Author: SPCAI Staff

A dog and cat’s life is a short one in Iraq. If they manage to escape the horrible abuse, they are likely to starve to death or die painfully due to illness or heat exhaustion. These animals are rarely shown any mercy for they are seen as worthless rodents, a nuisance to society.

There are very few individuals who would consider a dog or a cat a part of the home like we do in North America, so when US military and security personnel are deployed in Iraq, many of the animals attach themselves to those show them any form of kindness.

On our most recent Operation Baghdad Pups mission we were able to help 17 more lives escape their otherwise horrid fate. When we looked at the photos of the dogs and cats and read the letters from the brave Americans serving in Iraq who befriended these beautiful creatures, we knew we had to help get them home and we also knew it wouldn’t be easy!

Since flying into Baghdad where most of the animals were living is no longer an option, we needed many people holding hands across the country to facilitate their transport to safety in Erbil. Security workforces were kind enough to meet our hired driver with the animals, but meeting at a checkpoint outside the ‘red zone’ in Baghdad is certainly not like meeting at any regular street corner.

In Baghdad, the rules can change from one minute to the next, depending on which Iraqi guard is on duty. After close to three hours of bargaining before the sun even came up that day, the guard would still not let them pass the short distance to the van. However, in Iraq, it’s not always what you know, it’s who you know and luckily one of the security officials knew someone in a higher rank who was able to clear their departure, but not before they had to walk through the Red Zone with the frightened dogs and cat!

Once our team arrived in Erbil, the work of getting the animals ready for transport to the United States began. Every other day for 2 weeks, one rescue expert at a time, our group flew into Washington Dulles Airport with a crew of Baghdad Pups and cats. Meeting their arrivals brought tears to our eyes with each new wagging tail discovering US soil, some were even lucky enough to be reunited with their families right off the plane. This beautiful dog named George who spent many months with his human companion in Iraq, was so elated to see his dad, he launched himself right into his lap for a hug and wouldn’t let go!

 

 

 

 

Although Fred wasn’t able to meet his Houston family at the airport when he arrived, he clearly melted our hearts. With a wounded paw from a BB pellet shot at him in Iraq, the reality of life for an animal in the Middle East, he was immediately brought to the vet and taken into our care so we could keep a close eye on him. It was easy to see why Fred won the heart of his adopter while overseas. Here he is making friends with everyone at the hotel lobby!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before Lani came to her forever home in the U.S., she lived a life of constantly having to fend for herself. Luckily, she was befriended by a wonderful ex-Marine working in Iraq who quickly fell in love with her sweet nature. Lani is sure enjoying her new life at home!

 

 

 

 

Separated from his mom at a very early age, little Taboga attached himself to everyone who would meet him and the feeling was mutual! During his transition to his home in the U.S., he learned two very important things, how to play and how to sleep!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seeing the dogs excitedly walk on grass for the very first time was one of the best reflections of how your support enabled us to make this one of our most successful OBP missions to date!

We couldn’t have brought back 17 animals to their US families without your help.
Thank you for being part of the SPCAI team!

Submitted by Meredith Ayan, SPCAI Staff

All of my life, I’ve never been much of a carnivore, always gravitating toward vegetables. Well before I could have understood the realities of factory farming I just knew I didn’t want to eat animals. In fifth grade, I proudly announced to my parents that I wouldn’t eat “anything that had a face”. Luckily, I had a caring mother who would make a second vegetarian meal for me almost nightly, but it hasn’t stopped my father from offering me pork chops, steak or lamb still to this day, every chance he gets.

Not everyone shares my sentiments, and I understand that. The light that has been shed on industrial farming – the mass production of livestock and crops – in recent years has shown that nothing about these operations even resembles that of a traditional farm. These large-scale production plants are not even recognized as farms anymore and have been classified by the government as “Animal Feeding Operations”.

Animal activists have gone undercover and posed as factory workers to expose the horrors of these factories. The video footage alone is enough to make you swear you’ll go vegan, cold turkey. (Pun intended). Rolling Stone published an article in December 2013 that brought the issue to the mainstream media, no longer just the plight of “crazy animal people”. The article describes the horrid conditions, cruel torture and employment of animal abusers in these facilities. This goes beyond the issue of animal abuse to a concern of public health and safety. All for the pursuit of “cheap meat”.

“Ag-Gag” laws as they are commonly known, criminalize the act of interfering with an “animal enterprise”; which means that these undercover operations can no longer exist. At worst, it feels like censorship and a violation of citizens’ first amendment rights. At best, it sweeps the problem of animal cruelty under the rug. Nothing will be accomplished if we look the other way. Animal abuse is a very real problem in this industry, and without information, consumers cannot make informed decisions.

So what can we do? 1. Contact your local government and let them know you oppose these measures. 2. Buy local. By supporting local farms for your vegetable or meat purchases, you have more knowledge about where your food is coming from. 3. Cut back. Try to limit your intake of meat to one or two nights per week. With a little research and creative thinking you can make protein-packed, meat-free meals. The effect these small changes will have will add up if we all do our part to be conscious consumers!

This month we celebrate the first anniversary of SPCA International’s Operation Military Pets program. Over the past year, SPCA International has played a lifesaving role for 251 military families’ pets. For numerous financial reasons, each dog and cat faced the risk of having to be left behind – either in an already overcrowded animal shelter or handed off to someone else when their families moved to their next duty location. Thankfully 212 dogs and 37 cats were able to remain with their families because of SPCA International supporters.

The Operation Military Pets program was formed out of a concern that military families often have a difficult time coming up with the money to transport their pets when given military relocation orders. Since the military does not cover any of the costs to transport pets, and there are no other organizations that offer this kind of financial assistance, SPCA International decided to step forward and give hope to military families that find themselves in a potentially heartbreaking dilemma. During this last year, 173 families received Operation Military Pets grants. Families like the Unfreds who reached out to us when they were just weeks away from having to make one the hardest decisions in their life.

“I am requesting assistance because I don’t make very much money in the military and my wife and I just had a baby that was born on December 30, 2013. Benjamin is the greatest thing to happen to me, but I am finding it costs a lot of money to raise a child. Unfortunately, it also costs a lot of money to ship our dog Gus from overseas, but I could never leave him behind. My wife and I consider Gus to be our first child and he is a big part of our life. I was injured while on active duty and have to accept orders away from my family in order to get follow up surgeries, so knowing that Gus will be protecting my family while I am away takes a load off my mind. Thanks for helping my family.”

Each time we approve another grant, we know we are making a difference for a military family. As we celebrate the one year anniversary of Operation Military Pets, we are grateful that our supporters also recognize this unique way to help – and thank – members of the military and their pets at the same time. The need for this program’s services is undeniable and for this reason we are starting to prepare for the upcoming summer months – a busy time for the program when military families with children are on the move. Last summer we received as many as two to three applications per day and at times it become overwhelming. That is why we need help so we are able to keep up with the growing demand. There would be nothing worse than having to deny a family a grant because funds were not available and learning that a dog or cat – a member of their family – got left behind.

We just received the following email this week from the Rappa family, also desperate for an Operation Military Pets grant:

“Please help us!!! We just found out we are moving to Nashville, Tennessee next month! This was unplanned and unexpected. We got our orders today and we will be in Nashville on May 30th. We took our dogs to the vet yesterday for their annual checkup and shots and the bill was $728! I have a copy of the receipt. We had no idea the vet would cost us that much yesterday. We thought it would only be like $200 max. It is so expensive here in Hawaii. We are a large family of 5, not including our fur babies. We were quoted today from Delta $1,314.93 to fly Jack and Kona with us to Nashville. We don't have the money to do that. We also priced their XL crates that they will need and that's going to cost us $400. We are in a dilemma. Please help us. We move next month.”

How can we tell this family no? We can’t.

SPCA International has given out $134,875 in grants over the past year, a great accomplishment considering the short time the program has been in existence. It is our hope that Operation Military Pets continues to grow – resulting in more happy endings for military families and their pets.

When the Knopp family had to move and they absolutely did not have the money to fly their dogs Lolita and Sylvia, they left them behind with family. Settling into their new life in Hawaii was difficult for many reasons, but the hardest part was not having Lolita and Sylvia with them. When someone told the Knopp family about Operation Military Pets they could not believe that such a program existed. Now the Knopp household is filled with joy, knowing that their family will soon be together again and Lolita and Sylvia will no longer be spending their days sitting at the window wondering where their family went. Operation Military Pets gave this family a happy ending and the following email expresses their appreciation:

“Thank you for the incredible news, we are both humbled and so grateful for this grant. We can't wait to be reunited as a family, a moment you and this incredible organization is making possible.”

SPCA International hopes to have lots more emails like this to share in the years to come. Nothing would make us happier!

Submitted by Becky Haisma, Founder, Paws in the City, Dallas TX

In December 2013, 293 dogs were abandoned at a boarding kennel outside of Dallas, TX. They were abandoned by a rescue organization that ran out of funding and could no longer pay their boarding fees. The animal loving kennel owners spent their savings attempting to find homes for these abandoned animals. They were successful in placing 93 of the animals with local rescue groups and private homes. Now the remaining 200 face the risk of euthanasia without outside help. The kennel continues their efforts to get more placed and adopted, but without funds they are quickly running out of time.

Donations are desperately needed to pay for water, heat/air conditioning, electric, food, medicines and minimal staffing to feed, medicate, walk and exercise the dogs in play yards.

Most of the dogs are pits/pit mixes although there are about 50-70 that are "other" mixes. This makes it even harder to find placement. Some have been through the Prison Training Program.

Donations: can be made through a local non-profit, Paws of Hope, and their Happy Endings Relief Fund.
You can donate online at www.campdiggybones.com.

Checks can be mailed to:

Mail a check payable to: Paws of Hope
Camp Diggy Bones c/o Paws of Hope
10785 Hwy 205
Lavon, TX 75166

If interested in adopting or if you know a local rescue organization that can assist with relocation or placement please contact Thea at [email protected].

Click here to view photos and descriptions of the dogs in need of adoption or relocation. It is now life or death for each of these precious souls. Please help in any way you can.

As many of our supporters now know, SPCA International was honored to testify at the Congress of Deputies in Spain about Greyhound abuse issues in Spain on March 12th 2014. It was totally unexpected that we would have the opportunity to speak at this groundbreaking meeting, but we were delighted to get the chance to be a loud voice for Greyhounds of Spain and the rescue groups in Spain working diligently to stop the tradition of abuse and killing. We made brief spoken statements and also delivered an official letter that was submitted along with letters from six other organizations. The six letters introduced a multitude of complementary policy changes and ours focused on 1) that hunting with Greyhounds should be outlawed outright, and 2) new humane education programs should be implemented in the national curriculum.

My Spoken Statement:
I am Stephanie Scott and this is Meredith Ayan. We are from SPCA International based in the U.S. We are honored to join you and to represent the international animal welfare community here today.

The plight of Galgos in Spain is gaining international attention and we are so thankful for all the groups working tirelessly in Spain on behalf of Galgos. This community of activists is well represented here today and they are saving lives every day and facing incredible challenges in the process. Their work is truly commendable.

We are grateful to the Committee for listening and taking action on what you hear today. These beautiful and gentle creatures need a more powerful voice, and you can give it to them.

Thank you for inviting us to join you today. We look forward to being your partners as we work to improve life for every Galgo in Spain.

Meredith Ayan’s Spoken Statement:
Thank you very much for hosting us. We are so pleased to be here with so many dedicated organizations and happy to be representing North America and the international community. When I came here in September and made this video, and saw the Galgos firsthand I was very angry. But being here today, I am very happy, seeing so many people here to change the future of the Galgos. This issue is very important to us and we are eager to find a solution that will benefit these beautiful animals.

We have some very exciting news coming out of Dallas, Texas! Our friends at Lily Lane Home expect their next photo shoot to go to the dogs… literally. On April 5th, they will be holding a “Pup-arazzi” photo shoot in the Central Dog Park in Dallas, TX from 11 am – 4 pm. You can register your dog for one of 3 different looks (we love the “Prepster Pup”!) and after the shoot, supporters will vote for their favorite. The cost to enter is $20 and all donations will benefit SPCA International’s Operation Baghdad Pups program, bringing soldiers’ animals home from war-zones.

For more information, visit Lily Lane Home’s website: http://lilylanehome.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/pup-arazzi-2014-spca-international/

If you are in the Dallas area, you won’t want to miss this awesome event and chance for your pup to become a star! We hear there will even be food trucks and giveaways! Best of all, you’ll be supporting a great cause and helping our US servicemen and women.

By Laura Diaz

Hunting with hounds in Spain is one of those controversial topics that proponents and critics cross reproaches and mutual accusations to steady your posture. The galgueros called defending their love for dogs as the main argument and always come to the "we are not all equal." Meanwhile the animal protection associations and greyhounds especially refer to abuse suffered by this race, always associated with the instrumentation that make them hunters. A large number of them have developed a series of proposals by the Parliamentary Association in Defense of the Rights of Animals (APDDA) lead the Congress with a long- term ban hunting with hounds .

On this occasion , about a hundred people gathered Wednesday in the House of Representatives in a paper under the name " Greyhounds : Spain to the world ," on the first thing they remembered is that Spain is the only country in EU still allowing hunting with hounds , while countries such as Germany (1952 ), Belgium ( 1995 ), Scotland ( 2002) and the UK ( 2004) and have been banning . Coordinated by the deputy of the Aragonese Chesús Yuste , the act intended as a starting point to articulate a series of proposals that result in legislative initiatives to limit this practice on animals.

"More than 50,000 greyhounds are abandoned, hanged or thrown into wells in February, ending the month at hunting," says the founder of SOS Galgos veterinarian

To do this, different associations as SOS Galgos, Greyhounds without borders or Baas Galgo, in collaboration with other international and the Franz Weber Foundation (Switzerland) , French Club CREL or the American SPCA International- Global Animal Rescue , have joined forces with about 40 deputies and senators of all political forces APDDA – forming , with Pacma own and even an agent of the Municipal Police and forest officials to prevent the abuse which they say brings everything around to this tradition.

Figures abuse

Deputy Joan Josep Nuet ( Plural Left ) and asked at the time the Government 's approach to address this complicated situation Greyhound in Spain , since according to unofficial figures used protective , over 50,000 greyhounds are abandoned , hanged or thrown into a pit in February, the month in which the hunting season ends . "Just this past February have appeared 167 greyhounds hanged. Currently have data on some 190,000 federal galgueros with 500,000 registered greyhounds to hunt, but we believe that we currently around 900,000 hands galgueros greyhound . Figures are very different depending whom the offer because there is no official data. in 2013, Seprona , 53 greyhounds were abandoned , but a survey of the Affinity Foundation 12 protective speaks of 2,600 , of which also only 25% of those arriving are identified "explains Albert Sorde , veterinarian and founder of SOS Galgos.

TV News report: http://youtu.be/wyQCqBETERs

Blog Post: http://vozpopuli.com/actualidad/40275-se-podria-prohibir-la-caza-con-galgos-en-espana-protectoras-y-diputados-lo-llevan-al-congreso?

By Ana Johnston

Stray dogs live a very hard life in Sarajevo, the capitol city of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Abandoned and ignored, hated by many who consider them a nuisance, they have to live through the cruelty, the heartless dog catchers and the public “shelters” that are just a death sentence for the unfortunate animals that end up there. They live short lives, starving, tortured and killed for no reason, considered worthless beings that need to be eliminated by any means.

The war that affected the former Yugoslavia in the 90s caused lots of pain, suffering and devastation to humans but it also affected animals as they were abandoned by their owners when life became too hard and food was scarce. Animals had to learn to fend for themselves with no food or water, lost in a dangerous city where kindness was rare and brutality too common. During those horrific times Milena Malesevic, fueled by her compassion and love for animals, began feeding the abandoned dogs that nobody wanted. She just could not walk away from these innocent creatures that after so many years of loyalty to their owners now faced a life of hunger, cold and cruelty.

Fortunately the war ended and, while people worked hard to bring back a sense of normalcy to daily life, these abandoned animals became silent victims of the war. Nobody wanted them as the process of rebuilding the country began and they became unwelcomed creatures, considered in many cases a nuisance, a pest that had to be exterminated. Dogs were shot and poisoned daily and many were injured from deliberate car hit-and-runs. Milena understood that somebody had to care for these creatures and decided that she was the person who had to do something to help. Thus, for the last 20 years, Milena Malesevic has continued this mission of caring for the stray dogs of Sarajevo. She has devoted her life to save these dogs of nobody; animals with no homes and no hope until she arrives with her kind and loving smile and her car loaded with food for the animals that depend on her to put some food in their belly and to receive some compassionate care.

Milena is, in most cases, the only hope for these dogs. Known by her supporters as the Angel of Sarajevo, this woman has dedicated her life to save as many stray dogs as she can. She works alone, day and night, with no breaks or vacation. Many people hate her for what she does as they believe strays should be killed rather than be neutered or spayed and others make fun of her for caring about the stray animals, but none of that has stopped Milena; the dogs need her and that is the only thing that matters.

As word of her work traveled, many people from other countries began supporting her efforts. She has now a Facebook page run by volunteers living in other countries who have visited her and have seen firsthand the commitment of Milena towards these animals. Thanks to awareness of her work, during the last few years, Milena was able to find homes for over 350 stray dogs in several countries. They now live in loving homes where they are safe from the cruelty and indifference that is so common in Sarajevo. There are many stories with happy endings because of her care and devotion to the animals. There are still many to be saved and sometimes it seems like a non-ending task but that will not stop Milena. Bosnia is in the process of approving an amendment to the law that will make legal to kill strays after 14 days if nobody claims them, which could mean that all these dogs that Milena cares for could be killed, making her work even more difficult and heartbreaking; but this woman doesn’t give up easily. She loves these animals and they love her and as long as she is breathing, the dogs in Sarajevo will have an angel watching over them: Milena, the Angel of Sarajevo.

To learn more about Milena’s work, you can visit her Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/SavingSufferingStraysSarajevo

Note of the author: This year, I had the privilege of visiting this lady two times during my trips to Europe in May and November and I could see by myself all the wonderful work she does. All donations to Milena are used entirely to buy dog food and to pay for vet care for the animals. If you would like to make a donation so she can continue her mission of feeding and saving the stray dogs of Sarajevo, you can send it via PayPal to [email protected].