No one with a shred of decency likes to see an animal harmed or abused, but everyone likes to see an abused animal rescued and rehabilitated. That's why this video generated a lot of buzz yesterday on Reddit. It tells the story of Judith, a beautiful dog who was horrifically abused and neglected for most her life. It's from the Animal Advocates Society in Vancouver, and it tells the story of Judith, an unfortunate dog who spent the first 10 years of her life chained in a muddy backyard. Be warned, the first minute and a half of this video is very difficult to watch, as it depicts the deplorable conditions under which Judith was kept. But it goes on to show how the Animal Advocates Society rescued her and finally gave her a happy life after so long. This one's a tearjerker, folks.
Posts tagged "AnimalRescue"
No one with a shred of decency likes to see an animal harmed or abused, but everyone likes to see an abused animal rescued and rehabilitated. That's why this video generated a lot of buzz yesterday on Reddit. It tells the story of Judith, a beautiful dog who was horrifically abused and neglected for most her life. It's from the Animal Advocates Society in Vancouver, and it tells the story of Judith, an unfortunate dog who spent the first 10 years of her life chained in a muddy backyard. Be warned, the first minute and a half of this video is very difficult to watch, as it depicts the deplorable conditions under which Judith was kept. But it goes on to show how the Animal Advocates Society rescued her and finally gave her a happy life after so long. This one's a tearjerker, folks.
If a local-news reporter rescues a brood of ducklings stuck in a storm drain, is it news? Well, to us it certainly is, but we're Paw Nation. We're not as convinced that "Good Morning America" had to broadcast it to the whole country on network TV. Maybe it was a slow news day, but we have a sneaking suspicion that Josh Elliot's need to make a series of duck-related puns was a motivating factor in getting the piece aired in the first place. Not that we're looking down on Elliot; baby animals and puns are our bread and butter. Forget grumpy old George Stephanopoulos, Josh. Come hang out with us instead!
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Frankie, the red-tailed catfish. Jonathan Strazinsky
Location: Orwell, Ohio - but much of the work is done online
Jonathan "The Fish Guy" Strazinsky can't say for sure when he founded Monster Fish Rescue. When he was a teenager, Strazinsky worked at a small-town, mom-and-pop pet store. He bought a 185-gallon aquarium himself and set it up as a display in the pet store. Eventually people started bringing in fish they didn't want and over many years, his propensity for taking in other people's unwanted fish went from being a hobby to a calling, complete with LLC status.
A few years ago, Strazinsky built an 800-gallon aquarium in his home and blogged about it. "I jokingly said, 'You got a fish you don't know what to do with, I got room.' The next day, I got 40 e-mails. I said to my wife, 'Hey, it seems there's somewhat of a calling for this.' It pretty much started as a wisecrack and now I rescue fish from all over the world."
How many fish do you take in a year?
Here in my house I take in anywhere between 20 and 60 a year. Most of the rescues and most of the re-homing is done online. I belong to 36 different aquarium and fish forums online. Through those forums, people say, "Hey, do you know anyone in the area looking for this or that fish?" I'll go through a whole other pile of e-mails looking for a match. About 98 percent of my rescues are done in that fashion. One percent actually come here. One percent are done through the Monster Fish Rescue website; I have an "Adopt a Fish" page there.
Farm Sanctuary
Lanore Hahn -- who was traveling with her boyfriend on his rock band tour -- saw the scared piglet and captured her, intending to return her to her rightful owners. However, after asking around and examining her injuries, Hahn learned that the little porker had mostly likely fallen off a transport truck and, if she were turned into the authorities, they'd probably shoot her. While the pig fell into a 10-hour slumber, Hahn decided to take her home to Wisconsin, where she tended to the piglet's injuries and began to nurse the sweet swine back to health.
Late Thursday night, Kim Gordon was delivered to Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, N.Y. According to Farm Sanctuary, the piglet has already lived up to her rock star name, sleeping in late on her first full day at her new home.
To support Kim Gordon or any other of the animals living at Farm Sanctuary, check out how you can get involved.
Recently, when East Edmond, Oklahoma was swamped with rain, rescue teams mobilized to save animals that were caught in the flooding. Animal Welfare Officer Lacie Smith told KFOR Oklahoma City that the fire department, strapped into life jackets, went swimming to save three horses, neck deep in water. Fashioning harnesses out of dog leashes, they managed to rescue two of the animals. Sadly, amidst the chaos, one of the horses, Reg, was swept down the Coffee Creek that had risen 25 ft. due to the storms.
According to Officer Mike Sullivan, the incident was "heartbreaking." He told KFOR Oklahoma City that "all we could do was hope in God and pray the horse could catch its grip and swim to higher ground and get out of the water."
Sullivan's prayers were answered. About a mile down the creek, Reg -- a retired race horse -- was found alive by Rick Scarberry, an animal lover who pulled the animal to shore, saving its life. Not only did Scarberry have the satisfaction of getting the animal to safety after several hours of tugging and pulling, he also ended up with another special gift. Watch the video to discover what that was.
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According to Officer Mike Sullivan, the incident was "heartbreaking." He told KFOR Oklahoma City that "all we could do was hope in God and pray the horse could catch its grip and swim to higher ground and get out of the water."
Sullivan's prayers were answered. About a mile down the creek, Reg -- a retired race horse -- was found alive by Rick Scarberry, an animal lover who pulled the animal to shore, saving its life. Not only did Scarberry have the satisfaction of getting the animal to safety after several hours of tugging and pulling, he also ended up with another special gift. Watch the video to discover what that was.
Courtesy of Sue Overment
The 12-year-old trouble-making terrier has been rescued twice this year by the same inspector from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), in two different parts of of the U.K., BBC News reports.
Earlier this year, RSPCA inspector Julie Fadden helped to save Scruffy from a bad home situation in the town of Merthyr Tydfil. "The dog was living in very poor conditions, so I rescued him," Fadden told the South Wales Evening Post.
Last month, Scruffy was adopted by new owners in Swansea, some 60 miles away.
But just two days after moving in, Scruffy managed to escape his new digs and go for a wander. He apparently squeezed through a cat door, jumped over a wall, and made his way through a dense hedge before wandering down a busy road, BBC News reports.
Fadden was called in to rescue the dog, and was surprised when she recognized him as the pooch she'd saved from the other side of South Wales. Fortunately, Scruffy wasn't injured, and he'd already been microchipped by his new owners.
"We had everyone out searching and scouring the area looking for Scruffy," his new owner, Sue Overment, told BBC News. They were thrilled to be reunited with the pooch later that night.
"He looked really laid back without a care in the world," Overment told BBC News. "He's such a determined little mutt. We should rename him Harry Houdini."
Jo-Anne McArthur for Farm Sanctuary
Give Him A Rescued Goat (or Pig Or Duck)
When you adopt a farm animal at Farm Sanctuary in your dad's name, you are making a year-long donation so that the Farm Sanctuary can provide for the animal's daily needs. You can pick from many animals, including cows and pigs and sheep, but you should consider sponsoring Jerry Lee, the goat. Neglected and abandoned as a youngster, he had a rough start, but you'd never know it to meet him these days. He's now safe from harm and happily living with other animals.
Currently, Farm Sanctuary operates two shelters -- a 175-acre farm in upstate New York and a 300-acre farm in northern California -- where they rescue, rehabilitate and provide lifelong care for hundreds of animals who have been rescued from stockyards, factory farms and slaughterhouses. Whatever animal you sponsor, your dad will receive an adoption certificate with a color photograph and, depending on the animal you choose to adopt for him, there might be other benefits including a Farm Sanctuary mug or a V.I.P. tour to meet your animal.
Shop to Show You Care
Maybe you'd rather give your father something he can unwrap. Make your purchase count by shopping at an online retailer that gives back, like the Animal Rescue Site Shop. You already go there to click to give daily (right?), so this should be easy. There are many items to choose from including hammocks, cufflinks or our favorite, the "Real Men Like Cats" coffee mug.
Look for a Local Paws Cause
Helping out a large organization is fantastic, but think about making a donation to a smaller, local group as well. One idea: Puppy Hill Farm Animal Rescue in Florida, an organization that is close to this Paw Nation staffer's heart. The shelter, currently home to over 65 dogs and 40 cats and kittens all looking for homes, was robbed recently, losing $6,000 worth of equipment which was not covered by insurance. The rescue is in a tough position and donations can help keep services continuing to these needy animals. For Puppy Hill and other local shelters, every dollar counts, and they look to pet-loving people (like you and Dad!) for help.
Luna, Isis and Stellina. Calliope Rescue
Calliope Rescue is a volunteer-based no-kill rescue organization based in Brookline, Mass. Named after one of the first cats they placed, the non-profit organization helps match rescue cats with perfect homes.
Luna, Isis and Stellina: Orphaned Kittens Get Lucky
A young, feral cat chose the right porch under which to birth her litter of three kittens. "The house happened to belong to a Calliope Rescue volunteer who cared for the mother and babies," says Calliope's Claudia Bruno. At just four weeks, the three kittens were placed in the shelter's care.
Named Luna, Isis and Stellina, the kittens were hand-fed from a bottle, and adjusted quickly to their new surroundings and family. "I spent eight hours with them until it was clear that I was going to be mom from now on," Bruno says. The mother had disappeared before the staff could manage to rescue her.
Fortunately, all three kittens were adopted as indoor-only cats in loving homes. Shortly after adopting her, Luna's new owner told the shelter, "I can't thank Calliope Rescue enough for saving Luna. My little princess is settling in so quickly! After only four days, she has decided she owns the house."
Psycho. Rude Ranch
Rude Ranch is a Harwood, Md. no-kill animal sanctuary for cats and dogs started in 1997. Its extensive grounds and shelter house special areas designed for specific animals' needs, such as its facility for abused and feral cats. The ranch recently released their own book, called the The Best Little Cat House in Maryland.
Psycho: Misunderstood Cat with Diabetes
"If you met him now, you would wonder why we gave Psycho his name," says Katherine of Rude Ranch. When he was first dropped off in a box at the ranch, the cat seemed to be shy and scared, but when they brought him inside, it was a different story. Katherine remembers, "Instead of a very frightened, timid guy, he started lunging at us through the cage, growling, hissing and spitting." Over the next few days, the aggressive behavior grew worse, and it took two staff members to feed him -- which is how he got his name. But a test revealed that Psycho had good reason to act up. The poor cat had diabetes that had raised his glucose level to three times the normal amount, causing him to behave so ferociously.
In order to give him insulin shots they had to distract him with a toy but within a few days, he seemed miraculously changed and even started letting people pet him. "We are happy to report that Psycho's diabetes is now under control." One of his caretakers at the ranch, Andrea, adopted him and reports: "He now lives with several other cats and a 60-pound dog that he stalks and pounces on regularly."
Boxer Buddies Rescue Inc.
Boxer Buddies Rescue Inc. is a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization devoted to finding foster and permanent homes for homeless boxers and mixes all over New England. Co-director Sue Stephens loves all types of dogs but says, "Boxers are the perpetual puppy and they live to entertain you. They are loving people dogs." She cautions prospective owners that the loyal breed is prone to separation anxiety, is very athletic, and needs steady companionship and training.
Bruce: A Menace Becomes the Perfect Pup
Stephens was the last resort for Bruce after he'd been returned from his seventh home because of being aggressive with other dogs. The all-white boxer wasn't doing well while kenneled and lost weight from stress and developed sores. That's when Stephens decided to bite the bullet and bring him home even though she knew it wouldn't be easy -- and it wasn't. Stephens had another dog, a big, dominant boxer/rottweiler female named Rudy and for six months, Bruce kept going after Rudy, trying to fight with her. But Rudy would never fight back.
Bruce was also having a tough time emotionally. He was so anxious that he chewed through walls and broke windows. "But each day got better," Stephens says. "It was a matter of structure, calm and patience." One day, finally, Rudy had enough of Bruce's aggression and pinned him to the ground. After that, Bruce made a surprising turnaround. The two dogs became best friends, and Bruce started taking his cues from Rudy. Ultimately Bruce became the model dog: no more aggression or separation anxiety and even bonded with a little Yorkshire terrier that Sue later adopted.
Miniature donkey Juniper and her mom Cypress.
Longmeadow Rescue Ranch
At the Longmeadow Rescue Ranch near St. Louis, Missouri, you can support their rescue and rehabilitation efforts by giving your mom a potbellied pig, a thoroughbred quarter horse cross, or even Juniper, the miniature donkey pictured with her mother here. The gift comes in the form of a Barn Buddy sponsorship which helps cover the cost of feeding and caring for the 350 neglected horses and farm animals who live at -- or move through -- the ranch after having either been rescued from abusive homes or turned away by owners.
The 165-acre ranch, a division of the Humane Society of Missouri, offers other Barn Buddies for sponsorship including a hen, duck, goose, sheep, miniature steer, llama, pygmy goat, and several miniature and regular horses -- all with amazing rescue stories. The gifts can range from $25-$2,400 depending on the animal and the length of the sponsorship and include a certificate, a biography card and a frame and color photo of your Barn Buddy.
Juniper, the miniature donkey, is a true Mother's Day gift -- she's celebrating her first birthday today. Juniper's mom Cypress came to the ranch in August 2008 as part of one of the Humane Society of Missouri's largest rescues. She was underweight with malformed hooves and a huge growth that blocked her vision. Today she's healthy and enjoys being a mom to her bold and playful filly Juniper, who was born into a much happier life because of animal lovers like you.
For more information about sponsoring a Barn Buddy or to watch one of the Ranch Cams showing the lives of these animals, go to longmeadowrescueranch.org.
A rescue worker hydrates a bird affected by the oil slick. Patrick Semansky, AP
Ingesting oil can be deadly, and just a dime-sized glob of oil can kill a bird, according to the International Bird Rescue Research Center, explaining how a bird covered in oil can die while trying to preen its feathers. More than 600 species are at risk from the deadly oil spill, including the blue fin tuna, dolphins, whales, oysters, shrimp, birds and reptiles. As the oil slick continues to spread, it also threatens the coastlines of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida as well as Louisiana.
Rescue groups are in full swing trying to save as many animals as they can. In the image above, members of Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research and the International Bird Research Center hydrate a Northern Gannet bird, which was caught in the spill and covered in oil. "There's no way to know how many birds have been oiled because the slick is so big and offshore," Larry Schweiger, CEO and president of the National Wildlife Federation, told the Associated Press.
While most of us feel helpless in the face of this catastrophe, there are things we can do to help. The following is a brief listing of information you can access and organizations to which you can contribute:
For General Information
A website, Deepwater Horizon Response, has been established by four government agencies and two private companies, BP and Transocean, involved in the oil rig disaster. It provides updated information about cleanup efforts and other resources.
A Creative Way To Help
Matter of Trust, a non-profit organization that helps clean up oil spills, is collecting hair and fur clippings from pets and people to make "Oil Spill Booms" -- nylon stockings stuffed with hair and fur -- to soak up oil. "Hair is very efficient at collecting oil out of the air, off surfaces like your skin and out of the water, even petroleum oil," its Web site states.
To Volunteer or Donate
Consider helping one of these organizations which are working to save affected wildlife:
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, overseeing the wildlife rehabilitation response along the Gulf Coast, is accepting donations to continue their work.
Petfinder.com
Petfinder.com works with shelters and rescue organizations across the nation to place millions of animals in loving homes. Having assisted with so many adoptions over the years, they have countless success stories sent in by adoptive owners that can be read in Happy Tails. This is Part II of their most amazing accounts.
Sophie: A Dog-to-Dog Rescue
Cordelia Roth's 8-year-old beagle Spenser was distraught. After the death of one of the family's other dogs Spenser became so anxious he clawed his way through a second-story window and was on the verge of jumping out of it before he was caught. Roth and her husband knew that they had to act fast. "I know it's anthropomorphizing to say a dog is 'suicidal,'" Roth says, but there was real concern about Spenser's emotional health. The family found their solution--and their salvation--when they adopted Sophie, a hound/Lab mix from the Georgia Animal Rescue and Defence Inc. to keep Spenser company. At first, Sophie was in such bad shape that people glared at Cordelia when she took her on walks but that didn't keep the two dogs from bonding and both from healing. Roth credits the beagle's complete turnaround to Sophie. "Spenser was saved by her. I firmly believe that."
Cordelia Roth's 8-year-old beagle Spenser was distraught. After the death of one of the family's other dogs Spenser became so anxious he clawed his way through a second-story window and was on the verge of jumping out of it before he was caught. Roth and her husband knew that they had to act fast. "I know it's anthropomorphizing to say a dog is 'suicidal,'" Roth says, but there was real concern about Spenser's emotional health. The family found their solution--and their salvation--when they adopted Sophie, a hound/Lab mix from the Georgia Animal Rescue and Defence Inc. to keep Spenser company. At first, Sophie was in such bad shape that people glared at Cordelia when she took her on walks but that didn't keep the two dogs from bonding and both from healing. Roth credits the beagle's complete turnaround to Sophie. "Spenser was saved by her. I firmly believe that."
Abena traveled from Korea to start a new life. Petfinder.com
Petfinder.com works with shelters and rescue organizations across the nation to place millions of animals in loving homes. Having assisted with so many adoptions over the years, they have countless success stories sent in by adoptive owners that can be read in Happy Tails. These are some of their most amazing accounts.
Abena: A Terrible Trick Nearly Ended Her Life
Abena: A Terrible Trick Nearly Ended Her Life
Although now living in Washington State, this pup came all the way from Asia to find a new home. Her owner, Kat Wemba, says, "Abena had been living in a park in Taiwan when she was tricked into eating a firecracker." She could have died but a passserby rescued her and she was saved by extensive reconstructive surgery on her muzzle and eye socket. Abena was then transported to Washington through the Big Dog Project in Silverdale, Wa. to find a forever home. Now 3 years old, Kat says that although Abena is "still shy with strangers, she follows me everywhere and lets my son spoil her with treats." Abena means "beautiful" in Gaelic and she has proven to have a soul that is exactly that.
Lilly and Ms. Nibs, Furry Friends
Furry Friends - Vancouver, Wash.
Furry Friends is a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter that helps provide medical care, foster care, and permanent homes for homeless and abused cats in the Pacific Northwest. They also are dedicated to providing animal therapy for the elderly in nursing homes and assisted-living centers. Furry Friends works with Petco and PetSmart adoption centers throughout the area. Their suggested adoption donation is $80.
Lilly and Ms. Nibs - Two Sisters Reunited
These two tabbies had grown up together, but were abandoned when their owners passed away. Last April, neighbors brought the pair to Furry Friends, and Lilly was quickly adopted by a loving family. Six months later, Ms. Nibs -- shy and a little overweight -- was still having trouble finding a home... until Lilly's new family noticed that Ms. Nibs was still at Furry Friends, and decided to adopt her. But would the two former playmates remember each other? The family says that when she was brought home, "Ms. Nibs came out of the carrier and they touched noses. Right away they were running through the house and talking to each other." The two remain inseparable. Once shy, Ms. Nibs -- "is more vocal, and calls from one side of the house and Lilly runs to see what she is doing." Furry Friends' volunteer Linda Rader calls it a "circle of love complete."
The German Shepherd Rescue of New England - Wayland, Mass.
GSRNE is volunteer organization dedicated to finding homes for German shepherds in shelters and pounds throughout six different states. Prospective owners must meet certain qualifications, visit the dog at least twice before adoption, and receive a home visitation from a GSRNE volunteer. The adoption donation is $250, or $150 for senior and special-needs dogs.
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