Animal Rights

Animal cruelty case: Shelter upset at deal that returned animals to part-time Santa Bill Lee

Last week, we told you the latest in the case of Bill Lee, an Idaho Springs rancher and mall Santa whose animals were seized in a cruelty investigation. Lee has agreed to plead guilty to one count of animal cruelty and has been granted a two-year deferred judgment -- meaning that if he complies with ... More >>

Police group: Commerce City cop charged in dog shooting is victim of lynch mob mentality

Reports of an Adams County deputy killing a dog after responding to the wrong address undoubtedly caused a case of déjà vu for locals, since it followed a dog shooting by a Commerce City cop that was captured on video in November; see it below. That officer was subsequently charged with animal cru ... More >>

Pit bull mix bites don't convince Larimer Humane Society to target breeds

Denver's continuing pit bull ban remains a controversy lightning rod, with lovers of the breed putting blame for problems on owners even as critics see this type of dog as inherently dangerous. Now, two biting incidents involving pit-bull mixes in Larimer County (one dog is seen here) have revved up ... More >>

Valerie Harris, accused serial animal abuser: Homes sought for rescued survivors

The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region is seeking loving homes for more than sixty animals that were rescued from what Pueblo County authorities see as a terribly neglectful one. Their past owner, Valerie Harris, has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals -- an accusation of the sort ... More >>

Goldfish racing gets a head start at the Bar on South Broadway

Meet the country's youngest Animal Welfare Approved farmer: 12-year-old Shelby

Shelby Grebenc wakes up at 6:15 each morning to give the chickens on her Broomfield farm food and water, and to collect and wash the hens' eggs. Shelby isn't a typical farmer whose work feeds and supports her family, though: She's a twelve-year-old who simply loves farming and chickens. And she's th ... More >>

Dog gone: Ichabod the pit bull's mysterious journey from Colorado to Missouri and back

More pics below.​A year ago yesterday, Ichabod, a three-year-old pit-bull mix, found a new home after Nick Hooten and Jill Paros adopted him from the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. For much of the time since then, though, he's been somewhere else. He vanished in August, only to resurface in ... More >>

Wild horses: BLM backs off plan to round up West Douglas herd

Flickr.​There aren't a lot of wild horses left in Colorado, but a small herd of mustangs fifty miles north of Grand Junction just got a reprieve. Besieged by legal challenges of its plan to relocate "excess" horses from public lands to private holding facilities and pastures, the Bureau of Lan ... More >>

Intermountain Humane Society euthanizes 23 cats after ringworm outbreak

IMHS.org​Intermountain Humane Society in Pine Junction is embroiled in a controversy sure to stir any animal lover. After an outbreak of ringworm, center personnel decided to euthanize six cats that came down with the ailment, as well as seventeen others, in an effort to halt the epidemic. But ... More >>

Puppy stomped to death, thrown in dumpster

Christopher Blackstone's mug. Larger image below.​Two days before Christmas, Christopher Blackstone of Colorado Springs got into an argument with his girlfriend, Talitha Peterson-Hooks. She ignored his subsequent calls and texts, and, according to the police report, that's when Blackstone tur ... More >>

Girls gone vegan: "Naked activist" Ashley Bryne on her cold European tour

​Say what you will about People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- better known and often reviled as PETA -- but there's no denying their methods are, ahem, eye-catching. Sex sells, as PETA well knows, and there's probably never been an activist organization quite as openly willing to use ... More >>

PETA member a no-show for Westword protest

Wherefore art thou, PETA?​Upset by our video of the live octopus hot pot, PETA member Belinda Heinikey-Williamson threatened to protest at the Westword offices today at 11 a.m. That hour has come and gone, though, with not a single protester in sight. What happened? Was the circus back in to ... More >>

Comment of the day: Hate turns to threat of PETA protest of Westword!

​Despite some readers' allegations that we're milking the video of the live octopus hot pot (something, by the way, we never condemned nor condoned but merely documented) to a cruel and unusual extent, the glorious comments keep pouring in-- and we're going to keep showcasing the best ones. A ... More >>

Wild horses in Colorado: ASPCA, other groups file suit to block roundups of two herds

A Flickr photo​For years, the Bureau of Land Management has been aiming to remove substantial numbers of northwest Colorado's remaining wild horses -- despite a federal judge's ruling last year that the agency has failed to prove that the obscure herds are overpopulated. Now, a coalition of ac ... More >>

Walter Bond: Alleged sheepskin factory arsonist inspiration for song by straight-edge band

Walter Bond.​We recently told you about alleged arsonist Walter Bond, who authorities believe was responsible for burning down Glendale's Sheepskin Factory and two businesses in Salt Lake City, including a restaurant that served foie gras. Turns out Bond's a hero to the animal liberation move ... More >>

Walter Bond allegedly torched sheepskin factory for animal rights cause (and wants to do it again)

Walter Bond.​Walter Bond doesn't exactly hide his convictions when it comes to animal rights. Law-enforcement types note that he has "a prominent tattoo on his neck just below his chin that reads, 'VEGAN.'" However, Bond is accused of doing more than simply sticking to salads. He's been forma ... More >>

Mustang deaths trigger more calls to suspend BLM roundups

Elyse GardnerCopters and horses don't mix.​Last week, we noted that a fragile truce between the Bureau of Land Management and activists protesting the agency's roundups of wild horses was on the verge of blowing up, with lawsuits pending over a proposed "gather" in the midsummer heat of northe ... More >>

Coors Field ranks fifth on PETA's annual list of best ballpark food

You'll find plenty of veggie options inside those doors.​Most vegetarians remember the days when attending a ball game meant subsisting on popcorn and peanuts -- not bad as snacks go, but let's be honest: Peanuts are no substitute for a ballpark dog. Since 2002, People for the Ethical Treatmen ... More >>

PETA is hunting down the country's sexiest vegetarian

Vote for me, Marie!​If you're one of those people who doesn't poison your body with pork, cow, fowl, things with fins or anything else that might be construed as meat by PETA, then we have just the contest for you. The animal-rights group is in the final throes of its annual Sexiest Vegetarian ... More >>

Pooch pacemaker = Merry Xmas

Guido got a heartfelt treat this holiday season. ​Meet Guido. He is quite possibly the luckiest dog in all of Adams County -- because of all the costly and peculiar gifts people lavish on their pets this time of year, Guido got the best one of all. A pacemaker.

Boulder takes a bite out of bad dog behavior

For two decades, pit bulls have been public enemy #1 in Denver. But maybe it's time for a recount.

Lesson to puppy thieves: Never steal anything adorable

The saga of Ferris the stolen dachshund has a happy ending -- for everyone except the trio who swiped him. Thanks to the Boulder Police Department's energetic efforts to locate the parties who spirited the pooch away from the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, a good Samaritan who'd been asked to wa ... More >>

Mysteries of Sheehan's Desk: Day 10

Another gift from PETA​ Yesterday I wrote about my favorite gift from PETA. This one's my second favorite. And yes, it is what it looks like: one of those little wind-up Easter chicks, only with its beak cut off, its eyes poked out and splashed in blood. Not real subtle, those PETA folks. ... More >>

Another spot of genius from PETA

Q: What's the highest rated television show in the history of everything? A: American Idol. Q: And who is the most high-profile judge on American Idol? A: Simon Cowell. That's right.  And if there's one organization in the world that knows how to exploit celebrity (even if it happen ... More >>

PETA's ten worst -- actually, make that best -- publicity stunts

Kiernan MaletskyPETA -- the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- is a lot of things.  It is a political organization dedicated to saving all the cute critters on the planet.  It is a finely-tuned donation-gathering machine that preys on weepy liberals who'd rather empty thei ... More >>

An American Idol audition that killed a dog

A Flickr photo"No golden ticket for you." The American Idol auditions that turned Invesco Field at Mile High into an ear-damage danger zone for three days earlier this week racked up at least one casualty. Quincy Vanderbilt, a 24-year-old North Dakotan was charged with animal cruelty and given an A ... More >>

PETA in the news again: "Sea Kittens" campaign making me hungry

There is almost nothing I can say about this that wouldn't get me picketed.  Direct from the PETA website at www.peta.org: People don't seem to like fish. They're slithery and slimy, and they have eyes on either side of their pointy little heads--which is weird, to say the least. Plus, the smal ... More >>

Shmuck: Roll over and play dead

Again with the animals? Poor Rover. Poor Fluffy. Why is it that we humans take out our aggressions on our pets. Why do we put them in the middle of battles over money and politics? Why? Okay, well, for one, they are annoying and they smell bad. Oh, and they are expensive and obnoxious and chew up e ... More >>

Halloween can be scary for black cats

Snack Down

PETA gets to the meat of the problem at Frontier Airlines.

Pluck You

Hmm. Would you rather live in Commerce City or KentuckyFriedCruelty.com?

Capitol Hill Billys

Them's Fighting Words

Activists arm for battle with cockers.

Primate Directive

Rita Anderson has a message for the University of Colorado: Let my monkeys go.

Remembering Never

Thursday, December 16, Rock Island, 303-572-7625.

Bite Me

Going, Going...

Pet Heaven

Animal Planet reaches out to the furry

Off Limits

TV or not TV

Off Limits

Iced out

Off Limits

Animal instincts

Best chance to offend PETA

Harp Seal Piñata

Dog Eat Dog

From shooters to lawmakers to developers to environmentalists, prairie dogs are wagging everyone.

Letters

Going Ape

Animal-rights activists want a CU scientist to stop the monkey business.

NO DOG HAS HIS DAY

"SUE THE CREEP" IN THE DOG-POISONING CASE? IN COLORADO, YOU'RE BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE.