Riverhead Foundation

A three-day-old harbor seal pup was found on the beach at Sands, a Long Island beach club, this past weekend, reports the Associated Press. But it wasn't clear whether humans separated the pup from mama seal, or whether she wandered astray, according to the Riverhead Foundation for Research and Preservation, the organization that rescued the pup and is now trying to prepare it to be released back into the wild.

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Sebastián-Dario via Compfight cc

Upper East Siders may be tramp-stamping their French bulldogs with temporary tattoos, but there's a little-known bill working its way through the state legislature that's trying to ban the real thing.

Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, whose district includes much of Midtown and the Upper West Side, has passed several laws dealing with animal cruelty in her seven years in the state legislature, including a 2006 bill that ushered in court-ordered protection for pets. This session she's working on another piece of legislation, one that would prohibit "animal piercing and tattooing except for identification or medical benefit."

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We recently got word that Unique Product Enterprises -- a Rego Park, Queens-based biz -- advertised and sold "numerous" items containing DOG fur, according to an investigation conducted by the Humane Society of the United States.

Of course, selling fur from man's best friend is kinda illegal, as per the The Dog and Cat Protection Act of 2000. That law bars the import, interstate advertisement, and sale of items with dog or cat fur, according to the Society. (And, to be perfectly clear, dog fur is different than dog hair -- it requires the removal of the animal's pelt, meaning they were skinned.)

So what exactly went down with Unique? And is the company still hawking these items?

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The Voice was so busy on the street yesterday that we didn't notice this item until a little while ago: Cops say that 64-year-old Sylvia Panetta, a dog breeder in Wallkill N.Y., kept her pups in some of the worst living conditions they had ever seen.

So they nabbed Panetta on animal cruelty charges, the Daily News notes.

Officials rescued the dogs Monday and described the animals as malnourished and injured.

Cops say Panetta didn't have the papers to run a kennel, but was breeding dogs and marketing them online.

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In a new series on horseracing, the Times does a great job exploring the changing marketplace of the sport, and how tracks today can be more dangerous for animals and their handlers than in the past.

A key fact from the latest edition is that trainers are increasingly pumping pain drugs into horses who shouldn't be racing -- just to turn a small profit.

The most shocking stat, however, is this: since the casino opened at Aqueduct, horse deaths have topped 30, increasing 100 percent compared to the same period last year.

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It's Easter weekend, which means it is time for bunny-related news. The New York Daily News today draws our attention to Sequin, a jewelry showroom-cum-bunny home, in Midtown. Dottie, Biggles, Badger, Lollie and Fanny hop around in the showroom along with four rescued kitties. The owners of Sequin are bunny enthusiasts -- they have a Rhode Island sanctuary -- while Cindy Stutts, who calls herself "Chief Bunny Officer," works in sales and product development, and acts as the adoption counselor for Rabbit Rescue and Rehab. In that capacity, Stutts helps facilitate bunny adoptions via the New York City Animal Care & Control Shelters.

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Dan Callister

On Thursday, Dan Callister, a freelance photojournalist, took a photo of a sparrows' nest tucked inside a traffic light on 72nd Street just past Fifth Avenue in Central Park. On Friday he got a call from the New York Post, he told Runnin' Scared this morning, when he went to visit the light again, the nest was gone. Now, a mystery remains as to how precisely the bird habitat disappeared. Callister said he first saw a nest in that location in July of last year. The Department of Transportation is not taking credit for its removal. "DOT does have jurisdiction over traffic signals, but did not remove a bird's nest from that location," a spokesperson told the Post in a story published today. We reached out to the Parks Department for comment and have not yet heard back. (Update 11:56 a.m.: We were referred to the DOT)

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Micah Kellner

Amy Paulin (D-Westchester) isn't the only assemblymember sponsoring an animal shelter bill in Albany.

Micah Kellner (D-Manhattan) is pushing a rival piece of legislation, which he says would do a better job of protecting stray cats and dogs.

Kellner's Companion Animal Access and Rescue Act would require that shelters work with qualified rescue groups -- and he says that it provides greater protections for whistleblowers, many of whom feel worried about coming forward with accusations of abuse or neglect.

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Amy Paulin

In response to longtime concerns over how shelters and rescues treat animals, Assemblymember Amy Paulin (D-Westchester) has sponsored the Shelter Access Bill.

The proposed legislation has been in the works for several years. After intense debate -- including outcry from some "no-kill" animal rights and welfare groups -- a revamped version recently got the OK from the Assembly's agriculture committee, and will soon go before the codes committee. If it succeeds there, the bill will go before the entire Assembly.

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Alexander Berardi

This bad week for bunnies now has at least some good news. Miss Cooper, a Holland Lop bunny that served as a "mascot" for the SoHo boutique Alexander Berardi, was returned Saturday after having been stolen Wednesday by a couple wearing cowboy hats. Store co-owner and manager Christopher Kulukundis told Runnin' Scared this afternoon that he identified the bunny at the First Precinct shortly after midnight Saturday.

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