Category: Awww

Bret Michaels Adopts Blood-Donor Dog Named After Him

Bret Michaels is a hero. So is Bret Michaels.

Allow me to explain.

Bret Michaels is the name of a 6-year-old homeless Husky whose donated blood saved the life of a kitten dying from flea anemia. The staff at the Nebraska Humane Society (NHS) named the Husky after the lead singer of the rock band Poison.

Last week, three stray kittens who were only a month old were brought to the NHS in really bad shape. They were “dirty, cold and covered in fleas,” and one of them was “wobbly, weak and lethargic,” according to a post on the NHS Facebook page. Those signs indicate flea anemia, which could be fatal for a young kitten. “He needed blood—and he needed it now.”

Fortunately, dog blood can be transfused to cats. Bret Michaels had just had bloodwork completed the day before, so he was the perfect donor. After just one round of the transfusion, the kitten was doing better.

“A round of ap-paws for Bret Michaels for being such a calm and brave boy, and to our vet team for their quick thinking,” the NHS wrote. “Little man is now on the road to recovery, and Bret Michaels is waiting patiently for his forever family!”

It was a very short wait. When Bret Michaels the human heard about his hero dog namesake, he decided to give the Husky a forever home. 

Michaels “loved the story and wanted to chat with us,” the NHS wrote in a happy update on Facebook. “One phone call later and guess who’s gonna be living the rock star life from here on out? That’s right! … We can’t wait to see how he thrives in his new home—we just hope it doesn’t get too confusing when someone tells Bret Michaels to fetch!”

Michaels (the human) told PEOPLE, “I could not have been more touched and more honored to adopt Bret Michaels the Husky, knowing that he gave blood to save the life of a kitten. I could not work fast enough to adopt this Husky and extend the awesome quality of little Bret Jr.’s life.”

Michaels and his family have been mourning the loss of their beloved 14-year-old German Shepherd, Phoenix, who died earlier this year. “So this story brought a smile back into my family’s life,” he told PEOPLE.

Bret Jr. will be joining Michaels’ two rescue shepherds, Nova and Draco. Here’s hoping they all enjoy “Nothin’ But a Good Time” together and they find one another to be “All I Ever Needed.”

To help the Nebraska Humane Society save more pets, visit their website. To cheer on Bret Michaels the human, go see him on his Parti-Gras tour.

Photo: Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Dog and Goat BFFs Are Homeless No More

A young Pit Bull mix named Felix and a young goat named Cinnamon grew up together in Raleigh, N.C., and became inseparable. Unfortunately, when their owner was no longer able to care for the BFFs, they were surrendered last month to the Wake County Animal Shelter.

“People often mischaracterize shelters as dog pounds, but the Wake County Animal Center takes in a huge variety of dogs, cats, mice and other critters,” said Wake County Commissioner Cheryl Stallings in a press release. “Still, to see such a strong bond between a goat and a dog is really special.”

Since goats and dogs are social animals, “it makes sense they would find friendship,” Wake County Animal Center Director Dr. Jennifer Federico said in the press release. “In many cases of interspecies friendship, the species are not normally seen together, and sometimes, one is of a species that ordinarily preys on the other in nature — whatever the reason for these two bonding, it’s clear what would be best for their well-being is to keep them together.”

(Speaking of interspecies friendships, back in 2015 a pot-bellied pig named Pickles and her two Chihuahua/Pomeranian BFFS were facing a similar situation at a Pennsylvania animal shelter. The trio was adopted by Blue Hound Farm in Lewisberry, Pa., and are hopefully living happily ever after together.)

While Felix might be lucky enough to be adopted, chances were pretty slim that someone would want to adopt Cinnamon along with him. To increase those chances, the Wake County Animal Shelter reached out to its rescue partners. “We’re so thankful that our center has established such great partnerships with local rescues so we can send out a plea for this sweet pair,” Stallings said.

Chris and Mariesa Hughes of the Mr. Mo Project, a New York-based rescue focused on senior pets, happened to know of the perfect forever home for the buddies. And that home just happened to be in North Carolina — and the Wake County Animal Shelter just happened to know the adopters, who have been fostering dogs for the past 10 years. Even cooler is that the Mr. Mo Project will pay Felix and Cinnamon’s veterinary bills for the rest of the pair’s lives.

Felix and Cinnamon’s new forever home has plenty of space, and, best of all, a herd of goats that will likely soon become BFFs with both Felix and Cinnamon. 

“I’m so excited they will be living their dream life in Johnston County with their new family,”  Shinica Thomas, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, said in a press release. “The Wake County Animal Center has a fantastic rescue network and they focused on the best solution for this pair after getting custody of them. This was the best outcome we could hope for!”

You might say their rescue is … wait for it … the GOAT, at least as far as these lucky pals are concerned!

To make a donation to the Mr. Mo Project, click here.

Photos: Wake County; Wake County

Prince Harry and Meghan Adopt Beagle Rescued from Breeding Facility

Once upon a time, a Beagle born in a breeding facility was doomed to spend her life having puppies to be used for medical research. But along came the Humane Society of the United States, which rescued the 7-year-old dog (along with 4,000 other Beagles) from that terrible, horrible place. And then that lucky Beagle, named Mia, was adopted by royalty. Mia and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex lived happily ever after.

“The duchess called me personally,” Shannon Keith, director of the nonprofit Beagle Freedom Project, told the Los Angeles Times. “She calls on my cell with no Caller ID and says, ‘Hey Shannon, this is Meghan.’ We talked for 30 minutes, and I thought, ‘Is this Megan Fox?'”

Nope, it was the Duchess of Sussex, who along with her husband had heard about the rescued Beagles. They wanted to provide a forever home for one of them on their 7-acre Montecito, Calif., estate. The Duke and Duchess paid a super-secret visit to Keith at her home in Valley Village, Calif., where they played with Mia in the backyard.

“The Duchess is holding Mia and was like, ‘We’re adopting her,'” Keith told the Los Angeles Times. “She was like, ‘No, we don’t want a Christmas puppy. We want ones we can help who are older.'” Mia, at 7 years old, is considered a senior. She has arthritis and a mass under her chin.

Before whisking Mia off to her fabulous forever home, Prince Harry asked Keith if the Beagle had a favorite toy. The Duke and Duchess flipped over a box filled with dog toys, and Mia chose a fox toy that she’d played with as she traveled across the country from Virginia to California.

“Okay, now we can go home,” Harry said.

Horrific Conditions at the Envigo Breeding Facility

According to the Beagle Freedom Project’s website, it took in Mia and her eight puppies after an overcrowded animal shelter asked for help. The BFP’s Shelter Safeguard program helps shelters rehome laboratory testing survivors.

During a historic rescue mission in June, the Humane Society of the United States removed about 4,000 beagles from Envigo, a facility in Virginia that bred dogs for medical research. The Beagles were removed after a lawsuit by the Department of Justice described horrific violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

Beagles with treatable medical conditions were being euthanized, some without first being given anesthesia. The meager amount of food provided to the dogs was full of mold and maggots. Over a two-month period, 25 puppies died from cold temperatures; over seven months, 300 dogs died from “unknown causes.”

“Basically, it’s a breeding prison,” Keith told the Los Angeles Times. “Not only were the issues not corrected after inspectors went, but they were getting worse.”

Non-Royals Want the Rescued Beagles, Too

The good news is that many of the Beagles, like Mia, have found loving forever homes. There’s currently a waiting list of about 1,000 potential adopters for the 25 dogs and puppies taken in by the Beagle Freedom Project, Keith told the Los Angeles Times.

If you’re interested in joining the Duke and Duchess by adopting a rescued Beagle, they have been transported to animal shelters and rescue organizations across the country—so it’s very likely there’s one near you. The Beagle Freedom Project offers a guide on how to care for these special dogs.

Here’s hoping every one of those Beagles finds a forever home in which they’ll live happily ever after. The End.

To help the Beagle Freedom Project save more lives, you can make a donation via their website.

Photo: “Harry Meghan” by dackelprincess is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

You’re the One that I Want: John Travolta Adopts Puppy from Oscars Betty White Tribute

Let’s forget about that infamous very low point of this year’s Oscars, shall we, and instead rejoice in one of its highlights: The sweet tribute to Betty White, where Jamie Lee Curtis held an adorable adoptable puppy adorably named Mac N Cheese.

“Day in and day out for almost a century, she was a woman who cared so much for not just her two-legged friends but for animals just like this,” Curtis told the millions of people watching. “So, the greatest gift you could give Betty White is to open your heart and your home and adopt a rescue dog just like Mac N Cheese from Paw Works.” Sweet!

You knew Mac N Cheese wouldn’t be homeless for long, and sure enough, she now has a new family. While cuddling with her in the green room before going on stage as an Oscar presenter, John Travolta fell in love with the puppy.

“I thought it was so beautiful to see him with her and then today I found out that he and his son, Ben have adopted beautiful little mac & cheese and are taking her home today,” Curtis wrote on her Instagram yesterday. As you may or probably don’t recall, Curtis and Travolta starred together in “Perfect” back in 1984.

Travolta confirmed the adoption on his own Instagram. “Ben adopted this dog from last night’s Oscar tribute to Betty White. Thank you @curtisleejamie & @pawworks,” he wrote.

“It is an emotional end and a perfect tribute to Betty White,” Curtis wrote, “and it shines a light and AMPLIFIES the message that heroes who, like Betty, and Chad from Paw Works and Nancy from Perfect Pet Rescue and the team at MaeDay Rescue and the hundreds of thousands of other rescues, who love and support ANIMALS, that rescuing animals and offering them shelter from the storm of life and a warm and loving home is one of life’s most important actions we humans can take!”

You know that Betty White is smiling somewhere.

Another highlight of the Oscars for me was “CODA,” which I loved, winning the Best Picture award. Based on its title, I had actually been rooting for “The Power of the Dog,” until I watched it — and discovered it is not about a canine with superpowers. Hmmpphh.

Paw Works is a nonprofit dog and cat rescue organization based in Camarillo, Calif. If you’d like to help them help more dogs like Mac N Cheese, visit their website.

Photo: Mateus Gowan/YouTube

RIP Daniel, Miracle Beagle Who Survived a Gas Chamber in 2011

Along with several other dogs doomed to the same fate, a 5-year-old stray Beagle was placed inside the gas chamber at an Alabama animal shelter 10 years ago.

An animal control officer turned on the gas and then returned 17 minutes later to remove the bodies of dogs who’d just suffered horrible deaths.

When he opened the door, imagine his surprise when the Beagle wobbled out, wagging his tail.

Instead of having to return to the gas chamber, the miracle dog was named Daniel, after the Bible figure who escaped the lion’s den. He was flown by the rescue organization Pilots N Paws to Eleventh Hour Rescue in New Jersey, where he had a better chance of being adopted.

It didn’t take long for the friendly Beagle to find a loving forever home. He was adopted by the Dwyer family, who cared for Daniel for nearly a decade. Last month, Daniel was diagnosed with the cancer hemangiosarcoma, which had spread to his lungs. Sadly, there was no miracle for Daniel this time around. He died on June 29.

But what an amazing 10 years that lucky dog had! I wrote about many amazing animals for i Love Dogs, and Daniel was one of my favorites. Not only did he become a celebrity, appearing on many TV shows and on a float in the 2014 Tournament of Roses Parade, but he also became a “spokesdog” against the cruelty of using gas chambers to euthanize shelter animals.

At the time that Daniel was adopted, these torture chambers were used in 31 states. In 2014, gas chambers were banned in Pennsylvania thanks to “Daniel’s Law,” named in his honor. As of 2020, gas chambers were still actively used in only four states: Missouri, Ohio, Utah and Wyoming.

Fortunately, legislation to outlaw gas chambers is currently being considered in Utah and Wyoming. Two weeks before Daniel died, the last remaining gas chamber in Ohio was dismantled.

Gas chambers, which use carbon monoxide to painfully kill unwanted shelter animals, are considered inhumane by most animal welfare groups and, I would hope, anyone with a conscience.

“Animals are placed into a small, dark box, one that’s sometimes full of the smells of the animals who came before them — many of whom may have urinated or defecated before they died,” notes the Humane Society of the United States. “For several minutes, they may be in the box, terrified, clawing and calling for a way out. They may struggle for air or begin convulsing before finally losing consciousness.”

If you want to honor Daniel’s life, please consider making a donation to Eleventh Hour Rescue, Pilots N Paws, or your local animal shelter or rescue group. If you live in Wyoming or Utah, contact your representatives and urge them to pass laws banning the use gas chambers in animal shelters.

“After getting his second chance, Daniel was a little Beagle with a big mission to help save the lives of other homeless animals,” Eleventh Hour Rescue wrote on its Facebook page June 29. “His life truly was spared for a greater purpose and our rescue was honored to play a part in his story.” Amen.

Photo: PawshPal/YouTube

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