In the wake of same-sex marriage passing in NY, as well as the federal repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, legislators are now turning their attention toward a federal bill to lift the last bans on gay couples and individuals adopting children. "This legislation would open thousands of new foster and adoptive homes to children ensuring they are raised in loving families," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said of her "Every Child Deserves a Family Act." more ›

Law & Order: SVU hasn't really been the same Christopher Meloni peaced out and Mariska Hargitay cut back her hours, but we can't begrudge Hargitay too much: the actress just announced that she's a new mom (again!). more ›

A severely emaciated dog was discovered behind a dumpster off of Bruckner Blvd, so weak she couldn't even stand up and was only barely able to lift her head—but it looks like she's in for a happy ending, as caretakers have been carefully nursing the pup, which they've named Ella, back to health. more ›

A Long Island cook from El Salvador claims that an Upper East Side couple who were in the process of adopting her child jumped the gun and stole her baby. Vilma Ramirez says that the couple, Andrew and Kelley Grant, swooped in while she was at work, and convinced the babysitter that they needed to take the child now. "If I had been advised...that the Grants could decide that I would never see Esperanza again, I would never have signed any consent or other documents," Ramirez alleges in her lawsuit to have the child returned. more ›

[Update below] Who's responsible if the newborn baby you adopted turns out to have severe medical problems? If you are one Long Island couple, it is the fault of those rascally lawyers, of course. Meet Lynell and Victor Jeffrey, two parents currently engaged in a lawsuit against adoption attorneys Aaron Britvan and Alyssa Seiden. Ellington, the baby boy the Jeffreys adopted from an Indiana woman in August 2006, turns out to have severe neurological deficits which they weren't told about before they got him. more ›

You'll have to go to the Animal Care & Control of NYC, located at 326 East 110th Street (between 1st and 2nd Aves), to adopt the rabbits however. There, rabbit experts will be on hand to provide information on caring for the critters, which they say make great house pets. more ›

Just in time for Christmas—the holiday that puts plenty of pups in present boxes—City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley is trying to cut down on puppy mills by pushing for "puppy birth certificates." The certificate would include breed, birthplace, and fur color, and the proposed bill would mandate that each dog have one (kind of like Pound Puppies!). Crowley explained at a press conference yesterday, "If you're going to bring a dog into your family, you should know where this dog is coming from." more ›

Diane Indelicato, 46, of Ruff House animal shelter has been arrested for felony theft after stealing two pedigree pups and refusing to return them to their owners, instead shipping them to a foster home in New Jersey. But Indelicato, described as a "zealot," says she was just looking out for the dogs! She told Newsday (paywall) on Friday that she found the dogs were "infested with fleas" and "didn't have full mobility of moving their legs or their head because they were so severely matted. Would you give them back to somebody, you know?" more ›

Due to the economic troubles following the oil spill in the Gulf Coast, many families have found themselves unable to afford to care for their dogs anymore. But what is their lost could be our gain, because there are now 107 dogs in New Jersey waiting to find new homes. The dogs were brought to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, NJ, and should be ready for adoptions after baths and chip implants by next week. more ›

With talk of New York banning the sale of pets at pet stores, Petland Discounts is already moving toward becoming a puppy-friendlier, as they just signed The Humane Society of the United States' puppy friendly pet store pledge. more ›

Aw, the ASPCA gave the Daily News a new picture of Spike, the 11-month-old English bulldog that was beaten by his owner, and he looks a bit better! The News says almost 100 readers are interested in adopting the pup, whose injuries include a hip fracture, a broken leg, three broken teeth, injuries to his ears and virtual blindness in his right eye. more ›

The 35 cats that were taken from one crazy cat lady's apartment are now up for adoption! The NY Post reports that you can have the pick of the litter. The ASPCA has been working with the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, as well as other groups, to get the cats healthy and into forever homes. Cats and kittens were transported by the Mayor’s Alliance to organizations around the city, and you can check here to find the closest to you. In related cat news: we couldn't find Art on the ASPCA's adoption site anymore — so it looks like someone took him in! (He had suffered injuries after riding 2-miles in the engine of a car in the Bronx.) more ›

The 15 Chihuahuas that travelled across the country to find homes with New Yorkers were met by the dog-loving masses yesterday. Reportedly more than 100 people lined up outside the Manhattan ASPCA office for a chance to give one of the furry friends a forever home. The love was briefly interrupted by a passing bus driver, however, who yelled through his window, "I can't stand Chihuahuas! Go get a pit bull!" more ›

Suddenly we loooove Chihuahuas, those dainty dogs with the bulging eyes we always dismissed as maddening yap machines. (Apparently, they don't do that if you train them right.) Yesterday we barely survived a cute attack when Virgin America released photos of 15 Chihuahuas walking a red carpet to their flight from San Francisco to NYC, where they're being put up for adoption because of Chihuahua overcrowding in shelters. Now there's video of the flying Chihuahuas. more ›

A chihuahua with a death wish ran down a Brooklyn pier and dove into the frigid East River on New Year's Eve, only to be rescued by a vigilant member of the NYPD Harbor Patrol, according to 1010WINS. The brown and tan pooch hurled itself off the 62nd Street Pier on the border of Sunset Park and Bay Ridge on New Year's Eve, but an officer spotted the dog and fished him out. more ›

Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that New York has so many cute Chihuahuas on their way from California! The bad news is that they're coming from overcrowded shelters after being abandoned by fairweather owners. more ›

About 50 dogs rescued from puppy mills in Utah and overcrowded shelters in Missouri arrived in Long Island on Friday, where they will be put up for adoption before the holidays. The pooches, which were saved from filth, abuse, and the risk of euthanasia in September, enjoyed a special Thanksgiving meal of "canned turkey with potatoes and carrots; duck and sweet potato dinners, and bagged pheasant" at their layover in Chicago before flying to New York. more ›

It's time to update everyone about Chunk, the full-figured feline who was embraced by the media this summer. While the cat was supposedly adopted, the Cherry Hill Courier-Post reports his new family is in a "contract squabble" with the Camden County Animal Shelter. more ›

With paparazzi "jumping out of the bushes" to get the latest photos of Princess Chunk, president of the Camden County Animal Center's board announced that they probably won't reveal the name of the celebrity cat's new owners. Board president Cathering Hass tells the NY Daily News that they have received over 400 applications to adopt the 44 pound cat, but a new home has not been found (as was speculated yesterday). She said they are now trying to limit Chunk's media appearances to three times a day in order to "manage his stress levels." That can only be music to the chubby ears of the cat who just the other day suffered through a bout of pee shyness while he was taken on a whirlwind media tour. more ›

Last year, it was discovered that Judith Leekin adopted 11 foster children from NY adoption agencies using aliases, taking over $1 million while abusing and starving them. Today, Leekin will be sentenced, and lawyers representing the children hope she'll be be given a long sentence. The lawyers recounted a litany of abuses--siblings described pulling the decaying teeth of one profoundly retarded and autistic sibling (Leekin received more subsidies for special needs children) because they had no dental care. While Leekin pleaded guilty to mail fraud and wire fraud in NYC, she will face abuse charges in Florida,where she moved with the children. Update: Leekin was sentenced to 10 years, three-and-a-half more years than sentencing guidelines. more ›

Another heartbreaking tale of animal abandonment reached our inbox this weekend, but this one could have a happy ending. Here's the story:

While walking my dogs this afternoon I found a cat with magical green eyes, a cat that looks to be a housecat, who has lived her entire life safe and cared for, suddenly now abandoned on the New York winter streets in her cat carrier with the door open left to die. more ›

Last we checked in on Gwyneth Paltrow she was being wheeled into Mount Sinai Hospital for what ended up being a "gastrointestinal situation." Bouncing back quickly, she was at a UNICEF event last week where she dropped the bomb about a new bambino:

“People who have a lot also often feel like they have a lot to give. I have a good friend who always says that if you’re a person of means at all, then you have to adopt because there are so many kids in the world who need homes. more ›