Angry mom confronts service dog handler after being told not to touch

A woman who became enraged after being told her daughter couldn’t pet a group of service dogs has been dubbed “Service Dog Sally” after footage of the incident went viral. In a Facebook post, Meg Stoff said the woman had originally walked away after being told she couldn’t touch the dogs, but came back moments later to criticize the way the situation was handled. “This lady went out of her way to come back with her child and yell at us for saying ‘no’ and for not saying, ‘no I’m sorry they’re training,’” Stoff wrote. Since being uploaded to Facebook on Thursday, the video of the incident, which occurred at a mall in Pittsburgh, had amassed almost 8 million views. . . . more

Veterinary team critical to ending opioid crisis

Since 1999, more than 630,000 American have died from opioid overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The problem is widespread and complex, and now regulators are turning to veterinarians to join the fight. The use of opioids and other controlled substances isn’t limited to human medicine, and there is a new push to expand regulations that require usage reporting similar to that used in human medicine to the veterinary community. US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, released a statement in August urging veterinarians to join in the fight against human opioid abuse. . . .more

Fearing it may attack kids, man shoots his own dog in park

Police in Connecticut say a man shot and killed his own dog in a park because he feared it might attack some children. The incident happened Sunday in Hamden and remains under investigation. Police Captain Ronald Smith says the man told officers that his dog, a pit bull terrier who was not on a leash at the time, attacked and seriously injured another dog who was on a leash. The owner of the injured dog was also with his three children at the time. . . . more

UK bans pet shops from selling puppies and kittens

Britain has banned third-party sales of puppies and kittens to protect the animals from exploitation. The government says the new law will help crack down on “puppy farms” and make it harder for unscrupulous dealers who have little regard for animal welfare. Animal Welfare Minister David Rutley said the ban “is part of our commitment to make sure the nation’s much-loved pets get the right start in life.” The decision follows a public survey that found overwhelming support for banning third-party sales. Under the new measure, people wishing to adopt a puppy or kitten would have to deal directly with a breeder or a rehoming center, rather than pet shops or other commercial dealers. . . . more

No guarantee that a cloned pet will act or even look like the original pet

Shelling out $25,000 to get your cat cloned or $50,000 to duplicate your dog might sound tempting if you've got the cash and can't imagine life without your furry best friend. But there's a dark side to pet cloning and customers can’t even be sure they get a clone that looks the same as their original pet, much less acts like it. There are two companies right now that you can pay to clone your pet. Other services you see online might facilitate the process, but they are basically subcontractors for either ViaGen (based in Texas) or Sooam Biotech (in South Korea). Sooam actually licenses the technology from Start Licensing, a subsidiary of ViaGen, which owns the cloning patent. . . . more