What started like any typical Friday evening quickly escalated to something much more traumatic for Cecilia Celis and her puppy Lulu. "We were inside making tacos, and we hear crying. We just hear them barking and crying, so we are like 'oh they're just play fighting' and a second later, I just look outside. We see a huge bird fly up, and I yell at the bird, 'get off my dog! Get off my dog!" Celis explains. Surveillance video from Celis'home shows her rushing outside to her two-pound Yorkie who was in the talons of a large bird, possibly a hawk. Lulu survived the bird attack without sustaining serious injuries. Brave Girl!
rescue
Everybody knows that your life changes completely the moment a cat walks in. It could be fun, it could get messy, but it surely would be an adventure. Agreeing to this, Japanese artist Nitori Sasami created a 30-part webcomic titles "Wonder cat" about a guy who saves a kitty from the streets and how that fateful encounter changed both of their lives. Check out his website, Instagram and twitter pages for some more.
While the idea of killing our beloved canine companions for meat seems appalling to us, it's been a norm for particular cultures. There is a festival in China known as the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, a week-long event that takes place every year. It is estimated that millions of dogs are killed for this festival. Marc Ching, an American activist, has made it his mission in life to rescue dogs from slaughterhouses. In the process, he has been beaten, threatened, and even detained by authorities. But Marc Ching is, thankfully, vigilant in seeing his goal through.
All the dogs Marc Ching has rescued have been taken to shelters and to the foster care organizations to help find furr-ever homes for the cherished canines. Because of Ching's strong morals and constant action, he inspired activists around the globe and has brought awareness to what is happening. Thanks to Ching, fewer and fewer dogs are dying at the festival.
You can read more about Marc Ching's cause on his non-profit Facebook page and how you can help! Thank you, Marc Ching, for being the voice for these beautiful pups.
The tiger, which weighs an estimated 1000 lb (453.6 kg), was found in an abandoned house in Houston. Police said a concerned citizen who called them to report the finding had entered the house to smoke marijuana and thought they might be hallucinating. The animal had to be towed out of the home due to its size.
Get otter here! The Winnipeg Humane Society's emergency response team was called downtown to save a river otter that had taken refuge from the cold under a garbage bin near the University of Winnipeg. Shout out to the team who was able to rescue the poor river otter.
Via CBS News
Meet Midnight, a 4-year-old black lab is being hailed a hero! When his owner was taking out the trash, Midnight sensed something was off and led his owner to his neighbor's house. Once there, they discovered his neighbor had fallen while trying to reach her bird feeder and was laying in the snow, unable to get up, for some time. Read the full story at CBS News.
Meet the man who has been working nonstop to help rescue hundreds of the Flamingo chicks known as 'Lesser Flamingos.' Thousands of baby flamingos are being born all across South Africa and in danger of dying of thirst due to the drought and dam near Kimberley drying out. Mike Bolhuis, bird lover and private investigator, heard about this issue and decided to set up. He helped organize 900 of the birds to be airlifted 325 miles away from the dam to Pretoria, where he is currently housing them on his farm. He is now in need of some volunteers to come to help out with these adorable baby flamingos. Read the full story at NPR.
Via Chicago Police
On Sunday January 27th, Chicago police officers from the 20th District helped a man to safety after he attempted to save his dog from a frozen Lake Michigan. Below is a letter sent from the man who wishes to remains anonymous: "I took my recently adopted dog, Pika, to Lincoln Park by Foster beach Saturday afternoon. I've been visiting that beach and park in all weathers for years with my recently deceased dog, Bowser. This was Pika's first visit to the park, he is a 9 month old American Eskimo mix. He was very excited and got away from me, ran down to the beach, and then to the edge of the large ice ridges that form during cold winters. I saw him disappear over the ridge. I ran up and looked down six feet to see him paddling in freezing cold water. He is a 19 pound dog and I knew that he would soon die from cold or drowning. I jumped in after him. The water was only to my waist and I lifted him onto my shoulder. I placed Pika above me on the ice and tried to climb out. The ice walls were bulbous and smooth with no ridge I could place a foot on. I realized I would not be able to get myself out. My hands were numb and flipper-like at this point. It took me about 20 tries to get my phone out of my pocket. Thankfully, it was water resistant and I was able to call 911..."
Mojo, a Goofy Maine Coon mix and Scout, a Fearless Calico, are two cute rescue kitens who are having a great time together while their owner documents it on their twitter page as well as on their youtube channel. We are totally in love!
These heartwarming stories will prove you, once again, how thankful we should be to the police officers and firefighters who are always there for our feline friends
In Waterway Point in Punggol, Singapore, a group of complete strangers banded together in a rescue attempt to help save a kitten trapped.
12-year-old "Sniffles" lost his nose after being attacked by other stray dogs in Puerto Rico. Staff at a veterinarian's office in Florida fear that Sniffles' distinctive features are causing him to lose out on potential forever homes.
What a rescue! Thanks to Officer Okten, who is literally chopped through the ice to get to this poor pup, who was stranded and dying on a frozen lake. Not only did they officer rescue this beautiful dog by saving its life, but he also rescued it by adopting and giving her a forever home. Thank you so much, Officer Okten! You are a hero. Watch the incredible video below.
The Regional Animal Protection Society of Richmond, British Columbia (RAPS) is a truly special cat sanctuary in Canada that serves as a home for more than 500 unwanted and sick cats. The unique greenhouse in the sanctuary helps giving kitties the sunlight they crave for while allowing humans to spoil them with some TLC. According to their website: "It is now one of the largest cat sanctuaries in North America. The Sanctuary provides a safe permanent home to hundreds of feral, abandoned and surrendered cats. We are one of very few cat shelters that house leukemia and FIV-positive cats (neither disease affects humans or other animal species). These cats are housed in separate areas so that other cats are not exposed. In many shelters, a positive diagnosis would mean euthanasia. We ensure that they are loved and cared for during their lifetimes". For more, visit their instagram page
A beautiful pup was abandon and terrified until an inspector with patience, and a heart of gold came to help.
