German Shepherd Stays by Pit Bull Buddy’s Body on Busy Highway

A German Shepherd refused to leave the side of her Pit Bull buddy who’d probably been killed by a car on a busy New Jersey highway.

When Totowa Station troopers responded to a call during rush hour yesterday morning about two dogs on the shoulder of Interstate 280, they found the German Shepherd lying beside the Pit Bull — and she wasn’t about to budge.

The troopers “knew they had to get the Shepherd off the highway, but she did not want to leave the other dog’s side,” the New Jersey State Police said in a statement on its Facebook page. “They eventually were able to get her out of harm’s way and into the back of a troop car.”

Back at the station, the troopers gave the German Shepherd water and played a game of fetch with her. An unidentified local animal rescue shelter has taken her in.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of the other dog, but we’re elated that we were able to rescue the Shepherd,” the statement said. Thank you, troopers!

According to a comment on the New Jersey State Police Facebook page, the German Shepherd was microchipped and has been reunited with her owner.

If it’s true that this devoted dog is back at home, hopefully her owner will ensure she never ends up on a busy highway again. This is not the first and won’t be the last true tale of how amazingly loyal dogs are, in life and death, to their four-legged and two-legged companions.

Photo via New Jersey State Police Facebook page

California Man Finds Therapy Dog Lost During Las Vegas Shooting

Ryan Needham and his fiancee, who live in Phelan, Calif., survived the terrible mass shooting in Las Vegas, but Needham’s beloved therapy dog went missing for a few days.

Needham is an owner of a concession company that had a booth at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Roulette, aka Rou, is a black French Bulldog who was with Needham’s fiancee as she worked there Sunday night. Needham was driving near the venue when the gunfire erupted. One of the employees opened Rou’s crate and tried to grab her, but the terrified dog wriggled away and ran off, getting lost in the crowd of 22,000 people also desperately trying to flee the area.

“There were so many people trying to get away, we didn’t know if she had been stepped on or hurt, or worse,” Needham told KABC. “It was just a horrible, horrible situation.”

The couple remained in Las Vegas for a few days, desperately searching for Needham’s therapy dog. “We haven’t slept yet”, he told News 3.

As the news of Rou’s disappearance spread, thousands of people from around the world volunteered to do what they could to find her. Strangers created Facebook pages and posted the lost dog’s information online. “We never would have guessed so many people would have stepped forward to help,” Needham told KABC. “The best thing is it shows there are so many good people. So many people willing to try to help other people.”

Good news: Needham and his fiancee can now get some much-needed sleep. Their beloved Rou has been found alive and is now safely back at home in California with them.

Needham saw Rou running in a field next to the shooting site. “I jumped over the fence, I kneeled down, she ran and jumped into my arms!” he told News 3 this morning. (According to KABC, however, Rou was found inside an apartment complex. Needham believed she had been running back and forth from there to her crate in the concessions area, part of the crime scene that has been roped off by police. Either way, what’s important is that she was found alive.)

Rou lost some weight and appeared to be somewhat traumatized from her ordeal. Needham was thrilled she’s still alive.

“I’m so glad everybody’s spirits can be lifted by our dog’s story,” he told News 3. “Maybe it can help a little. This dog is a symbol of hope. She’s the new mascot for Vegas.”

Here’s information about how to help victims of the Las Vegas massacre.

Photo via PawBoost.com

How to Help Shelters and Rescues Affected by Recent Hurricanes

One right after another, three recent catastrophic hurricanes — Harvey, Irma and Maria — wreaked havoc on Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. Hundreds of thousands of people are now without homes, and animal shelters have been taking in their pets. Hundreds of shelter dogs and cats were flown to facilities in other states to make room for all the incoming pets.

One of the most helpful things you can do, even if it’s just for a week, is provide a temporary home for a displaced dog. Visit the Foster a Hurricane Pet website to find a perfect match. Or, better yet, adopt a shelter dog who was evacuated to make room for four-legged hurricane refugees.

Here are some of the other ways you can help shelters and rescues in the affected areas. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list. If you know of other shelters and rescues that need post-hurricane help, please leave a comment.

TEXAS

Austin Pets Alive!

The Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) shelter, which itself was flooded during a 2015 storm, rescued over 2,000 pets after Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston. It acted as a supply hub for other shelters in need, and opened temporary shelters in Houston as well as Austin.

“We cannot express our gratitude for the continued support from the Austin Pets Alive! community – both new and old,” the nonprofit, which is dedicated to keeping Austin no kill, wrote on its website.

You can help by:

BARC

BARC is the City of Houston’s animal shelter and adoption facility, and the only city shelter in Houston required by law to accept every animal that comes through its doors regardless of breed, temperament, health conditions or circumstance.

You can help by:

Houston SPCA

Located at ground zero, the Houston SPCA is still making water rescues, spokeswoman Julie Kuenstle told KHOU Sept. 21.

  • You can help by fostering a pet, especially if you live in Texas or Louisiana.

SPCA of Texas

The SPCA of Texas, located in Dallas, is “putting every available resource behind assisting pets and people who have evacuated the Gulf Coast to the North Texas area,” according to its website. It “has provided and continues to provide all needed pet supplies as these families pick up their pets so that the pets have all they need until their owners are able to purchase further supplies.”

Tall Tails Animal Rescue

When a dam was opened without warning Aug. 28 near Hankamer, Texas, where Tall Tails Animal Rescue is located, its kennels were flooded with over a foot of rising water, putting the lives of over 100 dogs in danger.

After Tall Tails founders Kat K Tschirgi and Kevin Miller put out cries for help on social media, volunteers in boats arrived to save some of the dogs. A video of the rescue effort has been viewed more than 244,000 times.

While all the animals were fortunately saved, the kennels and house were destroyed. The couple plans to rebuild in another location so they can continue rescuing and rehabilitating sick, injured and pregnant dogs.

  • You can help by making a cash donation.

FLORIDA

Florida Keys SPCA

“As we look forward, it becomes clear this will be a long haul for our community to restore our way of life to pre-Irma days,” the Florida Keys SPCA (FKSPCA) wrote on its Facebook page Sept. 19.

“The FKSPCA will make every effort to help keep animals in their homes as opposed to being surrendered due to displacement of their pet owners by assisting with foster care options, sheltering options through our FAITH program, and routine and wellness care options.”

You can help by:

Gulf Coast Humane Society

Income for the Gulf Coast Humane Society (GCHS), the oldest non-profit animal welfare organization in southwest Florida, was frozen for nearly two weeks as the Fort Myers shelter prepared for and then cleaned up after Irma.

Humane Society Naples

After Hurricane Irma battered Naples with 135 mph winds, the Florida town was left without power and residents were advised to boil water. Because of these dire conditions, the 79 dogs (and 64 cats) at Humane Society Naples (HSN) were flown across the country to the San Diego Humane Society.

HSN is currently taking in pets that have been left homeless due to Irma. “Naples residents are already overwhelmed and most aren’t ready to add another family member during this difficult time,” it wrote on its website. “We have no doubt that there are countless families in another state who want to give loving homes to a ‘Hurricane Irma’ pet.”

You can help by:

Humane Society of Broward County

The Humane Society of Broward County (HSBC) in Fort Lauderdale “not only weathered the massive storm but also sprang into action to help other areas of the state that were devastated by the hurricane — all thanks to long hours of smart planning and preparation by HSBC’s dedicated team,” according to its website.

You can help by:

Humane Society of Greater Miami

Two weeks after Irma struck, the Humane Society of Greater Miami was “happy to report that we have been able to move some of our pets back into their original rooms after the hurricane,” according to its Facebook page. “Although we still have a long road ahead of us to fully recover from Irma’s impact, we are surely on our way!”

PUERTO RICO

Island Dog

The mission of Island Dog, a nonprofit based on Puerto Rico’s east coast, is to raise awareness of the suffering and cruelty animals endure in the U.S. Caribbean Islands. To help reduce the number of strays, it provides low-cost spay and neuter clinics around the island.

Just before Maria struck, Island Dog co-founder Sali Gear chartered a plane and flew 300 animals to safety at her farm in Virginia. From there, the animals were taken in by rescue groups and will hopefully find forever homes around the country.

Second Chance Animal Rescue of Puerto Rico

Located in the mountains of Villalba, Second Chance Animal Rescue of Puerto Rico is usually home to over 150 animals. Because of the lack of electricity and cell phone service throughout the island, it’s not yet known whether the shelter withstood the hurricane.

“The most we can do is to raise money to help them recover the shelter and evacuate rescues to our stateside support teams as soon as roads are passable and flights are available,” the nonprofit wrote on its website.

The Sato Project

The Sato Project is dedicated to rescuing abused and abandoned dogs from Puerto Rico. Over the past six years the nonprofit has saved more than 1,600 dogs, mainly from “Dead Dog Beach” where pets are dumped and often, as the name sadly implies, do not survive.

Dead Dog Beach is located on the southeastern coast in Yabucoa, which was directly hit by Maria on Sept. 20, with 155 mph winds, torrential rain and flooding. According to an update on The Sato Project’s Facebook page three days later, the dogs in its shelter survived, but the structure suffered catastrophic damage.

  • You can help by making a cash donation to The Sato Project’s Hurricane Relief Fund. According to the website, doing so will “help mobilize critically needed supplies and support to our team on the ground in Puerto Rico, and to transport as many dogs as we can to safety in the coming days and weeks.”

Photo credit: Texas National Guard

Monster Who Threw Dog Over L.A. Cliff 2 Times Gets Pathetic 2-Year Jail Sentence

In a video from a security camera that went viral in September 2016, a Pit Bull mix can be seen jumping through the passenger window into a car parked on a street in City Terrace, near Los Angeles.

A man gets out of the car, carrying the dog, and flings it over a cliff. The obese, bespectacled loser looks around as he walks back to his car, checking to see if anyone is watching.

The dog survived, but two days later the creep returned to the same spot, and again threw her over the cliff.

Fortunately, someone living across the street witnessed this heinous act and immediately began searching for the dog. “I came out here with my flashlight looking around, I was making some noise trying to get her attention and sure enough I saw her behind a bush off the cliff,” the unidentified good Samaritan told FOX 11.

Amazingly, once again the poor dog survived the fall — which prosecutors later said was about 145 feet — without any injuries. A bush stopped her from falling farther.

“She’s a very nice dog and very kind,” another nearby resident, Ruben Roque, told FOX 11. “I don’t know how somebody can do that to this dog.”

After the dog, who he named Hera Grrl, was temporarily taken by the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control as evidence in its animal cruelty investigation, Roque, a combat veteran, officially adopted her and has been showing her just what a loving home is like.

In February, the monster who threw Hera Grrl over the cliff twice was found and arrested. Andres Spancky Raya, 21, pleaded no contest to one felony count of animal cruelty.

The loser was already on probation for one felony count each of hit-and-run driving resulting in injury to another person, and grand theft auto, according to the Los Angeles Times. At the time, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Raya could face up to three years and eight months in jail.

Raya was finally sentenced yesterday. He must serve five years in state prison — but only two of those years are for the felony animal cruelty count. The other three years are for an unrelated first-degree residential burglary charge.

Doesn’t it seem like it should be the other way around, and he should serve much longer than two or three years for the cruel way he tried to kill his dog?

Dog with 300 Tumors Wanders into Hospital Chapel

Suffering what must have been unbearable, excruciating pain, an 11-year-old Boston Terrier named Pasha still had the ability and good sense to walk into Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, Calif. She was discovered in a corner of the hospital’s chapel.

Pasha’s little body was covered with 300 tumors. One of her eyes was severely ulcerated. Someone had wrapped a rubber band around one of the tumors, and it had become embedded in her skin.

It’s not known how Pasha ended up at the hospital, but her owner, Mary Sodaro, who lives about 90 miles away in Victorville, Calif., was arrested after she called Newport Beach animal control officers and asked about the dog, the Los Angeles Times reports. She’s been charged with a felony count of animal cruelty,  along with the misdemeanors of failing to care for an animal and allowing an animal to roam freely on a public street.

According to the Orange County district attorney’s office, Sodaro said she’d taken Pasha to a veterinarian recently, but would not allow her dog to be treated. Because of Pasha’s “irremediable pain and suffering,” the vet had offered to euthanize her free of charge, but Sodaro refused the offer.

She admitted she had wrapped the rubber band around a golf-ball-sized tumor on Pasha’s jaw because she thought it would cut off blood circulation and the tumor would fall off. But the rubber band became embedded in the tumor, resulting in a skin infection and even more pain for the already suffering dog.

“The fact that the tumor was rubber banded and continued to grow is disturbing,” Orange County Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Malone told the Orange County Register. “The tumor had grown to such a size it affected Pasha’s ability to breathe. We have never seen neglect like this.”

The bittersweet news is that poor little Pasha is no longer in pain. A few days after she was found in the hospital chapel, a veterinarian humanely euthanized her.

Here’s the mug shot of the woman who intentionally let her dog suffer with hundreds of tumors. Sodaro listed her occupation as “Comedian” in the Orange County Jail booking log. How I wish it was a joke that the maximum sentence this monster will get is only three years and a half years in state prison.

SEPT. 6, 2017 UPDATE: Sodaro, who had been immediately sentenced to 26 days in jail, has pleaded guilty to the three misdemeanor charges and will not serve any additional jail time (!). She was placed on three years’ informal probation and ordered to undergo mental health counseling. The good news is that she is not allowed to own, possess, care for or live with a pet.

Photo via Hoag/Facebook

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