On Sunday, November 1, some athletes running in the ING New York City Marathon will be raising money to benefit the North Shore Animal League America (NSALA), the largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization in the world.
At least 50 runners have made pledges to the fundraiser, which hopes to net $300,000 for the dogs, cats, puppies and kittens of NSALA. To boost efforts, the organization is now selling t-shirts to anyone wishing to donate.
Parties who donate $100 or more will receive a t-shirt that depicts drawings of dogs and cats victoriously crossing a finish line, stenciled with the phrase, "Go Team Animal League." The shirts, designed by Spiritual Whimsy, are intended as a badge of support for responsible pet care, especially for homeless animals that heavily rely on community support.
Each year, NSALA finds permanent homes for about 20,000 dogs and cats. Entering its 65th year, the organization boasts nearly 1 million success stories. In this regard, representatives believe it has fulfilled its mission to "rescue, nurture and adopt homeless animals."
The U.S. Humane Society estimates that 6 to 8 million cats and dogs enter shelters each year, and about half are eventually euthanized.
Blog posts Categorized under ‘Pet Rescue News’
Marathon miles benefit homeless dogs and cats
Springer spaniels recruited to British police forces
A police department in Great Britain has begun a recruiting process aimed to bring a friendlier image to the force.
Police in Devon and Cornwall say they will add a class of Springer spaniels as search and rescue dogs because the breed is perceived as less frightening than the German Shepherds that currently fill the role.
Andrew Lilburn, the dog inspector for the Devon and Cornwall force commented, "Our existing general purpose dogs are fantastic at what they do but vulnerable people are often scared when confronted by a German shepherd dog."
Three spaniels were obtained by the police from local breeders in July and trained to recognize and find a human scent. The young dogs were taught to bark when they find a missing person and lead their trainer to the person by running back and forth between the two.
According to Lilburn, the dogs have already made several rescues, including that of a young man found in the countryside after running away from home. The officer summarize, "These dogs are a real asset to the force."
Because of the risks posed to police dogs in the U.S., the North American Police Work Dog Association warns police forces that if the law enforcement agency owns the canine, home owners insurance for dogs will not cover the animal’s liability.