July Pets of the Month
This is Daisy, wearing her flower tag and posing in a patch of Trillium flowers for the perfect flower-themed portrait!
Thanks to Beth Reed of Kingston, ON for this nice pic.
And this is Hermione, an 18 month old beauty enjoying her fish taco while checking out the views outside.
Many thanks to Catharine Scott of Salt Lake City, UT for this cute pic!
Thank you to everyone who has submitted pictures of their pets! If you have a great picture of your pet (showing off our tag would be nice!), you can submit it here.
If you haven't seen your picture submission in our newsletter, check out our facebook page. Once there, you can see lots of pet pics, submit more and chat with us or other pet fans!
Pup Survives Crash ...and More
Michael Crocker is a college student in Alabama. When the semester ended in May, he packed up his SUV for the long road trip home to Orange, CA. He was especially excited to introduce his new pup, four-month-old Bella, to his family. In his eagerness to get home, he did something that most of us have probably done at one time or another; he pushed himself farther than he should have.
He was on I-40, east of Flagstaff, AZ when he fell asleep and went off the highway. His SUV rolled several times eventually ending up back near the freeway. His hand was so badly injured that first responders decided to airlift him to Phoenix. Despite being dazed and in shock, he repeatedly told the first responders that he needed to find his dog. There was no sign of her.
Michael's parents got the call no parent wants to get -but luckily, Michael was going to be okay. The next morning Michael's father, Willie Crocker, set off for Phoenix. After being assured by Michael that he was okay, his father promised to first stop in Flagstaff and look for Bella. He got the accident location from the police report and walked through the scrubby brush along the side of the freeway calling for Bella. Nothing. Over the next 12 days, he, his wife Mary and volunteers roamed ever-increasing circles near the accident scene, looking for any sign of the pup. They put up posters and used social media but as the days went by with absolutely no leads, it seemed that she must now be far away.
Cheryl Naumann has a non-profit group based in Phoenix, called HARTT- Humane Animal Rescue and Trapping Team and knows a lot about finding lost animals. She had heard about Bella and was planning to be in Flagstaff for Memorial Day weekend. She and another volunteer offered to help search. She suggested that in situations like this, the lost pet usually stays close to the accident scene. But it was her visit to the crash scene that provided the biggest lead; something wasn't right. She was able to track down the tow-truck driver and showed him her map. He pointed out the actual location and confirmed her suspicion- the police report was off by nearly a mile.
The Actual Crash Site-
It was already after 5 and the plan was to meet up with a group and start fresh in the morning. But Naumann decided not to wait. She went to the spot the tow-truck driver pointed out and immediately found the broken glass and debris that was oddly missing at the site they had been searching. She walked into the brush and began to take a video to show Michael's parents that she had found the actual site of the crash. As she is talking on the video, you can hear in the background, the unmistakeable whimper of a pup. The video abruptly ends as she shuts it off to turn and find the source of the sound. Seconds later, the video begins again as we see a small white pup hidden in the tall grass and yet only feet from the highway. Naumann's voice is noticeably emotional as she talks to Bella and untangles her leash which had become hopelessly tangled and knotted in the brush, effectively pinning her to this spot. Thirteen days since the accident and she'd likely been trapped there the whole time.
Bella was alive and seemed okay but more heroics were going to be necessary. She was very thin and dehydrated, Naumann knew that her first food and water needed to be metered or it may harm her. Naumann contacted a local veterinarian but got the recording- closed for Memorial Day. She left a message and luckily got a call right back.
“Dr. Saul and his wife came in and immediately started working on Bella,” Naumann said. They found her temperature was below normal and that she was very anemic. She would need a blood transfusion.
Dr. Saul called a patient who has a dog named Ruger, a Great Dane who is a "universal donor", his blood is compatible with all other types. Almost unbelievably, Ruger and his owner arrived only fifteen minutes later, ready to help. Bella was now on her way to a full recovery.
Back in California with Michael, both are doing very well, nearly back to normal. Read more, see all the pics and Naumann's video on the Arizona Daily Sun website.
Calming Shelter Dogs on Fourth of July
Everyone knows that most pets don't enjoy the raucous sounds of us silly humans celebrating the Fourth of July. Most pet owners make special arrangements to keep their furry kids indoors, in a quiet part of the home and do whatever else they can to keep their stress down.
But what about pets who happen to be in shelters on the Fourth? They're already in an uncomfortable and lonely situation. Add the boom of fireworks and it's not hard to picture how stressed and scared some may become.
Down in Brevard County, Florida, Sheriff Wayne Ivey came up with a great plan. He got a group of inmates, already cleared for work release, to do a little extra work on the night of the Fourth. The inmates spent the night at the shelter, playing, cuddling and feeding treats to the pets there. Some even spent time reading to the animals. Certainly just having people around to calm them made a significant difference.
"Our goal is to not only help calm the dogs but also to help build and instill a sense of purpose and compassion in the inmates that will hopefully aid them as they transition back into society once they have served their time". Ivey said on the Sheriff's Facebook page.
Way to go Sheriff Ivey and those that participated! Programs like this need to spread to shelters everywhere.
Video Funny
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Okay- so there may be more going on here than just showing pictures... but it's still impressive!
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Watch this little guy dance to the music while he gets his hair done. Cute! |
Cute Pets from the Internets...
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