As you roll out the barbeque and fireworks, don’t forget your pet’s safety! July 5th is one of the busiest days for shelters across the country with a 30% increase in lost pets because many spooked pets flee their homes amidst explosions and smoke. This video rounds up some of the best 4th of July pet safety tips.
Category: Feature Stories
PETS OF CHERNOBYL
Are you hooked on the new HBO series Chernobyl? All of us at SPCA International are watching closely. Even though we have been working in the area for several years, the series is captivating.
When thousands of people were forced to evacuate Chernobyl in 1986, they were allowed to take only what they could carry. They were told they would be home soon, so most people left their pets behind with a little extra food and water. Unfortunately, these families were never allowed to return for their beloved cats and dogs.
Miraculously, many pets survived the disaster on their own. Today, hundreds of their descendants continue to live in the Nuclear Exclusion Zone. These animals live short and difficult lives. They forage for food in the forests or depend on current power plant workers to give them scraps. Dogs rarely live to seven years old.
Since 2017, SPCAI has partnered with Clean Futures Fund to care for these dogs and cats. Thanks to the support of local organizations and many volunteers from around the world, we have been able to provide food, medical care, vaccines, and sterilizations to over 800 of the dogs and cats living in Chernobyl.
Clean Futures Fund worked diligently to test radiation levels of these animals. They found that the majority of animals don’t pose a radiation threat to humans. Thanks to these very low radiation levels, Clean Futures Fund and SPCA International worked with the Ukrainian government to pave the way for 15 puppies to be removed from the Nuclear Exclusion Zone. These puppies were adopted into homes in the U.S. last year! No animal or object had ever been allowed to leave the Nuclear Exclusion Zone before, so this is groundbreaking.
Our team is heading back to the Nuclear Exclusion Zone next month to help more Chernobyl dogs and cats. Please join our email list to learn more about ways you can help or make a donation to help the dogs and cats of Chernobyl.
Home at Last
Syri and Rubble represent SPCA International’s Operation Baghdad Pups: Worldwide program so well.
Without the soldiers who saved them, both would be dead today. Syri was found nearly frozen to death and Rubble was buried in a pile of debris. Their soldiers nursed them back to health, kept them safe, and bonded with them. Like many other soldiers, they couldn’t imagine leaving their battle buddies behind to suffer and die at the end of their deployments.
Both soldiers were ready to do anything necessary to save their dogs, but the military prohibits the transportation of animals. That’s why they reached out to SPCA International for help.
Thanks to the generosity of the SPCA International community we raised the money to rescue Syri and Rubble. The soldiers delivered them to our Middle East team. Then they received 24-hour care while we completed their paperwork.
SPCA International supporters made these and so many other rescues possible. In the difficulty and urgency of their rescues, Syri and Rubble aren’t unique. Every rescue is complicated and costly. That is why SPCA International depends on the generosity of our supporters.
Syri’s rescue was complicated. When Syri and her SPCA International rescue expert arrived at the airport, Syri was turned away because the full flight was nearing the maximum weight capacity. International rescues are always delicate and even the best-laid plans can fall apart in an instant.
Syri was taken back to the boarding facility to await our second attempt. All her medical checks and paperwork were redone for her new travel date. Fortunately, Syri made it through on the second try. Navy Engineer Corey is so grateful to each and every person who donated to Syri’s rescue. He keeps telling the SPCA International team, “I am so lucky”.
Rubble crossed many international borders to make it to Master Sergeant Laurens’ home in the U.S., but he finally made it. Rubble’s rescue was tricky because he was at a confidential location with a special forces team, on a confidential mission.
Though we can’t share all the details, it meant that Rubble was rescued by a chain of people across a region. Each played a special role in ensuring his safety every day and every step along the way. Fortunately, everything fell into place quickly. Thanks to an outpouring of support from SPCA International supporters, Rubble was able to travel within days of Sergeant Laurens’ team. Rubble is now happy and healthy with Sergeant Laurens and his family.
Staff Pick Video: Denali and His Human
This one’s a tear-jerker, but it reminds us all of the animals in our own lives. The bond between Denali and Ben is captured artfully in this video that chronicles their adventurous life together. It leaves us wondering what our own pets would have to say about their life journeys by our sides.
Denali from FELT SOUL MEDIA on Vimeo.
Saved from the Brink of Death: Star’s Incredible Transformation
In February we reached out to the SPCA International community to help us rush aid to the Dominican Republic. Several rabies cases had scared a small community and dogs were being killed.
Our local partner organization used staff and volunteers to rescue animals that had been hurt. Star was one of these animals and she stole all our hearts.
Star was tied to a tree and left without food or water for two weeks. It is a miracle she survived at all. The pictures of her are heartbreaking. Most of her bones were visible through her skin, and she wouldn’t have made it much longer without help.
Thanks to the generous outpouring of support for Star, our partner organization in the Dominican Republic was able to save her. They also helped many other dogs who were harmed during the spike in violence.
In addition to saving lives, they provided vaccinations and education throughout the community to prevent further violence.
Star is one lucky girl. She quickly captured the hearts of a loving family that is dedicated to her safety and well-being. They renamed her Snow White, and are looking forward to a long and happy life with her.
Community Mobilization in Ecuador Reduces Stray Dog Population
SPCA International staff recently had the opportunity to attend a community-driven TNR (Trap, Neuter/Spay, Release) event in Ecuador.
It was truly amazing to see a group of volunteers give their time and talent to care for and sterilize over 50 stray dogs. These dogs live along a dangerous highway in Ecuador.
The highway winds through the mountains outside of Quito and is home to dozens of stray dogs. The people who live here do what they can to care for the dogs. Many people provide food and water or have taken strays into their homes. However, with so many stray dogs, puppies continue to be born.
That is why TNR is so effective. The community can’t provide a home for every dog along the highway. However, they are working together to reduce the dog population. This approach will keep the existing animals safe and healthy.
Many dogs have learned to walk along the shoulder of the road, but others aren’t as lucky. In fact, as we were out locating dogs, we encountered a dog that had been recently hit by a car. Unfortunately, that pup didn’t make it. By reducing the number of strays, fewer dogs will suffer like this.
Our partner organization TerrAnimal Ecuador hopes to hold several more TNR events in this area to reach the full stray dog population.
We are certain they will accomplish this because their work is truly based on grassroots mobilization. In addition to working with community volunteers, they also provided education at the local school and with community members.
16 Pets Home Safe from the Middle East
By Lori Kalef, Program Manager
Thanks to the incredible support of the SPCA International community, we have just successfully rescued 14 dogs and 2 cats from the Middle East! These animals befriended U.S. service men and women who were on deployment in Iraq and Syria. Without your financial support and SPCAI’s rescue efforts, all 16 would have suffered and died.
I have managed more than 100 rescue missions from the Middle East, and even though things went smoothly this time, the operation was complicated and urgent. When news broke about a potential drawdown of U.S. troops in Syria, we experienced a significant increase in requests from soldiers anxious about the prospect of their pets being left behind.
Even more challenging, most of these soldiers were already keeping their pets hidden on base and several had received strict, urgent orders to remove the animals. If they didn’t act quickly, they were told their beloved pets would be removed or destroyed for them.
This meant many late-night phone calls for our North America team and tricky pick ups for our team in the Middle East. Leading up to this rescue, our team was literally working seven days a week, day and night – I am so proud of them for responding quickly and compassionately whenever they were needed.
Bringing dogs and cats into our care isn’t easy. We are prohibited from entering military bases, and can’t even wait at the gate, so when a soldier calls to let us know about a drop off point and time, we have to be ready. In many cases we have only a few hours of notice before venturing into potentially dangerous locations where soldiers emotionally hand their buddies over to our team. This is a very volatile part of the world, and every single person involved takes a risk to rescue these animals.
Soldiers put an incredible amount of trust in our team. From the drivers, kennel attendants, veterinarians, and coordinators in the Middle East who are preparing pets for travel and wading through red tape to our North America team coordinating the logistics of flights, import permits, and so much more, these rescues are intense. There are so many tiny moving logistics that if one thing goes wrong the entire mission can fail.
Animals are not allowed to fly alone, and each person can only accompany two or three animals on each flight, so for this rescue seven staff and volunteers stepped up to several days of travel and plenty of jet lag to bring these pets home.
Once in the United States, a new team takes over to coordinate domestic travel, but even that isn’t always a smooth process. Freezing temperatures (or heat in the summer) means animals are often restricted from flying until temperatures moderate. From start to finish, up to 15 people work to rescue each animal. It truly takes an entire team of people holding hands across the world from start to finish to get these pets home.
Of course, soldiers wouldn’t be rescuing dogs and cats if there wasn’t such a huge problem of stray animals in Iraq and Syria. I’m excited to share that local attitudes toward dogs and cats are improving. A new nonprofit is building the first ever animal shelter in Kurdistan, and we have been invited to carry out a trap, vaccinate, neuter and release (TVNR) event in the area in the coming months. These two initiatives will curb the stray population, while keeping dogs and cats healthy.
Updates on some of the pets we recently rescued for U.S. troops:
Freya – (You might remember this beautiful girl from our emergency alert in December.) Sergeant Kerri rescued Freya when she wandered onto the base in Syria, emaciated, filthy, and frightened. Thanks to SPCAI supporters, we were able to get Freya to safety just in the nick of time. Now, home in North Carolina with Sgt. Kerry, Freya is thriving!
Ripit – Tiny Ripit was adopted by a Navy SEAL team and kept safe in their compound, he had no idea how to survive on his own. Luckily, one SEAL loved Ripit so much he asked SPCAI to get him home to South Carolina. Ripit arrived home just the other day and is settling into his forever home with the Navy SEAL who befriended him.
Tika –Tika was poisoned and beaten by local shopkeepers near the Baghdad Airport because they considered her a nuisance. She would have died if not for the American hero who rescued her – Jacob is a paramedic and security team leader for the U.S. State Department. Jacob took Tika in and carefully nursed back to health. Today Tika is in her forever home in Colorado with Jacob’s family.
Frea – This darling girl was befriended by a U.S. Marine Sergeant in Iraq and they reunited in San Diego just a few weeks ago. But don’t take our word for it – Frea’s arrival was covered by the local news. See for yourself – watch the video!
Wanted: Loving Home for Dynamic Duo
Chachi is a very special dog who is looking for his forever home. We first met Chachi when we were in Chernobyl, Ukraine, to provide medical care and sterilization for hundreds of stray animals descended from pets left behind during the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear disaster.
We could tell Chachi would someday make a great family member, but he had lived his entire life without a home and had never learned how to interact with others. Our friends at Mission K9 Rescue in Texas offered to use their expert training techniques to get him prepared for a loving forever home.
Chachi had a lot of anxiety when he first arrived in Houston at Mission K9 Rescue, but they provided endless love, care, and training, and he grew from a frightened street dog into a happy and loving boy.
His caretakers credit Chachi’s transformation to his best buddy, Tess. Tess was in training to be a bomb-sniffing dog and barely missed the cut. Still, she is a confident, kind, happy, and well-trained girl. Both Chachi and Tess are a little over two years old, and they have bonded with each other so strongly, that they can only be adopted together.
The staff at Mission K9 Rescue tell us that Chachi and Tess are a match made in heaven. Chachi shows endless concern for Tess’ wellbeing and Tess has taught Chachi to trust people. These two will make a wonderful addition to a loving family.
If you are interested in adopting this beautiful pair, please email [email protected].
Partner Spotlight: Hope for Venezuela’s Abandoned Pets
SPCA International is proud to support Canine Support Network (Red de Apoyo Canino) in Venezuela. The deteriorating economic situation means dogs are at greater risk than ever before, but Canine Support Network is coordinating with shelters and community members throughout the country to foster and rehome animals whose families can no longer care for them. They also provide regular spay and neuter events to help curb the ever-expanding stray population.
As hyperinflation continues in Venezuela, dogs that were once cared for as family pets are now wandering the streets because working-class families simply can’t afford to feed a dog as they struggle to feed themselves. Additionally, thousands of Venezuelans are fleeing the country each day, often leaving behind dogs and cats. Those still caring for their pets are struggling and sacrificing to do so.
Faced with this difficult reality, Canine Support Network continues to hold spay and neuter campaigns nearly every weekend because they know that pet owners simply can’t afford to pay the surgical costs of sterilization and that this is the best way to keep the stray population from multiplying.
2019 marks SPCA International’s third year of partnership with Canine Support Network, including annual grants to help them continue and expand their operations during this difficult time
Shelters Battle Freezing Temperatures
This winter many of SPCA International’s shelter partners in North America and abroad are struggling to keep animals warm. Those with indoor facilities face massive heating bills to maintain temperatures above freezing, but for outdoor shelters, the challenges are even more daunting.
Shelter volunteers and staff are working around the clock to make sure animals stay alive in freezing conditions. They are constantly shoveling out snow that blows into kennels, refilling water bowls that freeze almost immediately, and replacing frozen bedding as fast as possible.
Our shelter partners in Romania tell us they are battling frozen latches on kennels and snow so high their vehicles are getting stuck. With hundreds of dogs in their care, shelter staff are identifying the most at risk animals such as puppies and elderly dogs to bring them inside for warmth.
This winter, please consider donating used blankets, sheets, and towels, or your time, to your local shelter. Or you can donate to our Shelter Support Fund for our overseas shelter partners.