Mark Vaughn hoisted his newly adopted 3-month-old puppy into his arms. In a bustling adoption center lobby in Northwest Washington, surrounded by TV station cameras and other new dog owners, he cooed into the dog’s ear.
Washington, D.C
D.C. dogs, rescued from alleged abuse, find new homes
But before Moe was adopted by his new owner, his life had a frightening start.
Moe was one of 31 dogs that had been seized from a Southeast Washington home on Feb. 14, following an hours-long confrontation between the dogs’ owner and law enforcement officials. D.C. police were attempting to arrest the owner, Stephen Rattigan, 48, on charges of animal cruelty, officials said.
Rattigan barricaded himself inside with the dogs for the next 13 hours and fired on officers trying to take him into custody, according to D.C. police. Three police officers were shot when they forced the door open and were hospitalized.
Rattigan, who identifies himself as Julius James, was arrested and now faces several charges, including assault with intent to kill and cruelty to animals. When reached Saturday, Rattigan’s attorney declined to comment about the allegations at this time.
The Humane Rescue Alliance, which investigated the allegations of animal abuse, removed the dogs — 20 adults and 11 puppies — from Rattigan’s home. Many were found injured and confined to cages. The dogs ranged from two months to several years old and all appeared to be American bullies or “some mix thereof,” Lisa LaFontaine, president and chief executive of the rescue alliance, said in a statement.
According to an arrest affidavit, neighbors complained of foul smells and dogs “living in their own waste” to the rescue alliance. During the investigation, rescue alliance officers found evidence of Rattigan allegedly “striking and punching a dog,” LaFontaine said in the statement.
Chris Schindler, senior vice president of animal welfare, field response and rescue for the alliance, said the injuries on many of the dogs were bite wounds from the “chaotic situation” they had been living in, likely competing for resources. Their wounds were treated and not critical, and the dogs had not been involved in dog fighting, Schindler said.
On Saturday afternoon, the dogs would get a new beginning. At the rescue alliance’s adoption center, 14 of the puppies and dogs were up for adoption. Six had already been adopted by their caregivers and the remaining ones needed “a little bit more time” to address their care needs before they are ready, Schindler said.
Shortly before noon, families trudged in through the double doors, soggy from the rain, and waited in the lobby. Vaughn’s sister had called him earlier that morning so they could make it there early, as the dogs would be adopted on a first-come, first-served basis. She had seen the news of their troubled past and it brought her to tears.
“I was hoping that I’d get an opportunity to get my heart wrapped around one of these dogs,” Vaughn said. They arrived around 11 a.m., an hour before the event was scheduled to start.
When it was time, nearly a dozen people crowded the hallway leading to the dog kennels. They squeezed past each other to get a look at the available dogs and hurried back to the lobby with their choice. Some of the puppies laid on a blanket together inside one of the kennels as people peered at them through the glass. One by one, brown and gray puppies were handed on leashes to their new owners.
Vaughn wasn’t fast enough for Moe, at first, and thought he’d be leaving with another puppy. Then, he was told that his first choice was available after all.
Within 45 minutes, 7 of the 14 available dogs were adopted. One married couple took home a gray-colored puppy named November, which they shortened to “Ember,” to join their German shepherd at home. And, a mother and daughter pair left with a puppy named Asher to surprise the rest of the family.
“Saturdays are busy, but not busy like this,” Schindler said. “It’s a really incredible turnout. Every time we ask our community to show up, they always do.”
By evening, only two of the rescued dogs remained.
Vaughn carried Moe in his arms all the way outside to the car, with their next destination being home in Northeast. His previous dog, an 11-year-old Yorkshire terrier named Tyler, died about five months ago. He still has an unopened bag of treats at home, now waiting for Moe.
“They have a chance for a good life now,” Vaughn said, reflecting on the adopted pups. “All they need is unconditional love, and I’ve got a lot of that.”
LANDOVER, Md. – Bruno Mars is bringing The Romantic Tour to the Washington, D.C. region this spring!
The Grammy-winning star will stop at Northwest Stadium on Saturday, May 2, 2026.
The stadium’s website lets fans sign up for presale access now. Tickets go on sale Thursday, January 15 at 12 p.m.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 02: Bruno Mars performs onstage during the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Bruno Mars – The Romantic Tour 2026 DatesApril – October 2026
Apr 10, 2026 – Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Apr 14, 2026 – State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Apr 18, 2026 – Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX
Apr 22, 2026 – NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Apr 25, 2026 – Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field, Atlanta, GA
Apr 29, 2026 – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
May 02, 2026 – Northwest Stadium, Landover, MD
May 06, 2026 – Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
May 09, 2026 – Ford Field, Detroit, MI
May 13, 2026 – U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
May 16, 2026 – Soldier Field Stadium, Chicago, IL
May 20, 2026 – Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
May 23, 2026 – Rogers Stadium, Toronto, ON
May 24, 2026 – Rogers Stadium, Toronto, ON
Jun 20, 2026 – Stade de France, Paris, FR
Jun 21, 2026 – Stade de France, Paris, FR
Jun 26, 2026 – Olympiastadion, Berlin, DE
Jul 04, 2026 – Johan Cruijff ArenA, Amsterdam, NL
Jul 05, 2026 – Johan Cruijff ArenA, Amsterdam, NL
Jul 10, 2026 – Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, ES
Jul 14, 2026 – Stadio San Siro, Milan, IT
Jul 18, 2026 – Wembley Stadium Connected by EE, London, UK
Jul 19, 2026 – Wembley Stadium Connected by EE, London, UK
Aug 21, 2026 – Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Aug 22, 2026 – Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Aug 29, 2026 – Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
Sep 01, 2026 – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
Sep 05, 2026 – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
Sep 09, 2026 – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Sep 12, 2026 – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Sep 16, 2026 – Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Sep 19, 2026 – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, FL
Sep 23, 2026 – Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Sep 26, 2026 – Falcon Stadium, United States Air Force Academy, CO
Oct 02, 2026 – SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Oct 03, 2026 – SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Oct 10, 2026 – Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Oct 14, 2026 – BC Place, Vancouver, BC
More information on the tour can be found online.
D.C.’s mayor and interim police chief took questions on immigration enforcement after an ICE agent shot and killed an unarmed woman in Minneapolis.
“If we don’t want ICE in our communities, we have to stop funding ICE – and that decision isn’t made here; it’s made at the Congress,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
The mayor was asked about her reaction to the killing.
“To me, it just is reflected, when you have people who are unaccustomed to urban policing trying to police in an urban environment. What it looked to me like – very bad, and I’m not a police officer, I’m not in law enforcement – but what I saw was completely avoidable, and a woman died,” she said.
“ICE is patrolling American cities. If we don’t want that, the Congress has to stop funding ICE, because thousands of agents who are untrained to police in urban environments are on our streets,” Bowser added.
In two recent incidents in D.C., federal agents opened fire on drivers who the agents claimed were trying to hit them with their vehicles. In those cases, no one was injured.
Interim Chief of Police Jeffery Carroll was asked about public concerns that might happen here again.
“A lot of these individuals, they don’t work in urban policing. So, us working with federal authorities in the policing operations, being out there, actually helps us make sure that we can work in those areas to help control what’s going on,” he said.
“Obviously, I can’t assure you of anything. Obviously, I can assure you every situation is different, right, that officers encounter out there,” he added. “But I think having the relationship and having the federal authorities working with the officers does help to mitigate some of the challenges that we have with that.”
Nadeau’s report on DC cooperation with immigration enforcement
Departing D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau released a scathing report Thursday that’s critical of how MPD and the Bowser administration have cooperated with federal immigration enforcement.
“The primary finding is the loss of trust between the public and MPD,” she told News4. “The challenge that we’re finding is that the mayor and the chief’s interpretation of the Sanctuary Values Act has opened up a vulnerability whereby they are essentially cooperating with ICE in a manner that does not match with the intent of the law.”
Bowser declined to comment on the report.
Carroll said he has not decided whether to make any changes to MPD policies on cooperating with immigration enforcement.
Last month, Councilmember Brooke Pinto, who oversees public safety, sent a letter to the then-chief requesting detailed answers to several questions related to MPD’s cooperation with federal law enforcement. Carroll said Thursday that he will provide a response, which is due to the council by Friday.
In this 4 More Context, News4’s Ted Oberg explains how many people in the D.C. area have been arrested by ICE and why.
Sign up for our free deep-dive newsletter, The 4Front, to get standout News4 stories sent right to your inbox. Subscribe here.
WASHINGTON – A dry and mild Thursday is ahead for the Washington, D.C., region, with highs in the mid‑50s before a rainy start to the weekend.
What we know:
The morning begins on the chilly side with some patchy fog. FOX 5’s Taylor Grenda says conditions stay dry as temperatures climb into the afternoon, with clouds building by evening.
Rain showers may develop late Friday afternoon into the evening, with highs in the upper 50s.
What’s next:
Steadier rain moves in Saturday morning. Temperatures rise into the 60s, but on‑and‑off rain is expected through the afternoon and evening.
Sunday turns much drier, though highs fall back into the 50s. By Monday, colder air returns with highs in the 40s.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the FOX 5 Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
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