Author: SPCAI Staff

A Safe Haven for Farm Animals: R.A.S.T.A.

by SPCAI Staff
By Emma Koeniger, SPCA International staff Lucie Cerny founded the Rescue and Sanctuary for Threatened Animals (RASTA) in 2001. Located on the east coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, R.A.S.T.A. provides a no-kill and cage-free permanent home to farm animals, as well as dogs and cats. Offering an interactive experience to the visiting public, Lucie and the RASTA volunteers aim to educate and promote compassion for all creatures great and small. R.A.S.T.A. is addressing an underserved animal community by providing advocacy and shelter to abused and neglected farm animals. The sanctuary is currently home to over 50 Pot Belly pigs; a steer by the name of Theo who was an abused veal calf, 2 goats, 2 donkeys, a miniature horse, geese and ducks. Each of these beautiful animals was the victim of abuse, neglect and/or saved from slaughter. Recently our Program Manager, Lori Kalef, visited Lucie and the animals she cares for at R.A.S.T.A.. She learned about the heartbreaking stories of these animals, the abuse that they’ve gone through. One that stood out in particular to her was Rudy, a potbelly pig who was over-bred for the “Micro Mini” and “Tea Cup Potbelly Pig” fad. No potbelly pig is meant to stay small, and uneducated fad fans quickly abandoned their pigs as they grew too large for their space. Because of the abuse Rudy endured, he walks with a terrible limp and a rounded spine, but he is still the most affectionate and gentle animal you could ever meet. Having recently moved to a new location, the R.A.S.T.A. team has a lot of work ahead of them. Having built all the enclosures and gates by their own manpower, they now plan to refurbish a barn on their new property with the help of an SPCA International grant. SPCA International is proud to support such a dedicated group of individuals giving homeless farm animals the love and attention they need to safely and happily live out their lives as they are meant to be. Want to know even more?! Visit their website: http://www.rastarescue.org/

Mission ‘Tails’: Brew & Dushka Updates + 21 Other Rescues Underway

by SPCAI Staff
By Lori Kalef, Program Manager Happy 2016! This year has already proved busy for our Operation Baghdad Pups: Worldwide team. While many of us were busy with holiday activities, our OBP: Worldwide team was coordinating last minute rescues at the end of December in Iraq. Shortly thereafter, our New Year got off with a bang when we received an unexpected surge in applications for rescues out of Baghdad, Egypt and Kuwait. We couldn’t be happier to help our brave American servicemembers and veterans overseas! Brew & Sgt. David Recap & Update: Poor Brew, her first year of life was a tremendously difficult one until she met her savior, Sgt. David, on the streets of Kosovo. By the time they met, Brew had already been shot at and hit by a car, and had taken to living in a dumpster at a gas station close to the base where Sgt. David was stationed. Unable to take her on base due to strict military rules, he found creative ways to make sure she would get fed on a daily basis by commissioning a gas station attendant to leave food out for her. When Sgt David contacted us 6 months after meeting Brew, they had formed a bond so strong it could melt your heart. With your remarkable outpouring of support in November, Brew was taken to safety where she was cleaned up, given shots, and even a bed of her very own. Now, Brew has finished her necessary quarantine period and was picked up by our local partners. She now waits to be accompanied to the U.S. with another little pup named Tucker who gets to go home to his Soldier’s family in America as well! Sadly, Brew’s old injury to her paw is too severe and will need to be amputated. We expect Brew to arrive in the U.S. in late January or early February. We’ll continue to keep you updated on Brew’s journey and we encourage you to Like Us on Facebook for the timeliest information. Dushka & Christopher Recap & Update: One could say that adorable little Dushka was born into the arms of her savior, Christopher, who served in the U.S. Marine Corp for six years as a machine gunner before getting out, at which point he took it upon himself to volunteer with Kurdish forces in Iraq fighting ISIS. On his first day of service, searching through abandoned houses in Iraq, he came across a tiny little fur ball, just a few days old. He knew he couldn’t leave her behind because she didn’t stand a chance with all the stray packs of dogs competing for every morsel of food and territory. Over the next several weeks, he painfully noticed other puppies he suspected to be her littermates found dead; killed by older stray dogs unwilling to allow the puppies to grow up to be competition for food. Dushka lived and slept with Chris at the Kurdish outpost in a hut made of mud. For many weeks he shared his food rations with her. While Dushka and Chris had formed a very deep bond by now, the situation started getting more dangerous for Dushka and Chis had to urgently hand her off to one of our local volunteers to ensure her safety.  Since then, she has been vaccinated and quarantined – and today, 1/22/16, Dushka is in flight on her way to the U.S.  “Woohoo!” – we can wait to deliver her to the arms of Christopher’s parents in Massachusetts. We’ll continue to keep you updated on Dushka’s journey and we encourage you to Like Us on Facebook for the timeliest information. But that’s not all! We currently have 21 other dogs and cats waiting for rescue in Iraq, Kosovo, Kuwait and Egypt. Please help us continue our rescue efforts by sharing these stories with your friends and family on Facebook and through email.

Do You See That Doggie in the Shelter?

by SPCAI Staff

 

 

For the last 50 years children all over the world have sung, “How Much is That Doggie in the Window”. This song, while catchy, is about a puppy in a pet-store and encourages a culture of puppy-mills and backyard breeders, which all too often includes terrible animal abuse and neglect. SPCA Singapore partnered with SPCA International to promote a new version of this Patti Page classic. “Do You See That Doggie in the Shelter” speaks about the homeless dogs and cats all over the world, the animals that have so much love to give and in need of a home. The video made by SPCA Singapore features caricatures of real dogs available for adoption from their shelter. It is our hope that is version of the song becomes the new anthem of animal welfare organizations all over the world, and that all people move away from pet-stores and puppy mills and opt to adopt furry shelter animals. SPCA International has been able to help SPCA Singapore place a children's book similar to this video in pre-school and elementary classrooms throughout the U.S. and Canada. If you know a pre-school or elementary school that would like to add this book to their library, please contact us at [email protected].

Video: Tyapa Walking on Two Legs and Rehabilitation Update

by SPCAI Staff

By Emma Koeniger, SPCA International staff

 

*NOTE: Tyapa is available for adoption. The costs of adopting her are higher than average because of her current location in Russia and the resulting transportation needs. But this girl will be an amazing forever friend to whoever opens their heart and home to her. Please email us at [email protected] for the adoption application.

Many of you will remember this remarkable dog, Tyapa and her story of abuse and rescue from our emails in December. Tyapa had her two left paws brutally chopped off for no reason other than that she happened to wander onto an unfriendly farmer’s property. In an act of unthinkable evil, the property owner caught her in a noose, cut-off two of her paws and left her to suffer and die.  She miraculously dragged herself off of the farmer’s land with every ounce of strength she had left and here she found her rescuer. A volunteer from True Friend’s shelter in Astrakhanskaya Oblast, Russia, found her, and immediately brought her to the shelter team to receive veterinary care and attention. 

Since this attack Tyapa’s wounds have healed and she has learned how to run around on only 2 legs. AMAZING! She is only physically scared by the event that took place, her spirit still shines bright. The video above shows Tyapa walking on a leash and how sweet her soul is.

We’ve pledged that Tyapa’s story will not end here. We are continuing to work with the True Friend shelter to find Tyapa a home and outfit her with prosthetic legs so that she will be able to run on all fours again. 

There are few animal shelters in Russia and only one in the 17,000 sq. mile region known as Astrakhanskaya Oblast. This region has a population of over 1 million people and exponentially more unwanted dogs and cats. The single shelter that serves this huge region is called True Friend, and they reached out to SPCA International this fall for assistance through our Shelter Support Fund program.  True Friends helps over 1,000 animals on a budget of only $35,000 USD annually. When we hear of an organization doing so much with so little, despite huge challenges, we don’t hesitate to pledge our support.

Once we started working with the True Friend shelter we learned about many dogs and cats that suffer horrible abused by the locals, like Tyapa. There are countless dogs at True Friend who have experienced similar cruelty, but have unbreakable spirits; we endeavor to provide True Friend with the support they need to continue the amazing work they’ve already begun and do even more for the countless animals in their huge region in desperate need of their love and care.

 

Mission ‘Tails”: November OBP: Worldwide Rescue Update

by SPCAI Staff
By Lori Kalef, Program Manager Our Operation Baghdad Pups: Worldwide program has really gone worldwide this year!  In the past few weeks, we were able to rescue 7 dogs and cats befriended by our service men and women stationed overseas in Eastern Europe and Iraq. With welcomed help from our partners in Romania, who drove hundreds of miles to the U.S. military base outside Bucharest and another in Kosovo, 4 dogs and 2 cats were reunited in the U.S. with the Soldiers who befriended them. Their anxious military families welcomed them home in the United States with open arms. These 6 rescues were complicated and like all other OBP: Worldwide missions, the list of logistics could fill up this entire page. Nonetheless, each animal made it home safely and some of our team members got to meet their arrivals at various locations along the way. You can watch the news coverage of three of these reunions in Portland, Oregon. Those 6 Eastern European rescues were a breeze compared to the many challenges that keep piling up for our missions out of Iraq. Multiple setbacks have delayed a mission to bring back 3 dogs belonging to Soldiers who are patiently awaiting their arrivals. You see, there are no rules in Iraq, even well-known airlines cannot guarantee a booking, and export and security regulations can change on an hourly basis. After many days of work to bring the dogs to safety to our kennel, obtain their paperwork, and triple confirm our flights – our local volunteer arrived at the airport and the airline decided to change the aircraft size without notice, and the 3 dogs and volunteer were turned away. Hours later we were on the phone with every airline that departed from Iraq and all but one had changed their animal transporting rules days before. We booked a second flight with another airline, but they too came back with new regulations just days later. We were finally able to secure a second volunteer and booked two flights and separated the dogs. Alas – 24 hours before departure, the airline went on strike! One of our volunteers was able to depart several days later, but not without further complications. Once they reached their layover destination, the airline cancelled the second flight to the U.S. and left them stranded in Germany! With only hours to spare, an airline stepped up and even donated a cage to our cause and beautiful Mitsy made her way into the loving arms of her military saviour in the U.S. Foxy and Emma remain in Iraq, and last week we received more bad news that all commercial flights are canceled due to an insurgence of ISIS from Syria.  But as we know, things in Iraq can change at the drop of a hat and we’ll get back on track with these rescues who are now set to leave again this coming Saturday, all paws crossed! Our program is expanding at record speed and new applications from Soldiers arrive in my inbox more frequently than ever. The bonds formed between Soldier and dog or cat is profound and each story warms our hearts and motivates each rescue with compassion and urgency. Like the story of little Brew who has been living in a trashbin in Kosovo who was shot and run over by a car. Sgt David  only dreamed he could bring her to the U.S. and give her a good life, now that is becoming a reality because of your compassion and support. The OBP: Worldwide team will stop at nothing to bring back the beloved four-legged buddies who have gotten our heroic men and women through some of the roughest deployments, because they too stop at nothing to keep us safe. Stay tuned to our Facebook page in the next following days for more news!

Sharing the Holidays with Your Pets

by SPCAI Staff

By Emma Koeniger, SPCAI Staff

The holiday season is upon us, a time for families and friends to get together to share some cheer and good food. Our furry friends are never hard to find during this time of year, usually sitting right by our feet to catch any delicious treat that might hit the floor. While we may have a second helping of apple pie or sweet potato casserole our dogs and cats should steer clear of these and other ingredients found in holiday treats.  

Onions: Found in many dishes during the holiday season, onions, garlic, leeks and scallions should not be fed to your pets. Ingesting these in large quantities can lead to toxic anemia.

Xylitol: An artificial sweetener, which can be found in pies and cranberry sauce, can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), seizures, liver failure, and even death in dogs.

Turkey: While you can feed your pet cooked turkey, make sure it is boneless. If your pet does not regularly receive turkey only give them a small amount as large amounts can cause pancreatitis. Avoid offering the bones of the turkey to your pet, poultry and other soft bones can easily splinter.

Grapes: Found in stuffing, cakes and cookies this fruit (including raisins) can cause acute liver failure if ingested.

There are many ways to make your pets part of the celebration, and while they may act like they want these foods they will thank you for keeping them happy and healthy. Try this recipe so your dog can have a festive (and healthy) treat!

Peanut Butter & Pumpkin Dog Treat
-2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
-2 eggs
-1/2 canned pumpkin (ensure that it is 100% pumpkin, no other ingredients like sugar)
-2 tablespoons peanut butter (check the label for xylitol, many peanut butters have changed their recipes to include this toxic sweetener)
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1.    Preheat your oven to 350F
2.    Mix together all ingredients. The dough should be dry and stiff, if needed you can add water to make it more workable.
3.    Roll dough into a ½ inch thick roll and slice into ½ inch pieces
4.    Bake for 40min or until hard.

Holiday Gift Ideas from SPCA International Staff

by SPCAI Staff

By SPCA International Staff

Emma’s Recommendation:

Kuma Sweater.pngIn our household we are lucky to celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. Our Shiba Inu, Kuma, received this talking Gefilte Fish last year for Hanukkah and he loves it, we love that it shouts “Oy Vey!” when squeezed. For Christmas he donned his hand knit Christmas sweater. He’s built for colder climates and this sweater fits him well and doesn’t make him overly warm. Plus he looks very dashing in all Christmas photos! To get your own Gefilte Fish or instructions on how to knit your own dog (or cat) a sweater follow the links below!

Gefilte Fish: http://www.amazon.com/Multipet-Look-Whos-Talking-Gefilte/dp/B000I1O7W8
Knit a Dog Sweater: http://www.talkingtails.com/sweater.htm

Anne’s Recommendation

Kitty Igloo.pngI bought this cat igloo for my kitties Charlie and Knowledge for Christmas and they absolutely love "hiding" inside it. They have spent many hours racing through it and wrestling with each other to have the chance to play inside their little fort.
http://www.petsmart.com/cat/toys/whisker-city-pet-holiday-bright-woods-igloo-cat-toy-zid36-5241302/cat-36-catid-200021

Stephanie’s Recommendation

main.pngI recommend any Nina Ottosson dog or cat toy as a great holiday gift for your furry friend. Nina has created ingenious puzzles to exercise their minds in every season – indoors and out. These puzzles are practically indestructible and can be made more challenging as your pet catches on. They are years of fun! Here are links to a couple of my favorites – but there are many to chose from. Just search Nina Ottosson dog or cat toys.

Dog Puzzle: http://www.amazon.com/Company-Animals-Ottosson-Brick-Interactive/dp/B001KZ4WJE
Cat Puzzle: http://www.amazon.com/Nina-Ottoson-Treat-Maze-Interactive/dp/B005PMQV5Q

Lori’s Recommendation

LoriGift.pngWhy do dogs like plus squeaky toys so much? Some say it's because it brings them back to their ancestral roots by replicating the sound and feeling of chasing their prey in the wild. Whatever it is, my dogs just can't seem to get enough and watching them go 'wild' with delight is enough of a reason for me! Find these at your local pet store.

Meredith’s Recommendation

2661_xlarge.pngLilah loves these Skinneeez toys because they squeak and I love them because they limit the mess made by a pup who loves to rip the stuffing out of every toy she receives. They make great tug-of-war ropes and are easy for her to toss around in the air while playing. So far she has a duck, a fox and a raccoon in her collection and she's asking Santa for a skunk and a lion to add to the pack!

Skinneeez Dog Toys: http://www.ethicalpet.com/cat/skinneeez

 

 

 

 

 

Shop for these and other toys at Amazon.com and support SPCA International's Smile Program!
https://www.spcai.org/other-ways-help/shop-amazon/

Cue the Balloons and Confetti: 500th Military Pet Grant Awarded!

by SPCAI Staff
Every week SPCA International receives requests for help from U.S. military families who have nowhere else to turn. These desperate families have received Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders requiring them to move from their current military station to another – sometimes halfway around the world. The military pays for many of their moving expenses, but not the cost of transporting their dog or cat, and in many cases that cost can be downright shocking. When military families are overwhelmed and have nowhere else to turn, SPCA International is here to help with Operation Military Pets grants that ease their heavy hearts. This month we hit a milestone! We gave out our 500th Operation Military Pets grant to the Pittmans, a U.S. Air Force family! The Pittmans adopted Jazz when they were stationed in Hawaii. They couldn’t imagine their lives without her, but the cost of transporting her was far more than they could manage. That’s when they reached out to SPCA International. They say Jazz is the glue that holds their family together. Thanks to this great SPCA International program – her home is and always will be with the Pittman family! We are thrilled to award them our 500th OMP grant. Learn More About This Program.

Climate Change Is Killing Iconic Species

by SPCAI Staff

By Emma Koeniger, SPCAI staff

As the cold weather and shorter days starts to encroach upon us we will start to leave our lights on longer and turn our heaters on. The fossil fuels used to generate this energy are responsible for 23 billion tones of CO2 annually. The carbon dioxide is making our planet warmer and our oceans more acidic. But how does this impact wildlife?

The species in the Coral Triangle, located in the western Pacific Ocean, is also feeling the effects of climate change. Not only is it home to 600 different species of coral, 2000 types of reef fish, and six species of marine turtles; it is also utilized as a feeding and breeding ground for large types of marine animals such as sharks and whales. Due to the increasing acidity of the ocean algae, which supply coral with food, are dying off causing the coral to starve and bleach. Without the coral the 2000 different species of reef fish will be without a home, feeding grounds for hundreds of other marine wildlife will be non-existent.

Polar bears rely on swimming to get them to ice flows. These ice platforms are used for hunting, resting and mating. However due to warming in the Arctic these ice platforms are getting smaller and smaller. Due to unstable ice polar bears are forced to stay on shore and rely on stored fat until they are able to go back out onto the ice. Because of this instability, many polar bears are suffering from malnutrition as their time ashore continues to increase.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Wildlife in every corner of the world are severely impacted by carbon pollution. We are capable of helping these animals by making small changes in our everyday lives by cutting down on the amount of electricity we use, eating sustainable and locally sourced food, reducing our meat consumption, and not using our cars for 1 or 2 days out of the week. If we all make these changes polar bears, the complex ecosystems of the coral reefs and so thousands of other impacted species won’t be lost to the world of picture books.

Save Animals Facing Extinction: Groundbreaking Initiative in WA

by SPCAI Staff

By Stephanie Scott, Director of Communications

SPCA International is proud to support Washington state's groundbreaking ballot initiative 1401 – Save Animals Facing Extinction. If passed by voters in November, this initiative will make it a crime in Washington to traffic 10 species threatened with extinction in part due to the market for their body parts. I-1401 states "There is broad consensus that the trafficking of animals threatened with extinction continues to grow at an alarming pace, threatening an increasing variety of animal species including elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, lions, leopards, cheetahs, pangolins, marine turtles, sharks, and rays, among others. These species are  threatened with extinction in large part due to the trafficking of their parts and products…The most effective way to discourage illegal trafficking in animal species threatened with extinction is to eliminate markets and profits." If I-1401 is passed by voters in November, violations of this law would carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $10,000 fine.

This is not the first significant progress on this issue made in recent months. In early September, the California legislature passed a landmark bill banning the sale of elephant ivory and rhino horns throughout the state. And in late September, President Obama and President Xi Jinping of China pledged to join forces to end the ivory trade. 

If Washington state joins California in banning the trafficking of endangered animal parts, it will effectively end the import of these goods at two of the three busiest ports in the U.S., and almost the entire West Coast.

If you are registered to vote in Washington state, please vote Yes on I-1401.