FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (WCCO)—  An Eagan man who left his puppy in his jeep outside the Minnesota State Fair on Monday is angry that animal control seized the dog.

But animal control said temperature readings inside the car reached 138 degrees and the dogs life was in danger.

Read the full story here

Rick Casey had his 12-week-old Akita puppy with him because he mistakenly thought you could bring dogs to the fair. Casey says his dog was never in danger.

“The reading we got on the dashboard was 138, which is a little high. Another reading we got off the seat of car, in a shaded area, was 114,” said Bill Stephenson with animal control.

“I don’t understand where the police can come just go into your vehicle and take something of yours,” said Casey.

But animal control said they would do the same thing again; that protecting animals left in cars is the law. “This is state law. Dogs, cats left in motor vehicles is prohibited anytime it’s going to place their health and safety in danger,” Stephenson said.

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Fridley, MN-  Former DFL legislator and candidate Barb Goodwin won the primary election in Senate District 50 in a high-profile race when her opponent, incumbent Satveer Chaudhary, announced he had conceded the race to her. With unofficial results showing a strong win for Goodwin, Chaudhary congratulated his opponent on her victory.

The Star Tribune reports, “Chaudhary’s stunning defeat capped a three-month political fall that began with a controversy in the waning days of this year’s Legislature and involved the senator’s attempt to obtain special fishing regulations on a lake where he owns a cabin.

“I’m breathless,” said Goodwin, following what appeared to be an overwhelming victory. “Now, it’s important for me to show [voters] how the job should be done.”

Read the full Star Tribune article here.

More information on animal-friendly candidate Barb Goodwin

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Article from the Pioneer Press

Behind this fence is the kennel where two dogs, abandoned by their owners, were left to die in St. Paul.

The two dogs were curled up together, one light, one dark, huddled in a slight depression in their dirt-floored kennel. The light-colored dog had its head nuzzled into the other dog’s belly. The darker dog’s chin rested on a ledge, its muzzle wrinkled.

They had been in this pose for more than a month, likely, their dead bodies desiccated and dusty.

Read the full Pioneer Press article here

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Humane candidate Barb Goodwin will face off against incumbent Satveer Chaudhary in one week in an important primary election for Minnesota’s animals.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune endorsement begins with a strong opener:

“Even if her primary opponent weren’t ethically challenged or hadn’t until recently owed $251,000 in back taxes, veteran legislator Barb Goodwin would be the clear choice for DFL voters in this north-central suburban district’s state Senate race.”  It mentions that her main opponent, incumbent Satveer Chaudhary, who has been formally rebuked by a Senate ethics panel and who has had his DFL endorsement stripped from him, “just doesn’t get it”.  And it ends with a robust call for change.

The primary on August 10th will determine which candidate will continue to the general election in November, and this article sends Goodwin to the polls with an impressive endorsement.

Read the Star Tribune endorsement here

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Minneapolis, August 3, 2010 Star Tribune reporting

Mounted officers in downtown Minneapolis had their horses assaulted after bar-closing by five men just this past weekend, and it’s the type of horsing around that police say is on the increase in recent years.

Police Sgt. Bill Palmer said intoxication appears to have played a role in the men either slapping the horses on their face or hindquarters. In one instance, one of the men grabbed a horse by the bridle, nearly causing the officer in the saddle to lose control of the animal as imbibing pedestrians roamed the streets.

Read the full Star Tribune story here

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The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the lobbying affliliate of the Humane Society of the United States, has introduced a new online tool – the Humane Scoreboard.  The Scoreboard will showcase up-to-date information of how U.S. senators and representatives stand on animal protection legislation.  The Scoreboard contains various features which can be used to track individual legislator’s positions, as well as the progress of the animal protection movement.

You can use this online tool to keep track of how Minnesota’s federal delegation is doing on animal welfare legislation. Keep yourself informed and let your elected officials know animal protection issues matter to you!

You can access the Scoreboard here

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The dog is a German shepherd mix named Star. About a week after the incident, she wandered into a rural Fergus Falls yard and was taken to a veterinarian. Star has now had surgery and is currently awaiting adoption in a foster home.

The incident also spurred the creation of a Facebook page, “Justice for Star in Minnesota.” The group led a demonstration of 20 people at the court appearance. They have also started a petition, which has over 1,000 signatures, calling for Stavaas to receive the maximum penalty: two years in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both.

Read the full story here.

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Freeborn County commissioner allegedly stole from escrow accounts to pay for gambling. 

Dozens of cats and dogs at the Humane Society of Freeborn County will remain stuck in cramped quarters because $150,000 set aside to expand the shelter was stolen in a financial scheme that investigators say was orchestrated by a Freeborn County commissioner.

Linda Tuttle-Olson, 59, who represents a portion of the Albert Lea area on the county board, was charged this week with 13 felony counts in a theft-by-swindle scheme that has left the shelter and at least 11 other victims out more than $1 million. Most of those victims had placed tens of thousands of dollars in escrow accounts overseen by Tuttle Olson’s company — Albert Lea Abstract Co. According to the criminal complaint, Tuttle used a chunk of that money for gambling.

Read the full Star Tribune story here

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On August 10, the primary will be held. To find out who’s running in the primary for the Minnesota Senate, please see the list here. To find out who’s running in the primary for the Minnesota House, please see the list here.  And to learn who’s running in the primary for governor, see the list here.

If you would like to help pro-animal candidates get elected, come join Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection as we do literature drops, phone banks and door knocks! You will join an energetic group of volunteers committed to making change at our legislature in support of animals who need more voices in government advocating on their behalf. Let us know if you would like to help by sending us a message here.

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 More information on animal-friendly candidate Barb Goodwin

On June 29, 2010, the DFL party endorsed former State Representative Barb Goodwin to run for the State Senate in District 50, which serves the northern Twin Cities suburbs. The DFL had previously endorsed Senator Satveer Chaudhary to run for reelection but pulled the endorsement due to ethics troubles the Senator has experienced since the close of the legislative session.

Senator Chaudhary has been facing opposition since he attempted to add into game and fish legislation a special walleye provision for a lake on which he owns a cabin.

Goodwin is currently a Columbia Heights school board member and an adjunct professor at Hamline University Graduate School. She previously served three terms as a state representative from district 50A.

Read the full Star Tribune story here

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