Animals

Piper, a miniature pony, died Monday morning following an attack by three pit bulls on Sunday. The pony was a rehabilitation horse at Fire and Ice horse rescue in Fort White, Fla.

Alachua County Animal Services has been working to reach no-kill status since 2001. Now, they're only four percent away from their goal.

The Saint Francis House Pet Care Clinic provides free non-emergency health care for pets of economically troubled owners four times a month. In the colder months, they give out cold weather clothes and blankets because homeless shelters do not allow animals unless they are service animals.

Paws on Parole is a prison-based training program that allows for women inmates to live and train with dogs for eight weeks. The dogs, taken from shelters, enter into this program to learn basic training, and to eventually, be adopted.

Alachua County Animal Services is urging people to foster animals over the Thanksgiving holiday. Already more than two dozen animals over capacity, ACAS will need to begin euthanasia if foster owners are not found.

Local animal shelters have developed stricter adoption methods to prevent indecisive pet owners from returning their animals, which causes a strain on the organizations and increases the likeliness of unwanted pets being euthanized.

Peedee Gilbertson had a knack for launching off the ground and jumping onto beds, and the hyperactive terrier-mix’s owners were running out of answers on just how to keep up with him. “We’ve had him in classes before to no avail,” said Beverly Gilbertson, owner of Peedee, whom she got …

Gainesville Rabbit Rescue hopes that by selling humorous shirts, they can not only help raise funds but also spread awareness. GRR hopes that by spreading awareness to promote spaying and neutering rabbits, they can avoid over-crowding their facility and control the local pet rabbit population.

Sanctuaries are struggling to take in primates as researchers and pet owners forgo euthanasia for better homes.

Parrots and Pizza, a local group that meets monthly at Napolatano's Restaurant in Gainesville, works closely with the Open Wings Rescue and Sanctuary in a joint effort to get attendees of the event to adopt parrots in need of new homes.