News — rescues

California’s Pet Stores To Only Sell Rescue Cats, Dogs And Rabbits

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We love when anyone wears our gear, but we also love when people feel the need to write about it on their social media! ATA was recently featured on AStylePixie.com. A Style Pixie is a Los Angeles based style blog created by Erika Fermina, stylist, model, feminist, and full time nerd. We just wanted to share the goods with you all. It can be seen here. Erika posted a Stormtrooper inspired look featuring out Cat-At Crew.

With the modern age of technology in full swing, it can sometimes seem like the news is only a constant barrage of only negative information being thrown into your face at once. Every day it seems like another terrible incident has happened in the world, and the sensory overload can become emotionally draining. This is why your friends at Arm the Animals want to create a monthly collaboration of some good news pertaining to our furry cohabitants. With their pure innocence, animals have the ability to soothe any negative emotion for an instant feeling of warmth.

Here are some stories that have warmed our hearts throughout the past month:

Last Known Living 9/11 Search-and-Rescue Dog Honored in New York City

(link for pics: http://abcnews.go.com/US/living-911-search-rescue-dog-honored-york-city/story?id=33687084)

A golden retriever named Bretagne, along with her handler Denise Corliss, were honored this past weekend for the valiant search and rescue missions during September 11th on her 16th birthday.

"Responding to the World Trade Center was our first deployment," Corliss told BarkPost, which sponsored their trip and commemoration in the city. "We were there to try and find survivors. When our task force arrived in Ground Zero, I just couldn’t believe the magnitude. Towards the end of our mission, it changed from a search mission to a recovery mission. I was just so grateful to have a canine partner that helped me get through it.”

The trip included a billboard lit up in Times Square, a stay at the lavish 1 Hotel Century Park, the doggie equivalent of the key to the city--  “a bone to the city" made by Tiffany and Co. and a cobblestone dedicated to Bretagne at the 9/11 memorial plaza by the National September 11 Memorial Museum. Also a search and rescue worker for other catastrophic events such as Hurricane Katrina, Bretagne now spends her time as a therapy animal helping children learn to read.

Senior Dog Completes Bucket List

Link for pics (http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/biggest-item-on-angels-bucket-list-done/2244721)

In the hopes of giving a very special senior dog an adventure and also a better chance of senior adoption, a volunteer at a Tampa Bay, Florida shelter caregivers began completing a 50 item bucket list for the Australian cattle dog mix named Angel. As her bucket list adventure began to gain media attention, number 50 on her list, adoption, was about to be checked off.

"We were waiting for a special reason," new owner Timothy Kehoe said, "and it showed up in the paper."

Dog caretaker Sue Silver watched Angel meet the couple.

"She had a glow about her," Silver said. "I was like, 'Oh, this is it.'

Not only did the lucky senior dog get the opportunity to see deer while hiking, lap water from a wine glass and pee in the Dunedin Blue Jays outfield, go paddleboarding, admire a double rainbow and walk along the Gulf of Mexico, but she also got to find her forever home.

"Whatever time she has left on this good earth, I just want her to be in a good home," Ziegler said.

Not-So-Bad to the Bone

Link for pics: http://mashable.com/2015/09/15/biker-cat-road-trip/#k0TDb9UNPZkg

In only a manner that could be considered fate, a fur-ever friend and a cross country biker met at the right time. Pat Doody, part time sheet metal worker/ part time biker, was on a cross country bike trip from California to New Jersey when he met the unlikeliest of acquaintances-- an injured kitten.

"I was just at this truck stop getting gas," Doody told Revzilla, "and this little guy just needed help. He was pretty badly burned, so I picked him up and tucked him inside my vest."

Rightfully named “Party Cat”, the small kitten went along for the cross country trip in Doody’s vest, snacking on some tuna along the way. Now almost completely healed in his new home in New Jersey, Party Cat and Doody have become the ultimate, but cutest, odd couple.

 

Stay Tuned for October’s Fur-ever Friend Feel Good Stories!

First it was Rottweilers, and then the witch hunt for German Shepherds, and now  the media have raised their pitchforks and demonized the pit bull breed. Pit Bulls are said to be inherently dangerous with the lore of their strong locking jaws sending fear into the public. Though these breeds are no more aggressive than others, they are stronger and more powerful and have way more potential to injure and kill than smaller breeds. This is why a few untrained examples of these breeds are responsible for severe injury and even death from dog bites, earning them an awful reputation.

Pit Bulls are not to blame for their negative reputation based on their biological make-up. The misconceptions about this breed is due to their popularity among  the “criminal elements” of our society, thus being used for dog fights and other acts of violence. 

source: Huffington Post 

According to What a Pittie, this breed is used for dog fighting due to their loyalty to the owner and strength. Many dog fighters also choose them because they are quick to learn, eager to please and easy to handle-- once a Pit Bull accepts you as their master, they willingly lay down their life to please you. These breeds have a massive sense of determination, so once they begin a task, they will not give up unless they can not physically continue or you step in to stop them. This breed is not inherently a monster, it is the owner or "master" who is. 

So what problems do Pitt Bulls face? Well the first is the overcrowding of shelters because of the stigma and as a result, high euthanasia rates.

For shelters in areas where breed-specific laws apply, 40 percent of workers said they would purposefully identify a dog as something other than a pit bull. Even in places without the ban, where renters and homeowners might run into problems with landlords and insurance companies, shelter workers have an incentive to keep the title pit bull off of a dog’s tag. This is all to keep these dogs away from euthanasia and give them a chance at life.

In fact, banning potentially dangerous breeds to eliminate a few bad apples in the group has proven to be counterproductive. According to One Green Planet, owners don’t want to surrender their forbidden pets, so they tend to keep them in hiding while not giving them veterinary care and time outdoors. The resulting lack of exercise, socialization, and health care aggravate any aggressive tendencies-- thus continuing the vicious cycle at no fault of the dog.  

So what can we do to help end the mass genocide of these inherently loving dogs? Put the responsibility of injuries onto the owners, who poorly train or care for their pets. The good news is that some states, such as Maryland,have passed the bill HB 73, into legislation. The bill holds owners liable for their dog's injuries, regardless of the breed. HB 73 also removes liability for landlords, unless the landlord knew or should have known that the dog was actually dangerous. Injuries committed while a dog is running loose will still incur owners' strict liability.

Pit Bulls, also known as "nanny dogs" are a wonderful addition to your family. Like all other breeds, they need love, training, proper vet care, and socialization in order to thrive. To learn more about adopting, rescuing or fostering a "bully breed", please contact our partners at Fresno Bully Rescue or visit your local shelter and help save these animals! 

The infamous Kathy Griffin has stepped up and joined the "Adopt Don't Shop" Campaign. The proud pet parent of two rescued Labrador Retrievers, and upcoming host of E!’s Fashion Police is the latest in a long list of doggedly devoted luminaries to pose for Last Chance for Animals’ “Adopt, Don’t Shop” PSA. Other high-profile pals to those with paws who have shown their support for the campaign include former Sons of Anarchy star Ron Perlman, Mike Wolfe from The History Channel series American Pickers, and Joanna Krupa, animal advocate and star of the reality series The Real Housewives of Miami.

Established in 1984 by actor Chris De Rose, Last Chance for Animals has helped to shine a light on a number of issues that affect our barking buddies, ranging from dog fighting and greyhound racing to the plight of puppy mill dogs.

2014 was a great year for animal rescues, and we think 2015 will be even bigger!