Author: SPCAI Staff

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.

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.

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!

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].

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

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.

By SPCA International Staff

At the end of 2018, SPCA International received a plea from one of our overseas shelter partners for help. They had rescued a dog from the brink of death and named her Brownie. She had been horribly abused by a very cruel person – multiple broken bones, internal damage from repeated assaults to her anus, and extensive burns meant Brownie’s body was raging with infection and she was terrified of humans. 

The all-volunteer rescue team wasn’t sure if Brownie could be healed. Even then, they worried the cost of veterinary treatment and medication would bankrupt them and leave them unable to provide food and shelter for the other dogs in their care. 

We passed the plea on to our supporters and received an outpouring of financial help for Brownie’s recovery. We have rushed funds to Brownie’s rescuers, and their gratitude is immense. They are relieved and overjoyed to be able to continue providing care to Brownie and the 30 other animals who depend on them. 

We wish we could report that Brownie is fully healed and thriving, but her progress is slow. She is alive and healing thanks to the careful treatment she is receiving, but she’s still weak and scared. Her rescuers report that Brownie’s burns are getting better and some hair is growing back. Thanks to a round of heavy antibiotics, her internal wounds are no longer infected, and she is gaining weight.

Unfortunately, a recent x-ray showed not only broken bones in her legs and pelvis, but broken bones in her back. Brownie will likely need a custom cart to support her mobility. We’re currently working with her rescue team to build a plan to bring Brownie to the U.S. or Canada where she can receive the best medical care possible.

We are so appreciative of every donation to support Brownie’s medical care. Many people have reached out to inquire about Brownie’s progress and to ask if she needs further support. Additional donations for Brownie’s medical care and travel can be made here.

By SPCA International Staff

SOS Galgos, a Spanish organization committed to improving the treatment of Spanish Greyhounds, is celebrating 20 years in operation. Their efforts are carefully balanced between rescue and education. In addition to rescuing and rehoming 3,000 Spanish Greyhounds, they have educated thousands of people about humane treatment of all animals, with an emphasis on the notoriously abused Spanish Greyhound.

In Spain, these greyhounds (or galgos) are bred to hunt, and they experience brutal conditioning such as being tied to a car to make them sprint for prolonged periods of time at extreme speeds. It is estimated that about 1 million Spanish Greyhounds are kept by hunters in Spain who house them in cramped conditions with only enough food and water to keep them alive – the hunters believe this keeps the dogs hungry for the hunt.

After two or three seasons, these loyal dogs are no longer seen as useful, so hunters heartlessly abandon or kill them. Worst of all is a belief that the more suffering the “old” dogs experience, the better luck the hunter will have in the coming year. This antiquated belief means that Spanish Greyhounds deemed past their prime are routinely tortured to death – buried alive in trash bags, hung by the neck with feet barely scratching the ground, and murdered through other horrendous practices which are used to prolong the suffering of these beautiful animals. 

Our friends at SOS Galgos tell us the tides are changing. More and more, adopted Spanish Greyhounds are the pet of choice in metropolitan areas, and hunters are abandoning rather than torturing their old hunting dogs. 

While these are steps in the right direction, there’s still much work to be done. SPCA International is committed to supporting SOS Galgos’ operations and advocacy. Together we have collected an estimated 500,000 signatures in support of a ban on hunting with Spanish Greyhounds. Nearly every other country in the European Union has already enacted similar laws, and we are hopeful Spain will soon follow suit.