Thanks to an outpouring of support from the SPCA International community, Elena has made a remarkable recovery. Donations from many generous people were rushed to Elena’s caregivers, allowing them to give her the constant care and attention she needed to survive.
Before her rescue, Elena suffered as no animal ever should. After being kept on a short chain for many months, she was thrown out to fend for herself. Always hungry, she searched the streets for food. Elena approached locals, looking for a kind gesture, and was often met with painful kicks and stones.
Then, someone horrifically set fire to Elena and her pups. Tragically, only Elena survived the attack. She was found starving, burned and barely alive. She mourned the loss of her babies and had little will to live.
Today, Elena is confident, playful and trusting. Her hair is growing back, she is healthy, and amazingly, she still loves people. Elena is ready for a new life with a family that will love and care for her in the ways that she has always deserved.
A commitment to pet walking seems particularly important this January as COVID-19 continues to affect our daily lives. Recognizing Walk Your Pet Month doesn’t take much, as simply taking a trip around the block will make humans and furry friends feel better.
A few things to keep in mind for winter walking
Know your route: A few minutes in cold weather is usually ok for people and pets, but inadvertently taking longer than planned can leave everyone cold and uncomfortable. Plan your route ahead of time so you can get home before fingers and paws start to freeze!
Wear proper attire: Winter gear like gloves, a hat, and an insulated coat are important for people, but pets also might need help staying warm. Consider a sweater or coat for short-haired animals. Even if your pet has plenty of fur, they may benefit from booties to keep their paws safe from ice and packed snow.
Consider daylight: If you are just starting a winter walking routine, keep in mind that daylight ends early this time of year. As the sun sets, temperatures drop, meaning what begins as a pleasant stroll can quickly become a chilly, dark trek. Morning and midday walks are likely the best choice, ensuring you stay safe and get the maximum amount of vitamin D.
With short days, cold temperatures and COVID-19 restrictions, this winter might feel like a good time to stay inside, but the benefits of a daily walk with a furry pal are undeniable. Pet walking is a great way to exercise and a wonderful excuse to spend socially distanced time with a friend.
Happy walking from all of us at SPCA International. We’ll be taking our pets around the block and hope you will too!
Amidst COVID-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions, a loving family had to leave their dogs, Patches and Flower, behind in Malawi when they moved to Uganda. They were absolutely heartbroken, but our friends at TAWESO (Tanzania Animal Welfare Society) were able to come to their rescue.
Tanzania lies between Malawi and Uganda, so the team from TAWESO picked up the dogs in the South of Tanzania. They traveled for three days (and 2,000 kilometers) to safely deliver the dogs to the northern border with Uganda. From there, the dogs were reunited with their delighted family.
The wonderful people at TAWESO didn’t even know the dogs’ family before volunteering to help. We are thrilled that TAWESO was able to use the truck they purchased with support from SPCA International to make this long trek across the country.
TAWESO’s mission is to keep animals safe and healthy in Tanzania, but they truly went above and beyond by sharing their resources to make sure Patches and Flower made it to their new home safely. This is an incredible example of the type of collaboration we have seen throughout the pandemic. Animal welfare groups across the globe have stepped up to help animals in any way they can.
Patches and Flower reunited with their family! Image courtesy of TAWESO
As we enter into a new year, we are all looking for ways to start fresh and make the best of the months to come. For those of us who are animal lovers, our minds often turn to how we can give back to our furry friends across the globe. Here are a few helpful reminders of how we can all make the world a better place for animals in 2021.
Resolution #1: Don’t buy animals as gifts. As tempting as it can be to give a loved one a fluffy pup or tiny kitten, its best to wait until an entire household can make this big decision together. Animals given as gifts are often rehomed because the receiver doesn’t have the ability to care for an unexpected companion.
If you want to adopt a pet for your own household this year, consider working with your family members to understand the commitment and make a decision together about the kind of animal that best fits your unique situation.
Resolution #2: Support your local shelter. Local shelters are always in need of help. Donations of food, toys, and bedding are usually in short supply. Many shelters provide a list of items that they need on their websites, and others will surely share their needs if you give them a call. Also, volunteering to walk shelter pets is a good way to engage in low-contact volunteering while COVID-19 remains a threat.
Resolution #3: Make a donation in honor of your loved one. Whether you want to honor a beloved pet, family member or friend, there are many great animal welfare groups that can use the support. Consider donating locally or to SPCA International this year.
I can’t thank you enough for continuing to give during a global pandemic. This has been a challenging time to say the least, so I hope you know how deeply you are appreciated.
As the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic set in this past spring, I feared donations would stop and the shelters and rescue groups that depend on support from SPCA International would be forced to close their doors. My stomach was in knots wondering what would happen to so many vulnerable dogs and cats.
Amazingly, YOU kept giving. I know many people’s financial realities have changed and you may not have been able to give as much as you normally would have, but thanks to you, shelters and rescue groups are making it through. They are able to fill bowls, clean kennels and provide medical care because of your generosity.
Thanks to you, SPCA International was able to provide months of care for dozens of soldiers’ pets in the Middle East, eventually bringing them all home on a special rescue flight.
It would have been so easy for you to decide this year was too difficult to prioritize donations. Instead, you decided to continue giving what you could to animals in need and, in doing so, you made a huge impact.
I am so proud of the way the SPCA International team has risen to the challenge during this global pandemic, and yes, our team includes you. Together, we continue to respond quickly and compassionately to keep animals safe and healthy around the globe.
If you are interested in supporting vulnerable animals every month, please consider becoming a monthly donor. I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together in 2021.
As 2020 comes to a close, we are reflecting on a year that has been anything but ordinary. From raging forest fires to a devastating pandemic, challenges have abounded. Throughout all of the turmoil, our SPCA International community has offered unwavering support.
We are immensely grateful for the generosity shown by many compassionate and caring individuals, like you, who have continued to give this year. We know how important it is to you that your donations reach the animal rescue and shelter groups that need them the most. Thank you for trusting us with your generosity.
With the support of our SPCA International community…
A special rescue flight brought 30 pandemic-stranded battle buddy pets out of the Middle East and delivered them to their soldiers’ homes in the U.S.
Thanks to $200,000 in donated funds, dozens of kangaroos, koalas and other animals were rescued from the Australian bushfires.
Hundreds of units of medicine and medical supplies were provided for hurt and suffering animals across the globe.
Over 55,000 bowls of food were poured for hungry cats and dogs and $196,000 in COVID relief funding was provided to shelters in need.
This year, animals around the world have needed our help more than ever. Thank you to everyone who made all of this incredible work possible by supporting SPCA International.
Jack the kangaroo came to Bluebush Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in rough shape. He had been caught up in the Australian bushfires and his feet, tail and ears had suffered painful burns. Jack should have still been with his mother, but she was nowhere to be found.
Thanks to an outpouring of support from the SPCA International community, Jack received the best possible care and rehab. Today, Jack is thriving. He is learning to live on his own in the wild with a group of other young kangaroos.
September 27th
Jack and other adolescent kangaroos are placed in an area of the reserve with an open gate so they can begin to explore on their own. The gate will stay open with a feeding station for as long as they need it.
October 1st
A week after the gate was opened, Jack was seen exploring his surroundings on the motion camera.
November 10, 2020
Jack came for an afternoon visit.
November 10, 2020
Jack and his buddies grab a late-night snack at the Bluebush feeding station.
Like so many other deployed U.S. soldiers, Army Officer Stephen couldn’t look away when he saw a helpless dog in need. Baby was scared and timid, but Officer Stephen earned her trust, and they became constant companions. With military regulations prohibiting Baby from traveling with him, Officer Stephen turned to SPCA International for help getting her safely to his home.
Now, Baby is bounding through the snowdrifts in Officer Stephen’s backyard and has a long, happy future ahead of her. Officer Stephen is thrilled to have Baby home with his family in Montana, thanks to the amazing support of the SPCA International community.
This past spring, Marine Corporal Brady found himself falling hard for the fluffball puppy he named Marshmallow. He had no idea that COVID-19 would keep them both on their military base in the Republic of Georgia for months to come.
Finally, after months of waiting, flights started operating again. Luckily, Marshmallow was able to fly out of the Republic of Georgia on the same commercial flight as Corporal Brady. This was excellent because it meant Corporal Brady and Marshmallow could stay together until their travel date. There was only one catch – the military prohibits adopted pets from being added to service members’ tickets.
One of SPCA International’s dedicated flight volunteers, Lucas, offered to take the trip with Marshmallow. Since he was flying out in under 24 hours, Lucas was able to fly into the Republic of Georgia with a quarantine exemption.
After Lucas arrived at the airport, things started to go sideways. Lucas was asked to step into a room while his paperwork was processed. He had planned to spend one night at a hotel near the airport, but he was forgotten in the empty room at the airport for nearly 14 hours.
Meanwhile, Corporal Brady brought Marshmallow to the airport to meet up with Lucas, but Marshmallow’s crate was denied. The airport staff were requiring that animal crates have plastic screws, which the Corporal didn’t have.
Our U.S. team spent hours on the phone searching for solutions while Corporal Brady asked every airline counter for help. Finally, the Corporal had to go through customs, he was about to miss his flight. Heartbroken, he said goodbye to Marshmallow, thinking a fellow Marine would need to come get her and take her back to base.
Just as he cleared customs, Corporal Brady got a call from the SPCA International team. They had secured approval for Marshmallow’s crate. The Corporal tells us he burst into tears out of pure relief. Even though he had to travel on to finish up his deployment outside his home state, he knew Lucas would safely deliver Marshmallow to his home.
Now, Marshmallow and Corporal Brady are happily together in New York. When asked what he would tell people about SPCAI, the Corporal said, “Anything to keep this organization and selfless people going would make me happiest. I can’t thank them enough even now months later.”
Thanks to everyone in the SPCA International community who made Marshmallow’s rescue possible!
Widespread forest fires in the U.S. have caused so much destruction over the past year. In the wake of natural disasters, we always hear heartbreaking stories of evacuees struggling to find shelter with their pets, along with devastating injuries sustained by farm and wild animals.
Here at SPCA International, we stand ready to help our partner organizations across the globe when natural disasters strike. We are proud to have supported organizations in the wake of fires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes.
We are particularly excited to be partnering with organizations in the U.S. and Australia, creating emergency preparedness plans that take animals into account.
Recent support includes a grant to Luvable Dog Rescue in Oregon. The area they serve was hard-hit by wildfires this year, and many people who lost their homes are now living in temporary shelters with their pets. Luvable Dog Rescue is providing much needed donations to displaced families caring for animals and they are working on a community-wide plan to ensure they are ready to respond to natural disasters in the future.
Communities and rescue groups everywhere can work to put their own plans in place to make sure animals are cared for when disaster strikes. At SPCA International, we’ll do everything in our power to make sure our furry friends are protected.
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