Sir Patrick Stewart Wants You to Get Tough on National Dog Fighting Awareness Day

Even though it’s illegal in every U.S. state, thousands of dogs are injured or killed each year in cruel dog-fighting operations. To promote National Dog Fighting Awareness Day (NDFAD) on April 8, the ASPCA launched the “Get Tough” campaign in 2015, asking animal lovers to advocate for stronger laws and harsher sentences for creeps who fight dogs.

This year, actor, Pit Bull advocate and all-around cool guy Sir Patrick Stewart and Ginger, the pibble he’s fostering, have joined the campaign.

“The want to please is an absolute characteristic of pit bulls,” Stewart, who believed the negative stereotypes about these dogs until he met Ginger, told PEOPLE. “It means that these dogs can be used trained and tampered with in a way that, in order to please their masters, makes them angry and violent, and makes them become fighting dogs.”

To join Stewart in bringing attention to the critical issue of dog fighting, you can share a muscle-flexing selfie either alone or with your pets on social media. Use the hashtag #GetTough and tag @ASPCA.

Along with the selfie, you can participate in the Get Tough campaign by doing the following:

  1. Sign the ASPCA’s pledge promising you’ll get tough on dog fighting by being aware of and reporting these operations, and supporting tougher penalties. As of the morning of NDFAD, over 19,200 people have signed the pledge.
  2. Find out more about how the ASPCA is working to end dog fighting.
  3. Make a donation to help the ASPCA with this cause.

“I am very happy to be part of the campaign that is speaking out against this and the urgent need for the law and organizations to intervene whenever they can,” Stewart told PEOPLE.

R.I.P. ‘Vicktory Dog’ Little Red

Just six days shy of National Dog Fighting Awareness Day, Little Red, one of over 50 dogs rescued from Michael Vick’s dog-fighting operation in 2007, crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Her loving dog mom, Susan, hopes Little’s legacy will be raising awareness of animal cruelty.

“We hope you will remember Little’s life,” she wrote, “and keep alive the fight to save animals who have been abused, abandoned and who have suffered, no matter what the circumstances.”

Photo credit: Laura Goldman (that’s Ella and Leroy, who gets very sad at the thought of dog fighting)

Dog Found Alive 3 Days After Fatal Boat Crash

Two men and two dogs were in a boat sailing into Tamales Bay in Northern California on Monday when it capsized in the rough surf. One man and one dog were rescued, but Brian Phidat Ho, 47, was killed. The other dog, a yellow Lab named Yoda, disappeared and had presumably drowned.

This morning, three days after the accident, Marin County Fire Battalion Chiefs Chris Martinelli and Graham Groneman were scouting locations for a water rescue orientation for firefighters. They spotted something from their rescue boat — a yellow object on a rocky shore north of where the boat had capsized.

It was Yoda.

“They were hugging the coastline when they saw the dog hunkered down under a rocky outcropping,” Battalion Chief Bret McTigue said. “They went on shore and put a lifejacket on him. He was wet and shivering after a few days out in the elements.”

Despite his ordeal, Yoda was alive and well, and appeared to be uninjured. He was taken to the Tamales Fire Station, where he warmed up by the fireplace while being given food and water.

“We called the family and we happened to reach them during the funeral,” McTigue said. “We gave them the update and they were able to make the announcement about the dog at the funeral, which was nice.”

Nice, indeed. And how nice that those two Marin County Fire battalion chiefs just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Last year, a German Shepherd/Husky mix named Luna was found five weeks after she jumped off a boat. Luna had managed to swim two miles to an island used by the Navy.

Photo credit: Marin County Fire Department

Luc(k)y the Welsh Terrier Survives 30-foot Fall into Well

A 13-year-old Welsh Terrier named Lucy (her owners might want to consider adding a “k” to her name) should be the poster dog for why you should always keep your dog on a leash when you’re hiking together.

Lucy was not leashed on a hike with her owners yesterday morning in the hills of Malibu, Calif. She wandered off the trail and fell into a dirt well that’s 30 feet deep and only 2 feet wide at the bottom.

Amazingly, Lucky — er, Lucy — was not injured in the fall. The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue team (USAR) was dispatched to the scene, but it took them two hours to get there due to traffic. (Hey, it’s L.A., after all.)

When they finally made their way to the well, the rescue took another two hours.

“We set up an Arizona Vortex, which is a three-legged artificial high point,” Matt Walmsley, who was lowered by rope into the well to rescue Lucy, told KABC. “And that allows me to come out of the hole clean. We put on a safety rope and a main rope, and I went down with a strap that I have in my pocket here. I got it around the dog, and stood her up and got her in my arms, and up we came.”

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority also helped with Lucy’s rescue, which was recorded on video.

Lucy is now safely back home with her owners, who, I bet, will never, ever let her roam off leash again.

Photo via Twitter

Hero Firefighter Brings Dead Dog Back to Life

As Andrew Klein worked with 22 other firefighters to put out a blaze in a Santa Monica, Calif., apartment Tuesday, he discovered an unconscious Bichon Frise/Shih Tzu mix.

“As soon as I grabbed him, I knew that he was unresponsive just by his dead weight,” Klein told KTLA. He carried the lifeless 10-year-old dog, named Nalu, outside.

Nalu wasn’t breathing and had no pulse, so Klein began performing CPR and mouth-to-snout resuscitation on him — for 20 minutes, until the dog was finally revived. Klein then provided Nalu with oxygen using a pet-sized mask.

Nalu’s owner, Crystal Lamirande, came home to find her apartment on fire. She tried to save Nalu herself, but the smoke was too thick. She told KTLA she stood there in shock as Klein worked to save her dog’s life. “I’m a nurse, and now I know how family members feel when they watch us do CPR on their family members,” she said. “It’s awful.”

The firefighters were able to put out the blaze in about 10 minutes, KTLA reports. No one besides Nalu was injured.

“It was pretty amazing, because I’ve been on a number of animal rescues like this that did not come out the same way that Nalu’s story did,” Klein told KTLA. He’d only performed mouth-to-snout resuscitation a few times in his career. “It was definitely a win for the whole team and the department that we got him back.”

Lamirande said she lost everything in the fire, with one important exception: her best friend Nalu, thanks to Klein’s heroic efforts. She brought Nalu to the fire station Thursday to thank him again for saving her dog’s life.

“Our goal is to save people, and sometimes we’re not able to do that despite our best efforts,” Klein told KABC. “But to have a success story just like this, even with Nalu being a dog, he’s a life and a life that matters. That was just a great morale booster for all of the guys here in our department.”

Photo via Twitter

Labrador Retrievers Yet Again Break AKC Top 10 Breed Record

Do you love Labs? You’re certainly not alone. Just as it has for the past 25 years, the Labrador Retriever once again topped the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) 2016 list of the most popular dog breeds in the United States. Its 26-year run at No. 1 is the longest of any breed in the AKC’s 123-year history.

“The Lab is such a versatile dog that it’s no wonder it makes a great companion for a variety of lifestyles,” said AKC Vice President Gina DiNardo. “Keep your eye on the Rottweiler, though. It’s been quietly winning hearts over the past decade.”

The Rottweiler was the eighth most popular breed in 2016, moving up one notch from 2015. This was its highest ranking on the list since 1997, when it was the second most popular dog breed.

The Poodle also rose one spot in the top 10, from No. 8 to No. 7.

Other breeds growing in popularity are various terriers, especially the Russell Terrier, which climbed from 104th place in 2015 to 90th place in 2016. The Rat Terrier jumped from 101st to 96th place, the Parson Russell Terrier from 111th to 109th place, and the Dandie Dinmont Terrier from 172nd to 167th place.

The only top 10 breed to drop a couple of notches was the Yorkshire Terrier, which fell from No. 7 to No. 9.

Here’s the top 10 list, with the 2015 rankings in parentheses. I’ve also included helpful links to national rescue organizations for these breeds. Adopt, don’t shop!

  1. Labrador Retriever (1)
  2. German Shepherd (2)
  3. Golden Retriever (3)
  4. Bulldog (4)
  5. Beagle (5)
  6. French Bulldog (6)
  7. Poodle (8)
  8. Rottweiler (9)
  9. Yorkshire Terrier (7)
  10. Boxer (10)

Here’s the complete 2016 AKC breed popularity list.

Photo credit: Jonathan Jordan

Exit mobile version