PETA Global 2019 Issue 4

RESCUED BY PETA Huddled inside a filthy crate, Murphy was so encased in matted fur that he barely resembled a dog when PETA found him.

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PENNY THEN

MISSY THEN

PENNY NOW

MISSY NOW

CRYSTAL NOW

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CRYSTAL THEN

Murphy was transferred to one of PETA’s trusted sheltering partners and adopted by a doting couple.

Beware of Scam ‘Shelters’

MURPHY NOW

MURPHY THEN I

Dog: © iStock.com/adogslifephoto

Here are just a few dogs whose lives were changed, thanks to PETA:

At an Oklahoma “rescue,” nearly 70 dogs were slowly starving to death in barren,

be saved, in order to give them a real chance at a new life in a loving home.

and requiring people to make appointments, wait for months, or pay high surrender fees. Often, they just say, “Sorry, but we don’t have any room right now,” and shut the door. But when shelters won’t help, animals get dumped, and that means more unwanted litters and a painful death for most of them. Some are beaten to death, drowned, or shot. Others have been found dead after freezing or suffering from heatstroke – or run over by a car after being abandoned outside a shelter. Some facilities perpetuate the cycle of suffering by handing animals over to anyone who will take them – including hoarders.

PETA fieldworkers found Crystal roaming at a North Carolina trailer park, suffering from a massive infected wound caused by a

muddy pens. The property was littered with piles of bones from dogs who had died – and those piles likely would have kept growing if someone hadn’t tipped off PETA.

Helping or Hoarding? This scenario is far from unique. Across the US, fly-by-night “rescues” and private “no-kill” scam shelters are routinely raided, revealing nightmarish conditions. At a kennel in Illinois, pit bulls were kept in stacked cages, with waste from the dogs above falling down on those below. Many had puncture wounds and cuts, and they were underweight and dehydrated. When a fire broke out – which happens with alarming frequency at hoarding facilities – nearly 30 dogs died, trapped in the inferno. What Happens When There’s Nowhere to Go? While some “rescues” hoard animals, other facilities refuse to take in the ones who are most in need. To appease “life at any cost” crusaders and avoid euthanasia, they keep animals out – by rejecting the unadoptable, reducing their hours,

Crystal

tight collar that had become deeply embedded in her neck. After emergency surgeries and rehabilitation, she was adopted by an adoring family – and now she’s positively sparkling.

H uddled inside a filthy crate, Murphy was so encased in matted fur that he barely resembled a dog when PETA found him. After emergency grooming removed 2 pounds of mats from his 7-pound frame, his bright eyes – and bubbly personality – emerged. He was transferred to one of PETA’s trusted sheltering partners and adopted by a doting couple. Animals like Murphy desperately need to be rescued – by organizations that care and will do right by them, never selling them to experimenters (something PETA stopped a Louisiana shelter from doing), leaving them to starve or be hit by a car, or turning them away for any reason. That’s why PETA’s doors are open to every animal, including those rejected by other facilities.

The organization immediately alerted local authorities, and the owners were

After one of PETA’s longtime clients demanded that fieldworkers come to her house “to feed and water my dog,” they found

Penny

arrested and ultimately convicted of cruelty

Penny , a 6-pound Chihuahua mix, tied to a trash can by a short leash, with no food, water, or shelter. After discussing what was best for the dog, her owner gave her to PETA, which quickly found her a home with a wonderful family.

to animals. Local PETA supporters mobilized volunteers to

Take Action Now Beware of scam rescues and shelters: Make sure any facility you donate to

help relocate all the dogs who could

accepts all animals without any restrictions and screens adopters to prevent hoarding or abuse. Please also support spay/neuter programs that reduce the number of unwanted animals. Go to PETA.org/SNIP to help.

For 10 years, Missy weathered heatwaves, thunderstorms, snowstorms, and hurricanes in a junk-filled pen. When she tested positive

Missy

for heartworm disease, her owner finally relinquished her to PETA. Now, she’s enjoying her golden years with a loving family, and she can’t stop smiling.

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WAGS TO RICHES