PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION!

For the love of Samantha!

• Target: Edgecombe County Magistrate's Office
• Sponsored by: Meagan Asay Johnson and Tammy Boykin Padgett

On April 25, 2011, an animal control officer confiscated about 10 dogs from a neighboring home. There were 2 fairly large dogs locked in a small camper with no food, water or air conditioning (the temp. that day was around 82 degrees Fahrenheit), 7 puppies around six weeks of age outside directly in the sun in a 'doggie playpen' made for a small dog with no food or water, and a few dogs left to roam also with no food or water.

I approached the officer, who is also an Edgecombe County sheriff, and told him that I wanted one of the dogs, who I had been keeping an eye on for weeks. After telling me that he would have to take her to the pound  and I would have to adopt her, he then tells me the shelter and his truck were full and he would just leave her with me. The next day I looked out my window to a horrible sight, the animal shelter let her take her dogs back. She let one out to roam, the mom to the puppies, and was struck by a vehicle and killed. she left the others in the heat of her car for about 2 hours. When my neighbor found out about the dog in the road, she told her grandparents to deal with it.

For four days I had Samantha. Four days of sitting in the floor pulling hundreds of ticks off of her, showing her  the love and attention that she was obviously craving, making sure she had plenty of food and water available to her at all times. She desperately needed to put on weight! I could feel every nook and cranny of her ribs and spine, and her tail bone was starting to protrude. I was doing everything I could to show her what a real life full of love was like. My neighbor never contacted me about reclaiming Samantha. I was honestly worried she would given the fact she knew Samantha never made it to the shelter and we are neighbors.

On April 29, 2011, I received a phone call, animal control was coming to take Samantha away from us and return her to the woman that neglected her to the point of starvation. The magistrate ruled that since she surrendered the puppies to the shelter, they saw NO REASON to not let her have Samantha back. (Note: I was never informed on any hearing for the ownership of Samantha.) The "owners" grandma, who requires a walker to get around, has said she will take responsibility for Samantha. Maybe now is a good time to add that Samantha is a full grown German Shepherd.. How will she care for her? And even if she could, why didn't she before? Her grand-daughter lives in a camper behind her house!

I fell in love with Samantha, and I know she loved me back! From the moment I brought her home she was my shadow. By my side with every step I took, sometimes 'holding my hand' with her mouth. She sat by me and licked my tears after I got the call. She stood up and 'hugged' me right before they took her away. I'm not sure if she was begging to stay, comforting me, or both. I was crying like a baby. Samantha deserves a better life than what she's being forced back into and that's what I'm trying to give her.

Please join me and my family in this fight for Samantha. We all love her so much and want to make sure is safe! Thank you. Tammy.

PETITION LETTER

We the undersigned want Samantha returned to Tammy Padgett, where she will get the love affection and care she desperately needs. There are too many dogs being mistreated that it is sad to see one get saved and then returned to the owner as if she did nothing wrong. Thank you for taking the time to read our letter and petition.

My son Jeremy & my grandson AJ...

Two very handsome men in my life, my son, Jeremy & my grandson, AJ. AJ calls Jeremy Haha because he can't say Jeremy. It fits Jeremy considering he's always making AJ laugh. AJ is just fooling everybody, one day he was calling for Haha through the house and since he didn't answer AJ yells Jeremy, so the point is he can say Jeremy he just prefers Haha because he really thinks he's funny! Jeremy and AJ can play all day, it really helps Ashley & Alan because it keeps AJ busy and gives them time with Abbygail. AJ & Jeremy can get into trouble such as when AJ got his water guns out for him & Jeremy to play with. Ashley said no water guns in the house and told AJ to put them away, well Jeremy decided to fill them up and give one to AJ and of course their was water guns in the house. I love them all very much!

U.S. believes Osama bin Laden son also killed in raid.

The United States believes that three adults besides Osama bin Laden were killed in Sunday's raid in Pakistan and that one of the dead was an adult son of bin Laden, a senior Obama administration official said. An official also said bin Laden's death puts al Qaeda on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse.

BREAKING NEWS: Osama bin Laden killed by U.S. military!

Al-Qaida head bin Laden dead!


Osama bin Laden, the glowering mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that murdered thousands of Americans, was killed in an operation led by the United States, President Barack Obama said Sunday. "Justice has been done," said the president in a dramatic late-night announcement at the White House. A small team of Americans killed bin Laden in a firefight Sunday at a compound in Pakistan, the president said, and took custody of his remains. A jubilant crowd gathered outside the White House as word spread of bin Laden's death after a global manhunt that lasted nearly a decade.

Former President George W. Bush, who was in office on the day of the attacks, issued a written statement hailing bin Laden's death as a momentous achievement. "The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done," he said.

The operation ordered after receiving undisclosed intelligence information. Senior administration officials said the terrorist mastermind was found inside a custom-built compound with two security gates. They said it appeared to have been constructed to harbor one high-value target and that for undisclosed reasons, officials became clear the hideout was bin Laden's. Officials also said they believe the death puts al-Qaida on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse, but there was no word on the whereabouts of nin Laden's second-in-command.

The stunning end to the world's most widely-watched manhunt came months before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks, orchestrated by bin Laden's al-Qaida organization, that killed more than 3,000 people. The terrorists hijacked planes, flew one into one of Manhattan's Twin Towers, moments later, into the other one. Both buildings collapsed, trapping thousands inside and claiming the lives of firefighters and others who had rushed to help them. A third plane hit the Pentagon.

A fourth crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers overpowered the hijackers and took over the plane making the brave decision to take it down before it could hit its intended target in Washington.

The attacks set off a chain of events that led the United States into wars in Afghanistan, and then Iraq, and America's entire intelligence apparatus was overhauled to counter the threat of more terror attacks at home. A senior administration official says Obama gave the final order for U.S. officials to go after bin Laden on Friday. The official added that a small team found their quarry hiding in a large home in an affluent suburb of Islamabad. The raid occurred in the early morning hours Sunday.

Administration officials offered some details of the operation. Based on statements given by U.S. detainees, intelligence officials have known for years that bin Laden trusted one al-Qaida courier in particular and they believed he might be living with him in hiding. In November, intelligence officials found out where he was living, a huge fortified compound in an affluent suburb of Islamabad. It was surrounded by walls as high as 18 feet high, topped with barbed wire. There were two security gates and no phone or Internet running into the house.

Intelligence officials believed the $1 million home was custom-built to harbor a major terrorist. CIA experts analyzed whether it could be anyone else, but time and again, they decided it was almost certainly bin Laden. Three adult males were also killed in Sunday's raid, including one of bin Laden's sons, whom officials did not name. One of bin Laden's sons, Hamza, is a senior member of al-Qaida.

Although the death of bin Laden is the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al-Qaida. His death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that al-Qaida will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant. Moments after he spoke, American officials cautioned that the events could lead to heightened threats against the United States.