BREAKING: 60+ Dogs Seized from Suspected Fighting Ring
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The ASPCA is on the ground in Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa,
where more than 60 dogs have been rescued after a year-long dog fighting
investigation. Our team moved in Thursday with 10 search warrants, at the
request of federal authorities and the Rock Island Police Department, who
discovered the dogs tethered on heavy chains at multiple properties. Approximately 64 dogs were seized, and items indicative of dog
fighting were recovered from the scenes. | |||||||||||
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| The ASPCA helped remove all 60+ victims from the properties and transported
them to a temporary ASPCA shelter in an undisclosed location. They are now
receiving urgent medical attention and behavioral enrichment, and will remain in
our care until custody is determined by the court. These dogs have likely lived most of their lives at the hands of abusers, knowing little beyond the sorrow of neglect and the terror of ruthless punishment. Their long road to recovery is just beginning, and your support is urgently needed so we can help them—and so many more just like them—begin to heal. Please make a gift to the ASPCA today. | |||||||||||
Breaking News! Rhea has been loaded onto our elephant ambulance, and is on her way to be reunited with her "sisters" Mia and Sita at our rescue center!
Her decades in the circus are officially behind her, thanks to all of you who have loved and supported her from afar. Never again will she be beaten. Never again will she suffer from hunger or thirst. Never again will her injuries go untreated. Never again will she be without the loving companionship of other elephants.
Before loading her onto the ambulance, our rescue team removed her chains, gave her a cooling bath, and filled her tummy with coconuts, watermelons, and bananas (her favorite!).
Now she has a long journey ahead of her, but we hope she can already sense that her life has changed, and that she is with people who will always treat her with love and kindness.
Best of all? Her sisters, Mia and Sita, are waiting for her at our rescue center. We truly can't wait to see their beautiful reunion.
They say elephants never forget. But we've seen first hand how they can move on from painful pasts, and embrace futures filled with love and freedom.
We'll be posting updates from the trip on our Facebook page all weekend long, so be sure to follow us there for all the latest news.
Thank you for caring, and for making Rhea's reunion with Mia and Sita possible.
Saving Lois and Clark - two homeless Pit Bulls living in a truck yard - Please share. Please donate $5 and help us give hope to more homeless dogs: http://www.HopeForPaws.org
We really want to find a home for this couple together so please share this video, and if you would like to adopt them, please contact: http://www.laanimalrescue.org
Special thanks to our friends from Costa Rica Dog Rescue for joining us on this rescue while visiting here in Los Angeles: http://www.crdogrescue.com
Lois and Clark lived under trucks for many months, but were scared of humans and wouldn't let anyone get close to them.
A day before the rescue, I visited the rescue location to see where do the dogs usually hide so I'll know what kind of equipment to bring with me.
The following day I was joined by Lisa Chiarelli, Lisa Arturo, Scott Bradley, Bree Skoczek and Zainab Zakria and we immediately got to work. The dogs were hiding under the trucks, so we sealed the area from all directions (and then we realized we did such a good job but we locked ourselves out :-)
We asked the owner of the property to access the yard from inside his factory, and he was very kind to let us in.
It took a while, but we managed to first isolate Clark and Lisa Chiarelli got the loop around him, and a few minutes later when Lois realized that there is no way out, she stopped running and enabled Lisa Arturo to place the loop around her.
We all sat together under the trucks for a while so they could relax, and then we carried them to our cars so we could continue to the hospital.
Over the next few days, Lois and Clark went through such a beautiful transformation, and now we really really really need your help in finding them a home together.
Please share their video so we could find them a home together.
Thanks :-) Eldad
'Leia' the dog saves baby Dolphin on Criccieth Beach 5th July 2015 http://www.cricciethlife.co.uk
Whilst attempting Bass fishing on a beach near Criccieth (close to the mouth of the River Dwyfor) I was taking photos of the fantastic scenery when I heard my dog barking at me from further down the beach....clearly she had found something!
Managed to gently lift and guide this beached baby dolphin / juvenile harbour porpoise back out to sea.
Stayed at the site for while after to make sure he didn't come back. Spoke to the coastguard once I had signal and they reported it to the science team. Think the little guy was lucky as there was nobody around for miles!
And, if it wasn't for my dog barking at me I would have missed him too!
Unfortunately I didn't have a mobile signal to report the sighting there and then but if you do find yourself in a similar scenario and you can call the emergency numbers here: http://www.bdmlr.org.uk/index.php or the coastguard. You can also report sightings here: http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/...
This video is being managed exclusively by Newsflare. To use this video for broadcast or in a commercial player go to: http://www.newsflare.com/video/49492/... or email: newsdesk@newsflare.com or call: +44 (0) 8432 895 191
All proceeds go to http://www.seashepherd.org.uk and http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk - Please share to raise money and awareness :) Thankyou
GoPro: Fireman Saves Kitten. Shot 100% on the HD HERO3® camera from http://GoPro.com.
Fireman Cory Kalanick rescues an unconscious kitten from a burning house filled with smoke. Music by Dexter Britain "Perfect Moment" - http://dexterbritain.bandcamp.com/
Meet Michael, The man that rescues dogs. 14 years ago, Michael J. Baines left his home to go to Thailand and work in a restaurant. While at work one day, a street dog came by. She’d just had puppies, and was badly infected and very thin. Michael’s heart broke for her, and so he began to feed her every day. “That’s how it all started... I just can’t stand seeing dogs in distress,” Michael tells Newsner.
Meet Mr. Daffodil.
Hope For Paws: Pit Bull rescue like you have never seen before! (Eden).
Please donate $5 and help us save more precious lives:
http://www.HopeForPaws.org
To adopt little Eden, please contact:
http://www.chewslife.org
Eden lived on the streets for a while, and she wouldn't let anyone near her. It was raining and cold, and I knew that the only way I would be able to save her is by using the element of surprise.
I left the camera in my car because it was raining, and I searched the area. As I was walking up the street, I noticed her hiding inside the garage, and kept walking so she wouldn't worry about me.
My assistant, Lisa Arturo and Julie Maigret who fed her for weeks grabbed the soccer net I had in my car, and I instructed them how to block the way out of the garage.
We moved quietly, but Eden spotted us, and bolted out of the garage. Luckily, I was fast enough with my Gentle Snare, and I got her by the waist. Eden screamed, and at the same time, Lisa and I fell on the ground! I had a T-shirt covering my camera (to protect it from the rain), so it covered the lens for 5 seconds, but I managed to save my camera and not let Eden go.
We took our time and allowed her to relax a little... these were stressful moments for all of us, but slowly we were able to gain her trust. We decided to get her into a crate for her own safety, and at the hospital she started to relax.
She is now in a foster home, and waiting to find a family that will adopt her and love her forever.
Please share this video and help us find her that home.
Thanks :-) Eldad
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Neglected Sheep Rescued From Life as a Pet in LA Gets a New Sanctuary Home. Late in the fall of 2014, we received a call about a lamb living in a backyard in an urban residential neighborhood in Los Angeles. The lamb had been given to a young girl as a present. The girl’s city-dwelling parents had never met a lamb before and certainly didn’t know anything about caring for one. After a month of having the lamb in their care, they reached out to us for help, hoping to give her a better life by placing her with us. Along with their plea, they sent photos of their little lamb. Without hesitation, we sprang into action, recognizing the inadequacy of the situation this lamb had found herself in.
When we arrived at the home, we were surprised to find that the lamb was not really a lamb at all, but rather an adult miniature Katahdin sheep. As we had never met such a magical little creature before, we had been fooled by Carlee’s photos but were hardly disappointed at the reality. Baby or adult, we were relieved to have her, since she deserved so much more than her circumstances allowed. As we suspected, the urban residential backyard was an improper home for a farm animal. While they had good intentions, the family with whom she lived did not know how to care for little Carlee, and she lacked the shelter and appropriate food she needed to thrive. Carlee was being penned in a narrow area between the garage and the perimeter wall, and occasionally had access to the backyard. There, she would eat fallen fruit and run in terror every time anyone approached her.
Rescuing Carlee
Effectuating Carlee’s rescue was no easy task. Southern California Shelter Manager Alexandra Caswell could barely fit in the limited space between the garage and the wall, and every time she approached Carlee, the sheep moved backward. The fear in Carlee’s eyes was palpable, and with nowhere to go, we worried Carlee would jump the wall or go over or through Alexandra. Thankfully, when cornered between Alexandra and the wall, Carlee froze and allowed herself to be harnessed and then picked up. This fully-grown sheep was small enough for Alexandra to hold on her own — and a wonder to behold!
When Carlee arrived at our Acton, CA, shelter, she remained timid and afraid of us, running from our caregivers whenever they entered her enclosure. Since sheep are herd animals, Carlee needed to be among her fellow “sheeple” — sheep people — to feel safe and secure. However, we had to place her, as we do with all incoming animals, in quarantine to monitor her for health issues before introducing her to a larger group. While wooly kinship awaited this little being at the end of her quarantine period, sweet Carlee could not stand the wait, and she bellowed and bellowed for the sheeple to come to her rescue. To Carlee’s apparent dismay and exasperation, her pleas remained unanswered. Hearing her future comrades but not being able to interact with them must have seemed like torture to tiny Carlee.
In the interim, once her initial blood work and fecal results came back, Carlee was free to run around the extended courtyard with humanimal supervision. Resolute in her distrust of us, Carlee kept her distance, eyeing us suspiciously with every move. However, her mindset began to change once she met her bovine neighbors, who took turns meeting the little sheep over the fence between their enclosures. What a magnificent spectacle it was to behold! Carlee’s diminutive stature was all the more apparent in juxtaposition with the cattle, whose heads alone dwarfed her tiny body.
Making Friends
Carlee and the cattle boys were mutually enthralled with one another, and for the first time, we saw Carlee start to relax. It was extremely therapeutic for her to be around a herd, and we were thrilled that they could offer her the comfort that she so desperately needed. Carlee and William seemed to be particularly enchanted with one another, and his companionship was instrumental in helping her adjust to her new home.
After this first meeting, Carlee stopped crying toward the sheep enclosure and instead focused her full attention on the cattle yard. She yelled at us to let her out and to see her cattle friends and yelled at them to come and rescue her. Carlee’s remaining days in quarantine were thus spent mingling with the cattle under our bemused supervision.
Much to our surprise and joy, Carlee’s experiences with the cattle helped her to warm up to us. She cautiously approached us and allowed us to be in her vicinity without bolting. She even jumped over and on her rescuer, Alexandra, who happily added “humanimal trampoline” to her already impressive resume of shelter manager and professional photographer.
Out in the World!
Finally, the day arrived when Carlee’s quarantine period was over. We rejoiced and so did she, but we were all a little sad to witness the end of the interspecies friendship she shared with the cattle. To ease her transition into the main flock, we first introduced her to Bear, the newest addition to the flock prior to Carlee. Although Bear had been integrated into the flock more than a year earlier, she remained a loner without any sheeple friends — tolerant acquaintances, yes, but not a single sheeple friend to call her own.
When Bear and Carlee met, they did not become best friends at first sight or even friends; they playfully tussled, as sheep do, to establish dominance. Quickly, though, they abandoned the power struggle for true friendship.
Bear triumphantly introduced Carlee to the rest of the sheep and goats, and they appeared as bewildered by her miniature size as we had been.
For the first few months, Carlee was attached to Bear’s side. Bear is our Acton shelter’s tallest sheep and Carlee is the shortest, so finding Carlee was sometimes challenging in those early days! Often, we’d see her shyly peeking over Bear’s back. Over time, with a trusted sheep friend and a stable family of others around her, Carlee began to trust us more and more. She stopped darting behind or under Bear every time we approached. Occasionally, she even allowed us to pet her. And then one day, for no apparent reason, a switch flipped and Carlee no longer treated us like her mortal enemies. We could lay with her and give her hugs, and she began begging us to pet her — pawing at us furiously if we had the audacity to interrupt a petting session. The transformation was astounding!
We will never know what finally made sweet Carlee see us as friends, not foes, but we are so glad to be now considered her trusted buddies. How else would we be given the special honor of knowing how to make her tail wag? This adorable nymph uncontrollably wags her tail whenever her keel bone is petted.
Love, patience, and Farm Sanctuary life converted yet another terrified soul into a trusting friend. But that is hardly the end of Carlee’s tale.
Please share Carlee’s story. Together, we can encourage awareness and understanding about the rich emotional lives of sheep. We can make a difference for all farm animals. With your support, we can continue to promote compassionate, vegan living through rescue, education, and advocacy efforts. A compassionate world begins with you! All image source: Farm Sanctuary
Sweet Elephant Who Spent 53 Years in the Circus Finally Gets Rescued and Reunited With Her Friends. Elephants are some of the most awe-inspiring animals on the planet. Despite their enormous size, they move with incredible grace and ease, and a single look at their face reveals undeniable wisdom and poise. True to their appearance, elephants are highly emotional and intelligent animals and we’ve come to understand that they have some of the most complex familial and social groups in the animal kingdom. Elephants are very similar to humans in that way, however, unfortunately, many people do not know this. Instead of treating elephants with the due respect and care they deserve, we’ve resorted to locking them up in zoos or forcing them to perform in circuses – two things that are entirely unnatural for them.
Thankfully, as more people are waking up to the reality that life in captivity is no life at all for elephants, things are beginning to change. Ringling Brothers announced they’d be ending their elephant shows, and people across the world are standing up and refusing to attend zoos or other attractions that exploit animals. One organization, Wildlife SOS, has made it their mission to rescue India’s retired circus elephants and give them new, happy lives in their sanctuary. Most recently, they saved an elephant named Rhea who had lived in chains for 53 years.
According to Wildlife SOS, Rhea has experienced untold cruelty and abuse in her life. They believe she was likely poached as a calf and beaten to make her submissive to her keepers.
Amidst the daily horrors this elephant likely had to endure, she has the support of two other elephants, Mia and Sita. When Wildlife SOS learned about these three, they started paperwork to release them all, however, securing Rhea’s freedom was delayed in the process.
Without Mia and Sita, Rhea was left to languish alone for months. But now, Wildlife SOS has won her release and this sweet elephant is on her way to a new life, spent in the company of her best friends!
Life in the circus has left Rhea with a number of ailments, such as arthritis and cracked toenails. These conditions are very common amongst captive elephants who are forced to stand on hard surfaces, getting little movement or exercise. Wildlife SOS rescuers report that she walks with a limp, but once she receives proper treatment at their Elephant Conservation and Care Centre, Mathura, they will know more. She might have a long road to full recovery, but with the help of the sanctuary staff and her loving besties, we’re sure it will be an enjoyable one! To learn more about Wildlife SOS and the amazing work they do, click here. All image source: Wildlife SOS
Dog stuck in a tree: Great Dane rescued from tree by Nebraska firefighters. It's not something firefighters hear everyday: "My Great Dane is stuck in a tree." But when skeptical Plattsmouth Volunteer Fire Department firefighters arrived and found it was 100% true: Kora had evidently chased a squirrel or something, jumped over a five-foot fence and got herself stuck on a tree branch some 20 feet off the ground.
Kora is an 120 pound — or 54 kilo — Great Dane who lives in Nebraska with owner Wes McGuirk. After arriving home over the weekend after a trip to Omaha, he found Kora in the tree and despite his best efforts, could not get the large canine out of the branch she was precariously balanced on.
A Facebook post from the Plattsmouth Volunteer Fire Department says the initial plan was to get a leash on the cold, scared doggie, and then get owner Wes McGuirk to try to guide her down. That plan didn't work so they tried plan B: lower the dog out of the tree with some kind of harness — firefighter-style. Wisely however, the rescuers had a team on the ground holding out an outstretched tarp to catch Kora if she fell. Which she did … harmlessly landing on the tarp and then walking away as if nothing had happened.
Firefighters said they were very pleased all ended well, and that 'the time we got a Great Dane out of a tree' story will be one they tell for many moons to come.
Incredible Firefighters Go Above and Beyond to Save Guinea Pig. Beautiful moments can happen even in the worst situations. Time and time again, firefighters have shown their incredible empathy for animals in distress, making for some pretty amazing rescue stories. One of these moments occurred last week when the Polk County Fire Rescue rushed to a home in Mulberry, Florida after receiving a call about a grease fire. When firefighter, John William, entered the house, he was able to get everyone out safely, including Rodney, the family’s pet guinea pig.
Although Rodney did not get burned, he inhaled a lot of smoke and required a mask. Instead of leaving the scene once everyone was out safely, firefighters made a point to stay and help the little fella.
The crew had never having dealt with such a tiny animal and had to quickly improvise, using a special dog’s mask to help Rodney’s breathing.
“I have the utmost respect for firefighters in the first place, but to see them care so much for something so small because of what he meant to our family was truly moving,” shared Kristi Waller, Rodney’s caretaker.
Despite the traumatic event, Waller shared on her Facebook page, that Rodney was doing well. We’re happy the little guy is okay!
While we fully expect firefighters to come to the help of people in need, the fact that this fire rescue team went above and beyond to make sure this family’s guinea pig was okay is truly commendable. If everyone showed just a fraction of this empathy, we could truly make the world a more loving and compassionate place. All Image Source: Daily Mail UK
