PETERSBURG Dana Ballenger brought home two baby doll sheep and gave them good Southern names, Jezabell and Thelma Lou. She checked first with city authorities to be sure zoning would allow for sheep on her 2-acre lot in historic Petersburg. “I am going green with my sheep,“ she said. “Forget the lawnmower belching out toxins and making lots of dust and stirring up allergens. My little sheep munch the grass, fertilize it and look beautiful while doing it.“

Two small dogs stolen from an Amelia County couple whose home was ransacked by burglars Wednesday were found yesterday about a block away. John Puryear said he was informed by the sheriff’s department after a neighbor saw dogs that met the description of Nikki, a 3-year-old Yorkshire terrier, and Indy, a 7-year-old Maltese. “They’re cold and freezing, but we have them now,“ Puryear said.

A judge yesterday described conditions in a home overrun with dozens of cats as the most grotesque he has seen in 25 years of judicial service. Staring silently at a sheaf of pictures of the dwelling’s interior, Chesterfield General District Judge Robert D. Laney blanched and told the home’s occasional occupant that the pictures were worse than those he has viewed of German prison camps, homicide victims and lifeless teenage drivers.

The 16-year-old dog of Robin Starr, CEO of the Richmond SPCA, died last week after being left in her hot car. Richmond’s Animal Care and Control Division is investigating the heat-related death of a dog belonging to the head of the Richmond SPCA. Jody Jones, program manager for animal control, said in a statement yesterday that while the case remains under investigation, “at this time, charges are not forthcoming for Robin Starr.“

Location: Richmond SPCA Robins-Starr Humane Center, 2519 Hermitage Road
  Fee: $20 per animal; low-cost tests, vaccinations and medicines are additional.
  When: The next clinic with openings is Nov. 19.
  Preregistration required: Call (804) 521-1320 or e-mail .
  Eligibility: Pet owners must be on some form of government assistance or have a household income of less than $30,000. The clinics are open to residents of Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover and Henrico.

A day after Richmond SPCA Chief Executive Robin Starr revealed the death of her 16-year-old dog who had been left alone in her car for hours, the organization’s work protecting animals continued as usual. More than a dozen pet owners went to the SPCA yesterday for low-cost wellness exams, shots and medication for their pets. One was Daphne Thomas and her poodle Tobé. The 18-month-old dog hadn’t seen a veterinarian in a while. The cost is too high, the Henrico County resident said.

The experience of losing her favorite dog after accidentally leaving it in a hot car for four hours will strengthen the credibility of the Richmond SPCA’s leader, say those who work closely with her. A 16-year-old dog belonging to Robin Starr, the SPCA’s chief executive officer and one of the area’s most outspoken advocates for animals, died last Wednesday.

Authorities have barred a Stuarts Draft dog breeder from owning companion animals for two years. The move comes a few days after Kyle and Kim Brydge, owners of Oak Leaf Kennel, relinquished to authorities more than 90 dogs. The kennel failed to provided adequate care, food, water and shelter for 99 dogs, according to an Augusta County General District Court order signed by Judge Michael Quigley Jr., which bars the Brydges from owning such animals for two years.

When: 5 to 8 p.m. Monday
  Where: Richmond SPCA, 2519 Hermitage Road
  Registration: available through tomorrow at http://www.richmondspca.org

The Richmond SPCA is doing what it can to make it easier to reunite lost pets with their owners. On Monday, the nonprofit organization will hold a three-hour clinic during which dogs and cats will have a tracking microchip injected under their skin for $20. Typically, animals adopted from the SPCA are implanted with chips, but the group wanted to broaden the program to include other pets.

Hanover County’s chief of animal control says that his staff is deeply saddened by a county resident’s loss of her 13-year-old pet Labrador, euthanized by the department two weeks after it had been reported missing by the owner. “Some of my staff is undergoing counseling. It has been very tough on all of us,“ said Sgt. Kevin Kilgore, a 17-year veteran of animal control.

LOS ANGELES The Disney movie “G-Force” shows a squad of specially trained, computer-generated guinea pig spies coming to the world’s rescue. After the movie comes out, though, animal activists say it will be real-life guinea pigs who need rescuing. Some guinea pig rescue groups already have posted pleas to those who might rush out to buy the furry little rodents. “I can tell you, every single rescue in the United States and abroad took a look at that movie trailer and said, ‘Oh God, here we go,‘“ said Whitney Potsus, vice president of The Critter Connection Inc., in Durham, Conn.

Q. What plants are toxic to pets? A. Plants that could affect the heart include nerium oleander, rhododendron species, lily of the valley, oleander, azalea, rosebay and foxglove. Plants that could cause kidney failure include lilies (lilium and hemerocallis species, in cats only); rhubarb (rheum species—leaves only); and shamrock (oxalis species).

Black Dog is gone but not forgotten. The Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has received $4,185 in contributions to the Black Dog Memorial Fund from people as far away as West Palm Beach, Fla. The fund was created a week ago in memory of the legendary stray dog that captured the hearts of hundreds of people in the Richmond area and beyond.

To reserve a T-shirt, call the SPCA at (804) 521-1334. The Friends of Black Dog T-shirt will be available this month. Sarah Murray, a caretaker of the dog, said she expects to take orders for a second printing in early August. Details will be available on the Friends of Black Dog Facebook page or by calling Beverly Morano at (804) 355-0324.