Mother of Shelter Medicine receives 2021 Avanzino Leadership Award
We’re thrilled to announce that the 2021 Avanzino Leadership Award goes to Dr. Lila Miller for her trailblazing leadership and purposeful dedication to the field of veterinary shelter medicine. Dr. Miller transformed the lives of countless pets, developing the first veterinarian-written guidelines for shelter animal care, which are now used in shelters across the country to ensure the humane treatment of shelter pets. An unassuming innovator, she’s educated a generation of students about issues...
Workers Are Not Returning To The Office Because They Would Rather Be With Their Pets
2020 was the year that many of us found ourselves working from home. Even if we never had considered doing so before, the pandemic made the decision for us. As a result of working from home, over 12 million households were reported to have adopted new pets. It was good for the humans and good for the animals, but times are changing. Now that the world is starting to slowly get back to normal and people are leaving their confinement at home, those new pet owners are having to make a choice. They were able to stay home with their animal friends...
Woman Has The Most Hilarious Experience After Picking Her Cat Up From The Groomer
I think that all of us have had the experience of getting a bad haircut. When it happens to us, it can be devastating but it doesn’t have to be quite so difficult to handle when it happens to our pet. That was clearly seen when a Reddit user picked her cat up from the groomer and couldn’t help but share the experience. When you see the picture of the feline for yourself, it will take your breath away for all the wrong reasons. Fortunately, she had a good sense of humor about the whole thing and in her words, she “can’t...
Blind Abandoned Pit Bull Is Looking For A New Family
When you are part of an animal rescue group, you never know what your day is going to hold and nobody knows this better than the animal rescuers who work with Lucky Dog Refuge. They recently found a pit bull that had been abused and was left for dead when abandoned in the woods. It seems as if the dog was on the verge of giving up because she was suffering so greatly. Stacey, one of the rescuers, took the dog back to the car by leading her along with food. Photo: YouTube/Cute Dodo She named the dog Halo. At first, the dog was skittish and...
Terrified Dog Rescued From A Ditch Loves Her New Family And Life
A little dog found shaking and terrified in a ditch got a second chance at life and she’s loving every minute of it. The poor pup had been abandoned in a ditch with nothing but a blanket. She spent the night cold, hungry, and shivering before rescuers discovered her. Diana with SpookyKittyKats in Houston, Texas rescued the little pup and named her Mica. Photo: YouTube/The Dodo At first, she was clearly terrified, but it didn’t take long before she warmed up to her savior. As soon as Diana got Mica into the car, she snuggled up...
Blind Dog And His Support Cat Find A New Home Together
A blind dog and his support cat found a loving forever home together after they were put up for adoption. Many people think of dogs and cats as natural enemies. However, Spike the dog and Max the cat prove that theory wrong. Not only are they best friends who do everything together, but Spike actually relies on Max as a support companion. The two were taken in by the Saving Grace Animal Society in Alberta, Canada. They shared about Spike and Max on Facebook, and let everyone know that the adorable duo was up for adoption as a pair. In an...
Monk Rescues 8,000 Stray Dogs And Finds Them Homes Around The World
A Buddhist monk in Shangai, China has devoted his life to rescuing dogs and has been on a mission to give them each a better life. Zhi Xiang has been rescuing stray dogs since 1994. Over the course of his life, he’s saved over 8,000 dogs from the streets of China and cared for them all. Many of the dogs got to live with him at his monastery, and others found loving homes with new families. Photo: Wikimedia Commons 51-year-old Xiang, along with help from volunteers and staff at the Bao’En Temple, cares for hundreds of dogs and...
German Shepherd Befriends A Black Bear In His Backyard
A video captured the moment a German Shepherd found an unlikely playmate: a wild black bear. According to The New York Post, 37-year-old Jenn Sargent was doing chores when her neighbors warned her that her dog, Jameson, was playing with a bear in the back yard. The Vermont resident was shocked and was able to see the whole thing unfold on her security camera footage. Photo: Mail Online In the video, you can see the German Shepherd tempting the bear to play. He ran a little ahead of the bear and crouched down – an invitation to play....
Two Chihuahuas Without Front Legs Get To Run For The First Time
A video captured the moment that two chihuahuas without front legs received prosthetic legs (or carts) that allowed them both to run for the first time in their lives. The video was shared on YouTube by Nat Geo WILD and features Thor and Turbo-Roo, two two-legged chihuahuas. According to a GoFundMe shared by their owners, Ray and Ashley, Turbo-Roo was born without legs and they decided to adopt him. Five years later, Chihuahua Rescue Indiana came across Thor, a little chihuahua for sale on Craigslist. Thor did have all of his legs initially,...
Frisbee-Obsessed Dog Goes Viral For Gathering All His Discs At Once
A golden labrador has gone viral for his obsession with frisbees and his adorable habit of gathering all his discs at once. In a TikTok video, Winson’s owner, Ray, showed the golden labrador playing with his frisbees and collecting them all together and people can’t get enough. They wrote, “showing off winston’s talent.” Photo: TikTok/@rjb22_ In the video, you can see the happy dog collecting each frisbee disk one at a time while holding the growing stack securely in his mouth. Each frisbee he picks up seems like...
Man Reunited With His Dog 10 Years After It Went Missing
Losing a pet is devastating. As the days turn to weeks, months, and eventually years, it’s easy to lose hope that you’ll never see your furry companion ever again. Some pet owners eventually receive the call they’ve been waiting for: Their pet has been found! Sometimes it happens within a few hours or days, but sometimes it takes years to come – if it ever comes at all. One man knows the pain of losing a pet and waiting to hear back, only to come up empty-handed after painfully and diligently searching. It seemed his...
Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Online apprenticeships, Ann Dunn on the future and more!
Happy Monday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Ann Dunn shares why helping is much easier than re-homingAnn Dunn has been director of Oakland Animal Services (OAS) for about 17 months now. When the opportunity to join the Human Animal Support Services presented itself, it was a no-brainer. On a recent Shelter and Rescue Support call in April, Dunn shared why OAS joined the initiative, what her biggest takeaways have been thus far and what she thinks the future holds....
Rescue Cat Helps New Fur Mom Smile As She Grieves Her Husband and Dog
This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Submit your own rescue story here. Your story just might be the next to be featured on our blog! I was going through a difficult time in my life. My husband of 50 years had died a year earlier after a several year battle with Parkinson’s. Having quit my job a couple of years before to care for him full-time, I was left alone with only our dear dog, Jack, for company. Jack was elderly, a couple of months short of 17, but he still seemed to be going strong and at his recent visit...
Rescue Dog with Harrowing Beginning Helps Bring Joy to Forever Home
This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Submit your own rescue story here. Your story just might be the next to be featured on our blog! A few years back, I was going through a very difficult time. I was praying to find joy in my life. The depression put me in a very dark place, and I just couldn’t get away from that dark cloud of depression that looked over me. We starting talking about getting a dog, and my husband thought it might be just what I needed. But at the same time, we wanted to rescue a dog. We wanted to...
6-Week-Old Puppy Abandoned In Hot Mailbox In Alabama
Otilia Gaona from Alberta, Alabama, headed out to her mailbox with her dog named Biscuit to check the mail, as they do every afternoon, but was shocked to find a puppy inside. On Wednesday, Gaona opened her mailbox and saw a pair of “sweet eyes” looking back at her. The frightened puppy was crying after being left all alone in the hot metal box. The door was latched so no air or light was getting in. Screenshot: YouTube/WKRG She quickly brought the black and tan puppy inside and offered it food and water. She told WKRG she was...
How To Take Care Of A Dog
You’ve just adopted a dog. Congratulations! In addition to gaining a loyal companion, you’ve saved a life, found a new best friend, and given a rescue dog a home. But if you’re a first-time dog owner, you might now be wondering how to care for your dog. Dogs need food, toys, treats, exercise, and a comfy place to sleep. But how many walks do you give them each day? What is crate training? What if there’s something else that you’re forgetting? Learning how to care for a dog can feel daunting for new dog owners,...
Puppy Born Without Eyes Due To “Bad Breeding Practice” Seeks Forever Home
Teacup is a happy and playful puppy who doesn’t realize she is different. She was born without eyes due to irresponsible breeding practices, but she hasn’t let that stop her for living life to the fullest. The miniature schnauzer/wheaten terrier mix weighs a mere 5 pounds and was bred to be a “toy dog”. But when her health started to fail shortly after birth the breeder surrendered her to Big Fluffy Dog Rescue, a dog rescue in Nashville, Tennessee. She arrived as a four-week-old puppy who weighed just one pound. Due to...
Cat Abandoned in a Carrier Outside in the Heat Finds New Home
This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Submit your own rescue story here. Your story just might be the next to be featured on our blog! I already had six cats, so when I saw a posting on NextDoor of a “beautiful, long-hair cat” who had a pretty tragic abandonment story, with the notation on the post, “Does anybody have room in their home or heart for this cat?” I thought to myself, “What a beautiful cat. But I’m full up.” So I replied that I had room in my heart, but not my home....
Naomi Watts Heartbroken Over Death Of Beloved Dog Bob
The hardest day in any pet owner’s life is the day we must say goodbye to our beloved friend. The following days are also hard as we mourn their loss. Actress Naomi Watts is heartbroken over the death of her 20-year-old Yorkshire terrier named Bob. She took to Instagram to pay tribute to her faithful pup. “My Darling Bob. What an honor to have had you in our lives. You’ll be living on in my heart and soul forever. Rest In Peace. 20 years of love. Godspeed! 
#legend #wingman,” she wrote. Watts said Bob...
Ann Dunn shares why helping is much easier than re-homing
Ann Dunn has been director of Oakland Animal Services (OAS) for about 17 months now. When the opportunity to join the Human Animal Support Services presented itself, it was a no-brainer. On a recent Shelter and Rescue Support call in April, Dunn shared why OAS joined the initiative, what her biggest takeaways have been thus far and what she thinks the future holds. Why join Human Animal Support Services? When she first started, the shelter was used to operating...
