The call has been made by animal-welfare charities after an alarming surge in complaints over cruelty to animals over the past two years. In Kerry, a pony had to be rescued from an upstairs building, while in Tipperary 27 dogs were found in appalling conditions, suffering much from parasitic diseases, while variously chained to a tree, or locked in metal cages. The Cork-based Donkey Sanctuary expressed shock at the abandonment of 20 donkeys in Galway. Five of the donkeys either died or had to be euthanized to ease their suffering. Four pregnant mares and three foals arrived at the sanctuary’s…

An animal clinic customers say is a cornerstone in the community was the scene of a deadly shooting over the weekend. “I was angry. I was horrified by the whole situation,” said Donny Greene, the director of Outreach for Feed Louisville. On Sunday evening, police were called to the Shively Animal Clinic and Hospital on Dixie Highway. While investigators have not said exactly what led up to the incident, police me a verbal altercation turned physical, and 21-year-old Trent Taylor was shot and killed. Police say although the investigation is in its early stages, it appears the shooting could have…

There’s good, bad and ugly in BC’s decision to send about 4,800 cancer patients to the US for radiation treatment over the next two years – with a touch of déjà vu thrown in for good measure. The good news is that breast cancer and prostate cancer patients who need radiation treatment are going to get care in a more timely manner when they travel to two private clinics in Bellingham, Wash. BC Health Minister Adrian Dix deserves some credit for putting patients first even though he had to know the move was going to garner a lot more criticism…