I Walk For at Humane Society Walk for the Animals

Transcription

1 I Walk For at Humane Society Walk for the Animals DIRECTIONS: The following true stories are excellent examples of animals that you and your fellow walkers will help by participating in the Walk for the Animals. You are invited to use one of the stories below on your personal fundraising page by copying the text. The photographs are located in your Participant Center main page. THE WASHINGTON HUMANE SOCIETY Ophelia animals that need our help, like Ophelia. Ophelia was found on the street as a stray, and brought to the shelter by a Good Samaritan who knew she needed immediate help. She was severely underweight and suffering from an infection around her neck due to an embedded collar. Ophelia needed immediate medical attention by a veterinarian. The veterinarian determined that the collar around Ophelia s neck had been placed on her when she was a small kitten, and now that she was a full grown cat, her flesh had literally grown around the collar, which had become embedded in her skin. The veterinarian removed the collar, and Ophelia was prescribed a healthy diet to help her gain weight. After a few weeks of recovery in a foster home, Ophelia was adopted. Ophelia has blossomed in her new home, the fur around her neck has grown back and she is back to a healthy weight. Her lonely and painful days on the streets have been replaced with happy days filled with catnip and naps snuggled-up with her new brother Henri. Ophelia (pictured on the right). Spock animals who need our help, like Spock. Spock was adopted from the Washington Animal Rescue League in Washington, DC after he was rescued during the largest puppy mill raid in Tennessee history. The Humane Society of the United States and local authorities led the rescue of nearly 700 dogs from the Lyles, TN puppy mill. Spock was terribly ill and was suffering without treatment from a disease causing severe musculo-skeletal weakness and a condition that made it difficult to swallow food. He was severely underweight and could not walk more than 20 feet without collapsing, When he would attempt to urinate, he would fall over from weakness. Spock could not keep food down due to his diseases, undernourishment and weakness. Fortunately, the story has a happy ending. After specialty vet care, daily medications and lots of TLC, he has put on his jogging shoes to join his dog sister for daily walks. He now has put on upwards of 15 pounds and is enjoying life outside a puppy mill. Spock s mom writes: After specialty vet care, daily medications and lots of TLC, he has put on his jogging shoes to join his dog sister for daily walks, has put on upwards of 15 pounds and is enjoying life. But, the moral of the story is that puppy mills are immoral. Spock The Washington Humane Society and The Humane Society of the United States. All rights reserved.

2 Hop Along Cassidy animals who need our help, like Hop Along Cassidy. Cassidy, who has also become known as Hop Along, was rescued by a Washington Humane Society Humane Law Enforcement Officer on a hot August afternoon after receiving an anonymous tip about a dog chained in a backyard with no shelter, food or water, and an apparent injury to a back paw. When the Officer investigated, he found a chocolate lab curled-up in a corner of the backyard, weighed down by a heavy tow chain wrapped around her neck. When the dog awoke she immediately began wagging her tail wildly with excitement. As she rose from the dirt patch she had called home, the Officer saw that she was emaciated. When she tried to walk forward to greet the Officer, he noticed her rear right paw was completely missing, leaving her bone exposed, with a severely infected wound. After knocking on the front door and finding that no one was home, the Officer posted a notice and rushed the dog to an emergency veterinarian. It was quickly determined that the dog s condition was due to starvation and neglect. She was determined to be about one-year-old, and upon examination of her rear leg, a team of veterinarians recommended that the leg be amputated. The Officer located the owner, and the owner agreed to give WHS full custody of the dog. The owner revealed to the Officer that the dog had been playing in the back-yard when her foot became tangled in the clothesline. After weeks of having the clothesline wrapped painfully around her back paw, cutting off circulation, she was forced to chew off her own foot to free herself from the clothesline. Cassidy pulled through surgery like a champ. After a few months of recovery in a foster home she was adopted into a permanent home. Her new adopters found Cassidy while visiting our web site, and immediately knew she was meant to be a part of their family. Their niece suffers from a physical disability, and they were comforted by the thought of having Cassidy at her side to help her cope with her own daily struggles. They knew Cassidy would instantly become her friend and show her that she s able to triumph over her own disability. Nonie animals who need our help, like Nonie. their new families. This is Nonie s story: Nonie was used to breed the puppies sold by Thornton s deplorable conditions. Many suffered from serious medical ailments including imbedded chain collars, ringworm and eye and skin infections. Six months later, most of these dogs have been adopted into permanent homes that will provide them with the love, respect and companionship they deserve. Nonie (labeled "No Name" on her paper work) was a heavily matted and malnourished breeder Maltese who lived in one of the many filthy, cold, cramped cages in the puppy mill for the first years of her life. Due to the large number of animals rescued, Nonie was one of many who were moved to shelters in other states to avoid overcrowding local agencies. She was transported to the SPCA of Tampa Bay, Fla. where her new life began. Soon after, a nice couple came to meet her. Nonie hobbled over to them and fell into their arms - it was love at first sight. Nonie was in poor condition. She was diagnosed with dislocated knees and her paws were still stained and burned from years of standing in her own urine. She had also lost a lot of fur. Today, Nonie is a new dog. Her adopter, Marsha Stevens-Pino, reports that Nonie s fur has grown back white and fluffy and she looks taller now that her dislocated knees have been treated. Nonie has learned what treats are, how to eat from people s hands and now knows what it means to go for a walk. Her favorite activity however, seems to be the simple pleasure of a good tummy rub. Nonie. Hop Along Cassidy.

3 Ticketat animals who need our help, like Ticketat. One day a woman came in to our shelter to surrender two ferrets. One of the two ferrets was found dead when surrendered and the other named Ticketat was severely malnourished, covered in urine, and extremely lethargic. The case was transferred to WHS s Humane Law Enforcement Division, and Ticketat was taken immediately to the veterinarian for an evaluation. The veterinarian found Ticketat to be suffering from neglect and starvation, as well as ear mites, intestinal parasites, anemia, and severe scalding on his feet due to urine. Ticketet was taken back to the shelter and given medical care, proper nutrition, a warm bed, and plenty of TLC by the staff. Just a week later Ticketat was brought back to the veterinarian for a check-up, and had gained 45% of his original body weight back. Ticketat was given a clean bill of health and was ready for adoption. Ticketat was then transported to a ferret rescue group, where he was soon adopted into a permanent loving home. The Humane Law Enforcement Officer obtained an arrest warrant for the owner and with the assistance of the Metropolitan Police Department she was arrested and charged with misdemeanor cruelty to animals. The owner is currently awaiting trial. Ticketat. Turtle animals who need our help, like Turtle. their new families. This is Turtle s story: Turtle was used to breed the puppies sold by Thornton s deplorable conditions. Turtle, a 13 year old Shih Tzu who had lived his entire life in a cramped, unventilated cage, could hardly walk when he arrived at the SPCA Tampa Bay shelter. Turtle was blind and suffered from chronic pain from glaucoma. One eye was shrunken due to scaring and the other eye was so large that he could no longer blink. Turtle needed his eyes removed to stop the pain. Turtle was taken to a veterinary ophthalmologist, Dr. Thomas Miller, who was so touched by Turtle s plight that he performed the surgery at no cost. There, Turtle caught the attention of a technician, Tracy Gould. Turtle would lick everyone s chins as if to say thank you for taking the time to pick me up. After a lot of Turtle s convincing chin licks and tail wags, Gould knew he was meant to join her family. Despite losing his eyes and the trauma of his past, Turtle seems to have adjusted perfectly with the family s two other dogs, two cats and rabbit. He has figured out what toys are and how to play with them and is learning how to walk on a leash, but still prefers to be carried. Turtle endured 13 years of neglect, but has finally found peace and a loving family to call his own. Turtle.

4 Everett animals who need our help, like Everett. When Everett, a 4-year-old Husky mix, came to the attention of the Washington Humane Society (WHS) he was in terrible condition. He was found chained in his yard with no shelter in freezing temperatures, and all he had to drink was dirty rainwater that had collected in a trashcan lid. On top of that he was emaciated, had severe ear infections in both ears and had a painful urinary tract infection. Everett s owner said that she thought that he looked great and since he was a husky, that he didn t need shelter. Our Humane Law Enforcement Officer advised her of the numerous violations that were found and what she needed to do to correct them. When our Officer returned to check on Everett she found that his owner had failed to correct the violations, so he was immediately taken into the care of WHS. The owner had never given her dog a name, so he was named Everett because it was New Year s Eve. He reached an ideal weight while in the shelter, but had on-going ear infections because his ears had never been treated. Despite his health concerns, Everett never once lost his sweet and friendly disposition. He was adopted by a young couple who now have this to say about him: Everett is doing wonderfully. He is such good company during the day and we have found that he really likes riding in the car! We actually took him with us to Williamsburg two weeks ago and he loved that. Everett. Chloe animals who need our help, like Chloe. their new families. This is Chloe s story: Chloe was used to breed the puppies sold by Thornton s deplorable conditions. Many suffered from serious medical ailments including imbedded chain collars, ringworm and eye and skin infections. Six months later, most of these dogs have been adopted into permanent homes that will provide them with the love, respect and companionship they deserve. Chloe was a one year old malnourished breeder Chihuahua who delivered two puppies several days after the raid. Because of Chloe s poor physical condition, only one puppy survived. About one week later, Chloe's milk dried up. Fortunately, the breed rescue group that had taken in Chloe, Chihuahua Rescue and Transport, Inc., was able to find another mother dog from the same mill willing to resume feeding the puppy. A local TV station that covered the puppy mill story featured Chloe s picture on the news. When Gina Dunwell-Rushing saw her, she knew Chloe would be the perfect addition to her family. When she met Chloe, the young Chihuahua was missing a lot of hair and was very frightened of people and everyday noises. When fed she would devour her food as if she feared it would be taken away at any moment. After months of loving care, Chloe has a beautiful thick, curly coat of hair and has learned to trust her new family. She is still learning that she doesn t have to devour her food, as she probably had to fight for it in the puppy mill. Chloe now knows how it feels to be loved and adored and enjoys running in the grass under the sunshine something she never experienced during her life in the puppy mill. Chloe.

5 Fat Cat and Kitty animals who need our help, like Fatty Cat and Kitty. One cold day in December a man called to report that his previous roommate had tortured and abused his 2 cats. An Officer was assigned to the case and was dispatched to the apartment and met with the suspect. When the officer arrived the suspect allowed her to enter the apartment to evaluate the cats. The officer crouched down and two orange and white shorthaired cats came running to greet her. Both cats were extremely friendly, but the officer quickly noticed that both cats had injuries to their tails, scabs on their bodies, and odd patterns of hair loss. The owner stated that he did not know why the cats were in that condition. The owner gave permission for the officer to transport the cats to a veterinarian for immediate medical treatment. Once at the hospital the veterinarian found that the injuries and scars were consistent with physical abuse and torture. The vet stated that both cats would need to have their tails amputated due to the amount of trauma. The officer followed-up with the original caller who reported the abuse to gather additional details on how the abuse occurred. The caller stated that the suspect would swing the cats around by their tails and gave other horrific details of torture. The officer persuaded the owner to surrender the cats into the custody of WHS. The cats, despite the awful abuse and trauma they experienced, showed willingness to trust and love again. They received the medical care they needed and have made a full recovery. Fat Cat and Kitty were adopted together into a loving new home, where they live today, and now go by the names of Butter and Jam. The suspect was arrested on January 19, His trial was held in July of 2009; he was found guilty of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. On July 29, 2009, he was sentenced to two years probation, and forced to pay restitution for all medical bills incurred by the Washington Humane Society. Fatty Cat and Kitty. THE WASHINGTON HUMANE SOCIETY Red, Pinto, and Brody animals who need our help, including a litter of abused puppies. One night in late September, six pit-bull terrier puppies were surrendered at our shelter. The puppies were severely underweight and their coats were matted with urine and feces. Due to the severity of the puppies condition, the Animal Control Officers called in WHS s Humane Law Enforcement department to investigate. The Officer responded to the call to evaluate the puppies and investigate the living conditions they were surrendered from. The puppies were immediately transported to the veterinary hospital as they were malnourished, emaciated, dehydrated, weak, and suffering from urine scalding on their paws. One of the puppies, later named Pinto, had such severe burns on his back leg, it was painful for him to extend it or place pressure on it. The veterinarian s diagnosis was positive, with a prescription of a proper diet, daily soaks in warm water to heal their burns, and some much needed TLC. The shelter staff cared for the puppies over the next two weeks until their next checkup. In the meantime, the Officer met with the owner to investigate further. The owner stated that because his male and female dogs were not spayed or neutered, they had accidentally mated. The owner quickly became overwhelmed by the amount of work involved in raising puppies. When he couldn t keep up with the cleaning and care, he put all six puppies in a wire crate and moved them to his back porch. While the puppies were out of his immediate living space, he became neglectful on the cleaning and feeding of them. The owner let them get to a point where he knew that he could not nurse them back to health and feared they would die. He made the decision to surrender them and to have his female dog spayed so this situation would not occur again. When the puppies returned for their follow-up visit to the veterinarian, the staff at the hospital could not believe how well they had all recovered. All of the puppies reached an ideal weight, their coats were shiny, and they had become normal boisterous and playful puppies. The puppies were all placed up for adoption and found new homes right away. Red, Pinto, and Brody.