"RCA" was rescued from a shelter in Alabama and selected to be Alaska's first hearing assistance dog.

***

On November 11, 2008, the Alabama War Dogs Memorial Foundation dedicated a War Dogs Memorial at the U.S.S. Alabama Memorial Battleship Park in Mobile. The memorial depicts an actual Alabama war dog team - Little Joe, a German Shepherd, with his handler Charles Wade Franks, along with other  combat patrol riflemen. In Vietnam on February 22, 1970, Little Joe gave his life saving those men.

Above and beyond their place as military dogs, family companions and  in traditional service occupations, dogs in Alabama serve in an ever-widening spectrum of therapeutic roles. The physical and emotional benefits to humans that come from relationships with dogs are now recognized and utilized by psychiatric facilities, assisted living centers, hospitals, schools . . . even prisons.

Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and society than perhaps any other time in the history of the human-dog bond. Additionally, over the past three decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in drastically lowering the number of  reported dog-related injuries in Alabama and throughout the nation.

Dog behind the 'Gucci Law' dies

March 25, 2010

Gucci, the dog Florence native Doug James rescued from torture who went on to become the namesake of a state law that makes animal abuse a felony, died March 24th.

James said he made the difficult decision to euthanize the dog, who recently turned 16.

"I had dreaded it, and put if off for two or three days," said James, who lives in Mobile. "His kidneys were failing him."

In the final days, Gucci reached the point he couldn't control his kidneys and was unable to walk freely. He began losing clumps of fur.

"I finally thought, it's just not dignified for him," James said. "This was too much for him. He didn't deserve to go through this."

James caught some youths torturing the chow-husky mix one night in 1994. The youths hanged the dog by his neck and set him on fire.

Word about the cruelty spread and started a campaign for animal rights that resulted in the Pet Protection Act, better known as the "Gucci Law," in Alabama.

The act was made official May 19, 2000 - the sixth anniversary of the attack - with Gucci present when then-Gov. Don Siegelman signed it. It makes intentional animal cruelty a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Gucci became a celebrity, making countless appearances at schools and pet organizations. He also was on "The Maury Povich Show" and "Inside Edition" and played "Sandy" in Mobile theatrical productions of "Little Orphan Annie."

"We'd go places - this is no lie - and people would yell, 'Hey, there's Gucci' and they wouldn't have any idea who I was," James said.

At the time of his abuse, Gucci was owned by a teenage girl who wasn't able to care for him, so she gave him to James the night of the torture incident.

James planned to take him to a veterinarian the next day. "I said, 'I'll take him in the morning', and my thought was, 'I'll take him if he lives through the night,' " he recalled.

The dog lived through the pain, never howling, and always remaining friendly toward people.

"He never complained. That's amazing because I know it hurt," James said.

"I called him 'my little Marine dog,' because he never complained. He was tough."

Through treatments, Gucci returned to health and lived a long and happy life, his owner said.

He also left a legacy for his fellow animals in this state.

"Because of Gucci, animals do have rights in Alabama, thanks to the Gucci Law," James said. "That's his legacy. It's a felony, and abusers can go to prison for it."

A street leading to the Mobile Animal Shelter is named Gucci Lane in the dog's honor. James said a local landscaper has plans for a memorial garden for animals' ashes on Gucci Lane.

Gucci's ashes will be the centerpiece, he said. "Gucci had been such a good dog," James said. "He had his life. He was the perfect dog."

***

Bo, a military working dog who was wounded in Iraq,

was reunited with the family of his fallen handler.

A fallen GI's military dog started new life

Bo, a 2-year-old black Labrador, worked with Staff Sgt. Donald Tabb, 29, of the Military Working Dog section, 6th Military Police Detachment, 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment, Fort Rucker, Alabama. Tabb, serving his fourth deployment with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan, died February 5, 2008, when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. Bo, though wounded in the explosion, survived and has since been adopted by Tabb's family.

Tabb's brother Willie Smith had to fight back fought back tears two months later, as he officially received the dog. "I just want to say, having Bo means a great deal to myself and my family," he said.

"Mr. Smith, today you've agreed to take Bo into your home to be part of your family," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Timmins, kennel master with the 6th Military Police Detachment. "You're not just receiving a pet today. Bo is an outstanding soldier, and he served his country with distinction."

"It's impossible to spend two minutes with this dog without smiling at least once," Timmins said. Of Tabb, Timmins added, "The one constant thing he would always tell me is how much everybody loved Bo. And I wholeheartedly believe that a dog takes on a personality of its handler ... because everyone who knew Sgt. Tabb loved him too."

Traditionally, a military working dog outranks the handler by one grade. Bo was officially retired as master sergeant. Tabb, an Atlanta native, was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class at a ceremony at the Gwinnett County Fallen Heroes Memorial.

The story of Bo, Sergeant Tabb, and Tabb's brother Willie Smith was reported by CNN, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Atlanta NBC affiliate.

***

National Canine Research Council

What is a dog bite?

While the question seems simple enough, the answer is often not what we imagine.

Dog bite numbers offer little useful information about canine behavior. Dog bite numbers are simply a tally of the number of people who sought medical treatment and/or reported a break in skin after exposure to a dog's nail or tooth –- in other words, the number of people reported to have been injured interacting with a dog. The interaction may or may not have involved aggression.

So, if dog bite numbers provide little useful information about canine aggression, then what can Alabama dog bite numbers really tell us about canine / human interaction? First and foremost, they reveal that there is no "dog bite epidemic" in Alabama.

During the past three decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in drastically lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries in Alabama and throughout the nation.

Consistent with this trend, and despite significant increases in the human and dog population, cities and counties in Alabama with dog-bite data dating from the 1970's reveal a steady and significant decrease in the number of reported dog bites:

Source: 2005, 2006 Bite Numbers - Jefferson County Health Department, Alabama

Source: 1975, 1975 Bite Numbers - Animal Bites, a Public Health Problem in Jefferson County, Alabama, Public Health Reports, Nov-Dec 1979, Vol. 94: Jefferson-Cnty-AL-1975-76-dog-bites

National Canine Research Council

Over the past 45 years (1965-present) there have been 15 dog bite-related fatalities in Alabama, an average of one fatality every three (3) years.

NCRC's 2011 Preliminary Report on Dog Bite-Related Fatalities illustrates the challenge of accurately reporting on these extremely rare, tragic events. Our mission of preserving the human-canine bond obligates us to be as accurate about these emotionally charged incidents as we can, so that they are calmly, correctly and, therefore, usefully understood. Accuracy takes time.

At least seven (7) different breeds/types of dogs have been reported to be involved in these incidents.*

None of the dogs involved had been spayed or neutered by their owners.

The victims were 5 adults and 10 children.

In two separate incidents, an 82-year-old man and a 47-year-old man were killed when they approached chained guard dogs at a business location. (1988, Centreville and 2006, Phenix City).

In 1982, a child was killed by a chained dog that had been so relentlessly teased by children that it had broken its leg. The dog's owner, aware of its torment, had taken no action to prevent the teasing, nor did he seek medical attention for the dog after it was injured. (Warrior)

In 1983, a young woman who had just given birth discarded her child behind a shed in the backyard. Neighboring dogs wandered over, found the infant, and mauled her. (Montevallo)

In 2005, B.E. Marbury was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison, after his dog, whom he had regularly abused, attacked and killed an elderly neighbor. (Lanett)

In 2010, a 5-year-old boy was attacked and killed by his neighbor's dogs. (Phenix City)

***

*Note: In recent years, scientists have established that visual identification of dogs of unknown origin is extremely unreliable; therefore, while we can be sure these listed incidents involved varied types of dogs, we cannot be certain of the accuracy of most breed identifications.

***

In spite of the abusive and dangerous ownership practices of some dog owners, dogs still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatality:

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

In 2007, twenty-three (23) children died as the result of maltreatment (abuse/neglect) in Alabama.

In a single year, (2007), more than twice as many Alabama children died from maltreatment than the total of all children killed by dogs in Alabama over the past 45 years.

***

Fact is, people in Alabama routinely accept far greater risks from ATVs, bicycles and swimming pools than any that are associated with companion animals.

National Canine Research Council