Community Pulls Together To Help Autistic Boy Get A Service Dog
In Woodstock, Georgia, the community pulls together at times for all the right reasons. This was recently the case when Casey Dasher came to the community with a problem. Her five-year-old son, Ollie, has autism. She was asking her neighbors and others in the community to help with purchasing a service dog. Not only did they come through, they did so with flying colors, raising over $16,000 through a Gofundme page. Ollie’s mom went on to the Facebook group, A Dog for Ollie, to thank everyone who has joined in the journey. She said:...
Wildlife Cams Catch Bears Doing ‘Dirty Dancing’ Lift, Wrestling, And Having A Pool Party
This story originally appeared at Shareably. Recently in Douglas County, Colorado, A stunning gallery of adorable wildlife was caught on video. The footage was taken on September 19th in the HRCA Backcountry Wilderness Area located directly south of the city of Denver. It shows three exuberant bears having the time of their lives in one of the area’s main water resources. Their child-like innocence and playfulness is enough to splash their way into your heart! According to their Facebook page, HRCA mentions a major increase in the...
Michigan Man Runs Four Marathons In 24 Hours To Raise Money For Dog Rescues
Running one marathon is a daunting task that takes dedication and months of training, but someone would have to be mad to attempt to run four marathons in one day. Unless, of course, it was to help raise $50,000 for two dog rescues. Dan Egeler, cancer survivor and retired attorney, realized running 104.8 miles in 24 hours is well – “crazy”, but he said that if he was going to run 100 miles he might as well add the 4.8 and make it four full marathons. He told Mlive, “It was more of a mental challenge. My thought was if...
Firefighters Rescue Burned Barn Owl From California Wildfire
Monday morning a wildfire ignited near the city of Irvine, California, and quickly spread due to strong Santa Ana winds. Over 70,000 people were ordered to evacuate as firefighters battled the encroaching flames and built containment lines. The Silverado Fire has already burned more than 13,000 acres and while no structures have been destroyed, the same cannot be said for wildlife. Photo: Facebook/Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital Orange County Fire Authority firefighters discovered an injured barn owl while they were fighting the intense...
What That Animal Rescue Show Means to APA!
Oct 29, 2020 Almost a year ago, we were approached by a film crew about a super top secret docuseries being produced by none other than the Austin film legend, Richard Linklater. All we knew about its focus was “the human-animal connection,” but we were thrilled and eagerly said “yes, we’d love to help!” A legitimate question is “Why would we focus time and attention on our 5 seconds of fame when we have so much work to do to save lives and run our organization?” I’ll tell you why. People...
We’ve refreshed Maddie’s Pet Forum – check it out!
We’ve launched! Maddie’s Fund has been tidying up to bring you a newly refreshed Maddie’s Pet Forum (MPF), where connecting with others is now easier than ever before. Check out all of the new features and benefits that you will now experience upon logging in to MPF. Improved site experience Faster load times… need we say more? Animal welfare community designed for animal welfare insiders only Improved group experience: found conveniently on homepage, reply via email option and group owner...
Woman Tricks Her Husband Into Getting A Tiny ‘Terrier’ Puppy That Grew To Be A Great Dane
Having a dog in your house is a real blessing, and it seems Sue was interested in having a dog around when she talked to her husband Robert about getting a puppy. It wasn’t long before Yogi Bear was added to the family. He was a tiny puppy and she told Robert he was a Jack Russell Terrier. Although she may have said that Yogi was a Jack Russell Terrier, she was fibbing. It wasn’t even a little fib, because Yogi was actually a great Dane. Her little secret didn’t stay little for long as Yogi continued to grow bigger and...
Blind Cat That Was Almost Put Down Is Now Living Her Best Life
Most people are aware that there are millions of cats entering shelters every year. Some of those cats get rescued and we often hear those happy stories on the Internet. Unfortunately, not all cats get a happy ending. There are just far too many felines without enough resources and compassionate people to step in and do the right thing. Although it can be disappointing to realize the reality of the situation, we can still rejoice when we hear something positive. One of those positive stories is about Helen, a blind cat that was on its way to...
Air Force Veteran With PTSD Has A New Life Thanks To Her Service Dog
Life can be difficult for an Air Force veteran, especially when you have a lot of medical issues. For one veteran, years of natural treatments such as acupuncture and yoga along with medication and therapy weren’t enough to help treat her problems. A service dog, however, turned her life around. Ashley McCaffrey is a veteran from Florida who started her career in the Air Force in 2006. She wanted to make a difference and do something for her country, so she spent 91 days in Iraq along with her squadron. She was the only female in that...
Fisherman ‘Catch’ A Kitten At Sea That Was Struggling To Stay Afloat
A ginger cat was swept out to sea by the tide, but that feline is now back on shore. A charter boat managed to see the cat out in the water swimming and brought him on board. Although it wasn’t exactly a “catfish,” it was something that most people will never catch in their lifetime while out fishing. The ginger tomcat was caught by the crew of the charter fishing boat and there wasn’t much time to spare. It seems as if he was almost out of steam. The captain and owner of Still Flyin Charters said, “He was...
People Around The World Are Hugging Cows To Reduce Stress
Science has proven that hugs and animals are good for our health. They help lower stress levels by releasing the bonding hormone oxytocin and increasing levels of dopamine and serotonin, which are mood boosters. So, it should come as no surprise that people around the world are embracing cows in the newest self-wellness trend. Cow hugging (“koe knuffelen” in Dutch) originated in the Netherlands and has been a way to cope with stress for decades. The cows are never forced into hugging and most enjoy it. The reason it’s so...
Bring Home Your One and Only Pet for the Holidays
Oct 28, 2020 It’s cuddle season! Are you dog-less and looking for a pal to get you through the cold, winter months? We have a long list of pups who are desperately looking for the Christmas miracle of finding a home for the holidays they can call their own, where there aren’t any other dogs, so that they can have their people all to themselves! Each of these rescue dogs are available for adoption to keep you company as you snuggle up with a blanket and turn on your favorite festive flick. Alaza may be 10 years old, but that just...
Rescue Pit Bull Who Loves To Cuddle Has Been Waiting Over 700 Days For Someone To Adopt Him
If patience is a virtue, then Drool is the most virtuous rescue dog in Monte Vista, Colorado. The 4-year-old pit bull mix have been patiently waiting at Conour Animal Shelter for over 720 days for the perfect family. The sweet boy needs to be an only pet since “he’s had bad experiences with other dogs so he’s always on the defense,” wrote the shelter staff. Photo: Facebook/Conour Animal Shelter – Upper Rio Grande Animal Society He’s a bit cautious at first when meeting new people. but does well with...
Kitten That Was Rescued From A Storm Drain Is Named Pennywise
If you live in the city, or even in a small town, you probably have a storm drain not very far away from you. We don’t give them much thought, but they do benefit us in many ways. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the experience for a tiny kitten in New Orleans. The kitten was a stray and had already experienced a number of problems in life. It must be difficult to live on the streets as a young feline, but this kitten’s life was about to get worse and then exceedingly better. You see, he got stuck in a storm drain in New Orleans...
Cat Finds A Statue That Looks Just like Him And It’s Love At First Sight
We often hear about those doppelgängers that are out there and look just like us. It seems as if one cat owner, Jenny Salzer, found a statue that looked just like Cosmo, her lovely black cat. She found the statue at Goodwill and brought it home to put on the front porch. She then promptly forgot about the statue until she was out with Cosmo one day and he started rubbing his face all over it. It wasn’t long before Jenny said that Cosmo was in love with the new visitor. According to The Dodo, Jenny said “He loves to play! He...
Smart Dog Opens The Door And Retrieves A Package While His Owner Is At Work
Ask anyone who has a dog and they will tell you that they are amazing creatures. The same is obviously also true of a family who owns a German Shepherd that stays home alone every once in a while. The brilliance of this dog became clear when security cameras were watching what the dog did in the living room. At first, the dog was just resting peacefully on the floor when there was a knock on the door. He gets up and walks over to the door, almost as if he was curious as to what was going on. This is where things get a little unusual. The dog...
Why Pumpkins Are Being Devoured By Squirrels This Year
Putting a pumpkin on the porch has been a tradition for people who celebrate Halloween for many years. In fact, the use of pumpkins in this manner stretches back for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Throughout that time, one of the big problems that many of us have faced is having our pumpkin destroyed by vandals. Things are different in 2020, but not as far as the destruction of pumpkins is concerned. Reports are coming in from around the country that pumpkins are being vandalized, but it isn’t human vandals that are doing so....
Our Historic Rescue Flight Is About To Save 642 Shelter Pets From A Crisis In Hawaii
Covid has disrupted life across the U.S., but the devastation has been especially stark for Hawaii’s shelter animals. In pre-pandemic days, many dogs and cats were adopted by visiting travelers; others transferred to mainland shelters via a steady drumbeat of commercial flights. But when Covid grounded all flights in March, it didn’t just disrupt Hawaii’s tourist economy. It closed a door for shelter pets who’ve always counted on Hawaii’s 10 million annual visitors to help them find new homes. This brewing crisis...
Rescue Dog That Was Once Neglected Now Hugs Everyone He Meets
If you pay close attention, dogs are very capable of showing gratitude. And for one rescue pooch in New York, that is exactly what he does with every single person that he meets. Five-year-old Toro was first rescued last year from an abandoned house alongside two other dogs. Poor Toro was found chained to a fence, wearing a very heavy 15-lb collar around his neck. He was transported to the safety of the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter. The pooch seemed to know that this was a turning point for him, and things could only get better from...
Giant Ostrich Chases Cyclists During A Bike Tour In South Africa
When I was a child my mom used to take me and my dog to the local park to play. It had a pond full of ducks. Naturally, a seven-year-old kid and a dog would equally be drawn to the pond to see the ducks. However, for being small birds the ducks certainly proved that they had a scary side to them. Instead of me or my dog chasing the ducks it’d be the opposite. Birds can be scary when they chase you, especially if the bird in question is a large ostrich. In a video that is sure to give viewers second-hand anxiety, a group of cyclists got...