Dog suffering from alcohol withdrawal recovering at animal shelter

A dog named Coco is recovering from apparent alcohol withdrawal. (Woodside Animal Welfare Trust)

An animal shelter says a dog is recovering from alcohol withdrawal.

The Woodside Animal Welfare Trust, a shelter in the United Kingdom, said it has been nursing a dog named Coco back to health.

The team said this was the first case for them dealing with canine alcohol withdrawal.

Coco has required intensive care for more than a month since arriving at the shelter with his canine pal following the death of his owner.

According to the shelter, a vet was on site at the time and was able to administer emergency care to both animals but, unfortunately, Coco’s pal died despite the team’s best efforts.

Coco required 24-hour care with all his symptoms pointing towards alcohol withdrawal. He spent weeks sedated to help with his symptoms.

Last week, the team shared an update with Coco saying the little guy is off all medication and starting to behave normally.

The shelter team said it doesn’t know how the dogs got alcohol into their systems but without the care Coco received, he would likely have not survived.

Coco is expected to be available for adoption once fully recovered.

Firefighters find 14 dead cats while battling house fire

Fourteen cats have been found dead after a fire broke out at a New Mexico home. (Las Cruces Fire Department)

Las Cruces, N.M.

More than a dozen cats died in a house fire in New Mexico over the weekend.

According to the Las Cruces Fire Department, firefighters were called to a home for reports of flames coming from the house.

Firefighters said smoke and flames were showing from multiple windows on the second floor of the home when they arrived.

Crews were able to contain the fire to the second floor and had it under control within about 30 minutes.

Firefighters said they rescued a cat that was found inside the home during their inspection, but also discovered 14 deceased felines on the second floor.

No other injuries were reported. The home was in the process of being renovated, officials said.

The home’s second floor was heavily damaged in the fire.

Las Cruces fire reports the cause of the blaze remains under investigation along with a damage estimation.

Man wins $1M jackpot after grandmother buys lottery ticket for 18th birthday

A man scratched off a $1 million winning lottery ticket for his 18th birthday. (California Lottery)

Sacramento, Calif.

A California man celebrated turning 18 while cashing in a million-dollar lottery ticket.

According to the California Lottery, Kaleb Heng won $1 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket that was given to him by his grandmother for his 18th birthday.

Lottery officials said the jackpot was hit from a $10 scratch-off ticket on The Perfect Gift game.

“I’m pretty stoked! I certainly wasn’t expecting it,” Heng said.

Heng’s grandmother bought the winning ticket from a market in the Turlock area and gave it to him while he was heading out on a fishing trip.

“My mom was driving me to go fishing, and on the way, I scratched it,” Heng said. “We had to pull over. It was a million dollars, and I didn’t even have an ID yet!”

Heng said they ended up turning the car around to get his identification and cash in the ticket.

The 18-year-old told lottery officials he plans to use the money for college and investments.

Deputy helps pull 8-foot gator from family pool

A deputy in Florida helped remove an 8-foot alligator from a resident's pool. (Brevard County Sheriff's Office, Florida)

Titusville, Fla.

Authorities say it’s never a dull day working in Florida.

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said one of its deputies found that out firsthand this week.

On Tuesday, Deputy Robert Santiago was called to remove an 8-foot alligator from a family’s swimming pool.

Authorities said a homeowner found the gator trying out their neighbor’s pool that afternoon.

The sheriff’s office shared a photo of the deputy’s reaction while working the call along with a little humor.

Sheriff Wayne Ivey wrote, “I would love to know exactly what Deputy Santiago was thinking. I’m pretty sure it was ‘Oh, hell no. I didn’t sign up for this!’”

The gator was safely removed from the pool. The sheriff congratulated Santiago and a wildlife trapper, Scott Swartley, for their assistance.

Sheriff: Man arrested for starving dog chained to tree without food or water

Authorities in Texas say Cesar Dehoyos has been arrested on felony animal cruelty charges. (Bexar County Sheriff's Office)

Bexar County, Texas

A dog owner in Texas has been arrested after deputies say they found a starving dog chained to a tree outside his home.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar reports that deputies were called to a home over the weekend regarding a dog that was chained to a tree without any food or water.

Salazar said they found the dog tied to a tree with a heavy tow chain at the residence.

According to the sheriff, it appeared the dog’s owner, later identified as 36-year-old Cesar Dehoyos, was making a conservative effort to starve the animal.

“Heartbreaking. The dog appeared to just be skin and bones,” Salazar said. “It was pretty clear the dog wasn’t doing well and probably wouldn’t have survived much longer.”

Deputies were able to contact Dehoyos. Authorities said he was at Sea World with family when they were called to his property.

Salazar said the team located other dogs also at the home which were in better condition but one was tied to a large piece of metal on a short leash.

The sheriff said they considered this animal cruelty and removed all the animals from Dehoyos’ home.

The malnourished dog that prompted deputies to respond to the home was taken to an animal hospital for treatment. Salazar said he didn’t have any immediate update on its condition.

Dehoyos was arrested and is facing felony animal cruelty charges, authorities said.