In Ariz., Rock May Be Named for Dead Pet
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YUMA, Ariz. - The Yuma County Board of Supervisors is considering a request to have a Colorado River rock formation officially named after Sammie, a deceased golden retriever.  The rock formation, located 24 miles northeast of Yuma, stands 80 feet above the Colorado River.
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By The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson  Feb. 9--A tributary to two major Arizona waterways will be protected from development and groundwater pumping because a Tucsonan donated a major ranch to The Nature Conservancy.
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It's no place to rest in peace: a vacant lot covered with reeds, slabs of concrete and trash. But federal authorities believe the site in a remote section of Queens could be a graveyard for targets of hits ordered by John Gotti and other mobsters more than two decades ago.
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A U.S. military dog whose handler and best friend was killed in Iraq got a new assignment today -- retirement with the late Marine's family. Lex was beside Cpl. Dustin Lee when Lee was killed in a mortar attack in Falluja. It took months of lobbying by the family to get the dog's adoption approved by the military.
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Two dogs found buried at a home belonging to DMX had serious wounds, said authorities investigating animal neglect allegations.
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Some Southern Arizona mountains were placed on a short list of places around the world where biological resources are at risk.
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One of the rarest birds on Earth came closer to being wiped out - if not already extinct - with the death of one of the last three believed to exist, officials said.
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The mystery death of a middle-aged British tourist near Australia's world renowned Ayers Rock this week deepened following an autopsy that failed to establish the cause, police said.
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By Erin Smith, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.  Dec. 10--ALAMOSA - Make no bones about it, Alamosans are serious about saving the remains of a famous horse said to have been sliced and diced by space aliens.
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OREM, Utah - An unlikely source is to blame for about $12,000 in fire damage to a home. Police speculate Landon Nielsen's pet boa constrictor wrapped itself around a heat lamp inside the cage and pulled the lamp down, which set the cage ablaze.
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By Tom Kizzia, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska  Feb. 15--A plan to create a Bristol Bay game refuge in honor of former Gov.
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By Tony Davis, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson  Sep. 5--A proposed 2,500-home subdivision near the Pima-Santa Cruz County line may be dead for the second straight year.
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By ALICIA CHANG  LOS ANGELES - A distant, icy rock whose discovery shook up the solar system and led to Pluto's planetary demise has been given a name: Eris.
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PHILADELPHIA - A beloved pooch who had an arrow lodged in her skull had successful follow-up surgery Friday to remove part of the razor-sharp tip.  Alice, a shaggy, mixed-breed pet with green eyes, was romping around a 100-acre farm last month when she went missing.
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This year's harsh winter could lead coyotes to venture outside normal habitat areas, which could pose a threat to pets, animal specialists say.
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - A basset hound that disappeared from its California home in December has been found 430 miles away in Arizona.  The dog, named Fred, was found by an employee Wednesday in the parking lot of the Second Chance Center for Animals in Flagstaff.
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Sniffer rescue dogs trained to find explosives or earthquake survivors buried in rubble may soon have some competition -- rats.