Dillinger the Lucky Lab

Dillinger had been very unlucky, until Pet Rescue by Judy heard about him and pulled him from a high-kill shelter. His owner put him in a crate with no food or water, covered it in a blanket, and put him out to be collected with the trash. Orange County Animal Services was called, and they soon discovered that Dillinger's left rear leg is broken - he was hit by a car a month ago and his owner never took him to a vet. He also has dermatitis from a flea infestation, mange, an infection in his right ear, and a deformation in his front left leg.

Dillinger's lone chance was a rescue willing to invest the money needed for his recovery. Pet Rescue by Judy was the only group that stepped up to help this boy. On 05/12, Dr. Raulerson of Animal Hospital at Vista Lakes performed a surgery called an FHO to repair his rear leg and he is currently in physical therapy. Dilly is a friendly, loving boy who is expected to recover use of his back leg and go on to live a long and happy life.

Jennifer
Orlando, FL

Anti-Cruelty Crew Battles Toxic Flood Waters in Tennessee

When disaster strikes, it is the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response Team’s first priority to get to the scene to save as many animals as possible. At the height of the recent flooding in Tennessee, the team navigated swift water currents to pull struggling animals from floodwaters, out of trees and from dilapidated homes.

On May 8, a family that had been forced to leave more than a dozen pets behind  placed a desperate call to the local authorities. “The family had been able to move the animals to higher ground before they were evacuated,” reports Allison Cardona, the Response Team’s Director of Operations. “But this was almost four days prior, and we had no idea what condition we would find the animals in.”

Aided by a powerful and fully equipped search and rescue boat, the Team set off for the home in question, battling hazardous materials and toxic waters. The water itself was a deadly soup, reports Kyle Held, Midwest Director of ASPCA Field Investigations and Response. “It’s polluted by sewage, kerosene, garbage, bleach and other hazardous chemicals—and the toxins are everywhere.”

The team arrived at the scene to discover a dozen chickens, a peacock and a goat huddled on dry land that was rapidly shrinking. After taking precautions, they successfully secured the animals on the boat, and then saved a small Tabby cat stuck on top of a trailer engulfed in water.

Meet Nipper

My husband and I travel often to the Bahamas and many times to Marsh Harbour in the Abacos. We would see these street dogs, sometimes befriending one but never knew their plight. Apparently these wonderful animals are called Potcakes because their main food source was from the bottom of the pot of peas and rice that the Bahamians would reheat for their families and at the bottom of the pot would be a layer of overcooked food they call Potcake. This would be scraped out and fed to the dogs, thus the name "Potcake". We looked up the website for the Potcake rescue effort and while in Marsh Harbour, could not find even one puppy. We wanted a younger dog so it would get along with our two little ones. About a week after we returned to Florida, I got an email from Molly, a realtor in Marsh Harbour and a leader in the rescue effort. She sent me a photo of Nipper. He had already been abused and neglected so it was a few weeks before he could come to the States and into our home. Molly flew him over for me and my brother and I met her at West Palm Beach airport and he's been a happy, sweet addition to our family. As the photo shows, he blended right in and now has a loving forever home.

Patricia Bounds
Fort Pierce, FL

Suryia and Roscoe - A Truly Heartwarming Story

This one has been around awile, but in case you were not fortunate enough to view it, please go to this link and be prepared to be in awe...Suryia and Roscoe.

Live from Missouri: ASPCA Supports Landmark Puppy Mill Initiative

Home to an estimated 3,000 puppy mills —far more than any other state—Missouri has rightly earned the nickname “Puppy Mill Capital of America.” Puppy mills are large-scale commercial dog breeding operations where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs. The overcrowding and lack of basic hygiene, veterinary care and exercise that are the hallmark of puppy mills create puppies with numerous health and social issues—but it is the breeding dogs, the ones who never get to leave, who suffer the most.

However, help is on the way! Missourians for the Protection of Dogs—a coalition made up of the ASPCA, the Humane Society of the U.S., the Humane Society of Missouri and the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation—is sponsoring a landmark ballot initiative to put the Missouri Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act before the state’s voters in November 2010. If the act reaches the ballot and passes, it will prohibit some of the worst abuses prevalent in Missouri’s commercial dog kennels—but the first step is gathering 130,000 signatures of support from Missouri voters by the end of April.

“The Missouri Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act is a crucial step in combating some of the most horrific cruelty perpetuated by commercial breeders in Missouri,” says Cori Menkin, ASPCA Senior Director of Legislative Initiatives. “It will provide dogs with basic humane care, including sufficient food, water, housing and necessary veterinary care—things that, unfortunately, are sorely lacking in many commercial breeding facilities.”

With only a few weeks left to go before the April 27 deadline, the pressure is on. Several ASPCA staffers have volunteered their time to help count and process the flood of petition signatures, and are currently on the ground in Missouri.

“I am so happy to be part of this historic grassroots effort,” says Tawnya Mosgrove, an Illinois-based member of our Government Relations department. “Our hope is not only to help the dogs in Missouri, but that other states will follow suit with similar initiatives of their own. The work here is hard, but the end result will be worth every blister on my finger!”

For more details about this landmark effort and a view from the frontlines in St. Louis, please read our blog report.
Action Tip: Live in Missouri? SIGN THE PETITION TODAY AND HELP MAKE HISTORY!

*Paid for by Missourians for the Protection of Dogs, Judy Peil, Treasurer

From service dog to SURFice dog - Inspirational video

Be sure to have tissues handy when you watch this totally joyous video.  So many valuable lessons, so many happy moments. 

Ricochet - the SURFice dog

Thanks to Lynda for sharing this with me so I can share it with you.

Lady

Through the last six years of his life, Parley Nichols, 81, never left his Hartville, Ohio, home without his dog Lady. The two were best friends, soul mates and constant companions who took care of each other.  So when Parley, who had developed dementia, went missing on April 8, it was no surprise that Lady, his 6-year-old golden retriever that he bought as a puppy, was also gone.  "Dad had been wandering around, and we kept looking for him for a solid week, sending out flyers, doing whatever we could," Terry Nichols, one of Parley's two sons, tells PEOPLEPets.com. "With his dementia, he would struggle to hear you talk to him, then four hours later he seemed okay. We were very worried."

Finally, a neighbor called saying someone had driven by a field outside of town and heard a dog barking, trying to attract attention. But when Nichols and other family members drove to the area, they found nothing.

"When we went a second time to a different place by a creek, we found Lady and my dad, who was already dead," Nichols tells PEOPLEPets.com. "Lady was standing by his side protecting him. We are sure that she never left my dad for seven days, staying alive by drinking water from the creek."

Lady didn't know what to do when she saw other members of the Nichols family arrive at the scene on April 14. They had to pull her away from her master and place her in the back of their pickup truck.  "I don't know how dogs perceive things but she knew she had to stay with dad no matter what," says Nichols. "And she did."

Lady may not have eaten for a week, but the sturdy dog (who weighed 75 pounds before the incident) was in great condition. The preliminary autopsy conducted by the Stark County coroner found that Parley Nichols, whose story was first reported by WKYC-TV, passed away from heart failure. He could have been dead for the full week.

With the sad loss of her owner now behind her, Lady has been able to move on. She is living with other Nichols family members in the immediate area, enjoying a similar lifestyle that she had with Parley.

"Lady seems fine now ... she is a friendly, happy dog," Nichols tells PEOPLEPets.com. "I don't know if she misses my dad, but she is responding well to the rest of us. She did the right thing for dad, and we will always be comforted by that."


Updated 4:30 p.m. ET, Wed., April 21, 2010

Read more: Today's Pets and Animals