Everyone who does animal rescue sooner or later encounters animal abuse. The horror and heartbreak are sickening. But we should not feel helpless in the face of it. Instead, we must speak up for the voiceless animals who suffer at the hands of sadists and monsters.
As Hurricane Laura was developing into a real threat, our Emergency Rescue Team began reaching out to our partner shelters in Louisiana and Texas to see what help we could provide. As always, supplies were at the top of the list, and clearing the shelters of as many homeless dogs and cats as we could to make room for those that would be displaced from their homes and families by this devastating storm.
The staff waited expectantly as the lifesaving transport pulled onto North Shore Animal League America’s Port Washington, N.Y. campus on a weekday evening with 29 tiny kittens aboard, completing their journey to safety.Five of these innocent, young kittens had already been through so much hardship during their short lives. These babies had been abandoned with their mom when the tenant of a rural Virginia property just moved away and left them behind.
Kitten Season sounds wonderful, but it is a tragic situation. It’s the time of year when thousands of unwanted litters of kittens are born. These kittens often find their way to overcrowded shelters where they are often euthanized. Others roam the streets in search of food and shelter, often being subject to illness and injury. Wolfie and Nicholas are two kittens whose stories could have been drastically different if they had not found their way to our Pet Health Centers.
Cinderella, Brooklyn, and Emory, three neglected and abandoned mama dogs who came north with their pups to our Port Washington, NY campus on a rescue from Georgia earlier this year, have all found loving, responsible homes.
North Shore Animal League America often rescues pregnant dogs or dogs with litters of puppies. Recently, two sweet mama dogs arrived with their pups on a rescue transport from Tennessee. Sadly some of their pups starting showing possible signs of canine parvovirus. The ones who tested positive were placed right away in isolation in our Freed Special Recovery Center. Thanks to this vital resource, our special procedures, and amazing staff, there is good news for the pups!
Pets, especially hunting and sporting dogs that love to swim, farm animals, wildlife, fish, and even people are at risk of getting sick and even dying from harmful algal blooms. These blooms are increasing around the world and the United States is seeing its fair share. In particular, our country’s freshwater ponds and lakes are being affected and the deadliest blooms are formed of blue-green algae or cyanobacteria. You should also be aware that this bacteria can grow in backyard fountains, garden pots, birdbaths, and anywhere there is stagnant water.
I am a very lucky person in more ways than I can count. And among the luckiest things in my life is my wonderful family, which always included animals. In fact, my parents firstborn was a Collie mix named Suzie-Dog, and we treated her as a member of our family — because that’s what she was.
In a post COVID-19 world many families are facing more schedule changes as parents prepare to go back to work and children to camp, and back to school. How do you help prepare your pets so it will be less stressful for them? First, remember that all cats and dogs are individuals and what causes stress for some, may not cause stress for others. Here are some general suggestions from our pet behavior experts.
Recently, the Mobile Rescue Unit, piloted by our Rescue Team, pulled onto the North Shore Animal League Campus in Port Washington, N.Y. filled with more than 30 puppies and dogs from a new shelter partner, Animal Rescue Fund (ARF) of Mississippi.