It is essential that you join your pets in the Afterlife, because wouldn't it suck if some other spirit family started feeding them and changed their name to Biscuit? Not to mention the awkward encounters at the dog run in the sky. So pet lovers should be relieved to know that the state's Cemetery Board has concluded that human ashes may be buried in Westchester's Hartsdale Pet Cemetery. "I feel great," Bronx resident Rhona Levy, who has been fighting to be buried with her dogs and cats, tells the Post. However, the Board did caution that humans still have markedly less chances of getting into Heaven than dogs. more ›

Bad news for pets and their beloved owners: New York's Division of Cemeteries has instructed animal cemeteries to stop burying the ashes of pet owners alongside deceased Lassies and Patches. And as you can imagine, owners who have been affected are none too pleased about it: "Suddenly I'm not at peace anymore. You want to be with the people you are closest with, your true loved ones. The only loved ones I have in my life right now are my pets, which I consider my children." Bronx resident Rhona Levy told NBC. more ›

The Long Island mother accused of torturing and killing cats and dogs and forcing her children to take part in the abuse might plead not guilty by reason of insanity. After getting hit with additional felony charges of animal cruelty and child endangerment yesterday, the lawyer representing Selden resident Sharon McDonough said he is "considering an insanity defense" for his client, who so far has pleaded not guilty, according to 1010WINS. Investigators uncovered the remains of 42 animals in her backyard after her son alerted authorities, claiming his mother "would buy the dog, treat it like it was the greatest dog in the world for a few days, then they would sit in the cage until she decided to kill them." more ›

The Long Island woman accused of torturing at least 42 cats and dogs and burying them in her backyard has been indicted on four additional felony counts of animal cruelty — as well as dozens of counts of child endangerment for allegedly forcing her kids to take part in the abuse. Sharon McDonough, 43, is expected to be arraigned on the new charges on Thursday. She has already been indicted on felony charges of aggravated cruelty to animals, and misdemeanor charges of torturing and injuring animals and endangering the welfare of a child. Her attorney told Newsday that "she continues to stand by her not guilty plea." The Post reports that McDonough remains in jail with bail set at $100,000. McDonough's son has said she ran a "concentration camp for the animals." more ›

A Long Island woman is suspected of torturing and killing as many as 20 cats and dogs — some of them belonging to her neighbors — before burying them behind her home. Animal control investigators unearthed the "gruesome pet cemetery" on Saturday behind 43-year-old Sharon McDonough's Suffolk County house after discovering five malnourished dogs kept in cramped cages inside the residence. According to WPIX, "McDonough frequently involved her children in the animal killings by asking them to hold pets down as she tortured them." Neighbors whose pets have gone missing showed up at McDonough's home hoping to identify their animals. "A couple of people have lost pets," neighbor Angelo Zotto, 70, told the Daily News. "They were up here today with pictures of their pets showing them to the SPCA, wondering if theirs had been found in the backyard." more ›