Dog Rescued from Schuylkill River

After she was rescued from and taken to the PSPCA and examined, doctors found "scars on her face that appear to be from fighting, so they believe its possible she was thrown in the water intentionally."

She is recovering at the shelter and will be put up for adoption.

She's been named "River."

Please say a prayer for the victims of yesterday's fire in Philadelphia (Conshohocken)

Luckily, none of the 375 people who lived in the complex were injured, but many of them owned pets. It was heartbreaking to watch the evening news last night, as people watched the building go up in flames with their pets inside. One man was shown holding a cat carrier with his cat inside; he went back in for her against the advise of the fire fighters. Thankfully both the man and the cat made it out safely.

Pets that were rescued by fire fighters were taken to the SPCA for the owners to re-claim and owners & pets are being put up in hotels together.

from local news reports:

"Many of the residents who streamed into the firehouse - arriving on school buses or in their own cars - owned pets. Authorities said the rescued but unidentified animals were being housed at a local SPCA shelter. Officials were making sure people with pets could stay at hotels that accommodated them."

Kyle Aaron, 29, was driving home with his girlfriend when he saw his building on fire. After he arrived, he could do nothing but watch as the blaze crept closer toward his own apartment— and worry about his dog, an 11-year-old blond Corgi named Elvis.

After hours of anxiety, a firefighter called his cell phone about 3 a.m.—Aaron thinks the number must have been on Elvis' dog tag—with the good news that the animal was fine.

"We could sleep once we got him," Aaron said. "I honestly don't know how they got him. ... You get your loved ones and life goes on."

Family reunites with their rescued flood cats

This video not only shows one family who finds their missing cats that were rescued from the flood in Cedar Rapids, but it shows the excellent organization and record-keeping system at the temporary animal shelter set up at the Kirkwood College Equine Center.

According to one of the UAN volunteers on-site (a Katrina veteran!) there has very good cooperation between HSUS and UAN/EARS.

click on title link to view video

UPDATE: Pets rescued & displaced from Iowa floods

The temporary animal shelter set up at the Equine Center of Kirkwood College in Cedar Rapids is extremely well organized and efficient and the people involved are doing an amazing job caring for the approximately 650-750 (as of last night) pets that have been housed there.

HSUS and UAN/EARS are on-site, working alongside staff of the Cedar Rapids Animal Shelter, Kirkwood College and local volunteers.

HSUS arrived at Kirkwood equipped with the necessary supplies and experience. They have seemingly learned from the mistakes made at Lamar Dixon - specifically of un-registered volunteers stealing pets and less-than-adequate record keeping and tracking protocol.

The intake procedures at Kirkwood were described to me this way: "imagine the CD collection of the Rain Man; every i is dotted and every t is crossed."

Combined with UAN's already-effective system for disaster animal intake (which was utilized extremely well following Katrina and previous disasters), the operation at Kirkwood is as it should be at this time.

Effective and efficient protocols were implemented immediately to ensure that pet owners can easily find and reunite with their pets and to prevent the theft of pets. They have digital cameras, micro-chip scanners, forms, contracts, vaccines, medical supplies, etc. And plenty of food, crates, and other necessities have been donated.

A decision was made after thoughtful discussion among all parties involved to NOT post the photos of the animals on the internet at this time. The way this was explained to me, it makes complete sense.

Even though many comparisons have been made to Katrina, this is not another Katrina. The people of Cedar Rapids who had to evacuate were not bussed to South Carolina or Texas but remained in the area. Cedar Rapids is not built like a soup bowl like New Orleans is. The water has drained and people are getting back to their homes. They do not have to rely on the internet to locate their pets.

All pets have been scanned for micro chips and all information from rabies or other ID tags has been entered into the animals intake record.

Animals rescued or brought in together (cats & dogs belonging to the same family) are being kept together in the same stall.

All the animals at Kirkwood have been catagorized into one of four groups, each with necessary and appropriate intake & documentation:

1. Animals that were already at the Cedar Rapids Animal Shelter. And no, they are not being euthanized.

2. Pets that were brought in by their owners. This is the majority of the animals there. Kirkwood is providing temporary boarding for some of these pets until their owners get back on their feet.

3. Pets whose owners are not known but who were rescued from a specific address or location. These animals have been entered into the database with this address to facilitate easy matching when owners come to locate and re-claim their pets.

4. Animals classified as "strays" at this time - those that were not rescued from a specific location and came in with no ID. This is the smallest group of pets, and we're working with the folks at the shelter to rule out ownership of these cats & dogs.

The Kirkwood Foundation has set up a special fund to accept donations to help with the care of the displaced pets called the "Friends of the Animal Shelter Fund".

Gifts may be made online by visiting www.kirkwood.edu

Checks may be made out and mailed to The Kirkwood Foundation, 307 Mansfield Center, PO Box 2068, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-2068 and marked "Friends of the Animal Shelter Fund.

Please be sure to send the donations to the above address, as it is Kirkwood College that has generously offered the use of their equine center and it is the College taking on the major cost of housing and caring for these animals.

I'll post news and updates soon, as well as more about the protocols being used at Kirkwood to intake and track the animals.

55+ Dead and Dying Dogs at Waggin' Tails Animal Rescue in Iowa

Click on the link above to read the full story - photos are graphic & disturbing.

The dog above was one of over 40 found dead at the farm owned by Michele Kintzer in rural Eldora, Iowa (Hardin County).

She is yet one more hoarder who operated yet one more animal rescue scam known as Waggin Tails.

There were no waggin tails when this canine Auschwitz was discovered.

For some reason, both the county sheriff’s office and the county attorney have not actively pursued charges even though the evidence is about as damning and graphic as it could possibly be.

Original newspaper article here.