We Were There

Given the festive time of year, I thought I would focus my year-end blog posts on happy endings. Some of the most touching stories arose from tragedy.

The ASPCA’s largest rescue effort this year was helping the animals left homeless following the tornadoes that devastated Joplin, Missouri. Several of our responders told me stories that I’ll never forget.

One of those involved a male setter mix dog who was quivering with fear in his kennel at the emergency shelter that had been set up for animals rescued following the tornadoes. One of the ASPCA’s responders built trust with the dog by patiently hand feeding him, until finally the dog allowed us to put a leash on him to take him for a walk.

Walking this terrified dog was challenging, as he pulled with all his might in the same direction. No matter which way the handler tried to direct him, the dog insisted on going in a single southward direction.

A few hours after the walk, a man was walking through the shelter trying to find his missing dog. When the man and the setter mix saw each other, the formerly-timid dog leapt up with excitement and started barking, howling and wagging his tail furiously. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, this man and this dog had belonged to each other before the tornadoes. The man pointed out where their home had been and, sure enough, that dog had been pulling his handler earlier in the day in the direction of where their home had been.

After the man and his beloved dog were reunited, we were hoping for similar joyous reunions. ASPCA responders talked frequently to an 18-year-old woman and her brother who visited the Joplin emergency shelter desperately trying to find the woman’s cat. Like countless others, this woman had lost almost everything she owned, but she clung to a dirty photo of her 16-year-old cat.

The cat the woman was desperately seeking was missing an ear and looked every one of his 16 years. Each time the woman visited the shelter and could not find her cat, she assumed the worst and broke down in tears. As the woman was leaving after one such heart-wrenching search, she saw a rescuer carrying a cat in a crate. She held up the picture of her beloved cat, and the rescuer said that he thought he had the cat. The woman looked in the crate, saw her cat, and collapsed on the ground while hugging the crate and crying along with her brother.

As news reports focus on must-have holiday gifts, I can’t help but think about the people who lost all their material possessions, yet felt so blessed to have found their beloved companions. Happy holidays, everyone!

On November 7, ASPCA responders helped remove 175 small dogs from an Arkansas puppy mill. These sweet and frightened dogs were suffering from various diseases and ailments, but after six weeks under our care, they’re feeling much better...and now the dogs—and some puppies born after the raid—are ready to find their forever homes!

We worked with our Shelter Partners to find space for these brave little pups, and organizations in Arkansas, New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., stepped up to the plate. Today, we packed up our Animal Transport Trailers and hit the road.

Here’s where these brave little pups are being welcomed with open arms:

• Twenty dogs stayed close to home with Arkansas’ Stop Animal Cruelty in Hot Spring County.
• St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, New Jersey, is taking in 30 dogs.
• Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees, New Jersey, has accepted 20 dogs.
• Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA in Hudson, New York, will find homes for 10 dogs.
• And Washington Animal Rescue League in Washington, D.C., will welcome 100 dogs!!

A huge thank you to our Shelter Partners for giving these former victims of a cruelty a second chance at finding love and companionship.

The ASPCA Animal Relocation Team hit the road this week to help dogs in South Carolina get a second chance at shelters in Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Kristen Limbert, ASPCA Animal Relocation Manager, shares her notes on the operation.  

Greetings from Ohio! It took us nearly 11 hours to reach the Capital Area Humane Society, with two stops along the way to check on our passengers. Save for some minor motion sickness, everyone is doing great—those tails are still wagging!

We arrived last evening and were greeted by a small but dedicated crew who had stayed late to welcome their new guests: Sugar, Bonnie, Clyde, Kristy, Sukie, Flower, Kaylie, Phineas, Rosie and Belle. They are all so cute, but I think Rosie is my favorite of this group—I'm a sucker for a dog with an underbite. Capital Area Humane Society has a great adoption program, so we have no doubt they'll be able to find great families.

The staff helped us get the remaining dogs fed, watered and walked before getting back on the road—it's a long way to our next stop in Wisconsin. The plan is to drive through the night and arrive at the Bay Area Humane Society in Green Bay by morning. There, the next 11 dogs will take their first step off the truck and on to their new lives!

Stay tuned for a message from our next stop, in Wisconsin.

Read more about the Relocation Team's trip:
Day One
Day Three
Day Four

While our first responders have spent much of the summer rescuing animals from floods and hurricanes, another great threat has emerged across parts of the country: extreme drought.

Stretching across Texas, Oklahoma and other southern states, the lack of rain means a lack of food for hundreds of rescued horses. It’s heartbreaking.

“With practically no hay and nothing but dirt to graze on, equine rescues and sanctuaries are struggling to feed their animals,” says Jacque Schultz, ASPCA Senior Director of Community Outreach. “The hay has to be trucked in from out of state leaving groups hard-hit by both soaring hay prices and high transportation costs.”

In response to the devastating conditions, the ASPCA has provided equine rescues with $250,000 in emergency funds to cover the cost of food. But we still need your help. Learn how you can take action to help horses today.