5-Legged Puppy Has Amputation to Foil Suit

(NEWSER) - TV judge Jeanine Pirro has handed the freak show world a victory in the case of the 5-legged pup saved from a life on exhibit, the New York Daily News reports. Pirro ruled that the dog's original owner shouldn't have reneged on his deal to sell the animal to John Strong and awarded the Coney Island sideshow operator $4,000. Strong hailed the ruling but says he still wants the dog back from the woman who bought it to give it a normal life, even though it now only has four legs, thanks to surgery. More»

(NEWSER) - A good-hearted pet lover paid $4,000 to outbid a Coney Island operator to save a five-legged puppy from life in a freak show, reports the New York Daily News. North Carolinian Allyson Siegel, 45, called the owner of the Chihuahua terrier mix when she learned the puppy would be cooped up to entertain gawkers. "She is beautiful. She's not a freak, she's a normal little puppy dog and she should be just like all the others," said Siegel. More»

But the pooch is fine!

(NEWSER) - A Chicago man faces charges of animal cruelty after throwing a puppy out of a moving car into traffic, reports the Chicago Tribune . Sergieu Muresan, 26, turned himself in after seeing a warrant for his arrest 11 days after he tossed the pup out a window in a busy Chicago intersection. He faces up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine if convicted. The dog is fine and going up for adoption. More»

He took in stray in Iraqi war zone

(NEWSER) - An Army major killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq has left a canine legacy—Laia, a stray puppy who made it back to America, the Los Angeles Times reports. Working on a transition team, Steven Hutchison found the dog loafing around his vehicle after a meeting. “Maj. Hutchison was hooked,” Sgt. Andrew Hunt says. "She slept in his bed with him at night and napped under his bed during the day.” More»

'6- or 7-week-old defenseless' dog was gift from ex-lover

(NEWSER) - Oklahoma authorities say a woman had her puppy murdered to make a belt from its hide, the Oklahoman reports. Krystal Lynn Lewis, 23, allegedly hired a friend to kill her Jack Russell terrier. Police say he shot the dog 10 times with a .22-caliber pistol. “We're talking about a 6- or 7-week-old defenseless puppy,” said one official. “That's pretty heinous and sadistic.” More»