Something awful happened at Petland

In Akron, a former Petland employee has been sentenced to six months of probation after she was allegedly photographed smiling while she drowned two injured rabbits. Snip:

"I asked her why she was smiling in the photograph of herself holding the dead rabbits," said Fallis. "She said her boss at the pet store told her to hold up the rabbits and smile, so she did. She said she knew she had done something horrible, but that her psychology classes taught her to smile when you're having a bad day."

3 years for man who buggered horse

From AP: An undated file photo provided by Horry County Detention Center shows Rodell Vereen, 50, who was arrested Monday July 27, 2009, and charged with buggery for allegedly having sex with a horse. Vereen was sentenced Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009 to three years in prison. (AP Photo/Horry County Detention Center, File)

Stolen puppy was shoved in toilet, owner says

In Pleasant Hill, someone apparently stole a puppy from its owner's back yard and took the animal to the park, where they reportedly put the puppy in a toilet, KMBC says. (Witnesses say it was a couple of boys.) It's back home after a stay at the vet's office.

PHOTO: How smuggler hid 24 snakes, geckos on his body

More details here! Photos via AP!

Man tried to smuggle 24 snakes, geckos under his clothes, police say

It happened in Norway, after the man arrived on a ferry from Denmark. He allegedly had a tarantula in one of his bags, which is what spurred the search of his person. The snakes were reportedly in stockings that had been duct-taped to his body.

Man fed vodka to puppy, Iowa City police say

The 4-month-old puppy was barely breathing when its owner returned. (The suspect was only dog-sitting.) Luckily, the little guy lived.

Tenn. man loves horses -- no, LOVES them, police say

A man named James Michael Tait has been arrested for allegedly having sex with horses on a farm in Maury County, Tenn., authorities say. He actually has ties to another infamous bestiality case from Washington state, where a man died from internal injuries related to horse sex. In that case, Tait was working the camera, police report.

Man blows employment chances by killing opossum

In Virginia, a man was found guilty of animal cruelty after he stomped an opossum to death during a ride-along with police. Even better, the man was doing the ride-along because he was thinking about becoming a policeman -- something that's probably not going to happen now.

Officer M.A. Gibbs said she and other officers had stopped at the gas pumps off Monument Street at about 6:30 a.m. Schuler was with one of the officers, J.R. McBride.

While there, Schuler got out of the cruiser and chased an opossum as it ran along a fence, Gibbs said.

“He grabbed a hold of the links of the fence and just started stomping,” she said.

Schuler then ran back to the police cars.

“He was like, ‘I shouldn’t have done that,’” McBride said.

To be fair, opossums had killed several of his chickens when he was growing up, so it was a blood debt.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!

Photo: An innocent opossum

Your Honor, I have a right to shoot marauding bears

In Connecticut,  a man has filed a federal lawsuit after he was charged for shooting and wounding a black bear, which was snacking at a bird feeder in his yard. (Our protagonist was wielding a .22 rifle, if you were curious.) The man says there should be a protection for shooting animals that threaten one's life or property, but the law doesn't include anything like that when it comes to black bears. The charges have been dropped. The plaintiff, more than anything, just wants to prove a point.

12-year-olds arrested for throwing cat into dogs' yard, Ohio cops say

Whereupon the cat, named Thumper, was devoured by four chows, police allege.

Man strangled pet rat after wife took last cigarette, Fla. cops say

Nicotine is a hell of a drug ...

Man dragged dead dog behind wheelchair, Pa. cops allege

Authorities found the dog's body lying along the road and were able to follow the trail of blood several blocks to the owner's residence. The man had allegedly shot the 9-month-old boxer for tearing up the house, and he'd intended to bury the poor beast, but ... well, just left it lying there, authorities say. He's pleaded not guilty.

Dead deer in clown suit left on Iowa family's porch

Police think it's a practical joke. That, or the most obscure Mafia threat ever. "It's an old Sicilian message. It means Bambi sleeps with the clowns."

Man beat Chihuahua with baseball bat, Wichita cops say

Here's hoping the little guy pulls through. He already lost an eye.

UPDATE: Are videos of dogfighting protected by the First Amendment?

We've written about this case before: A while back, Congress passed a law making it illegal to produce, sell or possess videos of animals that were intentionally tortured or killed. (I'm heavily paraphrasing.) There were exceptions included for redeeming purposes like education or journalism. But there are some folks who say the law is still too broad. And who argue that all of those exceptions depend heavily on whether a prosecutor feels like prosecuting.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard arguments about the law and how it pertains to videos of dogfighting. Judging by their questions, it sounds like the Supremes also have problems with the law, which the White House wants to save.

Horse: It's what's for dinner

In south Florida, authorities are tracking a quiet increase in the sale and consumption of horse meat, which is actually a delicacy in some European countries. Though some states make this illegal, it's OK in Florida if the meat is properly labeled. What's not OK is stealing horses or improperly slaughtering them, and police have been finding more horse carcasses along Florida roads lately, USA Today reports. There's obviously a profit motive: In good times, horse meat can sell for $10 to $20 per pound. If supply is limited, that can climb to $40.

Elderly woman beat baby deer to death with shovel

Dorothy Richardson of Euclid, Ohio, says she only meant to scare the animal away after she found it in her garden. She's been sentenced to 80 hours of community service and a $500 fine.

Iowa City copes with plague of chickens

Police suspect a politically minded prankster is responsible for releasing a few dozen chickens throughout the city, many of them near city councilmembers' homes. It took about five hours to round up all of the freed fowl. The city council is considering an ordinance that would let people keep chickens in the city limits.

UPDATE: Who wrapped this cat in duct tape?

This guy, the authorities say. They've named the cat, by the way: They call her Sticky.

UPDATE: More details here! (Hat Tip: Many thanks, Adiina!)

Did Nebraska man deserve a ticket for his dead dog?

An Omaha man is accused of animal cruelty by neglect after his dog, Sable, died. Jacob Palmer had visited the vet, who recommended euthanization for the pit bull. Palmer said he didn't have enough money and left -- so the vet later reported him to the Humane Society, fearing Palmer would kill the dog himself, the World-Herald reports.

The police visited his residence three times, but got no answer. (They did, however, notice the freshly dug grave in the back yard.) On the fourth attempt, they used a battering ram to knock down his door and go to the back yard, where they dug up Sable.

The dog had died from a uterine infection that could have been treated. Palmer's mom says he didn't have money for tests, but the Humane Society says he could have sent the dog to them and they would've gotten Sable treated, which Palmer didn't know, his mother says.

Who wrapped this cat in duct tape?

From AP: This Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009 picture provided by the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' shows a female cat covered in duct tape from head to toe which was dumped in a yard in the Rhawnhurst section of Philadelphia, but found by the SPCA Tuesday. Medical staff at the Pennsylvania SPCA were able to successfully remove the tape. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the conviction of whoever wrapped the feline. (AP Photo/Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Keith G in PV!

Men tortured, planned to blow up snapping turtle, NY police say

Naturally, they decided to videotape a good chunk of their planning. (And the ensuing jokes, puns, etc.) Here's hoping that makes the prosecution that much easier.

Does the First Amendment protect dogfighting videos?

The U.S. Supreme Court is going to hear arguments about a federal law that makes it illegal to sell videos of animal cruelty. (That law was actually passed to stop fetish videos of women crushing animals with their feet.) This case involves a man who made a series of videos that feature dogfighting and tried to put pit bulls in a historical and educational context -- though you get the impression that he likes dogfighting, too. The New York Times says that most of the videos were actually filmed overseas in countries where dogfighting is allowed.

There are protections for works that are journalistic, educational or cultural, but, the Times notes, it seems like prosecutors are the ones who get determine whether films meet that standard.

Local woman accused of animal abuse

From Glenn Rice: A 39-year-old Independence woman has been charged with 17 counts of animal abuse after authorities found dead and malnourished animals inside her abandoned home. Sarah E. McBride told authorities that she had left the animals at the residence, at 1110 E. Pacific Ave., because she was experiencing financial problems and her utilities had been shut off in April.

According to court records, McBride told investigators that she had owned as many as 18 cats and a dog.

Burglar killed cat by putting it in washing machine, MI cops say

I don't particularly like cats, but there's a special place in Hell for this guy. It's bad enough to invade somebody's own. Killing their pets is a particularly nasty P.S.