#rescue

Stafford County Sheriffs in Virginia Have Punny Encounter With DonkeyYou may have heard of the TV series Baywatch, but this might be the first time you'll hear about Stafford County's Bray Watch. Like the Baywatch lifeguards who patrol the beach, the county's Bray Watch actively patrols its streets, but not for people. Instead, they patrol for donkeys potentially in danger, like this escaped donkey, which they affectionally called "Donkey Hote." (hahaha punny)On October 8, at 1:03 AM, the Stafford County Emergency Communications Center was alerted by a call about a donkey walking in the 400 block of Brooke Road.Deputy AJ. Deasy was dispatched to the area. With help from Deputy D.J. Ferrell, the deputy successfully caught the animal.According to the Facebook post from the County Sheriff's Office, the donkey was "reunited with his owner in stable condition." The office hopes and "bray[s] he doesn't escape again."Whoever wrote this story for the office deserves a cookie, a pay raise, or a rank promotion, whichever is applicable.(Image Credit: Office of Stafford County Sheriff)#Rescue #Funny #Animals
Ichy Came with Baggage, But It Was Worth Every MinuteIchy has had a hard life, and came with both physical and psychological trauma when Grace adopted him. The 6-year-old cat had been shot, neglected, shuttled from home to home, and had almost no teeth left. He's dealt with illness, street fighting, and homelessness. But he has turned out to be the most loving cat Grace had ever met, and everyone who meets him loves him as well. Ichy's story illustrates how a cat doesn't have to be perfect to be the love of your life.#cat #rescue   
Tito and His Unique "Toys"Tito was abandoned at three weeks of age. It's not said, but it's more likely that he was dumped by his mother's human owners. But he was found, and Dalia took him home and bottle-fed him and nursed him back to health. Tito grew up to be a loving and playful cat, even though it took him a while to warm up to a little sister named Mona. But what really sets Tito apart is his obsession with tampons! However, once you think about it, they are the perfect cat toy: lightweight, small, has a crinkly cover and a string attached. Still, they are expensive compared to bread ties and milk rings. You can see more of Tito and Mona at Dalia's TikTok gallery.#cat #rescue #tampon
Richey Goes from Street Cat to Boat CaptainChris Poole, also known as Cat Man Chris, became well-known through his cats Cole and Marmalade and is an advocate for stray, feral, ad homeless cats. He made friends with a stray that turned out to have been abandoned when his family moved away. With a lot of patience and catnip, Poole worked up to the easiest "getting a cat into the carrier" moment I've ever seen. The cat, eventually named Richey, was adopted by Kiley and her parents, Lori and Jason. Jason said since they talked him into a cat, he was going to get a boat. You can see a video of Richey exploring the boat for the first time here. That was a year and a half ago, and the whole family, Richey included, now takes boat trips all over. You can follow their adventures at YouTube or Facebook.#cat #rescue #boat
Cat Rescued from Wall After a Bathroom RemodelAshlin Hadden went on a business trip for several days, and arranged for her bathroom to be remodeled while she was gone. She took her two sons to stay with their dad, but left her two cats, Stripes and Cookie, in the house with an automatic feeder. When she returned, she found her bathroom finished, and her cat Cookie acting anxious. But where was Stripes? She could hear him, but where was he?
Owl Rescued From Soccer Goal NetA poor owl was found last week stuck in the net of a soccer goal at Trottier Middle School in Southboro, Massachusetts.Keith Nichols and Jake Woodford, the officers who arrived at the scene, immediately cut the bird out of the net. Before doing so, however, the officers took a photo of the absolutely shocked owl. After getting disentangled, the owl was able to fly away rather quickly. It was unharmed, thankfully.The Southboro Police Department told the story in a Facebook post in a funny way, saying that the officers "scored a nice save."A nice save it is, indeed.(Image Credit: Southborough Police Department)#Owls #Animals #Rescue #Soccer
Giant Horse Finally Gets to RetireIt was the biggest horse Ally had ever seen. His shoulders towered above her head! The horse, now named Big John, had been an Amish workhorse all his life, until Colby’s Crew Rescue bought him at an auction, with the express goal of giving him a good life. Big John suffered from arthritis, sores, and foot problems, but with love, care, and daily beer, he's come out of his shell and feels like a colt again! Not only that, but he inspired Colby's Crew Rescue to purchase other elderly draft horses that would otherwise be destined for slaughter. Since his retirement, Big John has found a soulmate in another retired workhorse named Stardust.
Moose Found Awkwardly Stuck on Fence"Yep, that's me. You're probably wondering how I got into this situation…"Connecticut State Environmental Conservation Police received a call about a moose stuck on a fence in Barkhamsted, Connecticut. It was an obvious case of misjudgment when jumping the fence. The moose was not impaled, but couldn't move forward or backward. He was apparently no stranger to bad decisions as he was already missing one antler. CSECP discussed possible solutions, then called the local fire department to cut the fence. The firefighters used their jaws of life to cut one end of the fence panel loose. They didn't need to cut the other end of the panel, because that's when the moose moved forward and the fence was pushed down. After the fence was down, the moose nonchalantly walked away.​The number of moose sightings in small Connecticut towns has increased lately because it's mating season, and moose are looking for love in all the wrong places. -via Fark ​(Image credit: Connecticut State Environmental Conservation Police) #moose #fence #rescue
Raccoon Rescued From Peanut Butter JarMost people know that peanut butter can be used to rescue you from a sticky situation. Peanut butter has been used by moms for decades to get gum out of hair. The oil in the peanut butter dissolves the gum paste and voila the gum is easier to remove. Peanut butter, however, can also cause some sticky situations. Take the story of the New England based raccoon who was recently rescued by the Cape Wildlife Center.  The poor little fella got his head trapped in a peanut butter jar.
Hurricane Ian Cat RescueIf you've been watching the scary and devastating news reports from Florida as hurricane Ian slams the state's west coast, take a break and watch something a little more hopeful. Megan Cruz Scavo weathered the storm at her parent's home inland from the Florida coast. Her boyfriend was at his parents' house at Bonita Beach, south of Fort Myers. They say that house is built to withstand a hurricane. The family spotted a large ginger cat that had found high ground on top of the A/C unit.
Rose the Mountain Lion Finds a HomeWe've been following the story of Rose, a juvenile mountain lion that was found starving in the mountains of California. She was taken to the Oakland Zoo rescue and rehab department, where veterinarians and staff fought for her survival. That was back in April. Rose was later joined by a rescued male mountain lion they named Sage. They both made a good recovery from their ordeal of being orphaned too young, and have been taken to their new permanent home at The Living Desert, a wildlife park in Palm Desert, California. -via Zooborns​#mountainlion #cougar #rescue #rose
Elephants Find Freedom in Sanctuary​Pocha the Asian elephant was born in a German zoo. She has lived most of her 55 years in a small concrete enclosure at the Mendoza EcoParque in Argentina. She and her daughter Guillermina finally got to leave the zoo in May of this year and were taken 2,092 miles (3,366 kilometers) to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil, where they can roam through grasslands and the rainforest and meet other elephants. The transition was very gradual, as these elephants were suffering from sensory deprivation. But their joy in their new home is easy to see. You can see plenty of videos about Pocha, Guillermina, and their journey at the sanctuary's website.#elephant #sanctuary #ElephantSanctuaryBrazil #rescue
Fish at Death's Door Undergoes an Amazing TransformationIf you are going to keep a pet, no matter what kind of animal it is, you need to learn about it and be prepared to meet its needs. Pet stores, however, operate on volume. They assume that an animal will spend little time in their care before going on to a permanent home. That can lead to adverse effects. Emma The Cabbage is studying to be a vet tech, and she's spent years learning to care for fish. Emma spotted a fish in distress at a pet shop, pale, floating, and not moving except to breathe. The store didn't even charge her for it, and Emma brought the fish home for some TLC. After a few weeks of intense care, the little fish changed from a sick nondescript minnow to a beautiful rainbow betta! It's amazing what a little knowledge and the willingness to care for a pet will do. This fish won the lottery in that aspect.#fish #rescue #recovery #betta
Lifeguards Rescue a Desperate Cat from RiverGreat Yarmouth in England is where the River Bure empties into the sea on that country's east coast. We don't know the circumstances that yeeted a cat into the river, but it was seen clinging to a river wall with no way to escape the water. A Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) crew responded, and the cat started swimming to the lifeboat as soon as he saw it. The crewmen lifted the cat from the river and quickly wrapped it in a towel before returning to shore. The cat was eventually identified as Icicle, and was reunited with his family.​The RNLI is a charity founded in 1824 to patrol the coasts of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man to rescue those in distress. It is staffed by volunteers who are paid by local authorities and is supported by donations. The TikTok video will be featured in the BBC TV show Saving Lives At Sea on August 25. -via Fark #cat #rescue #RNLI
IHOP and Waffles: A Match Made in HeavenThis is not a story about breakfast. The puppy was born without her front legs, so of course they named her IHOP. Duke and Steph, canine special-needs foster parents who go by The Pawerful Rescue, wanted to get IHOP a companion, but other dogs made her feel helpless. That is, until she met Waffles. Waffles was a 10-week-old paralyzed female Great Dane that was slated to be euthanized. But IHOP recognized a kindred spirit in Waffles, who was so happy to have a friend that she started moving her legs! Duke and Steph reclassified Waffles from a hospice case to permanent pet, and now she gets around on wheels, with encouragement from her best friend IHOP. If you are anywhere near Dallas and might like to give a special needs dog a permanent home, head over to Instagram to meet their many lovable foster dogs.#dog #specialneedsdog #disableddog #rescue  
Firefighter Saved a Kitten Stuck Inside an ATM and Named It "Cash"Does your name have a story behind it? Well, this kitten's name definitely has a tale.The Regions Bank in Fort Smith, Arkansas enlisted the help of the  Fort Smith Fire Department on July 7, 2022, when they found a tiny kitten stuck inside an ATM machine. Although they were uncertain about how the kitten ended up inside the machine, the rescuers did a great job saving the cat.  The animal was brought to the Fort Smith Animal Haven where it was found to be dehydrated and starving. At first, the kitten was a little bit aloof which may have been from fright. Later the tiny kitty became a little more friendly.Because of its story, the kitten was named Cash. What a purr-fect name, right? ​Image credit: 5NEWS#Kitten #Animals #Rescue #FireFighters #FortSmith
Suddenly, 4,000 Rescued Beagles Need HomesThe US Justice Department has been investigating the Envigo research facility in Virginia, which bred beagles for pharmaceutical research purposes. They found the dogs were held in horrendous conditions you can read about at NPR. Now, the Justice Department is working with the Humane Society of the United States to remove all the beagles from the facility -4,000 in all! The dogs will be shipped to shelters and other volunteer animal facilities all over the country, where they will be treated for illness or injury, spayed or neutered, and then re-homed. The Humane Society does not do individual adoptions, but is coordinating the efforts of the various shelters, which are now beginning to receive the animals. You can find a current list of shelters at their website, which will expand as more shelters agree to take the beagles. You can also make a donation for the beagles' care through the Humane Society or any of the associated shelters, a bill which will far exceed the fines levied against Envigo. The process is expected to take months, but each dog deserves to be loved and cared for as beagles should be.#dog #beagle #rescue #research #Envigo
Rescuing a Bald Eagle from the River​Emmett Blois is a rafting guide on the Shubenacadie River in Nova Scotia. He was out on the river and spotted a bald eagle that had been caught in the tidal bore and was too waterlogged to fly. Would you reach into the water to rescue this huge bird? The eagle, a large predator with powerful jaws and talons, was exhausted but still scared enough to cause injury. Yeah, she bit Blois. But he powered through and held her tight for an hour to get her to the Hope for Wildlife rehabilitation center. Despite the bite and the eagle's fearful demeanor, Blois wouldn't trade the experience of holding a bald eagle for anything. See some closeup photos from that day at Instagram.#eagle #baldeagle #rescue  
Kitten Rescued from Pepsi Vending MachineLindsay Russell was taking a break from her job at Walmart in Morristown, Tennessee, when she heard a noise coming from the soda vending machine. There was a kitten inside! Russell reached in but couldn't grasp the kitten. Her co-workers tried, too, but had no better luck. Then the employees called the Morristown Fire Department, while the kitten continued to mewl in distress. Firefighters unplugged the Pepsi machine and partially dismantled it, and ended up coaxing the kitten out through the machinery. The operation took about ten minutes after the fire department arrived. Firefighters joked that the kitten should be named "Pepsi." Russell, an animal lover, took their advice to heart and took little Pepsi home as her own. You can read the entire story at CNN. -via reddit​(Image credit: City of Morristown - Government) #cat #kitten #rescue
Fostering a Tiny VenusVenus was born premature and oh, so tiny! Which just makes her eyes look so much bigger. She and her littermate Valentina were immediately abandoned by their mother. Danielle is a cat foster mom, and fed and cuddled the kittens around the clock. Unfortunately, Valentina didn't make it. Just a couple of days later, Venus opened her eyes for the first time. Danielle cared for Venus for 114 days. In that time, she went from a tiny partially-hairless clump with medical problems to a thriving kitten with lots of love to give. See a gallery of Venus pictures, culminating in a portrait with her forever family, at Instagram.#cat #kitten #fostermom #premature #rescue
Hospital Staff Saves KittenDuring shift change last Sunday night at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey, some of the nurses heard a cry from the sewer behind the ambulance bay. A kitten had fallen in! It was all hands on deck in the emergency department. Trauma nurses, EMTs, and other staff members, about 15 people in all, worked to remove the grate. Then they jumped down into the drain and lured the kitten out of hiding with turkey and cat food. The entire operation took about two hours, a sizable commitment from a group of people who had just finished their hospital shifts. Trauma nurse Heather Hendrickson quickly swaddled the kitten like a newborn baby to secure him. Another nurse had happened to be looking for a kitten for her family, and agreed to adopt the kitten. He is now named Trent, after the city of Trenton. -via Fark​(Screenshot from WPVI) #cat #kitten #rescue
An International Cat RescueThis is Max, a Maine coon cat who lives in Bucha, Ukraine, with Alena Kukuruzka. You can see how big Max is by the horseshoe for scale. He is also badass for wearing a Batman insignia. When the Russian army approached Bucha, Kukuruzka and her young son were evacuated to the Czech Republic. They were not able to take Max with them. Then Max disappeared from Bucha, most likely carried off by a Russian soldier. Kukuruzka issued an internet appeal to find her cat.A few weeks later, locals in Gomel, Belarus, noticed a wandering cat with a Batman collar. Max had traveled 300 kilometers from Bucha! Animal rescue volunteers there traced the cat to his owner, and then called Kukuruzka in the Czech Republic. Kukuruzka got a message:“Your contacts were on the pendant, we didn’t know whether to call or not, how you would react to Belarusians, after everything that was happened,” the girl on the other end of the phone said, throwing off a photo of Max and a collar with a pendant.Volunteers prepared Max with a passport and managed to send him through Poland to Czechia, where he was reunited with Kukuruzka 80 days after they were separated by war. You'll find the full story at the Facebook group Ukraine Animal Rescue Information. -via Everlasting Blort ​(Image credit: Alena Kukuruzka) #cat #rescue #lostcat #Ukraine #Mainecoon
Uncle Russ Gets Wet to Save a Fox KitNot all heroes wear capes, but some wear socks when wading out into brackish water. Uncle Russ saw something struggling and didn't hesitate to go get it. American viewers were waiting for the alligator to emerge, but this is Britain, where canals are not necessarily deadly. ​See the rescue in a TikTok video.Notice the desperate fox turning toward the man as he approached. Russ emerged from the water with a fox kit that had apparently fallen in the water, who knows from which side or how far away. The couple took the kit to a wildlife rescue center, where it was put on antibiotics and was expected to be released eventually. We hear that Uncle Russ was bitten during the ride and had to check his tetanus shot record. British canals may be gator-free, but they aren't clean.As an aside, when people call this a fox cub or puppy, and you correct them by telling them it's a kit, the response will always be "It looks fully assembled to me." -via reddit #fox #kit #rescue
Dexter the Wandering Scottish Cat Rescued from Offshore PlatformWorkers at an offshore platform in the North Sea were surprised to find a one-eyed black cat suddenly in their midst. The cat had been a stowaway in a container that had been shipped from Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. After feeding the cat, the workers contacted the Scottish SPCA in Aberdeen, who sent a helicopter out to the platform to retrieve the cat. With a little digging, the shelter found out that the cat had been hanging around the Grampian prison in Peterhead for several years, where the staff called him "one-eyed Joe". But there was more to the cat's story than that. When SPCA staff checked the cat for a microchip, they found that his name was Dexter, and he had been missing from his family for five years! They contacted Dexter's owner, Bridie Dorta, who was shocked to hear that her cat had been found after so long. "He's always been a wanderer," she said. That seems to be quite the understatement. Read Dexter's story at BBC Scotland. -via Strange Company ​#cat #stowaway #lostcat #rescue