Top pet stories of 2008

One of Michael Vick's pit bulls/Humane Society

A year ago, no one  imagined that a national economic crisis would impact pets as well as people.
The past year was filled with many pet stories that caused us to throw our hands up in anger or frustration.
Other stories about our furry friends made us smile or shake our heads in disbelief.
All animal lovers have lists of  pet stories that they talked about for hours or sent to people across the country and around the globe via email.
The following is just a small sample of  the biggest pet news in 2008.
In its own way, each one speaks to the lessons that pets teach us -- without ever saying a word.

5. Microchips reunite dogs with owners
After five years on the lam, Rocco the beagle was found in Georgia,  850 miles from his New York City home.
Thanks to a microchip embedded under Rocco's skin, Liberty County Animal Control in Hinseville was able to trace the dog back to Queens. Days later, Rocco was reunited  with Jorge and Cristina Villacis and their  daughter, Natalie.
And microchips were credited with other reunions in 2008.
In Arlington, Texas, a 6-pound Maltese was picked up by an animal control officer who found her wandering along a busy highway about 30 miles from her home.
The dog, Miss Pattiya, had been missing for three years. Her owner, Melanie Dharmagunaratne, Texas, said she was stunned when she received the call that her dog had been found.
Some animal advocates said that a national, uniform microchip system, coupled with greater public awareness of how it works, might bring lost pets back home a lot sooner.
How did these dogs ever do it?  No one knows for sure.
And they aren't talking.

4. The lion that roared -- on YouTube
A pet lion's reunion with with his owners happened decades ago.
But when a video of that reunion was posted on YouTube for the first time last summer, it drew more than 6 millions views.
"Christian" was just a cub when he was taken in by Anthony Bourke and John Rendall, two Australians who  lived in London in 1969. The lion, adopted as an exotic pet, lived in the basement of a furniture store where the two worked.
As Christian grew, Bourke and Rendall realized that keeping a lion in a furniture store is as bad as having a bull in a china shop.
Christian was taken to Kenya, where he stayed under the care of George Adamson in a natural habitat.
The video, which left many animal lovers misty-eyed, shows Christian's reunion with Bourke and Rendall in Kenya in the early 1970s. 
Sometimes (really) old news is still news.
But let's not forget the tiger attack on Roy of Siegfried and Roy in 2003. That showed us that such "pets" are dangerous, even under the care of  the most experienced animal  handlers.

3. Puppy mills
It has long been an emotional issue for pet lovers.
Puppy mills again took center stage in 2008 after an hour-long special on Oprah Winfrey and The Humane Society of the United State's crackdown on a national pet store chain, Petland.
The Humane Society accused Petland of buying dogs from puppy mills, although the retailer denied those allegations.
On Oprah, videos of puppy mills showed dogs living in filthy, cramped conditions. Some were kept in small cages  equipped with hamster-style exercise wheels. 
Dozens of complaints can be found on the Internet about puppy mill  pets that either died or developed severe -- and costly -- health problems.
Rescue groups say many of the dogs find their way into pet stores. Others are sold over the Internet.
Still, some oppose blanket regulations for breeding, saying it punishes breeders that are reputable and can lead to frivolous complaints.
This video shows the introduction for Oprah's special. The video contains disturbing images.

2. Michael Vick's pit bulls get a new "leash" on life
Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick's operation of a dog fighting ring drew outrage after it  thrust the violent practice into the national media spotlight.
Some believed the dogs that survived should have been euthanized. But 47 pit bulls seized from Vick's property were taken to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary of Kanab, Utah, and other rehabilitative shelters across the country.
The lengthy rehabilitation and re-socialization of some of  the pit bulls was documented in the television series Dogtown, on the National Geographic Channel.
One of the "prize fighters," Lucas, became one of the most affectionate and lovable dogs, despite a deeply scarred muzzle from his violent past.  But a court ruled he could never leave the sanctuary because of his  background.
Vick, a former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, is serving a 23-month sentence at maximum-security prison in Leavenworth, Kansas.  The NFL suspended him indefinitely without pay.
Vick must also pay nearly $1 million to support the facilities caring for his former pit bulls.

1. A poor economy impacts pets
Rescue workers and animal shelters across the nation knew the economy was in sad shape long before it was officially declared a recession.
By early fall, they noticed a large spike in the number pets being surrendered.
In recent weeks, we learned that our country is facing its greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression.
In that time, history was made, and pets were written into the story.
Across the country, numerous reports  surfaced about abandoned pets running freely in the streets. Shelters couldn't take in all the pets being brought to their doorsteps.  In Arizona, a group of realtors started a foster program due to large numbers of  pets being left behind after families were evicted from foreclosed homes.
Animal advocates have urged people facing financial hardship to make arrangements with friends or family to foster the pets until they are back on their feet.  Others have suggested keeping pets through difficult times because they provide emotional comfort.

This report includes material from animalplanet.com and the Associated Press.