Sac Paws

Scar was an 8-year-old bulldog mix who was fatally shot by a police officer pursuing a suspect, even though witnesses said he never left his yard and was not barking or growling.

She was the voice of creatures unable to speak for themselves, from abused circus elephants to tigers mistreated on Hollywood movie sets.

Life was perfectly fine at Good Faith Ranch in West Sacramento, where Patrick the spotted horse once grazed, lounged and entertained his human companion, animal writer Gina Spadafori.

A day after confiscating a Rio Linda family's pet deer – saying chances were "very slim" they would release it into the wild – California Fish and Wildlife officials reversed course Wednesday and did so, alarming experts who say the doe won't be able to survive on her own.

A Sacramento-based animal protection organization is offering a $2,500 reward in an effort to find a person who shot a Woodland cat with a pellet gun earlier this month.

Six-year-old Ulises Cervantes watched from the doorway of his home Tuesday as uniformed Fish and Wildlife officials put his beloved pet deer, Floracita, in a wooden box on the back of a pickup truck and drove away.

Nature can be harsh and unforgiving; so too can nature writing.

Police in Pennsylvania say a dog that was left in an unattended vehicle knocked it into gear and the car struck a pedestrian.

Ramon Llamas was taking his usual hike on busy Mount Rubidoux when his dog, Mole, began whimpering and tugging at his leg.

It's a stressful, bewildering existence for most dogs at the Sacramento animal shelter. They don't understand why they are there. They don't know where they're going.

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that police cannot bring drug-sniffing police dogs onto a suspect's property to look for evidence without first getting a warrant for a search, a decision which may limit how investigators use dogs' sensitive noses to search out drugs, explosives and other items hidden from human sight, sound and smell.

The daughter of former astronaut Mark Kelly was walking her dog Shiner on Goff Island Beach when the dog bolted, ripping the leash from her hand and fatally attacking a beached baby sea lion.

Competitors and their humans including Marcus Daniels of Elk Grove and Mika, middle above, eye the course just before a race Sunday in the 18th annual Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals. The event at Sleep Train Arena drew 40 dachshunds and their people in the competition for $250 and a chance to advance to the big race at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 27. Similar events all over the country have been held in the yearly effort to find the fastest wiener dog in the land. At left, Lisa Mones of Roseville cheerfully holds Loki, who looks a bit apprehensive despite being dressed in a colorful bow. Perhaps Loki was worried about the extra wind resistance.

Pit bull terrier owners can get free vaccines, identification microchips and vouchers for spay and neuter surgeries and dog training for their pets at events in the Sacramento area April 6.

The new veterinary medicine research facility at UC Davis brings together many programs that were scattered across the campus

Legend has it that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. The economic crisis has brought some of them back.

Sweet Bernie is looking for a home. This seven-year-old Saint Bernard mix is a loving, older boy who is looking for a family of his own.

The Sacramento Police Canine Association is asking for donations of items to be raffled to raise money for the care of current and retired police K-9s.

Sumatran tigers at the Sacramento Zoo are doing their part in helping save the critically endangered species.

Despite the freeway, brush fires, droughts and the inevitable exodus of young people to urban pastures, Zamora's way of life continues.

When it comes to feeding their dogs, not everyone is opening up a can of wet food or reaching for a scoop of kibble and plunking it into a bowl.

Hundreds of pet owners dropped off their dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered at dramatically reduced prices in the Sacramento region, part of the 14th annual Spay Day.

Dr. Richard Barsaleau, a veterinarian and noted equestrian who championed care for horses as a competitive rider, teacher and poet, died Feb. 13 at 87.

Through foster care, homelessness, health crises and depression, one thing has remained a constant in Roxy Stan's life. "My pets," said Stan, 68, who lives at an assisted living center in Natomas. "I have never been without one."

Aldo the drug-sniffing dog and his canine colleagues won a big treat at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, as justices unanimously approved a sniff search that had led to a Florida bust.

Disaster preparedness is so easy to let slide. We get all worked up after something like Hurricane Sandy and decide it's time to "do something." We read up, we make plans, we stock up, we move on. And then, we forget.

I've read that prescription pain medications are deadly for my dog. Can you suggest an alternative?

During her early career in Hollywood, Pat Derby tamed tigers and coached cougars. After a breakthrough book, she co-founded a world- renowned sanctuary and proved to be circus elephants' best friend.

Their formal names may be mouthfuls and their accolades many, but they're still down-home, lovable companions who just happen to be blue ribbon-wearing celebrities and the current toast of New York.

The Labrador retriever was the top dog in getting into things a good pet should not.