PEOPLE Pets | Sit. Stay. Play!

A week has passed since Oreo the dog was put down, but her death is still reverberating with animal agencies and the public, many of whom have criticized the ASPCA's decision to euthanize her because she was too aggressive. The outrage reached the offices of New York state Assemblyman Micah Z. Kellner, who has introduced legislation, nicknamed "Oreo's Law," that would give rescue groups the right to request the transfer of an animal to their care if another shelter was opting to euthanize the animal.

"I think what this law will do for animals that could possibly be euthanized for temperament reasons is create a second opinion," Kellner tells PEOPLEPets.com. "It also encourages different groups to work together on these issues, and clearly we do need a law for that to happen."

Kellner, an animal lover and dog owner who fosters cats, says that he has been in contact with many animal agencies and wants to see them work more collaboratively. He is optimistic about Oreo's Law based on the success of similar legislation in California and other states.

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Two weeks ago we introduced you to Marvin, a one-eyed tuxedo cat living in Dearborn, Mich. He'd been at the Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter since June, after he was rescued out of a hoarding situation. Well, good news: Just two days after we profiled him, the little guy was adopted!

Dearborn-area resident Robert Muczynski had recently put one of his two cats down, and was ready for a new feline friend. "I only had him for three years," he tells PEOPLEPets.com. "I got him after I had to put another cat down. Last month, he developed some complications, and the vet diagnosed him with liver failure. Sadly, the writing was on the wall."

Once he felt "psychologically ready" to welcome a new cat into his home, Muczynski, a big supporter of Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter, went on the organization's Web site to look for the perfect cat — by his standards. "I joke that I generally go for the 'biggest loser,' the cat who's been there the longest," he says.

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Sidney the baby otter might have been out of the water, but he seems right at home. Sidney was filmed by his marine park caretaker as he played with stuffed animals, balls and car keys — just like a human baby!

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These stories are worth a click:

An animal behavior expert has found that Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's German shepherd, a military-trained guard dog, was a known menace and that the couple is to blame for the dog's 2006 attack on a flight attendant. —New York Daily News

Two lions at a zoo in the Czech Republic broke into a rare white tiger's enclosure and killed her. —BBC News

New York State Assemblyman Micah Z. Kellner has introduced a bill, Oreo's Law, that if a rescue group deciding to euthanize an animal receives an offer by another group to take the animal into its care, it must release it. —AP via WCAX.com

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Ever since stepping into Spock's shoes in this spring's Star Trek, Zachary Quinto has been "hounded" by photographers trying to get winning shots. Joining him in all of those paparazzi photos? His Irish Wolfhound-terrier mix, Noah.

"I think everybody has seen pictures of themselves and goes, 'What was I thinking?'," Quinto tells PEOPLE. "But honestly, most of the candid pictures I've seen of myself have just been me walking my dog. That's basically how I spend a lot of my time."

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A Christie's auction of late designer Yves Saint Laurent's last belongings sold nearly $3.3 million on its first day — there were reading lamps and side tables and chandeliers to choose from. Watching over it all? Moujik, the designer and his partner Pierre Berge's bulldog! Staying by Berge's side (not pictured), Moujik laid on the plush red carpet doing what most dogs love to do: sleep!

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As pet lovers, we know having an animal around makes life better, but now there's even more data to prove our point. Researchers at Chicago's Loyola University announced this week that adults who use pet therapy while recovering from total joint-replacement surgery require 50 percent less pain medication than those who do not.

"Evidence suggests that animal-assisted therapy can have a positive effect on a patient's psychosocial, emotional and physical well-being," said Julia Havey, R.N., of Loyola University Health System. "These data further support these benefits and build the case for expanding the use of pet therapy in recovery."

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