chihuahua Archives - Page 2 of 3

Puppy-Mill Survivor Harley is 2015 American Hero Dog

Congratulations to puppy-mill survivor Harley, who was announced last night as the American Humane Association 2015 American Hero Dog.

The 15-year-old Chihuahua spent 10 miserable years of his life living in a cage. During that time the little dog suffered heart disease, a fused spine, broken tail, gnarled toes, deformed legs and rotted teeth.

He lost an eye when his cage was power-washed while he was still in it (believe it or not, this is a common practice in puppy mills).

Harley was finally rescued and is spending the rest of his days with his loving forever family in Berthoud, Colo. He was the inspiration for the “Harley to the Rescue” campaign, which for the past two years has raised funds to rescue and provide medical care for more other puppy-mill dogs. Harley goes along on the rescue missions to comfort the sad, scared dogs.

He also makes appearances across the country as a spokesdog against puppy mills.

Harley was the finalist in the Hero Dog Awards’ Emerging Hero Dogs category, for “ordinary” dogs who do extraordinary things.

The purpose of this annual national competition is to recognize dogs who unconditionally help humans. The winners in eight categories were selected from more than 1 million online votes and a judging panel.

“These courageous canines have gone above and beyond the call of duty, saving lives on the battlefield, comforting the ill, aged and afflicted, bringing hope to those who have lost it and reminding us of the powerful, age-old bond between animals and people,” said Dr. Robin Ganzert, AHA president and CEO, in a press release.

“We hope that Harley’s story will inspire people to shut down puppy mills once and for all.”

Along with the Hero Dog Award finalists, the celebrities attending last night’s sold-out gala event at the Beverly Hilton included Fred Willard, Lea Thompson, Michelle Beadle and Bruce Boxleitner.

Mark your calendar: The American Humane Association 2015 Hero Dog Awards will air on the Hallmark Channel Oct. 30 at 8 p.m.

Photos via Facebook; Facebook

Burned Chihuahua Adopted by Family of Burn Survivor

Rescuers were horrified when they discovered a Chihuahua puppy dumped behind an Antioch, Calif., animal shelter March 30.

Someone had tortured the tiny dog, leaving severe chemical burns on his ears and along his belly.

Because of this abuse, his ears had to be surgically removed. Thanks to donations, the animal rescue group Umbrella of Hope covered the cost of his medical expenses, which amounted to about $5,000.

Along with the physical trauma, the puppy, who was given the name Fireman, also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“He had a lot of strings attached,” Kristy Keusch, who fostered Fireman for four months as he recovered from surgery, told the Contra Costa Times.

Fireman hated leashes and being hugged. He would nip anyone who touched his head or neck.

“He punctured me a few times,” Keusch told the Times.

Although Umbrella of Hope received thousands of requests to adopt Fireman, the rescue figured he would do best in a forever home with a burn survivor — someone who would understand the pain the dog was going through.

That someone turned out to be 12-year-old Chloe Levenson-Cupp. When she was a baby, scalding tea was accidentally spilled on her, resulting in second- and third-degree burns that required seven surgeries. Through Umbrella of Hope and local TV station KTVU, Shriners Hospital for Children helped Chloe and her family connect with Keusch and Fireman.

Last week, 6-month-old Fireman (aka Buddy) became an official member of the Levenson-Cupp family.

“Normally, in the human world, you don’t meet burn survivors,” Chloe told KTVU. “And then meeting a dog like me is even more special.”

Fireman is already letting Chloe touch his head, but he still runs away from a leash. Chloe takes him to the pet store in a doggie stroller.

“He’s my baby — he’s definitely my baby,” Chloe told the Contra Costa Times.

Fido Alert – East Contra Costa County is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of the person who tortured Fireman. Anyone with information is asked to call Antioch Animal Services at 925-779-6989.

Back in April, another “pawfect” match was made when the family of 3-year-old Sapphyre Johnson, who is missing toes and fingers due to a birth defect, adopted Lt. Dan, a white German Shepherd puppy born without a right front paw.

Photo via Twitter

Kansas City Cop Adopts Chihuahua He Saved from Hot Car

As the temperature rose to 93 degrees the afternoon of July 25, Jeff O’Rear, an 18-year veteran of the Kansas City Police Department, and his partner, Erik Winter, responded to a call about a dog that had been left inside a car in a shopping center’s parking lot.

They had no trouble locating the car. It was surrounded by a group of people.

“Everybody around us was crying and screaming. They were upset,” O’Rear told the Kansas City Star.

When the police officers saw what the crowd was looking at, they became upset as well.

Inside the car, where the temperature had risen to 140 degrees, was a tiny, 5-month-old Chihuahua mix. He was laying on his back in his kennel, his tongue sticking out.

Surveillance videos showed the dog had been left inside the car, with the windows rolled up, for nearly two hours.

“He was just so close to death at that time — it was a very horrific picture,” O’Rear told the Kansas City Star. “That was so emotional to see that dog, to see that somebody would do that to him for no reason, just neglect.”

Using their batons, O’Rear and Winter smashed the car’s rear window and removed the dog. They rushed him over to the nearby Banfield Animal Hospital inside the shopping center’s PetSmart.

The dog’s internal temperature was 107 degrees (a dog’s normal temperature is 99.5 to 102.5 degrees). His heart rate was a rapid 200 beats per minute, far above the norm of up to 140 beats.

As he was being treated, the little dog’s temperature dropped to 94 degrees and he went into shock. But just 24 hours later, the dog was eating, drinking and on his way to a full recovery.

According to KCTV, four other dogs were rescued from hot cars that same day — tragically, two did not survive.

Even with the windows cracked open, the temperature inside a car on a warm day can quickly rise. If you see a dog inside a hot car and can’t find the owner, call 911. O’Rear told KCTV that if you break a window to save the dog, you probably won’t be cited, although the owner could slap you with a civil lawsuit.

Last month, Tennessee passed a groundbreaking law that allows anyone to break a car window if an animal is suffering inside, without being punished for their good deed. Hopefully other states will do the same.

The Chihuahua’s owners, a married couple from Carrollton, Mo., was cited with a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty.

He’ll Live the ‘Life of a King’

On Wednesday, O’Rear surprised his daughters when he took them to KC Pet Project’s Zona Rosa shelter to meet their new family member: the Chihuahua he’d saved. The pup’s original owners had signed him over to O’Rear.

“The family, including grandparents, uncles and aunts, representatives from Banfield Pet Hospital at PetSmart who helped stabilize him after they pulled him from the car, the partner of the police officer, and many members of the local media were present for the fun surprise and the happy adoption,” KC Pet Project wrote on its Facebook page.

The O’Rear family has not yet named their lucky dog. “He is like a puppy, and he gets wound up,” his new dog dad told the Kansas City Star. “He likes to nap, and when he wakes up, he likes to go full speed.”

The dog has a feline playmate — a cat who O’Rear helped rescue from a sewer five years ago.

Last week, O’Rear and his fellow officers received the Compassionate Police Department Award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). It’s a sure bet this is just the first of many accolades that will be coming their way.

“I want to make sure that he lives pretty much a life of a king for the rest of his life because of what he went through,” O’Rear told KCTV. “I think we’ll be able to provide that.”

Photos via Facebook; Facebook

Elderly California Man Punches Bear to Save His Chihuahua

At the age of 73, Carl Moore probably knows it’s not the greatest idea to punch a bear. But when he saw one roam into his front yard last week in Placer County, Calif., and head toward his Chihuahua, Lacy, the senior citizen sprang into action.

“I raised both hands in the air and I cussed at him, ‘Rraarrrr! Get out of here, you bastard!'” Moore, a former U.S. Marine, told CBS Sacramento. “He looked at me like, ‘Go eff yourself.'”

So Moore walked up to the bear and slugged him in the face.

“Boom! I hit him hard,” he told CBS Sacramento. He said a witness told him he “damn corkscrewed his head.”

The startled bear took off, leaving Lacy unharmed.

“The man or beast I run from ain’t been born, and his mama’s already dead,” Moore said.

“I ain’t run from nothing. I never have in my whole life, and I ain’t going to start now. And you’re not going to sacrifice my babies for some damn bear.”

If there were such thing as a Wild Animal Fight Club for seniors, Moore might be joined by Steve Gustafson of Orlando, Fla. In 2012, the then 66-year-old grandfather punched a 7-foot-long alligator in the nose to get it to release his West Highland White Terrier, Bounce.

“It couldn’t feel any better,” Gustafson told WOFL. “It’s not like saving your child, but it’s pretty close. She’s my best friend.” Bounce needed a couple of stitches, but was otherwise okay.

Photo via Twitter

TSA Agents Discover Stowaway Chihuahua in Checked Suitcase

When a woman was packing her suitcase earlier this week, she didn’t notice that her 7-year-old Chihuahua had hopped inside it.

As U.S. security agents were inspecting checked baggage for an American Airlines flight from New York’s La Guardia Airport Tuesday, an alarm went off. They expected to uncover something like a gun, knife or perhaps a gas-filled chainsaw (it’s happened).

Instead, they found the Chihuahua, alive and well, and staring up at them.

“TSA worked with the airline to identify the owner, and the two were happily reunited,” reads the caption of a photo posted by the Transportation Security Administration on Instagram, with the appropriate hashtag #TSAGoodCatch.

When TSA contacted the Chihuahua’s dog mom, “she was just as surprised as the TSA officer who found it,” spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said in a statement today.

While pets are sometimes allowed in the cargo hold of airplanes, they need to be in airline-approved crates — not in hard-sided suitcases with no breathing holes.

As the TSA noted in the photo caption, “It’s always important to double check your bags before traveling, especially to make sure your Chihuahua hasn’t stowed away inside one of them.”

The Chihuahua’s dog mom called her husband, who came and got the little stowaway, and took him home.

Photo via Instagram