Pete Decker

Garrett Mercado, the owner of a kennel outside Chicago, was convicted on October 1, 2021, for the 2019 fire that broke out in his kennel killing 29 dogs.

On September 30, 2021, the Mississippi Supreme Court upholds the conviction of a man who was convicted for three felony counts on dogfighting charges in 2019. Tommie Queen, a resident of Adams County, was sentenced to 9 years in prison for dogfighting charges. He is the first person in the state of Mississippi to be convicted of such charges.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled on September 22, 2021, that a trial witness can be accompanied by an emotional support dog if the animal can assist with a complete, reliable, and truthful testimony. The ruling sets a precedent for future trials in the state if the judges are faced with such a petition from witnesses.

California’s Bay Area is experiencing a shortage of veterinarians and nurses, causing some hospitals to decrease intake admissions for emergency services.

Starting in September 2021, a month-long test screening is being conducted at the Miami International Airport on airport employees by two trained dogs capable of detecting the coronavirus through breath and sweat.

Former gymnast, Lidia Matiss, has filed a lawsuit against Cesar Millan alleging that his dog Pitbull, Junior, attacked her during a visit at the latter’s office building in Van Nuys, California, back in 2017.

For two consecutive days, Finn, the Chocolate Labrador Retriever, has been sniffing out along the Snake River in Wyoming to search for invasive plants. The plants they seek are pepperweed and salt cedar plants which are noxious and non-native to Jackson Hole’s riverbanks.

Dana Perino, Fox News anchor and former White House Press Secretary, announced that her 9-year-old dog, Jasper, died of cancer on September 4, 2021. The Hungarian Vizsla, who is known as “America’s dog” by Fox News viewers, was often seen in Fox’s The Five and America’s Newsroom. The pooch was also the subject of Perino’s book, “Let Me Tell You About Jasper”.

A new exhibit honoring the work of search and rescue dogs during the 9/11 rescue mission opened on September 1, 2021, at the American Kennel Club (AKC) Museum of the Dog in Manhattan, New York City. The exhibit titled “9/11 Remembered: Search and Rescue Dogs” would feature works of art depicting the efforts and participation of hundreds of dogs in the recovery effort after the terror attacks in New York City and the Pentagon.