Tag: ASPCA

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)

For First Time Ever, OTC Medications Top ASPCA’s List of Pet Toxins

Be sure to keep any over-the-counter medications, including herbal supplements, out of your dog’s reach. For the first time ever, these medications topped the 2015 ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) list of the 10 toxins most commonly ingested by pets.

“We’ve seen numerous new vitamins, herbal supplements and joint supplements hit the market over the last year, exposing more pets to these types of products, and more of these products to our pets,” said Dr. Tina Wismer, medical director of the APCC, in a press release.

“Just as we recommend for prescription medications, it’s crucial that pet owners keep these potentially toxic items out of their pets’ reach and keep them behind closed doors.”

Prescription drugs, which formerly held the No. 1 spot, dropped to No. 2 last year. Here’s the complete list.

1. Over-the-counter medications

More than 28,500 cases of pets ingesting these meds and supplements were reported in 2015. This includes about 7,000 items, including everything from aspirin to topical ointments.

2. Prescription medications

About 16 percent of pets who were poisoned last year ate prescribed meds intended for humans.

3. Insecticides

More than 15,000 pets ingested insect poison.

4. Food

There were more than 14,600 APCC cases of pets, mostly dogs, becoming sick after eating toxic human foods such as onions, garlic, grapes and items containing the artificial sweetener xylitol.

5. Household items

Cleaning products, fire logs and paint were the most common household items ingested by pets last year.

6. Veterinary medications

More than 7 percent of APCC’s cases last year were pets who overdosed on their own meds, especially chewable ones.

7. Chocolate

Although it seems like it should be included with No. 4, so many pets are sickened by chocolate that it got its own spot on the list. In fact,the APCC averaged more than 30 cases of chocolate poisoning a day last year.

8. Plants

About 5 percent of pets, mostly cats, were sickened by eating indoor and outdoor plants last year.

9. Rodenticides

There are more humane ways to kill rodents and save your pets, as well. In 2015 the APCC had more than 8,100 cases of pets who ingested rat poison.

10. Lawn and garden products

About 3 percent of pets ingested herbicides and fungicides.

March happens to be National Animal Poison Prevention Month, but protecting your pet from these toxins is something that needs to be done all year long.

If you think your pet may have ingested something poisonous, immediately call your veterinarian or the APCC at 888-426-4435.

Photos via Twitter; ASPCA

Tissue Alert! World Dog Awards Features a Touching Reunion

For the second year in a row, the World Dog Awards, which airs Thursday night on The CW, will celebrate pooches for their work in entertainment, health services and the military, along with everyday dogs who found fame on the internet.

The show, hosted again by George Lopez, was taped Saturday in the appropriately named Barker Hangar at Santa Monica Airport. (This seems to be a pawpular venue for canine-related shows. “The All-Star Dog Rescue Celebration,” which has aired on Thanksgiving night the past two years, is also taped there.)

“Dogs are man’s best friend, and tonight we celebrate the best of the best,” Lopez said at the start of the show. “By the end of the night, there won’t be a dry eye in the house – or a dry place to stand. I’m still cleaning off my shoes from last year.”

During the ceremony, winners received edible awards in categories ranging from “Top Movie Dog,” to “Celebrity Dog Selfie,” to “Most Dog-Like Animal.” The winners were determined by online votes.

Have a box of tissues handy: For the first time, the World Dog Awards will feature a live reunion between Brandon Harbaugh, an active-duty U.S. soldier, and Saint, his pet dog. This touching reunion was arranged in partnership with Dogs on Deployment, a nonprofit that connects service members with volunteers who take care of their pets during service commitments.

The celebrities appearing at the World Dog Awards include Paula Abdul, Amy Brenneman, Melissa Rivers, Joanna Krupa and JB Smoove.

Kirstin Maldonado, from the Grammy Award-winning vocal group Pentatonix, sings “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” in honor of Toto from “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Wiz,” who’s receiving The Dog’s Life Achievement award. The award celebrates an iconic dog character in pop culture that has had a huge cultural impact.

And the Golden Hydrant Goes To…

Congratulations to all the 2016 World Dog Awards winners and nominees. The following dogs took home the coveted Golden Hydrant.

Dog of the Year: Gabe, who is the service dog — and served as the best man — for U.S. Army veteran Justin Lansford, who lost a leg in an IED explosion.

Top Movie Dog: Carlos as Max from the film, “Max”

Most Amazing Journey: Sissy, a Miniature Schnauzer who managed to find her way to her dog mom in a hospital

Top Trick: Norman, the Bike Riding Dog

Hot Dog: Dally, the Horserider

Top TV Dog: Scruffy as Whoopty Woo in the television series “Empire”

A-List Dog: Finn and Amanda Seyfried

Pawpular: Manny the Frenchie

Supporting Actor to a Dog: Jason Schwartzman in the film “7 Chinese Brothers”

Best Dressed: Doug the Pug

Top Spot: “Mastery” / Chase (a commercial that featured a dog)

Celebrity Dog Selfie: Wolf and Joey Graceffa

Happiest Reunion: Calla and Wrigley and Army E-5 SGT Krista Coey

Most Dog-Like Animal: Amy Trotter, the Pig

My New Puppy: iJustine and Matt

Pop Dog: “All of Me” (Charity) – John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Puddy and Pippa

Performing Pups: Nathan

Best Rescue: Joel Silverman and Duchess

Top Video Game Dog: River as Dogmeat from “Fallout 4”

The World Dog Awards aired Jan. 14 on The CW.

Photos via Twitter; Twitter

Nearly 100 Dogs Rescued from ‘Deplorable’ Florida Puppy Mill

DEC. 22, 2015 UPDATE: Many of these rescued dogs are now ready for forever homes, the ASPCA reports.

“We’ve seen these dogs come a long way over the last month,” said Jessica Rushin of the ASPCA. “Now we’re bringing them to communities across Florida and hoping local citizens will come out and adopt them. These dogs have never known what it means to be a pet, so we’re thrilled that many of them may be spending this holiday season in a warm, safe home for the first time.”

For a list of the Florida shelters where the dogs are available, visit the ASPCA website.

Dozens of dogs living in filthy conditions, without clean food or water and exposed to the elements, were rescued yesterday from a suspected unlicensed puppy mill in Clewiston, Fla.

The rescued dogs ranged in size from Chihuahuas to Siberian Huskies. Some were only two days old.

“It’s obvious that some are ill, and there are some newborn puppies, too,” Capt. Susan Harrelle of the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, which worked with the ASPCA to save the dogs, told NBC-2.

ASPCA spokeswoman Kelly Krause told Naple News the conditions were “deplorable.”

The owners of the operation, Beatriz Perez and Alexei Fernandez, had been selling the dogs to pet stores in the Miami-Dade area. They were arrested yesterday and charged with several counts of animal cruelty.

Each of the rescued dogs was examined by a veterinarian.

“We’re seeing a number of medical issues, eye issues, teeth issues, skin problems,” Tim Rickey, vice president of ASPCA Field Investigation and Response, told NBC-2. “These animals are living in this environment every day and not receiving adequate care.”

The dogs were transferred to an ASPCA shelter, where they will receive veterinary care until custody of the dogs is determined by the court.

After the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office received numerous complaints from the community, the ASPCA launched an investigation of the operation six months ago.

Clewiston Animal Control, Texas Humane Heroes and the Humane Society of Broward County also helped with the rescue and will assist with the care of the dogs.

Puppy mills — commercial breeding operations in which dogs are typically neglected and kept in small cages — are actually legal in Florida and 21 other states. Campaigns like the ASPCA’s No Pet Store Puppies are trying to raise people’s awareness about the horrible environments these dogs come from.

“This is a tragic situation we see all too often,” Rickey said in a press release. “Puppy mills are a widespread issue across Florida and around the country. Many people are unaware that most puppies sold at pet stores come from puppy mills, and that buying pet store puppies indirectly supports these facilities.”

This rescue provides nearly 100 reasons why it’s so important to adopt, not shop, for a dog.

Photo via Twitter

Amy Poehler’s New ‘Heavy Petting’ Web Series Helps Dogs Get Adopted

As further proof there is nothing the amazing Amy Poehler cannot do, she’s launched a new web series, “Heavy Petting,” that features talking dogs.

But these aren’t your usual talking dogs. They’re adoptable shelter dogs voiced by Poehler and other celebrities, including her former “Parks and Recreation” co-stars Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza and Aziz Ansari.

“Heavy Petting,” produced in partnership with the ASPCA, will be available on the Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls website and YouTube channel. “It’s like Tinder, but for adoptable pets, because #SmartGirlsAdopt!” says the description.

The first episode premiered today. It stars fast-talking, spilled-Cheerios-eating Bart, a 10-month-old Poodle mix voiced by John Mulaney.

“I love meeting new people and smelling their breath,” Bart says. “I’ve gotten really into Cheerios lately, especially when they’re spilled on the kitchen floor — preferably when they’re spilled on the kitchen floor.”

Here’s hoping this series has a whole lot of future episodes, because I doubt any of its stars will remain homeless for long.

Photo via YouTube

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