Athletes, mayor launch anti-animal abuse campaign

BALTIMORE - Baltimore Oriole Adam Jones and fighter John Rallo are joining Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to launch an ad campaign against animal abuse.

They will launch the "Show Your Soft Side" campaign outside City Hall on Thursday morning. The campaign shows athletes, including Jones, Rallo and Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson,
showing their pets some love with the message "Only a punk would hurt a cat or dog." There are also a public service messages for radio.

The campaign was one of the recommendations included in a report from animal cruelty task force created after a series of highly publicized animal cruelty cases, including a pit bull puppy set on fire.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)