R.I.P. Rocky

Thanks to the volunteers who helped out with poor Rocky. I think he affected all of us in the same manner.

We did more for him that the owner ever did in the one short abusive year of his life.

Story:

The owner called the ACN and demanded that Rocky be picked up immediately before they “killed” him with “their own bare hands”.

Thanks to the volunteer for turning around and going back to Pontiac to get him immediately.

Thanks to the three volunteers for watching over him and trying to work with him for several days, with no luck, no progress whatsoever.

Thanks to the volunteer who was able to get him out of the kennel without using a control stick which would have just stressed him out more.

Rocky finally somewhat relaxed in a big cage in the rescue van on a comforter and finally stopped shaking and trembling. He still bared his teeth and warned us to stay away but it was about as less stressful for him as it could have possibly been considering his temperament and distrust for humans.

Thank to the compassionate veterinarian at a local animal shelter that gave him a little sedative in the van so he would not stress anymore.

Thank you to the volunteers that helped carry him and petted him and talked to him while he was on his way to heaven, truly a much better place for this poor dog, a victim of his surroundings like we have never seen.

May those awful people face their judgement some day for what they did to him and let’s hope and pray they do not get another, we will have to keep an eye on this address.

Thanks again to all the volunteers, animal welfare workers and veterinarians that attempt to make this transition to Heaven for dogs and cats like this as loving and as peaceful as possible. This is the part of this work that no body wants to do and many will not do. For those that we rescue that cannot be saved due to health or temperament we must follow through until the end.

If Rocky only knew for this short time by the sounds of our voices, our calm actions and our willingness to help him, then we did our part and we did right by Rocky!

Rest in peace Rocky, no more beating, kicking, torture, chaining and isolation.

In your memory we will continue to never turn our backs on dogs that are not adoptable.

Proverbs 12:10 The righteous care for the needs of their animals,
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

Puppies rescued from deplorable conditions!!!

Another big thank you to our Sue for rescuing these puppies and believe us, it was not easy. Sue was gifted with the power of persuasion and while on an ACN welfare check found these three puppies in disgusting, deplorable conditions.  She was ot leaving without them.  They were being kept in a Tupperware container filled with urine and feces and were completely emaciated and dehydrated, who know when the last time they ate or drank was.

 They were trying their best to climb out of this isgusting "container" and were covered in urine burn and feces.The puppies were immediately put in a foster home where they enjoyed a nice warm bath, food and water, such good water! Sadly but not surprisingly, they came down  with the parvovirus and only one survived.  Even with vet care, their condition being so poor and bodies so frail,  the two just couldn't fight it. No food, no water, no vaccines is a recipe for disaster! It is a miracle that one survived.  Solo" will be adopted once he is fully vaccinated and neutered.

Great work Sue, your continued dedication on behalf of the animals continues to amaze us.

As all of us in rescue know, not all of our stories have happy endings but we still have to tell them!
Animal welfare workers and volunteers are not the creators of these terrible stories, but always are willing jump in to pick up the pieces!

Rest in peace to the two that we lost, we are sorry we didn't get to you sooner!

Cats outside during brutal cold!

On a routine ACN stop, we noticed over ten cats trying to stay warm at the house next door.  They were huddled up against every heat vent and taking refuge in two small dogloos that were obviously put out by the resident to help them stay warm.  The dogloo were beginning to fill with snow.  We put some straw in the houses and dumped some food, they all came scrambling to eat as we were pulling away.  They were clearly feral.

No one was home.

 

Sadly the stray, feral cat problem is overwhelming in our target areas and it is not always a safe environment for these guys.

 

We will revisit this address and attempt to trap these cats or see if the resident is interested in getting them spayed and neutered.  Many of the females are clearly pregnant, so this problem will begin to expand very soon.  It all started with ONE unfixed cat!!!

 

Volunteers brave the cold to rescue animals in Pontiac.

Thank you once again to Aftab Borka from The Oakland Press for joining the volunteers last Saturday in the bitter cold. These are great pictures!


http://media.theoaklandpress.com/2015/02/17/volunteers-brave-the-cold-to-rescue-animals-in-pontiac/#2


http://michigananimaladoptionnetwork.org/about-us/press-archives/2015-press-archives/bring-your-dogs-inside-in-the-dangerously-cold-weather-february-14-2015/

Cold spell - volunteers will be out!

The Animal Care Network volunteers will continue to be on the streets every day checking on the outdoor dogs and cats like these guys!!

Temperatures can possibly dip to 10 to 20 below with the wind chill factored in.

 

JUST BRING THEM INSIDE!!!

 

If you see an animal that you are concerned about, please call your local animal control, animal shelter or animal rescue group immediately!!!

 

 

Bitter Cold Temperatures for the Next Week!

Another reason to spay your female dog!

While Ky was flaming in heat her owner had the brilliant idea to “take her out for breeding”.  (Sadly, we have been hearing this phrase quite a bit lately. Ky was already swollen enough, but this is what happened afterwards, a prolapse uterus. Ky was swelling more each day and it was not looking good.

Thankfully from some great communication and education from our volunteer Sue and immediate response from our friends at All About Animals, Ky was spayed, vaccinated and kept overnight for recovery.

 

The Animal Care Network provided financial assistance to get this done and Ky is now doing really great!!  She could have died had this gone untreated.

 

http://www.vetinfo.com/symptoms-of-a-prolapsed-uterus-in-dogs.html

 

All in all a job well done, good education, owner’s that were willing to listen, great care from All About Animals and one less litter of pit bull puppies in our target area.

 

 

ACN Weekend Team #2

Sadly, it is not against the law to keep dogs chained up outside 24/7.

On the streets this weekend we actually were pleased to see that some of the dogs were not on chains and the owners had actually made efforts to shield these dogs from the frigid wind and temperatures.

 

Joe and Pico had the run of the yard and are loving every minute of it!

 

One of the owners actually put a carport set up around the dog house with a couch a few feet in front of the door to block the wind.  Another owner put their wooden doghouse up on a sturdy wooden platform to keep the snow out and a third owner used a plastic Purina dogfood bag as door flaps on their two doghouses and they were still intact!

 

As much as we want to see these dogs inside, we know that is not going to happen so we have to give people credit for the making an effort!

 

 

ACN Weekend Teams!

Three teams were out this weekend checking on outdoor animals during frigid temperatures.

All total:
101 stops ...
144 dogs and cats were assisted
11 dogs and cats rescued
2 doghouses delivered
20 bales of straw delivered and stuffed in doghouses!

Over 100 bags of dog and cat food distributed!

Great job everybody!!

PLEASE help us continue to help the animals by donating during our Winter Fundraiser. For more information, please go to:
http://michigananimaladoptionnetwork.org/ways…/donate-money/

 

Ivey - A Great Rescue Story!

Just last week I had the pleasure of saying hello to Ivey, rescued seven years ago, and her owners Kim and Robin, absolutely amazing people!!

This story is just too amazing not to tell!

In 2007, around the Michael Vick dogfighting outrage, I was able to assist a local shelter rescue three pit bulls that were chained in a patch of trees in the middle of a cemetary of all places. ...
The surrounding homes had heard horrible noises in the middle of the night and then a groundskeeper heard crying and discovered several bloodied, injured dogs chained to trees with very heavy tow chains, well hidden. I am proud to say that I immediately played a major role in getting these dogs out of there. They were leaving with us. Entering their zone, befriending them, cutting the huge gigantic chains and padlocks and keeping them apart was what we did.

The vision of these dogs remains in our memory to this day as we rescued them from this secret, horrible place.

This incident was reported to the authorities.

Sadly due to extreme aggression and being exposed to dogfighting, two of the dogs had to be euthanized. The third dog Ivey was up for adoption for years.
Ivey was featured on the front page of the Detroit Free Press in 2007, so badly wounded and torn up, but check her out now!

Thank you Kim and Robin for adopting Ivey, training her and being totally committed to a dog with a past. Her transformation is awesome......

This story is just too amazing not to tell!

Animal Care Network spay neuter stops!

Many of the addresses that the street teams stop at are new addresses that we have never been to before.

Any time that we see a doghouse, dog, cat or any indication that an address has dogs or cats, that address will go on the list.

More times than not, thanks to the great communication and educational efforts of our volunteers, we have serious interest in our low/no cost spay neuter program.

These were two new addresses on Team Marie’s list, which resulted in Panda, a female pit bull, and Zeus and Thor, a cat and dog duo, getting fixed and vaccinated through our program!!   This makes these visits invaluable!

Not only were we at ACN excited about this, but the owners were so grateful to take advantage of our program!!

Every single dog and cat that gets fixed not only reduces the pet overpopulation but makes the health and temperament of the animal better!!!

So bravo to all the volunteers out there that promote spay and neuter so successfully to the community that we serve!

Also bravo to the pet owners for believing in spay neuter!! You are part of the solution, not part of the problem!!!!

www.michigananimaladoptionnetwork.org

Doghouse Repair and Wellness Checks

Anytime the Animal Care Network teams spots a doghouse, we will either stop or jot the address down to be checked.

It was quite clear that this dog was living outside a lot (muddy pacing tracks in the grass) and the doghouse was not on a pallet, kept tipping over.  This had to be corrected as soon as possible.

Unfortunately the dog was so aggressive, the teams could not get anywhere near the dog or doghouse.  So after multiple tries to connect with the owner, it finally happened.

The doghouse was drilled on to a wooden pallet, lifting it up off the ground and weighting the doghouse down.  The team also discovered  the chimney cap was missing, so that was also corrected and the doghouse was filled with straw.

These doghouses have got to be drilled on wooden pallets, including the barn style and the dogloo.  They will just fill with mud, rain, moisture and snow which will then turn into a sheet of ice on the bottom of the house.... not to mention the dogs knocking the houses out of their reach.

Good job teams!

www.michigananimaladoptionnetwork.org

Spay Neuter Transportation - Taxi Cab

The Animal Care Network had been working on a household with FIVE pit bulls for months and months. Not all the dogs got along with
each other, none were fixed and this address was going to get messy, the two older females had already had l...itters.

We continued to persist and finally the owner agreed. The owner offered to take the two older females in and ACN agreed to transport the three younger ones.

Low and behold the two older females arrived in a Taxi cab! That was a first for us, but at least they made it for the appointment!!

Whew, that was a close one, between the breeding and fighting, this
address was about to become a nightmare!

All of the dogs in this household are now all spayed and neutered.

www.michigananimaladoptionnetwork.org