Moore residents searching for pets after tornado; Home Depot a central location for rescued animals

Home Depot is serving as a location where animals found in the wreckage are being transported.  Some are being taken to the Moore Animal Shelter and some are heading to Oklahoma City.

A Facebook page – the McClain County Animal Response Team – is also set up to reunite people with their pets (http://on.fb.me/14NqVjO).

Oklahoma Humane Society
Efforts are being made to ensure that pets make their ways home safely as well. The Oklahoma Humane Society is doing its best to house and treat lost and injured animals. The organization’s Development Office, which is collecting donations for a disaster relief fund, can be reached at (405) 607-8991.

Reddit
Reddit users are banding together to keep track of lost and found pets in the town of Moore. Photos of, and information about, lost and found animals is easily searchable on the site.

Pennsylvania SPCA Humane Law Enforcement officers rescued five dogs and arrested a man in conjunction with a suspected dog fighting operation in the 300 Van Kirk Street in Philadelphia ‘s Lawndale section on May 11.

After obtaining a search warrant, officers discovered the dogs, four male and one female pit bull type dogs, living in unsanitary conditions. Three dogs, including one emaciated male dog, were living in filthy conditions in the back yard.  After searching the house, HLE officers discovered one dog running loose and another in a crate in the basement. All of the dogs had scarring and old injuries consistent with dog fighting. The owner of the dogs, Antoine Talley, 36, was arrested and charged with 15 counts of animal cruelty including felony animal fighting. In 2000, Talley was charged  with attending a dog fight, a felony offense.

Read more: http://pspca.org/2013/05/five-dogs-rescued-one-arrested-in-suspected-dog-fighting-case/

By: Lalinda De La Fuente | OnlyForPetLovers.com
Post Date: 2008-05-28

Spring brings much needed sun for people but it hasn’t been so sunny for farm animals across the country. The Humane Society of the United States has outlined several disturbing animal abuse cases in the past couple months against animals that are neither cat nor dog. Abuse cases against animals such as horses and geese are more common in your community than you may know.

It’s early April in Keizer, Ore., and 67 geese are found dead at Staats Lake. Laboratory tests then confirmed that the geese were poisoned, killed by zinc phosphide. The poison, used by farmers, golf course managers and others to kill rodents, is generally only allowed to be placed underground in animal burrows, mainly to prevent it from poisoning geese.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigators are currently considering all possibilities, including the illegal use of the poison. “Careless, possibly illegal use of poisons demonstrates disregard for other creatures who share our world,” said Kelly Peterson, the HSUS’ Oregon state director.

The HSUS is currently offering a reward of up to $1,500 for information leading to the identification and convictions of the person or persons responsible for the crime.

In Florida it was a larger animal that proved to have a rough spring. On April 26, Beauty Haven Farm and Equine Rescue owners found one of their horses with wounds and lacerations. The injuries appeared to have been caused by a blunt instrument or whip. Cigarette burns were also found on the animal.

The incident was not an isolated one for the equine rescue. Six months earlier, a pony sustained similar injuries and just two months earlier another horse was shot with a BB gun. The Levy County Sheriff’s office is investigating whether or not all three crimes are connected.

Killing geese may have been out of season on April 25 in Rankin County Mississippi but that did not stop the state’s senator Mike Gunn from allegedly killing seven goslings (baby geese) in a gas barbeque pit.

Prior to the 2008 legislative season, the HSUS ranked Mississippi’s animal cruelty laws as the weakest in the nation. “Because Mississippi’s anti-cruelty law is one of the nation’s weakest, actions as heinous as killing goslings in a grill have to be treated as poaching violations rather than cruelty to animals,” said HSUS executive vice president Michael Markarian.

On April 30 Tory Morgan found the remains of her 10-year-old blind pony, Kahlua. Mercer County Humane Society officers believe that the pony was roped to an all-terrain vehicle and dragged. The animal’s back legs were both broken, and his front legs, chest and belly sustained major lacerations. Four of her other horses sustained cuts and scratches, potentially while fleeing the assailant or assailants.

The HSUS is currently offering a reward up to $2,500 for information leading to the identification of the person or persons responsible for this crime.

Anyone with information about the geese poisoning case in Oregon please contact special agent Jim Stinebaugh with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Anyone with information about the horse abuse case in Morriston, Fla., please contact Levy County Sheriff’s office investigator Mike Narayan.

If you have more information about the pony dragging death case in Pennsylvania contact the Mercer County Humane Society.

“We’ve created makeshift kennels,” said Lisa Saneda, El Cajon Animal Shelter volunteer. “We’re adding as we go.”

El Cajon is one of many animal and emergency shelters that are addressing the needs of people with pets as wildfires sweep through areas of southern California. The Rock Church in San Diego, which has opened it’s doors as a shelter, is responding to the needs of pet lovers as well.

“We’re trying to be as pet friendly as we can,” said Trish Teves, public relations coordinator for the church. “We have an outside area with Astroturf so we’re allowing them to run around out there.”

Teves stresses that they have room for more, both people and pets. Yesterday, the church even had a veterinarian on site.

Images of dogs stranded on rooftops during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 have created a greater awareness of the fate of pets during states of emergency. It was in August of 2006 that Senate unanimously approved a substitute to the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Act. The bills would require local and state disaster plans to include provisions for companion animals and service animals in the event of a disaster.

A pet foster care program is even in place whereas shelters without the supplies or facilities can establish temporary homes for animals.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is advising those with pets to be prepared and to never leave a pet behind to fend for themselves.According to PETA, pet owners should know their destination ahead of time. Not all shelters accept pets but often area hotels, motels and animal shelters do. It is suggested that you call your destination in advance to get all the details.

PETA also advises that you put ID tags on your pets in the case that you’re separated. El Cajon Animal Shelter has seen this preparation among residents with animals. “A lot of people knew that we were available,” Saneda said.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also emphasizes planning. “Be prepared. Practice makes perfect,” said Terri Crisp, SPCA’s animal resource and rescue consultant. “With a little planning and foresight, a lot of confusion can be eliminated and all family members can safely be removed from harm’s way.”

Support for our four-legged friends in this time of emergency has been positive. El Cajon may actually stop accepting supply donations.

“We’re actually overflowing with food,” Saneda said of the multitude of people willing to help.

The overabundance of donations to El Cajon is being diverted to other shelters in greater need.

Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers, is accepting evacuees with small pets. It is advised that small animals are placed in carriers or at least on a leash. Red Cross evacuation locations, such as Qualcomm, are providing donated pet supplies and even carriers to those without them.

Those with larger animals, such as horses and livestock, have been offered a variety of options to protect and house their animals. Although Qualcomm is only accepting small pets, other locations, such as El Camino High School and Granite Hills High School, have opened their facilities to horses and livestock.

Many businesses, such as the Westfield Mall and the Fletcher Parkway Home Depot, have opened their parking lots to those with large animals, also allowing space for RV’s and campers.

The outlook is optimistic for San Diego’s pets that have been displaced by the fires. El Cajon Animal Shelter is determined to see things through, allowing pets to be boarded there for an indefinite period of time.

On how long pets will be allowed to stay Saneda said, “As long as it takes. We know people whose homes have burned down so till they get back on their feet.”

By Lalinda De La Fuente

Fire houses across the country are reaping the benefits of animal oxygen recovery masks, designed to fit over a pet’s mouth and nose while delivering oxygen. These masks can be used on just about any animal from a snake to a Saint Bernard.

The masks, manufactured in New Zealand by McCulloch Medical and purchased from SurgiVet, Inc., have already saved the lives of scores of pets. Cities, and even entire states, nationwide are realizing the value of an animal life.

Daytona Beach, Fla., was the first city in the nation to be fully equipped with the masks and Delaware recently became the first state to carry the masks in every one of their fire stations.

H.E.L.P. Animals Inc., a 501(c)(3) tax deductible, nonprofit and all volunteer organization out of Orange City, Fla., has distributed thousands of masks since their formation in 2003. The acronym H.E.L.P may spell out Health Educate Love Protect but it also spells out their cause.

For this small group of women, what began in their hometown quickly moved across the county, then the state and eventually nationwide.

“As a group, we do not rescue, house, foster, picket for causes and hate breeders,” said Karen Clark, H.E.L.P Animals Inc. public relations officer. “And absolutely nothing political. We are not professional fundraisers.”

The recovery mask sets, which come complete with three different sizes, can be purchased by anyone from H.E.L.P Animals who agrees to donate them to a municipal rescue agency or charity.

Because H.E.L.P will not send the masks to any commercial business for profit in resale, they have a special pricing of $55 per mask set.

To date, H.E.L.P has distributed over 5,000 mask sets and about 150 large K9 masks for working dogs.

On top of the masks, H.E.L.P supplies donated medical supplies to licensed wildlife rehabbers and animals shelters. They also have a successful free spay and neuter program, low cost pet shot clinics and a service dog fund for those who can’t afford medical help for their service dogs.

Although support and feedback has been mostly positive, the organization has encountered some critics.

“I have run into a few hardliners, mostly non-pet owners, said Clark. “They used to say that the masks have to go though testing and they might be turned down.”

Clark uses NASA to sway critics. “I let them know that USAF/NASA Kennedy Space Center Ground Support has them,” said Clark. “They usually change their minds real quick.”

As for fire fighters, the donated masks are welcome, with many realizing their great potential, both for the animal lives and owner emotions.

The Coral Gables, Fla., Fire Department cites the heightened sense of smell in cats and dogs as a disadvantage during a fire. It’s this heightened sense that makes them even more vulnerable to the effects of smoke, fumes and toxic gases.
According to Coral Gables Fire Chief Richard Cook, “Treating pet patients quickly and effectively is key to their survival.”

Survival is the key word for pet owners across the country. The masks growing popularity indicate how important pets are to their owners today.

“There are many times when the pet is the only family that people have,” Clark said. “People will risk their own lives to go back in and get their loved ones. I mean all pets, not just cats and dogs.”

For more information on H.E.L.P Animals Inc. or on how you can contribute visit www.helpanimalsinc.org. Project leader Cheryl Crozier will personally handle the order and can be contacted by e-mail at oxygenmaskorder@helpanimalsinc.org. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling (386) 479-9700.

H.E.L.P Animal’s web site stresses the need for community, volunteer and individual involvement in the program. “Unfortunately, there is no government funding for these programs,” their mission statement says. “We will need public support to achieve our goals. Any donation large or small will be appreciated.”

This article was written by Lalinda De La Fuente, News Editor for Only for Pet Lovers