The policy led to a heated and expensive legal battle in Brooklyn Supreme Court, prompting officials and animal-rights activists to question whether it is applicable to pet owners just passing through New York.

"It makes you want to hit your head against the wall and say, 'Stop wasting taxpayers' money,'" Georgoutsos said yesterday. "The law was meant to protect the health of citizens in New York City. But by neutering my dog you're not protecting their health; you're violating my property rights."

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Arthur M. Schack ruled in Georgoutsos' favor June 15 and ordered the unmolested return of his pet of five years. But the city appealed the decision the same day, extending Spartacus' incarceration.

Since the appeal may not be heard for months, Georgoutsos agreed to post $10,000 bail and was reunited with his dog yesterday.

If the city wins, however, Georgoutsos may be ordered to drive his dog from his Warren County farm, located in Asbury, back to New York to be neutered.

Beginning in July, Air Canada will no longer allow passengers to take pets along, even if the animals are placed in the baggage compartment.

The airline announced this week in a letter to the Canadian Transportation Agency that it will cease allowing pets on its aircraft as of July 15, Canada's CBC News reported.

With baggage allowances shrinking, Air Canada said it had to make a choice between using cargo space to carry pets for a few passengers or making room for more luggage.

Airline spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick denied to the CBC that the pet ban is related to an incident in January 2004 when a dog belonging to a British Columbia family died of carbon monoxide poisoning while traveling in the cargo hold of an Air Canada jetliner.

Countless dogs die every year after their owners leave them in parked cars for long or short periods of time, thinking their dog is safe but not realising the dangers animals face in this situation. Leaving your dog in a parked car even for a short period of time can prove fatal.

The temperature inside the car might not seem excessive when you first stop but the temperature inside a stationary car can rapidly increase to double the outside temperature. This can happen very quickly, within six to ten minutes.

The inside of a parked car will soon become far hotter than the outside temperature simply because a car traps the heat from the sun just like a greenhouse. This is why warm temperatures outside can quickly become deadly temperatures inside a stationary car. Even on comparatively cool days a car's internal temperature can rocket and keeping the windows open a crack hardly slows the rise at all.

Add to this the fact that your dog has on a fur coat that is designed to trap heat, and you can really begin to see why leaving dogs in parked cars can be so fatal. Also, they cannot sweat to cool down and have to rely on panting to regulate their body temperature.

The advice can only be this - never leave your dog in a parked car on a warm day, even for a few minutes. Leaving the window open a few inches, parking in the shade, or even leaving the dog a bowl of water is NOT adequate. A dog left in a car on a hot or even warm day can suffer heat stress and ultimately fatal heat stroke within just 10 minutes.

1. Where to look for pet friendly housing
   
   
2. Information on contacting a potential landlord about their Pet Policy
   
   
3. How landlords screen responsible pet owners
   
   
4. Signing a lease & Pet Addendum
   
   
5. What to expect when vacationing with a pet
   
   
6. And much, much more!