Author: SPCAI Staff

This month we celebrate the first anniversary of SPCA International’s Operation Military Pets program. Over the past year, SPCA International has played a lifesaving role for 251 military families’ pets. For numerous financial reasons, each dog and cat faced the risk of having to be left behind – either in an already overcrowded animal shelter or handed off to someone else when their families moved to their next duty location. Thankfully 212 dogs and 37 cats were able to remain with their families because of SPCA International supporters.

The Operation Military Pets program was formed out of a concern that military families often have a difficult time coming up with the money to transport their pets when given military relocation orders. Since the military does not cover any of the costs to transport pets, and there are no other organizations that offer this kind of financial assistance, SPCA International decided to step forward and give hope to military families that find themselves in a potentially heartbreaking dilemma. During this last year, 173 families received Operation Military Pets grants. Families like the Unfreds who reached out to us when they were just weeks away from having to make one the hardest decisions in their life.

“I am requesting assistance because I don’t make very much money in the military and my wife and I just had a baby that was born on December 30, 2013. Benjamin is the greatest thing to happen to me, but I am finding it costs a lot of money to raise a child. Unfortunately, it also costs a lot of money to ship our dog Gus from overseas, but I could never leave him behind. My wife and I consider Gus to be our first child and he is a big part of our life. I was injured while on active duty and have to accept orders away from my family in order to get follow up surgeries, so knowing that Gus will be protecting my family while I am away takes a load off my mind. Thanks for helping my family.”

Each time we approve another grant, we know we are making a difference for a military family. As we celebrate the one year anniversary of Operation Military Pets, we are grateful that our supporters also recognize this unique way to help – and thank – members of the military and their pets at the same time. The need for this program’s services is undeniable and for this reason we are starting to prepare for the upcoming summer months – a busy time for the program when military families with children are on the move. Last summer we received as many as two to three applications per day and at times it become overwhelming. That is why we need help so we are able to keep up with the growing demand. There would be nothing worse than having to deny a family a grant because funds were not available and learning that a dog or cat – a member of their family – got left behind.

We just received the following email this week from the Rappa family, also desperate for an Operation Military Pets grant:

“Please help us!!! We just found out we are moving to Nashville, Tennessee next month! This was unplanned and unexpected. We got our orders today and we will be in Nashville on May 30th. We took our dogs to the vet yesterday for their annual checkup and shots and the bill was $728! I have a copy of the receipt. We had no idea the vet would cost us that much yesterday. We thought it would only be like $200 max. It is so expensive here in Hawaii. We are a large family of 5, not including our fur babies. We were quoted today from Delta $1,314.93 to fly Jack and Kona with us to Nashville. We don't have the money to do that. We also priced their XL crates that they will need and that's going to cost us $400. We are in a dilemma. Please help us. We move next month.”

How can we tell this family no? We can’t.

SPCA International has given out $134,875 in grants over the past year, a great accomplishment considering the short time the program has been in existence. It is our hope that Operation Military Pets continues to grow – resulting in more happy endings for military families and their pets.

When the Knopp family had to move and they absolutely did not have the money to fly their dogs Lolita and Sylvia, they left them behind with family. Settling into their new life in Hawaii was difficult for many reasons, but the hardest part was not having Lolita and Sylvia with them. When someone told the Knopp family about Operation Military Pets they could not believe that such a program existed. Now the Knopp household is filled with joy, knowing that their family will soon be together again and Lolita and Sylvia will no longer be spending their days sitting at the window wondering where their family went. Operation Military Pets gave this family a happy ending and the following email expresses their appreciation:

“Thank you for the incredible news, we are both humbled and so grateful for this grant. We can't wait to be reunited as a family, a moment you and this incredible organization is making possible.”

SPCA International hopes to have lots more emails like this to share in the years to come. Nothing would make us happier!

As many of our supporters now know, SPCA International was honored to testify at the Congress of Deputies in Spain about Greyhound abuse issues in Spain on March 12th 2014. It was totally unexpected that we would have the opportunity to speak at this groundbreaking meeting, but we were delighted to get the chance to be a loud voice for Greyhounds of Spain and the rescue groups in Spain working diligently to stop the tradition of abuse and killing. We made brief spoken statements and also delivered an official letter that was submitted along with letters from six other organizations. The six letters introduced a multitude of complementary policy changes and ours focused on 1) that hunting with Greyhounds should be outlawed outright, and 2) new humane education programs should be implemented in the national curriculum.

My Spoken Statement:
I am Stephanie Scott and this is Meredith Ayan. We are from SPCA International based in the U.S. We are honored to join you and to represent the international animal welfare community here today.

The plight of Galgos in Spain is gaining international attention and we are so thankful for all the groups working tirelessly in Spain on behalf of Galgos. This community of activists is well represented here today and they are saving lives every day and facing incredible challenges in the process. Their work is truly commendable.

We are grateful to the Committee for listening and taking action on what you hear today. These beautiful and gentle creatures need a more powerful voice, and you can give it to them.

Thank you for inviting us to join you today. We look forward to being your partners as we work to improve life for every Galgo in Spain.

Meredith Ayan’s Spoken Statement:
Thank you very much for hosting us. We are so pleased to be here with so many dedicated organizations and happy to be representing North America and the international community. When I came here in September and made this video, and saw the Galgos firsthand I was very angry. But being here today, I am very happy, seeing so many people here to change the future of the Galgos. This issue is very important to us and we are eager to find a solution that will benefit these beautiful animals.

Submitted by Becky Haisma, Founder, Paws in the City, Dallas TX

In December 2013, 293 dogs were abandoned at a boarding kennel outside of Dallas, TX. They were abandoned by a rescue organization that ran out of funding and could no longer pay their boarding fees. The animal loving kennel owners spent their savings attempting to find homes for these abandoned animals. They were successful in placing 93 of the animals with local rescue groups and private homes. Now the remaining 200 face the risk of euthanasia without outside help. The kennel continues their efforts to get more placed and adopted, but without funds they are quickly running out of time.

Donations are desperately needed to pay for water, heat/air conditioning, electric, food, medicines and minimal staffing to feed, medicate, walk and exercise the dogs in play yards.

Most of the dogs are pits/pit mixes although there are about 50-70 that are "other" mixes. This makes it even harder to find placement. Some have been through the Prison Training Program.

Donations: can be made through a local non-profit, Paws of Hope, and their Happy Endings Relief Fund.
You can donate online at www.campdiggybones.com.

Checks can be mailed to:

Mail a check payable to: Paws of Hope
Camp Diggy Bones c/o Paws of Hope
10785 Hwy 205
Lavon, TX 75166

If interested in adopting or if you know a local rescue organization that can assist with relocation or placement please contact Thea at [email protected].

Click here to view photos and descriptions of the dogs in need of adoption or relocation. It is now life or death for each of these precious souls. Please help in any way you can.

We have some very exciting news coming out of Dallas, Texas! Our friends at Lily Lane Home expect their next photo shoot to go to the dogs… literally. On April 5th, they will be holding a “Pup-arazzi” photo shoot in the Central Dog Park in Dallas, TX from 11 am – 4 pm. You can register your dog for one of 3 different looks (we love the “Prepster Pup”!) and after the shoot, supporters will vote for their favorite. The cost to enter is $20 and all donations will benefit SPCA International’s Operation Baghdad Pups program, bringing soldiers’ animals home from war-zones.

For more information, visit Lily Lane Home’s website: http://lilylanehome.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/pup-arazzi-2014-spca-international/

If you are in the Dallas area, you won’t want to miss this awesome event and chance for your pup to become a star! We hear there will even be food trucks and giveaways! Best of all, you’ll be supporting a great cause and helping our US servicemen and women.

By Laura Diaz

Hunting with hounds in Spain is one of those controversial topics that proponents and critics cross reproaches and mutual accusations to steady your posture. The galgueros called defending their love for dogs as the main argument and always come to the "we are not all equal." Meanwhile the animal protection associations and greyhounds especially refer to abuse suffered by this race, always associated with the instrumentation that make them hunters. A large number of them have developed a series of proposals by the Parliamentary Association in Defense of the Rights of Animals (APDDA) lead the Congress with a long- term ban hunting with hounds .

On this occasion , about a hundred people gathered Wednesday in the House of Representatives in a paper under the name " Greyhounds : Spain to the world ," on the first thing they remembered is that Spain is the only country in EU still allowing hunting with hounds , while countries such as Germany (1952 ), Belgium ( 1995 ), Scotland ( 2002) and the UK ( 2004) and have been banning . Coordinated by the deputy of the Aragonese Chesús Yuste , the act intended as a starting point to articulate a series of proposals that result in legislative initiatives to limit this practice on animals.

"More than 50,000 greyhounds are abandoned, hanged or thrown into wells in February, ending the month at hunting," says the founder of SOS Galgos veterinarian

To do this, different associations as SOS Galgos, Greyhounds without borders or Baas Galgo, in collaboration with other international and the Franz Weber Foundation (Switzerland) , French Club CREL or the American SPCA International- Global Animal Rescue , have joined forces with about 40 deputies and senators of all political forces APDDA – forming , with Pacma own and even an agent of the Municipal Police and forest officials to prevent the abuse which they say brings everything around to this tradition.

Figures abuse

Deputy Joan Josep Nuet ( Plural Left ) and asked at the time the Government 's approach to address this complicated situation Greyhound in Spain , since according to unofficial figures used protective , over 50,000 greyhounds are abandoned , hanged or thrown into a pit in February, the month in which the hunting season ends . "Just this past February have appeared 167 greyhounds hanged. Currently have data on some 190,000 federal galgueros with 500,000 registered greyhounds to hunt, but we believe that we currently around 900,000 hands galgueros greyhound . Figures are very different depending whom the offer because there is no official data. in 2013, Seprona , 53 greyhounds were abandoned , but a survey of the Affinity Foundation 12 protective speaks of 2,600 , of which also only 25% of those arriving are identified "explains Albert Sorde , veterinarian and founder of SOS Galgos.

TV News report: http://youtu.be/wyQCqBETERs

Blog Post: http://vozpopuli.com/actualidad/40275-se-podria-prohibir-la-caza-con-galgos-en-espana-protectoras-y-diputados-lo-llevan-al-congreso?

By Ana Johnston

Stray dogs live a very hard life in Sarajevo, the capitol city of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Abandoned and ignored, hated by many who consider them a nuisance, they have to live through the cruelty, the heartless dog catchers and the public “shelters” that are just a death sentence for the unfortunate animals that end up there. They live short lives, starving, tortured and killed for no reason, considered worthless beings that need to be eliminated by any means.

The war that affected the former Yugoslavia in the 90s caused lots of pain, suffering and devastation to humans but it also affected animals as they were abandoned by their owners when life became too hard and food was scarce. Animals had to learn to fend for themselves with no food or water, lost in a dangerous city where kindness was rare and brutality too common. During those horrific times Milena Malesevic, fueled by her compassion and love for animals, began feeding the abandoned dogs that nobody wanted. She just could not walk away from these innocent creatures that after so many years of loyalty to their owners now faced a life of hunger, cold and cruelty.

Fortunately the war ended and, while people worked hard to bring back a sense of normalcy to daily life, these abandoned animals became silent victims of the war. Nobody wanted them as the process of rebuilding the country began and they became unwelcomed creatures, considered in many cases a nuisance, a pest that had to be exterminated. Dogs were shot and poisoned daily and many were injured from deliberate car hit-and-runs. Milena understood that somebody had to care for these creatures and decided that she was the person who had to do something to help. Thus, for the last 20 years, Milena Malesevic has continued this mission of caring for the stray dogs of Sarajevo. She has devoted her life to save these dogs of nobody; animals with no homes and no hope until she arrives with her kind and loving smile and her car loaded with food for the animals that depend on her to put some food in their belly and to receive some compassionate care.

Milena is, in most cases, the only hope for these dogs. Known by her supporters as the Angel of Sarajevo, this woman has dedicated her life to save as many stray dogs as she can. She works alone, day and night, with no breaks or vacation. Many people hate her for what she does as they believe strays should be killed rather than be neutered or spayed and others make fun of her for caring about the stray animals, but none of that has stopped Milena; the dogs need her and that is the only thing that matters.

As word of her work traveled, many people from other countries began supporting her efforts. She has now a Facebook page run by volunteers living in other countries who have visited her and have seen firsthand the commitment of Milena towards these animals. Thanks to awareness of her work, during the last few years, Milena was able to find homes for over 350 stray dogs in several countries. They now live in loving homes where they are safe from the cruelty and indifference that is so common in Sarajevo. There are many stories with happy endings because of her care and devotion to the animals. There are still many to be saved and sometimes it seems like a non-ending task but that will not stop Milena. Bosnia is in the process of approving an amendment to the law that will make legal to kill strays after 14 days if nobody claims them, which could mean that all these dogs that Milena cares for could be killed, making her work even more difficult and heartbreaking; but this woman doesn’t give up easily. She loves these animals and they love her and as long as she is breathing, the dogs in Sarajevo will have an angel watching over them: Milena, the Angel of Sarajevo.

To learn more about Milena’s work, you can visit her Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/SavingSufferingStraysSarajevo

Note of the author: This year, I had the privilege of visiting this lady two times during my trips to Europe in May and November and I could see by myself all the wonderful work she does. All donations to Milena are used entirely to buy dog food and to pay for vet care for the animals. If you would like to make a donation so she can continue her mission of feeding and saving the stray dogs of Sarajevo, you can send it via PayPal to [email protected].

 

I wanted to share this difficult, but happy story with you that was shared with us by our one of amazing partners, SPAY Panama. This is Little Miss Muffin. She was thrown out of her house when her owners found out she was pregnant. Before she was thrown out, they abused her, resulting in multiple fractures in her leg. She had no where to go and was forced to give birth to her litter in a planter on a walkway. A concerned citizen called SPAY Panama and they immediately set out to find her. By the time they did, her puppies could not be saved and her leg required amputation. But with supplies and funds donated by SPCAI, SPAY Panama was able to give Little Miss Muffin a second chance at life. Thanks to a spay surgery, Little Miss Muffin will never again have to suffer helplessly as her entire litter dies beside her, and she now lives a life of comfort and love.

These are the kind of stories that both break my heart and warm my heart every day. They are only possible thanks to the support of SPCAI staff, volunteers, partner organizations and, most importantly, donors like you. Thank you for helping us give Little Miss Muffin a happy ending.

When one envisions images of Indonesia, it's usually of beautiful white sand, warm turquoise water and lush tropical jungles in the sun. Sadly there is a darker side to this paradise when it comes to the monsoon seasons and animal welfare. There are literally no laws governing unwanted and abused animals there and just a couple of tiny shelters. Stray animals run rampant in the streets and suffer from wide spread starvation and a myriad of sicknesses they spread amongst themselves.

The city of Bandung on the island of Java is no exception. It is the backyard breeder capital of the country with horrible repercussions for the unwanted animals. There is only one haven for the unloved street cats and its run single handedly by a little wisp of a girl named Josie. She has named her shelter The Whiskers' Syndicate and its home to close to 60 cats and kittens. Upon reading Josie's posts on her site some of her amazing heroic rescue missions are enough to warm your heart with her empathy and compassion and also make your hair stand on end at the same time. Josie started saving animals at a very young age and comes from a long line of animal rescuers in her family, going all the way back to her Grandfather. No cat or kitten in need is left behind, even if it means climbing through the sewer to get to a cry for help in the dark.

The Whiskers' Syndicate was formally established in late 2008 and has since moved to a permanent home in 2012 of 1000 sq. ft including the yard. 168 cats and a couple of dogs have been rescued since. Some were lucky enough to be adopted, some succumbed to their illnesses. The majority are part of Josie's Trap, Neuter and Return program, the first of its kind in Indonesia.

Josie's haven is solely funded by her holding down three jobs and through the generous donations from her followers. Monsoon season this year has been especially brutal as the typhoon that devastated much of the Philippines also took it's toll on Indonesia. Savage winds and torrential downpours completely flooded out the shelter and damaged the roof of The Whisker's Syndicate. Appliances in the house were ruined; mud and water left nothing on the property untouched.

Emergency appeals have gone out since December in the hopes of finding the funds to repair the extensive damage to the shelter, but with Christmas spending and paying for it afterwards have left donations at a minimum. With the funds that have come in so far, Josie has been trying to get the repairs underway. There's still a lot more help required. Some people will say, "why help animals in another country when there's animals in need here at home?" I say why not. Animals suffering and in need are global and there are no boundaries. In the U.S., Canada and Europe there are many resources that shelters can turn to for help when disaster strikes. In places like Indonesia, there's no where to turn and no relief coming. Very thankfully SPCAI jumped in to help last year and bought a water tower for the shelter so that they have fresh water. Josie and The Whiskers' Syndicate's survival depend on Josie's exhausting hard work and the generosity of animal lovers from everywhere. It's so vital to Indonesia's street animals that this sanctuary remains open to them.

If you would like to help in the quest to repair the shelter and aid in replacing all of the lost blankets, cat beds, toys, etc, please take a look at the link below to Josie's site, her stories are all there, and there's a Paypal link down below that goes directly to Josie if you could spare just a little. Any amount of help is hugely appreciated and no amount is ever too small.

http://www.whiskerssyndicate.com/

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