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Dog named George Bush-Activists from a hardliner Hindu nationalist group in India have named a puppy George Bush, after the American president, because they are offended that his pet cat is called India. 

A spokesman for the Bajrang Dal group in Bombay, Shankar Gaikar, said it could not tolerate what it perceived as an insult, and had decided to get its own back. How can we tolerate this insult to India? Bush had no right to do this Bajrang Dal spokesman Shankar Gaikar.

The group is seeking an apology from the US consulate in Bombay. But staff there said the president's cat was actually called India Ink rather than India because of its dark blue-black fur. 

The party is now urging members across the state of Maharastra to call other dogs George Bush . 

Bajrang Dal workers distributed sugar to hundreds of passers-by, a traditional practice during naming ceremonies in India. 
Workers demonstrated outside the US consulate to demand an apology. 

A member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which has links with the Bajrang Dal, alerted the party to the outrage after coming across the first cat's name on the internet.

Dog saves from jaws of death-The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that a hunter managed to survive a brutal bear attack, thanks to the resources of his trusty dog "Birk".

Göran Ryman, 49, was hunting elk in the wilderness of central Sweden when he was surprised by a vicious bear. Before he could react, Mr. Ryman was thrashed about and found his head gripped by the bear's jaws.

"First, it ripped a piece out of my thigh and arm before going for my face," he describes. "At one point it had my head in its mouth and I heard my skull cracking. I thought that my time had come."

According to the man, that's when Birk, a Norwegian elkhound, came to the rescue. The dog began to bite the bear in the leg and managed to draw the beast away from Mr. Ryman. Birk then ran off into the forest, closely followed by the animal.

Mr. Ryman called his hunting party who summoned an ambulance to take him to hospital where he received 50 stitches for his head wounds. (Photo: Urban Andersson / Aftonbladet)

Our hero Birk was found in the woods unharmed and quite proud of himself. Meanwhile, Göran Ryman is recuperating in the hospital, lucky to be alive and certainly grateful to his dog who proved once again that there are very few things in the cosmos as miraculous as a dog's devotion. After all, it's written in the stars.

Poorly Fed-A number of petitions are in circulation in Canada calling on the provincial government to enact an animal-protection law that would help authorities battle puppy mills and other forms of cruelty.

The Canadian Kennel Club is circulating a form letter addressed to Agriculture Minister Maxime Arseneau that denounces the government's "laissez-faire attitude" to the problem and calls for legislation to fight dog factories where "breeding animals are kept in improper conditions, poorly fed and unconscionably over bred."

Dog-mill puppies sold to unsuspecting consumers are frequently ill, genetically defective and temperamentally damaged.

Trottier said the trade is lucrative, with puppies being sold for between $300 and $400 each and then retailed by pet stores for $600 to $650. The puppies often come with false documentation to show they are healthy.

An animal-rights group called the Center d'Action pour le Respect des Animaux (CARA) has collected 25,000 signatures on a petition calling on the government to adopt the animal-protection bill the group has drafted.

Among other things, CARA's proposed legislation would force breeders to maintain minimum living conditions for animals under their care and obtain an operating certificate from the provincial government, said Endree Villeneuve, a CARA representative. Heavy fines would be imposed on those found guilty of cruelty to animals, such as operators of puppy mills.

The Criminal Code outlaws cruelty to animals but the definition is so broad that it makes prosecution difficult and fines are insufficient to act as a deterrent, Villeneuve said.

Florida man charged with felony for shooting estranged wife's dog- Police arrested a 36-year-old man after he fatally shot his estranged wife's dog Sunday because he says it had become too aggressive. 

John M. Avery was charged with felony cruelty to animals charges that both he and his wife called excessive. 

Avery said he fired two shotgun blasts into Ralph, an 18-month-old mixed breed, because of his behavior. He said the dog had been barking for six hours before the shooting and had recently attacked his children. 

"Ralph had bitten both my twin boys about two weeks ago, and he bit me while I was trying to get him in the truck to take him off," Avery told the Ocala Star-Banner. "After he bit me, I had to shoot him because he had been getting very aggressive lately." 

"I feel if my (estranged) husband felt it necessary to kill the dog, then it was necessary to kill the dog," Rhonda Avery said. 

But police in this town 63 miles northwest of Orlando said Avery should have taken Ralph to the pound or vet to be euthanized. Shooting him violated state law, they said. 

"The dog is a domesticated animal," Lt. Carmen Sirolli said. "It's not a wild animal, like a raccoon, you shoot because it keeps getting into your trash cans and you are not sure if it carries a disease. The bottom line is the animal died a cruel death in accordance with Florida statutes."