Animal Lovers

Coming out of a horrendous ordeal alive requires the counting of some lucky stars. When it’s your dog that’s managed to survive such a harrowing experience, you wonder if some guardian angel was on his side to keep him safe. That’s how the dog named Loki is now called “Lucky Loki.” He lived with the Rossi family along with his sibling, Rosie. Image Credit: Man’s Best Friend, Heroic & Wonderful Dog Stories When Rosie managed to open the back gate and walk out on her own, Loki decided to follow her and that took them down to the train tracks that were near their home. The Rossis were looking for their two dogs for hours, but it was a phone call that alerted them to what had taken place. They discovered that Loki was in intensive care after being run over by a train, not just once, but thirteen times. Image Credit: KTVB The conductor thought that the first time the dog had been hit, he was dead, but when he made his return trip, marking the 13th train to pass by, Loki ...

A picture may be worth a thousand words — but this one cost a life. Last week, a young Franciscana dolphin was killed on a beach in Argentina as a consequence of rough handling by throngs of eager tourists. The animal, along with another dolphin, had reportedly been yanked from the water so people could take photos. Images from the scene show one of the dolphins surrounded by a crowd of beachgoers , unprotected from the hot sun. "[Dolphins] can not remain long above water," an environmentalist from the Vida Silvestre Foundation wrote online in response to the incident . "They have very thick and greasy skin that provides warmth, so the weather will quickly cause dehydration and death." The group confirmed that at least one of the dolphins perished. As if the loss of life for the sake of photographs wasn't troubling enough, Franciscana dolphins are listed as a "vulnerable" species , found only in the waters of southeastern South America. Sadly, th...

"We're not getting a dog," Martin Sullivan said to his 4-year-old daughter. "Daddy, we have to have her. We want to get her so bad!" Kylie Sullivan pleaded. The weeks-old puppies were in a cart being given away free by some children hanging outside a grocery story in Camp Verde, Arizona. Kylie and her mother, Corinne Stalter, had their eye on one puppy in particular. "She was teeny, tiny and her little paws were falling through the holes of the cart," Stalter told The Dodo. Roxie was an adorable puppy. CORINNE STALTER Sullivan went into the store and Stalter looked at her daughter and said, "Let's just do it," as she took the puppy and hid her under her shirt. But by the time they approached Martin in the store, the shirt was moving around and a paw was sticking out. At that moment, Martin fell for the pup and had to admit defeat. The barely 6-week-old puppy they would eventually name Roxie already had his heart. "He let ...

This was the sad scene that unfolded on February 5 in Mumbai, India, for one monkey who had become the scorn of a community. According to local residents, this capture was a long time coming. For six months, the macaque, along with other monkeys, were allegedly causing trouble in the community with antics like stealing food and tearing up pillows that were for sale, AFP reported . Residents complained to local government officials, who then brought in a professional monkey catcher ( which is a thing in India , a country where monkeys mingling with humans is the norm), who lured the animal out with fruit as bait. Bystanders actually cheered when the macaque was bound up tightly and had a rope placed around his neck before being caged. The monkey was clearly aggravated by the undoubtedly stressful situation — AFP reported that when one onlooker patted his forehead, the macaque hissed in return. As AFP notes, monkeys are highly regarded in the Hindu religion and are often at the ...

A Pacific white-sided dolphin performs at SeaWorld San Antonio. FLICKR/NAN PALMERO Yet another marine mammal has died at SeaWorld. The entertainment park announced on Saturday that Dart, a 12-year-old Pacific white-sided dolphin, had passed away at SeaWorld San Antonio. He was the fifth known marine mammal to pass away at a SeaWorld park in the past eight months. While the cause of Dart's death is not yet known, SeaWorld said he had been under veterinary care for "health-related issues." Pacific white-sided dolphins usually live to be roughly 36 to 40 years old . SeaWorld also said that one of Dart's companions, Betty, a 37-year-old wild-caught Pacific white-sided dolphin and the oldest of the park, was under "24-hour veterinary care for indications of inflammation or a possible infection." SeaWorld's treatment of its dolphins has previously come under scrutiny. Back in August, Dr. Heather Rally, a marine mammal veterinarian who works with PETA, wit...

A COUPLE have been left devastated and angry after their British bulldog died during a routine vet's appointment to have his overgrown toe nail cut. Michael and Kellie Bloomfield, from Croydon, took their beloved tanned, six-year-old dog, Kitch, to Vets 4 Pets, in Lower Addiscombe Road, on Tuesday for the nail trimming. In the past, he had worn a muzzle as he could be anxious but this time the family say Kitch was given a muzzle too small for his face meaning his mouth could not open. The couple claim the vet's assistant put her full weight onto the six-stone pooch to prevent him from moving as he was straining to get up. Mother-of-three Kellie, 39, said: "They got about four or five muzzles out that didn't fit him but they decided to put this long, tube one on him, the kind you'd put on a greyhound. "The vet cut another nail and that started bleeding. By the time he had cleared the blood up, I wanted him to stop and he took the muzzle off him. ...

Police in Fresno, California, have arrested a man for animal cruelty after they found him with a cat stuffed into his backpack. Authorities said in a news release that officers found the cat yesterday morning after stopping a suspicious-looking bicyclist behind a Wal-Mart in the city of Clovis. That cyclist turned out to be 24-year-old Cody High. He “initially lied about his name,” police said, “but officers quickly discovered this and determined his true identity, at which time he was found to be on felony probation for drug violations.” When officers opened High’s backpack to do a search, they found the cat inside and actually thought it was dead at first, they said. The orange adult cat “had electrical tape tightly wrapped several times around the neck, face, and nose.” Its legs were also “tightly bound together,” leading police to think it was no longer alive. But when they removed the tape from its face, the cat started breathing. Animal control officers then took...

I was shocked when I learned what this man did to his fiancee’s dogs! It’s a disturbing story but important that it be shared. A woman in Rio de Janeiro became suspicious when she noticed her beloved French Bulldogs, Gucci and Victoria, had unexplained injuries. Unable to determine how her dogs were getting hurt, 26-year-old Ninna Mandin decided to install a hidden camera inside her apartment. To her horror, she discovered that her boyfriend was brutally hitting her dogs for no reason. In the video footage, the man is crouched on the floor next to the dog hiding under a chair. It’s not clear what he’s doing to the dog, but he suddenly grabs the dog around her neck and violently throws the dog to the ground. Later, the man is seen headbutting one of the dogs, dropping her on the floor and dangling her from a rear leg before dropping her to the ground again. He’s then seen mopping up her urine from the floor. Upon seeing the video footage, Ninna cancelled their planned wedding...

Today, thousands of dogs woke up in animal shelters across the country with no way of knowing that this day would be their last. And while each has their own story of how they ended up behind a cold kennel door, they're bound together by the same sad fate — having to take their final walk, unwanted and unloved. An estimated 1.2 million dogs are euthanized in U.S. animal shelters every year. But despite being a staggering statistic, it fails to capture the enormity of the tragedy quite like this one haunting image. Pat Gregoire volunteers at the Baldwin Park Animal Shelter, a high-intake facility in Los Angeles, where she photographs adoptable dogs to share on social media. A few years back, she decided to show up before the shelter opened to the public. It was during those early hours when she captured something that happens every day, but which most people will never witness. "I had just stopped by the kennel of this dog, who was always very calm, when I saw a worke...

An emaciated and poorly dog was found in Newport after being neglected, abused and dumped. The dog was found in a collapsed, weak state and had been tied to a bin with a heavy chain at Hartridge Farm Road. The male springer spaniel - approximately four-years-old - was rushed to a vets. The poor dog was emaciated, and his eyes were closed due to thick green pus. He was unable to stand due to his poor health. Sadly on veterinary advice the dog was put to sleep. Please SIGN THE PETITION and persuade the authorities to take immediate action to find the person responsible for abusing this innocent dog and see that he gets prosecuted at the fullest extent of the law! Act now and make sure justice is served! SIGN HERE !

On Monday evening, shelter staff from DeKalb County Animal Services in Georgia reached out to Rescue Dogs Rock NYC when a dog barely able to stand and in excruciating pain was found hunched over in a nearby parking lot. Dubbed Sebastian, the emaciated, five-year-old pit bull mix had lost his will to live. Curled up in the back corner of his shelter kennel, he didn't want to drink, eat or move. The compassionate shelter personnel even tried to tempt him with bits of hot dogs and Chik-fil-A. If it was ever thought a dog just wanted to die, that seemed to have been Sebastian's wish. Stacey Silverstein, founder of the New York City rescue, which specializes in cruelty, abuse, neglect and the most urgent dogs who need immediate medical care refused to hear of it, and arranged immediate transportation to the organization's participating emergency veterinarian partner in Fayetteville. On Tuesday afternoon, Sebastian arrived at the veterinary hospital and is now being treat...