- 1. ASPCA Happy Tails: There’s Something about Molly
- 2. Meet the ASPCA $100K Challengers: Part Seven
- 3. ASPCA Pet of the Week: Lucas
- 4. The Lost Dogs, Book on Vick Pit Bulls, Hits Shelves Next Month
- 5. Airline’s Puppy Deaths Spark Debate about Commercial Breeders
1. ASPCA Happy Tails: There’s Something about Molly
Beatriz and Kevin Herrmann of Miami, FL, have adopted several loving cats over the years, but there’s something extra special about their kitty Molly. Found as a stray, this rescue cat’s affectionate nature belied her life on the streets. Beatriz describes how she and her husband came to love their cuddle bug.
Molly was discovered by my husband, who first noticed her by the back door of his office building. She would just stand there, watching people and showing no fear.
One day, my husband spotted her eating whatever people gave her: yogurt, noodles, certainly nothing that resembled cat food. It seemed she was once a pet and was abandoned, since she approached everyone and was extremely comfortable with human contact.
Molly spent a couple of days sleeping by the office parking lot before we brought her home. My husband thought that she wouldn't survive there for long, and we decided to adopt her in April 2009. She suffered an ear infection, but otherwise, she was healthy.
Now Molly is our best companion. She sleeps with us because she loves to cuddle at night—almost spooning! She is so affectionate, and has helped us with our grief over the loss of previous cats. This is a perfect testimony of how many abandoned pets are in need of loving homes—they have tons to give and are just waiting for someone to adopt them.
Check out our Happy Tails archive for more heartwarming adoption stories.
2. Meet the ASPCA $100K Challengers: Part Seven
The contestants of the ASPCA $100K Challenge are off and running! We recently caught up with four more agencies that’ll be rocking out over the next three months in order to save more cats and dogs and win $100K.
-
Richmond Animal Care & Control, Richmond, VA: The folks at Richmond Animal Care & Control really know how to work the grassroots grapevine to get the word out. If they take home the top prize, they’ll use the funds to increase adoptions and improve conditions for Richmond’s four-legged residents.
-
Wisconsin Humane Society, Milwaukee, WI: With 130 years of experience under its belt, the Wisconsin Humane Society has a passionate and compassionate group of staff members, volunteers, adopters and donors. This shelter is approaching the Challenge with a “buzz blitz” to entice potential pet parents and drive up adoptions.
-
City of Irvine Animal Care Center, Irvine, CA: A motivated municipal shelter that adopts out more than 4,500 animals every year, Irvine Animal Care Center goes above and beyond with its Third Chance for Pets program. With an innovative and successful approach, this organization is sure to be a frontrunner.
-
NOAH Animal Adoption & Spay/Neuter Center, Stanwood, WA: “Helping Pets Succeed” is the driving force of NOAH, a transfer-in only facility north of Seattle. This organization finds homes for those animals who are hardest to place, and succeeds with forward-thinking programs to save more animals’ lives.
Rooting for any of the shelters featured here? Show your support by sharing this page on your Facebook profile (click the Facebook Share icon at the top right of this page) or hitting the “Tweet this Article” link below. Just a click can get the word out quick!
Check out the Save More Lives Community for more information about the contest.
3. ASPCA Pet of the Week: Lucas
A get-along cat with attitude to match, Lucas is an active boy who dreams of being someone’s “personal assistant.” He will help you with all of your household chores and then insist that you unwind with some good petting time.
"Lucas is an affectionate cat who's very people-oriented," says Katie Watts, ASPCA Senior Feline Behavior Counselor. "He's a sweet boy and quite the lap cat. He'd be well-suited for a first time pet parent."
If you’re interested in adopting this handsome feline, please contact our Animal Placement department in New York City at (212) 876-7700, ext. 4120. To see other animals looking for homes, visit our Adoption Center online.
****Got Facebook? Won’t you please donate your status to Lucas today? Just copy and paste the following message onto your profile status to help spread the word that this kitty needs a home!
[Name] is donating my status to Lucas http://www.aspca.org/lucas, a cat at the ASPCA who needs a new home.
4. The Lost Dogs, Book on Vick Pit Bulls, Hits Shelves Next Month
The ASPCA is excited to announce the upcoming release of The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick’s Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption by Sports Illustrated senior editor Jim Gorant (Gotham Books: September 2010; $26.00). The book covers the Vick case from beginning to end, explaining how Vick and his cohorts were caught, detailing the abysmal treatment of the animals and examining the difficult path to rehabilitation—and the ultimate triumph—of dozens of abused dogs.
Luckily, you won’t have to wait until September to learn more about The Lost Dogs—Parade magazine, which is bundled with the Sunday editions of more than 500 newspapers nationwide, is running a feature article on the book and the lives of the rescued dogs this weekend. Look for the article on Sunday, or visit Parade’s website for a sneak peek today.
During the Michael Vick investigation, the ASPCA’s forensic veterinary team, led by Dr. Melinda Merck, helped produce the evidence that led to guilty pleas. The ASPCA’s Dr. Stephen Zawistowski, Executive Vice President, and Dr. Randy Lockwood, ASPCA Senior Vice President, Forensic Sciences and Anti-Cruelty Projects, led a team of certified applied animal behaviorists in behavior evaluations of nearly 50 rescued dogs; as a result, all but one were spared euthanasia. This was an unprecedented outcome for seized fighting dogs at the time. Drs. Merck and Zawistowski are quoted extensively in Gorant’s new book.
The Lost Dogs can be preordered now on Amazon.com and will soon be available for purchase from the ASPCA Online Store. To learn more about the ASPCA’s involvement in the 2007 Michael Vick dog fighting case, visit our Fight Cruelty section.
5. Airline’s Puppy Deaths Spark Debate about Commercial Breeders
As animal lovers become more aware that purchasing a dog from a pet store supports the inhumane practices of puppy mills, commercial breeders are using online sources to get their dogs directly into homes across the country.
On August 3, seven puppies died of suspected heat-related complications in the cargo hold of a plane en route from Tulsa, OK, to Chicago, IL. The victims were seven of 14 pups transported by the airline, and reportedly came from a commercial breeder in Oklahoma—many of the puppies were booked on connecting flights, making it likely that they were purchased online by buyers in different cities.
“Puppy mill operators are creating professional looking websites that convincingly dupe consumers into thinking they are reputable breeders,” says Cori Menkin, ASPCA Senior Director of Legislative Initiatives. “A sure way to spot a scam is that they often offer to ship the dogs to the buyer without ever meeting in person. No reputable breeder would ever ship a puppy to a buyer sight unseen.”
Buying a puppy over the Internet is just as risky as buying from a pet store—you can’t see the puppy’s breeding premises or meet his parents. Furthermore, those who sell animals online are not held to regulations established by the Animal Welfare Act.
“The Animal Welfare Act requires breeders to be licensed and meet specific minimum standards of care for animals bred for resale, but a loophole allows puppy breeders who sell directly to the public—which includes over the Internet—to go unregulated,” says Menkin. “They are able to keep inspectors away and operate without being accountable to anyone.”
“The bottom line is the only way to be sure your new puppy isn't a product of cruel and inhumane conditions is to see for yourself where he lives—visit the breeder’s facilities and meet the puppy’s parents,” Menkin states. “Or better yet, adopt from your local shelter.”
For more information on the risks associated with buying a puppy in a pet store or online, please visit our online Puppy Mill campaign.