Darick Stallworth of St. Louis, who pleaded guilty to three counts of felony animal abuse and torture and two counts of animal abuse and abandonment, was sentenced to four years in prison on Thursday morning. This marks the first successful felony prosecution in St. Louis since the city has stepped up efforts to fight animal abuse.

Around 1 a.m. on Tuesday police in Flower Mound, Texas received a call that a pack of dogs were running loose. Police spent hours rescuing fifty-one Maltese pups that had been dumped. Two nights later at around 3 a.m. just 30 miles north in Denton, Texas forty Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and one Cocker Spaniel were found in the same manner.

Another dog treat is being recalled voluntarily. The US Food and Drug Administration announced the voluntary recall of Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky Dog Treats because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. The dog treats were sold at 57 Sam’s Club locations in Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

Riley Martin, a four-year-old boy with down syndrome, went missing with his three family dogs Wednesday. The search for Riley and his dogs, Missy a ten-month old kelpie and two fox terriers Nitro and Bruno, went on for 19 hours. The four went missing from their home just north of Sydney, Australia

Cynthia Sweet, an owner of an animal rescue in Massachusetts, was trying to help a puppy in need when she discovered a need to make a change to the law in Massachusetts

Suzie, the 6-year-old poodle who survived an 11 mile ride stuck on the grille of a car, is back at home with her family. Suzie isn’t the only dog who has survived a unique car trip. When Jaime Magana was driving his company vehicle in California he stopped in San Clemente for lunch. After turning off the car he still felt movement in the truck. When he got out he saw fur coming out of the left front tire. When he opened the hood he found a 25-pound dog.

A woman convicted in July of burglary and animal cruelty was sentenced to five years in prison for the beating of her in-laws 14-year-old dog. Evita Williams is also to serve five years of probation, attend anger-management classes, undergo psychological, drug and alcohol evaluation and not own pets.

When Sunalnd Inc. made a nationwide recall on several of its almond butter and peanut butter products because of possible Salmonella contamination, Dog for Dog issued a voluntary recall of all its jarred Dogsbutter.

On Friday night Deborah Howell went to let her dog Molly in from the backyard of her Georgia home. “I opened the door around 9:36 p.m. to get Molly, when I cracked the door there was a man standing there, and he grabbed the top of my head and started slamming my head into the door frame,” Howell said.