DVM360.com - Animal welfare was predicted to be one of the hot spots of veterinary medicine in 2010, and state legislators already are proving the prediction to be true. http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Veterinary+news/Next-round-of-animal-welfare-reform-hits-Midwest/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/655682?contextCategoryId=44927

 DVM360.com - Virginia lawmakers are taking note of the animal-welfare movement and have decided to create a new subcommittee to give greater attention to the state's welfare issues. http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Veterinary+news/Virginia-law-would-create-new-animal-welfare-commi/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/658803?contextCategoryId=44927

 WashingtonPost.com - Stormy began her career in Prince George?s in 1999, Eliadis said, as the first dog to work for the police department?s narcotics interdiction unit, a group specifically assigned to snuff out drugs before they crossed the county?s borders. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/matt-zapotosky/prince-georges-drug-dog-dies.html

 @TheHorse - The Maryland Horse Industry Board has commissioned the USDA to conduct a census of the Maryland equine population starting in May. http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=15909

 Lots of leaves growing in easy reach of a cow's tongue means less time and less land needed to raise beef cattle, according to Agricultural Research Service

(ARS) and DairyNZ

(New Zealand) scientists. http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=1261

 CNN's Randi Kaye reports on why OSHA recanted a report warning of killer whale attacks at SeaWorld. VIDEO: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/03/02/kaye.osha.whale.report.cnn?hpt=C2

 CNN -- Atrazine, a weed killer widely used in the Midwestern United States and other agricultural areas of the world, can chemically "castrate" male frogs and turn some into females, according to a new study. http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/science/03/01/pesticide.study.frogs/index.html

 WorldPoultry.net - The National Chicken Council has released a revision of its Animal Welfare Guidelines and Audit Checklist, the industry-standard program for assessment of animal welfare programs and practices in broiler and broiler-breeder operations. http://www.worldpoultry.net/news/ncc-releases-revised-program-on-broiler-breeder-welfare-7162.html

 The leaflet, which is available on the HSE's website, provides details on options for waiving testing for a number of toxicological and ecotoxicological endpoints that require evaluation under REACH, and also includes information on alternative approaches or methods that can be used to help reduce or refine animal use. http://www.nc3rs.org.uk/news.asp?id=1241