Animal rights groups in Maryland are not happy with a ruling that deems pit bulls to be "inherently dangerous." more ›

A Maryland court ruled late last week that pit bulls are "inherently dangerous" and that an owner and even their landlord could be held liable for any attacks for the mere fact that the dogs are pit bulls. more ›

Temperatures that regularly hit the high 60s and low 70s might be nice and summery for most of us, but for letter carriers, the warm weather means more dog bites. more ›

We here at DCist aren't lucky enough to have our own litter of lion cubs (yet...), but we do have some cute pets. But which is cutest was recently a topic of heated debate, and we've decided to settle it the only way America knows how -- voting. more ›

The Cleveland Park listserv is currently hosting quite the lively debate over the leashing of dogs in public. While that's hardly a foreign topic for a large D.C. listserv, one post which branched off from the main conversation certainly grabbed our attention. more ›

The dognappers, it seems, are more brazen than ever. more ›

We here at DCist love our animals, particularly those who can use a helping hand. Unfortunately, I doubt DCist HQ can adopt all these furballs. I've seen our editor-in-chief's apartment and it's a tad too small to accommodate. But this weekend there will be plenty of cats and dogs available for adoption across the area, as two local organizations are holding adoption events to cap off the coming end of the summer. more ›

WMATA asks individuals who use service animals on its rail, bus and MetroAccess services to keep them "under control at all times." But what happens when there's a dispute about what constitutes a service animal? more ›

Hey, fellas: haven't yet jumped on the hot trend of getting a vasectomy during March Madness? Not to worry, because People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has you covered! more ›

Dogs Deserve Better, a small nonprofit opposed to chaining and penning dogs, is trying to buy Michael Vick's old house in Surry County, Virginia, which used to house dog fighting and Bad Newz Kennels. Vick's former property had been on the market for a few years at a $595,000 asking price. Dogs Deserve Better has raised about $120,000 toward buying the house. They plan to use the property to help socialize and house-train rescued dogs, renaming the property "Good Newz Rehab Center for Chained and Penned Dogs." The group plans to leave the kennels where Vick's dogs were housed as a memorial. Through his publicist, Vick voiced support for Dogs Deserve Better's plan for his former house. more ›

Did you know that it's illegal in the state of Maryland to bring your dog to dine with you, even al fresco? It sounds like one of those laws which never gets enforced, but apparently, it's true. But state Delegate Dan K. Morhaim wants to end that practice, introducing a bill that would reverse the ban. more ›

Morning Washington. OMG guys it might snow tonight! Have you heard? Actually the chances are pretty slim, the Capital Weather Gang says that there is a very small chance we might get some flurries, but any accumulation would be further south. Really, the news is we're getting much colder weather than average this time of the year. But, SNOW GUYS. more ›

The Washington Humane Society (WHS) is offering a $1,000 reward for the safe return of a four-month-old puppy which was stolen from the agency's 1201 New York Avenue NE dog shelter. (Please, save all your Molly jokes until the end of the post.) more ›

Bed bugs have infested the Washingtonian media: headlines crawling with news of infestations in D.C. apartment buildings and even government offices. And while D.C. has not yet been taken over by an infestation as large as New York City's, we definitely have a problem. Before you panic, though, we thought we'd cut through the myths and hysteria with some real information from a specialist in the bed bug business. more ›

Cesar Millan is one of the most sought-after experts in the field of dog rehabilitation. His calm and assertive nature and natural ability to communicate with dogs has earned him the name “dog whisperer.” Since his show, The Dog Whisperer, first aired on National Geographic Channel in 1994, Millan has been rehabilitating dogs and training people to understand dog aggression and identify its causes, while implementing techniques to help the dogs live calm and submissive lives in harmony with its surroundings. more ›

Is Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett a closet DCist reader? Perhaps, since this idea is ripped straight from the comments on our posts about Molly: Leggett has proposed a new law which would allow authorities to fine dog (and cat) owners $500 if they tie up their animals in public without keeping an eye on them. more ›

D.C. police, in conjunction with the Washington Humane Society, rescued at least six dogs -- including puppies -- from a home on Sixth Street SE around 6 p.m. yesterday. Police are attempting to ascertain whether the animals they rescued had fought on the property or not. WUSA9 reported today that while no one is in custody as of yet, police believe that there may be other dogfighting operations in the neighborhood, but no one is coming forward. Even without any proof of fighting, there was plenty to get upset about: the animals were living in squalor, locked inside tiny cages which were filled with their own urine and excrement. "The conditions they were living in would break anybody's heart," said MPD Chief Cathy Lanier. more ›

To prove that there is a day to celebrate absolutely everything, tomorrow is Take Your Dog to Work Day. Not to be confused with Tie Your Dog Up Outside Whole Foods Day, TYDTWD is an actual event sponsored by Pet Sitters International. According to their website, "This annual event asks pet lovers to celebrate the humane-canine bond and promote pet adoption by encouraging their employers to support TYDTWDay by opening their workplace to employees' four-legged friends on this one special day." We would like to join in the celebration, and encourage any readers that are bringing their dogs to work tomorrow to share some photos with us. Whether you work from home and your dog is with you every day, or you just get this one day a year to work with your pup, we would like to see your fur balls in action. Photos can be submitted to our Flickr pool with the tags "dogwork2010" and "dcist" and may be featured in a gallery on Monday. Creativity and photos of dogs doing actual work is extremely encouraged. more ›

Thieves smashed a basement window to enter the house in the quiet Northeast neighborhood of Woodridge sometime between 9am and 4 pm. They stole television sets, laptop computers, electronics. Those can be replaced. Chuma cannot. more ›

Each month, DCist works with the Washington Humane Society to highlight some of the many dogs and cats that are available for adoption. The Washington Humane Society's goal to "increase adoption, decrease the number of animals in need, and teach responsible pet ownership" is one that we truly believe in. This month, we're bringing you the dogs and cats separately, dogs today and cats on Monday. more ›

What's with all the pit bull shootings lately? The Washington Post is reporting that an officer with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority fatally shot two pit bulls at Dulles International Airport earlier today. One of the dogs reportedly got loose from its kennel and attacked the other, and after officers were unable to break up the fight with pepper spray, they ended up shooting them. Police are investigating the incident. more ›

View Pitbull attack in a larger map more ›

The eyes of DCist photographers are upon you! This moment brought to you by the memory of the Great Molly the Dog Comment Thread of '09, and Flickr contributor Matt.Dunn. more ›

Last month, we launched our first collaboration with the Washington Humane Society and highlighted a handful of dogs that needed to find a home. The WHS's goal to "increase adoption, decrease the number of animals in need, and teach responsible pet ownership" is one that we truly believe in, and we're happy to report that two of the dogs we featured in October, Tancho and Nina, found homes!! Nina's new owner saw our photos and knew that she was the right dog for their family. She now lives with a family of five, two young children, two adults and another pit bull who is Nina's new best friend. Sumi, the beautiful and smart Akita mix is still at the shelter waiting to be sprung. Kate was diagnosed with heart worms and has been moved to the Washington Animal Rescue League to recover. She will be up for adoption again once she gets better. more ›

The Washington Humane Society pledged in 2006 to find a good home for every adoptable animal. This is no easy task while providing care for over 20,000 animals a year, taking in an average of 33 animals a day at two different shelters. Their goals are to "increase adoption, decrease the number of animals in need, and teach responsible pet ownership." With shelters around the country being forced to euthanize 4 to 5 million dogs and cats a year, we applaud the WHS's efforts to find good homes for the pets of D.C. So we've decided to help by highlighting adoptable dogs and cats in the District. This new column will feature some of the four legged friends who are currently waiting to find a loving family. more ›

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty presided over the opening of a fabulously-appointed new dog park at 17th and S Streets NW yesterday (along with a refurbished park for all living things at 17th and T, but the focus was clearly on the pooches' new playground). As theses photographs illustrate, the park features a hill-shaped, artificial grass surface and a water fountain designed specifically for dogs. more ›

Two Fridays ago, a friend and I were sitting in the third base club seats at Nationals Park on the cheap, thanks to the team's recent dollar seat offer. It was then that a thought that I've had numerous times in the past struck me once again: why don't the Nationals -- who obviously have little to offer in terms of the baseball on display -- take the remainder of the season and host a few crazy, off-the-wall promotions? Where are our "Jay Buhner Buzz Cut Nights", our Free Money Night, our own Veeckian brand of happy insanity? more ›