Humane Society

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 42-year-old woman who has been living with my boyfriend, "Matt. " He has asked me to marry him, and I said yes. The problem is, Matt is still married. Matt and his wife have been separated for eight years. I keep telling him to see if she filed for divorce, but he keeps putting it off. I love this man, Abby. Matt is good to me and to my children and grandchildren, but I don't know what to think or do. I want us to buy a house, but I'm scared that if we do, she'll try to take it from us. He says she wouldn't.

A national humane society will evaluate two Delaware County animal facilities at the request of a group of Lansdowne residents and a borough official, according to a regional director of the society. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) plans to visit the Delaware County SPCA in Media and King Kennels in Concordville to evaluate where and how animals are cared for, Mid-Atlantic director Nina Austenberg said. A written request by Lansdowne Borough Council President E. James Meloney Jr. and phone calls from a Lansdowne animal advocacy group prompted the Humane Society's decision, Austenberg said.

John Taliaferro found himself in the midst of a howling mob when he went inside a North Philadelphia garage last April 23 to pass out some flyers. At first, he said, he thought the men were there for gambling or some kind of female entertainment. But he soon discovered that a dog fight was going on. As Taliaferro, a community activist and member of the Humane Society, was trying to get out of the place, the cops arrived and he was swept up in a raid along with some 80 other men accused of promoting an illegal dog fight.

The Camden County Animal Shelter was not caring for the medical needs of some animals as quickly as it should have. Record-keeping was incomplete and disorganized. And parts of the shelter were cluttered and dirty. Those were some of the findings in an evaluation conducted by the Humane Society of the United States, which also found a compassionate staff trying to its best to care for the animals, provide clean living areas, and serve the public. Kim Intino, manager of the society's animal-services consultation program, said yesterday that the problems at the county shelter during the program's review of the facility in October were "not uncommon.

With the help of a microchip and some dogged research by humane society workers, an abandoned fila brasileiro, whose sad face was splashed across newspapers and TV screens last week, will soon be reunited with owners who had given him away months ago. Joe Pulcinella, manager of the Delaware County SPCA, said yesterday that workers had "scanned" the underfed dog soon after he was picked up in the freezing cold on Jan. 26. An identification chip...

Christina Smallet (left) and Christie Bush, Camden County College vet-tech students, take blood sample at the Humane Society

Officer Val Izzo of the Ninth District rescues two dogs from a sticky situation. The canines had been left yesterday in an abandoned van parked on Locust Street near 24th Street. Izzo waited for a Humane Society rescue wagon to arrive to take the pair. The temperature hit 96 degrees yesterday.

HORSES AROUND the country can neigh a sigh of relief. The owners of Atlantic City's Steel Pier, facing pressure from animal-rights groups, have scrapped a plan to bring back the diving-horse act that made the boardwalk venue famous for decades. "Instead of trying to rekindle the past, we're going to preserve history and nostalgia in a new way," said Anthony Catanoso, Steel Pier's president. Diving horses began plunging off Steel Pier platforms into pools in the 1920s.

Live chickens sharing cages with mummified remains of dead birds. Thousands of chickens dead of dehydration thanks to a water source malfunctioning. A carpet of dead flies so dark that workers in a poultry house needed headlamps to see. Those were some of the things the Humane Society of the United States says its undercover investigation found at a large Lancaster County farm that supplies eggs to ShopRite and other stores. The Humane Society said the conditions its investigator found and videotaped at Kreider Farms in Manheim evidenced the need for a federal law governing treatment of hens in commercial farms.

HARRISBURG - The parents of a woman murdered more than four years ago stepped forward Thursday to pay a past-due animal-rescue bill that had led officials to tell police to kill, dump, or adopt stray animals. Vincent and Margaret Moran of Tempe, Ariz., told the Harrisburg Patriot-News they would cover the city's $800 balance with the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area. Their daughter, Darlene Ewalt, was stabbed to death in her home outside the city in 2007. The newspaper said the Humane Society stopped serving the city in October because of the outstanding bill, but with the bill paid, a new contract was expected to be signed.

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 42-year-old woman who has been living with my boyfriend, "Matt. " He has asked me to marry him, and I said yes. The problem is, Matt is still married. Matt and his wife have been separated for eight years. I keep telling him to see if she filed for divorce, but he keeps putting it off. I love this man, Abby. Matt is good to me and to my children and grandchildren, but I don't know what to think or do. I want us to buy a house, but I'm scared that if we do, she'll try to take it from us. He says she wouldn't.

Live chickens sharing cages with mummified remains of dead birds. Thousands of chickens dead of dehydration thanks to a water source malfunctioning. A carpet of dead flies so dark that workers in a poultry house needed headlamps to see. Those were some of the things the Humane Society of the United States says its undercover investigation found at a large Lancaster County farm that supplies eggs to ShopRite and other stores. The Humane Society said the conditions its investigator found and videotaped at Kreider Farms in Manheim evidenced the need for a federal law governing treatment of hens in commercial farms.

HORSES AROUND the country can neigh a sigh of relief. The owners of Atlantic City's Steel Pier, facing pressure from animal-rights groups, have scrapped a plan to bring back the diving-horse act that made the boardwalk venue famous for decades. "Instead of trying to rekindle the past, we're going to preserve history and nostalgia in a new way," said Anthony Catanoso, Steel Pier's president. Diving horses began plunging off Steel Pier platforms into pools in the 1920s.

HARRISBURG - The parents of a woman murdered more than four years ago stepped forward Thursday to pay a past-due animal-rescue bill that had led officials to tell police to kill, dump, or adopt stray animals. Vincent and Margaret Moran of Tempe, Ariz., told the Harrisburg Patriot-News they would cover the city's $800 balance with the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area. Their daughter, Darlene Ewalt, was stabbed to death in her home outside the city in 2007. The newspaper said the Humane Society stopped serving the city in October because of the outstanding bill, but with the bill paid, a new contract was expected to be signed.

Want to buy a camel? How about a tiger? In Ohio, where a man this week freed his 56 wild animals before shooting himself, all you need is cash and a crate, and you can pick one up at any number of exotic animal auctions held there. And if you live in Ohio, you need no permit to keep your new pet. But don't think about bringing your purchase into Pennsylvania without a permit or taking it to New Jersey at all. In Pennsylvania, ownership of most large wild animals, such as bears, lions, and other big cats, requires license holders - of whom there are currently only 28 - to complete a rigorous application and undergo annual inspections by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

WHY WERE MICHAEL VICK and U.S. Rep. Bob Brady dining together at Chops (401 City Ave.) in Bala Cynwyd Tuesday night? The Eagles quarterback and the congressman have become friendly. Brady accompanied Vick to a Humane Society event Tuesday afternoon at the Hunting Park Recreation Center. We asked Brady what the pair talked about over dinner. "I'm helping him work some things out. He's got this bankruptcy thing he needs some help with, whatever," Brady said. He denied that he was personally involved in Vick's bankruptcy case and said, "We just talk about things; we became friends.

A year ago at this time, Michael Vick was facing questions about a shooting outside his 30th birthday party, his future in the NFL in doubt. On Tuesday, though, Vick went to Capitol Hill to endorse a proposal that would make it a crime to attend an animal fight or bring a child to such an event. Vick, who was released from prison in 2009 after serving 18 months for leading a dogfighting ring, appeared with leaders from the Humane Society of the United States to back the bill, now pending before Congress.

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is expected to appear before Congress today to support a bill that would make it a crime to attend a dogfighting or cockfighting event, according to reports. The Wall Street Journal and the Morning Call of Allentown, reported that Vick, who was convicted of dogfighting charges in 2007, will join Wayne Pacelle, head of the Humane Society of the United States, to endorse the bill. According to the Morning Call, the bill, titled H.R. 2492, was introduced by U.S. Reps.