We moved!

Just a quick note to let you know we've moved URLs.

The new place to read Animal House is http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/flaim/blog/

Or, if you're at a different computer and don't have the bookmark, just type http://www.newsday.com/animalhouse.

Protests for Congo the shepherd

Another case of a canine wrongly accused -- at least as far as some dog folk are concerned.

Congo is a 2 1/2-year--old German shepherd from Princeton Township, N.J., who was sentenced to death for mauling gardener Giovanni Rivera, 42, on June 5. The dog's owners maintain that he was simply defending his family from a perceived threat.

On Tuesday, Municipal Court Judge Russell Annich Jr. let the euthanasia order stand. After clearing the packed courtroom because of outbursts from the crowd of mostly Congo supporters, he also ruled that four other shepherds owned by Guy and Elizabeth James be labeled "potentially dangerous." While this spares them from the needle, they will have to be muzzled when in public.

A euthanasia date was not set pending appeal.

The judge meanwhile, is receiving death threats.

The James family maintains that the workers did not heed warning to stay in the car. After one of the men confronted the dogs with a rake, Rivera ran to Elizabeth James for protection. James says Rivera grabbed her twice and pulled her down as he fell, provoking the dogs' protective instinct.

Rivera received a $250,000 settlement from the James' insurance company. He received 65 injections of rabies treatments because some of the dogs were unvaccinated at the time of the attack.

Meanwhile, an intense Internet campaign is underway to save Congo.

Congo supporters are urged to email Judge Annich in care of the Court Administrator:  caroline_sapio@princeton-township.nj.us, as well as Gov. Corzine at www.nj.gov/governor/govmail.html (609-292-6000) in hopes he will issue a pardon.

A representative at the governor's office confirmed that calls to the above number were being tallied.

Man marries dog

As headlines go, "Man bites dog" -- maybe.

But "Man marries dog"?

Apparently, that's happened in the rural Indian province of Tamil Nadu when a 33-year-old man, convinced that his stroke resulted from clubbing two mating dogs to death when he was 18, sought to fix his bad karma.

An astrologer advised that marrying a female dog would restore movement to his limbs and his hearing.

The bride is a former stray named Selvi. No word on where they honeymooned.

Fifi meets My Little Pony

Amid the depressing flood of so-called "designer dogs" comes this chuckle:

The Ponydoodle.

Car insurance for pets

Insurance companies are so busy listing breed-specific exemptions in their policies lately, it's refreshing to see one do something pro-active for animals for a change.

The Associated Press reports that Cleveland-based Progressive Corp. is providing collision coverage for customers' dogs and cats at no additional cost. It will pay up to $500 if a customer's animal is injured or killed in a car accident.

The company's pet benefit is not  yet available in North Carolina, New Hampshire, New York or Virginia.

Valium in the litter box?

What to do with all that extra Vicodin? Don't flush it, warn the feds -- making fish and salamanders and assorted wildlife woozy by introducing powerful controlled substances into the environment can't be a good thing.

No, instead, mix your overage of OxyContin in with the kitty litter, or your dog's scooped poop, advises the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. That way, marauding junkies will be less inclined to salvage it from your garbage.

You just can't make this stuff up.

Duke still in limbo

Duke the pitbull still awaits word on his freedom.

In the meantime, a "Punish the Deed" quilt bearing Duke's likeness is being sold on eBay. Bidding ends Nov. 10.

Breed bans, insurance discrimination, and, thee, my pit bull

Everyone's calendar is chockablock in December, but here's a day-long symposium I'd make some elbow room for: "Prosecuting Dangerous Owners and Muzzling Dangerous Dogs," presented by a consortium of legal and academic entities. Saturday, Dec. 1, at New York University's Lipton Hall in D'Agostino Hall (108 W. 3rd Street) from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.