Blog Posts
Critical Care Corner: Charlie
Charlie Rescued from a Canal
A good Samaritan rescued Charlie from a canal. He was covered in ticks and nasty welts from a tight harness. After the ticks were removed, Charlie arrived at ABC where he is on the mend and undergoing medical treatment. Despite all of his hardships, Charlie is a wonderful, happy dog who enjoys spending time with everyone.
Donate to Charlie’s medical care by clicking the donate button to the right.
ABC rescues animals regardless of their medical condition. Many times an animal needs surgery or extended medical care before he or she is ready for adoption. Our Critical Care Corner will keep you updated on these special needs animals.
Keep Pets Safe from the Heat
Keep Your Pets Safe from the Heat!
Everybody loves summertime! School’s out, vacations are in full swing, and backyard cookouts are everywhere. But along with the fun comes keeping a cool head, figuratively and literally.
When we forget to take a moment to prepare for those fun times – hiking, biking, swimming, and spending time outdoors with our pets – the results can be uncomfortable or even dangerous, especially here in the valley where summer temperatures can climb to highs in the 110+ range.
But don’t sweat it, we can help you and your pets stay cool in the summer heat.
Walk early in the morning or late in the evenings
The early morning hours and later on in the evenings after sunset are your best bet for safe pavement temperatures. Keep the five-second rule in mind. If the pavement is too hot for you to hold your hand on it for more than 5 seconds, it’s too hot for your dog to walk on it. The hot pavement can burn your dog’s sensitive pads. Walking on the grass is safer, but it’s still best to limit exercise to the early morning hours when temperatures are cooler.
Limit time spent outdoors
Beyond deyhdration and heat exhaustion issues, some breeds with white fur and lighter skin are more prone to sunburn, especially around the face and nose. Sunscreen isn’t just for people, ask your veterinarian for recommendations for appropriate sunscreen for your dog. When you are outdoors, always make sure your pet has plenty of shaded areas to play in. A kiddie pool with shallow water can also be a fun way to cool off, but pets should always be supervised around water.
Don’t leave pets in a parked car
Running errands during the summer? The safest, smartest thing to do is leave your pets at home.
Bringing your pets along for the ride simply isn’t safe, even if you’re planning to “just run into the store for a minute.” That “minute” often turns into five or ten minutes, which is more than enough time for the temperature in your car to rise to 130 degrees or higher, causing severe heatstroke, organ damage, or worse.
Please – leave your pets at home.
Always bring water
Even if you’re hiking in the early morning hours when temperatures are cooler, make sure you have enough water for you and your pets. Once the sun rises, temperatures climb rapidly and both people and pets can be overcome with heat before they realize it. Stop for hydration breaks often, and share that H2O with your pets.
What if there’s a power outage?
Great question. If your power goes out for more than a few hours, there are several pet-friendly places you can take your dog for relief from the heat. Most major pet stores allow you to bring your dog inside. A quick run to the store for a new toy or some snacks might be just enough time for the power company to restore power to your neighborhood. You could also check with family and friends who still have power, perhaps they can put you and your pets up until your power is restored and temperatures are safe enough to return home.
Thank You, Taylor!
Taylor selflessly asked that her friends and family make donations to ABC in lieu of birthday gifts. She collected monetary donations, and plenty of toys and food for the dogs and cats! Thank you, Taylor!
Critical Care Corner: Lucas
Lucas Neglected by Former Owners
Lucas was horribly neglected by his former owners and when he became ill, rather than provide the medical treatment he desperately needed, they abandoned him and he wound up on the e-list. The first photo shows Lucas in agonizing pain, utterly dejected, on the day he was scheduled to be euthanized.
Fortunately, an ABC volunteer heard of Lucas’s predicament and immediately transferred him to University Animal Hospital to see if doctors could save his life. Lucas was quickly diagnosed with Lupus and began immediate treatment. After just five weeks, Lucas has almost fully recovered and is all smiles!
Video courtesy of Fox 10, click here to read the story on their website.
ABC rescues animals regardless of their medical condition. Many times an animal needs surgery or extended medical care before he or she is ready for adoption. Our Critical Care Corner will keep you updated on these special needs animals.
Abandoned Puppies Rescued
Abandoned Puppies Found in Phoenix Apartment
By Chencho Flores
Let’s face it, puppies are just plain cute.
That’s why Andra Jeffress, who runs the ABC Adoption Shelter in north Phoenix, was heartbroken to hear about abandoned puppies found locked in an apartment for days without food or water.
“When I saw the email, I jumped on it,” Andra said. “The condition of these dogs was just terrible.” The email was from another rescue group who had heard the puppies were living in horrible conditions.
“The renters had moved out and not notified anyone. Unfortunately it happens all too frequently. We get emails and calls about this constantly,” says Andra.
The five puppies were emaciated, starving to death and possibly dealing with disease or parasites…
Lola Rescue
Reward Offered for Safe Return of Newborn Pups
A litter of newborn puppies was snatched from a field before they could be rescued and now there’s a reward being offered for their safe return to their mother.
Lola is a beautiful girl. This former street dog has a home at the Animals Benefit Club shelter in Phoenix, but her five 3-day old puppies are missing.
“It’s a very unusual situation..we can’t figure out why…” said ABC’s Andra Jeffress.
The person who discovered the puppies in a field near 43rd Avenue and Glendale took a picture of them, called for help and left the scene…
Sophia and Her Puppies Rescued
Mama Dog Leads Rescuers to Litter of Puppies
Heat is hard on animals, especially dogs with fur coats. A mother dog in Mesa knew better than to leave her pups in the heat — she sought out some two-legged rescuers!
They look like six little balls of fur. Just 10 days old, these puppies were rescued when they were only six hours old. After giving birth, the mama dog went looking for help for her puppies and found it.
While her puppies were sleeping nearby, the canine sat in the middle of a busy street. A lot of people drove right past her, but Jim and Laura Wilkes stopped and they are glad they did.
“She so cute, how can you not help her, its 108 degrees!” exclaims Laura.
But the mother dog would not go with them. They had to follow her…
Ladybug Rescue
Woman spends months trying to save stray dog in Mesa
by Scott Craven – Sept. 7, 2010 06:11 PM
The Arizona Republic
It was just one dog.
It roamed a concrete basin south of Mesa’s Fiesta Mall, not far from a two-story parking garage where everyday shoppers likely caught a glance of the stray, scared and dirty, ribs poking through matted fur. Maybe they shook their heads and felt pity before stuffing their bags into their trunks and driving away.
Because it was just one dog.
A few months earlier, it had been two dogs. A large yellow dog ran with the smaller, scrawny one, until a rescue agency was called and took away the yellow dog, which eventually had to be euthanized.
But the smaller dog was too smart, too fast to be taken in. And so the man carrying the long pole with the noose gave up, hopping into his truck and disappearing.
Leaving just the one dog.
On a morning in early June, the sun peeking over the horizon, Gerlinde Arbizu pulled into the Fiesta Mall lot, as she did several times a week, dropping her daughter Christina at her job. The two live just five minutes away, so Arbizu didn’t mind her part-time chauffeur duty.
As Christina got out, she turned to shut the door, facing south toward the Superstition Freeway. And she noticed movement in some bushes not far from the chain-link fence that separates the mall from the freeway.
“Mom,” she said, “I think there’s a dog over there.”
Arbizu got out and looked to where her daughter was pointing. And yes, about 100 feet away, a dog huddled under the shrubs…
Selene Rescue
Selene and Her Puppies Rescued from Canal
A dog and her two newborn puppies are getting help, after surviving for months on their own.
Animals Benefit Club have now stepped in to help the family of dogs, but for the past few months, they lived in a trash-filled canal.
Mom and her puppies survived on scraps of food.
“They’re in fairly good shape, because people have been feeding them for the past couple months,” says Andra Jeffress from ABC.
People who noticed the dogs but couldn’t get near them knew they needed help. That’s when they called Animals Benefit Club.
At first its volunteers had little luck with the dogs. “They would go and hide because they were very leery of strangers,” says Jeffress…
Read the full story at myfoxphoenix.com.
Watch “Selene’s Tale” ABC’s winning entry in the 2010 Tales from the Pet Lover’s Heart contest.
ABC rescues animals regardless of their medical condition. Many times an animal needs surgery or extended medical care before he or she is ready for adoption. Our Critical Care Corner will keep you updated on these special needs animals.
