Inside This Issue:
- An Update on Doberman Breeder Murder Case
- "Peanut's Law" Introduced in New York
- A Dire Announcement?
- News Bites: The Joy of Pets, Service Fraud (Again!), Poultry Producer vs. Animal Rights Org, Sniffing Out Endangered Critters
An Update on Last Summer's Doberman Breeder Murder Case
Image from Elite European Dobermans, Paul Peavey's old Website.
The tragic story of Colorado Doberman breeder and handler Mr. Paul Peavey’s murder that we shared with you last year has new developments. The case, which shocked the tight-knit dog breeding community, centered around Peavey's August 2024 death and the theft of around ten prized Doberman puppies, each estimated to be worth over $4,000. So far, only two of the puppies are safe and accounted for.
Last August, after Peavey was reported missing, his body was found in a shallow grave on his property. A suspect, Sergio Ferrer, was arrested shortly after this on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. And now, authorities have made a second arrest: Ferrer's wife, Ana. She has been taken into custody and faces charges for being an accessory to crime, theft, and evidence tampering. At this time there are no further details as to exactly what role she played in the events leading up to and following the murder of Mr. Peavey. Evidence against Sergio Ferrer included a recovered handgun, the victim's cellphone, and witnesses who spotted him with one of the puppies. While he initially denied taking any dogs, Ferrer later changed his story, claiming he gave the puppies away in Denver. This case remains open and is still being investigated.
Source: Second arrest made in case of Colorado dog breeder found shot dead in shallow grave
"Peanut's Law" Introduced in New York
For a few weeks in late 2024, P'Nut was a major celebrity in American right wing media spaces. Here is a typical meme.
In the ever-growing pantheon of internet-famous animals – legends like Grumpy Cat, Kabosu, and Harambe – two unlikely heroes have emerged: P'Nut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon. Their story has sparked a revolution in fighting government bureaucracy, though at a devastating cost to themselves. Now, in a movement that echoes the spirit of America's earliest protests, supporters have rallied together to introduce "Peanut's Law: The Humane Animal Protection Act," championed by New York assemblyman Jake Blumencranz. In case you've forgotten, P'Nut and Fred were seized last October in a New York Department of Environmental Conservation raid, then euthanized almost immediately afterward. After the incident, the animals became unexpected martyrs, especially in American right wing media spaces.
Peanut's Law would mandate a 72-hour waiting period before any seized animal could be euthanized. It would also require administrative hearings before animals can be taken from wildlife sanctuaries, unless there's concrete evidence of immediate public danger. A similar bill has been introduced in Georgia, aiming to protect animals and their owners from tragedy of death by red tape.
Source: NY bill would give critters due process after P’Nut the squirrel was seized, beheaded by DEC agents
A Dire Announcement?
Romulus, one of the three dire pups. Screencap from Colossal website.
It would be a glaring oversight for our Weekly Roundup not to include the announcement that a biotech company, Colossal Biosciences, has successfully “de-extincted” the dire wolf – or at least an approximation of it. While this is a genuinely newsworthy event, it’s hard to feign too much surprise and excitement. Even before Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park was published in 1990, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before someone, somewhere, scraped enough dollars and DNA together to bring back an extinct species. So this week’s announcement feels less like a fulfilled possibility than a long-awaited inevitability.
Nearly 30 years ago, we saw the first mammal successfuly cloned from an adult cell (that was Dolly the sheep. Remember her?), and scientists are already genetically engineering “woolly mice” (another Colossal project). Woolly mammoths and the T-Rex are the end goals, but dire wolves certainly make for a logical and highly photogenic next step.
The three pups, named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi (uh, yikes?), were created from genetically modified gray wolf embryos that were implanted into female dogs. Whether it is acceptable to call these animals “dire wolves” or whether these puppies are merely gray wolves with a strong superficial resemblance to dire wolves is a matter of debate. They certainly aren’t an exact copy of the animal that died out approximately 12,500 years ago, though, and they have been born into a very different world. It’s warmer today, and many of the dire wolf’s favorite prey animals died out along with it, many thousands of years ago. How such a creature could actually survive on its own today raises questions about how this particular de-extinction serves Colossal’s stated goal of restoring biodiversity. The puppies are amazingly cute, though, which is probably the main takeaway for now.
Source: Did Scientists Actually De-Extinct the Dire Wolf?
News Bites: The Joy of Pets, Service Fraud (Again!), Poultry Producer vs. Animal Rights Org, Sniffing Out Endangered Critters
Victorian grassland earless dragons lack an external ear opening, but they can hear you coming.
For a long time, it was just kind of accepted that having a pet – especially a dog – was probably going to make you happier and healthier, and maybe even live longer. But over the last decade or so, this reassuring belief has been challenged and reasserted several times. A recent UK study says that having pets during COVID wasn’t actually beneficial for mental health. Another says “Well, it’s all rather complicated,” and now, another UK study effusively states that having a pet provides similar health benefits to being married or making an additional $90k per year. Wow, looks like it's pets for the win (for now). Sign us up for that reality!
Another week, another story about service dog fraud. In this case, Massachusetts state representative, Kimberly Ferguson, after personally witnessing an awkward encounter between a child and an anxious little “service dog,” wants to create a commission to help solve the issue. While Massachusetts has seen proposals for punishing fakers in the past (including a 2017 bill from Ferguson herself) the state currently has no penalty for service animal fraud.
Last week, Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry (PPP) filed an injunction against the animal rights organization DxE for a campaign of targeted harassment against one of PPP’s associates. The associate in question just happens to be a material witness against a DxE operative whose trial for illegally entering a PPP facility starts next month. DxE is accused of harassing the associate, as well as their family and neighbors.
PPP’s head of HR, Julie Katigan, points out that the behavior of DxE – the intimidation, harassment, violations of privacy, etc. – are “not the actions of an organization seeking constructive dialogue,” and that its criminal activities in the name of the lofty goal of “animal liberation” actually put animal health and human safety at risk. Both of these observations are true, and since we aren’t bound by PPP’s corporate and HR protocol, we can go further. Firstly, most animal liberationist true-believers are well aware of the fact that their actions put the health of animals and people at risk, and they don’t seem terribly worried about it. Historically, key public figures will talk about how “Crimes and even violence in the name of animal liberation are understandable and morally justified (but, of course, I would never personally harm anybody).” Secondly, the idea that a poultry producer could have any sort of good faith, “constructive dialogue” with an organization that wants to impose veganism on the world “within one generation” is laughable, and frankly dangerous for the poultry producer.
We’ve talked about de-extinction today – using DNA to bring back a near facsimile of an extinct species – but what if we could prevent extinctions altogether just by taking our dogs for a walk? That would be a lot more fun, healthy, and cost-effective for everyone, wouldn't it? Well, that's what three adorable lizard-detecting dogs are doing in Australia right now. In just 11 days, this intrepid trio managed to sniff out eight critically endangered Victorian grassland earless dragons. How critically endangered, you ask? Well, for a half century, it was widely believed that these highly elusive little dragons were extinct! But they were rediscovered in 2023, and these dogs are playing a major role in preserving this species. Of course, as with the dire wolves, there is more to the headlines than a jaunt with one's dogs. The dogs are part of a specialized program, and they are powered by incredible natural talent as well as the work of great trainers. On top of that, they have the right personality for the job: these dogs are gentle and completely safe around small critters – it would be pretty tragic to track one of these dragons to its burrow, only to have your dog immediately gulp it down!
Also in the News...
★ Watertown Animal Control urges people to beware of virus in wildlife animals (Public Health & Safety; Distemper)
★ 'It looked possessed' - sick sea lions attacking beachgoers in California (Sick Animals; Algae Blooms; Domoic Acid Toxicosis)
★ Man and woman arrested for cruelty to dozens of Alabama animals (Your Depressing Weekly Reports of Neglect & Cruelty)
★ Meet the ringtail, one of California’s cutest and most elusive native animals (Charismatic Local Fauna)
★ 'Sickening' animal video in Western Australia's far north sparks outrage (Culture Clash & Social Media)
★ Historical gallery: Young animals in Delaware (Vintage Photos; Once You Click, It's Hard to Resist)
★ 10 Animals That Start With 'T': From Terror Birds to Texas Rat Snakes (Silly List Time; This TIme, We're Hitting up the Alphabet)
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