PETA has learned that Casey, a young, paralyzed St. Bernard, died recently at Angel's Gate, reportedly after suffering from a long-term urinary tract infection. Casey spent most of her short life at the mercy of Susan Marino—the founder and operator of the hellhole, which continues to keep hundreds of ailing and disabled animals in conditions that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Marino faces criminal cruelty-to-animals and other charges; her next court date is March 20. We will be there.

Casey was among the animals whose systemic neglect we documented in our undercover investigation of the self-proclaimed "hospice and rehabilitation center." Our investigator routinely found Casey covered with her own waste and confined to a filthy crib, often without access to water. Routinely spending hours caked with excrement scalded the paraplegic Casey's skin around her hindquarters and genitals. We learned that in recent months, Casey was mostly kept on a mattress surrounded by baby gates, where she often lay in her own waste; that at some point, she had bloody urine; and that Marino often bemoaned Casey's "stink."

Casey as a pup, in September 2010.

Casey was not alone in her suffering. Several of the animals whose suffering we caught on video have since died, including Tucker, a sweet little beagle-hound mix with hydrocephalus who allegedly drowned a few weeks ago, evidently after being left unsupervised. Our investigation exposed the following:

• Paralyzed animals had bleeding ulcers from being forced to drag themselves around.
• Animals suffered from urine scald from being left in waste-filled diapers for up to two days.
• Animals were left outside in freezing temperatures or confined to bathrooms and bathtubs.
• Animals suffered from treatable conditions—including open wounds and infections so severe that one dog's rotted jaw snapped in half—but were deprived of veterinary care.
• Animals endured pain or seizures but were denied medications.
• Dead animals' bodies were left out for days among live animals.
• Animals were fed rancid, raw meat and left without access to water.

The Delaware County, New York, District Attorney's Office filed charges of cruelty to animals and criminal possession of a controlled substance against Marino, but hundreds of animals still remain in Marino's custody.

How You Can Help These Animals

Please urge the New York Attorney General's Office to dissolve Angel's Gate as a nonprofit corporation and make sure that Marino's victims are immediately seized and helped.

You may remember the real life story: As Hurricane Irene pummeled the East Coast, one Newport News, Virginia, man left 12 dogs and puppies alone in his yard to fend for themselves, some tied up with no way to escape the rising water. Newport News Animal Services and a PETA fieldworker drove through the rising water and increasing winds to rescue the dogs, and cruelty-to-animals charges were filed against the person who left them behind when he packed his bags and evacuated.

The case went to court last week. The dogs' owner pleaded guilty to six counts of cruelty to animals and received a suspended sentence of 60 days in jail for each count, which he must serve if he has even one more run-in with the law in the next two years. He was also sentenced to 120 hours of community service and a $455 fine for the costs that animal control incurred in housing and caring for the seized dogs, and most importantly—the punishment that we always press for the hardest—he was prohibited from owning companion animals indefinitely!

The rescue was a blessing for one of the police officers who joined us on the call: He found his new best friend among the rescued pups and adopted him soon afterward. 

If you ever see an animal in trouble, please contact the authorities immediately. If they are unresponsive, call PETA for help.

Professional procreators Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have announced—hold on to your hats—that they are expecting … again. The newest "J"-named Duggar will be the couple's 20th child, making Michelle the OctoOctoQuadroMom. We're just glad that they don't have companion animals or someone would have to teach them how not to do the Duggar.   

Dogs: © iStockphoto.com/linearcurves

Explaining the addition of a new fetal reality star, Jim Bob told NBC, "We didn't want to stop on an odd number."

Must be the same formula that Kim Kardashian used for her 72-day marriage.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

As anyone who has ever forgotten to spell out "w-a-l-k" can attest, dogs can understand our language. One recent study showed that dogs can learn up to 165 words and gestures and that they can count. And dogs aren't the only animals you can depend on in an emergency either—a rabbit recently saved her human family from a house fire.

malfet_ | cc by 2.0

Could birds call each other "humanbrain" as an insult? Like humans, crows and ravens are very social and have large brains for their body size. They also rival humans and monkeys in their ability to delay self-gratification for a greater reward. They are articulate, too, as evidenced by escaped former companion birds who are now teaching their flocks to understand English. If a family planning to welcome a new baby is having trouble picking a name, perhaps they should consult with parrots, who name their offspring.

Dolphins talk to each other in a way similar to humans, too, by adjusting their muscular tension and air flow. Words likely not in their vocabulary? "Imprison," "abuse," and "exploit" …. But if they are familiar with those terms, it could explain why scientists in Australia are just now discovering a new species of dolphin—maybe they were hiding!

Written by Michelle Sherrow

We're holding a new 10% Wool comic "Trump the Artist" contest! Here's how it works: Read Jeff's comic below, and see if you can come up with a better caption than the artist himself. Submit your caption for this week's comic in the comment section below. We'll choose three user-submitted captions that best complement the strip and let YOU, the readers, vote on them to let us know who you think should be crowned victor over Jeff's original caption. Our winner will walk away with a PETA logo tote bag.

"They're never gonna believe THIS excuse."

Don't forget to check out the archive of past 10% Wool comic strips, and get more information on the series and the writer. Join the flock and become a fan of Jeff's nationally syndicated comic strip, DeFlocked.

The entry round ends at 12 noon on September 12, 2011, and voting will start on September 15, 2011. Voting will end September 20, 2011, and we'll announce the winner and showcase the winning caption in a blog post on September 22, 2011. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Good luck!

Update: Since originally posting this, we were contacted by a representative of the family of two of the victims and asked to stop our campaign out of respect for the families. We are announcing that we are pulling the campaign out of deference to the family's wishes, although past victims of tragedies (and their families) have supported our educational campaigns. Our billboard was intended to turn a tragic and preventable occurrence into something positive by stopping further tragic and preventable heatstroke deaths. However, we understand the concerns of the family and will not be putting up our billboard in Sedona.

After a jury turned up the heat on self-help guru James Arthur Ray and convicted him of negligent homicide in connection with the deaths of three people who overheated in a Sedona, Arizona, sweat lodge, PETA hopes to erect a billboard in the sizzling Southwest town to remind people of the dangers dogs also face in the heat.
 

 
On a 90-degree day, the temperature inside a car can reach 160 degrees in 10 minutes. If you see a dog in a parked car on a warm day, call the police immediately. Don't leave until help arrives.    
 

Written by Jared Misner

The first day of summer hasn't even arrived yet, and at least seven dogs across the country have already died after being left in hot vehicles, including dogs in Virginia, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Maryland, and Ohio. 

At Jacksonville University in Florida, campus security officers were too late to save a dog who was left in a parking lot for 90 minutes in a car with one window barely cracked. In San Antonio, a parking attendant called animal control after finding two dogs trapped in a car. By the time help arrived, one dog was already dead and the other was in severe distress.
 

 
As these cases tragically illustrate, dogs left inside hot cars can quickly succumb to heatstroke. On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can reach 160 degrees in minutes. When the temperatures are in the 90s, as they have been recently in much of the country, even a few minutes in a car can be fatal.

If you see a dog alone in a vehicle, immediately call animal control or 911. If there is a business nearby, try having the car's owner paged. Do not leave the dog until help has arrived. And unless you're visiting a store like Canadian Tire in Langford, British Columbia, whose owner, Tim Curry, invites dogs to come inside instead of staying in a hot car, let Spot stay at home in air-conditioned comfort.
 

Written by Michelle Sherrow

There's a story that's getting a lot of play in Canada right now about a humane society inspector named Tre Smith who has been suspended following what, based on all the facts I've been able to put together on this one, was nothing less than a heroic effort to save a dog's life in extreme circumstances.

Apparently, Smith responded to a call about a Rottweiler named Cyrus who was locked in an overheated car. Given that animals locked inside cars in the summer can die of heatstroke within 15 minutes, even on a relatively mild day, this was obviously a serious situation, and Cyrus was evidently slumped over and foaming at the mouth by the time the humane officer arrived. Smith reports that he smashed the car window to pull Cyrus out, and handcuffed the owner to the car so that he could rush the animal to the hospital rather than waiting for the police to arrive. He later told reporters:

The story gets a bit murky after that—apparently, the dog owner's neighbors were so enraged by his actions that someone took a swing at him, and the cops arrived to find the dude handcuffed to a car with his face bleeding. Which, well, nobody likes getting sucker punched, but nobody likes it when people leave their dogs to die either.

Based on everything I've heard so far, it sounds like Smith should be given a medal rather than being suspended. You can read more about the story here, and you can click here for some more info about why you should absolutely never, under any circumstances or for any amount of time, leave your dog alone in a parked car. Also, here's a picture of some happy dogs cooling off in a paddling pool.