallone and his famed character, Rocky.

“He’s a fighter,” they said.

Surgery was scheduled after X-rays determined Sly had a rope toy blocking his intestines. He was taken to an emergency facility where he received round-the-clock care. As of Wednesday morning, the pup was not only standing, but wagging his tail! He was returned to Providence Animal Center to recover.

He headed home to medical foster with Dr. Gia Croce, one of the doctors who helped save him. She and her family took him for a walk on the wet grass, using towels as slings.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Caretakers say Sly will make a full recovery, though they found that his right eye has a corneal rupture, which may mean he’ll lose it. It is being watched and treated for now.

The Providence Animal Center Humane Officers are seeking information from local vets regarding Sly’s condition, and ultimately, his abandonment.

Anyone with information is asked to call (610) 566-1370, extension 214, or email [email protected]

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

A dog walked away, seemingly unscathed, after it fell from a building in Guangzhou in China’s Guanghong province, the Beijing News reported.

Camera footage captured the freak incident, showing a woman struck by the small, white dog as it fell from above. She was knocked out cold by the impact. The other pedestrian — a woman carrying a child — tried to help but was unable to revive her.

The victim was taken to the hospital, the newspaper reported, and remains under observation.

Police are investigating, as the reason for the dog’s fall was unclear.

g

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

A stolen dog is back with his joyful owner in the city of Tukwila, WA, after an alert, rookie cop spotted both dog and suspect out on a walk.

Back on March 13, the dog’s owner called police after her dog was stolen from outside a restaurant. She said the male suspect walked past her dog twice, then grabbed, unleashed and ran off with it on the third pass-by. While the suspect remained at large, police said she gave a very good description and provided them with photos of her dog.

Days later, Officer Schneider, the handling officer for the original call (who the Tukwila Blog described as “fresh out of the academy”) saw the suspect — who appeared to be wearing almost exactly what he had on the day he took the dog — walking a dog that looked like the victim’s.

“With assistance from Officer Hernandez and Officer Kolstad,” the blog reported, “Officer Schneider contacted the suspect who couldn’t keep his lies straight. It quickly became obvious to everyone that this was the right suspect and dog.”

Animal control was called to the scene to check the dog’s microchip, which verified that the dog belonged to the victim. She was called to the scene and ID’d both her dog and the suspect, who was later booked for theft.

Great job, Officer Schneider!!!

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

An investigation is underway after police discovered an active dog-fighting operation in South Philadelphia, FOX 29 reported.

Upon arrival, cops had to break up a dog fight in progress. Police recovered a wooden fighting ring, spattered with blood, along with two firearms and a large amount of cash. Fourteen individuals were arrested and the two dogs, described as “pit bull-type dogs” were immediately taken in by the Pennsylvania Society for the Protection of Animals’s shelter hospital on Erie Avenue to begin the recovery process.

Both dogs were reported to be stable condition and will remain with the PSPCA until they are signed over by their owners or the adjudication of the court case. Activity related to dog-fighting is a felony.

Later this past weekend, as police executed a vehicle search warrant related to the case, officer discovered two additional dogs, one wearing a weighted collar and another which appeared ill, and immediately took them into custody, as well. Both underwent medical assessment and treatment at the shelter.

“Cases like this remind us that while we may not always hear about it, dog fighting is still happening in the city of Philadelphia,” said Nicole Wilson, Director of the Humane Law Enforcement at the PSPCA. “Our team has boots on the ground 365 days a year, investigating cases like this, and working to bring those involved to justice.”

Anyone with information about this case should call the PSPCA’s Cruelty Hotline at (866) 601-SPCA. Tips can be left anonymously.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

When Washington, D.C. ABC affiliate WJLA launched an investigation following the death of Nikki Mael’s dog, Talula, what they found would create a ripple that would eventually reach the manufacturer and then the FDA.

Big Heart Brands makes Gravy Train, one of the brands involved in the investigation. It also makes​ Meow Mix, Milk Bone, Kibbles’n Bits, 9 Lives, Natural Balance, Pup-Peroni, Nature’s Recipe, Canine Carry Outs and Milo’s Kitchen, Alley Cat, Jerky Treats, Meaty Bone, Pounce and Snausages according to a report by KHQ.

If you want to contact the FDA, Smucker’s or Big Heart Brands regarding this issue:

FDA: 888-463-6332
Smucker’s: 888-550-9555
Big Heart Brands: 415-247-3000